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COMMUNICANTES.
The Church Militant does not wish to approach the Holy Altar all alone. She has spoken to God, about the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, about the Bishop under whose Jurisdiction the Diocese is placed, then about all Catholics. Now, she wants to name another class of persons, belonging not to the Church Militant, but to the Church Triumphant. She is fully aware that those who are already enjoying the Glory of the Church Triumphant are not separated from her, but, on the contrary, that they are intimately united to her, forming but one and the same Church with her. It is true, the Church is divided into the Church Triumphant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Militant; nevertheless there is but one Church. We are to present ourselves, then, before God, in company not only of the Saints on earth, but of the Saints in Heaven.
For this reason, the Priest adds: Communicantes et memoriam venerantes. ... Yes, we do indeed venerate those whom we are about to name, and our motive for thus honouring their memory is that they have already attained eternal glory and God for evermore; we are united with them, and have direct communication with them, forming but one with them, in the Holy Sacrifice. And who are they?
First of all: in primis gloriosae semper Virginis Mariae, Genetricis Dei et Domini nostri Jesu Christi. ... Our Blessed Lady has every right to an honour peculiar to her alone, and Holy Church never fails to pay it to her; on the present occasion she expresses this her thought by the word in primis: it behoves us in the first place, to speak of Mary. Yes, of Mary who always was and ever is a Virgin: Virgin before Birth-giving, Virgin in Birth-giving, Virgin after Birth-giving; She is, moreover, the true Mother of God, of Him who is at the same time, Our Lord Jesus Christ. All these her titles give her special right to particular mention apart from all others.
Sed et beatorum Apostolorum et Martyrum Tuorum ... Holy Church adds next, the Apostles and Martyrs of Christ. She will give us the names of the martyrs presently, but not till she has given us those of the Apostles. St. Mathias is the only one omitted, but his name occurs later on, in another list, after the Consecration. The name of diptychs is applied to these lists, because they used formerly to be written on folded tablets, frequently of richly carved ivory. Several of these would be used at the Altar: on one were inscribed the Saints’ names to be more particularly commemorated; on another, the name of the reigning Pontiff or the Patriarch under whose jurisdiction the place was, and of the Bishop of that Diocese, &c. Sometimes a third was specially added, for the names of the Catholic Prince of the country and his children. Finally, those who had founded the Church, in which they were assembled, or who had endowed it, or had rendered it some signal service, had their names also written on a Diptych, and as they were particularised, the list was often very long. If any one had the misfortune to fall into heresy, his name would be erased, if inscribed on the diptych, and it could not be replaced there, until he had made due submission and was reconciled to the Church. These customs have now fallen into disuse, because at last the number of persons claiming a right to be inscribed on the diptychs was so great that it became burthensome. The list of Saints was then limited and the names fixed as we now have them in the Missal; these lists are, however, a remnant of the ancient custom of the diptychs.
St. Joseph is not mentioned here, no more than he is in the Confiteor, because devotion to this great Saint was reserved for the latter Days, and because just at first, in the earlier ages, the attention of the Church was more specially drawn to the Apostles and Martyrs, for all the honours of her worship. Later on, when the time for fixing the Canon came, holy Church recoiled from rehandling and making modifications, even of smaller details, in a Liturgical Prayer fixed and consecrated by Christian Antiquity. With her ever wise discretion, Holy Church has limited the Saints’ names mentioned here. Let us go through the list.
Petri et Pauli. The Priest has this one thought uppermost in his mind, that he is in close union with all these Saints, and that he is engaged in honouring their memory. He names St. Peter and St. Paul together, because these two Saints are really one, belonging as they both do to the Holy Roman Church which was founded by their joint labours. Then come the other Apostles: Andreae, Jacobi, James the Great, Johannis, John, the beloved disciple, Thomae, Jacobi, James the Less, Philippi, Bartholomaei, Matthaei, Simonis, et Thaddai, Thaddeus, called also Jude.
These holy ones just named by the Church, all belong to the Gospel; but in order to show that she belongs to all ages, she deems it well to couple with these venerable names of the very Foundations of the Church, others no less dear to her. So these three Popes are mentioned in the same list: Lini, Cleti, Clementis. Linus, Cletus, Clement, were all three ordained by St. Peter; so that at the Apostle’s death, there were these three Bishops in Rome. St. Peter had appointed Clement to be his successor, but he contrived at first to escape the burthen; nevertheless he was at last forced to accept it, but whether he succeeded St. Linus, before or after St. Cletus, on the Chair of Peter, is uncertain. Xysti, here we have another Pope; it is Sixtus II., he who had St. Laurence for his deacon. He is a very celebrated Pontiff: he was beheaded in the Cemetery Pretextatus; and the Cemetery of St. Calixtus where is the Crypt of St. Camilia, is also called by his name, i.e., of St. Sixtus. Then follows Cornelius, Cornelii, whose epitaph, lately discovered in the Catacombs by the Commedatore De Rossi, has been a subject of such lively interest; this epitaph was found in two separate pieces, on one was only Cor, on the other, nelius.
After these Popes, we are given a Bishop’s name: it is St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Cypriani. He is coupled, on the diptychs, with his friend, St. Cornelius. Laurentii, the great Deacon St. Laurence ever so markedly honoured by Holy Church. These Martyrs all suffered in the persecution under Valerian; but the next, St. Chrysogonus, Chrysogoni, comes under Diocletian. As regards SS. John and Paul, Johannis et Pauli, they are much later, being put to death in the reign of Julian the Apostate. Finally, Cosmae et Damiani, both physicians; they were not Romans, but their bodies were brought to Rome later; they suffered under Diocletian. These two names close the list adopted by Holy Church, and no others may now be added. She terminates her Prayer by naming all the Saints, by whose merits she remends herself to God: et omnium Sanctorum tuorum, quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuae muniamur auxilio.
Thus ends this third Prayer, which is, like the other two, a Prayer of recommendation. First of all, the Priest prayed for Holy Church, the Pope, the Bishop, all Catholics, then for those for whose intention the Holy Sacrifice is being offered; to these he joined other persons in whom he is interested, finally, he reminded God of the union which exists between the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, and then the names of the Saints in Heaven were heard at our Altar here below. These three Prayers form but one, for which reason, only at the conclusion of this third, the Priest, joining his hands, terminates with the usual words: Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. He says the Amen himself and in a whisper; his voice is not to be heard, until the Pater.
HANC IGITUR.
This Prayer being ended, the Priest, extending his hands over the Oblation, prays anew. This gesture is of high importance and must be here remarked; it comes to us from the Old Law. When a Victim was presented in the Temple to be offered in Sacrifice, the right of the imposition of hands had a twofold meaning and was of double efficacy. The victim was, by means of this rite, set apart for ever from all profane use, and was devoted to the service and honour of God alone. The Lord, thereby, took possession of the victim, whatever it happened to be.
So now, Holy Church after having already, at the Offertory, alienated the Bread and Wine from all profane use, and having offered them unto God, does so now once again, and yet more earnestly, seeing that the moment of Consecration is close at hand. In the holy impatience of an expectation well nigh realised, the Priest stretches out his hands over the Bread and Wine, so that his oblation may have favourable acceptance, before the Throne of God; and he says these words: Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostrae, sed et cunctae familiae tuae, quaesumus Domine, ut placatus accipias: diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab aeterna damnatione nos eripi, et in electorum tuorum jubeas grege numerari. Thus, whilst offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and at this very moment when he is so specially pointing to his Oblation itself, the Priest prays for himself, for all those who are present, and for all those who are united with them; and he begs that peace may be granted unto us in this world, that we may escape hell, and that we may, together with the elect, enjoy the Glory of Heaven.
There is an addition in this Prayer which deserves our notice. Holy Church had not, at first, these words: diesque nostros in tua pace disponas. They were added by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, whilst Rome was being besieged by the Lombards, and the City was, consequently, in the utmost peril. Holy Church, since then, has judged it expedient to continue this petition for peace at the present; she was heedful not to retrench from her text words inspired to so holy a Pope, by the Holy Ghost Himself, Who, as we are told by John the Deacon, often showed Himself visibly in the form of a Dove on the head of Saint Gregory, whispering in his ear what he was to say or do, on certain grave occasions. This Prayer ends with: Per Christum Dominum nostrum, which words are said by the Priest, with hands joined, and to which he adds for himself in a whisper: Amen.
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
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QUAM OBLATIONEM.
Here begins the Great Prayer which continues up to the Memento of the dead, and in the midst of which the sublime Mystery of Trans-substantiation is accomplished. Thus speaks the Priest: Quam oblationem tu, Deus, in omnibus, quaesumus, adscriptam, ratam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris. Holy Church continues wholly absorbed in the Oblation, imploring of God to bless it, and, in order to this, the Priest makes thereon the Sign of the Cross, so that thus sanctified it may be lovingly accepted by the Lord; adscriptam (here the Cross is again signed): this Oblation is of such real importance, that it must be registered, He is begged to note it down; ratam (again, the sign of the Cross), it must needs be ratified, approved, confirmed in Heaven, as a Thing most truly Good and Fitting; lastly, the Priest begs that this Oblation may be rationabilem.
To understand this expression, we must call to mind what those victims of the Old Law were, they were, after all, but gloss and figurative, having no worth, save in as far as they had reference to the Sacrifice of the Cross. Whereas, the Bread and Wine, or rather, - anticipating in thought, together with Mother Church herself, the stupendous effect of the Sacred Consecration, let us say, - the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are here, on our altar, the true and real Victim, the Spiritual Oblation whereby all other sacrifices are rendered superfluous and sterile, it is in this sense that St. Paul, writing to the Romans, tells them to offer unto God in their own persons, an interior and wholly spiritual host: Obsecro vos, fratres per misericordiam Dei, ut exbibeatis corpora vestra hostiam viventem, sanctam, Deo placentem, rationabile obsequium vestrum (Rom. xii. 1).
You, who are Christians, says the Apostle, ought to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, agreeable unto God, and reasonable, that is to say, spiritual, in contradistinction to the Sacrifices of the Old Law. So then, the Christian must offer to God, even his very body, making it to take its share in prayer; and this he does by imposing fasts and penances upon it, in order to prevent its continually dragging downwards, according to its own material tendency; in a word, he must so act that the inferior part be continually upheld, so that it may without hindrance unite itself to the superior part of his being.
But let us return to the Offering that is on the Altar. Were this Bread and Wine to remain such as they are they would be no better than the Sacrifices of the Old Law; but inasmuch as they are soon to be changed into the Body, Blood, and Soul of Our Lord Jesus Christ, verily this will be a reasonable Host, essentially reasonable. This is not all: our Oblation must needs be acceptabilem, so that the Lord may truly say: I am wholly satisfied with the Offering made to Me. Ut nobis Corpus et Sanguis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi. At the words Corpus et Sanguis, the Priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the Host and over the Chalice. Oh! may this Oblation become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ! Truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are for ever in Heaven, but we are asking that They may be produced here below in this Oblation which we are offering. So then, it is for our own sakes that we make such a petition to God, as that this Oblation may be changed into the Body and Blood of the Lord, for the Church particularly puts these words on our lips: Fiat nobis, in order that this Body and Blood may be at our own disposal and may even become our very Food.
CONSECRATION OF THE HOST.
Quam pridie quam pateretur. These words were added by Pope Alexander I., the sixth Successor of St. Peter. This he did, in order to recall the Passion, because the Sacrifice of the Mass is one and the same with the Sacrifice of the Cross; for the same Lord, when He first immolated Himself in the Cenacle, on the Eve of His Sacrifice, was to be immolated the next day on Calvary. Accepit panem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas. At these words the Priest does the very same, he takes the Bread into his hands, et elevatis oculis in coelum, he too raises his eyes to heaven, imitating what he is saying that Our Lord did. It is not mentioned in the Gospel that Jesus raised His eyes to heaven, on this occasion, but tradition tells us so, - a tradition so certain that Holy Church makes a point of giving it here her full acceptance. Ad Te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens. This is the Eucharist, or thanksgiving; and Holy Church is careful to call attention to it; for, behindhand as we ever necessarily are in paying our ceaseless debt of gratitude to God, for His countless Benefits, we should constantly have Thanksgiving in our hearts and on our lips. Benedixit (at this word the Priest signs the Cross upon the host) fregit deditque discipulis suis. Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes. HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM.
The Priest then holds the Host in both his hands, between the thumb and index finger, and pronounces the words of Consecration, in a whisper, yet distinctly, and keeping his eyes fixed on the Host which he intends to consecrate. The moment that these words of Consecration are uttered, the Priest, on bended knees, adores the Sacred Host. The rubric says statim, at once; he must leave no interval, for the Bread has gone, there remain now but the species, the appearances; it has yielded its place to the Lord, it is the Lord Himself whom the Priest adores. Rising from his own act of Adoration, the Priest uplifts the Host, raising It above his head, to show It to the Faithful so that they too may adore.
Formerly the Host was not elevated at this part of the Mass, but only just before the commencing of the Pater. In the Eleventh Century, Berengarius, Archdeacon of Angers, having dared to deny the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, this Showing of the Sacred Host to the people, in the Mass, immediately after Consecration was introduced, in order to excite them to adoration.
After this august ceremony, the Priest lays the Sacred Host on the Corporal and again kneels in adoration before It. From this moment, each time that the Priest touches the Host, he will genuflect both before and after doing so; before, because he is going to touch the Lord, and after, in order to pay Him homage. Besides this, he will not disjoin the thumb and index finger of each hand, until the Ablution, because these fingers are sacred, and have alone the honour of touching the Lord. For this reason, at his Ordination, the Bishop consecrated these fingers in a more special manner, putting the holy oil upon them first, and thence spreading it over the rest of the hand; if a Priest were to lose one of his index fingers, he would need permission from the Pope himself to touch the Body of the Lord with another finger.
Thus is accomplished the Great Mystery of Transubstantiation (that is to say, the changing of one substance into another), according to that word of Our Lord to His Apostles: Do this in commemoration of Me: Hoc facite in meam commemorationem (St. Luke xxii. 19); on condition, however, that the Minister be a Priest validly ordained, and that he pronounce these sacramental words over true bread and natural wine, with the intention of consecrating as the Church does. These conditions fulfilled, God is not free, He is bound by His own Word, and the Mystery must consequently be achieved.
The word enim is put in, to link this phrase with the preceding; it is not to be found in any of the three Gospels which mention the institution of the Eucharist, neither does St. Paul give it in his Epistle (1 Cor. xi. 24). Nevertheless Our Lord must have said this word, as this Tradition has come down to us from St. Peter and the Apostles. A Priest who were to omit the enim would sin, but his consecration would be valid. If he were to omit the meam there would be no consecration, because it is necessary to determine whose Body it is that the Priest is holding in his hands.
As soon as these above named sacred Words are pronounced, the Body of Our Lord is truly on the Altar; but because, since His Resurrection, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Redeemer cannot be separated, he is on our Altar in a Living State, just as He is in heaven, that is to say, glorious as He has ever been since His Ascension.
The showing of the Body of Our Lord which now takes place, is, as we have explained above, of comparatively modern institution. The Eastern Churches do not observe a similar ceremony, at this part of the Mass; but on the other hand, they give far more pomp and importance, than we do, to the Elevation that immediately precedes the Pater, and thereby attract the attention of the people to profound adoration: for this purpose, the Priest then takes the Body and Blood of the Lord in his hands, and turning towards the Faithful, as at the Orate Fratres, holds Them up for adoration.
CONSECRATION OF THE WINE.
The Chalice being uncovered, the Priest pronounces these words: Simili modo post coenatum est and then taking the Chalice into his hands, he continues: accipiens hunc praeclarum calicem in sanctas et venerabiles manus suas. Notice this expression, praeclarum calicem. How Holy Church extols this Chalice which held the Blood of the Lord, and which she is now placing in the hands of her Priest! In the Psalm, we have the Prophet telling us: Et calix meus inebrians quam praeclarus est! (Ps. xxii. 5). Yea, truly, my chalice is inebriating! how august is it! how glorious, how magnificent! Mother Church finds this phrase so well suited to the Sacred Cup which is used to hold the Blood of Jesus Christ, that she now pours out her own sentiments in these very word. The Priest continues: item tibi gratias agens. The Priest spoke previously of this giving of thanks, when, at the consecration of the Host, he said that Our Lord, raising His eyes, gave thanks. Then, taking the Chalice in his left hand, and blessing it with his right, he says: benedixit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite et bibite ex eo omnes. The Priest thou pronounces the words of Consecration over the wine, whilst he holds the chalice somewhat raised. These are the Sacred Words: HIC EST ENIM CALIX SANGUINIS MEI, NOVI ET AETERNI TESTAMENTI MYSTERIUM FIDEI QUI PRO VOBIS ET PRO MULTIS EFFUNDETUR IN REMISSIONEM PECCATORUM.
Notice that the word enim comes in here just as it was at the Consecration of the Bread, to connect what precedes with what is to follow.
The Words used for the Consecration of the wine resemble those of the Gospel with some slight differences. We have received them by the tradition of the Church of Rome, founded by St. Peter, who had himself heard Our Lord speak. Novi et aeterni testamenti. So then this very Chalice of ours holds the Blood of the Lord, the Blood of the New Testament, called also here, eternal, to distinguish it from the Old Covenant which was to last only till the coming of Our Lord. Mysterium fidei. Mystery, that means the Mystery which specially and above all others, proves our faith; for, according to the word of St. Peter, our faith must needs be proved. And so truly is It the mystery of faith, that St. Paul, writing to Timothy, tells him, on the subject of the Eucharist, that Deacons should be pure and holy, guarding the Mystery of faith in a clean conscience: Habentes mysterium fidei in conscientia pura. It is well known that the Holy Eucharist was given to the special custody of the Deacons, who could even administer It to the Faithful, in the absence of a Priest. Finally, let us notice there other words: pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum. This Blood shall be shed for many, unto the remission of sins. Our Faith is that it was shed for all, and not merely for a large number, but all would not profit of It for the remission of their sins.
Such are the words of Consecration of the Wine, the effect of which is so tremendous. They constitute together with the Words of Consecration of the Bread, the Sacrificial Act itself. Our Lord is the Victim, the Victim immolated on our Altar; not merely in the sense that the Holy Mass, by the mystic separation of the Body and Blood, represents and recalls to us the bloody sacrifice of Calvary; but furthermore, because of the very state and proper destination of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, under the Eucharistic Species. Never was victim in any sacrifice, more truly slain and immolated, than is this Divine Victim of ours, as soon as the Consecration is achieved, when He who is the Splendour of God the Father, has now no other end and destination for this His Divine Glory, Beauty, and very Life, than to enter into us, there to be wholly lost and consumed.
So then, the Sacrifice is verily and indeed accomplished. God has looked upon It, and we can truly say to Him: Behold what was done on Calvary, and were it not for the immortality of Thy Son, the resemblance would be complete. For the accomplishing of this Sacrifice, the Priest lends his ministry to Our Lord who has bound Himself to come down to be thus immolated each time any mortal man invested with the Sacerdotal dignity, holding in his hands bread and wine shall pronounce over them certain words. But who is it that here offers the Sacrifice? Is it the Priest, or is it Jesus Christ? It is Our Lord Himself, in the person of the Priest, who is but one with Him; there is but this single restriction, i.e., that he would not come down on the Altar, if the Priest did not give his concurrence. The Sacrifice, then, is but one, whether it be offered on Calvary or on the Altar.
At the words of Consecration, the Priest, while placing the Chalice on the Corporal, adds the following: Haec quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis. When Our Lord said this to to his Apostles, He, thereby, gave to them, and in their persons, to all Priests, power to do what He had just done, that is to say, to immolate Him. So that, consequently, it is not man who speaks at this solemn moment of the Consecration, it is rather Christ Himself who makes use of man for the purpose.
Such is the dread Christian Sacrifice, which takes us back to Calvary, and shows us how tremendous is the Justice of God which required such a Victim. By itself alone, this Sacrifice could have saved millions of worlds. But Our Lord willed that it should be perpetuated. Having been immolated once on Calvary, He can do no more; yet, nevertheless, knowing what human weakness is, he feared lest the Sacrifice of the Cross, only once offered, might at last make little impression on the Faithful. Before long, man would have treated the Sacrifice of Calvary as a mere historic fact, consigned to the pages of the Church’s Annals, where few even would think of seeking it. So Our Lord said to himself: What was done once on Calvary must needs be renewed until the end of time. See here why, in His Love, he devised this Divine Mystery, whereby He comes into the host and immolates Himself anew. And God too sees the importance of this work, and by its very means He is moved to Compassion, and Mercy, and Pardon towards man.
Now let us next examine and find out who it is that produces this change of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord is it that operates in this mystery? It behoves us to remember that whenever any One of the Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity acts, the other Two Persons concur in this same Act, in perfect accord. In the Incarnation, the Son becomes Incarnate but it is the Father Who sends Him, and it is the Holy Ghost Who operates the Mystery. In like manner, in Holy Mass, the Father sends the Son, - the Son comes down, the Holy Ghost operates Trans-substantiation, or the changing of the one substance into another. Thus, in order to express the Action of the Holy Ghost in this Mystery, the Church in her prayer at the Oblation, called upon this Divine Spirit, as we observed, in these words: Veni Sanctificator Omnipotens, aeterne Deus, et benedic hoc sacrificium tuo sancto nomini praeparatum.
The Eastern Church has not this Prayer, in her Liturgy; but wishing, as she does, to make known to the people, the action of the Holy Ghost in this Great Mystery, after pronouncing the Words of Consecration over the Bread, the Celebrant says: O Lord, God, deign to send Thy Spirit that He may change this Bread into the Body of Thy Son; and all the people answer: Amen. After consecrating the Wine, the Celebrant again says: O Lord, God, deign to send Thy Spirit that He may change this Wine into the Blood of Thy Son; and all the people answer Amen. But this looks like an anomaly; for when the Priest utters each of these invocations, Trans-substantiation has already been effected. Why then call on the Holy Spirit? This is a remark that has more than once been made; their custom has been maintained, and this is the reason alleged. In order not to mix the acclamation of the people with the words of the Sacred Mysteries, the Eastern Church placed after these the invocations relative to the operation of the Holy Ghost, that is to say, they occur at the very moment chosen in the Latin Church for the Elevation, when she presents the Body and Blood of our Lord, to the adoration of the Faithful. Then it is that the Eastern Church pays homage to the Power and Work of the Holy Ghost. This, we Latins do, beforehand, both in the Prayer: Veni Sanctificator Omnipotens, and in the Prayer: Quam oblationem, in which we say: Ut Corpus et Sanguis fiat. Nevertheless, the Latin Church does not ask the people to approve of her Prayer by an acclamation; and in this place, would imply the recitation of this Prayer, in a loud voice. Now, we have already explained that the Prayer of the Canon is entirely secret, and must be wholly recited in a low voice.
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
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UNDE ET MEMORES.
The Priest having adored the Precious Blood, has shown It to the Faithful, and then again adored. He now, once more, extends his hands, and continues his Prayer: Unde et memores, Domine, quaesumus, nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta, ejusdem Christi Filii tui tam beatae Passionis, necnon et ab inferis Resurrectionis sed et in coelis Gloriosae Ascensionis. Offerimus praeclarae majestati tuae ... So do we call to mind.
The Priest says we, for there is question not of himself alone, but of all the people. He reminds God the Father of this; and we all, united with him, call to mind the Blessed Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of Our Divine Redeemer. During the Oblation, these three great Mysteries were brought prominently forward; but Holy Church is not satisfied with that; she wants to insist on the same thought again, and with still more delight in this place. She well knows that God has done all for man, and she wishes that not one of His Benefits should escape her.
Yea, verily, we are indeed offering a something very great, for we have here before us the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We call to mind His Passion which has been so blessed a Boon for us; here too the Victim is immolated but more than that, the Victim which we here possess as ours, is also He who rose again. Nor is this even all: we call to mind, likewise, His Glorious Ascension into Heaven. Yes indeed, He who is here present, is the Risen One; He it is, who scaling the Heavens, was seated at the Right Hand of the Father, whilst the angels re-echoed the glad shout: Attolite portas, principes, vestras et elevamini portae aeternales, et introibit Rex gloriae (Ps. xxiii. 7).
So then we have really here, upon our Altar, Him Who suffered, Who rose again, and Who is now reigning in Triumphant Glory in heaven. Oh! yes, indeed, we do indeed recall these things, and this it is that gives us such full confidence, that we dare to say with holy boldness: Offerimus praeclarae majestati tuae de tuis donis ac datis. We talk of offering! We who have nothing! absolutely nothing! Yea, it is true, we have naught of our own, but we offer to Thee Thine Own Gifts, that is all we can say. This Bread and Wine were given to us by Thee; then they became the Body and Blood of Thy Son, Whom, likewise, Thou didst give unto us, whole and entire; we are then drawing out from Thine own exhaustless riches, and we are offering unto Thee what Thou Thyself hast given us.
And what qualities does this our offering possess? It is pure, holy, and spotless. But, upon earth, all is impure, nothing is holy, everything is tainted and defiled; how then can the Priest dare to speak thus? We must recollect what our Offering is. It is the very Son of God Himself in Whom have been accomplished the Great Mysteries of the Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. Behold here what gives Holy Church such boldness of speech. Bride, as she is, she steps forth in face of the Glorious Trinity, and says I am endowed with Thine Own riches, I possess him as mine own, Who hath performed all this that I am now calling to mind, He is mine, for Thou hast given him to me. Behold now, I offer Him unto Thee, and this my Offering is worthy of Thee for It is indeed pure, and holy, and spotless.
This Sacrifice is so powerful, that God is enforced to look upon our Offering; He cannot refuse It; and the whole Strength of the Sacrifice rests on this, namely, that the Son hath been given unto us, as our own. By Him alone, we realise the four ends of the Christian Sacrifice; we thus lay hold on the part of God Himself, Who is obliged to accept this Offering, and to own Himself fully satisfied therewith. In the Old Law, it was not so; for how could sacrifices of bullocks and lambs have any such effect upon the Great God; what did He want with them? But here, on our Altar, under the frail appearances of Bread and Wine, there is a Something which forces the attention of God Himself, and obliges Him to prove unto us that What is offered is indeed acceptable to Him. Well may the devil be enraged at such a sight, well may he make every effort to do away with faith in the Real Presence, striving to overturn our Altars, and to diminish the number of Priests, so that, at least, fewer Masses be offered unto God.
Oh! what a thought is it, that it is a mere sinful man that operates such stupendous Things, that stands thus powerful before the very God Almighty! If only this ministry had been reserved unto Angels, those pure spirits, untouched by the breath of sin, one could better comprehend it. But no; it is man, sinful man, whom God chooses and whom alone He honours with such a privilege. This man must needs tremble, it is true; but he feels himself all-powerful, holding, as he does, in his very hands, the Son of God Himself.
This host, pure, holy, spotless, which the Priest is offering unto God, is moreover: Panem sanctae vitae aeternae, ac Calicem salutis perpetuae. Here we have the Eucharist brought before us as the Sacrament. If it is a Sacrifice offered unto God, it is just as truly a Sacrament destined to feed our souls, to give them Eternal Life and Salvation.
In this magnificent Prayer, the Priest, whilst pronouncing these words: Hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam, makes the Sign of the Cross, thrice, over the host and the Chalice at the same time; then, whilst saying: panem sanctae vitae aeternae, he makes it again over the Host; and, when saying: Calicem salutis perpetuae, he makes it over the Chalice. Can this possibly imply that he here ventures to give his blessing to Our Lord? No, assuredly not. Up to the moment of Consecration, he has really blessed the Bread, because he has the right to do so, having received sacerdotal powers of giving blessings. But now he holds no longer Bread in his hands: it is the Divine Author himself of all Benediction Who is now upon our Altar. If, then, the Priest thus makes the Sign of the Cross, it is merely in order to show that this Sacrifice, is the Sacrifice of the Cross Itself, a Sacrifice truly pure, holy, and spotless. He signs the Host separately, in order to express that this is indeed the Lord’s very Body, which was crucified; and then the Chalice, to signify that it contains the very Blood which was Poured out upon the Cross. So we must observe that from the moment of the Consecration, all Signs of the Cross made by the Priest are prescribed by Holy Church to indicate and recall the Sacrifice of the Cross; and are in no way meant as signs of Benediction made over Our Lord.
SUPRA QUAE PROPITIO.
The Priest again stretching out his hands continues the Great Prayer, saying: Supra quae propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris. Yea, Lord, although Thou art Infinite Sanctity, Infinite Power, Sovereign Being Itself, deign in Thy Goodness and Mercy to cast Thine eyes upon this earthly dwelling of ours, and vouchsafe to incline Thy Face unto that which we are now offering unto Thee: supra quae respicere digneris.
Et accepta habere. Formerly, up to the time of St. Leo, this Prayer did not end in the way it now does; the word illa, those things, was understood here, as the complement of the phrase. St. Leo thought it would be better to give it a more determined close, and so he added these words to the said Prayer: Sanctum sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam. Such then is the real sense: et accepta habere sanctum Sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam. The remainder of the phrase forms a kind of parenthesis to the preceding, as it now stands: sicuti accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui justi Abel. ... Receive, then, O Lord, this Sacrifice (says the Priest), as Thou didst accept the offerings of Thy servant, the Just Abel. The Gifts of Abel, O Lord, were agreeable unto Thee; and yet what he offered was infinitely inferior to That which we are now able to present unto Thee: there is no comparison possible, between these two Sacrifices; nevertheless, lowly as was Abel’s Sacrifice, Thou didst graciously accept it.
Nor is this all; there was yet another ancient sacrifice that God held dear: et sacrificium patriarchae nostri Abrahae, it was the Sacrifice of Abraham. The first-named, that of Abel, was in a bloody manner, but Abraham’s was unbloody: it was a Father’s Sacrifice, consenting as he did, to the immolation of his son, demanded by God. The Lord said unto him: Take thy son and go and offer him to Me in holocaust, on the mountain that I will show thee. And Abraham obeyed God, and set out with his son. The whole consisted in this acquiescence of the great Patriarch; his Sacrifice was all spiritual, for God, contented with his Obedience, bade him spare his son; the blood shed on this occasion was but that of a ram, immolated instead of Isaac. Abel and Abraham are coupled in this Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who has given up His honour and His Life, offering unto His Father devotedness the most complete, immolating himself truly, since His Body and Blood are here separated before Him. It is then most fitting to recall here the Sacrifice of Abel and that of Abraham; observe also how the Sacrifice of blood is primordial, but still that of Abraham is so agreeable unto God, that, in return, it makes this holy Patriarch become the direct ancestor of Christ, who truly had flowing in his veins the blood of this Father of the faithful.
Further still, the Priest here adds other words whereby is proved the existence of a third Sacrifice: et quod tibi obtulit summus sacerdos tuus Melchisedech. This third Sacrifice is wrapped in mystery: it was offered by the High-Priest Melchisedech, himself a mysterious personage, and God found his offering truly acceptable. We can here remind Him of what He Himself says to His Divine Son, in Psalm cix: Tu es Sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Yes, O Lord, when Thou wishest to honour Thy Son, Thou dost tell Him He is Priest according to the Order of Melchisedech; how agreeable, then, unto Thee must not the Sacrifice of this mysterious person have been. In the Holy Mass we have at once united, the Sacrifice of Abel, that of Abraham, and that of Melchisedech: the Sacrifice of Abel, which represents the Sacrifice of the Cross, with which the Mass forms but one and the same Sacrifice; the Sacrifice of Abraham, in which the immolation takes place in an unbloody manner, as is the case in the Sacrifice of the Mass; finally, the Offering of Melchisedech which represents the Sacrifice of the Mass, in which Bread and Wine are used upon the Altar; but, after Consecration, there remains neither Bread nor Wine, but only the species or appearances, serving but to veil the Divine Victim.
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
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SUPPLICES TE ROGAMUS.
During the following Prayer, the Priest no longer has his hands out-stretched, because he is bowing down, in lowly supplication; placing his joined hands on the Altar, he says: Supplices Te rogamus, Omnipotens Deus: jube haec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime Altare tuum, in conspectu divinae Majestatis tuae. Dread words are these, says Innocent III., in his treatise on the Mass! The Priest designates his offering by the simple word haec, these Things; he knows that God sees them, and knows their priceless worth, so he contents himself with merely saying: jube haec perferri, command that these Things be carried.
And whither does he want them to be carried? in sublime altare tuum. This altar of ours here on earth suffices us not; we aspire even so far, as that this our Offering may be placed on that Altar which St. John saw in heaven, and on which he pictures to us a Lamb, as it were, slain: et vidi Agnum stantem tamquam occisum. This Lamb is standing, says St. John; nevertheless, he adds: tamquam occisum, as it were, slain. Truly, Our Lord will ever bear the marks of His Five Wounds, but, now all resplendent as suns; and this Lamb is standing, because He is living, and dieth now no more; thus does St. John show Him unto us. Such is the Altar, on which the Lord standeth, in His Immortal Life, bearing the marks of what He has suffered for us: Agnum tamquam occisum, there is He for ever, before the Throne of Divine Majesty. So now, the Priest begs of God to send His Angel to take up the Victim from this our Altar on earth, and to place It on the Altar of Heaven.
To what Angel does the Priest here refer? There is neither Cherub, nor Seraph, nor Angel, nor Archangel that can possibly execute what the Priest here asks God to command to be done. It is an Act wholly beyond the power of any created being. Now, observe the meaning of the word Angel; it signifies sent, and the Son of God was the One Sent, by the Father; He came down upon earth among men, He is the true Missus, Sent, as He says of Himself: Et qui misit me Pater (S. John, v. 37). Our Lord is not simply in the rank of those spirits whom we term Angels and Archangels, placed near to us by God. No, He is the Angel by excellence, He is, as the Scripture expresses it, the Angel of the Great Counsel, Angelus magni consilii, of that great Counsel of God whereby willing to redeem the world, He gave His own Son. So then, the Priest begs of God that the Angel may bear away haec (What is upon the Altar), and may place It upon the Altar of heaven; he makes this petition in order to show the identity of the Sacrifice of Heaven, with the Sacrifice of earth.
Here we have something similar in idea, to what is found in the Greek Liturgy. After the Consecration, the Orientals beg of the Holy Spirit to come down and operate the Mystery, as we before noticed, in order to show that it is the Holy Ghost who works here, just as he operated in the Blessed Virgin. The Act is accomplished, it is true, and the Greek Priest should refrain from such a Prayer, seeing that, without it, the Holy Ghost has already operated the Mystery. But no; this is but their way of affirming what we have just seen expressed in the Latin Prayer we are now studying, namely, the identity of the Sacrifice of the Lamb, whether on the Altar of Heaven or that of earth. In Heaven, the Lamb is standing, although, as it were, slain; here below, He is in like manner slain. Now Who is it that can make these two Sacrifices, to be both one? It is Jesus Christ, the Sent, the Angel of the Great Counsel.
The Priest then adds: ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione. The Priest kisses the Altar, whilst pronouncing these words. Holy Church has the profoundest veneration for this Altar which represents Jesus Christ, Who is himself the Living Altar; therefore, in its sanctification and consecration, does she lavish her most beauteous rites. The Priest continues: Sacrosanctum Filii tui Corpus et Sanguinem sumpserimus (here he signs with the cross the Host and Chalice, as also himself), omni benedictione coelesti et gratia repleamur Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.. So we here beg to be filled with all graces and blessings, just as if we were already admitted in Heaven, to the participation of that Living Altar there, Jesus Christ, Who sheds around Him grace and benediction. We crave these graces and blessings, in virtue of our participating at this Altar of earth, which Holy Church treats with such veneration. It is in the name of this Altar that the Priest asks all sorts of blessings for all mankind. Observe how the Priest never speaks for himself alone, so here he says repleamur, that we may be filled, he signs himself with the cross, whilst saying these last words, in order to show that this benediction comes to us by the Cross, and also to signify that we accept it with our whole heart.
Here ends the second part of the Canon, that which is consecrated to the Offering. These three Prayers wrap the Act of Consecration, just as the preceding ones prepared for it. Now, Holy Church would bring us back to Intercession.
MEMENTO OF THE DEAD.
Besides the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant, there exists a third part of this Great Body. Yes, God has given us the power to intercede for the Church Suffering, to come to her aid and to do her good; therefore the Holy Sacrifice can be offered in behalf of her suffering members, and Holy Church in her maternal love, wishes that in every Mass that is said, mention should be made of them, because thereby fresh succour is procured for those of her children who are still detained in this place of expiation. It is a point of Faith that the Holy Sacrifice brings relief to the souls in Purgatory. This Doctrine has been handed down to us by Tradition. As early as the Second Century, we find Tertullian speaking of Prayer for the Dead. There used, formerly, to be a separate Diptych set aside exclusively for the names of the Departed, whose memory was particularly to be preserved - Benefactors, for example.
The Priest now addresses himself to God, in behalf of these suffering members: Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N. qui nos praecesserunt cum signo fidei et dormiunt in somno pacis. We say that we are interceding for those who have gone before us, with the sign of faith. What does the Church understand by this sign of faith? It is the sign of Baptism, and that of Confirmation, which latter makes the perfect Christian. Baptism alone already gives us the sign of faith, because in it we are marked with the Cross, so truly so that when the body of a deceased person is brought to the Church, the Priest pronounces this Prayer over it: Non intres in judicium cum servo tuo, Domine ... qui, dum viveret, insignitus est signaculo sanctae Trinitatis. Yes, it was signed with the sign of faith, signum fidei, the sign of the Trinity; it is therefore entitled, O Lord, to be taken into consideration by Thee, and not to be judged too severely. This expression of Holy Church, signum fidei, gives a proof, once more, that we may not here pray for infidels, as we have already noticed above, speaking of the Memento of the living, since they are not in communion with Holy Church.
Et dormiunt in somno pacis. Holy Church puts here strongly before us, in what light she regards death in the case of a Christian. It is a sleep, she tells us, for those of whom we speak, dormiunt; for the same reason she gives the name of Cemetery to places reserved for burial, because this word means a dormitory, or sleeping place. Yes, they sleep and it is the sleep of peace, in somno pacis. Holy Church uses this expression, because those for whom she is praying, died in peace with her, and in true filial submission to her; they died in Jesus Christ, in the kiss of the Lord; even were they still in Purgatory, it can yet be said of them, that they sleep in peace, because they are saved in Jesus Christ, Who bringeth Peace along with Him. In the Catacombs these words in pace are frequently found graven on tombstones; this was the Early Christians’ way of speaking of death; so too, in the Office of Martyrs we sing: Corpora sanctorum in pace sepulta sunt. This very ancient Office recalls the language of the Catacombs: in pace. Holy Church preserves a vestige of the same, when praying for her dead, she bids the Priest say: dormiunt in somno pacis.
The Rubric here directs the Priest to join his hands when ending this first part of the Prayer. Then it is that he prays for such of the deceased as he more particularly wishes to recommend. Having done so, again stretching out his hands, he continues thus Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in Christo quiescentibus; here we see that every Mass is of profit to all the souls in Purgatory. Locum refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, deprecamur. Notice here these three things asked for by Holy Church refreshment, light, and peace. Now, what is Purgatory? It is a place in which souls stand in need of refreshment, for those piercing flames are keenly felt. Moreover, it is a place where there is no light, since Holy Church craves for these poor souls, locum lucis; so there is nothing ever in this place of expiation, to distract them from their fearful sufferings. Furthermore, it is a place where sweet peace reigns not; there, is ceaseless agitation, the soul striving towards God whom it may not reach; there, in direst trouble and anguish, the misery of the poor soul in having thus put herself into such straits of wailing sorrow and frightful pain. Yes, Purgatory is indeed a place the very opposite of that abode where reign endless refrigerium, lux, et pax. These three expressions are of the highest importance, because they reveal to us, that whenever we pray for the Dead, the succour that reaches them by our means, is always in the form of refreshment, light, and peace.
The Priest terminates the Prayer, in the usual manner: Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Besides this, there is a special rubric which bids him bow his head whilst saying these concluding words, which is not prescribed in the case of closing other prayers. It is meant as one more earnest pleading; for at this moment, light shines in Purgatory, as prayer offered for these poor souls can never be ineffectual. As it were, the dismal prison is uncovered now, to allow the sweet dew of refreshment, light and peace to distil gently on those burning sufferers; and this triple aid is given to the different souls, in the proportion assigned to each by the Justice of God; for Holy Church can only pray for the dead, by way of suffrage; she has no longer those rights she had over them when they were her members on earth. But, on the other hand, we also know that her prayer has always a salutary effect on the souls suffer in Purgatory, and that God never allows any prayer said in their behalf to be of no avail.
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
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NOBIS QUOQUE PECCATORIBUS.
Now having shown how the precious Blood of Christ has flowed plentifully in Purgatory, let us turn our thoughts upon our selves. The Priest is going to speak in his own and our interest. He declares himself a sinner, as we ourselves are. Nobis quoque peccatoribus famulis tuis, de multitudine miserationum tuarum sperantibus partem aliquam et societatem donare digneris cum tuis sanctis. ... We also, although sinners, claim our share of happiness; we would not be excluded from it. This is the only occasion on which the Priest speaks aloud during the Canon; and whilst thus speaking, he strikes his breast, and the Faithful should do in like manner. Our fraternal charity has urged us to pray for such of our Brethren as are dead, and have not, as yet, been admitted into a participation of the bliss of heaven. But, we beseech our Lord, that He would give us to partake of the like happiness; it is in his Goodness and Mercy, that we put our trust.
And with whom is it that we desire to have a share and fellowship? Cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus: with thy holy Apostles and Martyrs. It seems to Holy Church, that she has not as yet named a sufficient number of Saints; but still not deeming it fitting to add other names to her first list, she found this moment a favourable one, for speaking of those that had rendered themselves especially dear to her. As it is a most marked glory for the Saints that their Names should thus be registered in what is the Great Act of the Church, - therefore has God chosen his Elect that are thus to be commemorated in the very presence of Jesus Christ Himself. Here, again, we meet afresh with Apostles and Martyrs: Cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus. Neither must we forget, that, in the early ages, the Cultus of mere Confessors was not, as yet, established; holy honours were only given to Apostles and Martyrs: it is for this reason that these are the only two classes mentioned. Therefore we desire to be with them; and then also cum Johanne: with John. Who is the John that is mentioned here? It is John the Baptist, our Lord’s Precursor. - Stephano, with Stephen, the Proto martyr. Why has not this model, this first of Martyrs, been named until now? Because, in the first diptych, after having mentioned Saint Peter and the Apostles, Holy Church passed on at once to the first Popes: Linus, Cletus, and Clement. By thus naming St. Peter and his three successors, the Church is straightway established, as is the power of Peter, by this glorious trinity of holy Popes. St. Stephen’s name would have deranged this order of ideas, had he taken his place in the first list. The same must be said of St. John the Baptist, who is looked upon neither as an Apostle nor a Martyr, although he preached penance and the Coming of Christ, and although he was put to death because of the earnestness wherewith he took up the cause of Chastity: the Church, however, desirous of mentioning these two great Saints, assigned them this place.
Matthia, with Mathias: here we have an Apostle. The reason of his name being put here, is, because, as Holy Church enumerated Twelve Apostles on her first diptych, adding St. Paul to the Twelve, - Mathias, who was chosen to complete the Apostolic College, after Judas’s apostasy, was not to forfeit the right to his position, and it was but fair to put his name at the head of the second diptych. Barnaba, with Barnabas, the companion of St. Paul in many of his evangelical travels. Ignatio, with Ignatius, the great Martyr, who after Evodius, had succeeded Peter in the See of Antioch. He it is, who wrote that magnificent Letter to the Romans, wherein he speaks of the happiness that awaits a Christian, when he may have the happiness of dying for Christ. He came to Rome under Trajan, as it were, to mingle his ashes with those of Peter and Paul; for it was in that City that he suffered Martyrdom. - Alexandro, with Alexander: here comes the name of a great Pope. He was the fifth or sixth successor of St. Peter. It was a happy thought to insert his name here; for, it was he that prescribed that these few words should be put in the Canon: Qui pridie quam pateretur, (who the day before he suffered,) and this in order to recall to our minds, at this solemn moment, the memory of the Passion. - Marcellino, Petro, with Marcellinus and with Peter. These are two of those who suffered in the persecution of Diocletian. Marcellinus was Priest, and Peter Exorcist. Their names are never separated. So far there has been no mention made of any holy woman, in the Canon. Holy Church could never omit them. Who, then, is the first she speaks of? Felicitate, - With that great Felicitas, the Mother of the Seven Martyred Children, who thus renewed under the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, the generous sacrifice of the Mother of the Machabees. So illustrious was she, together with her children, that the Catacombs being already opened at the period of their martyrdom, the Christians divided amongst them the bodies of her children, in order to place them in the various cemeteries. Felicitas was martyred on the 29th of November; whereas her children had been thus honoured in the preceding July. She was buried in the Cemetery of Priscilla, together with two of her sons. - Perpetua, this is that noble lady of Carthage. As her name is put after that of St. Felicitas, this affords us an additional proof that this Felicitas is certainly the one of Rome, and not she who suffered at Carthage together with Perpetua. In this place Perpetua represents her companion as well as the rest who suffered with her; she is emphasised as being the foremost among them all, and as having written certain portions descriptive of her martyrdom. Agatha, Lucia, with Agatha, Lucy: Until the time of St. Gregory the Great, they used to say: Perpetua, Agnes, Cecilia but this holy Pontiff, loving Sicily, where he had himself founded six monasteries, inserted in the Canon the names of the two Sicilian Virgins, Agatha of Catania, and Lucy of Syracuse. Out of courtesy, due to strangers, he gave them the precedence of the two Roman Virgins, Agnes and Caecilia. Why then does Agnes come in here before Caecilia? She did not suffer until under Diocletian, whereas Caecilia is to he found under Marcus Aurelius. Perhaps, harmony of phrase is the sole real reason for this. - Anastasia, she is the noble Roman widow who suffered martyrdom under Diocletian, and who is so illustrious at Rome, that formerly the Sovereign Pontiff used to celebrate the Second Mass of Christmas Day in her Church. Although this practice is now discontinued, a commemoration of this great Saint is still made in that same Mass. - Intra quorum nos consortium, non aestimator meriti, sed veniae quaesumus, largitor admitte. After having mentioned the Saints anew, the Priest begs that God would deign to admit us amongst them; not assuredly because of any merit of ours giving us any right thereunto, but because God’s Goodness, Mercy, and Pardon are able to do so: (but of thine own gratuitous pardon.) The Priest terminates by the ordinary conclusion: Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
PER QUEM HAEC OMNIA.
In former times a certain ceremony was here observed, which is now discontinued. There were brought and placed near the Altar, bread, wine, vegetables, and fruits, whilst the Priest pronounced the following words (which are still said immediately after the conclusion of the preceding prayer): Per quem omnia, Domine, semper bona creas, sanctificas, vivificas, benedicis et praestas nobis. Whilst, saying these words, the Priest, who is then standing in the very presence of Our Lord himself, and in all the grandeur of his sublime ministry, gave the blessing to everything at that moment presented at the Altar. The difference which is to be found between the customs observed in former times and those of our own day, at once explains both the existence of this ceremony in the early ages and its omission in later centuries. Formerly, each Church had only one Altar, which was placed and arranged according to what is described by St. John in the Apocalypse. In the furthest recess of the mysterious Apsis was the throne of the Father, in front of which was the Altar, the Ancients on each side thereof, and the Lamb placed thereupon. One only Mass was said and this even not always every day; it was celebrated by the Bishop, all the Priests joining with him and consecrating together with him. The faithful then would come presenting the fruits of the earth and whatever serves as food, to be blessed by the Bishop at this single Mass.
Later on, about the Eighth Century, there was developed, by the secret impulse of the Holy Spirit, a popular devotion for the more frequent celebration of Holy Mass. Altars were multiplied, and the number of Masses increased. But in proportion as this custom was introduced, that of bringing fruits and vegetables to be blessed was gradually discontinued.
What, then, would holy Church do with these words of benediction? The Priest turns them, now from their primitive sense, and applies them to the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present on the Altar, by Whom all things are given unto us. Thus, even the Priest signs with the cross the Chalice and Host at these words Sanctificas, vivificas, benedicis. Perhaps this appears somewhat strained; but at any rate it shows us how great is the respect of Holy Church for the sublime Prayer of the Canon. In order not to lose these few words, she prefers now to apply them to the Body of Jesus Christ, which was created, which by the Mysteries of His Passion, of His Resurrection, and of his Ascension, accomplishes what is expressed by these words: vivificas, benedicis; in fine, praestas nobis, for It is given to us as Food.
We have just a vestige left of this ancient ceremony, in these our days. On the Feast of the Transfiguration, grapes are blessed at this same moment; but the words used for this purpose are not those of the Canon. The prayer made use of by the Benedictines is taken from the Cluny-Missal. - In the same way also, on Maundy Thursday, it is at this same moment that the Bishop blesses the oil of the sick.
The Canon is nearing its close; it will terminate with the Priest raising his voice to say its concluding words, and to recite the Lord’s Prayer. The Greeks call the Canon the Liturgy. In the course of ages the signification of this word was extended so as to express the whole aggregate of that which composes the entire Divine Office; but originally it was strictly understood of the Canon of the Mass only, which is the work by excellence, as the Greek word expresses it. In the same way, we find marked, in the Latin Missal: infra actionem, to signify that which is done in the action of the Sacrifice; that is to say the Action by excellence. Furthermore, the very word Canon is also a Greek word, as we have before remarked; and there is nothing surprising in this, since it is well known how widely spread was the use of the Greek tongue, at the period of the birth of Holy Church. Out of the four Gospels, three were certainly written in Greek.
Before the conclusion of the Great Prayer, a very solemn rite is performed; it is Holy Church’s last confession of the identity existing between the Sacrifice of the Cross and that of the Mass. The Priest uncovers the Chalice containing the Blood of Our Lord, and after making a genuflection, he takes in his right hand the Sacred Host, and in his left hand the Chalice, then he three times makes the sign of the cross with the host, over the Chalice, going from one lip of the Chalice to the other, saying: per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, - then, making the sign of the cross between the Chalice and his own breast, with the sacred host, as before, he adds: est tibi Deo Patri omnpotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti: he replaces the Host above the Chalice and slightly elevates both saying: omnis honor et gloria, he then puts down the Host again, and re-covers the Chalice; and having done so, says: Per omnia saecula saeculorum, and the people answer: Amen.
What does this action of the Priest signify? Holy Church possesses her Spouse in the state of immolation and of sacrifice; nevertheless, He is living. Thence she would here bring out, in a marked manner, this His character of the living God, and she expresses it by thus reuniting the Body and Blood of the Lord, placing the Host immediately over the Precious Blood, in order to give Glory to God. She then bids the Priest say: per ipsum, by Him is the Father Glorified; et cum ipso, with Him is He glorified, because God the Father has not a glory superior to that of the Son, nor isolated from that of the Son (see what majesty in this cum ipso); and, in ipso, in Him is the Father glorified: the glory, which is brought by the Son to the Father, is in the Son, and not outside of Him, in ipso.
Thus, by Him, with him (that is to say, conjointly with Him), and in Him, are all honour and glory to God the Father. The Priest, twice again, makes the sign of the cross, but this time he makes it between the Chalice and his own breast. And why this difference? He is pronouncing these words: est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti, in unitate Spritus Sancti; as neither the Father, nor the Holy Ghost have been immolated, it would be unbecoming, whilst naming them, to place the Host over the Blood which belongs to the Son alone, Who alone was clad in our human nature, and alone was immolated for us. But whilst pronouncing these last words: omnis honor et gloria, the Priest again holds the Sacred Host over the chalice, expressing thereby, that in the veins of the Divine Victim that he is offering, the Precious Blood flows together with immortality for evermore. So the Priest can now say to God: omnis honor et gloria; this offering is the most glorious Act that can possibly be made to thine honour, for we possess the risen Christ, and it is His very Self that is immolated to thine honour, on this Altar. No, He who is offered is not a mere creature; but by Him, and with Him, per ipsum et cum ipso, are all honour and glory to God. Thus, this glory goes straight to God; He cannot refuse the homage which is paid to Him, which is rendered by Him who is immolated, but yet is living still. The Sacrifice thus truly offered indeed, is the greatest Act which can be done for God. On Calvary, the immolation of our Lord was a hideous and abominable crime; but here, this immolation is all that is most glorious for God, and it is so, because He who is offered is living. It is the Living God we offer; it is the Living Son offered to the Living God. What more grand, what more just, than to express this thought by placing the Body of our Lord directly over His Blood? See here how it is that the Sacrifice of the Mass is the most glorious Act that can he done for God, since all honour and all glory are rendered to Him at this sublime moment; per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso.
This solemn rite, of which we are treating, shows us how much God has loved the world. When we consider that He whom the Priest is thus holding in his hands, is not only He by whom all glory is given to God, but even He who shares this same glory together with Him: per ipsum, et in ipso! It is the Word of the Father who allows himself to be lifted in one’s hands, to be touched, because He wishes that all glory should be given to God, omnis honor et gloria, He wishes that there should ascend to God a homage from which He cannot turn away. What now are all the homages of men compared with the worship paid by our Lord Himself to His Father!
Yes, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is verily the most glorious Act we can possibly do for God; one can offer a prayer, or perform an act of virtue, but that does not force the attention of God; whereas at the Mass He is forced, by all This own Infinite Perfections, to be attentive to the worship there paid Him.
Now let us see if this important rite can be traced up to the first centuries. It is certainly very ancient; it must have existed in all ages, as it is to be found everywhere. It can at once be understood that Holy Church, offering up her Spouse unto God, could never say that He is dead; she has immolated Him, it is true, but He whom she has thus immolated is living and this she must needs confess. Lo! now are accomplished the three great Mysteries, the Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. That our Christ is indeed our very own, is what these three Mysteries truly express, and Holy Church right well remembers it. Before these were accomplished, there was not so much richness, if we may be allowed the expression. He was born at Bethlehem, but the Incarnation alone was not to save us, according to the designs of God; although it would have sufficed thereunto and superabundantly, if such had been the Divine Decree. Then, Christ suffered His bitter Passion, but that was not enough; there must be his Victory over Death, His Resurrection. There must yet be something more. Christ must open Heaven, He must have His Ascension; it needs must be, I say, that our human nature, which He deigned to take to Himself, in which He suffered, by means of which He subjected Himself to death, - that this very human nature should be throned in heaven, - His Ascension, therefore, is a very necessity. So truly and indeed, He whom we hold in our hands, is the Lord himself, He who suffered, He who died, He who hath risen again, He who hath ascended into Heaven.
Behold here the reason why we owe great thanks to our Lord, for having allowed us to be born since the accomplishment of all these stupendous Mysteries. For in the case of those who died between the taking place of the Resurrection and the Ascension, although happier far than those who preceded them in point of time, still are we much more fortunate than they, for in their day, Christ was not as yet completed in his Mysteries. Those who died between the Death of Our Lord and His Resurrection, were less happy than the first named; and as to those who died before our Saviour, they had but the hope, and they were obliged to quit this life, before seeing this hope realised. Oh! how far more highly favoured are we, than those who have gone before us! and so we say: unde et memores Domine, nos, servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta ejusdem Christi Filii tui Domini nostri tam beatae Passionis, nec non et ab inferis Resurrectionis, sed et in coelos gloriosae Ascensionis. What energy in these words! but moreover what profound reverence, and what love ought we not to have for one single Mass, since it is the one grandest thing which Our Lord Himself has done! It is even all that He can do; it is that which He will ever do, for the ministry of Our Lord is never to cease; Priest He is and ever will be: tu es sacerdos in aeternum.
It is His Father Himself who declares the perpetuity of His Priesthood: Juravit Dominus et non paenitebit eum: tu es Sacerdos in aeternum secundum Ordinem Melchisedech. The Lord hath sworn it, juravit: thou art Priest for ever, saith He, according to the order of Melchisedech. The Lord adds this, because Jesus Christ is to exercise His ministry by means of bread and wine which were likewise the matter of the Sacrifice of Melchisedech. Priest, then, is He for ever, offering Himself ever for us, living for ever; and all this, as Saint Paul says in order to make intercession for us: Semper vivens ad interpellandum pro nobis; yet retaining ever the wounds of His Passion, so as to bespeak the sacrifice and to offer these His wounds to His Father for us. Confidently then, does Holy Church say to God: Jube haec perferri per manus Sancti Angeli tui in sublime altare tuum, in conspectu divinae Majestatis tuae, that is to say, these things which we are here offering, in order that they may be wholly one with that Altar yonder in Heaven, since of this they are truly worthy. For on the Altar of earth, just as on the Altar of Heaven, it is always and ever Jesus Christ who is the Offerer, being Priest for ever, and who is likewise, at the same time, the Victim also. Yea even when the world ceases to exist, Our Lord will continue to render unto God, the very same worship, in his quality of Priest: Sacerdos in aeternum, because it is meet that God should be honoured for ever. Nevertheless, the two ends of Sacrifice which regard propitiation and impetration shall exist no more; Jesus Christ, Sacerdos in aeternum, will continue only to adore and give thanks.
It is well to remark here, that the Sacrifice of praise surrounds the Sacrifice of the Mass, whereby true life is given to the former. Holy Church has fixed the hour of Tierce for the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This was the hour at which the Holy Ghost came down upon the Church; hence at the beginning of this hour we are bid, in the Office, to say: Nunc Sancte nobis Spiritus. ... The Church invokes this Divine Spirit who by His very presence gives warmth to her love and prepares her to offer the Great Sacrifice. Ever since Matins, the entire Office has been lighted up by the beaming rays of this Sublime Sacrifice; and this its influence will last on, even unto the Compline hour, which concludes the Sacrifice of Praise.
Formerly, as we have already said, the Elevation used to take place at the end of the Canon. The Greeks have retained this Custom which is observed as follows. The Priest having placed the host above the Chalice and said the words: Omnis honor et gloria, turns towards the assembled faithful, holding the Body and Blood of our Lord, which he shows to the people, whilst the Deacon utters aloud these words: Sancta Sanctis, holy things for the holy!
The Great Prayer of the Canon being terminated, the Priest interrupts the silence which reigns in the holy assembly, by exclaiming: Per omnia saecula saeculorum. And the people answer: Amen, as a sign of approbation of what has just been done, and of union with the offering just presented to God.
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
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THE LORD’S PRAYER.
Our Lord has told us: “When you would pray say: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, etc., etc.” What better occasion could there be than the present, of making this prayer to God? So the Priest now, is going to let us hear the Pater noster. ... As in our own day, so in all past ages, the Lord’s Prayer has had a place in the course of the Holy Sacrifice, for we meet with it in every Liturgy and in every Canon of the Mass. Moreover, it is used by the Church, on all solemn occasions; it is our support; it is the pledge which Our Lord has given us, saying: when you would pray, say: Pater noster. Holy Church preludes this Prayer, with these magnificent words: Praeceptis salutaribus moniti, et divina institutione formati, audemus dicere. Yes, if we dare to speak, if we formulate the petitions which follow, it is because we rely on the very precept which we have received so to pray, a precept given us by our great Master for our salvation. Thus have we been instructed by His own Divine Mouth, so we dare to say, audemus dicere: Pater noster.
The Priest is about to present to God successively, the seven Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. The first three regard God Himself and treat, therefore, of the Love of Benevolence, thus does Our Lord set us on the road of the purest love. Pater noster qui es in coelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum, hallowed be thy name, that is to say, let all honour and respect be paid to it as it deserves, because that is thy very right. - Adveniat regnum tuum. Thy kingdom come that is, we beg that thy reign be established in all and over all, because thou art truly king. Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra. Thy Will be done on earth; that is to say, by men, as it is in heaven, by the Angels and the blessed.
Having thus prayed, following the teaching of Our Lord Himself, that God’s kingdom may come, that His Glory may be realised in all creation, the Priest adds the other four Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, which treat of that which is necessary for ourselves. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie. Here we ask for our daily bread; God so understands it, and Our Lord thus points out to us, by bidding us say only daily bread, that it is useless to be preoccupied without cause, seeing that we do not even know if we shall be alive to-morrow. But we are asking bread, not for the body only, but also for the soul, which likewise needs food. For this reason, one of the Evangelists has it: panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie (Matth. vi. 11). Lo! this Bread is on the Altar; there it is to feed our souls; and now is the moment to ask It of God. - Then, as we are sinners, it behoves us to beg for pardon Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; yea, forgive what ever we have done against thee. And we ourselves mark the measure of this our pardon, by begging Him to forgive us, as we forgive them that trespass against us. - Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, and lead us not into temptation, that is to say, ward and defend us when temptation strikes us. Although it be in the designs of God that we should thus be tried, in order that we may gain merit, still may we beseech Him to spare us therein, for we are weak and may so easily fall.
Sed libera nos a malo, but deliver us from evil. Here two things must be understood: we ask to be delivered from evil, from the evil one, that is the devil, who is ever seeking to make us fall into evil. Moreover, if we have committed it, we beg of God mercifully to withdraw us from its grasp.
* “This does not mean that man’s forgiveness is the measure of God’s, but that the more mercy we show “to others, the more will be extended to ourselves.”
LIBERA NOS QUAESUMUS.
Here begins another part of the Mass, which continues up to the second Prayer before the Communion. Communion is the means taken by Our Lord to unite all men one with the other, so as to make of them all, one whole. Thus when Holy Church would drive forth from her bosom one of her members who has rendered himself unworthy of her, she excommunicates him; he has no longer any share in this communion of the faithful. In order to express this union, holy Church wishes that peace, the result of that charity which reigns amongst the faithful, should be the object of very special attention. So now, she is about to ask it, in the following prayer; and then presently, the kiss of peace will be mutually given amongst the faithful and will give expression to their charity one with the other.
Our Lord hath said: if whilst offering thy gift at the altar, thou rememberest that thy brother hath something against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with thy brother; and then coming, thou mayest offer thy gift. Holy Church entering fully into this thought of her Lord, is here occupied at this solemn moment, with the maintenance of peace and charity amongst all her members. In Masses of the Dead, this kiss of peace is not given, thus keeping ever in view, that the Dead being no longer under power of the keys of Holy Church, she cannot give them peace; our relations with them are utterly changed.
The Priest, therefore, says, as if developing the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer: Libera nos, quaesumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis praeteritis, praesentibus et futuris. Yea, Lord, strengthen us, because our past evils have caused us to contract spiritual weakness, and we are as yet but convalescents. Deliver us from the temptations of which we are now being made the butt, and from the other afflictions which are weighing us down, as well as from the sins of which we may be guilty. In fine, preserve us from those evils which may be lurking for us in the future. Et intercedente beata et gloriosa semper Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque Andreae et omnibus sanctis. Holy Church, standing in need of intercessors, fails not to have recourse to the Blessed Virgin, as well as to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. But why is St. Andrew alone, here added on to these? Simply because the holy Roman Church has ever had a very special devotion to this Apostle. Da propitius pacem in diebus nostris, ut ope misericordiae tuae adjuti, et a peccato simus semper liberi, et ab omni perturbatione securi. Give us, Lord, peace in these our days, so that aided by the help of Thy mercy, we may be delivered, in the first place, from all sin, and then be secured against all evil attacks that might surprise us unawares.
Such is this magnificent Prayer of Peace, which is used by Holy Church for this special Mystery of Holy Mass. Towards the middle of this Prayer, just when the Priest is saying et omnibus Sanctis, he makes the sign of the cross with the Paten, which he has been holding in his right hand, from the commencement; he then kisses it, as a mark of honour to the sacred vessel on which the Body of the Lord is about to repose: for it is never permitted to kiss the Host Itself. The Prayer being ended, the Priest places the Paten under the Host, he uncovers the Chalice, takes up the host and holding it over the Chalice, breaks it through the middle, whilst saying this portion of the concluding words: Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum. He then replaces, on the Paten, the part of the host which is in his right hand, and breaks off a Particle of the other half which he is holding in his left hand, saying: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus; then placing also on the Paten the portion of the host which he has in his left, and holding over the Chalice the small Particle which he has just broken off, he says in a loud voice: Per omnia saecula saeculorum. The people, in approval of his petition and making it also with him, answer: Amen. Then making three times the sign of the cross over the chalice, with the Particle, he says aloud: Pax + Domini sit + semper vobis + cum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. Holy Church never loses sight of the peace for which she has just been asking, and she here profits of this moment to refer to it again.
The Priest then allows the Particle which he had in his hand, to fall into the chalice, thus mingling the Body and the Blood of the Lord, and saying at the same time: Haec commixtio et consecratio corporis et Sanguinis Domini nostri Jesu Christi, fiat accipientibus nobis in vitam aeternam. Amen. What is the meaning of this rite? What is signified by this mingling of the Particle with the Blood which is in the Chalice? This rite is not one of the most ancient, although it is quite a thousand years old. Its object is to show, that, at the moment of Our Lord’s Resurrection, His Blood was reunited to His Body, by flowing again in His veins as before. It would not have sufficed if This soul alone had been reunited to His Body; His Blood must necessarily be so likewise, in order that the Lord might be whole and complete. Our Saviour, therefore, when rising, took back his Blood which was erstwhile spilled on Calvary, in the Praetorium, and in the Garden of Olives.
We may here mention a custom of the Orientals which has only been introduced since their separation from the Church, and certainly a very whimsical and venturesome usage, dating only from the Fourteenth Century. After the Consecration, a chafing-dish is placed on the Altar, upon which boiling water is kept hot, from this at several intervals small quantities are taken and mingled with the Precious Blood, but so, however, as not to alter the Sacred Species.
In the Prayer which the Priest recites whilst mingling the Particle of the host with the Precious Blood, the word consecratio must not be taken in the sense of sacramental consecration, but simply as signifying the reuniting of Sacred Things.
AGNUS DEI
After this mingling, the Priest bowing before the Most Holy Sacrament, and joining his hands, recalls the words of Saint John Baptist and says: Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. These words could hardly be better introduced than now. Thus it is that Holy Church is wont to seek everywhere, the most lovely things in order to blend them together in one beautiful whole, in the great action of the Holy Sacrifice. Therefore does she take up the song which the angels sing in Heaven, and she too cries with them: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Then she adds the gladsome shout of the Hebrew children: Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. But now she sings with the Precursor Agnus Dei. Yea, at this moment, the Lord is verily and indeed Himself the immolated Lamb, and twice does she implore of him, who hath taken our sins upon him, to have mercy on us, miserere nobis. The third time she adds: Dona nobis pacem, because the Eucharist is, as we have said, the Sacrament of peace, by means of which all the faithful become united together.
In Masses of the Dead, instead of miserere nobis, there is said dona eis requiem, and the third time, sempiternam is added, which very clearly expresses the character of the petition we are making for the souls of the faithful departed; we are asking for them, not now, as formerly, union in peace, but rest in the Eternal Peace.
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
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PRAYERS BEFORE THE COMMUNION.
Now comes the Prayer of Peace: Domine Jesu Christe, qui dixisti Apostolis tuis, pacem relinquo vobis, pacem meam do vobis, ne respicias peccata mea, sed fidem Ecclesiae tuae, eamque secundum voluntatem tuam sanctificare et coadunare digneris. Qui vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Such is the Formula whereby the Priest petitions for peace and union amongst the faithful, at the very moment when they are about to partake of the Holy Mysteries. This Prayer is not said in Masses of the Dead. - When it is ended, the Priest who is celebrating the Mass, gives the Peace to the Deacon, who gives it to the Sub-Deacon, by whom it is passed, in like manner to the Choir. If the celebrant is a Bishop, he gives the Peace to the Assistant Priest, who, in his turn, passes it to the Choir, whilst the Deacon and Sub-Deacon approach to receive it directly from the Prelate himself.
As to the Celebrant, he takes the Peace, by kissing the Altar, in front of the Sacred Host. Thus, it is our Lord Himself who gives it to him. A plate of precious metal (called for that reason instrumentum pacis), may be used for the giving of the Peace; in which case, the Celebrant kisses this plate, after having kissed the Altar. Should there be present any Princes, Princesses, or other personages of high rank whom it is fitting thus to honour, the instrumentum pacis is taken to them, to kiss in their turn.
We have already remarked that the Peace is not given in Masses of the Dead; the same omission is observed on Maundy Thursday, as a protest against the kiss of Judas, whereby he betrayed Our Saviour, delivering him up into the hands of His enemies. On Holy Saturday, likewise, the kiss of peace is not given, thus keeping up the ancient custom peculiar to that day, when its celebrations took place during the night hours; and this because the great number of Neophytes might have then occasioned confusion. Another reason, too, for its omission on Holy Saturday, is that it was not until the Evening of Easter-day, that Our Risen Lord addressed the disciples assembled together, with the words: Pax vobis. Out of respect for the least details in the Life of her Divine Spouse, the Church omits, for one and the same reason, in the Mass of Holy Saturday, both the Agnus Dei, wherein occur the words: dona nobis pacem, and the ceremony of the kiss of peace, for the resuming of which she waits until the Mass of Easter-Day.
The Priest has yet two other Prayers to recite before the Communion. Those now found in the Missal are not very ancient; nevertheless, they are at least a thousand years old. Formerly, what was said at this moment was traditionary, just as were the prayers of the Offertory; so that these Prayers are not to be found in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, which contains only the Prefaces, the Canon, and the Collects, Secrets, and Postcommunions. All the rest was transmitted by Tradition, and varied in the several Churches. The two now fixed in this Missal were chosen from out of the variety of Prayers thus handed down. These two Prayers are always said, even when the Prayer of Peace is omitted.
The first of these begins thus: Domine Jesu Christe, Fili Dei vivi, qui ex voluntate Patris, cooperante Spiritu Sancto, per mortem tuam mundum vivificasti. ... Lo! in the death of Our Lord, the whole Blessed Trinity acts; the Father wills it, the Holy Ghost co-operates and assists the Sacred humanity of Our Lord in the voluntary Offering that He makes of Himself. But let us continue the Prayer: libera me per hoc Sacrosanctum Corpus et sanguinem tuum, ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis, et universis malis. The first thing we ought to desire, when approaching Holy Communion, is that our sins may disappear; and as we have not the present moment alone in view, we moreover beg to be freed from all evils, adding this petition regarding the future: et fac me tuis semper inhaerere mandatis et a Te numquam separari permittas Qui cum eodem Deo Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas Deus in saecula saeculorum. Amen.. Here three things are begged by us, of the God who is coming unto us in the holy Communion: first, that we may he delivered from our sins; then, that we may ever adhere closely to his commandments; and finally, that He would never allow us to be separated from Him.
Let us now pass on to the third Prayer: Perceptio Corporis tui, Domine Jesu Christe, quod ego indignus sumere praesumo, non mihi proveniat in judicium et condemnationem. This is in allusion to the words of St. Paul about the Holy Communion, when he says, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians: qui enim manducat et bibit indigne, judicium sibi manducat et bibit (1 Corinth. xi. 29). The Prayer terminates with these words: sed pro tuae pietate prosit mihi ad tutamentum mentis et corporis, et ad medelam percipiendam. Qui vivis et regnas. There is here an evident oversight on the part of the Liturgists who composed this Prayer. In all the others, care has been taken to mention both the Body and the Blood of Our Lord, whereas, in this place, the Body alone is named. This Prayer might almost appear little needed, were it not for its striking use in the Good Friday’s Function. On that day, the Priest really does receive under the species of Bread alone, but he is not then offering the holy Sacrifice. For the Immolation of the Victim, the two species of both Bread and Wine would be necessary, But on Good Friday, the memory of the Great Sacrifice effected on Calvary, so completely occupies the thought of holy Church that she recoils from renewing it on the Altar. She confines herself merely to partaking of the sacred mystery, by Communion; and in so doing, she makes use of this third Prayer, to the exclusion of the preceding, in which mention is made of the Sacrifice. This Prayer can very appropriately be used by the faithful when about to communicate.
These Prayers being ended, the Priest says the following words, which are a free rendering of Psalm cxv: Panem coelestem accipiam, et nomen Domini, invocabo. Holy Church never loses an opportunity of drawing from the Psalms; because she there finds the true source, model, and type of Prayer.
Having pronounced these words, the Priest takes up in his left hand, the two portions of the host, beneath which he holds the Paten; and, striking his breast three times, he says: Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum; sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea. These were the words addressed by the Centurion to our Lord, who was coming to heal his servant. Once again let us repeat, Holy Church is ever showing how she possesses the happy secret of choosing the loveliest passages of Sacred Scripture, to place in the Holy Mass; as it were enchasing them there, like priceless diamonds! We likewise say Domine non sum dignus. ... In our case, it is not for our servant that we beg a cure; it is our own poor soul craving help for herself, and making use of these words as a last appeal to God. We sorely need to be cured; and the nearer we approach the Lord who alone can cure us, the greater should be our confidence in asking. Assuredly nothing can be so certain and manifest, as our unworthiness; but, on the other hand, who is so powerful as the Lord. There is nothing for us, but to appeal to Him, and crave with true humility: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea. Yea, say but one word, and my soul shall be healed!
COMMUNION.
After this act of Humility the Priest disposes himself to make his Communion; signing himself, therefore, in the form of a cross with the Host, which he holds in his right hand, he says: Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam aeternam. Amen. Let us observe the words, in vitam aeternam, unto Life Eternal. The Priest speaks as if he were to communicate but once only in his life. One communion would of itself be sufficient to preserve our soul unto Life Eternal, for such is the intrinsic efficacy of this Divine Sacrament, provided for our wants by God. Of this truth Our Lord has vouchsafed to give occasional examples, amongst others, that of St. Mary of Egypt, who being bidden to prepare herself for Holy Communion, received It from the hand of the holy Abbot Zozimus; and this one only Communion did verily preserve her soul unto Life Eternal. Observe also, that this Divine Sacrament is not a pledge of Life Eternal for the soul alone, it is likewise a pledge of the body's future resurrection. Thus, when the Bishop gives Communion to newly Ordained Priests, he says to each one, Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat TE in vitam aeternam.
Having communicated, the Priest pauses a moment in recollection, and then uncovering the Chalice, he puts therein the small particles of the Host, which may have adhered to the Corporal and Paten; whilst doing so he says these words: Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi? Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo. What return shall I make to the Lord, for all He hath rendered to me? I will take the Chalice of Salvation and will call on the name of the Lord. These words are culled from Psalm cxv; in speaking here of the Chalice, Calicem Salutaris, David had no common kind of drink in view; the prophetic phrase here stands out clearly; one already catches a glimpse of man to be saved by a potion with which none other may compare, a potion which is no other than the very Blood of his Saviour. - Then the Priest adds: Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero. Now, will I praise the Lord, for my tongue is now fitted for his praise, by reason of the gifts He has given me; and being delivered from mine enemies, I shall have nothing more to fear, He then takes the Chalice in his right hand and making the sign of the cross with the Chalice itself, says: Sanguis Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam aeternam. Amen. Then he receives the Precious Blood as well as the Particle which he mingled therewith at the moment. when he was addressing his wish of peace to the people.
This is now the proper time for communicating the faithful, if any approach to receive; if not, the Priest at once purifies the Chalice. The Server pours a little wine into the Chalice which is presented to him by the Priest, who says: Quod ore sumpsimus, Domine, pura mente capiamus. Et de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiternum. These words are very ancient, as may be seen by noticing the Latin itself, which is very fine, quite classic, in fact. Remark the expression, munere temporali, this is said because Communion belongs to time. God is Eternal, it is true, and he gives himself in Communion; but nevertheless, this Communion itself takes place on a certain day, and at a determined hour and moment: hence it is truly a temporal Gift. But by means of this very Gift, our Lord achieves the union of the soul with himself; and as he is Strength Itself, he turns this Singular Act of His into a Remedy, the energising faculty of which, should last for ever, and thus is the soul cured.
Then, a second time, the Priest has wine put into the Chalice, by the Server; but on this occasion, water is mingled with it; he purifies his fingers at this moment, and thenceforth he can disjoin them. Whilst these things are being done, the Priest says: Corpus tuum Domine, quod sumpsi, et sanguis quem potavi adhereat visceribus meis, et praesta: ut in me non remaneat scelerum macula, quem pura et sancta refecerunt sacramenta, Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen. This Prayer, like the preceding, is also very fine and is certainly very ancient: both of them, in fact, as well as the Prayer of Peace, must be dated from the first ages.
At the first Ablution the Priest puts wine only, into the Chalice, out of respect for the Precious Blood, with which the Chalice is still moistened, and of which something may yet remain. For this reason, it is prescribed that, in case an accident should occur and this wine be spilled, it must be treated with the same respect as the Precious Blood itself, and whatever it has touched must be purified. Rubricians recommend the Priest to turn this wine all round the inside of the Chalice, so as to gather up with it, every smallest drop of the Precious Blood that might possibly be still remaining therein.
At the second Ablution, water is mingled with the wine, because the Blood of our Lord is no longer there. The Priest must always drink from the same side of the Chalice; and for this reason, a small cross is always engraven on its foot. Without this precaution, the Priest would be liable, if he were not very attentive, to wipe off, with the purificatory, the Precious Blood still wet on the lip of the Chalice.
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
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POSTCOMMUNION.
All these things being completed, the Priest, after saying Dominus vobiscum, recites the final Prayer, which is now called the Postcommunion, but which, in the Sacramentary of Saint Gregory was designated as: Oratio ad complendum. No mention is there made of the Communion Antiphon being to be said by the Priest, because this being one of the sung parts, has no place in the Sacramentary. It was but the Antiphon of a Psalm, sung during the Communion. We have a vestige of this custom in the Mass of the Dead. It was the same also with the Introit, the chanting of which used to accompany the Priest from the moment of his quitting the Sacrarium till he reached the Altar.
This Prayer called the Postcommunion is an important one: in it, mention is always made of the Communion just received. It is immediately followed by the ordinary good wish of the Priest to the people: Dominus Vobiscum. Then the Deacon, turning towards the assembly of the faithful, intones the following words:
ITE MISSA EST.
These words are usually translated thus: “Go, the Mass is said.” However, we must here observe that this is not their proper sense. This formula, adopted by the Church, was in general use amongst the Romans, in public assemblies, to announce the termination of the meeting. So, these words: Ite, concio missa est, meant “go, the assembly is dismissed.”
In the early ages, the Holy Sacrifice was never called by our word Missa, the Mass. When the Sacrifice was finished, the assembled faithful were dismissed by the Deacon, in the form usual at all public meetings. Later, the word missa having been adopted, the confusion of ideas became complete, when by the putting of a capital M to this formula, it ended in Ite Missa est, being thus translated amiss: Go, the Mass is said. In Masses at penitential times, in Lent, for example, instead of the Ite Missa est, the Deacon says Benedicamus Domino; the faithful are not dismissed, because it is supposed that they would like to remain longer in prayer, during these days of expiation. The Ite Missa est is consequently a sign of joy, and, as such, it is excluded from Requiem masses: a Song of joy would be out of keeping with a Mass breathing only sadness and supplication
The Ite Missa est having been said, the Priest turns again to the Altar, and bowing somewhat, with his hands joined, he says: Placeat tibi Sancta Trinitas obsequium servtutis meae, et praesta ut Sacrificium, quod oculis tuae majestatis indignus obtuli, tibi sit acceptabile, mihique et omnibus, pro quibus illud obtuli, sit, te miserante, propitiabile. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. This prayer is a kind of epitome made by the Priest, reminding the Holy Trinity of all he has just been doing, begging acceptance of this Sacrifice, and that it may be profitable to all those for whom he has been praying.
THE BLESSING.
After this prayer, the Priest kisses the Altar, raises his eyes to heaven, stretches out his hands, and then bows before the Cross, saying: Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, then turning round to the people, he adds, blessing them: Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus; to which they answer: Amen. A simple Priest should only give the blessing once, even in solemn Masses; whereas, Bishops, by way of distinction, give it thrice. Prelates likewise bless three times, when they celebrate pontifically. Some of them are even allowed to do so in a Low Mass; but if so, it is only by privilege. The Blessing is not given in a Requiem Mass, because it is a sign of joy which would ill contrast with the mournfulness pervading the function.
THE LAST GOSPEL.
The Blessing having been given, the Priest goes to the Gospel side of the Altar, and there reads the beginning of the Gospel according to St. John. Formerly, the Priest having no book in front of him, used to make the sign of the cross on the Altar before signing himself. The cards on which are written the prayers of the Ordinary of the Mass, with the exception of the Canon, and which we nevertheless call altar-canons, are of very recent date. Since their introduction, it has become customary to make thereon, at this moment, the sign of the cross; but the Priest is still allowed to make it on the Altar, which is the figure of Christ who died upon the Cross for us, whose twofold Generation this Gospel recounts.
But why is this reading made? The custom originates from the Middle Ages. At that period, as in earlier times also, the faithful had a great devotion to the having a portion of the Gospel read over them, and the commencement of that of St. John was a special favourite. Demands at last became so multiplied, that the number of Priests was insufficient to satisfy all: to simplify the matter, it was decided to recite it over all those assembled, at the end of the Mass. The devotion of the faithful, therefore, alone originated this addition. When a Saint’s feast is kept on Sunday, or on some Feria having a proper Gospel, the Priest substitutes this Gospel for that of St. John. This too is but a consequence of the custom introduced of reading the Gospel at the end of the Mass, and it dates only from the time of St. Pius V. The Pontifical itself has not accepted this change on the ancient usage and hence a Pontiff recites the Gospel of St. John, whilst coming down from the Altar.
Let us here remark that in this phrase of St. John’s Gospel: Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, the Latin Church, up to the time of St. Pius V, followed a mode of punctuation different from that used by the Greeks. St. Augustine and all the Latin Fathers, as well as St. Thomas read it thus Sine ipso factum est nihil. Quod factum est, in ipso vita erat, et vita erat lux hominum; whereas St. John Chrysostom, and, in general, the Greek Fathers read it: sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est. In ipso vita erat, et vita erat lux hominum. Manuscripts having neither full stops, nor commas, (the use of which was only introduced much later,) this diversity was produced; and St. Pius V, in his edition of the Missal, kept to the Latin punctuation, for this passage. But shortly after him, the custom of reading it according to the manner of the Greeks, was introduced into the West.
When the Priest comes to these words of the Gospel of St. John: Et verbum caro factum est, he genuflects in honour of the annihilation of the Word made flesh, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a Servant (Philipp. ii. 7).
The Gospel being ended, the Priest comes down from the Altar, after bowing to the Cross; and as he retires, he recites the Canticle Benedicite, together with the other Prayers of Thanksgiving marked in the Missal.
"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
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