Mozarabic Monday

Lent in the Mozarabic Rite really begins on the Monday after the 1st Sunday, since that Mass is still festal, its chants adorned with manifold alleluia.  The old Spanish Lent, therefore, was as it were a tithe of the year.  Now, picture the scene.

Place yourself at Toledo: in the cathedral’s Mozarabic Rite chapel the faithful, silent, stand; silently, at this penitential season, the priest and his ministers advance to God’s altar; still without speaking, the priest bows awhile in prayer, then ascends the altar steps, kisses it, and goes to stand at his seat, where at length he first opens his mouth and salutes the congregation.  All attend to the readings that now begin.  A lector reads out the first lessson at the lectern; after he finishes, another takes his place.  The Old Testament lessons ended, the choir chants; a third lector reads the Epistle.  Next the deacon, with cerifers and thurifer, proceeds to the lectern to read the Gospel, first saluting the people (who stand in reverence), then censing the sacred volume.  The deacon having ended, then the priest having preached, again the choir sings God’s praises.  Next would come the offering of the Sacrifice…

But let us at the least unite ourselves to the Mass at Toledo by some participation in the Service of the Word, before in prayer making a spiritual communion as our devotion suggests.

Today, Lent opens with a splendid contrast: despite Wisdom’s warnings, transpires the Fall of Man – but “the time to have mercy has come” and, being reminded that “blessed is the man that endureth temptation”, we next hear with inexpressible joy of the Incarnation of the Word, come to deliver and save! “All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him.”

******

Mass of the Fast of Monday opening Lent

Missa jejunii de II feria inchoante Quadragesimæ 

Sapiential Lesson: Proverbs 2,1-9

Historical Lection: Genesis 3,1-19

Psallendum: Psalm 101,14-15

Apostle: James 1,1-12

Gospel: St John 1,1-14

Laudes: Psalm 21,24.27 

The Lord be ever with you. R/. And with thy spirit.

A Lesson from the Book of Proverbs. R/. Thanks be to God.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and wilt hide my commandments with thee, that thy ear may hearken to wisdom: Incline thy heart to know prudence: for if thou shalt call for wisdom, and incline thy heart to prudence: if thou shalt seek her as money, and shalt dig for her as for a treasure: then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and shalt find the knowledge of God.  Because the Lord giveth wisdom: and out of his mouth cometh prudence and knowledge.  He will keep the salvation of the righteous, and protect them that walk in simplicity.  Keeping the paths of justice, and guarding the ways of saints.  Then shalt thou understand justice, and judgment, and equity, and every good path.

R/. Amen.

A Lesson from the Book of Genesis. R/. Thanks be to God.

In those days:

Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?  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 commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.  And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.  For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.  And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.  And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.  And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou?  And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.  And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?  And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.  And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.  I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.  To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband's power, and he shall have dominion over thee.  And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.  Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.

R/. Amen.

R/. Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Sion: * For it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come.

V/. For the stones thereof have pleased thy servants: and they shall have pity on the earth thereof. * For it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come.

The beginning of the Epistle of the Apostle James to the Twelve Tribes. R/. Thanks be to God.

James the servant of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.  My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into divers temptations; knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  And patience hath a perfect work; that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing.  But if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind.  Therefore let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is inconstant in all his ways.  But let the brother of low condition glory in his exaltation: and the rich, in his being low; because as the flower of the grass shall he pass away. For the sun rose with a burning heat, and parched the grass, and the flower thereof fell off, and the beauty of the shape thereof perished: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.

R/. Amen.

The Lord be ever with you. R/. And with thy spirit.

The beginning of the Holy Gospel according to John. R/. Glory to Thee, O Lord.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light. That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

R/. Amen.

Ye that fear the Lord, praise him: * In the midst of the church. 

V/.  They shall praise the Lord that seek him: * In the midst of the church.