■ ■ "■'■3 ^^H ^b ■ A m m ^1 ■ h iVjSt WW* 1 THE LIBRARY OF TH] UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA REFERENCE WCIRCUUT/1VG ENDOWED BY THE DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETIES ;*.<",—.? *» v r^Vs v.l UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL *WMk ^fc 00024156707 :&KfS PaAaAAa* ^iftAAA; UBRARY USE ONLY This book must not be taken from the MUSIC LIBRARY READING ROOM l*fti^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://archive.org/details/liturgicalyear01gura 7 a/m&& Aia^u^ f THE LITURGICAL YEAR ADVENT THE LITURGICAL YEAR. VERY REV. DOM PROSPER GUERANGER, ABBOT OF SOLESMES. ffratwlateb from % Jxenxfc, BY THE EEV. DOM LAUKENCE SHEPHERD, MONK OF THE ENGLISH-BENEDICTINE CONGBEGATION. ADVENT. SECOND EDITION. DUBLIN: JAMES DUFFY, 15, WELLINGTON-QUAY; AND 22 PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON. 1870. UNIVERSITY-LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HiLL DUBLIN : $rini£b bu |. m. ©'£ooIe £ Sou, 6 /* C? 4^3& VI INTRODUCTION. the Father in Spirit and in Truth in the circle of His Divine acts for the redemption of the world. The Calendar of the Church renews before our spiritual and intellectual vision, — it may almost be said, before our eyes of Sense, — the Suprem e Worship of the Ever Blessed Trinity, in the Communion of the Saints. Into this in- terior world of heavenly beauty, splendour, and peace, the Liturgy of the Church admits us day by day. And the Abbot of Solesmes has ren- dered a signal help to all who love this prelude of a better world, and this avenue to the Vision of peace, by his beautiful and spiritual com- mentary on our Seasons and Solemnities. Our thanks are also due to the Eev. Father Shep- herd, O.S.B., for the patience and care with which he has undertaken this Translation. London, Feast of the Maternity of the B. V. Mary, 1867. % Henry Edward, Archbishop of Westminster. CONTENTS. THE LITURGICAL YEAR. PAGE General Preface, 1 ADVENT. Chapter I. — The History of Advent, . . .23 Chap. II. — The Mystery of Advent, . . .31 Chap. III. — Practice during Advent, ... 38 Chap. IV. — Morning and Night Prayers for Advent, 45 Chap. V. — On Hearing Mass, during Advent, . 62 Chap. VI. — On Holy Communion, during Advent, 97 Chap. VII. — On the Office of Sunday's Vespers, dur- ing Advent, 104 Chap. VIII. — On the Office of Compline, during Ad- vent 114 Proper of the Time, 125 The First Sunday of Advent, . . . .127 Mass, 130 Vespers, . 138 Vlll CONTENTS. PAGE Monday of the 1st Week of Advent, . . .141 Tuesday, 144 Wednesday, 148 Thursday, 153 Friday, 157 Saturday, 161 The Second Sunday of Advent, . . . .165 Mass, ......... 169 Vespers, 175 Monday of the 2nd Week of Advent, . . .177 Tuesday, 183 Wednesday, 188 Thursday, 193 Friday, . . . . . . . . .197 Saturday, 202 The Third Sunday of Advent, .... 206 Mass, . 209 Vespers, 215 Monday of the 3rd Week of Advent, . . .217 Tuesday, 221 Wednesday in Ember Week, . . ... 227 Thursday, 233 Friday in Ember Week, . . . . . 237 Saturday in Ember Week, 240 The Fourth Sunday of Advent, .... 243 Mass, ......... 246 Vespers, 251 Monday of the 4th Week of Advent, . . . 253 Tuesday, . . 257 Wednesday, 261 Thursday, . 265 Friday, 270 CONTENTS, IX PAGE Proper of the Saints, 277 November 30. Saint Andrew, Apostle, . . . 282 December 1 310 „ 2. Saint Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr, . 318 „ 3. Saint Francis Xavier, Confessor, Apostle of the Indies, . . . 324 „ 4. Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, . . . 333 Same Day. Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr, 341 „ 5. Commemoration of Saint Sabas, Abbot, 351 „ 6. Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, and Confessor, . . . . .355 „ 7. Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, . . . .371 „ 8. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, . . . 393 First Vespers, .... 406 Mass, 415 Second Vespers, . . . 424 „ 9. Second day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, . . 431 „ 10. Third day within the Octave, . . 435 Same Day. Saint Melchiades, Pope and Mar- tyr, 441 „ The Translation of the holy House of Loretto, 443 „ Saint Eulalia, Virgin and Martyr, 448 „ 11. Saint Damasus, Pope and Confessor, 461 „ 12. Fifth day within the Octave, . . 468 „ 13. Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, . 473 Same Day. Saint Odilia, Virgin and Abbess, . 478 „ 14. Seventh day within the Octave, . 488 „ 15. Octave of the Immaculate Conception, 492 x CONTENTS. PAGE December 16. Saint Eusebius, Bishop of Vercelli and Martyr, . . . . .499 „ 17. The commencement of the Great An- tiphons, 508 Same Day. Sapientia ! . . . . 509 „ 18. Adona'i! .512 Same Day. The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 513 „ 19. Radix Jesse ! 516 „ 20. Clavis David ! 518 „ 21. Saint Thomas, Apostle, .... 520 Same Day. Oriens ! 526 „ 22. Rex Gentium ! 528 „ 23. Emmanuel ! . . . . . 530 „ 24. Christmas Eve, 532 Mass, 538 THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GENERAL PREFACE. PRAYER is man's richest boon. It is his light, his nourishment, and his very life, for it brings him into communication with God, who is light? nourishment? and life? But, of ourselves, we know not what we should pray for as we ought ; 4 we must needs, there- fore, address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and say to him as the Apostles did : Lord, teach us how to pray. 5 He alone can make the dumb speak, and give elo- quence to the mouths of children ; and this prodigy he effects by sending his Spirit of grace, and of prayers, 6 who delights in helping our infirmity, ashing for us with unspeakable groanings. 7 Now, it is in the holy Church that this divine Spirit dwells. He came down to her as an impetuous wind, and manifested himself to her under the ex- pressive symbol of tongues of fire. Ever since that day of Pentecost, he has dwelt in this his favoured Spouse. He is the principle of everything that is in her. He it is that prompts her prayers, her desires, i St. John, viii. 12. 4 Rom. viii. 26. 6 Zach. xii. 10. 2 Ibid. vi. 35. 5 St. Luke, xi. 1. r Rom. viii. 26. 3 Ibid. xiv. 6. 2 GENERAIi PREFACE. her canticles of praise, her enthusiasm, and even her mourning. Hence, her Prayer is as uninterrupted as her existence. Day and night is her voice sound- ing sweetly on the ear of her divine Spouse, and her words are ever finding a welcome in his heart. At one time, under the impulse of that Spirit, which animated the admirable Psalmist and the Pro- phets, she takes the subject of her canticles from the Books of the Old Testament ; at another, showing herself to be the daughter and sister of the holy Apostles, she intones the canticles written in the Books of the New Covenant; and finally, remember- ing that she, too, has had given to her the trumpet and harp, she at times gives way to the Spirit which animates her, and sings her own new canticle} From these three sources comes the divine element which we call the Liturgy, The Prayer of the Church is, therefore, the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most efficacious of all prayers. Happy, then, is he who prays with the Church, and unites his own petitions with those of this Spouse, who is so dear to her Lord, that he gives her all she asks. It was for this reason that our Blessed Saviour taught us to say our Father, and not my Father ; give us, forgive us, deliver us, and not give me, forgive me, deliver me. Hence, we find that, for upwards of a thousand years, the Church, who prays in her temples seven times in the day, and once again during the night, did not pray alone. The people kept her company, and fed 1 Ps. cxliii. 9. GENERAL PREFACE. 8 themselves with delight on the manna which is hidden under the words and mysteries of the divine Liturgy. Thus initiated into the sacred Cycle of the mysteries of the Christian year, the faithful, atten- tive to the teachings of the Spirit, came to know the secrets of eternal life ; and, without any farther pre- paration, a Christian was not unfrequently chosen by the Bishops to be a Priest, or even a Bishop, that he might go and pour out on the people the treasures of wisdom and love, which he had drunk in at the very fountain-head. For whilst Prayer said in union with the Church is the light of the understanding, it is the fire of divine love for the heart. The Christian soul neither needs nor wishes to avoid the company of the Church, when she would converse with God, and praise his greatness and his mercy. She knows that the com- pany of the Spouse of Christ could not be a distrac- tion to her. Is not the soul herself a part of this Church, which is the Spouse ? Has not Jesus Christ said : Father, may they be one, as we also are one ? l and, when many are gathered in his name, does not this same Saviour assure us that he is in the midst of them ? 2 The soul, therefore, may converse freely with her God, who tells her that he is so near her ; she may sing praise, as David did, in the sight of the Angels, 3 whose eternal prayer blends with the prayer which the Church utters in time. But for now many past ages, Christians have grown too solicitous about earthly things to frequent the 1 St. John, xvii. 11. 2 St. Matth. xviii. 20. 3 Ps. cxxxvii. 1. 4 GENEKAL PEEFACE. holy Vigils, and the mystical Hours of the day. Long before the Rationalism of the sixteenth century became the auxiliary of the heresies of that period by curtailing the solemnity of the Divine Service, the days for the people's uniting exteriorly with the Prayer of the Church had been reduced to Sundays and Festivals. During the rest of the year, the solemn and imposing grandeur of the Liturgy was gone through, and the people took no share in it. Each new generation increased in indifference for that which their forefathers in the faith had loved as their best and strongest food. Social prayer was made to give way to individual devotion. Chanting, which is the natural expression of the prayers and even of the sorrows of the Church, became limited to the solemn feasts. That was the first sad revolu- tion in the Christian world. But, even then, Christendom was still rich in churches and monasteries, and there, day and night, was still heard the sound of the same venerable prayers which the Church had used through all the past ages. So many hands lifted up to God drew down upon the earth the dew of heaven, averted storms, and won victory for those who were in battle. These servants of God, who thus kept up an untiring choir that sang the divine praises, were considered as solemnly deputed by the people, which was still Catholic, to pay the full tribute of homage and thanksgiving due to God, his Blessed Mother and the Saints. These prayers formed a treasury which be- longed to all. The faithful gladly united themselves in spirit to what was done. When any affliction, or GENERAL PREFACE. 5 the desire to obtain a special favour, led them to the house of God, they were sure to hear, no matter at what hour they went, that untiring voice of prayer which was for ever ascending to heaven for the salva- tion of mankind. At times they would give up their worldly business and cares, and take part in the Office of the Church, and all still understood, at least in a general way, the mysteries of the Liturgy. Then came the Reformation, and, at the onset, it attacked the very life of Christianity; — it would put an end to the sacrifice of man's praise of his God. It strewed many countries with the ruins of churches ; the Clergy, the Monks, and Virgins consecrated to God, were banished or put to death ; and in the churcheswhich were spared, the divine Offices were not permitted. In other countries, where the persecution was not so violent, many sanctuaries were devastated and irremediably ruined, so that the life and voice of Prayer grew faint. Faith, too, was weakened ; na- tionalism became fearfully developed ; and now, our own age seems threatened with what is the result of these evils, — the subversion of all social order. For, when the Reformation had abated the violence of its persecution, it had other weapons wherewith to attack the Church. By these, several countries, which continued to be Catholic, were infected with that spirit of pride, which is the enemy of Prayer. The modern spirit would have it, that Prayer is not Action: — as though every good action, done by man, were not a gift of God ; a gift which implies two prayers : one of petition, that it may be granted ; and another of thanksgiving, because it is granted ! There 6 GENERAL PREFACE. were found men who said, Let us abolish all the fes- tival days of God from the earth ; a and then came upon ns that calamity which brings all others with it, and which the good Mardochai besought God to avert from his nation, when he said, Shut not, Lord, the mouths of them that sing to thee ! 2 But, by the mercy of God, we have not been con- sumed ; 3 there have been left remnants of Israel f and the number of believers in the Lord has increased. 5 What is it that has moved the heart of our God to bring about this merciful conversion ? Prayer, which had been interrupted, has been resumed. Numerous choirs of Virgins consecrated to God, and, though far less in number, of men who have left the world to spend themselves in the divine praises, make the voice of the turtle-dove heard in our land. 6 This voice is every day gaining more power: may it find acceptance from our Lord, and move him to show the sign of his covenant with us, the rainbow of reconciliation ! May our venerable Cathedrals again re-echo those solemn formulas of Prayer, which heresy has so long suppressed ! May the faith and munificence of the faithful reproduce the prodigies of those past ages, which owed their greatness to the acknowledgment, which all, even the very civic authorities, paid to the all-powerfulness of Prayer ! But this Liturgical Prayer would soon become powerless, were the faithful not to take a real share in it, or, at least, not to associate themselves to it in 1 Ps. Ixxiii. 8. 3 Lam. iii. 22. 5 Acts, v. 14. 2 Esther, xiii. 17. * Is. i. 5. 6 Cant. ii. 12. GENERAL PREFACE, 7 heart. It can heal and save the world, but only on the condition that it be understood. Be wise, then, ye children of the Catholic Church, and get that largeness of heart which will make you pray the Prayer of your Mother. Come, and by your share in it, fill up that harmony which is so sweet to the ear of God. Where would you obtain the spirit of Prayer if not at its natural source ? Let us remind you of the exhortation of the Apostle to the first Christians : Let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, — let the Word of Christ divell in you abun- dantly, in all wisdom ; teaching and admonishing one another, in Psalms, Hymns, and spiritual Canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God} For a long time, a remedy has been devised for an evil which was only vaguely felt. The spirit of Prayer, and even Prayer itself, has been sought for in methods, and Prayer Books, which contain, it is true, laudable, yea, pious thoughts, but, after all, only human thoughts. Such nourishment cannot satisfy the soul, for it does not initiate her into the Prayer of the Church. In- stead of uniting her with the Prayer of the Church, it isolates her. Of this kind are so many of those collections of prayers and reflections, which have been published, under different titles, during the last two hundred years, and by which it was intended to edify the faithful, and suggest to them, either for hearing Mass, or going to the Sacraments, or keeping the Feasts of the Church, certain more or less com- monplace considerations and acts, always drawn up 1 Coloss. iii. 15, 16. 8 GENERAL PREFACE. according to the manner of thought and sentiment peculiar to the author of each book. Each Manual had consequently its own way of treating these im- portant subjects. To Christians already formed to piety, such books as these, would, indeed, serve a pur- pose, especially as nothing better was offered to them : but they had not influence sufficient to inspire with a relish and spirit of Prayer such as had not other- wise received them. It may perhaps be objected, that were all practical books of Christian piety to be reduced to mere expla- nations of the Liturgy, we should run the risk of impoverishing, and even destroying, by excessive for- malities, the spirit of Prayer and Contemplation, which is such a precious gift of the Holy Ghost to the Church of God. To this we answer firstly, that by asserting the immense superiority of Liturgical over individual Prayer, we do not say that indivi- dual methods should be suppressed; we would only wish them to be kept in their proper place. Then secondly, we answer that in the divine Psalmody there are several degrees : the lowest are near enough to the earth to be reached by souls that are still plod- ding in the fatigues of the purgative way ; but in proportion as a soul ascends this mystic ladder, she feels herself illuminated by a heavenly ray ; and still higher, she finds union and rest in the Sovereign Good. Whence, for instance, did the holy Doctors of the early ages, and the venerable Patriarchs of the desert, acquire their spiritual knowledge and tender devotion, of which they have left us such treasures in their writings and their works ? It was from those GENERAL PREFACE. 9 long hours of Psalmody, during which Truth, simple yet manifold, unceasingly passed before the eyes of their soul, rilling it with streams of light and love. What was it that gave to the seraphic Bernard that wonderful unction, which runs in streams of honey through all his writings ? To the author of the Imi- tation of Christ that sweetness, that hidden manna, which seems ever fresh ? To Louis Blosius, that inex- pressible charm and tenderness which move the heart of every reader ? It was the daily use of the Liturgy, in the midst of which they spent their days, inter- mingling their songs of joy with those of their sorrow. Let not then the soul, the spouse of Christ, that is possessed with a love of Prayer, be afraid that her thirst cannot be quenched by these rich streams of the Liturgy, which now flow calmly as a streamlet, now roll with the loud impetuosity of a torrent, and now swell with the mighty heavings of the sea. Let her come and drink this clear water which springeth up unto life everlasting ;* for this water flows from the very fountains of her Saviour f and the Spirit of God animates it by his virtue, rendering it sweet and refreshing to the panting stag. 3 Neither let a soul, that is in love with the charms of Contemplation, be afraid of the pomp and harmony of the chants of Li- turgical Prayer, as though they could distract her; for what is this soul herself but an instrument of harmony responding to the touch of that divine Spirit which possesses her ? Would she, when she wishes to enjoy 1 St. John, iv. 14. 2 Is. xii. 3. 3 Ps. xli. 2. 10 GENERAL PREFACE. the heavenly interview, comport herself differently from the Royal Psalmist himself, that model of all true Prayer, recognised as such by God and the Church ? Yet he, when he would enkindle the sacred flame within his breast, has recourse to his harp : My heart is ready, he says ; God, my heart is ready ; I will sing, I will give forth a Psalm. A rise, my glory ! arise, psaltery and harp ! I will arise in the morning early. I will praise thee, Lord, among the people ; and I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth even unto the clouds. 1 At other times, if, in the interior recollection of the senses, he have entered into the powers of the Lord,, 2 then, in his meditation, afireflameth out, z a fire of holy excitement; and to assuage the heat which is burning within him, he bursts out into another canticle, saying : My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my works to the King ; and publishes again and again the beauty and victories of the Bridegroom, and the graces of the Bride. 4 So true is it, that for Contemplative souls, Liturgical Prayer is both the principle and the consequence of the visits they re- ceive from God. But in nothing is the excellency of the Liturgy so apparent, as in its being milk for children, and solid food for the strong ; thus resembling the miraculous bread of the desert, and taking every kind of taste according to the different dispositions of those who 1 Ps. cvii. 5. 3 Ps. xxxviii. 4. 3 Ibid. lxx. 16. 4 Ibid. xliv. 2. GENERAL PREFACE. 11 eat. It is, indeed* a divine property, which has not unfrequently been noticed even by those who are not of the number of God's children, and has forced them to acknowledge that the Catholic Church alone knows the secret of Prayer. Nay, might it not be said that the reason of the Protestants having no Ascetic writers, is that they have no real Liturgical Grayer ? It is true, that a sufficient explanation of the abso- lute want of unction, which characterises all that the Reformation has produced, is to be found in its deny- ing the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is the centre of all Religion : but this is virtually the same as saying that Protestants have no Liturgical Prayer, inasmuch as the Liturgy is so essentially and inti- mately connected with the Eucharist. So true is this, that wheresoever the dogma of the Real Presence has ceased to be believed, there also have the Canonical Hours ceased, and could not but cease. It is therefore Jesus Christ himself who is the source as well as the object of the Liturgy; and hence the Ecclesiastical Year which we have undertaken to explain in this work, is neither more nor less than the manifestation of Jesus Christ, and his Mysteries, in the Church and the faithful soul. It is the divine Cycle, in which appear all the works of God, each in its turn ; the Seven Days of the Creation ; the Pasch and Pentecost of the Jewish people ; the ineffable Visit of the Incarnate Word ; His Sacrifice and His Victory; the Descent of the Holy Ghost; the Holy Eucharist ; the surpassing glories of the Mother of God, ever a Virgin ; the magnificence of the Angels ; the merits and triumphs of the Saints. Thus, the 12 GENERAL PREFACE. Cycle of the Church may be said to have its beginning under the Patriarchal Law, its progress under the Written Law, and its completion under the Law of Love, in which, at length, having attained its last per- fection, it will disappear in eternity, as the Written Law gave way the day on which the invincible power of the Blood of the Lamb rent asunder the veil of the Temple. Would that we might worthily describe the sacred wonders of this mystical Calendar, of which all others are bat images and humble auxiliaries ! Happy in- deed should we deem ourselves, if we could make the faithful understand the grand glory which is given to the Blessed Trinity, to our Saviour, to Mary, to the Angels, and to the Saints, by this annual commemo- ration of the wondrous works of our God ! If, every year, the Church renews her youth as that of the eagle, 1 she does so because, by means of the Cycle of the Liturgy, she is visited by her divine Spouse, who supplies all her wants. Each year she again sees him an Infant in the manger, fasting in the desert, offer- ing himself on the Cross, rising from the grave, founding his Church, instituting the Sacraments, as- cending to the right hand of his Father, and sending the Holy Ghost upon men. The graces of all these divine mysteries are renewed in her ; so that, being made fruitful in every good thing, the mystic Garden yields to the Spouse, in every season, under the influence of the spirit he breathes into her, the sweet perfume of aromatic sfAces? Each year, the 1 Ps. cii. 5. 2 c ant< iv. 16. GENERAL PREFACE. 13 Spirit of God retakes possession of his well Beloved, and gives her light and love ; each year she derives an increase of life from the maternal influence which the Blessed Virgin exercises over her, on the feasts of her joys, her dolours, and her glories-, and lastly, the brilliant constellations formed by the successive ap- pearance of the nine choirs of the Angels, and the Saints in their varied orders of Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and Virgins, shed on her, each year, power- ful help and abundant consolation. Now, what the Liturgical Year does for the Church at large, it does also for the soul of each one of the faithful th?4 is careful to receive the gift of God. This succession of mystic seasons imparts to the Christian the elements of that supernatural life, with- out which every other life is but a sort of death, more or less disguised. Nay, there are some souls, so far acted upon by the divine succession of the Catholic Cycle, that they experience even a physical effect from each evolution: the supernatural life has gained ascendency over the natural, and the Ca- lendar of the Church makes them forget that of Astronomers. Let the Catholic who reads this work be on his guard against that coldness of faith, and that want of love, which have well-nigh turned into an object of indifference that admirable Cycle of the Church, which heretofore was, and always ought to be, the joy of the people, the source of light to the learned, and the book]of the humblest of the faithful. The reader will rightly infer from what we have said, that the object we have in view is not, in any 14 GENEEAL PREFACE. way, to publish some favourite or clever method of our own with regard to the Mysteries of the Ecclesi- astical Year, nor to make them subjects for eloquence, philosophy, or intellectual fancy. We have bat one aim, and we humbly ask of God that we may attain it ; it is to serve as interpreter to the Church, in order thus to enable the faithful to follow her in her Prayer of each mystic season, nay, of each day and hour. God forbid, that we should ever presume to put our human thoughts side by side with those which our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Wisdom of God, inspires by the Holy Ghost to his well-beloved Spouse the Church ! All that we would do is to show what is the spirit which the Holy Ghost has put into each of the several periods of the Liturgical Year ; and for this purpose, to study attentively the most ancient and venerable Liturgies, and embody in our explana- tion the sentiments of the Holy Fathers and the old- est and most approved Liturgists. With these helps we hope to give to the faithful the flowers of Eccle- siastical Prayer, and thus unite, as far as possible, practical usefulness with the charm of variety. In this work we shall lay great stress on the cultus of the Saints, inasmuch as it is always needed, but now more than ever. Devotion to the adorable Per- son of our Saviour has revived among us with a vigorous development; devotion to our Blessed Lady has wonderfully spread and increased ; let the Saints also receive our honour and our confidence, and then the last traces of the unhappy spirit introduced by Jansenism will disappear. But, since we cannot in- troduce all the Saints into our Calendar, we shall GENERAL PREFACE. 15 limit ourselves, almost exclusively, to those inserted in that of Rome. Nevertheless, the Roman Liturgy is not the only one we intend to give, though of course it will be the most prominent, as being the very basis of our Litur- gical Year. The Ambrosian, the Gallican, the Gothic or Mozarabic, the Greek, the Armenian, the Syriac Liturgies will, each in its turn, give us of their riches and form our treasury of Prayers ; and thus, never will the voice of the Church have been fuller and more impressive. The Western Churches, during the Middle Ages, have inserted, into the Liturgy oi some of the Feasts, Sequences so admirable for their unction and doctrine, that we shall consider it a duty to give them to the faithful as often as occasion serves. The plan we shall follow in each volume of this Liturgical Year, will depend upon the subjects which must be treated of in each respectively. Everything that relates to the merely scientific bearing of the Liturgy, will be reserved for our " Liturgical Insti- tutions" The present work will be limited to those details, which are necessary to be understood by the faithful in order to their entering into the Spirit of the Church, during the several mystic seasons of the year. The sacred formulae will be explained and adapted to the use of the laity by means of a com- mentary, in which we shall endeavour to avoid both the imprudence of a literal translation, and the dul- ness of a tedious and insipid paraphrase. Since, as we have already said, our aim is to pre- sent to the faithful the most solid and useful portions of the Liturgies, we have excluded from our selection 16 GENERAL PREFACE- all such as seemed to us not to answer our purpose. This observation refers mainly to the portions selected from the Offices of the Greek Church. Nothing is finer and more impressive than this Liturgy, when read in chosen extracts; but nothing is so disap- pointing when taken as a whole. The monotony of phrases is insupportable, and the endless repetitions of the same idea spoil the real unction contained in it. We have therefore selected only the richest flowers of this over-stocked garden : more than these would have been a burden. These remarks apply especially to the Mencea and Anthologia of the Greek Church. The Liturgical books of the other Eastern Churches are generally drawn up with better taste and more discretion. In order to conform with the wishes of the Holy See, we do not give, in any of the volumes of our Liturgical Year, the literal translation of the Ordi- nary and Canon of the Mass ; and have, in its place, endeavoured to give, to such of the laity as do not understand Latin, the means of uniting, in the closest possible manner, with everything that the Priest says and does at the altar. The first part of the Liturgical Year is devoted to Advent. The second contains the explanation of the divine service from Christmas to the Purifica- tion. The third takes us from the Purification as far as Lent, and is called Septuagesima. The fourth comprises the four first weeks of Lent The fifth consists of Passion Week and Holy Week. The sixth includes the time of Easter. The seventh will ex- plain the Office of the Church from Trinity to the GENEKAL PEEFACE. 17 end of July. The eighth will give the two months, August and September. The ninth will finish the year, and contain the Liturgy of October and No- vember. The year thus planned for us by the Church her- self, produces a drama, the sublimest that has ever been offered to the admiration of man. God inter- vening for the salvation and sanctification of men, — the reconciliation of justice with mercy, — the humilia- tions, the sufferings, and the glories of the God-Man, — the coming of the Holy Ghost, and his workings in humanity and in the faithful soul, — the mission and the action of the Church, — all are there portrayed in the most telling and impressive way. Each mystery has its time and place by means of the sublime suc- cession of the respective anniversaries. A divine fact happened eighteen hundred years ago ; its anni- versary is kept in the Liturgy, and its impression thus reiterated every year in the minds of the faith- ful, with a freshness as though God were then doing for the first time, what he did so many ages past. Human ingenuity could never have devised a system of such power as this. And those writers who are bold and frivolous enough to assert, that Christianity has no longer an influence in the world, and is now but the ruin of an ancient thing, — what should they not say at seeing these undying realities, this vigour, this endlessness of the Liturgical Year ? For what is the Liturgy but an untiring affirmation of the works of God % — a solemn acknowledgment of those divine facts, which, though done but once, are imperishable in man's remembrance, and are every year renewed c 18 GENERAL PREFACE. by the commemoration he makes of them ? Have we not our Writings of the Apostolic Age, our Acts of the Martyrs, our Decrees of ancient Councils, our Writings of the Fathers, our Monuments, — taking us to the very origin of Christianity, and testifying to the most explicit tradition regarding our Feasts ? It is true that the Liturgical Cycle has its integrity and its development nowhere but in the Catholic Church ; but the sects which are separated from her, whether by schism or by heresy, all pay the homage of their testimony to the divine origin of the Liturgy, by the pertinacity with which they cling to the rem- nants they have preserved, — remnants, by the way, to which they owe whatever vitality they still retain. But, though the Liturgy so deeply impresses us by its annually bringing before us the dramatic solemnisation of those mysteries, which have been accomplished for the salvation of man and for his union with his God ; it is nevertheless wonderful how the succession of year after year diminishes not one atom of the freshness and vehemence of those im- pressions, and each new beginning of the Cycle of mystic seasons seems to be our first year. Advent is ever impregnated with the spirit of a sweet and mysterious expectation. Christmas ever charms us with the incomparable joy of the birth of the divine Child. We enter, with the well-known feeling, into the gloom of Septuagesima. Lent comes, and we prostrate ourselves before God's justice, and our heart is filled with a salutary fear and compunction, which seem so much keener than they were the year before. The Passion of our Redeemer, followed in every GENERAL PREFACE. 19 minutest detail, does it not seem as though we never knew it till that year ? The pageant of Easter makes us so glad, that our former Easters appear to have been only half- kept. The triumphant Ascension discloses to us, upon the whole economy of the In- carnation, secrets which we never knew before this year. When the Holy Ghost comes down at Pente- cost, is it not the case, that we so thrill with the renewal of the great Presence, that our emotions of last Whit Sunday seem too" tame for this ? However habituated we get to the ineffable gift which Jesus made us on the eve of his Passion, the bright dear feast of Corpus Christi brings strange increase of love to our heart; and the Blessed Sacrament seems more our own than ever. The feasts of our Blessed Lady come round, each time revealing something more of her greatness ; and the Saints, — with whom we fancied we had become so thoroughly acquainted, — each year as they visit us, seem so much grander, we understand them better, we feel more sensibly the link there is between them and ourselves. This renovative power of the Liturgical Year, to which we wish to draw the attention of our readers, is a mystery of the Holy Ghost, who unceasingly animates the work which he has inspired the Church to establish among men ; that thus they might sanctify that time which has been given to them for the worship of their Creator. The renovation works also a twofold growth in the mind of man, — the in- crease of knowledge of the truths of faith, and the development of the supernatural life. There is not a single point of Christian doctrine which, in the course 20 GENERAL PREFACE. of the Liturgical Year, is not brought forward, nay, which is not inculcated, with that authority and unction, wherewith our Holy Mother the Church has so deeply impregnated her words and her elegant rites. The faith of the believer is thus enlightened more and more each year; the theological sensus is formed in him ; Prayer leads him to science. Mysteries con- tinue to be mysteries ; but their brightness becomes so vivid, that the mind and heart are enchanted, and we begin to imagine what a joy the eternal sight of these divine beauties will produce in us, when the glimpse of them through the clouds is such a charm to us. Yes, there must needs be great progress in a Chris- tian soul, when the object of her faith is ever gaining greater light; when the hope of her salvation is almost forced upon her by the sight of all those wonders which God's goodness has wrought for his creatures ; and when charity is enkindled within her under the breath of the Holy Ghost, who has made the Liturgy to be the centre of his working in men's souls. Is not the formation of Christ within us 1 the result of our uniting in his various nrysteries, the joyful, the sorroicful, and the glorious ? These mysteries of Jesus come into us, are incorporated into 11s, each year, by the powei of the special grace which the Liturgy produces by communicating them to us: the new man gradually grows up, even on the ruins of the old. Then again, in order that the divine type may the more easily be stamped upon us, w T e need examples ; we want to see how our fellow-men have 1 Gal. iv. 19. GENERAL PREFACE. 21 realised that type in themselves ; and the Liturgy- does this for us, by offering us the practical teaching and the encouragement of our dear Saints, who shine like stars in the firmament of the ecclesiastical year. By dint of looking upon them we come to learn the way which leads to Jesus, just as Jesus is our Way which leads to the Father. But above all the Saints, and brighter than them all, we have Mary, showing us, in her single self, the Mirror of Justice, in which is reflected all the sanctity possible in a pure creature. Finally, the Liturgical Year, the plan of which we have been explaining, will bring continually before us the sublimest poetry that the human mind has conceived. Not only will it enable us to understand the divine songs of David and the Prophets, on which mainly the Liturgy has formed her own; but the Cycle will elicit from the Church, according as the different seasons and feasts come on, canticles and hymns the finest, the sublimest, and the worthiest of the subject. We shall hear the several countries, united as they are in one common faith, pouring forth their admiration and love in accents, wherein are blended the most perfect harmony of thought and sentiment, with the most marked diversity of genius and expression. We exclude from our collection, as duty requires we should, certain modern compositions, which had too close a resemblance to pagan literature, and which, as they had not received the sanction of the Church's acceptance, were likely to be short-lived : but the productions of liturgical genius, no matter of what age in the Church, are profusely admitted ; from Sedulius and Prudentius, down to Adam of Saint 22 GENERAL PEEFACE. Victor and his cotemporaries, for the Latin Church ; and from St. Ephrem, down to the latest Catholic Byzantine Hymnologists, for the Greek Church. A rich vein of poetry will be found as well in the prayers which have been composed in simple prose, as in those which are presented to us in the garb of measure and rhythm. Poetry, being the only lan- guage adequate to the sublime thought which is to be expressed, is to be found everywhere in the Liturgy, as it is in the inspired Writings ; and a complete col- lection of the formulas of public prayer, would be, at the same time, the richest selection of Christian Poetry : — of that Poetry, which sings on earth the mysteries of heaven, and prepares us for the canticles of eternity. In concluding this General Preface, we beg to re- mind our readers, that in a work like the present, the success of the writer is absolutely dependent upon the Holy Spirit, who breatheth where he willeth, 1 and that the most which man can do is to "plant and water. 2 We venture therefore to ask the children of the Church, who desire to see her Prayer loved and used above all others, to aid us by recommending our work to God, that so our unworthiness may not be an obstacle to what we have undertaken, and which we feel to be so much above our strength. We have only to add, that we submit our work, both in its substance and its form, to the sovereign and infallible judgment of the Holy Roman Church, which alone is the guardian both of the Words of eternal life, and of the secret of Prayer. 1 St. John, iii. 8. 2 I. Cor. in. 6. ADVENT CHAPTER THE FIRST. THE HISTORY OF ADVENT. The name Advent 1 is applied, in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the Feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the Birth of Jesus Christ. The mystery of that great day had every right to the honour of being prepared for by prayer and works of penance ; and, in fact, it is im- possible to state, with any certainty, when this season of preparation (which had long been observed before receiving its present name of Advent) was first instituted. It would seem, however, that its observance first began in the West, since it is evident that Advent could not have been looked on as a pre- paration for the Feast of Christmas, until that Feast was definitively fixed to the twenty-fifth of December : which was only done in the East, towards the close of the fourth century ; whereas, it is certain, that the Church of Rome kept the feast on that day at a much earlier period. We must look upon Advent in two different lights : first, as a time of preparation, properly so called, for the Birth of our Saviour, by works of penance ; and 1 From the Latin word Adventus, which signifies a Coming. 24 ADVENT. secondly, as a series of Ecclesiastical Offices drawn up for the same purpose. We find, as far back as the fifth century, the custom of giving exhortations to the people in order to prepare them for the Feast of Christmas. We have two Sermons of Saint Maximus of Turin on this subject, not to speak of several others, which were formerly attributed to St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, but which were proba- bly written by St. Cesarius of Aries. If these docu- ments do not tell us what was the duration and the exercises of this holy season, they at least show us how ancient was the practice of distinguishing the time of Advent by special sermons. St. Ivo of Chartres, St. Bernard, and several other Doctors of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, have left us set sermons de Adventu Domini, quite distinct from their Sunday Homilies on the Gospels of that season. In the Capitularia of Charles the Bald, in 846, the Bishops admonish that Prince not to call them away from their churches during Lent or Advent, under pretext of affairs of the State or the necessities of war, seeing that they have special duties to fulfil, and particularly that of preaching during those sacred times. The oldest document, in which we find the length and exercises of Advent mentioned with anything like clearness, is a passage in the second book of the History of the Franks by St. Gregory of Tours, where he says that St. Perpetuus, one of his predecessors, who held that See about the year 480, had decreed a fast three times a week, from the feast of St. Martin until Christmas. It would be impossible to decide whether St. Perpetuus, by this regulation, established a new custom, or merely enforced an already existing law. Let us, however, note this interval of forty, or rather of forty-three days, so expressly mentioned, and consecrated to penance, as though it were a second HISTOEY OF ADVENT. 25 Lent, though less strict and severe than that which precedes Easter. Later on, we find the ninth canon of the first Council of Macon, he]d in 582, ordaining that during the same interval, between St. Martin's Day and Christmas, the Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, should be fasting days, and that the Sacrifice should be celebrated according to'^ihe Lenten Rite. Not many years before that, namely in 567, the second Council of Tours had enjoined the monks to fast from the beginning of December till Christmas. This practice of penance soon extended to the whole forty days, even for the laity ; and it was commonly called St. Martin's Lent. The Capitularia of Charlemagne, in the sixth book, leave us no doubt on the matter; and Rabanus Maurus, in the second book of his Institution of Clerics, bears tes- timony to this observance. There were even special rejoicings made on St. Martin's Feast, just as we see them practised now at the approach of Lent and Easter. The obligation of observing this Lent, which, though introduced so imperceptibly, had by degrees acquired the force of a sacred law, began to be relaxed, and the forty days from St. Martin's Day to Christmas were reduced to four weeks. We have seen that this fast began to be observed first in France ; but thence it spread into England, as we find from Venerable Bede's History ; into Italy, as appears from a diploma of Astolphus, King of the Lombards, dated 758 ; into Germany, Spain, &c, of which the proofs may be seen in the learned work of Dorn Martene, On the Ancient Rites of the Church. The first allusion to Advent's being reduced to four weeks, is to be found in the ninth century, in a letter of Pope St. Nicholas the First to the Bulgarians. The testimony of Ratherius of Verona, and of Abbo of Fleurjr, both writers of the tenth century, goes also to prove that, even then, the ques- 26 ADVENT. tion of reducing the duration of trie Advent fast by one-third was seriously entertained. It is true, that St. Peter Damian, in the eleventh century, speaks of the Advent fast as still being for forty days ; and that St. Louis, two centuries later, kept it for that length of time ; but as far as this holy King is concerned, it is probable that it was only his own devotion which prompted him to this prac- tice. The discipline of the Churches of the West, after having reduced the time of the Advent fast, so far relented, in a few years, as to change the fast into a simple abstinence ; and we even find Councils of the twelfth century, for instance, Selingstadt in 1122, and Avranches in 1172, which seem to require only the clergy to observe this abstinence. The Council of Salisbury, held in 1281, would seem to expect none but monks to keep it. On the other hand, (for the whole subject is very confused, owing, no doubt, to there never having been any uniformity of discipline regarding it in the Western Church,) we find Pope Innocent III, in his letter to the Bishop of Braga, mentioning the custom of fasting during the whole of Advent, as being at that time observed in Rome ; and Durandus, in the same thirteenth century, in his Rational on the Divine Offices, tells us that, in France, fasting was uninterruptedly observed during the whole of that holy time. This much is certain, that, by degrees, the custom of fasting so far fell into disuse, that when, in 1362, Pope Urban the Fifth endeavoured to prevent the total decay of the Advent penance, all he insisted upon was that all the clerics of his court should keep abstinence during Advent, without in any way including others, either clergy or laity, in this law. St. Charles Borromeo also strove to bring back his people of Milan, to the spirit, if not to the letter, of ancient times. In his fourth Council, he enjoins the parish HISTORY OF ADVENT. 27 priests to exhort the faithful to go to communion on the Sundays, at least, of Lent and Advent; and after- wards addressed to the faithful themselves a Pastoral Letter, in which, after having reminded them of the dispositions wherewith they ought to spend this holy time, he strongly urges them to fast on the Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, at least, of each week in Advent. Finally, Pope Benedict the Fourteenth, when Archbishop of Bologna, following these illus- trious examples, wrote his eleventh Ecclesiastical Institution for the purpose of exciting in the mind of his diocesans the exalted idea which the Christians of former times bad of the holy season of Advent, and to the removing an erroneous opinion which prevailed in those parts, namely, that Advent only concerned Religious, and not the laity. He shows them, that such an opinion, unless it be limited to the two practices of fasting and abstinence, is strictly speaking, rash and scandalous, since it cannot be denied that, in the laws and usages of the universal Church, there exist special practices, having for their end the preparing the faithful for the great feast of the Birth of Jesus Christ. The Greek Church still continues to observe the fast of Advent, though with much less rigour than that of Lent. It consists of forty days, beginning with the 14th of November, the day on which this Church keeps the feast of the Apostle St. Philip. During this entire period, the people abstain from flesh-meat, butter, milk, and eggs ; but they are allowed, which they are not during Lent, fish, oil, and wine. Fasting, in its strict sense, is only bind- ing on seven out of the forty days ; and the whole period goes under the name of St. Philip's Lent. The Greeks justify these relaxations by this distinction ; that the Lent before Christmas is, so they say, only an institution of the monks, whereas the Lent before Easter is of Apostolic institution. 28 ADVENT. Bat, if the exterior practices of penance which for- merly sanctified the season of Advent, have been, in the Western Church, so gradually relaxed as to have become now quite obsolete except in monasteries ; l the general character of the Liturgy of this holy time has not changed; and it is by their zeal in foil owing its spirit, that the Faithful will prove their earnest- ness in preparing for Christmas. The liturgical form of Advent as it now exists in the Roman Church, has gone through certain modi- fications. St. Gregory seems to have been the first to draw up the Office for this season, which originally included five Sundays, as is evident from the most ancient Sacramentaries of this great Pope. It even appears probable, and the opinion has been adopted by Amalarius of Metz, Berno of Bichenaw, Dom Martene, and Benedict the Fourteenth, that St. Gregory originated the ecclesiastical precept of Ad- vent, although the custom of devoting a longer or shorter period to a preparation for Christmas has been observed from time immemorial, and the absti- nence and fast of this holy season first began in France. St. Gregory therefore fixed, for the Churches of the Latin rite, the form of the Office for this Lent- like season, and sanctioned the fast which had been established, granting a certain latitude to the several Churches as to the manner of its observance. The Sacramentary of St. Gelasius has neither Mass nor Office of preparation for Christmas; the first we meet with are in the Gregorian Sacramentary, and, as we just observed, these Masses are five in number. It is remarkable that these Sundays were then counted inversely, that is, the nearest to Christ- mas was called the first Sunday, and so on with the rest. So far back as the ninth and tenth centuries, 1 Our English observance of Fast and Abstinence on the Wed- nesdays and Fridays in Advent, may, in some sense, be regarded as a remnant of the ancient discipline. [Note of the Ti\~\ HISTOEY OF ADVENT. 29 these Sundays were reduced to four, as we learn from Amalarius, St. Nicholas the First, Berno of Richenaw, Ratherius of Verona, &c, and such also is their number in the Gregorian Sacramentary of Pamelius, which ap- pears to have been transcribed about this same period. From that time, the Roman Church has always ob- served this arrangement of Advent, which gives it four weeks, the fourth beings that in which Christmas Day falls, unless the 25th of December be a Sunday. We may therefore consider the present discipline of the observance of Advent as having lasted a thousand years, at least as far as the Church of Rome is con- cerned; for some of the Churches in France kept up the number of five Sundays as late as the thirteenth century. The Ambrosian Liturgy, even to this day, has six weeks of Advent; so has the Gothic or Mozarabic Missal. As regards the Gallican Liturgy, the frag- ments collected by Dom Mabillon give us no informa- tion ; but it is natural to suppose with this learned man, whose opinion has been confirmed by Dom Marten e, that the Church of Gaul adopted, in this as in so many other points, the usages of the Gothic Church, that is to say, that its Advent consisted of six Sundays and six weeks. With regard to the Greeks, their Rubrics for Ad- vent are given in the Mensea, immediately after the Office for the 14th of November. They have no proper Office for Advent, neither do they celebrate during this time the Mass of the Presanctified, as they do in Lent. There are only in the Offices for the Saints, whose feasts occur between the 14th of November and the Sunday nearest Christmas, fre- quent allusions to the Birth of the Saviour, to the Maternity of Mary, to the cave of Bethlehem, &c. On the Sunday preceding Christmas, in order to celebrate the expected coming of the Messias, they keep what they call the Feast of the Holy Fathers, 30 ADVENT. that is the commemoration of the Saints of the Old Law. They give the name of Ante-Feast of the Nativity to" the 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd December ; and although they say the office of several Saints on these four days, yet the mystery of the Birth of Jesus pervades the whole Liturgy. CHAPTER THE SECOND. THE MYSTEEY OF ADVENT. If, now that we have described the characteristic features of Advent, which distinguish it from the rest of the year, we would penetrate into the profound mystery which occupies the mind of the Church during this season, we find that this mystery of the Coming, or Advent, of Jesus is at once simple and threefold. It is simple, for it is the one same Son of God that is coming; it is threefold, because he comes at three different times and in three different ways. " In the first Coming," says St. Bernard, " he comes "in the flesh and in weakness; in the second, he " comes in spirit and in power ; in the third, he comes " in glory and in majesty ; and the second Coming is "the means whereby we pass from the first to the "third." 1 This, then, is the mystery of Advent. Let us now listen to the explanation of this threefold visit of Christ, given to us by Peter of Blois, in his third Sermon de Adventu : " There are three Comings of " our Lord ; the first in the flesh, the second in the "soul, the third at the judgment. The first was at " midnight, according to those words of the Gospel : "At midnight there was a cry made, Lo the Bride- " groom cometh ! But this first Coming is long " since past, for Christ has been seen on the earth " and has conversed among men. We are now in " the second Coming, provided only we are such as " that he may thus come to us ; for he has said that " if we love him, he will come unto us and will take 1 Fifth Sermon for Advent. 32 ADVENT. " up his abode with us. So that this second Coming " is full of uncertainty to us ; for who, save the Spirit " of God, knows them that are of God ? They that " are raised out of themselves by the desire of "heavenly things, know indeed when he comes ; but " whence he cometh, or whither he goeth, they know " not As for the third Coming, it is most certain " that it will be, most uncertain when it will be ; for "nothing is more sure than death, and nothing less " sure than the hour of death. When they shall say, " peace and security, says the Apostle, then shall " sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains " upon her that is with child, and they shall not " escape. So that the first Coming was humble and "hidden, the second is mysterious and full of love, the " third will be majestic and terrible. In his first " Coming, Christ was judged by men unjustly ; in his " second, he renders us just by his grace ; in his third, " he will judge all things with justice. In his first, a " Lamb ; in his last, a Lion ; in the one between the " two, the tenderest of Friends." - 1 The holy Church, therefore, during Advent, awaits in tears and with ardour the arrival of her Jesus in his first Coming. For this, she borrows the fervid expressions of the Prophets, to which she joins her own supplications. These longings for the Messias expressed by the Church, are not a mere commemo- ration of the desires of the ancient Jewish people ; they have a reality and efficacy of their own, — an influence in the great act of God's munificence, whereby he gave us his own Son. From all eternity, the prayers of the ancient Jewish people and the prayers of the Christian Church ascended together to the prescient hearing of God ; and it was after receiving and granting them, that he sent, in the appointed time, that blessed dew upon the earth, which made it bud forth the Saviour. 1 De Adventu, Sermo III. MYSTERY OF ADVENT. 33 The Church aspires also to the second Coming, the consequence of the first, which consists, as we have just seen, in the visit of the Bridegroom to the Spouse. This Coming takes place, each year, at the feast of Christmas, when the new birth of the Son of God delivers the faithful from that yoke of bondage, under which the enemy would oppress them. 1 The Church, therefore, during Advent, prays that she may be visited by Him who is her Head and her Spouse ; visited in her hierarchy; visited in her members, of whom some are living, and some are dead, but may come to life again ; visited, lastly, in those who are not in communion with her, and even in the very infidels, that so they may be converted to the true light, which shines even for them. The expressions of the Liturgy which the Church makes use of to ask for this loving and invisible Coming, are those which she employs when begging for the coming of Jesus in the flesh; for the two visits are for the same object. In vain would the Son of God have come, eighteen hundred years ago, to visit and save mankind, unless he came again for each one of us and at every moment of our lives, bringing to us and cherishing within us that supernatural life, of which he and his Holy Spirit are the sole principle. But this annual visit of the Spouse does not con- tent the Church ; she aspires after a third Coming, which will complete all things by opening the gates of eternity. She has caught up the last words of her Spouse, Surely, I am coming quickly ; 2 and she cries out to him, Ah! Lord Jesus ! come ! 3 She is impatient to be loosed from her present temporal state ; she longs for the number of the elect to be filled up, and to see appear, in the clouds of heaven, the sign of her Deliverer and her Spouse. Her desires, expressed by her Advent Liturgy, go even as far as 1 Collect for Christmas Day. 2 Apoc. xxii. 20. 3 Ibid. D 34 ADVENT. this : and here we have the explanation of those words of the beloved Disciple in his prophecy : The nuptials of the Lamb are come, and his Spouse hath prepared herself} But the day of this his last ComiDg to her, will be a day of terror. The Church frequently trembles at the very thought of that awful judgment, in which all mankind is to be tried. She calls it " a day of wrath, " on which, as David and the Sibyl have foretold, the " world will be reduced to ashes ; a day of weeping " and fear." Not that she fears for herself, since she knows that this day will for ever secure to her the crown, as being the Spouse of Jesus ; but her maternal heart is troubled at the thought that, on the same day, so many of her children will be on the left hand of the Judge, and, having no share with the elect, will be bound hand and foot, and cast into the darkness, where there shall be everlasting weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the reason why the Church, in the Liturgy of Advent, so frequently speaks of the Com- ing of Christ as a terrible Coming, and selects from the Scriptures those passages, which are most calcu- lated to awaken a salutary fear in the mind of such of her children as may be sleeping the sleep of sin. This, then, is the threefold mystery of Advent. The liturgical forms in which it is embodied, are of two kinds : the one consists of prayers, passages from the Bible, and similar formulas, in all of which, words themselves are employed to convey the sentiments which we have been explaining ; the other consists of external rites peculiar to this holy time, which, by speaking to the outward senses, complete the expressiveness of the chants and words. First of all, there is the number of the days of Advent. Forty was the number originally adopted by the Church, and it is still maintained in the 1 Apoc. xix. 7. MYSTERY OF ADVENT. 35 Ambrosian liturgy, and in the Eastern Church. If, at a later period, the Church of Rome, and those who follow her Liturgy, have changed the number of days, the same idea is still expressed in the four weeks which have been substituted for the forty days. The new Birth of our Redeemer takes place after four weeks, as the first Nativity happened after four thousand years, according to t)ie Hebrew and Yulgate Chronology. As in Lent, so likewise during Advent, Marriage is not solemnised, lest worldly joy should distract Christians from those serious thoughts wherewith the expected Coming of the Sovereign Judge ought to inspire them, or from that dearly cherished hope which the friends of the Bridegroom 1 have of being soon called to the eternal Nuptial-feast. The people are forcibly reminded of the sadness which fills the heart of the Church by the sombre colour of the Vestments. Excepting on the Feasts of the Saints, purple is the only colour she uses ; the Deacon does not wear the Dalmatic, nor the Sub- deacon the Tunic. Formerly it w T as the custom, in some places, to wear Black Vestments. This mourn- ing of the Church shows how fully she unites herself with those true Israelites of old, who, clothed in sack- cloth and ashes, waited for the Messias, and bewailed Sion that she had not her beauty, and " Juda, that " the sceptre had been taken from him, till He should "come whowasto be sent, the expectation of nations." 2 It also signifies the works of penance, whereby she prepares for the second Coming, full as it is of sweet- ness and mystery, which is realised in the souls of men, in proportion as they appreciate the tender love of that Divine Guest, who has said : My delights are to be with the children of men. 3 It expresses, thirdly, the desolation of this Spouse w T ho yearns after 1 St. John, iii. 29. 2 Gen. xlix. 10. 3 Prov. viii. 31. 36 ADVENT. her Beloved, who is long a-coming. Like the turtle dove, she moans her loneliness, longing for the voice which will say to her : Come from Libanus, my Spouse ! come, thou shalt be crowned : — thou hast wounded my heart} The Church also, during Advent, excepting on the Feasts of Saints, suppresses the Angelic Canticle, Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bono3 voluntatis ; for this glorious Song was only sung at Bethlehem over the crib of the Divine Babe ; — the tongue of the Angels is not loosened yet ; — the Virgin has not yet brought forth her divine treasure ; — it is not yet time to sing, it is not even true to say, Glory be to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will ! Again, at the end of Mass, the Deacon does not dismiss the assembly of the faithful by the words : Ite, Missa est. He substitutes the ordinary greeting : Benedicamus Domino I as though the Church feared to interrupt the prayers of the people, which could scarce be too long during these days of expectation. In the Night Office, the Holy Church also suspends, on those same days, the hymn of jubilation, Te Deum laudamus. It is in deep humility that she awaits the supreme blessing which is to come to her; and in the interval, she presumes only to ask, and entreat, and hope. But let the glorious hour come, when, in the midst of darkest night, the Sun of Justice will suddenly rise upon the world, — then iudeed she will resume her hymn of thanksgiving, and all over the face of the earth, the silence of midnight will be broken by this shout of enthusiasm : " We praise thee, " O God ! we acknowledge thee to be our Lord ! Thou, " O Christ, art the King of glory, the everlasting Son " of the Father ! Thou, being to deliver man, didst " not disdain the Virgin's womb !" iCant. iv. 8, 9. MYSTEEY OF ADVENT. 37 On the Ferial Days, the Rubrics of Advent pre- scribe that certain prayers should be said kneeling, at the end of each Canonical Hour, and that the Choir should also kneel during a considerable portion of the Mass. In this respect, the usages of Advent are pre- cisely the same as those of Lent. But there is one feature winch distinguishes Ad- vent most markedly from Lent : the word of gladness, the joyful Alleluia, is not interrupted during Advent, except once or twice during the ferial office. It is sung in the Masses of the four Sundays, and vividly contrasts with the sombre colour of the Vestments. On one of these Sundays — the third — the prohibition of using the organ is removed, and we are gladdened by its grand notes, and rose-coloured Vestments may be used instead of the purple. These vestiges of joy, thus blended with the holy mournfulness of the Church, tell us, in a most expressive way, that though she unites with the ancient people of God in praying for the coming of the Messias, (thus paying the debt which the entire human race owes to the justice and mercy of God,) she does not forget that the Emmanuel is already come to her, that he is in her, and that even before she has opened her lips to ask him to save her, she has been already redeemed and predestined to an eternal union with him. This is the reason why the Alleluia accompanies even her sighs, and why she seems to be at once joyous and sad, waiting for the coming of that holy night which will be brighter to her than the most sunny of days, and on which her joy will expel all her sorrow. CHAPTER THE THIKD. PRACTICE DURING ADVENT. If our holy mother the Church spends the time of Advent in this solemn preparation for the threefold Coming of Jesus Christ ; if, after the example of the prudent Virgins, she keeps her lamp lit ready for the coming of the Bridegroom ; we, being her members and her children, ought to enter into her spirit, and apply to ourselves this warning of our Saviour : Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands, and ye yourselves be like unto men who wait for their Lord I 1 The Church and we have, in reality, the same hopes. Each one of us is, on the part of God, an object of mercy and care as is the Church herself. If she is the temple of God, it is because she is built of living stones ; if she is the Spouse, it is because she consists of all the souls which are invited to eternal anion with God. If it is written that the Saviour hath purchased the Church with his own Blood? may not each one of us say of himself those words of St. Paul, Christ hath loved me, and hath delivered himself up for me f Our destiny being the same, then, as that of the Church, we should endeavour during Advent, to enter into the spirit of preparation, w T hich is, as we have seen, that of the Church herself. And firstly, it is our duty to join with the Saints of the Old Law in asking for the Messias, and thus pay the debt which the whole human race owes to the divine mercy. In order to fulfil this duty with fervour, let us go back in thought to those four 1 St. Luke, xii. 35. 2 Acts, xx. 28. 3 Gal. ii. 20. PRACTICE DURING ADVENT. 39 thousand years, represented by the four -weeks of Advent, and reflect on the darkness and crime which filled the world before our Saviour's cominsr. Let our hearts be filled with lively gratitude towards Him who saved his creature Man from death, and who came down from heaven that he might know our miseries by himself experiencing them, yes, all of them, excepting sin. Let us cry to him with con- fidence from the depths of our misery; for, notwith- standing his having saved the work of his hands, he still wishes us to beseech him to save us. Let there- fore our desires and our confidence have their free utterance in the ardent supplications of the ancient Prophets, which the Church puts on our lips during these days of expectation; let us give our closest attention to the sentiments which they express. This first duty complied with, we must next turn our minds to the Coming which our Saviour wishes to accomplish in our own hearts. It is, as we have seen, a Coming full of sweetness and mystery, and a consequence of the first ; for the Good Shepherd comes not only to visit the flock in general, but he extends his solicitude to each one of the sheep, even to the hundredth which is lost. Now, in order to appreciate the whole of this ineffable mystery, we must remember that, since we can only be pleasing to our Heavenly Father inasmuch as he sees within us his Son Jesus Christ, this amiable Saviour deigns to come into each one of us, and transform us, if we will but consent, into himself, so that henceforth we may live, not we, but he in us. This is, in reality, the one grand aim of the Christian Religion, to make man divine through Jesus Christ : it is the task which God has given to his Church to do, and she says to the faithful what St. Paul said to his Gala tians : My little children, of whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed within you! 1 1 Gal. i\r. 19 ? 40 - ADVENT. But, as on his entering into this world, our divine Saviour first showed himself under the form of a weak Babe, before attaining the fulness of the age of manhood, and this to the end that nothing might be wanting to his sacrifice, — so does he intend to do in us ; there is to be a progress in his growth within us. Now, it is at the feast of Christmas that he delights to be born in our souls, and that he pours out over the whole. Church a grace of being born, to which, however, all are not faithful. For, this glorious solemnity, as often as it comes round, finds three classes of men. The first, and the smallest number, are they who live, in all its pleni- tude, the life of Jesus who is within them, and aspire incessantly after the increase of this life. The second class of souls is more numerous ; they are living, it is true, because Jesus is in them ; but they are sick and weakly, because they care not to grow in this divine life : their charity has become cold I 1 The rest of men make up the third division, and are they who have no part of this life in them, and are dead ; for Christ has said : "J am the Life/' 2 Now, during the season of Advent, our Lord knocks at the door of all men's hearts, at one time so forcibly, that they must needs notice him ; at another, so softly that it requires attention to know that Jesus is asking admission. He comes to ask them if they have room for him, for he wishes to be born in their house. The house indeed is his, for he built it and preserves it ; yet he complains that his own refused to receive him; 3 at least the greater number did. But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, born not of blood, nor of the flesh, but of God* He will be born, then, with more beauty and lustre and might than you have hitherto seen in 1 Apoc. ii. 4. * St. John, xiv. 6. 3 Ibid. iii. * Ibid. i. 12, 13. PRACTICE DURING ADVENT. 41 him, O ye faithful ones, who hold him within you as your only treasure, and who have long lived no other life than his, shaping your thoughts and works on the model of his. You will feel the necessity of words to suit and express your love; such words as he delights to hear you speak to him. You will find them in the holy Liturgy. You, who have had him within you, without knowing him, and have possessed him without re- lishing the sweetness of his presence, open your hearts to welcome him, this time, with more care and love. He repeats his visit of this year with an untiring tenderness ; he has forgotten your past slights ; he would " that all things be new." 1 Make room for the Divine Infant, for he desires to grow within your soul. The time of his coming is close at hand : let your heart, then, be on the watch ; and lest you should* slumber when he arrives, watch and pray, yea, sing. The words of the Liturgy are in- tended also for your use : they speak of darkness, which only God can enlighten ; of wounds, which only his mercy can heal ; of a faintness, which can only be braced by his divine energy. And you, Christians, for whom the good tidings are as things that are not, because you are dead in sin, lo ! He who is very life is coining among you. Yes, whether this death of sin has held you as its slave for long years, or has but freshly inflicted on you the wound which made you its victim,— Jesus, your Life, is coming : why, then, will you die ? He desireth not the death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted and live. 2 The grand Feast of his Birth will be a day of mercy for the whole world ; at least, for all who will give him admission into their hearts : they will rise to life again in him, their past life will be destroyed, 1 Apoc. xxi. 5. 2 Ezech. xviii. 31-5. 42 ADVENT. and where sin abounded, there grace will more abound. 1 But, if the tenderness and the attractiveness of this mysterious Coming make no impression on you, because your heart is too weighed down to be able to rise to confidence, and because, having so long drunk sin like water, you know not what it is to long with love for the caresses of a Father whom you have slighted, — then turn your thoughts to that other Coming, which is full of terror, and is to follow the silent one of grace that is now offered. Think within yourselves, how this earth of ours will tremble at the approach of the dread Judge ; how the heavens will flee from before his face, and fold up as a book f how man will wince under his angry look ; how the creature will wither away with fear, as the two-edged sword, which comes from the mouth of his Creator, 3 pierces him; and how sinners will cry out, Ye mountains, fall on us ! ye rocks, cover us /* Those unhappy souls who would not know the time of their visitation, b shall then vainly wish to hide themselves from the face of Jesus. They shut their hearts against this Man-God, who, in his excessive love for them, wept over them ; — therefore, on the day of judgment they will descend alive into those everlasting fires, whose flame devoureth the earth with her increase, and burneth the foundations of the mountains. 6 The worm that never dieth, 7 the useless eternal repentance, will gnaw them for ever. Let those, then, who are not touched by the tid- ings of the Coming of the Heavenly Physician and the Good Shepherd who giveth his life for his sheep, meditate during Advent on the awful yet certain truth, that so many render the redemption unavail- able to themselves by their refusing to co-operate in 1 Rom. v. 20. * St. Luke, xxiii. 30. 6 Deut. xxx. 22. 2 Apoc. vi. 14. 6 Ibid. xix. 44. 7 §t. Mark, ix. 43. 3 Ibid. i. 16. PRACTICE DURING ADVENT. 43 their own salvation. They may treat the Child ivho is to be born 1 with disdain ; but he is also the Mighty God, and do they think they can withstand him on that Day, when he is to come, not to save, as now, but to judge 1 Would that they knew more of this divine Judge, before whom the 'Tery Saints tremble ! Let them also use the Liturgy of this season, and they will there learn how much he is to be feared by sinners. We would not imply by this that only sinners need to fear : no, every Christian ought to fear. Fear, when there is no nobler sentiment with it, makes man a slave; when it accompanies love, it is a feel- ing which fills the heart of a child who has offended his father, yet seeks for pardon; when, at length, love casteth out fear, 2 even then this holy fear will sometimes come, and, like a flash of lightning, per- vade the deepest recesses of the soul. It does the soul good. She wakes up afresh to a keener sense of her own misery and of the unmerited mercy of her Redeemer. Let no one, therefore, think that he may safely pass his Advent without taking any share in the holy fear which animates the Church. She, though so beloved by God, prays to him to give her this fear ; and every day, in her Office of Sext, she thus cries out to him : Pierce my flesh with thy Fear. It is, however, to those who are beginning a good life, that this part of the Advent Liturgy will be peculiarly serviceable. It is evident from what we have said, that Advent is a season specially devoted to the exercises of what is called the Purgative Life, and which is implied in that expression of St. John, so continually repeated by the Church during this holy -time: Prepare ye the way of the Lord ! Let all, therefore, strive earnestly to make straight the path by which Jesus Is. ix. 6. 2 1. St. John, iv. 18. 44 ADVENT. will enter into their souls. Let the just, agreeably to the teaching of the Apostle, forget the things that are behind, 1 and labour to acquire fresh merit. Let sinners begin at once and break the chains which now enslave them. Let them give up those bad habits which they have contracted. Let them weaken the flesh, and enter upon the hard work of subject- ing it to the spirit. Let them, above all things, pray with the Church. And when our Lord comes, they may hope that he will not pass them by, but that he will enter and dwell within them : for he spoke of all when he said these words : Behold, I stand at the gate and knock: if any man shall hear my voice and open to me the door, I will come in unto him. 2 1 Phil. iii. 13. 2 Apoc. iii. 20. CHAPTER THE FOURTH. MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR ADVENT. During Advent, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who, in her Office of Matins, says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night : — Come, let us adore the Regem venturum Domi- King our Lord, who is to num, venite, adoremus. come ! He will profoundly adore this great King, whose Coming is so near at hand : and with this idea deeply impressed upon his mind, he will perform the first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, where- with he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following me- thod, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church : — MORNING PRAYERS. First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity :— "ft. Let us bless the Father, $". Benedicamus Patrem,et and the Son, and the Holy Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu. Ghost. I£. Let us praise him and 1^. Laudemus et superex- extol him above all for ever, altemus eum in ssecula. J. Glory be to the Father, $\ Gloria Patri et Filio et and to the Son, and to the Spiritui Sancto. Holy Ghost. I£. As it was in the begin- I£. Sicut erat in principio, ning, is now, and ever shall be, et nunc et semper, et in sse- world without end. Amen. cula steculorum. Amen. 46 ADVENT. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ :— ft. Adoranras te, Christe, ft. We adore thee, Christ, et benedicimus tibi. and we bless thee. J$. Quia per Crucem tuam 1$. Because by thy Cross redemisti mundum thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost : — Veni, Sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O Holy Spirit, fill pie tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, et tui amoris in eis ignem and enkindle within them accende. the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, you will recite the Lord's Prayer, asking of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant that his holy Name may be glorified on earth by sending his Son, who will found the kingdom of God; and that he will vouchsafe to give us this Saviour who is our Bread, and who will obtain for us, by the mediation so long looked for, the forgiveness of our sins ; finally, that he will deliver us from sin, which is the sove- reign evil. THE LORD'S PEAYEK. Pater noster, qui es in Our Father, who art in ccelis, sanctificetur nomen heaven, hallowed be thy tuum : adveniat regnum tu- name : thy kingdom come : nm : fiat voluntas tua, sicut thy will be done, on earth, in ccelo, et in terra. Panem as it is in heaven. Give us nostrum quoticlianum da no- this day our daily bread ; bis hodie : et dimitte nobis and forgive us our trespasses, debita nostra, sicut et nos as we forgive them that tres- dimittimus debitoribus nos- pass against us : and lead us tris : et ne nos inducas in not into temptation : but de- tentationem : sed libera nos liver us from evil. Amen, a malo. Amen. Then address the Angelical Salutation to Mary, who is, in these days which precede the Nativity, so truly full of grace, since she has in her chaste womb Him who is the author of all grace. The Lord, the MOKNING PRAYERS. 47 fruit of her womb, is with her ; and we may already give her the sublime and unshared title of Mother of God THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION. Hail Mary, full of grace ; the Lord is with thee ; bles- sed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Ave Maria, gratia plena : Dominus tecum : benedicta tu in muheribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nos- tras. Amen. After this, recite the symbol of Faith ; and as you pronounce the words, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, dwell on them with a special attention, adoring the Saviour, who is as yet concealed in Mary's womb. THE APOSTLES CREED. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, ivho was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ; suffered under Pon- tius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; he de- scended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead ; he ascended into hea- ven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty ; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost : the Holy Catholic Church ; the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resur- rection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, creatorem cceli et terras. Et in Jesum Christum Filium ejus uni- cum Dominum nostrum : qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Vir- gine, passus sub Pontio Pi- lato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus : descendit ad in- feros, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis : ascendit ad coelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis : inde venturus est j udicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanc- tum, sanctam Ecclesiam Ca- tholicam. Sanctorum commu- nionem, remissionem pecca- torum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam seternam. Amen, 48 ADVENT. After having thus made the Profession of your Faith, excite within yourself sentiments of penance, by the remembrance of the sins you have committed ; of gratitude to the Lamb of God, who is coming in order to save us ; and of fear of the Last Day. For this end, say with the Church the following hymn, taken from the Office of Lauds for Advent. HYMN. En clara vox redarguit, Obscura quaeque personalis ; Procul fugentur somnia : Ab alto Jesus promicat. Mens jam resurgat torpida, ISTon amplius jacens humi : Sidus reiulget jam novum, Ut tollat omne noxium. En Agnus ad nos mittitur Laxare gratis debitum : Omnes simul cum lacrymis, Precemur indulgentiam. Ut cum secundo fulserit Metuque mundum cinxerit, Non pro reatu puniat, Sed nos pius tunc protegat. Virtus, honor, laus, gloria, Deo Patri cum Filio, Sancto simul Paraclito, In sseculorum sascula. Amen. The solemn voice of the Precursor is heard, explain- ing the obscurity of the ancient figures ; let our slum- bers cease ; Jesus is rising on our horizon. f Let the sluggish soul now rise, and stay no more upon this earth ; a new star is shining, which will take all sin away. Lo ! the Lamb is sent to forgive us freely our debt : let us unite in tears and prayers, that we may obtain pardon. That when he comes the second time, filling the world with fear, he may not have to punish us for our sins, but may protect us in mercy. Power, honour, praise, and glory, be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Paraclete, for ever and ever. Amen. Here make an humble confession of your sins, reciting the general formula made use of by the Church. THE CONFESSION OF SINS. Confiteor Deo omnipotent, I confess to Almighty God, beatse Marise semper Vir- to blessed Mary ever Virgin, gini, beato Michaeli Arch- to blessed Michael the Arch- MORNING PRAYERS. 49 angel, to Blessed John Bap- tist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed : through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Arch- angel, blessed John Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to our Lord God for me. May Almighty God have mercy on us, and, our sins being forgiven, bring us to life everlasting. Amen. May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant us par- don, absolution, and remis- sion of our sins. angelo, beato Joanni Bap- tists, Sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quia peccavi nimis cogita- tione, verbo, et opere : mea culpa, mea culpa, mea max- ima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Yir- ginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joan- nem Baptistam, sanctos Apos- tolos Petrum et Paulum, et omnes sanctos, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. Misereatur nostri omnipo- tens Deus, et dimissis pec- catis nostris, perducat nos ad vitam seternam. Amen. Indulgentiam, absolutio- nem, et remissionem pecca- torum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et miseri- cors Dominus. Amen. This is the proper place for making your Medita- tion, as no doubt you practise this holy exercise. During Advent, its principal object ought to be the removing from ourselves those hindrances, which would oppose Jesus' coming and reigning within us. The love of sensual pleasures, avarice, and pride, that triple concupiscence which St. John so strongly con- demns in his first Epistle, must be withstood, else our preparation for Christmas is useless. And as the chief thing in every Prayer or Meditation, is to turn our thoughts to Jesus Christ, we must, during Advent, contemplate him in the womb of Mary, where he remains hidden, giving us, by this his state of abasement, a most telling lesson of devotedness to his Father's glory, of obedience to the divine decrees, and of humility ; but, at the same time, he gives us a most powerful proof of the greatness of his love of us. 50 ADVENT. This thought will naturally suggest to us a variety of motives and resolutions for breaking those ties which keep us from a virtuous life. But should they not produce sufficient impression on us, we must then consider Jesus as oar Judge, in the dread magnifi- cence of his majesty, and all the severity of his in- evitable vengeance. The next part of your Morning Prayer must be to ask of God, by the following prayers, grace to avoid every kind of sin during the day you are just begin- ning. Say, then, with the Church, whose prayers must always be preferred to all others : $". Domine, exaudi ora- $\ Lord, hear my prayer, tionem meam. ~f$. Et clamor meus ad te I£. And let my cry come veniat. unto thee. OREMXJS. LET US PRAY. Domine, Deus omnipotens, Almighty Lord and God, qui ad principium hujus diei who hast brought us to the nos pervenire f ecisti, tua nos beginning of this day, let thy hodie salva virtute, ut in hac powerful grace so conduct us die ad nullum declinemus through it, that we may not peccatum, sed semper ad fall into any sin, but that all tuam justitiam faciendam our thoughts, words, and nostra procedant eloquia, di- actions may be regulated riganturcogitationeset opera, according to the rules of thy Per Dominum nostrum Je- heavenly justice, and tend to sum Christum Filium tuum, the observance of thy holy qui tecum vivit et regnat in law. Through Jesus Christ unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, our Lord. Amen, per omnia saecula saeculoruni. Amen. Then, beg the divine assistance for the actions of the day, that you may do them well ; and say thrice : "ft. Deus, in adjutorium $". Incline unto my aid, O meum intende. God. 3$. Domine, ad adjuvan- I£. Lord, make haste to dum me festina. help me. $. Deus, in adjutorium $". Incline unto my aid, meum intende. God. MORNING PRAYERS. 51 ]$. O Lord, make haste to help me. W. Incline unto my aid, O God. 1$. O Lord, make haste to help me. LET US PRAY. Lord God, and King of heaven and earth, vouchsafe this day to rule and sanctify, to direct and govern our souls and bodies, our senses, words, and actions in conformity to thy law, and strict obedience to thy commands ; that by the help of thy grace, O Sa- viour of the world ! we may be fenced and freed from all evils. Who livest and reign- est for ever and ever. ]$. Amen. 1$. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina. y. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. 1$. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina. OREMUS. Dirigere et sanctificare, re- gere et gubernare dignare, Domine Deus, Rex cceli et terrse, hodie corda et corpora nostra, sensus, sermones et actus nostros in lege tua, et in operibus mandatorum tuo- rum, ut hie et in seternum, te auxiliante, salvi et liberi esse mereamur, Salvator mundL Qui vivis et regnas in ssecula saeculoruin. 1$. Amen. After this, uniting yourself with the Church, which, both in the Divine Office, and during the Holy Sa- crifice, prays for the coming of Jesus Christ, say : ft. Veni ad liberandum nos, Domine Deus virtutum. I£. Ostende faciem tuam, et salvi erimus. ft. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam. 1$. Et salutare tuum da nobis. ft. Super te, Jerusalem, orietur Dominus. 1$. Et gloria ejus in te vi- debitur. OREMUS. Week) Excita, qusesumus, Do- mine, potentiam tuam et veni ; ut ab imminentibus peccatorum nostrorum peri- culis, te mereamur protegente ft. Lord God of hosts, come and deliver us. Ij&. Show thy face, and we shall be saved. ft. Show us, O Lord, thy mercy. 1£. And grant us the Saviour, whom we expect from thee. ft. TheLordshallriseupon thee, O Jerusalem ! I£. And his glory shall be seen upon thee. LET US PRAY. (First Exert, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power and come ; that by thy protection we may be freed from the immi- nent dangers of our sins, and 52 ADVENT. eripi, te liberante, salvari. Qui vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. J$. Amen. (Second Excita, Domine, corda nos- tra ad praeparandas Unigeniti tui vias ; ut per ejus adven- tum puriiicatis tibi mentibus serviremereamur. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum. ^. Amen. (Third Aurem tuam, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris ac- commoda : et mentis nostras tenebras gratia tuse visita- tionis illustra. Qui vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia sae- cula saeculorum. I£. Amen. (Fourth Excita, quaesumus, Do- mine, potentiam tuam et veni, et magna nobis virtute succurre : ut, per auxilium gratiae tuse quod nostra pec- cata praepediunt, indulgentia tuse propitiationis acceleret. Qui vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. 3$, Amen. be saved by thy mercy ; who livest and reignest God, world without end. " 1$. Amen. Week) Stir up, O Lord, our hearts to prepare the ways of thy Only Begotten Son ; that by his coming, we may be en- abled to serve thee with pure minds ; who livest and reign- est God, world without end. 1$, Amen. Week) Bend thine ear, O Lord, we beseech thee, to our prayers, and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of thy visitation ; who livest and reignest God, world without end. I£. Amen. Week) Exert, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power and come ; and succour us by thy great might ; that by the assistance - of thy grace, thy indulgent mercy may hasten what is delayed by our sins; 'who livest and reignest God, world without end. 1$. Amen. It would be well to add the special Prayer, which the Church says, during Advent, in honour of the Blessed Mother of God. OREMUS. m Deus, qui de beatae Ma- riae Virginis utero, Verbum tuum, Angelo nuntiante, car- nem suscipere voluisti : prae- sta supplicibus tuis, ut qui vere earn Genitricem Dei cre- dimus, ejus apud te inter- LET US PEAY. O God, who wast pleased that thy Word, when the Angel delivered his message, should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary ; give ear to our humble peti- tions, and grant that we who NIGHT PRATERS. 53 believe her to be truly the cessionibus adjuvemur. Per Mother of God, may be help- eumdem Christum Dominum ed by her prayers. Through nostrum, the same Christ our Lord. 1$. Amen. ]$. Amen. During the day, you may use the instructions and prayers which you will find in this volume for each day of .Advent, both for the Proper of the Time, and the Proper of the Saints. In the evening, you may use the following prayers. NIGHT PRATERS, After having made the sign of the Cross, adore the Divine Majesty, who has so mercifully preserved you during this day, and so plentifully bestowed upon you, every hour, his grace and protection. Begin by re- citing the hymn which the Church sings at Vespers during Advent HYMN, O Jesus, thou kind Creator Creator alme siderum, of the heavens, eternal Light yEterna lux credentium, of believers, and Redeemer of Jesu, Redemptor omnium, all mankind, hear the prayers Intende votis supplicum. of thy suppliants. Lest the world should Qui daemonis ne fraudibus perish by the fraud of the Periret orbis, impetu devil, thou, impelled by the Amoris actus, languidi vehemence of thy love for us, Mundi medela f actus es. didst thyself become the re- medy of all our weakness. To expiate the sin of the Commune qui mundi nefas whole world, thou didst come Ut expiares, ad crucem, from the sanctuary of the E Virginis sacrario Virgin's womb, a victim des- Intacta prodis victima. tined to the cross. How glorious is thy power, Cujus potestas gloriae when, at the very sound of Nomenque quum primum thy Name, heaven and hell sonat, bend their trembling knee ! Et ccelites et inferi Tremente curvantur genu. 54j advent. Te deprecamur, ultimse We beseech thee, dread Magnum diei judicem, Judge of the last day, defend Armis supernse gratise us from our enemies by the Def ende nos ab hostibus. armour of thy heavenly grace. Virtus, honor, laus, gloria, Power, honour, praise, and Deo Patri cum Filio, glory, be to the Father, and Sancto simul Paraclito, to the Son, and to the holy In sseculorum saecula. Paraclete, for ever and ever. Amen. Amen. After this Hymn, say the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Greed, as in the Morning. Then make the Examination of Conscience, going over in your mind all the faults you may have com- mitted during the day ; think how unworthy sin makes us of the merciful visit of our Saviour, and make a firm resolution to avoid sin for the future, to do penance for it, and to avoid the occasions which might lead you into it. The Examination of Conscience concluded, recite the Confiteor (or I confess) with heartfelt contrition, and then give expression to your sorrow by the fol- lowing Act, which we have taken from the Venerable Cardinal Bellarmine's Catechism : ACT OF CONTRITION. O my God, I am exceedingly grieved for having offended thee, and with my whole heart 1 repent for the sins I have committed : I hate and abhor them above every other evil, not only because, by so sinning, I have lost Heaven and deserved Hell, but still more because I have offended thee, O Infinite Goodness, who art worthy to be loved above all things. I most firmly resolve, by the assistance of thy grace, never more to offend thee for the time to come, and to avoid those occasions which might lead me into sin. You may then add the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, to the recitation of which Pope Benedict XIV. has granted an indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines for each time. ACT OF FAITH. O my God, I firmly believe whatsoever the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church requires me to believe : I believe NIGHT PRAYERS. 55 it, because thou hast revealed it to her, thou who art the very- Truth. ACT OF HOPE. O my God, knowing thy almighty power, and thy infinite goodness and mercy,! hope in thee that, by the merits of the Passion and Death of our Saviour Jesus Christ, thou wilt grant me eternal life, which thou hast promised to all such as shall do the works of a good Christian ; and these I resolve to do with the help of thy grace. ACT OF CHARITY. my God, I love thee with my whole heart and above all things, because thou art the Sovereign Good : I would rather lose all things than offend thee. For thy love also, I love and desire to love my neighbour as myself. Then say to our Blessed Lady, in honour of the ineffable dignity of her Maternity, the following Anthem : ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. Sweet Mother of our Re- deemer^ Gate whereby we enter heaven, and Star of the sea ! help us, we fall ; yet do we long to rise. Nature looked upon thee with admi- ration, when thou didst give birth to thy divine Creator, thyself remaining, before and after it, a pure Virgin. Ga- briel spoke his Rail to thee ; we sinners crave thy pity. f. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. IjL And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. LET US PRAY. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts ; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be Alma Redemptoris mater, quae pervia cceli Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti, Surgere qui curat populo : tu quae genuisti, Natura mirante, tuum sanc- tum Genitorem, Virgo prius ac posterius, Ga- brielis ab ore, Sumens illud Ave, peccato- rum miserere. y. Angelus Domini nun- tiavit Marise. ]$. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto. OREMUS. Gratiam tuam, qusesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris in- f unde, ut qui, Angelo nunti- ante, ChristiFilii tui Incarna- tionem cognovimus, per Pas- sionem ejus et Crucem ad Resurrectionis gloriam perdu- m ADVENT. camur. Per eumdem Chris- brought to the glory of his turn Dominum nostrum. Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. 3$. Amen. I£. Amen. Yoti would do well to add the Litany of our Lady. An indulgence of three hundred days, for each time it is recited, has been granted by the Church. THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. Kyrie, eleison. Christe, eleison. Kyrie, eleison. Christe, audi nos. Christe, exaudi nos. Pater de ecelis, Deus, mise- rere nobis. Fili, Redemptor mundi Deus, miserere nobis. Spiritus Sancte, Deus, mise- rere nobis. Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, miserere nobis. Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis. Sancta Dei Genitrix, ora, etc. Sancta Virgo virginum, Mater Christi, Mater divinse gratia?, Mater purissima, Mater eastissima, Mater inviolata, Mater intemerata, Mater amabilis, Mater admirabilis, Mater Creatoris, Mater Salvatoris, Virgo prudentissima, Virgo veneranda, Virgo praedicanda, Virgo potens, Virgo clemens, Virgo fidelis, Speculum justitise, Sedes sapientias, Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray, etc. Holy virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother inviolate, Mother undefiled, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Redeemer, Virgin most prudent, Virgin most venerable, Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of Wisdom, NIGHT PRAYERS. 57 Cause of our joy, Spiritual vessel, Vessel of honour, Vessel of singular devotion, Mystical Rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning Star, Health of the weak, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of all Saints, Queen conceived without ori- ginal sin. O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, Lord. O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. $. Pray for us, holy Mother of God. 1$. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ LET US PRAY. Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we thy servants may enjoy constant health of body and mind, and by the Causa nostra? laetitiae, Vas spirituale, Vas honorabile, Vas insigne devotionis, Rosa mystica, Turris Davidica, Turris eburnea, Domus aurea, Foederis area, Janua cceli, Stella matutina, Salus infirmorum, Refugium peccatorum, Consolatrix afflictorum, Auxilium Christianorum, Regina Angelorum, Regina Patriarcharum, Regina Prophetarum, Regina Apostolorum, Regina Martyrum, Regina Confessorum, Regina Virginum, Regina Sanctorum omnium, Regina sine labe concepta. Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, parce nobis, Domine. Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, exaudi nos, Domine. Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, miserere no- bis. Christe, audi nos. Christe, exaudi nos. $". Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix. 1$. Ut digni efficiamur pro- missionibus Christi. OREMTTS. Concede nos famulos tuos, quaesumus, Domine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere : et gloriosa 58 ADVENT. beataa Marise semper Vir- glorious intercession of Bles- ginis intercessione, a praesenti sed Mary, ever a Virgin, be hberari tristitia, et aeterna delivered from all present perfrui laetitia. Per Christum affliction, and come to that Dominum nostrum. Amen, joy which is eternal. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Here invoke the Holy Angels, whose protection is, indeed, always so much needed by us, but never so much as during the hours of night. Say with the Church : Sancti Angeli, custodesnos- tri, defendite nos in praelio, ut non pereamus in tremendo judicio. 'ff. Angelis suis Deus man- davit de te. 1$. Ut custodiant te in om- nibus viis tuis. OREMUS. Deus, qui ineffabili provi- dentia sanctos Angelos tuos ad nostram custodiam mit- tere dignaris : largire suppli- cibus tuis, jet eorum semper protectione defendi, etaeterna societate gaudere. Per Chris- tum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Holy Angels, our loving Guardians, defend us in the hour of battle, that we may not be lost at the dreadful judgment. J. God hath given his Angels charge of thee. %\ That they may guard thee in all thy ways. LET US PRAY. O God, who in thy wonder- ful providence hast been pleased to appoint thy holy Angels for our guardians : mercifully hear our prayer, and grant we may rest se- cure under their protection, and enjoy their fellowship in heaven for ever. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Then beg the assistance of the Saints by the fol- lowing Antiphon and Prayer of the Church : Ant. Ecce Dominus ve- niet, et omnes Sancti ejus cum eo : et erit in die ilia lux magna. Alleluia. y. Ecce apparebit Domi- nus super nubem candidam. I£. Et cum eo Sanctorum millia. Ant. Behold, the Lord will come, and with him all his Saints ; and on that day there shall be a great light. Alleluia. $\ Behold, the Lord shall appear upon a white cloud. %. And with him thou- sands of Saints. NIGHT PRAYERS. 59 LET US PRAY. Visit, we beseech thee, O Lord, and purify our hearts by thy grace : that when our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son shall come, together with all his Saints, he may find us ready to give him a place within us : who liveth and reigneth with thee for ever and ever. Amen. OREMTTS. Conscietitias nostras, quag- sumus, Domine, visitando purifica : ut veniens Jesus Christus Filius tuus Domi- nus noster, cum omnibus Sanctis suis, paratam sibi in nobis inveniat mansionem. Qui tecum vivit,