Reading for the 22nd Sunday after Trinity

Sunday, being the 23rd after Pentecost, was therefore the 22nd after Trinity; and the new Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham provides, as the "post-biblical reading" of the day for use at either the Office of Readings in the modern Roman Liturgy of the Hours, or for use at either Morning or Evening Prayer as set out in the Customary, a most interesting and profitable passage from William Beveridge's sermon  ‘Christ’s Resurrection the cause of our Justification’ – which, having found online elsewhere (as Sermon LXXIV in Volume IV of his works), I subjoin below. He I had not heard of previous to reading this work; I discover that he was born in 1637 and died in 1708, which means he would be classed as one of the Caroline Divines; he was Anglican Bishop of St Asaph, in Wales.

Herewith, the sermon:

Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity

A reading from the sermons of William Beveridge.

[…]

Now, according to this the true notion of faith described by the Holy Ghost himself, as we hope for pardon and justification from Christ, according to the promises which God hath made us in him, upon our believing in him for it, we are accordingly pardoned and justified by him, because we are thereby actually stated [sic] in him, and made partakers of him, and of all that he hath merited for that purpose; as the apostle saith, ‘We are partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end’ (Heb 3:14). So that if we continue stedfastly to believe in Christ, we are thereby partakers of him; and if of him, then, be sure, of all that is in him, as he is our Mediator and Redeemer.

Hence they who truly believe in him are said to be ‘one with him’ (Jn 17:21); to be ‘joined to him’ (1 Cor 6:17); to be ‘in him’ (2 Cor 5:17, Rom. 16:7, Phil 1:1); ‘to dwell in him’ (1 Jn 4:13); to ‘abide in him’ (1 Jn 3:6); ‘as a branch abideth in the vine’ (Jn 15:4-6); and a member in the body, for ‘he is the head of the body, the church’ (Col 1:18); and believers are all members, ‘every one in particular’ (1 Cor 12:27); yea, they are ‘members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones’ (Eph 5:30); and so are united and joined to him as a wife is to her husband.

This is that mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his church, betwixt Christ and all that truly believe in him; by their believing in him they are thus united to him, and by virtue of this their union to him, they partake of all his merits: as a branch partakes of the sap and juice that is in the stock, as a member partakes of the spirit that is in the head, and as a wife partakes of all the honours, estate, and privileges of her husband, so doth a believer partake of all the merits of Christ, by reason of his being joined to him, and abiding always in him. He was crucified with him (Gal 2:20), and he rose again with him (Col 3:1). He was in him and with him in all he did or suffered, and so he in him satisfied God’s justice for his sins, he in him fulfilled all righteousness, and therefore he in him may justly be accounted righteous before God himself. He cannot but be so, upon that very account, because he is in Christ. ‘For there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.’ (Rom 8:1) And if they be not condemned, they must needs be justified, and if they be justified, or accounted righteous before God, it must be by that righteousness which they have in him, in whom they are, for they have no other which may truly be accounted so; but in him they have most absolute and perfect righteousness, because his was so; and being his in whom they are by their believing in him, it is reckoned theirs too as effectually, to all intents and purposes, as if it had been performed in their own persons. […]

But here we must observe, that all who, being thus in Christ, are justified by his merit, they are also sanctified by the Spirit that is in him. As there is ‘no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ,’ so they ‘walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit’ (Rom 8:1). And ‘if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature’ (2 Cor 5:17): therefore ‘a new creature’ because in him, who is ‘made to us wisdom and sanctification’, as well as ‘righteousness and redemption’; and all that are of him partake of all that is in him; of his wisdom to make them wise, and his grace to make them holy in themselves, as well as of his righteousness and merit to justify them before God. […]

And this is that which St James means, where he treats upon this subject, wherein some have thought he contradicts St Paul, but that is a great mistake, for St Paul saith, that ‘we are justified by faith without the works of the law’ (Rom 3:28). St James doth not say, that we are justified by the works of the law without faith, he only saith, that ‘a man is justified by works, and not by faith only’ (Jas 2:24), where he plainly asserts our justification by faith, and only denies that we are justified by faith only, or by such a faith as is alone, without good works. [...]

Hobart Missa Cantata: the Postcommunion

To-day I’ve been down to Hobart and back, for to M.C. at our monthly Traditional Latin Mass, the one and only permitted in the Archdiocese (whatever a certain Supreme Pontiff may have decreed).

(This began as a comment on David Schütz's blog, but I've decided to save time and cross-post it here on my own.)

In any case, not to belly-ache but to celebrate, I was indeed uniquely privileged to stand at the priest’s side throughout the Liturgy (but for the prayers at the foot of the altar, the Consecration and my own Communion, naturally), and doing so made me suddenly aware (as I pointed it out for Father in the Missal) that the Postcommunion of to-day, the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost in the Extraordinary Form is – that of this selfsame Sunday in the Ordinary Form, the 33rd Sunday per annum!

It is actually quite rare to find any prayer or chant occurring in both forms of the Roman Rite on the same day, so my curiosity was piqued.

The first thing to note is an important change of address made by the revisers: in the traditional Missal, the Postcommunion is as follows:

Súmpsimus, Dómine, sacri dona mystérii, humíliter deprecántes, ut, quæ in tui commemoratiónem nos * fácere præcépisti, in nostræ profíciant infirmitátis auxílium. Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre…

I have highlighted the words subsequently changed, and inserted an asterisk where two new words were inserted in the reform – obviously, the prayer was redirected, so as to address God the Father rather than God the Son (and if I recall correctly that was itself a change made centuries earlier, from the initial almost total address of all such orations to the Father, to also addressing the Son if the prayer seemed to better suit it):

Súmpsimus, Dómine, sacri dona mystérii, humíliter deprecántes, ut, quæ in sui commemoratiónem nos *Fílius tuus* fácere praecépit, in nostræ profíciant caritátis augméntum. Per Christum…

The other interesting, and, I am afraid, all too predictable modification was that made to the intention of the prayer: no longer do we pray for aid for our weakness, but for an increase of charity. Now, both intentions are good and orthodox, but unfortunately the semi-Pelagian feel of “Gaudium et Spes” (to quote the current Pope when commenting when yet a priest on the Council documents!) has here made itself manifest: we do not confess our weakness, but perhaps too complacently ask for a boost to our lovingkindness.

In other news from today’s Mass, the choir was without its usual director, and the threat of having only a Low Mass was upon us – but, perhaps high-handedly and selfishly preferring a  Missa cantata (mea culpa), I reminded Simon, as locum tenens of the choir director, that as a bare minimum the Propers could simply be monotoned, advised him to sing the most familiar setting of the Ordinary (Missa VIII – de Angelis – and Credo III), and suggested that any other Latin ditties he knew could be sung to fill in the time at Offertory and Communion, so the good old Salve and Adoro te devote saved the day.

Before Mass and afterward, I reminded him that such was the practice over in Perth, W.A.,  whenever Fr Rowe wanted a sung Mass at the drop of a hat on a weekday (it brings back memories of a week's retreat, at which myself as the one chorister, and Aaron as the one server, had to provide him with a sung Mass between us daily).

We even sang “Faith of our Fathers” as a fitting recessional. Best of all (as we Catholics say) Mass was a bit faster than usual, taking just an hour.

Deo gratias et Mariæ!

23rd Sunday after Pentecost

This morning, despite the choir mistress being ill, the ladies' choir sang beautifully, and even looked after the Propers (to a psalm-tone), proving once again that it is easy to provide sung Mass -  tho' of course one would wish for the Gregorian Propers and polyphony if possible!  I must say, I would have liked in particular to have heard the magnificent Offertory, De profundis, sung to its glorious solemn chant.

Fr Rowe reminded us that the little girl raised to life by Our Blessed Lord, no less than the woman cured of her issue of blood, as recounted in to-day's Gospel (St Matthew ix,18-31), nonetheless in due process of time suffered death (again), as we shall also, most certainly; and that the gravestones in God's Acre, the cemetery, tell us "To-day our turn, to-morrow, yours". November, month of the Holy Souls, is well-nigh upon us, and preached on the ceremony of the consecration of a Catholic cemetery, a pontifical function that few will have witnessed, but whose details make for edification, instruction in our Catholic Faith, and an impulsion to visit cemeteries (as he tells us he does in November especially): there to pray for the dead and to meditate upon the Four Last Things - death, judgement, heaven, and hell.

Apparently, in the site to be set apart and hallowed for the burial of Catholics only (since those not children of the Church in life can have no part in death with those who were), five crosses, man-high, are erected, the largest in the middle and the others at the four corners; and before each are set three candles burning atop a stake.  Two vessels are also made ready, the one of holy water, the other containing blessed salt.  

The bishop then comes in procession with his ministers, and sings the Litanies of the Saints with a special triple petition inserted:  

Vouchsafe to purify and bless this cemetery.  R/.  We beseech Thee, hear us.

Vouchsafe to purify, bless and hallow this cemetery.  R/. We beseech Thee, hear us.
Vouchsafe to purify, bless, hallow and consecrate this cemetery.  R/. We beseech Thee, hear us.

He perambulates the whole site, sprinkling it with the holy water mixed with blessed salt, whilst the Asperges and the Penitential Psalms are sung, including the well-known Pss 50 and 129, the Miserere and De profundis, and inserting a long prayer after each.  

He asperses and censes each cross (as he does the walls), and moves the three lit candles from their stake to the topmost arm and the side arms of the cross.  All this signifies that the dead who shall repose in the cemetery (a word meaning resting place) have their hope of salvation and entry into heaven solely in the merits of their Crucified Saviour, Who has provided His Cross as the only ladder from earth to high heaven above, and Who is at once the Light of the World and the Eternal Light we pray may shine upon the souls of the faithful departed.  Again, around the central cross gather the faithful departed, whose bodies shall rest under its shadow, as the sheep around their Good Shepherd or as the chicks under their mother's wings, until the Day of Judgement when all souls shall be reunited with their bodies and rise again to meet their doom, to receive evermore whatever reward or punishment their deeds deserve.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the bishop sings a consecratory preface, and a final prayer, before his departure to a convenient church to celebrate or have celebrated a Requiem Mass.

Food for thought - and for wonderment: when shall I ever see this rite?

But, as the Epistle (Philippians iii,17 - iv,3) teaches, we must beware lest we be like those who are enemies of Christ's cross, whose god is their belly, who are entranced by terrene things, whose end is destruction; may our conversation be in heaven, may we look for the coming of Our Saviour, Who shall raise up our own mortal bodies to be as His own in glory, and so stand fast in Him, that our names too may be found inscribed in the Book of Life.

St Paul tells us plainly to imitate him, as he imitates Christ, and likewise to follow those who walk similarly: and this is the plain doctrine of adhering to the examples of the saints.