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| Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary - February 2nd |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-02-2021, 08:45 AM - Forum: Our Lady
- Replies (7)
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February 2 – The Purification of the Blessed Virgin
The Forty Days of Mary’s Purification are now completed, and she must go up to the Temple, there to offer to God her Child Jesus. Before following the Son and his Mother in this their mysterious journey, let us spend our last few moments at Bethlehem, in lovingly pondering over the mysteries at which we are going to assist.
The Law commanded that a woman who had given birth to a son should not approach the Tabernacle for the term of forty days, after which time she was to offer up a lamb as a holocaust, and a turtle or dove as a sin offering. But if she were poor, and could not provide a lamb, she was to offer, in its stead, a second turtle or dove.
By another ordinance of the Law, every first-born son was to be considered as belonging to God, and was to be redeemed by five sicles, each sicle weighing, according to the standard of the Temple, twenty obols.
Mary was a Daughter of Israel — she had given Birth to Jesus — he was her First-born Son. Could such a Mother, and such a Son, be included in the Laws we have just quoted? Was it becoming that Mary should observe them?
If she considered the spirit of these legal enactments, and why God required the ceremony of Purification, it was evident that she was not bound to them. They, for whom these Laws had been made, were espoused to men; — Mary was the chaste Spouse of the Holy Ghost, a Virgin in conceiving, and a Virgin in giving Birth to, her Son; her purity had ever been spotless as that of the Angels — but it received an incalculable increase by her carrying the God of all sanctity in her womb, and bringing him into this world. Moreover, when she reflected upon her Child being the Creator and sovereign Lord of all things — how could she suppose that he was to be submitted to the humiliation of being ransomed as a slave, whose life and person are not his own?
And yet, the Holy Spirit revealed to Mary, that she must comply with both these Laws. She, the holy Mother of God, must go to the Temple like other Hebrew mothers, as though she had lost a something which needed restoring by a legal sacrifice. He, that is the Son of God and Son of Man, must be treated in all thing’s as though, he were a Servant, and be ransomed in common with the poorest Jewish boy. Mary adores the will of God, and embraces it with her whole heart.
The Son of God was not to be made known to the world but by gradual revelations. For thirty years, he leads a hidden life in the insignificant village of Nazareth; and during all that time, men took him to be the son of Joseph. It was only in his thirtieth year that John the Baptist announced him, and then only in mysterious words, to the Jews, who flocked to the Jordan, there to receive from the Prophet the baptism of penance. Our Lord himself gave the next revelation—the testimony of his wonderful works and miracles. Then came the humiliations of his Passion and Death, followed by his glorious Resurrection, which testified to the truth of his prophecies, proved the infinite merits of his Sacrifice, and, in a word, proclaimed his Divinity. The earth has possessed its God and its Savior for three-and-thirty years, and men, with a few exceptions, knew it not. The Shepherds of Bethlehem knew it; but they were not told, as were afterwards the Fishermen of Genesareth, to go and preach the Word to the furthermost parts of the world. The Magi, too, knew it; they came to Jerusalem and spoke of it, and the City was in a commotion; but all was soon forgotten, and the Three Kings went back quietly to the East. These two events (which would, at a future day, be celebrated by the Church as events of most important interest to mankind), were lost upon the world, and the only ones that appreciated them were a few true Israelites who had been living in expectation of a Messias, who was to be poor and humble, and was to save the world. The majority of the Jews would not even listen to the Messias’ having been born; for Jesus was born at Bethlehem, and the Prophets had distinctly foretold that the Messias was to be called a Nazarene.
The same Divine plan — which had required that Mary should be espoused to Joseph, in order that her fruitful Virginity might not seem strange in the eyes of the people — now obliged her to come, like other Israelite mothers, to offer the sacrifice of Purification, for the Birth of the Son, whom she had conceived by the operation of the power of the Holy Ghost, but who was to be presented in the Temple as the Son of Mary, the Spouse of Joseph. Thus it is, that Infinite Wisdom delights in showing that his thoughts are not our thoughts, and in disconcerting our notions; he claims the submissiveness of our confidence, until the time come that he has fixed for withdrawing the veil, and showing himself to our astonished view.
The Divine Will was dear to Mary in this as in every circumstance of her life. The Holy Virgin knew, that by seeking this external rite of Purification, she was in no wise risking the honour of her Child, or failing in the respect due to her own Virginity. She was in the Temple of Jerusalem what she was in the house of Nazareth, when she received the Archangel’s visit — she was the Handmaid of the Lord. (Luke 1:38) She obeyed the Law, because she seemed to come under the Law. Her God and her Son submitted to the ransom as humbly as the poorest Hebrew would have to do; he had already obeyed the edict of the emperor Augustus, in the general census; he was to be obedient even unto death, even to the death of the Cross. The Mother and the Child, both humbled themselves in the Purification, and man’s pride received, on that day, one of the greatest lessons ever given it.
What a journey was this of Mary and Joseph, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem! The Divine Babe is in his Mother’s arms — she had him on her heart the whole way. Heaven, and earth, and all nature, are sanctified by the gracious presence of their merciful Creator. Men look at this Mother as she passes along the road with her sweet Jesus; some are struck with her appearance, others pass her by as not worth a look; but of the whole crowd, there was not one that knew he had been so close to the God, who had come to save him.
Joseph is carrying the humble offering, which the Mother is to give to the Priest. They are too poor to buy a lamb — besides, their Jesus is the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. The Law required that a Turtle, or Dove, should be offered in the place of a lamb, when the Mother was poor. Innocent birds! emblems of purity, fidelity, and simplicity. Joseph has also provided the five Sides, the ransom to be given for the First-born Son — Mary’s only Son, who has vouchsafed to make us his Brethren, and, by adopting our nature, to render us partakers of his.
At length, the Holy Family enters Jerusalem. The name of this holy City signifies Vision of Peace; and Jesus comes to bring her Peace. Let us consider the names of the three places in which our Redeemer began, continued, and ended his life on earth. He is conceived at Nazareth, which signifies a Flower; and Jesus is, as he tells us in the Canticle, the Flower of the field and the Lily of the valley, by whose fragrance we are refreshed. He is born at Bethlehem, the House of Bread; for he is the nourishment of our souls. He dies on the Cross in Jerusalem, and by his Blood he restores peace between heaven and earth, peace between men, peace within our own souls; and on this day of his Mother’s Purification, we shall find him giving us the pledge of this peace.
Whilst Mary, the Living Ark of the Covenant, is ascending the steps, which lead up to the Temple, carrying Jesus in her arms, let us be attentive to the mystery — one of the most celebrated of the prophecies is about to be accomplished, one of the principal characters of the Messias is about to be shown as belonging to this Infant. We have already had the other predictions fulfilled, of his being conceived of a Virgin, and born in Bethlehem ; to-day, he shows us a further title to our adoration — he enters the Temple.
This edifice is not the magnificent Temple of Solomon, which was destroyed by fire during the Jewish captivity. It is the Second Temple, which was built after the return from Babylon, and is not comparable to the First in beauty. Before the century is out, it also is to be destroyed; and our Savior will soon tell the Jews that not a stone shall remain on stone that shall not be thrown down. Now, the Prophet Aggeus—in order to console the Jews, who had returned from banishment, and were grieving because they were unable to raise a House to the Lord equal in splendor to that built by Solomon—addressed these words to them, which mark the time of the coming of the Messias: “Take courage, O Zorobabel, saith the Lord; and take courage, O Jesus, the son of Josedec, the High Priest; and take courage, all ye people of the land;—for this saith the Lord of hosts: Yet one little while, and I will move the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land. And I will move all nations, and the Desired of all nations shall come; and I will fill this House with glory.—Great shall be the glory of this House, more than of the first; and in this place I will give Peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”
The hour is come for the fulfillment of this prophecy. The Emmanuel has left Bethlehem ; he has come among the people; he is about to take possession of his Temple, and the mere fact of his entering it, will straightways give it a glory, which is far above that of its predecessor. He will often visit it during his mortal life; but his coming to it to-day, carried as he is in Mary’s arms, is enough for the accomplishment of the promise, and all the shadows and figures of this Temple at once pale before the rays of the Sun of Truth and Justice. The blood of oxen and goats will, for a few years more, flow on its altar; but the Infant, who holds in his veins the Blood that is to redeem the world, is, at this moment, standing near that very Altar. Amidst the Priests who are there, and amidst the crowd of Israelites who are moving to and fro in the sacred building, there are a few faithful ones, who are in expectation of the Deliverer, and they know that the time of his manifestation is at hand; — but there is not one among them all, who knows, that at that very moment, this expected Messias is under the same roof with himself.
But, this great event could not be accomplished, without a prodigy being wrought by the Eternal God, as a welcome to his Son. The Shepherds had been summoned by the Angel, and the Magi had been called by the Star, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem: this time, it is the Holy Ghost himself who sends a witness to the Infant, now in the great Temple.
There was then living in Jerusalem an old man whose life was well nigh spent. He was a Man of desires, and his name was Simeon; his heart had longed unceasingly for the Messias, and at last, his hope was recompensed. The Holy Ghost revealed to him that he should not see death without first seeing the rising of the Divine Light. As Mary and Joseph were ascending the steps of the Temple to take Jesus to the Altar, Simeon felt within himself the strong impulse of the Spirit of God; he leaves his house, and walks towards the Temple; the ardor of his desire makes him forget the feebleness of age. He reaches the porch of God’s House—and there, amidst the many mothers who had come to present their children, his inspired gaze recognizes the Virgin, of whom he had so often read in Isaias, and he presses through the crowd to the Child she is holding in her arms.
Mary, guided by the same Divine Spirit, welcomes the saintly old man, and puts into his trembling arms the dear object of her love, the Salvation of the world. Happy Simeon! figure of the ancient world, grown old in its expectation, and near its end. No sooner has he received the sweet Fruit of Life than his youth is renewed as that of the eagle, and in his person is wrought the transformation which was to be granted to the whole human race. He cannot keep silence—he must sing a Canticle—he must do as the Shepherds and Magi had done, he must give testimony: “Now,” says he, “now, O Lord, thou dost dismiss thy servant in Peace, because my eyes have seen thy Salvation, which thou hast prepared—a Light that is to enlighten the Gentiles and give glory to thy people Israel.”
Immediately, there comes, attracted to the spot by the same Holy Spirit, the holy Anna, Phanuel’s daughter, noted for her piety, and venerated by the people on account of her great age. Simeon and Anna, the representatives of the Old Testament, unite their voices, and celebrate the happy coming of the Child who is to renew the face of the earth; they give praise to the mercy of Jehovah, who, in this place, in this Second Temple, gives Peace to the world, as the Prophet Aggeus (Haggai) had foretold.
This was the Peace so looked forward to by Simeon, and now, in this Peace will he sleep. Now, O Lord, as he says in his Canticle, thou dost dismiss thy servant, according to thy word, in Peace! His soul, quitting is bond of the flesh, will now hasten to the bosom of Abraham, and bear to the elect, who rest there, the tidings that Peace has appeared on the earth, and will soon open heaven. Anne has some years still to pass on earth; as the Evangelist tells us, she has to go and announce the fulfilment of the promises to such of the Jews as were spiritually minded, and looked for the Redemption of Israel. The divine seed is sown; the Shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, and Anne, have all been its sowers; it will spring up in due time; and when our Jesus has spend his thirty years of hidden life in Nazareth, and shall come for the harvest time, he will say to his Disciples: Lift up your eyes, and see the countries, for they are white already for the harvest: pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest.
Simeon gives back to Mary the Child she is going to offer to the Lord. The two Doves are presented to the Priest, who sacrifices them on the Altar; the price for the ransom is paid; the whole law is satisfied; and, after having paid her homage to her Creator in this sacred place, where she spent her early years, Mary, with Jesus fastly pressed to her bosom, and her faithful Joseph by her side, leaves the Temple.
Such is the mystery of this fortieth day, which closes, by this admirable Feast of the Purification, the holy season of Christmas. Several learned writers, among whom we may mention Henschenius and Pope Benedict the Fourteenth, are of opinion that this Solemnity was instituted by the Apostles themselves. This much is certain, that it was a long-established Feast even in the fifth century.
The Greek Church and the Church of Milan count this Feast among those of our Lord; but the Church of Rome has always considered it as a Feast of the Blessed Virgin. It is true, it is our Saviour who is this day offered in the Temple; but this offering is the consequence of our Lady’s Purification. The most ancient of the Western Martyrologies and Calendars call it The Purification. The honour thus paid by the Church to the Mother, tends, in reality, to the greater glory of her Divine Son, for He is the Author and the End of all those prerogatives which we revere and honour in Mary.
FIRST VESPERS
The holy Church sings, in this Office, the celebrated Antiphons of the Feast of the Circumcision, which speak of the great Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, and of Mary’s fruitful Virginity. “We give the Psalms in the Second Vespers, inasmuch as they are more generally assisted at by the Faithful than the First.
Ant. O admirable Interchange! The Creator of mankind, assuming a living Body, deigned to be born of a Virgin; and becoming Man, without man’s aid, bestowed on us his Divinity.
Psalm, Dixit Dominus
Ant. When thou wast born ineffably of the Virgin, the Scriptures were fulfilled. As dew upon Gedeon’s Fleece, thou earnest down to save mankind. O Lord, our God! we praise thee.
Psalm, Laudate pueri
Ant. In the bush seen by Moses as burning yet unconsumed, we recognize the preservation of thy glorious Virginity. Mother of God, intercede for us.
Psalm, Lætatus sum.
Ant. The Root of Jesse hath budded; the Star hath risen out of Jacob; a Virgin hath brought forth the Saviour. O Lord our God! we praise thee.
Psalm, Nisi Dominus
Ant. Lo! Mary hath brought forth a Saviour unto us, whom John seeing, exclaimed: Behold the Lamb of God! Behold him that taketh away the sins of the world. Alleluia.
Psalm, Lauda Jerusalem
The Capitulum is the prophecy of Malachy, announcing the coming of the Lord, the Angel of the Testament, into his Temple. The prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Mary’s Purification.
CAPITULUM
(Malachi 3)
Behold I send my Angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face.. And presently the Lord, whom ye seek, and the Angel of the testament, whom ye desire, shall come to his holy Temple.
HYMN
(Ave Maris Stella)
Ave, maris stella,
Dei mater alma,
atque semper virgo,
felix cœli porta. Sumens illud «Ave»
Gabrielis ore,
funda nos in pace,
mutans Evæ nomen.
Solve vincla reis,
profer lumen cæcis,
mala nostra pelle,
bona cuncta posce.
Monstra te esse matrem,
sumat per te precem
qui pro nobis natus
tulit esse tuus.
Virgo singularis,
inter omnes mitis,
nos culpis solutos
mites fac et castos.
Vitam præsta puram,
iter para tutum,
ut videntes Jesum
semper collætemur.
Sit laus Deo Patri,
summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto
tribus honor unus. Amen
Hail, star of the sea,
Nurturing Mother of God,
And ever Virgin
Happy gate of Heaven
Receiving that “Ave” (hail)
From the mouth of Gabriel,
Establish us in peace,
Transforming the name of “Eva” (Eve).
Loosen the chains of the guilty,
Send forth light to the blind,
Our evil do thou dispel,
Entreat (for us) all good things.
Show thyself to be a Mother:
Through thee may he receive prayer
Who, being born for us,
Undertook to be thine own.
O unique Virgin,
Meek above all others,
Make us, set free from (our) sins,
Meek and chaste.
Bestow a pure life,
Prepare a safe way:
That seeing Jesus,
We may ever rejoice.
Praise be to God the Father,
To the Most High Christ (be) glory,
To the Holy Spirit
(Be) honour, to the Three equally. Amen
℣. Simeon had received an answer from the Holy Ghost,
℟. That he should not see death, before he had seen Christ of the Lord.
ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT
Ant. The old man carried the Child, but the Child guided the old man. A Virgin bore him, and, after childbirth, continued a Virgin : she adored Him, whom she brought forth.
LET US PRAY.
Almighty and Eternal God, we humbly beseech thy divine Majesty, that as thy only Son, in the substance of our flesh, was this day presented in the temple, so our souls, being perfectly cleansed, may become a pure oblation, and presented to thee. Through the same, etc.
Blessing of the Candles
After Tierce follows the Blessing of the Candles, which is one of the three principal ones observed by the Church during the year; the other two are the Blessing of the Ashes, and the Blessing of the Palms. The signification of this ceremony bears so essential a connection with the mystery of our Lady’s Purification that if Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima Sunday fall on the 2nd of February, the Feast is deferred to tomorrow; but the Blessing of the Candles, and the Procession which follows it, always take place on this precise day.
In order to give uniformity to the three great Blessings of the year, the Church prescribes for that of the Candles the same color for the vestments of the sacred Ministers, as is used in the two other Blessings of the Ashes and Palms—namely Purple. Thus this solemn function, which is inseparable from the day on which our Lady’s Purification took place, may be gone through every year on the 2nd of February without changing the color prescribed for the three Sundays just mentioned.
It is exceedingly difficult to say what was the origin of this ceremony. Baronius, Thomassin, and others, are of opinion, that it was instituted towards the close of the 5th century, by Pope St. Gelasius, in order to give a christian meaning to certain vestiges, still retained by the Romans, of the old Lupercalia. St. Gelasius certainly did abolish the last vestiges of the feast of the Lupercalia, which, in earlier times, the Pagans used to celebrate in the month of February. — Pope Innocent the Third, in one of his Sermons for the Feast of the Purification, attributes the institution of this ceremony of Candlemas to the wisdom of the Roman Pontiffs, who turned into the present religious rite the remnants of an ancient pagan custom, which had not quite died out among the Christians. The old Pagans, he says, used to carry lighted torches in memory of those which the fable gives to Ceres, when she went to the top of Mount Etna in search of her daughter Proserpine. But against this, we have to object, that on the pagan Calendar of the Romans, there is no mention of any feast in honour of Ceres, for the month of February. — We, therefore, prefer adopting the opinion of Dom Hugh Menard, Rocca, Henschenius, and Pope Benedict the Fourteenth; that an ancient feast, which was kept in February, and was called the Amburbalia, during which the pagans used to go through the city with lighted torches in their hands, gave occasion to the Sovereign Pontiffs to substitute, in its place, a Christian ceremony, which they attached to the Feast of that sacred mystery, in which Jesus, the Light of the world, was presented in the Temple by his Virgin-Mother.
The mystery of today’s ceremony has frequently been explained by liturgists, dating from the 7th century. According to St. Ivo of Chartres, the wax—which is formed from the juice of flowers by the bee (which has always been considered as the emblem of virginity)—signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant, who diminished not, either by his conception or his birth, the spotless purity of his Blessed Mother. The same holy Bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus, who came to enlighten our darkness. St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on the same mystery, bids us consider three things in the blessed Candle: the Wax, the Wick, and the Flame. The Wax, he says, which is the production of the virginal bee, is the Flesh of our Lord; the Wick, which is within, is his Soul; the Flame, which burns on the top, is his Divinity.
Formerly, the Faithful looked upon it as an honour to be permited to bring their wax tapers to the Church, on this Feast of the Purification, that they might be blessed together with those, which were to be borne in the procession by the Priests and sacred Ministers; and the same custom is still observed in some congregations. It would be well if Pastors were to encourage this practice, retaining it where it exists, or establishing it where it is not known. There has been such a systematic effort made to destroy, or, at least, to impoverish the exterior rites and practices of religion, that we find, throughout the world, thousands of Christians who have been insensibly made strangers to those admirable sentiments of faith, which the Church alone, in her Liturgy, can give to the body of the Faithful. Thus, we shall be telling many what they have never heard before, when we inform them, that the Church blesses the Candles to-day, not only to be carried in the Procession, which forms part of the ceremony, but, also, for the use of the Faithful, inasmuch as they draw, upon such as use them with respect, whether on sea or on land, (as the Church says in the Prayer,) special blessings from heaven. These blest Candles ought, also, to be lit near the bed of the dying Christian, as a symbol of the immortality merited for us by Christ, and of the protection of our Blessed Lady.
As soon as all is prepared, the Priest goes up to the Altar, and thus begins the Blessing of the Candles.
℣. Dominus Vobiscum.
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. Et cum spiritu tuo.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Oremus.
Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus, qui omnia ex nihilo creasti, et jussu tuo per opera spum hunc liquorem ad perfectionem cerei pervenire fecisti; et qui hodierna die petitionem justi Simeonis implesti: te humiliter deprecamur, ut has candelas ad usus hominum, et sanitatem corporum et animarum, sive in terra, sive in aquis, per invocationem tui sancti Nominis, et per intercessionem beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis, cujus hodie festa devote celebrantur, et per preces omnium Sanctorum tuorum, bene✠dicere et sancti✠ficere ✠ digneris; et hujus plebis tuæ, quæ illas honorifice in manibus desiderat portare, teque cantando laudare, exaudias voces de cœlo sancto tuo, et de sede Majestatis tuæ; et propitius sis omnibus clamantibus ad te, quos redemisti pretioso sanguine Filii tui, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum.
℟. Amen.
Let us Pray.
Holy Lord, Father Almighty and Eternal God, who didst create all things out of nothing and by the labor of the bees, following thy commands, hast brought this liquor to the perfection of wax; and who, on this day, didst accomplish the desire of the righteous Simeon; we humbly beseech thee, that by the invocation of thy most holy name, and by the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, whose festival we this day devoutly celebrate, and by the prayers of all thy Saints, thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless ✠ and sanctify ✠ these candles, for the service of men, and for the good of their bodies and souls in all places, whether on sea, or on land; and that thou wouldst please mercifully to hear from thy holy temple, and from the throne of thy majesty, the prayers of this thy people, who desire to carry them in their hands with reverence, and with sacred hymns to praise thy name; and show mercy to all that cry out unto thee, whom thou hast redeemed by the precious blood of thy beloved Son: who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.
Oremus.
Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, qui, hodierna die, Unigenitum tuum, ulnis sancti Simeonis in Templo sancto tuo suscipiendum præsentasti: tuam supplices deprecamur clementiam, ut has candelas, quas nos famuli tui, in tui Nominis magnificentiam suscipientes, gestare cupimus luce accensas, bene✠dicere et sancti✠ficere ✠, atque lumine supernæ benedictionis accendere digneris; quatenus eas tibi Domino nostro offerendo, digni et sancto igne dulcissimæ charitatis tuæ succensi, in Templo sancto gloriæ repræsentari mereamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
℟. Amen.
Let us Pray.
O Almighty and Eternal God, who on this day wast please that thy only Son should be presented in the temple, and be received into the arms of holy Simeon: we humbly beseech thy mercy to bless ✠, sanctify ✠, and give the light of thy heavenly benediction to these candles, which we thy servants desire to carry in honor of thy name: that by offering them to thee, our Lord God, we may be inflamed by the fire of thy sweet love, and made worthy to be presented in the holy temple of thy glory. Through the same Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen.
Oremus.
Domine Jesu Christe, lux vera, quæ illuminas omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum: effunde bene✠dictionem tuam super hos cereos, et sancti✠fica eos lumine gratiæ tuæ; et concede propitius, ut sicut hæc luminaria, igne visibili accensa, nocturnas depellunt tenebras, ita corda nostra invisibili igne, id est Sancti Spiritus splendore illustrata, omnium vitiorum cæcitate careant: ut purgato mentis oculo, ea cernere possimus quæ tibi sunt placita, et nostræ saluti utilia; quatenus post hujus sæculi caliginosa discrimina, ad lucem indeficientem pervenire mereamur. Per te, Christe Jesu, Salvator mundi, qui in Trinitate perfecta vicis et regnas Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum.
℟. Amen.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, the true light, that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world: pour forth thy blessing ✠ upon these candles, and sanctify ✠ them by the light of thy grace; and grant in thy mercy, that as these candles, by their visible light, dispel the darkness of the night, so our hearts burning with invisible fire, and enlightened by the grace of the Holy Ghost, may be delivered from all blindness of sin: that the eye of our soul being purified, we may discern those things that are pleasing to thee, and beneficial to our souls: that after having finished the darksome passage of this life, we may come to never-fading joys, through thee, O Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, who, in perfect Trinity, livest and reignest God, world without end.
℟. Amen.
Oremus.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui per Moysen famulum tuum, purissimum olei liquorem ad luminaria ante conspectum tuum jugiter concinnanda præparari jussisti: bene✠dictionis tuæ gratiam super hos cereos benignus infunde, quatenus sic administrent lumen exterius ut, te donante, lumen Spiritus tui nostris non desit mentibus interius. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate ejusdem Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum.
℟. Amen.
Let us Pray.
O Almighty and Eternal God, who, by thy servant Moses, commandedst the purest oil to be prepared for lamps, continually to burn in thy presence, mercifully pour forth the grace of thy blessing ✠ on these candles: that as they supply us with visible light, so, by thy assistance, the light of thy Spirit may never be wanting inwardly in our souls. Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.
Oremus.
Domine Jesu Christe, qui hodierna die, in nostræ carnis substantia, inter homines apparens, a parentibus in Templo es præsentatus, quem Simeon venerabilis senex, lumine Spiritus tui irradiatus, agnovit, suscepit, et benedixit: præsta propitius, ut ejusdem Spiritus Sancti gratia illuminati, atque edocti, te veraciter, agnoscamus et fideliter diligamus. Qui cum Deo Patre, in unitate ejusdem Spiritus sancti, vivis et regnas, Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum.
℟. Amen.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, who appearing amongst men in the substance of our flesh, wast pleased this day to be presented in the temple by thy parents, and whom the venerable Simeon, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, publicly confessing, received in his arms, and blessed: mercifully grant that, being inspired and taught by the grace of the same Holy Spirit, we may sincerely acknowledge and faithfully love thee. Who with God the Father, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, livest and reignest God, world without end.
℟. Amen.
These five Prayers having been said, the Celebrant sprinkles the Candles with holy water (saying the Asperges in secret), and then incenses them; after which, he distributes them to both clergy and Laity (in receiving the Candle, the Faithful should kiss first the Candle itself, and then the Priest’s hand). During the distribution, the Church—filled with emotion at the sight of these sacred symbols, which remind her of Jesus—shares in the joyous transports of the aged Simeon, who, while holding the Child in his arms, confessed him to be the Light of the Gentiles. She chants his sweet Canticle, separating each verse by an Antiphon, which is formed out of the last words of Simeon.
Ant. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Ant. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Canticle of Simeon
(St. Luke, II)
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine: * secundum verbum tuum in pace.
Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace.
Ant. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Ant. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Quia viderunt oculi mei: * Salutare tuum.
Because my eyes have seen thy Salvation.
Ant. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Ant. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Quod parasti: * ante faciem omnium populorum.
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.
Ant. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Ant. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Gloria Patri et Filio, * et Spiritui Sancto.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Ant. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Ant. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunt et semper, * et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Ant. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Ant. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
After the distribution of the Candles, the following Antiphon and verse of the 43rd Psalm are sung.
Exsurge, Domine, adjuva nos, et libera nos propter nomen tuum.
Arise, O Lord, help us, and, for thy name’s sake, deliver us.
Ps. Deus, auribus nostris audivimus: patres nostri annuntiaverunt nobis. ℣. Gloria Patri. Exsurge.
Ps. We have heard, O God, with our ears: our fathers have declared unto us. ℣. Glory. Arise.
If it be in the season of Septuagesima, there is also added by the Deacon, Flectamus genua (Let us kneel down); to which the Subdeacon replies, Levate (Arise).
Oremus.
Exaudi, quæsumus, Domine, plebem tuam: et quæ extrinsecus annua tribuis devotione venerari, interius asseaui gratiæ tuæ luce concede. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Let us Pray.
Give ear, we beseech thee, O Lord, to thy people; that what we outwardly perform by this yearly devotion, we may inwardly obtain the effects of, by the light of thy grace. Through, &c.
THE PROCESSION
Filled with holy joy, radiant with the mystic light, excited, like the venerable Simeon, by the impulse of the Holy Spirit—the Church goes forth to meet her Emmanuel. It is this meeting which the Greek Church calls the Hypapante (or Hypante), under which name she also designates today’s Feast. The Church would imitate that wondrous Procession which was formed in the Temple of Jerusalem on the day of Mary’s Purification. Let us listen to St. Bernard.
“On this day, the Virgin Mother brings the Lord of the Temple into the Temple of the Lord; Joseph presents to the Lord a Son, who is not his own, but the Beloved Son of that Lord himself, and in whom he is well pleased; Simeon, the just man, confesses Him for whom he had been so long waiting; Anna, too, the widow, confesses him. The Procession of this solemnity was first made by these four, which, afterwards, was to be made, to the joy of the whole earth, in every place and by every nation. Let us not be surprised at its then being so little for He that carried was Little! Besides, all who were in it were just, and Saints, and perfect—there was not a single sinner.”
And yet, let us join the holy procession. Let us go to meet Jesus, the Spouse of our souls, as did the Wise Virgins, carrying in our hands lamps burning with the flame of charity. Let us remember the command given us by our Lord: Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands: and you yourselves like to men who wait for their Lord. Guided by faith and enlightened by charity, we shall meet and know him, and he will give himself to us.
The holy Church opens her chants of this Procession with the following Antiphon, which is found, word for word, in the Greek Liturgy of this same Feast.
Ant. Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion, et suscipe Regem Christum: amplectere Mariam, quæ est cœlestis porta; ipsa enim portat Regem gloriæ novi luminis; subsistit Virgo, adducens, manifub Filium ante luciferum genitum; quam accipiens Simeon in ulnas suas, prædicavit populis Dominum eum esse vitæ et mortis et Salvatorem mundi.
Ant. Adorn thy bridechamber, O Sion, and receive Christ, thy King. Salute Mary, the gate of heaven; for she beareth the King of glory, who is the new Light. The Virgin stands, bringing in her hands her Son, the Begotten before the day-star; whom Simeon receiving into his arms, declared him to the people as the Lord of life and death, and the Savior of the world.
Then is added the following Anthem, taken from the Gospel, and in which is related the mysterious meeting between Jesus and Simeon.
Ant. Responsum accepit Simeon a Spiritu Sancto, non visurum se mortem, nisi videret Christum Domini; et cum inducerent Puerum in Templum, accepit eum in ulnas suas, et benedixit Deum, et dixit: Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, in pace.
Ant. Simeon had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord; and when his parents brought the Child into the Temple, he took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: Now, thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, in peace.
℣. Cum inducerent puerum Jesum parentes ejus ut facerent secundum consuetudinem Legis pro eo, ipse accepit eum in ulnas suas.
℣. When his parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him into his arms.
On re-entering the Church, the Choir sings the following Responsory:
℟. Obtulerunt pro eo Domino par turturum, aut duos pullos columbarum: * Sicut scriptum est in Lege Domini.
℟. They offered for him, to the Lord, a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons: * As it is written in the Law of the Lord.
℣. Postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis Mariæ, secundum legem Moysi, tulerunt Jesum in Jerusalem, ut sisterent eum Domino. * Sicut scriptum est in Lege Domini. Gloria Patri. * Sicut scriptum est.
℣. After the days of Mary’s purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried Jesus to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. * As it is written in the law of the Lord. Glory. * As it is written.
After the Procession, the Celebrant and his Ministers put off their purple vestments, and vest in white for the Mass of the Purification.
But if it be any of the three Sundays, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima, the Mass of the Feast is deferred till the morrow, as we have already explained.
MASS
In the Introit, the Church sings the glory of Jerusalem’s Temple that was this day visited by the Emmanuel. Great, indeed, today, is the Lord in the City of David, great is he on his mount of Sion. Simeon, the representative of the whole human race, receives into his arms Him that is the Mercy sent us by God.
Introit
Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam in medio Templi tui: secundum Nomen tuum, Deus, ita et laus tua in fines terræ: justitia plena est dextera tua.
We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple: according to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of justice.
Ps. Magnus Dominus et laudabilis nimis, in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto ejus. ℣. Gloria Patri. Suscepimus.
Ps. Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised: in the City of our God, in his holy Mountain. ℣. Glory, &c. We have.
In the Collect, the Church prays that her children may be presented, as Jesus was, to the Eternal Father; but in order that they may meet with a favorable reception, she asks him to grace them with purity of heart.
Collect
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus Majestatem tuam supplices exoramus ut, sicut unigenitus Filius tuus, hodierna die, cum nostræ carnis substantia in Templo est præsentatus, ita nos facias purificatis tibi mentibus præsentari. Per eumdem.
O Almighty and Eternal God, we humbly beseech thy divine Majesty, that as thy Only Begotten Son, in the substance of our flesh, was this day presented in the temple, so our souls being perfectly cleansed, may become a pure oblation, and presented to thee. Through the same, &c.
Epistle
Lesson from the Prophet Malachy. Ch. iii.
Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller’ s herb: And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years, saith the Lord Almighty.
Quote:All the Mysteries of the Man-God have this for their object—the purifying of our hearts. As today’s Epistle explains, He sends his Angel (that is, his Precursor) before his face, that he may prepare his way; and we have heard this holy Prophet crying out to us, in his wilderness: Be humbled, O ye hills! and ye valleys, be ye filled up!—At length, he that is the Angel, the Sent, by excellence, comes in person to make a Testament, a Covenant, with us. He comes to his Temple, and this Temple is our heart. But he is like a refining fire that takes away the dross of metals. He wishes to renew us by purifying us; that thus we may be worthy to be offered to him, and with him, by a perfect sacrifice. We must, therefore, take care and not be satisfied with admiring these sublime Mysteries. We must hold this as a principle of our spiritual life—that the Mysteries brought before us, feast after feast, are intended to work in us the destruction of the old, and the creation of the new, man. We have been spending Christmas; we ought to have been born together with Jesus; this new Birth is now at its fortieth day. Today, we must be offered by Mary (who is also our Mother) to the Divine Majesty, as Jesus was. The moment is come for our offering, for it is the hour of the Great Sacrifice—let us redouble the fervor of our preparation.
In the Gradual, the Church again celebrates that sweet Mercy, who has appeared in the Temple of Jerusalem, and is about to show himself to us in this more perfect manifestation of the Holy Sacrifice.
Gradual
Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam in medio Templi tui: secundum nomen tuum, Deus, ita et laus tua in fines terræ.
We have received thy Mercy, O God, in the midst of thy Temple: according to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise unto the ends of the earth.
℣. Sicut audivimus, ita et vidimus in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto ejus.
℣. As we have heard, so have we seen in the City of our God, on his holy mountain.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. Senex Puerum porta bat: Puer autem senem regebat. Alleluia.
℣. The old man carried the Child: but the Child guided the old man. Alleluia.
If the season of Septuagesima be already begun, the Church, instead of the Alleluia-verse, sings the following Tract, which is composed of the words of the venerable Simeon.
Tract
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbun tuum in pace.
Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace.
℣. Quia viderunt oculi mei Salutare tuum.
℣. Because my eyes have seen thy Salvation.
℣. Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum.
℣. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.
℣. Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
℣. A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Gospel
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke. Ch. ii.
At that time: After the days of purification of Mary, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons: And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, He also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Quote:The Holy Spirit has led us to the Temple, as he did Simeon. There, we see the Virgin Mother offering at the Altar her Son, who is the Son of God. We are filled with admiration at this fidelity of the Child and his Mother to the Law; and we feel in our hearts a desire to be also presented to our Creator, who will accept our homage, as he accepted that offered him by his Divine Son. Let us at once put ourselves in those same holy dispositions which filled the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The salvation of the world has this day gained ground; let the work of our individual sanctification also advance. From this Feast forward, the Mystery of the Infant-God will no longer be put before us by the Church as the special object of our devotion; the sweet Season of Christmas will, in a few hours, have left us, and we shall have to follow our Jesus in his combats against our enemies. Let us keep close to our dear King. Let us ever keep Simeon’s spirit, and follow our Redeemer, walking in His footsteps, who is our Light. Let us love this Light, and merit, by our fidelity in using it, that it unceasingly shine upon us.
During the Offertory, the Church speaks the praises of the grace put, by our Lord, on Mary’s lips. She celebrates the favors poured out on Her who was called by the Archangel Blessed among women.
Offertory
Diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis; propterea benedixit te Deus in æternum, et in sæculum sæculi.
Grace is spread on thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee for ever, and for ever.
Secret
Exaudi, Domine, preces nostras: et ut digna sint munera, quæ oculis tuæ Majestatis offerimus, subsidium nobis tuæ pietatis impende. Per Dominum.
Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, and grant us the assistance of thy mercy, that what we offer to thy divine Majesty may be worthy to be accepted. Through, &c.
The Preface is that of Christmas.
After having distributed the Bread of Life—the Fruit of Bethlehem—which has been offered on our Altar, and has redeemed us from all our iniquities, the holy Church again reminds her children of the sentiments which filled Simeon’s soul. But in the Mystery of love, we not only, like Simeon, receive into our arms Him who is the Consolation of Israel; he enters into our very breast and soul, and there he takes up his abode.
Communion
Responsum accepit Simeon a Spiritu Sancto, non visurum se mortem, nisi videret Christum Domini.
Simeon received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death till he beheld the Christ of the Lord.
Let us, in the Postcommunion, unite with the Church in praying that the heavenly remedy of our regeneration may not only produce in our souls a passing grace, but may, by our fidelity, fructify in us to life eternal.
Postcommunion
Quæsumus, Domine Deus noster, ut sacrosancta mysteria, quæ pro reparationis nostræ munimine contulisti, intercedente beata Maria semper Virgine, et præsens nobis remedium esse facias et futurum. Per Dominum.
We beseech thee, O Lord our God, that the sacred mysteries we have received to preserve our new life may, by the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, become a remedy to us both now and for the future. Through, &c.
The Ancient Liturgies contain but few Hymns on the Purification of the Blessed Virgin.
One of these is the composition of St. Paulinus, the Patriarch of Aquileia, and is not without its merits.
HYMN
As soon as the Maiden’s forty days were accomplished, according to the Law of the Lord, the Virgin Mary took the Holy Child Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father, into the Temple, carrying him in her saintly arms.
The Blessed Mother carried upon her most chaste bosom her God, who was hid under the veil of our flesh. Sweetly and fondly does she kiss the lips of Him that was true God and Man, and, at whose bidding, all things were made.
The Parents took two tender little milk-white doves, which they offered for their Jesus, and which, by the prescription of the Law, were consumed in a holocaust.
There lived in the City a Priest of God, who was humble, and meek exceedingly: he was just, and, though old, was without a fault: his name was Simeon, the happy, blessed, heavenly-minded Simeon, who, being full of the Holy Ghost, was urged by a divine impulse to enter the holy Temple.
He had, long ago, received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not be loosed, by death, from the bonds of his flesh, until he had seen, in this present life, the Christ of the Lord, whom the Father was to send from his high throne.
Receiving, therefore, the Child into his hands, he gave thanks to the heavenly Father; and, as he held the Babe in his arms, he blessed his Lord. Then, also, with his heart teeming with love, he thus sweetly cried aloud:
“Dismiss thy servant, Lord! dismiss me, I beseech thee, in Peace, for I have now seen, with mine eyes, the Saviour thou hast, in wondrous mercy, prepared before the face of every people.
“He is the Light that is to shine upon the Gentiles, and bring glory to the people of Israel. He is set for the fall and the salvation of the race of Jacob, as shall be seen on the day when the secrets of hearts shall be revealed.
“Behold, O Holy Mother! thy own soul shall be pierced with a sword! Mary heard these high mysterious words, pondering them joyfully in her heart, for she ever took the words of heaven with ready faith.
Glory be to the Father of our Lord Jesus! And to thee, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, to thee, O God! be power and heavenly virtue! And to the Holy Paraclete, be infinite praise, honour, and empire, for endless ages. Amen.
Sequences for the Purification are as rare as Hymns, in the ancient Liturgies.
The one we give here, is taken from the old Sequence-Book of the Monastery of St. Gall, and was composed by Blessed Notker.
SEQUENCE
This people, with one accord, venerates thee, Mary! and honours thee with devout heart.
Thou art the Daughter of the noble Abraham, and of the kingly race of David.
O Virgin of virgins! thou wast pure above all creatures, most spotless in thy life, and of surpassing beauty.
Be glad, Mother and Virgin most glorious! Thou didst believe what Gabriel the Archangel said unto thee — thou didst bring forth a Son, and yet wast a Virgin as before.
In the most precious Blood of this thy Son, the lost human race was cleansed, as God had promised unto Abraham.
The dry Rod of Aaron, that yielded a lovely flower, was a figure of thee, Mary! who wast the Virgin-Mother of the Flower Divine.
Thou wast the ever-closed Gate, O Mary, of which Ezekiel speaks, and which was opened to none save only God.
But, on this day, wishing to give us an example worthy of the Mother of every virtue, thou didst subject thyself to the law which was made not but for the mothers of men.
O spotless Mother! thou didst bring with thee to the Temple, (as though he could be cleansed,) Him, who gave thee the splendour of thy virginity — thou didst bring with thee the God made Man.
Be glad, O Holy Mary! whom He, that searcheth the hearts and reins, found to be the only worthy dwelling of his majesty.
Rejoice, Mary! on whom the Little One, whose look gives joy and being to the world, looked and smiled.
We, therefore, who celebrate the Feast of Jesus, (become an Infant for our sakes,) and of his sweet Mother Mary,
Since we cannot, because we are weak, follow the wondrous humility of a God, let us take Mary as our model.
Praise to the Father of glory, who hath united us all into one, by revealing his Son to both the Gentiles and his people of Israel.
Praise to the Son, who hath given us fellowship with the citizens of heaven, by reconciling us, by his Blood, to the Father.
Praise, too, be forever to the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The admirable Sequence we subjoin to this, is one of the finest written by Adam of Saint- Victor.
We are indebted for it to Gautier, who was the first to publish it, in his beautiful edition of the great Lyric’s poetical writings.
But, besides the interest it has as being so fresh a treasure, our readers will find in it so much beauty,
that we should not be surprised at their giving it the first place among all the Hymns to our Lady, written in the Middle-Ages.
SEQUENCE
Let us adorn the temple of our souls, and, with new hearts, bring back again that old man’s joy, whose long-cherished wish is granted, as his arms press Jesus to his breast.
This Child is the Standard of the people, filling the Temple with light, our choirs with praise, and our hearts with jubilee. This day, is he presented in the Temple, and will, another day, when grown to manhood, be offered on the Cross, the offering for sin.
On one side Jesus, on the other Mary; here the sweet Infant, and there the sweet Mother; — oh! what a glad sight! — But let us devoutly carry within us that work of Light, which our lighted tapers symbolize.
The Father’s Word is the light — his virginal flesh is the wax — our lighted taper is Christ himself, who enlightens our hearts with that wisdom, which rescues the sinner from the error of his way, and sets him on virtue’s path.
He that holds Jesus by love, carries, as our Feast would have him do, the Candle blessed with light. So did Simeon love the Father’s Word, and fondly carry in his arms the Mother’s Babe.
Be glad, O Mother of thy God! simple, pure, unwrinkled, spotless Mother! O Maiden! chosen by the God of thy love, and loved by the God of thy choice.
All beauty is cloudy, deformed, and displeasing, to him that has seen thine. All sweetness seems bitter, or false, or insipid, to the soul that has tasted of thine.
All fragrance, put near thine, grows faint or foul; and love is powerless o’er a heart that feeds on thine.
Beautiful Star of the sea! Thou beautiful honour of all mothers! true Mother of Truth! path of holy living! O remedy of the world’s ills! Source of the fount of that Wine of Life, for which all men should thirst, and whose strength-giving chalice is sweet to the healthy and the sick, and restores the drooping heart!
O fount sealed up in holiness! pour out on us thy streams! — Fount of inner gardens! water, with thy rivulet’s wave our parched and stony hearts!
Overflowing Fount! flow out on us, and wash our hearts’ defilements. O Fount sublime, limpid above our thought! cleanse thy servants’ hearts from an unclean world. Amen.
Now let us give ear to the sweet hymn of the Greek Church. She thus celebrates the Purification in her Mensea.
IN HYPAPANTE DOMINI
This day, Simeon receives into his arms the Lord of glory, whom, heretofore, Moses saw under a cloud, on Mount Sina, when he received the tables of the Law. This is he that speaks in the Prophets, and is the Maker of the Law. This is he whom David foretells: he is the terrible God: his mercy is great and exceeding rich.
O thou the Treasure of all ages, and the Life of all creatures! thou, for my sake, becamest an Infant; thou who, heretofore, didst engrave the Law on the Tables, on Sina, wast made under the Law, so to give all men freedom from the ancient servitude of the Law. Glory, O Jesus! be to thy mercy. Glory be to thy kingdom! Glory be to thy dispensation, thou the only lover of mankind!
Mary, the Virgin-Mother of God, carries in her arms Him that is seated on the chariot of Cherubim, and is hymned in the songs of Seraphim: Him that was made incarnate from her: — Him, the Lawgiver, who now is observing the ordinance of the Law. She gave him into the arms of the aged Priest, who, as he thus held the Life, prayed to be loosed from life, saying: “Now, O Lord, dismiss me, that I may go tell Adam how I have seen the immutable God, who is from all eternity, made a Little Child, and the Saviour of the world.”
The old man prostates, and following, in spirit, the steps of the Virgin-Mother of God, he says: “Thou art carrying Fire, O pure one! Thy trembling arms are bearing the Infant, who is the God of never-setting light, and the Lord of peace.”
“Isaias was cleansed when he took from the Seraph the ” burning coal,’ said the old man to the Mother of God: “but thou inflamest me with the instrument of thy hands, giving me Him thou holdest — the Lord of light, that setteth not, and of peace.”
O ye that are of good-will! let us all run to the Mother of God, to see her Child, whom she now gives to Simeon; which the heavenly Spirits seeing, they say in deepest wonder: “This day, we behold wonderful, incredible, in comprehensible, things. He, that heretofore made Adam, is carried as a Babe! He, whom no space may hold, is held in an old man’s arms! He, that dwells in the bosom of the Father, wills to have, by flesh, the limits Divinity could not have! Who but God, could bear towards man such love as this?”
We adore and thank thee, O Emmanuel ! on this happy day, which saw thee enter into the Temple of thy Majesty, carried in the arms of thy incomparable Mother. Thou comest into the Temple, that thou mayest offer thyself for our sakes. Thou deignest to be redeemed by the payment of a ransom, for, one day, thou hast to pay an infinite ransom for us. Thou comest, now, to offer a ceremonial sacrifice, because thou art soon to abolish every sacrifice by the one that alone is perfect. Thou enterest, to-day, into that Jerusalem, which is to be the place of thy passion and death. Our salvation urges thee on. Thou wast born for us, but thou art not satisfied; and every gift of this thy fortieth day must needs bespeak the future proofs thou hast yet to give us, of the love thou bearest us.
O thou, the Consolation of Israel ! on whom the Angels love to look! thou enterest into the Temple, and they, who were living in expectation of their Redeemer, redouble their hope. Oh! that we had something of that love, which burned in Simeon’s heart, as he held thee in his arms! All he lived for, was to see thee, O Divine Infant ! and having seen thee, he longs to die. One brief moment’s sight of thee makes him sleep in peace! What must it be to possess thee eternally, when a glance could satisfy the longings of a whole life!
But, O Saviour of our souls! if Simeon was so satiated with this seeing thee presenting thyself for mankind in the Temple — how ought we to love thee, we who have seen the final consummation of thy Sacrifice? The day will come, when, as thy devout servant Bernard expresses it, thou wilt be offered, not in the Temple and on Simeon’s arms, but outside the City-gates and on the arms of the Cross. On that day, man will not offer up the blood of a victim for thee, but thyself wilt offer up thine own Blood for man. Now, it is the “morning; then, it will be the evening, sacrifice. Now, thou art in the age of Infancy; then, thou wilt have attained the fullness of the age of Man; and having loved us from the beginning, thou wilt love us even unto the end.
What return shall we make to thee, O Divine Infant! for thou bearest within thy heart, during this thy first offering, the same infinite love of us wherewith thou wilt consummate thy last? Can we do less than offer ourselves to thee, from this very day, and be wholly thine? Thou givest thyself to us in the Adorable Sacrament, with more perfection than thou didst give thyself to Simeon; and we receive thee not in our arms, but in our very breast. Dismiss us, dear Jesus! break our chains. Give us thy Peace, and may we, like Simeon, enter now on a new life. In order to imitate thy virtues and be united with thee, we have endeavored, during this holy Season, to gain that humility and simplicity which thou wishest to see within us. Assist us to persevere in the spiritual life, that, like thee, we may grow in age and wisdom, before both God and men.
And thou, O Mary! purest of Virgins, and Mother blessed above all mothers!—O Daughter of the Prince! how beautiful are thy steps on this day of thy Purification, when thou enterest the Temple with our Jesus in thy arms! Who could tell the joy and the humility on thy maternal heart, in this offering thou makest to the Eternal Father of his and thy Son? Looking around on the mothers who have come for their own purification on this same day, thou rejoicest at the thought that the babes they are now presenting in the Temple will one day see and now thy Jesus, their Savior. What a privilege, that these Children should be presented to the Lord together with thine! What honor for these mothers, that they should be purified in thy holy company! If the Temple is glad at seeing enter within its walls the God, in whose honor it has been built—part of its joy is to see him throned there in thy arms, who art the holiest of creatures, the one child of Eve that has never known sin, the Virgin Mother of this God.
But, whilst humbly keeping within thyself the secrets of the Eternal Father, and mingled in the throng of these Hebrew mothers — the holy Simeon advances towards thee, Mary! Knowing that the Holy Ghost has revealed the mystery to him, thou affectionately placest in his hands the God of heaven and earth, who has come to be the Consolation of Israel. The holy Anna, too, approaches thee, and thou lovingly receivest her. Perhaps, in thy younger years, thou hadst received from her, in this very Temple, the affection and care of a second mother. Thy heart thrills with delight, at hearing these two venerable Saints extolling God’s faithfulness to his promises, and the glory of thy Child, and the splendour of the Light which is now to be shed forth on all nations. The happiness of thus hearing the praises of the God, who is thy Child, fills thee with joy and thankfulness — but, oh! what a sword of grief pierces thy heart, dear Mother, at the words of Simeon as he gives thee back thy Babe! Henceforth, thou must weep as often as thou lookest on Him! He is to be a sign of contradiction (Luke 2:34) and the wounds men are to give him are to wound thy soul! The blood of victims like these, that are now being offered in the Temple, shall cease to flow, and be changed for the Blood of thy Jesus!
O Mother of Sorrows ! we were the cause of all this. It was our sins, that changed thy joy into mourning. And yet, thou lovest us, because thy Jesus loves us! Love us now and for ever. Intercede for us with thy Son. Pray, that we may never lose the
graces granted us during these forty happy days.
These graces drew us to the Crib of thy Child, and thy affection for us encouraged to stay. We are resolved to maintain our position near this Jesus, following him through all the Mysteries which are now to succeed this of his Infancy. We are resolved to be faithful disciples of this dear Master, and follow him, as thou didst, even to the foot of that Cross,
which was revealed to thee on this day.
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| Saint Peregrine - Patron Saint of Cancer |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 02-01-2021, 11:34 PM - Forum: The Saints
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The Patron Saint of Cancer
Feast Day: May 1st
SAINT PEREGRINE LAZIOSI
In the beginning century, the citizens of certain towns in Italy were opposed to accepting the spiritual an civil rights of the Holy See. Among these was the small town of Forli, located on the Adriatic Sea. In the year 1265, there was born Peregrine Laziosi, the youngest member of a rich and civilly potent family, the members of which were in the midst of the political and spiritual rebellion against the Pope or Papacy.
At the early age of 18 years, Peregrine was an active participant and leader of the antipapal forces in Forli. An open rebellion ultimately occurred in the city of Forli. Pope Martin IV enlisted the assistance of King John of Naples to overcome this antagonism.
The Pontiff placed Forli under interdiction but even excommunication did not influence the attitudes and behavior of the citizens. Philip Benizi, who subsequently achieved sainthood, had been frequently mentioned as a possible future pope; he was selected to go to Forli and appeal ot the people through his persuasive oratory and profound sanctity.
As the official Papal Ambassador, he was ill received, and subjected to abuse and beatings with clubs and rocks.
Peregrine, a young and impetuous leader, actually struck Philip in the face, knocking him down. The saintly Ambassador immediately forgave the youth and uttered a prayer for him.
Although the citizens of Forli cheered Peregrine for his violence, he personally was overcome by the meekness and tolerance of Philip, so that in his penitence, he ran three miles to encounter him again and at this meeting confessed his guilt, cried, and begged forgiveness.
Philip encouraged him to rededicate himself, which he did by spending long hours in prayer in the Chapel of Our Lady in the cathedral. In the course of his meditation there, he experienced a divine calling, urging him to go to Siena. On arriving there, he was received into the Order of the Servants of Mary by the same Philip Benizi, five times General of the Order. The Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites) was founded in 1233 by seven saints, to propagate devotion to the Sorrows of Mary.
Peregrine underwent complete reformation, avoided all political entanglements, and dedicated his life to labors among the poor, the sick, and the sinful.
He accepted a commission to re-establish the Servite Monastery in his home town of Forli. His tender care of the sick during a calamitous plague in Forli in 1323 secured for him the everlasting gratitude and respect of the citizens. I is said that for 30 years he never sat down, and when he was forced to sleep, he did so by leaning against a wall.
Peregrine spent 62 years of his life in this religious order. In the course of this period, a huge ulcerative growth appeared on Peregrine’s leg, exposing the bone and emanating the odor of gangrene. He was examined by the best physicians of his time, who unanimously pronounced the lesion to be cancerous and advised amputation of the leg.
The night before the scheduled operation, Peregrine dragged himself to the small chapel of the hospital and spent the night praying before the crucifix. He then fell asleep and dreamed that Christ had reached out from the cross and touched his diseased leg. On awakening, it was found that his leg had healed completely, with no trace of the cancer. This miracle might have been the first spontaneous cure of cancer.
He continued his work among the sick until he died on May 1st, 1345, his 80th birthday.
Peregrine was beatified in 1609. Pope Benedict XIII solemnly canonized him in 1726.
In the years 1608, 1697, and 1715, when his remains were exhumed for inspection, the body was found intact. In 1926, the second centenary of the canonization of St. Peregrine, the Bishop of Forli again examined the body and found it to be nearly perfect.
St. Peregrine has been declared the universal patron of Spain, and in Vienna is cherished as the most popular saint. He is commonly invoked for the cure, survival and alleviation of cancer patients, for which he is best known in Austria, Hungary, Bavaria and Italy.
St. Peregrine Novena
Oh great Saint Peregrine,
You, who have been called “The Mighty”
And “The Wonder Worker”
Because of the numerous miracles
Which you have obtained from God
For those who have had recourse to you.
For so many years you bore in your own flesh
This cancerous disease that destroys
The very fiber of our being,
And who had recourse to the source of all grace
When the power of man could do no more.
You were favored with the vision of Jesus
Coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction.
Ask of God and Our Lady,
The cure of these sick persons whom we entrust to you.
(State your intention here. . .)
Aided in his way by your powerful intercession,
We shall sing to God,
Now and for all eternity,
A song of gratitude for His great goodness
And mercy.
Amen.
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A Prayer to Saint Peregrine
For Sick Relatives and Friends
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called
“The Mighty”, “The Wonder Worker” because
Of the numerous miracles which you obtained
From God for those who have turned to you
In their need. For so many years, you bore
In your own flesh this cancerous disease
That destroys the very fiber of our being.
You turned to God when the power
Of human beings could do no more,
And you were favored with the vision of Jesus
Coming down from His cross to heal your affliction.
I now ask God to heal these sick persons
Whom I entrust to you:
(here mention their names)
Aided by your powerful intercession,
I shall sing with Mary a hymn of gratitude
To God for His great goodness and mercy.
Amen.
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Prayer to Saint Peregrine
God, who gave Saint Peregrine
And angel as his companion,
The Mother of God as his
Teacher, and Jesus as the
Physician for his illness;
Grant, we ask You, that we
On earth may intensely
Love the Blessed Virgin Mary
And our Savior, and in Heaven
Bless them forever.
Grant that we receive
The favor for which
We now ask through
Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
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| Explanation of Candlemas, the Purification of Our Lady |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 03:10 PM - Forum: Church Doctrine & Teaching
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FEBRUARY 2nd - THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
PURPOSE OF THIS FEAST
Benedict XIV believes that the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin has an apostolic origin. It is certain, at least, that it was already ancient in the fifth century. - For a long time, it was a feast of precept.
The Greek Church and the Church of Milan rank the solemnity of February 2nd among the feasts of Our Lord. But the Roman Church has always counted it among the feasts of the Blessed Virgin. "Without a doubt," says D. Guéranger, "the Child Jesus is offered today in the temple and redeemed; but it is the occasion for the Purification of Mary, of which this offering and redemption are a consequence. "
Our Lord, as St. Paul remarks, in becoming man, wanted to be born under the law; that is to say, without being obliged to do so, since He was the Supreme Lawgiver, He deigned to submit to all the observances that this law imposed on the Jews. He also subjected His Mother to it.
Now, there were two precepts concerning mothers to whom God granted a newborn child.
The first one was general and addressed to all. He commanded the women of Israel, after they had given birth, to stay forty days, if they had given birth to a son, and eighty, if it was a daughter, without coming near the tabernacle. When this time had expired, they were to offer a sacrifice to be purified. This sacrifice consisted of a lamb that was to be consumed as a burnt offering. A turtledove and a dove were added to it, to be offered, according to the ritual of the sacrifice, for sin. Mothers who were too poor to present a lamb could replace it with another turtledove and dove. The sin sacrifice was for the sin in which the child was born. The holocaust meant the consecration of the child to God. That is why the child was presented to the Lord at the same time.
The second precept only concerned the first-born, both men and animals. All the firstborn of Israel were to be redeemed from the Lord, for He had reserved them for Himself as His own possession, when He had spared His people by striking the firstborn of Egypt, from man to beast of burden.
If Mary had been an ordinary woman and Jesus a child like the others, They would have been under the obligation of the law. But, apart from the fact that the law is subject to the legislator, it was irrelevant here. For the Most Pure Virgin had not contracted any defilement through Her virginal birth, and the life of the incarnate Son of God did not need to be redeemed for money, since it was to be sacrificed for the redemption of all. But the Word made man wanted to be like His adopted brothers in everything except sin. He submitted Himself and His Mother under the humiliating yoke of the law.
When the forty days marked by the law had passed, Mary came to the Temple, carrying her Son in Her arms and accompanied by St. Joseph.
FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE NEW TEMPLE - SIMEON AND ANNE
Jesus' entry into the Temple in Jerusalem fulfilled a prophecy of the prophet Haggai.
When Zerubbabel returned from the captivity of Babylon and raised the Temple from its ruins, the old men, who had seen the Temple of Solomon in its glory, were saddened when they compared the new construction to it, and the Temple of Zerubbabel was in their eyes as if it were not, said the prophet. Haggai consoled them, saying:
"Take courage, Zerubbabel; take courage, Jesus, Son of Josedec, Supreme Pontiff; take courage, people of this earth. For this is what the Lord, God of hosts, says: A little while longer; I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the continents; I will shake the peoples; and the desire of all nations will come; and I will fill this house with glory. The glory of this second house shall be greater than that of the first, and in that place, I will give peace, says the Lord God of hosts. »
Malachi, the last of the prophets of Israel, confirmed the words of Haggai: "The Dominator you seek, and the Angel of the testament you desire, will come quickly into His temple. Here He comes, says the Lord of hosts. And who will be able to know the day of His coming, and who will be there to see Him when He comes?”
The prophet means that Israel, as a nation, will not recognize and receive its desired Messiah. Many, however, will receive Him and be saved.
These happy faithful, children of peace and salvation, are represented in the Temple by the old man Simeon and Anna the prophetess. "Who will be there to see him," Malachi asked. Behold, these two holy figures are awakening to answer the prophet's desire.
There was in Jerusalem, says St. Luke, an old man named Simeon, a just and God-fearing man, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was with him. He had known by revelation that he would not see death until he had contemplated the Lord's Christ. He knew, moreover, by prophecy, that the time of His coming had come. "This is why, " says St. Vincent Ferrier, "he went to the temple every day and when he saw a mother entering the temple with a child in her arms, he would ask: Is it a son or a daughter?" And the Holy Ghost said nothing to him until the day when Mary came with Her Son.
On that day, the Holy Ghost said to him, "Today you will meet the Messiah, your King, in the Temple, and you will be able to contemplate Him. "
So, Simeon got up early in the morning, purified himself and put on his best clothes; he was fit to receive a king. Then he hurried to the Temple.
When Mary entered with Joseph, the Holy Ghost said to him, "Simeon, this is the Mother of the One you are waiting for, and Her Son is the King and the Messiah promised in the law." Immediately the old man worshipped Him weeping with joy. He took the Child in his arms and sang this song:
"Now, O Lord, Thou will let Thy servant go in peace, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen the Savior Thou were preparing, the Light that is to enlighten the Gentiles, the Glory of Thy people Israel.”
This inspired hymn is the cry of the Old Testament that fades before the New and prepares to disappear.
But who can tell the displacements of Simeon, in whom lived all the desires of the patriarchs and prophets, when he held in his arms Him Who was the fulfillment of them? St. Francis de Sales meditating on this mystery, with his naive tenderness, cried out: "But, this Simeon, is he not blessed to embrace this Divine Child? Yes, but I cannot be grateful to him for the bad trick he wanted to do; for, being out of himself, he wanted to take Him with him into the other world: Now, he says, let Thy servant go in peace. Alas! We still needed Him, the rest of us!"
Mary and Joseph were in awe because of all that was said about Jesus. No doubt They knew perfectly well that Jesus was God's beloved Son and the promised Savior of the world, but They admired the wonderful way God had revealed some secrets that Their humility had revealed to no one.
Simeon showered Them with blessings and then, seeing prophetically in this Child the victim who was to be immolated for sinners, he said to Mary, His Mother: "This Child is established for the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel, and to be a sign of contradiction. And Thy own soul shall be pierced with a sword of sorrow, that the thoughts of many, which were hidden in the depths of their hearts, may be revealed.”
There was also in Jerusalem a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and had lived only seven years with her husband, and she had remained a widow until the age of eighty-four, not leaving the Temple, serving God day and night in fasting and prayer. So, when she came at the same time as Simeon, she also began to praise the Lord, and since then she has spoken of Him to all those who were waiting for the redemption of Israel.
HOW MARY HUMILIATED HERSELF IN THE TEMPLE
The Gospel, after speaking of the meeting of the old man Simeon and Anna the prophetess, only adds that Mary fulfills all that was prescribed by the law, that is, the ceremony of purification and redemption of Her Firstborn. We will borrow again from Saint Vincent Ferrier the pious considerations he makes on these two subjects.
"There was a place in the Temple," he says, "and this custom is still observed among Jews today, a place reserved for noble and wealthy women, another for women of low status, and a third for virgins. Mary, on entering, examined to see which group She should join. She belonged to the highest nobility, since She was the daughter of David; but She was poor and simply clothed, for She had given, for the love of God, all the gold brought to Her by the kings of the East and wanted to live only by the work of Her hands. If She had gone to the side of the rich, those haughty women could have said to Her, "Go to the place that suits Thee. What! the Wife of a craftsman claims to take Her place among us!" She had the right to associate with virgins, being Herself the most excellent of virgins. But the virgins would have said to Her: "How can Thou come with us, Thou who have a husband and a Son?”
"So, She went to be with the poor women of the people. And so, the prophecy of the book of Canticles was fulfilled: "My Beloved is among women like a lily among thorns." And this was the first example of humility that Mary gave on that day.
"She gave a second no less astonishing one by complying with the prescriptions of the law. For the law commanded that the woman, forty days after giving birth, should come to the temple, and kneeling before the priest, she said, "This is my oblation; offer the sacrifice for me, that God may forgive me my sins." The priest offered the sacrifice and then blessed the woman, and she withdrew.
"The Virgin Mary wanted to go through all these observances. She said to the priest: "Today is the fortieth day since I gave birth to this Son; He was circumcised on the eighth day and received the name of Jesus." And She gave him Her offering of two turtledoves and two doves, asking him to pray for Her. O height of humility! The Blessed Virgin said to the sinner: “Pray for Me.” And the priest did not know Her. But Isaiah knew Her better when he said, "Behold, the Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and His name will be Emmanuel," that is, God with us.
Jesus did not cede Himself in humility to His Mother when He wanted to be presented to God. He certainly did not need it, for He had not left His Father to come to the earth, but He had come down as the ray that does not separate from the sun to come and lighten the earth. Yet He wanted to be presented to Him as a stranger.
He was born so poor, that His Mother could not offer a lamb to the priest for Him. It was not fitting, moreover, that She should present this figurative lamb, when She carried in Her arms the true Lamb of God and came to offer to the Heavenly Father the Great Victim who was to be immolated for the salvation of all men. So, Mary was content to offer, like the poor, two turtledoves and two doves.
THE SON OF GOD IS REDEEMED ACCORDING TO THE LAW
The law of redemption of the first-born had yet to be fulfilled.
"The first-born child," said Saint Vincent Ferrier, "belonged to God and to the priest. But he was redeemed at the price of five shekels of silver. If his parents could not provide the five shekels, the child remained with the priest and was brought up to serve in the temple.
"Mary gave Her Son into the hands of the priest, who offered Him to the Lord. Foolish! If he had known Him, he would have bowed down before Him. Seeing the poverty of the Mother, the priest prepared to keep Him. But Our Lady said to him, "Do not hold him back; here are five shekels which I have brought."
"She had earned them by Her own labor, and perhaps She had cut back on Her food, so that She could redeem Her Child. So, She opened Her purse, which was not made of silk or woven of gold and took the money from it and gave it to the priest as the law prescribed."
THE BLESSING OF THE CANDLES
And so, the mysteries of that day were fulfilled, and so the Light of the world, which was destined to enlighten all the nations of the earth, entered the Temple of the Lord and shone before Him.
In order to represent this heavenly light, the Church is accustomed to making a splendid blessing of candles on February 2nd. This ceremony was instituted by Pope St. Gelasius towards the end of the fifth century and gave the feast its popular name of Candlemas.
The candles that are blessed before the Mass of the Purification, therefore, signify Our Lord Jesus Christ. According to Yves de Chartres, the wax that composes them, formed from the juice of the flowers by the bees, which antiquity has always considered a type of virginity, signifies the Virgin Flesh of the Divine Child, Who has not altered, in His conception, nor in His birth, the integrity of Mary. In the flame of the candle, we must see the symbol of Christ Who came to illuminate our darkness.
Saint Anselm, developing the same mystery, tells us that there are three things to consider in the candle: the wax, the wick and the flame. The wax, the work of the virginal bee, is the Flesh of Christ; the wick, which is interior, is the soul; the flame, which shines in the upper part, is the Divinity.
The candles blessed by the Church are carried by ministers and all the clergy in a procession that was instituted by Pope Sergius in the seventh century. This procession symbolizes the Holy Church setting out to meet the Emmanuel and is an imitation of the marvelous procession that is taking place at this very moment in the Temple of Jerusalem.
"Today," says St. Bernard, "the Virgin Mother introduces the Lord of the Temple into the Temple of the Lord; Joseph presents to the Lord, not a son of his own, but the Beloved Son of the Lord, in Whom He has put His mercy. The Righteous Man recognizes the One he has been waiting for; the widow Anna exalts Him with her praises. These four people celebrated today's procession for the first time, which was to be solemnized in the joy of the whole world, in every place and by all nations. Let us not be surprised, therefore, that this procession was so small, for He Who was received in it had become small. No sinner appeared in it: all were righteous, holy and perfect."
It is the same thought that the Church expresses in the antiphon She sings in the procession:
"Decorate your bridal chamber, Zion, and receive Christ the King; welcome with love Mary, Who is the door to heaven; for She holds in Her arms the King of glory, Who is the new light."
The Candlemas procession thus appears to us as the march of the Christian people in the light of Christ, represented by the candles carried by the clergy, the chosen portion of the Church, just as Jesus Himself was carried in the arms of Mary, between those of the holy old man Simeon and of the Pontiff who offered Him to the Lord.
Candlemas candles are not only meant to represent for one day the mystery of Christ. They are still a blessed object for the use of the faithful and one of the most precious to be preserved in a Christian family.
In the past, the faithful themselves brought candles to the church on the Day of the Purification, so that they could be blessed with those that the priests and ministers carried in the procession. This custom still exists in many places, and it would be desirable that it be revived everywhere.
Today's Christians, by leaving behind these ancient practices established by the Church, in Her maternal solicitude, have deprived themselves too much of a precious safeguard against the malice of the devil and of a powerful support of the supernatural spirit that many particular devotions, unknown to the Saints, will never replace.
The candles thus blessed at Candlemas, kept in the homes of Christians, are a pledge of Divine Protection and a symbol of the spiritual illumination of souls by the Holy Ghost. This is what is taught by the very formula of the blessing that the Church consecrates to them:
"Lord Jesus Christ, true light that enlightens every man coming into this world, pour Thy blessing on these candles and sanctify them with the light of Thy grace, and as these torches, burning with a visible fire, drive out darkness, so deign to make our hearts, burning with an invisible fire, that is to say, from the splendor of the Holy Ghost, be delivered from the blindness of all vices, so that, the eye of our soul being purified, we may see the things that are pleasing to Thee and useful for our salvation, and merit, after the shadows and dangers of this age, to come to the light that never goes out."
In another prayer, the Church asks God to bless and sanctify the candles "for the use of men and for the health of bodies and souls, whether on earth or on the waters. "
It is in the spirit of the Church to light the candles of Candlemas whenever it is a question of repelling the spirits of darkness which, as St. Paul teaches us, are everywhere in the air and which constantly seek to harm us in our souls, in our bodies, in our possessions.
They are lit, in particular, during a storm, to appease it; when thunder rumbles; to obtain the protection of heaven in a place where the presence of the devil is felt to drive him out; but especially near the bed of a dying man, to keep away from him the enemy of men who then makes his supreme effort, and often a terrible effort, to snatch from God the soul that struggles in agony. It is then, in fact, that we must call to our aid with greater insistence the Redeemer, Whose sight illuminated with joy the last days of Simeon, and the Virgin Helper, so that They may give us, before our departure, the kiss of eternal peace. May our souls thus reach the blessed light of heaven.
La Vie des Saints (Lives of the Saints)
E. Petithenry, Imp.-gérant, 8, rue François Ier, Paris.
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| Seniors are Dying Like Flies after Covid Shot |
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Posted by: SAguide - 02-01-2021, 02:45 PM - Forum: COVID Vaccines
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A brief explanation: The first video below points out 3 separate stories about covid related shots. It begins with the 2 stories of health care workers who died after receiving the shot, one from Ohio the other from California.
At 3 minutes into the video is about a nursing home whistleblower and shows a portion of his longer 47 min. video. I have posted a link to that 47 min. video which is on rumble below the video that I'm describing here.
James (he gives his last name in the video) is a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), and he recorded this video as a whistleblower because he could not keep silent any longer.
James reports that in 2020 very few residents in the nursing home where he works got sick with COVID, and none of them died during the entire year of 2020.
However, shortly after administering the Pfizer experimental mRNA injections, 14 died within two weeks, and he reports that many others are near death.
He makes it very clear that these were patients he knew and cared for (he is also a "lay pastor"), and that after being injected with the mRNA shot, residents who used to walk on their own can no longer walk. Residents who used to carry on an intelligent conversation with him could no longer talk.
And now they are dying. "They're dropping like flies."
James calls upon other CNAs, Nurses, and family members to go public and tell the world what is going on with these experimental mRNA COVID injections.
"How many more lives need to be lost before we say something?"
If you know what is happening, but are not speaking out, then you are part of the problem.
Full story link
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| March 15th - St. Clement Mary Hofbauer |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:21 PM - Forum: March
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![[Image: tumblr_ndkftycWjb1sknvnko1_500.jpg]](https://www.africaredemptorists.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/tumblr_ndkftycWjb1sknvnko1_500.jpg)
Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer
Redemptorist Priest, confessor
(1751-1821)
Born in 1751, the youngest of twelve children, Clement was six years old when his father died. His great desire was to become a priest, but since his family was unable to give him the necessary education, he became a baker's assistant, devoting all his spare time to study. He was a servant in the Premonstratensian monastery of Bruck from 1771 to 1775, then lived for some time as a hermit. He made three pilgrimages to Rome, and during the third, accompanied by a good friend, he entered with the same friend the Redemptorist novitiate at San Giuliano. The two were professed in 1785 and ordained a few days later.
The two priests were sent in the same year to found a house north of the Alps, and Saint Alphonsus, Founder of the Redemptorist Order, prophesied their success. They were granted a church in Warsaw by King Stanislaus Poniatowski, and labored under incredible difficulties from 1786 to 1808. A larger church was also reserved for them, where daily instructions were given for non-Catholics. Saint Clement also founded in Warsaw an orphanage and a school for boys. His great friend, Thaddeus Habul, died in 1807; the following year four houses founded by Saint Clement were suppressed and the Redemptorists expelled from the Grand Duchy.
Saint Clement went with one companion to Vienna, where for the last twelve years of his life he acted as chaplain and director at an Ursuline convent. There he exercised a veritable apostolate among all classes in the capital. He devoted himself in a special way to the conversion and formation of young men. When he died in 1821, Pius VII said, Religion in Austria has lost its chief support.
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| March 14th - St. Mathilda |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:19 PM - Forum: March
- Replies (1)
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Saint Mathilda
Empress
(† 968)
This princess, the greatest glory of her noble family, was the daughter of Theodoric, a powerful Saxon count, and Reinhilde, a princess of Denmark. Her parents placed her very young in the monastery of Erfort, of which her grandmother Maude had become the Abbess. The young girl became in that house an accomplished model of all virtues and domestic arts. She remained there until her parents married her to the virtuous and valiant Henry, son of Otto, Duke of Saxony, in 913. On the death in 919 of the Emperor of Germany, Conrad I, Henry was chosen by his troops to succeed him. Henry was a pious and diligent prince, and very kind to his subjects. By his arms he checked the insolence of invading neighboring armies, and enlarged his dominions by adding to them Bavaria.
Saint Mathilda, during those years, gained over the enemies of God spiritual victories yet more worthy of a Christian and far greater in the eyes of heaven. Blessed with five children, whom she raised in the fear of God, she nourished in their souls the precious seeds of devotion and humility through prayer and good works. It was her delight to visit, comfort, and exhort the sick and the afflicted; to serve and instruct the poor, and to afford her charitable assistance to prisoners. Her husband, edified by her example, concurred with her in every pious undertaking which she proposed, and his military victories served for the propagation of the Gospel in pagan lands. The two sovereigns labored concertedly for the reign of justice in all their domains, and for the happiness and welfare of their subjects, constructing hospitals, churches and monasteries. Their three sons became Saint Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne; Otto the Great, who succeeded his father as emperor of Germany; and Henry, Duke of Bavaria. The two daughters married Louis d'Outremer, King of France, and Hugh Capet, first of the Capetian race of French kings.
After twenty-three years of marriage God was pleased in the year 936 to call the king to Himself. Before his death, he thanked his worthy companion for having moderated his sometimes too-severe justice, and praised her in the presence of the entire court. Saint Mathilda persevered long in prayer, continuing her good works as before, but could not avoid the difficulties which jealousy of sovereigns almost invariably provokes. She was successfully accused to her own son, Otto, of concealing great riches, and he caused guards to be posted around her, and he led his brother Henry into his own error, to oblige her to leave the court. Without bitterness towards them, she took refuge elsewhere. Eventually Edith, wife of Otto, saw in the mortal illness threatening Henry, a sign of God's anger provoked by their conduct toward their mother, and recommended the return of Saint Mathilda. Her sons begged her pardon with tears, and afterwards perfect understanding reigned between the mother and sons.
Henry died not long afterwards, and his mother thereafter retired almost completely from court life to concern herself with the care of prisoners, the poor and the sick, and the construction of a very large monastery for women at Nordhausen. Eventually she herself entered it, and on March 14, 968, after spending her final years in prayer and penance, she died lying on the floor, having spread ashes upon her head herself. She was venerated as a Saint immediately after her death.
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| March 13th - St. Euphrasia |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:18 PM - Forum: March
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Saint Euphrasia
Virgin
(382-412)
Saint Euphrasia, born in Constantinople, was the daughter of noble and pious parents, honored by the pious Emperor Theodosius and the Empress of that city. After the early death of Antigonus, her father, her mother consecrated her widowhood to God, and retired with their only child into Egypt, where she possessed a very large estate. In those days there were many monasteries of nuns as well as of holy cenobites; in one single city there were twenty thousand such holy women, consecrated to Jesus Christ. Euphrasia's mother chose to reside near a monastery of one hundred and thirty nuns, which she often visited, accompanied by Euphrasia. When the little girl, seven years of age, begged that she might be permitted to serve God in this monastery, the pious mother wept for joy.
Then the mother led her before an image of our Redeemer, and lifting up her hands to heaven said, Lord Jesus Christ, receive this child under Your special protection. It is You alone whom she loves and seeks; to You she recommends herself. Then leaving her in the hands of the abbess, she went out of the monastery weeping. She continued her life of prayer and mortification, and a few years later, when this good mother fell sick, she slept in peace.
On receiving the news of her death, Theodosius sent for the noble virgin to come to court, as he considered himself her protector, and already during her childhood had arranged for her to be married to a young senator of Constantinople, when she would reach a suitable age. But the virgin wrote him, refusing the alliance, repeating her vow of virginity, and requesting that her estates be sold and divided among the poor, and all her slaves set at liberty. The emperor punctually executed all her wishes, shortly before his death in 395.
Saint Euphrasia was a perfect pattern of humility, meekness, and charity. If she found herself assaulted by any temptation, she immediately sought the advice of the abbess, who often on such occasions assigned to her some humbling and painful penitential labor, which she would execute to perfection. Once she moved a pile of great rocks from one place to another, continuing for thirty days with wonderful simplicity, until the devil, vanquished by her humble obedience, left her in peace. She became powerful over the demons, and delivered many possessed persons. She cured a child who was paralyzed, deaf and dumb, making the sign of the cross over him and saying, May He who created you, heal you! She was favored with other miracles also, both before and after her death, which occurred in the year 412, the thirtieth of her age.
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| March 12th - St. Gregory the Great |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:15 PM - Forum: March
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Saint Gregory the Great
Pope, Doctor of the Church
(540-604)
Saint Gregory the Great was a Roman of noble Christian birth, the son of a canonized Saint, his mother, Saint Silva; and he was the nephew of two others, Saints Tarsilla and Emiliana. At thirty years of age he became the Prefect of Rome, the highest civil dignity of that city. On his father's death in 574 he gave his great wealth to the poor, turned his house on the Caelian Hill into the monastery which now bears his name, and for several years lived as a perfect monk. His famous exposition of the Book of Job dates from his monastic years.
The Pope drew him from his seclusion in 578 to make him one of the seven deacons of Rome; and for seven years he rendered great service to the Church as what we now call Papal Nuncio to the imperial court at Constantinople. He had been sent there to obtain assistance against the Lombard invasions, but returned with a conviction which was a foundation of his later activity, that no help could any longer be obtained from that court. When he was recalled to Rome he became Abbot of his Monastery, then known by the name of Saint Andrew's.
While still a monk the Saint was struck by the sight of some fair-complexioned boys who were exposed for sale in Rome, and heard with sorrow that they were pagans. And of what race are they? he asked. They are Angles. Worthy indeed to be Angels of God, said he. He at once obtained permission from the Pope to set out to evangelize the English. With several companion monks he had already made a three-days' journey when the Pope, ceding to the regrets of the Roman people, sent out messengers to overtake and recall them. Still the Angles were not forgotten, and one of the Saint's first cares as Pope was to send, from his own monastery, Saint Augustine and forty more monks to England.
On the death of Pope Pelagius II, Saint Gregory was compelled to take upon himself the government of the Church, and for fourteen years his pontificate was a perfect model of ecclesiastical rule. He healed schisms, revived discipline, and saved Italy by converting the wild Arian Lombards who were laying it waste; he aided in the conversion of the Spanish and French Goths, who also were Arians, and kindled anew in Britain the light of the Faith, which the Anglo-Saxons had extinguished in blood. He set in order the Church's prayers and chant, guided and consoled her pastors with innumerable letters, and preached incessantly, most effectively by his own example. Many of his sermons are still extant and are famous for their constant use of Holy Scripture. His writings are numerous and include fourteen books of his letters.
Saint Gregory I died in 604, worn out by austerities and toils. The Church includes him among her four great Latin doctors, and reveres him as Saint Gregory the Great.
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| Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-01-2021, 08:11 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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Secular source:
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
Introduction
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF | May 13, 2012 Updated: July 27, 2020
The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party were first published in November of 2004, followed quickly by an English translation. In 15 years, the series has led over 300 million Chinese to renounce the communist party and its affiliated organizations, fostering an unprecedented peaceful movement for transformation and change in China. People continue to renounce the party every day. Here we republish the newly re-edited Nine Commentaries, linked to video versions produced by our partner media NTD Television.
More than a decade after the fall of the former Soviet Union and the Eastern European communist regimes, the international communist movement has been spurned worldwide. The demise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is only a matter of time.
Nevertheless, before its complete collapse, the CCP is trying to tie its fate to the Chinese nation, with its 5000 years of civilization. This is a disaster for the Chinese people. The Chinese people must now face the impending questions of how to view the CCP, how to help China evolve into a society without the CCP, and how to pass on the Chinese heritage.
The Epoch Times is now publishing a special editorial series, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. Before the lid is laid on the coffin of the CCP, we wish to pass a final judgment on it and on the international communist movement, which has been a scourge to humanity for over a century.
Throughout its 80-plus years, everything the CCP has touched has been marred with lies, wars, famine, tyranny, massacre, and terror. Traditional faiths and principles have been violently destroyed. Original ethical concepts and social structures have been disintegrated by force. Empathy, love, and harmony among people have been twisted into struggle and hatred. Veneration and appreciation of heaven and earth have been replaced by an arrogant desire to “fight with heaven and earth.”
The result has been a total collapse of social, moral, and ecological systems, and a profound crisis for the Chinese people—and indeed for humanity. All these calamities have been brought about through the deliberate planning, organization, and control of the CCP.
As a famous Chinese poem goes, “Deeply I sigh in vain for the falling flowers.” The end is near for the communist regime, which is barely struggling to survive. The days before its collapse are numbered. The Epoch Times believes the time is now ripe, before the CCP’s total demise, for a comprehensive look back, in order to fully expose how this largest cult in history has embodied the wickedness of all times and places.
We hope that those who are still deceived by the CCP will now see its nature clearly, purge its poison from their spirits, extricate their minds from its evil control, free themselves from the shackles of terror, and abandon for good all illusions about it.
The CCP’s rule is the darkest and the most ridiculous page in Chinese history. Among its unending list of crimes, the vilest must be its persecution of Falun Gong. In persecuting Falun Gong’s principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance,” Jiang Zemin has driven the last nail into the CCP’s coffin.
The Epoch Times believes that by understanding the true history of the CCP, we can help prevent such tragedies from ever recurring. At the same time, we hope each one of us would reflect on our innermost thoughts and examine whether our cowardice and compromise have made us accomplices in many tragedies that could have been avoided.
1. On What the Communist Party Is
2. On the Beginnings of the Chinese Communist Party
3. On the Tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party
4. On How the Communist Party Opposes the Universe
5. On the Collusion of Jiang Zemin with the CCP to Persecute Falun Gong
6. On How the Chinese Communist Party Destroyed Traditional Culture
7. On the Chinese Communist Party’s History of Killing
8. On How the Chinese Communist Party Is an Evil Cult
9. On the Unscrupulous Nature of the Chinese Communist Party
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party: FAQ
The Commentaries are also available in Video, and PDF format.
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| Fourteen Obvious and Crucial Questions about COVID 19 Vacines |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-01-2021, 07:38 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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14 obvious crucial questions about the Wuhan virus vaccines
“They” originally promised the only way back to “normal” was a vaccine for coronavirus. “They” obviously lied.
January 29, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) - A friend in Ireland sent this to me.
According to the government...
If I get vaccinated:
1.- Can I stop wearing the mask?
Government Response - No
2.- Can they reopen restaurants, pubs, bars etc and everyone work normally?
3.- Will I be resistant to covid?
Government Response - Maybe, but we don't know exactly, it probably won't stop you getting it
4.- At least I won't be contagious to others anymore?
Government Response - No you can still pass it on, possibly, nobody knows.
5.- If we vaccinate all children, will school resume normally?
Government Response - No
6.- If I am vaccinated, can I stop social distancing?
Government Response - No
7.- If I am vaccinated, can I stop disinfecting my hands?
Government Response - No
8.- If I vaccinate myself and my grandfather, can we hug each other?
Government Response - No
9.- Will cinemas, theatres and stadiums be reopened thanks to vaccines?
Government Response - No
10.- Will the vaccinated be able to gather?
Government Response - No
11.- What is the real benefit of vaccination?
Government Response - The virus won't kill you.
12.- Are you sure it won't kill me?
Government Response - No
13.- If statistically the virus won't kill me anyway ... Why would I get vaccinated?"
Government Response - To protect others.
14.- So if I get vaccinated, the others are 100% sure I'm not infecting them?
Government Response - No
So to summarize, the Covid19 vaccine...
Does not give immunity.
Does not eliminate the virus.
Does not prevent death.
Does not guarantee you won’t get it.
Does not prevent you from getting it.
Does not stop you passing it on
Does not eliminate the need for travel bans.
Does not eliminate the need for business closures.
Does not eliminate the need for lockdowns.
Does not eliminate the need for masking.
So...what is it actually doing?
You haven’t forgotten that “they” originally promised the only way back to “normal” was a vaccine for coronavirus. “They” obviously lied.
In addition, a number of prominent leaders have lately been insisting there will be no return to normal. They are now very open about saying that everything has permanently changed to a “new normal.”
Klaus Schwab – founder of the World Economic Forum – makes it very clear in this excerpt from a talk by him.
Everything that we are going through right now, including very dangerous, catastrophic lockdowns, will remain with us forever – according to “them.”
The relatively mild Wuhan virus, for which there have actually been several already existing, inexpensive, very safe, excellent preventives and treatments (see especially Dr. Simone Gold talk below) that are not allowed to be used, is their excuse for this dramatic, imposed change on the entire world population for a virus that is no more dangerous than the common flu for the large majority of the population.
Their supposed solution of the “experimental” vaccine, as you can see from the above list, is not really a medical solution at all. It is not only not effective, it is increasingly looking to be unusually dangerous for an alleged “vaccine”, which it is not.
Dr. Gold has recently given one of the best talks to date on the Wuhan virus and dangers of the “experimental” vaccines. Everyone should watch this talk. It should be promoted around the world.
So, again, what is the real purpose of these vaccines?
They have already told us – control of everyone to impose a New World Order/4th Industrial Revolution. We will all be required to have a vaccine passport or digital proof of vaccine, just as in Communist China, in order to enjoy already God-given rights and freedoms. Democracy and national sovereignty will be taken away and replaced by rule by a small, very powerful and wealthy elite.
Everyone needs to stop watching all television and newspaper news and actively organize to oppose this world tyranny. Anyone who believes any of their propaganda and goes along with it is making the biggest mistake of their lives. This tyranny, as all tyrannies do, will enslave almost everyone.
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| Septuagesima Week [Monday thru Saturday] |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-01-2021, 07:31 AM - Forum: Lent
- Replies (7)
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MONDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK
Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)
The serpent said to the woman: “Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?” Thus opened the conversation which our mother Eve so rashly consents to hold with God’s enemy. She ought to refuse all intercourse with Satan; she does not; and thereby she imperils the salvation of the whole human race.
Let us recall to mind the events that have happened up to this fatal hour. God, in His omnipotence and love, has created two beings, upon whom He has lavished all the riches of His goodness. He has destined them for immortality; and this undying life is to have everything that can make it perfectly happy. The whole of nature is subject to them, and love them with all the tenderness of grateful children. Nay, this God of goodness who has created them; deigns to be on terms of intimacy with them; and such is their simple innocence, that this adorable condescension does not seem strange to them. But there is something far beyond all this. He, whom they have hitherto known by favours of an inferior order, prepares for them a happiness which surpasses all they could picture with every effort of thought. They must first go through a trial; and if faithful, they will receive the great gift as a recompense they have merited. And this is the gift: God will give them to know Him in Himself, make them partakers of His own glory, and make their happiness infinite and eternal. Yes, this is what God has done, and is preparing to do for these two beings, who but a while ago were nothing.
In return for all these gratuitous and magnificent gifts, God asks of them but one thing: that they acknowledge His dominion over them. Nothing, surely, can be sweeter to them than to make such a return; nothing could be more just. All they are, and all they have, and all the lovely creation around them, has been produced out of nothing by the lavish munificence of this God; they must, then, live for Him, faithful, loving, and grateful. He asks them to give Him one only proof of this fidelity, love, and gratitude: He bids them not to eat of the fruit of one single tree. The only return He asks for all the favours He has bestowed upon them, is the observance of this easy commandment. His sovereign justice will be satisfied by this act of obedience. They ought to accept such terms with hearty readiness, and comply with them with a hold pride, as being not only the tie which will unite them with their God, but the sole means in their power of paying Him what He asks of them.
But there comes another voice, the voice of a creature, and it speaks to the woman: ‘Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree?’ And Eve dares, and has the heart, to listen to him that asks why her divine Benefactor has put a command upon her! She can bear to hear the justice of God’s will called in question! Instead of protesting against the sacrilegious words, she tamely answers them! Her God is blasphemed and she is not indignant! How dearly we shall have to pay for this ungrateful indifference, this indiscretion! ‘And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commended us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.’ (Gen. iii. 2,3) Thus Eve not only listens to the serpent’s question, she answers him; she converses with the wicked spirit that tempts her. She exposes herself to danger; her fidelity to her Maker is compromised. True, the words she uses show that she has not forgotten His command; but they imply a certain hesitation, which savours of pride and ingratitude.
The spirit of evil finds that he has excited, in this heart, a love of independence; and that if he can but persuade her that she will not suffer from her disobedience, she is his victim. He, therefore, further addresses her with these blasphemous and lying words: “No, you shall not die the death; for God knoweth, that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” What he proposes to Eve is open rebellion. He has enkindled within her that perfidious love of self which is man’s worst evil, and which, if it be indulged, breaks the tie between him and his Creator. Thus the blessings God has bestowed, the obligation of gratitude, personal interest, all are to be disregarded and forgotten. Ungrateful man would become a god; he would imitate the rebel angels: he shall fall as they did.
In Dominica Tyrophagi
Adeadum anima mea infelix, actus tuos hodie defle, memoria recolns priorem in Eden nuditatem, propter quam deliciis et perenni gaudio excidisti.
Come, my poor soul! bewail this day thy deeds. Think within thyself of that sin which made thee naked in Eden, and robbed thee of delight and joy eternal.
Pro multa pietate atque miserationibus, Conditor creaturæ et factor universorum, me pulvere prius animatum una cum angelis tuis te collaudare præcepisti.
Creator of me and of all things! in thy great goodness and mercy, thou, having made me out of dust, and given me a soul, didst command me to unite with the angels in praising thee.
Propter bonitatis divitias, plantas tu, Conditor et Domine, paradisi delicias in Eden, jubens me speciosis jucundisque minimeque caducis fructibus oblectari.
My Maker and Lord! in the riches of thy goodness, thou plantest a paradise of delights in Eden, and biddest me feast on its lovely, sweet, and incorruptible fruits.
Hei mihi! anima mea misera, fruendarum Eden voluptatum faculatem a Deo acceperas, vetitumque tibi ne scientiæ lignum manducares: qua de causa Dei legem violasti?
Woe is me, O my wretched soul! Thy God permitted thee that thou shouldst enjoy the Eden of delights, if thou wouldst obey him and not eat of the tree of knowledge. Wherefore didst thou violate his law?
(Virgo Dei Genitrix, utpote Adami ex genere filia, per gratiam vero Christi Dei Mater, nunc me revoca ex Eden ejectum.)
(O Virgin-Mother of God! Daughter of Adam by nature, but Mother of Christ by grace! recall me now the exile from Eden.)
Serpens dolosus honorem meum quondam mihi invidens, in Evæ auribus delum insusurravit, unde ego deceptus, hei mihi! e vitæ sede exsulavi.
The crafty serpent envying me such honor, whispered his guile into Eve’s ear; and I, alas! deceived by her, was banished from the land of life.
Manu temere extensa, scientiæ lignum degustavi, quod ne contingeren mihi Deus omnino præscripserat, et cum acerbo doloris sensu divinam gloriam exsul amisi.
Rashly stretching forth my hand, I tasted of the tree of knowledge, which God forbade me even to touch: and then, with keen sense of grief, I, an exile, lost the glory of God.
Hei mihi! misera anima mea, quomodo dolum non nosti? Quomodo fraudem et inimici invidiam minime sensisti? Sed mente obtenebrata Conditoris tui mandatum neglexisti.
Alas, miserable man! How came I not to know the snare? How was it that I suspected not the enemy’s craft and envy? My soul was darkened and I set at nought my Creator’s command.
(Spes et protectio mea, O veneranda, quæ sola olim lapsi Adami nuditatem cooperuisti puerperio tuo, rursus, O pura, me incorruptionis veste circumda.)
(O most venerable one! my hope and refuge! who by giving birth to thy Jesus, didst cover the nakedness of fallen Adam, clothe me too, O Virgin, with this incorruptible garb!)
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| Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - February |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 01-31-2021, 11:05 PM - Forum: Doctors of the Church
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Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
THE TITLE: Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales (changed from the Italian Buon Giorno . . . Teachings and Examples from the Life of Saint Francis de Sales). This replaced the previous title and subtitle: Saint Francis de Sales in Teachings and Example . . . A sacred Diary Extracted from His Life and Works by the Vistandines of Rome. This title was taken from the first edition (Ferrari, Rome, 1953).
CONTENT AND STRUCTURE: Every page contains a thought from the works of Saint Francis de Sales and a brief account of some event of his life which took place on that date. The first taken from the Oeuvres d'Annecy with an indication of volume and page and then the work form which the passage has been taken (e.g. Sermons, Treatises, Letters). As far as the two major woks are concerned, the book or part and chapter have been added, for further clarification. This will allow the reader to refer to the passages for personal consultation or greater understanding. The anecdotes have been taken from the work Anne Sainte, with an indication of both volume and page. Because of the brevity of the selections chosen, we have added a maxim taken from a book by an anonymous author, Massime di S. Francesco di Sales (Salesian Press, Milan, 1929).
TEXT AND FORMAT: The Italian revision of the book made necessary the rereading of the selections chosen and a comparison with the original French. Every effort has been made to keep the gentle tone of Saint Francis de Sales.
ABBREVIATIONS AND REFERENCES:
A.S. Annee Sainte des Religieuse de la Visitation Sainte Marie, (12 vol. ed.)
D.S. Diario Sacre extracted from his life and works, compiled by the Visitandines of Rome. (Ed. Ferrari, Rome 1953)
INT. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life
Hamon P. Hamon, Vie de St. Francois de Sales, (2 vol., Paris 1854)
O. Oeuvres de St. Francois de Sales, publiees par lessouis des Religieuses de la Visitation du Premier Monastere d'Annecy (26 vol. , Annecy 1892-1932)
SOL. Francis de Sales, Meditazioni per la Solitudine
T.L.G. Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God
Please note: If you buy the book, the bible quotes are not from the Douay Reims, in putting these meditations online for The Catacombs, I have
changed the Bible Quotes to reflectthe Douay Reims Bible.
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
February 1st (page 32)
Many are satisfied with carrying the Lord on their tongue, recounting His marvels and praising Him with great ardor; others carry Him in their hearts with tender and loving affection, which becomes part and parcel of their lives, thinking of Him and speaking to Him. But these two ways of carrying the Lord do not amount to much if the third element of carrying Him in their arms by good works is missing.
(Sermons 2; O. IX, p. 22)
Yesterday we were considering the infancy of Francis of Sales, so today let us be occupied with the early years of his youth. To make himself worthy of the gifts of God, he passed his time in the study of literature and virtue throughout the springtime of his life, which others ordinarily fill with vain occupations. Serious studies, holy conferences, self-restraint, obedience – this was the life of the upright young man who thus laid down solid foundations for the great edifice of his perfection. In his youth he prescribed for himself spiritual exercises adapted to each day and night, providing for solitude and for conversation, for internal and external worship of God, and for Holy Communion. All this is so full of devotion that in merely reading them one feels
the inspiration of grace. After His confirmation at this time, he joined the Confraternity of the Rosary and the Sodality of Mary, conducted by the Jesuits , where he became a prefect and observed the rule regularly. He entrusted himself to the Madonna by a vow of chastity and resolved to recite daily the crown of the seven stations, commonly called the “Crown of Thorns.” Often he retired to a quiet spot to pray, away from distractions, graciously saying to his tutor, “I am going to do my watch at the court of the Queen of Heaven; I beg you not to come and disturb me.”
(A.S. II, p. 1)
No one is esteemed before God for having lived long – but only for having lived well. For nothing is small in the service of God.
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| Cardinal Pie: The Family is the First Society |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 01-31-2021, 10:54 PM - Forum: Cardinal Pie
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THE FAMILY IS THE FIRST SOCIETY – according to Cardinal Pie
The Family is the First Society. Msgr. P:ie, the Doctor of social worship, would first speak of domestic worship, indispensable prelude of public worship, in the strict sense. In 1854, in the Synodal Letter of the Fathers of the Council of Rochelle, he made this to be inserted in its deliberations. (Vol. II, 148-150). We cite the principal passages. It is a magnificent picture of the Christian family:
“In the language of St. Paul, each home is a sanctuary. Let the Crucifix of Jesus Christ be found there as the sign of every Christian home and let the image of Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, be inseparable from the Crucifix! Let holy water and blessed palms protect the house against the ambushes of the enemy; let the candles of the Candlemas (in the book the word that appears as “Chandelier”, unfortunately it is a miss translation from chandeleur which is Candlemas) be conserved so as to be lighted in the times of danger, at the hour of agony and of death. Ah! Would that our fathers possess the secret of this totally Christian life where religion had its place marked in all things. Mealtime would be sanctified by the blessing that would be recited by the head of the family. Three times a day, when the sacred sound would ring out from the parish bell-tower, each one would suspend his work to lovingly invoke the Virgin who has given to the world the Word made flesh. At the end of the property a cross would be planted that the worker could piously greet upon returning from his day’s work. Again, one would find, in the course of the work-day, some moments to recite the rosary; there would be read some pages from a handed-down book that contained the principle facts from the two testaments and the most beautiful features from the lives of the Saints. The mother of the family would not feel she had fulfilled all her religious duties other than when she had been able to explain to her children and to her servants some article of Christian doctrine. If it happened that the funeral bell tolled announcing a death, all the brothers and all the sisters in Jesus Christ of the deceased would promptly accord to them the benefit of their suffrages; and the prayers for the dead so neglected today would be brought about by various testimonials and by the practices that could not be overstated. Finally, when the last ray of daylight would surround the hearth around the dispersed family, how touching was it to see the elderly and the children, masters and servants, genuflect before the holy images, to intermingle in a single prayer their voices and their love? These pious expressions drew down upon earth blessings from heaven; they enabled the house at the same time that they sanctified and reflected upon society so grave a matter, so worthy to maintain, along with the unity of the dogmas of the faith, innocence of morals and the union of wills.
“Would that we could see these touching practices of Christian times revived.” (II, 149-150. See also V, 21, 29: Allocution pronounced following the consecration of the altar of a certain chapel, Aug. 4, 1863.)
Nothing is left out in this program of Christian family life. But Msgr. Pie knew what an important and delicate role is reserved in the family for the Christian woman: it is she who keeps watch over the faith. She is encouraged to fulfill this sublime role with perfection and, by thus encouraging the family, she shows them that they must work also, in its turn, for the Christian social restoration. We listen: “During the first half of this (19th) century, the Church has not encountered under its hand another truly conservative element, no other seriously powerful conservative than the French woman. . . . These are the French women who have prevented the worship of the Name of God from perishing upon the land and who, despite sarcasms and scorn, have preserved in their hearts and in their practices the religion of Jesus Christ.” But as for the Christian women of today to be worthy of those who have preceded them, it behooves them “to preserve in themselves the life of faith and of grace, the spirit of renouncement and sacrifice.” They are exhorted to be energetically opposed “to those new habits, to those allurements that are foreign to the traditions of our national and Christian education, which threatens to substitute to this smooth modesty, to this noble and reserved affluence, to this cheerful and bright charm, in a word, to all the inexpressible qualities that have rendered French women the admiration of the whole world.” (Eulogy of Saint Theodosius: II, 1-14)
In order to maintain and develop Christian life in the domestic realm, Msgr. Pie consecrated the families of this diocese to the Sacred Heart. (VI, 614)
Source: The Book “The Social Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Cardinal Pie” in English, pages 98-100. An English translation by Daniel Leonardi. The French version can be found in "Oeuvres de Monseigneur L'Eveque de Poitiers - Tome II, page 149.
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| March 11th - St. Eulogius |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 01-31-2021, 10:53 PM - Forum: March
- Replies (1)
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Saint Eulogius
Martyr
(† 859)
Saint Eulogius was of a senatorial family of Cordova, at that time the capital of the Moors in Spain. He was educated among the clergy of the Church of Saint Zoilus, a martyr who had suffered with nineteen others several centuries earlier, under Diocletian. In his own time still, many Christians were resisting the efforts of the Moors to make the Christians apostatize. Without ever weakening, Eulogius, who was a priest and head of the principal ecclesiastical school at Cordova, combated the perverse influence of the invaders, and it is primarily because of him that the Church saw a new and magnificent flowering of victims immolated for the faith, later to be the source of great blessings for Spain. Eulogius recorded the names and acts of these generous martyrs.
In 850, he himself was seized and imprisoned. In prison he wrote his Exhortation to Martyrdom, addressed to the virgins Flora and Mary, who were beheaded on the 24th of November, 851. Six days after their death he was set at liberty. In the year 852 several others suffered the same martyrdom. Saint Eulogius encouraged these martyrs, too, for their triumphs, and was the support of the distressed flock. When the Archbishop of Toledo died in 858, Saint Eulogius was elected to succeed him; but some obstacle hindered him from being consecrated, and his martyrdom would follow in less than two months.
A virgin, by name Leocritia, of a wealthy governing family of Moors, had been instructed from her infancy in the Christian religion by one of her relatives, and privately baptized. Her father and mother treated her cruelly, scourging her to compel her to renounce her faith. Having made her situation known to Saint Eulogius and his sister, adding that she desired to go where she might freely exercise her religion, they secretly procured for her means of escaping, and concealed her for some time among faithful friends. But the matter was at length discovered, and they were all brought before the Moslem magistrate, who threatened to have Eulogius scourged to death. The Saint told him that his torments would be of no avail, for he would never change his religion; continuing, he exposed vigorously the impostures and errors of the Moslem religion, and exhorted the judge to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, the unique Saviour of the world. At this, the judge gave orders that he be taken to the palace and be presented before the king's council.
Eulogius boldly proposed the truths of the Gospel to these officials. But in order not to hear him, the council condemned him immediately to be decapitated. As they were leading him at once to execution, one of the guards gave him a blow on the face for having spoken against the prophet Mahomet; he turned the other cheek, and patiently received a second. He received the stroke of death with great cheerfulness, on the 11th of March, 859. Saint Leocritia was beheaded four days afterwards, and her body thrown into the Guadalquivir River, but salvaged for burial by the Christians.
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| The Seven Penitential Psalms |
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Posted by: Stone - 01-31-2021, 04:11 PM - Forum: Prayers and Devotionals
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Psalm 6
David, struck down by sickness, asks pardon of God, and beseeches Him to heal the wounds of his soul.
Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua corripias me. Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum; sana me, Domine, quoniam conturbata sunt ossa mea. Et anima mea turbata est valde; sed tu, Domine, usquequo? Convertere, Domine, et eripe animam meam; salvum me fac propter misericordiam tuam. Quoniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui; in inferno autem quis confitebitur tibi? Laboravi in gemitu meo; lavabo per singulas noctes lectum meum; lacrimis meis stratum meum rigabo. Turbatus est a furore oculus meus; inveteravi inter omnes inimicos meos. Discedite a me omnes qui operamini iniquitatem, quoniam exaudivit Dominus vocem fletus mei. Exaudivit Dominus deprecationem meam; Dominus orationem meam suscepit. Erubescant, et conturbentur vehementer omnes inimici mei; convertantur, et erubescant valde velociter.
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but thou, O Lord, how long? Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for thy mercy's sake. For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee: and who shall confess to thee in hell? I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears. My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.
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