Mass in Hobart, Holy Hour in Launceston

After a good sleep-in, I M.C.'d our Missa cantata – and well attended it was too, with fifty in the congregation; we also celebrated one young fellow's First Holy Communion, and welcomed a new server into the altar party. Since the choir had prepared for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Father celebrated that Mass, rather than the external solemnity of Corpus Christi (and as a commenter noted on the last post, this Sunday's Proper is actually very apposite indeed); unfortunately the family who made and bring with them the vestments had thought we would do Corpus Christi, so Father wore white... ah well, call it very pale green...

Mass, which began late owing to many coming for confessions beforehand, finished just before one o'clock; I quickly changed out of cassock and surplice and jumped behind the wheel, so as to return to Launceston in time for our parish's special four o'clock Holy Hour in union with the Holy Father in Rome – a few stops later, I arrived with ten minutes to spare, and ended up serving as thurifer. Unfortunately my right knee (injured years ago) played up rather – thank you, Lord, for this penance!

Less is more: Exposition began in the usual manner with O salutaris hostia (in English), then Father led us in a few short prayers, before forty minutes of silent adoration. (I decided 'twere best to employ myself in the day hours, and managed to get from Lauds up to half-way through Vespers...) We then concluded in the usual manner with Tantum ergo (in English) &c., Benediction itself, the Divine Praises, and two favourite hymns to end: "Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all" at reposition, and "Let all mortal flesh keep silence" as recessional. We concluded at five o'clock.

Corpus Christi?

I haven't checked, but I assume that to-morrow's monthly Missa cantata in Hobart will be of the external solemnity of Corpus Christi (which in the EF Calendar fell on Thursday), rather than of the first [sorry! second*] Sunday after Pentecost – I will find out on Sunday morning!

Now, time to grab a few items, load up the car and drive down south... I will stay overnight and catch up with a dear friend, before acting as M.C. at the Mass. Directly afterward, however, I must head back north, since our parish is having Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 4 pm, and I need to be back in time to assist, as I promised.

Next weekend, a long weekend (given the Queen's Birthday holiday on Monday), I will be in marvellous Melbourne; I suppose I'll attend the Divine Liturgy in East St Kilda with my Russian Catholic friends, although all things being equal I wouldn't mind hearing High Mass at Caulfield; or I could go to the  nearby Ordinariate Mass (that part of Melbourne being a "liturgical triangle"). Decisions, decisions...

[* Thanks for the correction, Kate; luckily the sacristan at St Canice alerted me to this, after I'd already set the Missal on the altar, else it would have been a particularly embarrassing error for me to make as an M.C. with liturgical pretensions... in my defence, I was thinking of it being the first after Trinity...]

Farewell Whitsuntide, Paschaltide, and Regina cæli

This week I have striven to say some of the Breviary Hours, thus participating in some degree in the liturgy of Whitsuntide, the Octave of Pentecost, the last echo of the Paschal season. Just as in the Extraordinary Form, the traditional, immemorial form of the Roman Rite, Lent is preceded by Septuagesimatide, beginning 63 days before Easter Sunday, so the Octave of Pentecost follows on and continues the celebration of Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter, until the 56th day, Whit Saturday. (If, as is now common, Corpus Christi is kept on the Sunday after Trinity, the Solemnity of the Sacrament of the Altar falls on the 64th day, 63 days after Easter, exactly parallel to Septuagesima Sunday 63 days before Easter.)

At midday this Whit Saturday, walking back to my car after brunch, I prayed for the last time this year the Regina cæli, which I first repeated with the special Premonstratensian and Dominican forms:

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluja,

Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluja,

Spiritum misit, sicut dixit, alleluja:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluja. (O.Præm.) 

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluja,

Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluja,

Jam ascendit, sicut dixit, alleluja:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluja. (O.P.) 

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluja,

Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluja,

Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluja:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluja.

("Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia, for He Whom thou didst merit to bear, alleluia, hath sent the Spirit / now ascended / risen again, as He said, alleluia: pray for us to God, alleluia.")

Eastertide ends after None; first Vespers of the Holy Trinity marks the beginning of the long Sundays per annum. This year, Trinity Sunday falls on the feast of St Philip Neri, and he will not be marked by any commemoration because of this (except among his sons the Oratorians, who transfer his feast to Monday); he will I am sure be pleased by this coincidence, being one who preferred to hide his sanctity, and who has now been "hidden with Christ in God" for over four hundred years. "Eternity!" – such he once cried; and what must that be like?

I will be serving at the parish vigil Mass this evening, and will be asking St Philip's prayers – not least for the Oratorians throughout the world, and specially for those in process of establishing a new Oratory in Brisbane. 

Varia

Various goings-on this week: for a change, there will be Benediction at Carmel this afternoon at 5.45 pm, it being the transferred solemnity of Corpus Christi, and on Friday, the feast of the Sacred Heart, there will be Exposition at Church of Apostles from after the noon Mass until 6 pm (presumably concluding with Benediction, though who knows these days).

On the domestic front, I've just bought a new bookcase, to deal with the ever-growing overflow and inflow of books that I purchase... at the moment, I actually have four empty shelves, but that won't last long!  (A friend of mine and fellow bibliophile, Jennifer - one of the members of Psallamus, the choir at St Aloysius, the Latin Mass parish in Melbourne - tells me that she's had to give away twelve boxes of books in order to free up the spare room: I was tempted to say, Why didn't you send them here? but realize that was my biblio-avarice talking.)

In other news, two seminarians I know are off to Rome in due course for studies, and another seminarian (currently at Wagga) is doing well, Deo gratias. 

******

Litanies - which to say when?  I came up with a scheme for this years back, which I may resurrect pro opportunitate:

• Sunday - Litanies of the Most Holy Name of Jesus;
  
• Monday- Litanies of the Most Precious Blood;
  
• Tuesday - not litanies, but the Veni Creator or Veni Sancte in honour of the Holy Ghost;
  
• Wednesday - Litanies of St Joseph;
  
• Thursday - Litanies of the Most Blessed Sacrament;
  
• Friday - Litanies of the Sacred Heart;
  
• Saturday - Litanies of Loreto, that is, of Our Lady.

There are various systems by which certain days are considered as set aside for sundry devotions - this scheme is a composition of these.  Of course, Saturdays are devoted to Our Lady, as all men know; and so likewise Wednesdays for St Joseph, her most chaste spouse.  The Litanies of the Holy Name mention the Resurrection, to which mystery Sunday is dedicated; Mondays traditionally are days to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and the Litanies of the Precious Blood contain the words "Precious Blood of Jesus, delivering souls from the lake of purgatory"; God the Holy Ghost is customarily specially adored on Tuesdays; and of course Thursday is the weekly commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist, while Friday is devoted to the Passion, which is mentioned in the Litanies of the Sacred Heart.

It ought be observed that the full Litanies of the Saints are suitable for every day, but given their length may be used on penitential days especially.

Corpus Christi Again

I will pass over the Mass I attended this morning, for Corpus Christi juxta modum Novi Ordinis...

I decided to look back to the Office of Corpus Christi according to the Dominican Rite (since I have the 1962 Breviarium S.O.P.) and compare it with the Roman:

According to the custom of the Friars Preachers (shared I believe with many mediæval uses), the psalms at Vespers are sung under one antiphon only - Sacerdos at first and Sapientia (from Lauds) at second Vespers - and furthermore, the psalmody at first Vespers is taken from the Laudate psalms: Pss 112, 116, 145, 146 and 147 (at second Vespers, the same psalms as those in the Roman Office are used).

At first Vespers, furthermore, after the Capitulum is sung a long responsory (again, a common mediæval custom): Homo quidam fecit cenam magnam.

The Little Chapter at both Vespers, Lauds and Terce is Dominus Jesus in qua nocte tradebatur (I Cor. xi, 23b-24a), which is an abbreviation of the Roman Fratres: Ego enim accepi a Domino (I Cor. xi, 23-24).

Compline of the eve and of the feast itself features a proper Nunc dimittis antiphon: Alleluia, panis quem ego dabo (for in the Dominican Rite, Compline has seasonal and festal variants, and there exists a common tune for this antiphon, festooned with alleluias, with its text changed to match several different solemnities.)

At Matins, the lessons of the first Nocturn are entirely different from the Roman (which are taken from I Cor. xi, 20-32), being instead from Exodus xii, 1-8 (the Passover, so tying into the first Responsory Immolabit hædum), Exodus xvi, 10-15 (the coming of the manna, and hence connecting with the second Responsory Comedetis carnes) and III (I) Kings xix, 3b-8 (Elias being fed by the angel with such food as to walk to the Mount of God, which segues into the third Responsory Respexit Elias).  The lessons of the second Nocturn - from Aquinas - are about the same as those of the Roman Rite, but constitute a shorter extract, amounting to little more than two equivalent lessons.  The lessons of the third Nocturn - from Augustine - are the same as the Roman, but differently cut up into three passages.

The Responsories of Matins are very similar, but the fourth and ninth Responsories (Panis quem ego and Unus panis) are proper to the Dominican Rite, omitting the sixth Roman Responsory, and so renumbering two of the remaining Responsories.

Before Lauds, after the Te Deum of Matins, there is the sacerdotal verse Comedi favum (again, it was common in the Middle Ages to have such a versicle).

One thing that surprises me in both the Roman and Dominican Offices for Corpus Christi is that the short Responsory at Prime does not have a special versicle appointed for it, whereas it does for the feasts of the Sacred Heart, the Precious Blood, the Transfiguration, Christus Rex, etc. - I had expected something like "Who givest us Thy Body to eat."

Litanies of the Most Blessed Sacrament

While not officially approved for public use, the customary Litanies of the Most Blessed Sacrament are quite old, and so far as I know first appear soon after the Council of Trent - from whose decrees several of the appellations of the Blessed Sacrament are taken; I would not be surprised if the good Fathers of the Society of Jesus gave it birth.  The sources appear to be about half from Holy Writ and half from Trent, Popes, Doctors, and Fathers.

Here is my transcription of it, with sources supplied where possible:

Litaniæ de Sanctissimo Sacramento (Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament)

Kyrie, eleison
R. Kyrie, eleison
Christe, eleison
R. Christe, eleison.
Kyrie, eleison
R. Kyrie, eleison.

(Lord, have mercy
R. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy
R. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy
R. Lord, have mercy.)

Christe, audi nos.
R. Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
R. Christe, exaudi nos.

(Christ, hear us
R. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
R. Christ, graciously hear us.)

Pater de cælis, Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Fili, Redemptor mundi, Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Spiritus Sancte, Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus,
R. miserere nobis.

(God the Father of Heaven,
R. have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
R. have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit,
R. have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
R. have mercy on us.)

Joan 6:41b & 51 Ego sum panis vivus, qui de cælo descendi (& cf. vv.35,38)

I. 1. Panis vive, qui de cælo descendisti,
R. miserere nobis.

(Living Bread, who didst descend from heaven,
R. have mercy on us.)

Is 45:15 Vere tu es Deus absconditus, Deus Israël, salvator.

2. Deus absconditus et Salvator,
R. miserere nobis.

(Hidden God and Saviour,
R. have mercy on us.)

Zach 9:17 Quid enim bonum ejus est, et quid pulchrum ejus, nisi frumentum electorum, et vinum germinans virgines?

3. Frumentum electorum,
R. miserere nobis.
4. Vinum germinans virgines,
R. miserere nobis.

(Grain of the elect,
R. have mercy on us.
Vine sprouting forth virgins,
R. have mercy on us.)

Gn 49:20 Aser, pinguis panis ejus, et præbebit delicias regibus.

5. Panis pinguis et deliciæ regum,
R. miserere nobis.

(Wholesome Bread and delicacy of kings,
R. have mercy on us.)

Dn 8:11-13 Et usque ad principem fortitudinis magnificatum est: et ab eo tulit juge sacrificium, et dejecit locum sanctificationis ejus. 

Robur autem datum est ei contra juge sacrificium propter peccata: et prosternetur veritas in terra, et faciet, et prosperabitur. 

Et audivi unum de sanctis loquentem: et dixit unus sanctus alteri nescio cui loquenti: Usquequo visio, et juge sacrificium, et peccatum desolationis quæ facta est: et sanctuarium, et fortitudo conculcabitur? 

Dn 11:31 Et brachia ex eo stabunt, et polluent sanctuarium fortitudinis, et auferent juge sacrificium: et dabunt abominationem in desolationem. 

Dn 12:11 Et a tempore cum ablatum fuerit juge sacrificium, et posita fuerit abominatio in desolationem, dies mille ducenti nonaginta. 

6. Juge sacrificium,
R. miserere nobis.

(Perpetual sacrifice,
R. have mercy on us.)

Mal 1:11 Ab ortu enim solis usque ad occasum, magnum est nomen meum in gentibus, et in omni loco sacrificatur: et offertur nomini meo oblatio munda, quia magnum est nomen meum in gentibus, dicit Dominus exercituum.

7. Oblatio munda,
R. miserere nobis.

(Clean oblation,
R. have mercy on us.)

Ex 12:5 Erit autem agnus absque macula, masculus, anniculus: juxta quem ritum tolletis et hædum.

8. Agne absque macula,
R. miserere nobis.

(Lamb without spot,
R. have mercy on us.)

Lv 24:6 quorum senos altrinsecus super mensam purissimam coram Domino statues

9. Mensa purissima,
R. miserere nobis.

(Most pure Feast,
R. have mercy on us.)

Sap 16:20 Pro quibus angelorum esca nutrivisti populum tuum, et paratum panem de cælo præstitisti illis sine labore, omne delectamentum in se habentem, et omnis saporis suavitatem.

10. Angelorum esca,
R. miserere nobis.

(Food of angels,
R. have mercy on us.)

Apc 2:17 Qui habet aurem, audiat quid Spiritus dicat ecclesiis: Vincenti dabo manna absconditum, et dabo illi calculum candidum: et in calculo nomen novum scriptum, quod nemo scit, nisi qui accipit.

11. Manna absconditum,
R. miserere nobis.

(Hidden manna,
R. have mercy on us.)

Ps 110:4 Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum, misericors et miserator Dominus.

12. Memoria mirabilium Dei,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Memory of God’s wonders,
R. have mercy on us.)

Mt 6:11 Panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie

13. Panis supersubstantialis,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Supersubstantial Bread,
R. have mercy on us.)

Jo 1:14 Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis: et vidimus gloriam ejus, gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiæ et veritatis.

14. Verbum caro factum, habitans in nobis,
R. miserere nobis. 

(Word made flesh, living in us,
R. have mercy on us.)  

Canon Romanus: …hostiam sanctam, hostiam puram, hostiam immaculatam…

Rom 12:1 Obsecro itaque vos, fratres, per misericordiam Dei, ut exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam viventem, sanctam, Deo placentem, rationabile obsequium vestrum 

15. Hostia sancta,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Holy Victim,
R. have mercy on us.)

1Cor 10:16 Calix benedictionis, cui benedicimus, nonne communicatio sanguinis Christi est? et panis quem frangimus, nonne participatio corporis Domini est?

16. Calix benedictionis,
R. miserere nobis.

(Chalice of blessing,
R. have mercy on us.)

1Tim 3:9 habentes mysterium fidei in conscientia pura. 

Canon Romanus: …Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et æterni testamenti, mysterium fidei…

17. Mysterium fidei,
R. miserere nobis.

(Mystery of faith,
R. have mercy on us.)

Urban IV, Ep. encycl. Transiturus de hoc mundo, 11 Aug. 1264. (Denzinger 846) 

In institutione quidem huius sacramenti dixit ipse Apostolis: ‘Hoc facite in meam commemorationem’ (Lc 22, 19), ut praecipuum et insigne memoriale sui amoris eximii, quo nos dilexit, esset nobis hoc praecelsum et venerabile sacramentum. 

Concilium Tridentinum, Sessio XIII (11 Oct. 1551), Decretum de ss. Eucharistia, cap. 5. …præcelsum hoc et venerabile sacramentum…

18. Præcelsum et venerabile Sacramentum,
R. miserere nobis.

(Most high and venerable Sacrament,
R. have mercy on us.)

Concilium Tridentinum, Sessio XXII (17 Sept. 1562), Doctrina… de ss. Missæ sacrificio, cap. 4. …hoc omnium sanctissimum sacrificium…

19. Sacrificium omnium sanctissimum,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Most holy of all sacrifices,
R. have mercy on us.)

Concilium Tridentinum, Sessio XXII (17 Sept. 1562), Doctrina… de ss. Missæ sacrificio, cap. 2. [Sacrificium visibile esse propitiatorium pro vivis et defunctis.] …sacrificium istud vere propitiatorium esse… pro fidelium vivorum… et pro defunctis in Christo…

Can. 3. …Missæ sacrificium… propitiatorium… pro vivis et defunctis…

20. Sacrificium vere propitiatorium pro vivis et defunctis,
R. miserere nobis.

(True propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead,
R. have mercy on us.)

Concilium Tridentinum, Sessio XIII (11 Oct. 1551), Decretum de ss. Eucharistia, cap. 2. …antidotum, quo liberemur a culpis quotidianis et a peccatis mortalibus præservemur. …

21. Cæleste antidotum, quo a peccatis præservamur,
R. miserere nobis.

(Heavenly antidote, by which we are preserved from sin,
R. have mercy on us.)

[Source not yet discovered]

22. Stupendum supra omnia miraculum,
R. miserere nobis.

(Most stupendous of all miracles,
R. have mercy on us.)

(e.g.) St Thomas Aquinas, S.T., III, 83, 2, obj. 1: …commemoratio Dominicae passionis…

23. Sacratissima Dominicæ Passionis commemoratio,
R. miserere nobis.

(Most sacred Commemoration of the Passion of Christ,
R. have mercy on us.)

Urban IV, Ep. encycl. Transiturus de hoc mundo, 11 Aug. 1264.

... Transcendens omnem plenitudinem largitatis, omnem modum dilectionis excedens, attribuit se in cibum. O singularis et admiranda liberalitas, ubi donator venit in donum, et datum est idem penitus cum datore! ... (Denzinger 847)

24. Donum transcendens omnem plenitudinem,
R. miserere nobis.

(Gift transcending all abundance,
R. have mercy on us.)

Urban IV, Ep. encycl. Transiturus de hoc mundo, 11 Aug. 1264. (Denzinger 846)

In institutione quidem huius sacramenti dixit ipse Apostolis: ‘Hoc facite in meam commemorationem’ (Lc 22, 19), ut praecipuum et insigne memoriale sui amoris eximii, quo nos dilexit, esset nobis hoc praecelsum et venerabile sacramentum. ... 

25. Memoriale præcipuum divini amoris,
R. miserere nobis.

(Extraordinary memorial of divine love,
R. have mercy on us.)

Clemens V, Constitutio “Si Dominum” (1312) – quoted in: Pelbartus de Themeswar OFM († 1504), Pomerium de sanctis, Pars aestivalis, Sermo VI. De corpore Christi, Sermo secundus, scilicet de sacramenti huius amorositate et specierum eius ratione ac dulcore: … Unde in Clementina de reliquiis et veneratione sanctorum „Si Dominum” habetur sic: “O divini amoris immensitas, divinae pietatis superabundantia, divinae largitatis affluentia, dedit nobis omnia sub pedibus, angelicos spiritus ministros, volens adhuc exuberantem charitatem demonstrare, seipsum nobis exhibuit in cibum. O singularis et divina liberalitas, ubi donatio venit in donum, et datum est idem penitus cum datore.” …

26. Divinæ affluentia largitatis,
R. miserere nobis.

(Affluence of divine largesse,
R. have mercy on us.)

[Source not yet discovered]

27. Sacrosanctum et augustissimum mysterium,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Most holy and august mystery,
R. have mercy on us.)

Sir 6:16 Amicus fidelis medicamentum vitæ et immortalitatis: et qui metuunt Dominum, invenient illum.

Sanctus Ignatius Antiochenus, Epistula ad Ephesios, 20, 2: «unum panem (...) (frangimus), qui pharmacum immortalitatis est, antidotum, ne moriamur, sed vivamus semper in Jesu Christo»

28. Pharmacum immortalitatis,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Medicine of immortality,
R. have mercy on us.)

[Source not yet discovered; Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem used the term tremendum, or in the literal Greek "hair-raising", of the Sacrament]

29. Tremendum ac vivificum Sacramentum,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Awesome and life-giving Sacrament,
R. have mercy on us.)

Cf. Jn 1:14 & Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24.

30. Panis, omnipotentia Verbi, caro factus,
R. miserere nobis.

(Bread-made-Flesh by the omnipotence of the Word.
R. have mercy on us.)

(“Incruentum sacrificium” is a traditional term, especially in the Greek Fathers and Liturgies; according to Dix, it was first used by St Cyril of Jerusalem.)

31. Incruentum sacrificium,
R. miserere nobis.

(Unbloody sacrifice,
R. have mercy on us.)

St Peter Damian (1007-1072), Oratio LIX: … Haec est illa sublimis mensa, in qua Deus est et cibans et cibus, munerans et munus, offerens et oblatum, conviva et convivium. …

Auctor incertus – non est S. Bernardi, Sermo de excellentia ss. Sacramenti et dignitate Sacerdotum (PL 184, 0984B): Christus in coena illa munerans et munus; cibans et cibus; conviva et convivium; offerens et oblatio.

32. Cibus et conviva,
R. miserere nobis.

(Our food and guest,
R. have mercy on us.)

[Source not yet discovered]

33. Dulcissimum convivium, cui assistunt Angeli ministrantes,
R. miserere nobis.

(Sweetest banquet at which the Angels serve,
R. have mercy on us. )

Sanctus Augustinus, In Johannis evangelium tractatus, 26, 13: CCL 36, 266 (PL 35, 1613): O Sacramentum pietatis! o signum unitatis! o vinculum caritatis!

1Tim 3:16 Et manifeste magnum est pietatis sacramentum, quod manifestatum est in carne, justificatum est in spiritu, apparuit angelis, prædicatum est gentibus, creditum est in mundo, assumptum est in gloria.

34. Sacramentum pietatis,
R. miserere nobis.

(Sacrament of goodness,
R. have mercy on us.)

Sanctus Augustinus, In Johannis evangelium tractatus, 26, 13: CCL 36, 266 (PL 35, 1613): O Sacramentum pietatis! o signum unitatis! o vinculum caritatis!

Os 11:4 In funiculis Adam traham eos, in vinculis caritatis; et ero eis quasi exaltans jugum super maxillas eorum, et declinavi ad eum ut vesceretur.

Eph 4:3 solliciti servare unitatem Spiritus in vinculo pacis. 

Col 3:14 Super omnia autem hæc, caritatem habete, quod est vinculum perfectionis

35. Vinculum caritatis,
R. miserere nobis.

(Bond of love,
R. have mercy on us.)

Cf. Erasmus, tr. Liturgia S. Joannis Chrysostomi, Oratio quam secreto dicit, dum Cherubicus hymnus cantatur: …Tu enim es qui offers, et cui offeretur, et accipis et distribuis, Christe Deus noster…

S. Augustinus, Civitate Dei, X: …sacerdos ipse Christus offerens, ipse et oblatio, cuius rei sacramentum quotidianum esse voluit ecclesiae sacrificium. (Aquinas, S.T., III, 22, 3 ad 2)

36. Offerens et oblatio,
R. miserere nobis.

(Offerer and offering,
R. have mercy on us.)

St Thomas Aquinas, Officium corporis Christi “Sacerdos”: Suavitátem denique hujus Sacraménti nullus exprimere sufficit, per quod spiritualis dulcedo in suo fonte gustátur; et recolitur memória illíus, quam in sua passióne Christus monstrávit, excellentíssimæ caritátis.

37. Spiritualis dulcedo in proprio fonte degustata,
R. miserere nobis.  

(Spiritual sweetness tasted in its own fountain,
R. have mercy on us.)

Oratio S. Bonaventurae, Transfige dulcissime Domine: … refectionem animarum sanctarum…

38. Refectio animarum sanctarum,
R. miserere nobis.

(Refreshment of holy souls,
R. have mercy on us.)

(Viaticum is a traditional term.)

Apc 14:13 Et audivi vocem de cælo, dicentem mihi: Scribe: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur. Amodo jam dicit Spiritus, ut requiescant a laboribus suis: opera enim illorum sequuntur illos.

39. Viaticum in Domino morientium,
R. miserere nobis.

 
(Viaticum of those dying in the Lord,
R. have mercy on us.)

Aquinas, In Festo Corp. Christi, Aña. O sacrum convivium… et futuræ gloriæ nobis pignus datur.

Rom 8:18 Existimo enim quod non sunt condignæ passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam, quæ revelabitur in nobis.

Eph 1:14 qui est pignus hæreditatis nostræ, in redemptionem acquisitionis, in laudem gloriæ ipsius. 

40. Pignus futuræ gloriæ,
R. miserere nobis.

(Pledge of future glory,
R. have mercy on us.)

Propitius esto,
R. parce nobis, Domine.
Propitius esto,
R. exaudi nos, Domine.

(Be merciful,
R. spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful,
R. hear us, O Lord.)

1Cor 11:27 Itaque quicumque manducaverit panem hunc, vel biberit calicem Domini indigne, reus erit corporis et sanguinis Domini. 

1Cor 11:29 Qui enim manducat et bibit indigne, judicium sibi manducat et bibit, non dijudicans corpus Domini. 

II. 1. Ab indigna Corporis et Sanguinis tui susceptione,
R. libera nos, Domine.

(From the unworthy reception of thy Body and Blood,
R. deliver us, O Lord.)

1Jo 2:16 quoniam omne quod est in mundo, concupiscentia carnis est, et concupiscentia oculorum, et superbia vitæ: quæ non est ex Patre, sed ex mundo est. 

2. A concupiscentia carnis,
R. libera nos, Domine.
3. A concupiscentia oculorum,
R. libera nos, Domine.
4. A superbia vitæ,
R. libera nos, Domine.

(From passions of the flesh,
R. deliver us, O Lord.
From the concupiscence of the eyes,
R. deliver us, O Lord.
From pride,
R. deliver us, O Lord.)

Rom 7:8 Occasione autem accepta, peccatum per mandatum operatum est in me omnem concupiscentiam. Sine lege enim peccatum mortuum erat. 

Rom 7:11 Nam peccatum occasione accepta per mandatum, seduxit me, et per illud occidit. 

5. Ab omni peccandi occasione,
R. libera nos, Domine.

(From every occasion of sin,
R. deliver us, O Lord.)

Lc 22:15 Et ait illis: Desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum, antequam patiar.

III. 1. Per desiderium illud, quo hoc Pascha cum discipulis manducare desiderasti,

R. libera nos, Domine. 

(Through that desire, with which thou desiredst to eat the Passover with thy disciples,

R. deliver us, O Lord.)

Cf. Jn 13:1-17

2. Per summam humilitatem, qua discipulorum pedes lavisti,

R. libera nos, Domine. 

(Through that profound humility with which thou didst wash thy disciples’ feet,

R. deliver us, O Lord.)

[Exact sources not yet discovered]

3. Per ardentissimam caritatem, qua hoc divinum Sacramentum instituisti,

R. libera nos, Domine. 

(Through that most ardent love, with which thou didst institute this Divine Sacrament,

R. deliver us, O Lord.)

4. Per Sanguinem tuum pretiosum, quem nobis in altari reliquisti,

R. libera nos, Domine. 

(Through thy precious Blood, which thou hast left for us upon the altar,

R. deliver us, O Lord.)

5. Per quinque vulnera hujus tui Corporis sacratissimi, quæ pro nobis suscepisti,

R. libera nos, Domine. 

(Through the five wounds of this thy most sacred Body, which thou didst receive for us,

R. deliver us, O Lord.)

Peccatores,

R. te rogamus, audi nos. 

(Sinners we are,

R. we ask thee, hear us.)

[Sources not yet discovered]

IV. 1. Ut in nobis fidem, reverentiam et devotionem erga hoc admirabile Sacramentum augere et conservare digneris,

R. te rogamus, audi nos. 

(That thou wouldst deign to preserve and augment in us faith, reverence, and devotion towards this admirable Sacrament,

R. we ask thee, hear us.)

2. Ut ad frequentem usum Eucharistiæ per veram peccatorum confessionem nos perducere digneris,

R. te rogamus, audi nos. 

(That thou wouldst deign to lead us to a frequent reception of the Eucharist by the true confession of our sins,

R. we ask thee, hear us.)

3. Ut nos ab omni hæresi, perfidia ac cordis cæcitate liberare digneris,

R. te rogamus, audi nos. 

(That thou wouldst deign to free us from every heresy, falsehood, and blindness of heart,

R. we ask thee, hear us.)

4. Ut sanctissimi hujus Sacramenti pretiosos et cælestes fructus nobis impertiri digneris,

R. te rogamus, audi nos. 

(That thou wouldst deign to impart to us the precious and heavenly fruits of this most Holy Sacrament,

R. we ask thee, hear us.)

5. Ut in hora mortis nostræ hoc cælesti viatico nos confortare et munire digneris,

R. te rogamus, audi nos. 

(That thou wouldst deign to protect and strengthen us at the hour of our death with this heavenly viaticum,

R. we ask thee, hear us.)

Fili Dei,
R. te rogamus, audi nos.

(Son of God,
R. we ask thee, hear us.)

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
R. parce nobis, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
R. exaudi nos, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
R. miserere nobis.

(Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. have mercy on us.)

Christe, audi nos.
R. Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
R. Christe, exaudi nos.

(Christ, hear us
R. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
R. Christ, graciously hear us.)

Kyrie, eleison
R. Kyrie, eleison
Christe, eleison
R. Christe, eleison.
Kyrie, eleison
R. Kyrie, eleison.

(Lord, have mercy
R. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy
R. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy
R. Lord, have mercy.)

Pater noster...

(Our Father...)

******

Ave Maria...

(Hail Mary...)

OR

Office of Corpus Christi

[Aña. O sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur, recolitur memoria passionis ejus, mens impletur gratia, et futuræ gloriæ nobis pignus datur. (T.P. Alleluja.)]

[(Ant. O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and we are given a pledge of future glory. (P.T. Alleluia.))]

******

Office of Corpus Christi

Sap 16:20 Pro quibus angelorum esca nutrivisti populum tuum, et paratum panem de cælo præstitisti illis sine labore, omne delectamentum in se habentem, et omnis saporis suavitatem.

V. Panem de cælo præstitisti eis. (T.P. Alleluja.)
R. Omne delectamentum in se habentem. (T.P. Alleluja.)

(V. Thou hast given them Bread from heaven, (P.T. Alleluia.)
R. Having in itself every delight. (P.T. Alleluia.))

Office of Corpus Christi

Oremus.

Deus, qui nobis sub Sacramento mirabili Passionis tuæ memoriam reliquisti; tribue quæsumus, ita nos Corporis et Sanguinis tui sacra mysteria venerari, ut redemptionis tuæ fructum in nobis jugiter sentiamus. Qui vivis et regnas in sæcula sæculorum. R. Amen. 

(Let us pray.

(O God, who under a marvelous Sacrament hast left us a memorial of thy Passion; grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of thy Body and Blood, that we may ever perceive within us the fruit of thy Redemption. Who livest and reignest world without end. R. Amen.)

Reading for Corpus Christi

Over at St Bede's Studio one can read a pleasant translation of the Preface of the Blessed Sacrament pro aliquibus locis, the consideration of which reveals a wealth of theological insight into the Sacrifice of the Mass and our share of its fruits through Holy Communion.  According to various decisions of the Ecclesia Dei Commission - detailed in earlier posts on the same blog - this and other prefaces can be used at the Usus Antiquior: and in this case it would be excellent to do so.  Anyone objecting should pause and consider that the Preface for the Dead and that for St Joseph, the Preface of Christus Rex and the Preface of the Sacred Heart were introduced in 1919, 1925 and 1929 respectively; so why not a few more, as was quite reasonably being done in an ongoing process of organic development prior to the great liturgical rupture?

******

Now, for the supremely lyric and beautiful, because gloriously true and powerful, decrees of Trent on the Mass:

HOLY ECUMENICAL AND GENERAL COUNCIL OF TRENT.

 

TWENTY-SECOND SESSION

which is the sixth under the Supreme Pontiff, Pius IV,

celebrated on the seventeenth day of  September, 1562.

 

Doctrine concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

That the ancient, complete and in every way perfect faith and teaching regarding the great mystery of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church may be retained, and with the removal of errors and heresies may be preserved in its purity, the holy, ecumenical and general Council of Trent, lawfuly assembled in the Holy Ghost, the same legates of the Apostolic See presiding, instructed by the light of the Holy Ghost, teaches, declares, and orders to be preached to the faithful the following concerning it, since it is the true and only sacrifice.

 

Chapter I:

The Institution of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

Since under the former Testament, according to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, there was no perfection because of the weakness of the Levitical priesthood, there was need, God the Father of mercies so ordaining, that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchisedech,[1] our Lord Jesus Christ, who might perfect and lead to perfection as many as were to be sanctified.  He, therefore, our God and Lord, though he was by his death about to offer Himself once upon the altar of the cross to God the Father that He might there accomplish an eternal redemption, nevertheless, that His priesthood might not come to an end with his death,[2] at the last supper, on the night He was betrayed, that He might leave to His beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice, such as the nature of man requires, whereby that bloody sacrifice once to be accomplished on the cross might be represented, the memory thereof remain even unto the end of the world, and its salutary effects applied to the remission of those sins which we daily commit, declaring Himself constituted a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech,[3] offered up to God the Father His own body and blood under the form of bread and wine, and under the forms of those same things gave to the Apostles, whom He then made priests of the New Testament, that they might partake, commanding them and their successors in the priesthood by these words to do likewise: Do this in commemoration of me,[4] as the Catholic Church has always understood and taught.  For having celebrated the ancient Passover which the multitude of the children of Israel sacrificed in memory of their departure from Egypt,[5] He instituted a new Passover, namely, Himself, to be immolated under visible signs by the Church through the priests in memory of His own passage from this world to the Father, when by the shedding of His blood He redeemed and delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into his kingdom.[6]  And this is indeed that clean oblation which cannot be defiled by any unworthiness or malice on the part of those who offer it; which the Lord foretold by Malachias was to be great among the Gentiles,[7] and which the Apostle Paul has clearly indicated when he says, that they who are defiled by partaking of the table of devils cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord,[8] understanding by table in each case the altar.  It is, finally, that [sacrifice] which was prefigured by various types of sacrifices during the period of nature and of the law,[9] which, namely, comprises all the good things signified by them, as being the consummation and perfection of them all.

 

Chapter II:

The Sacrifice of the Mass is Propitiatory

both for the Living and the Dead.

 

And inasmuch as in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner the same Christ who once offered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, the holy council teaches that this is truly propitiatory and has this effect, that if we, contrite and penitent, with sincere heart and upright faith, with fear and reverence, draw nigh to God, we obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid.[10]  For, appeased by this sacrifice, the Lord grants the grace and gift of penitence and pardons even the gravest crimes and sins.  For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different.  The fruits of that bloody sacrifice, it is well understood, are received most abundantly through this unbloody one, so far is that latter from derogating in any way from the former.  Wherefore, according to the tradition of the Apostles,[11] it is rightly offered not only for the sins, punishments, satisfactions and other necessities of the faithful who are living, but also for those departed in Christ but not yet fully purified.

 

Chapter III:

Masses in Honour of the Saints.

 

And though the Church has been accustomed to celebrate at times certain masses in honour and memory of the saints, she does not teach that sacrifice is offered to them but to God alone who crowned them;[12] whence, the priest does not say: “To thee, Peter or Paul, I offer sacrifice,”[13] but, giving thanks to God for their victories, he implores their favour that “they may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven whose memory we celebrate on earth”[14].

 

Chapter IV:

The Canon of the Mass.

 

And since it is becoming that holy things be administered in a holy manner, and of all things this sacrifice is the most holy, the Catholic Church, to the end that it might be worthily and reverently offered and received, instituted many centuries ago the holy canon,[15] which is so free from error that it contains nothing that does not in the highest degree savour of a certain holiness and piety and raise up to God the minds of those who offer.  For it consists partly of the very words of the Lord, partly of the traditions of the Apostles, and also of pious regulations of holy pontiffs.

 

Chapter V:

The Ceremonies and Rites of the Mass.

 

And since the nature of man is such that he cannot without external means be raised easily to meditation on divine things, holy mother Church has instituted certain rites, namely, that some things in the mass be pronounced in a low tone and others in a louder tone.  She has likewise, in accordance with apostolic discipline and tradition, made use of ceremonies,[16] such as mystical blessings, lights, incense, vestments, and many other things of this kind, whereby both the majesty of so great a sacrifice might be emphasised and the minds of the faithful excited by those visible signs of religion and piety to the contemplation of those most sublime things which are hidden in this sacrifice.

 

[Chapters VI to IX and the Canons on the Sacrifice of the Mass omitted.]

---

[1] Heb. 7:11.

[2] Ibid., 7:24.

[3] Ps. 109:4.

[4] Luke 22:19; I Cor. 11:24f.

[5] Ex. 13.

[6] Col. 1:13.

[7] Mal. 1:11.

[8] Cf. I Cor. 10:21.

[9] Gen. 4:4; 12:8, etc.

[10] Heb. 4:16.

[11] Cf. Sess. XXII, can. 3, and Sess. XXV, decr. on Purgatory.

[12] Cf. Sess. XXII, can. 5, and Sess. XXV, Invocation of the Saints.

[13] St Aug., De civitate Dei, VIII, c.27.

[14] Or. Suscipe sancta Trinitas.

[15] C.6, X, De celebr. miss., III, 41 (Innoc. III).

[16] Cf. Sess. XXII, can. 7.

Another Lazy Mass

What is it about hospital chapels?

To-day, having for a change read the parish bulletin, I noticed that St Luke's Hospital (recently, like St Vincent's, incorporated into Calvary Health Care, based in Hobart and somehow carrying on the charism of the dear sisters who used to run it in the olden days) has a Mass on Thursdays at 3.30 pm: so I went along.

I am sure that, but for my obedient and automatic standing and kneeling at the appropriate points, the few gathered for the Liturgy would have sat like lumps throughout.

(It may appear judgemental and nasty-sounding of me to - quite rationally, given my experiences - assume so, but under the I'm certain very well-meaning unintentional confusion about posture lies the assumption common to many if not most these days that somehow the rubrical necessity is to be informal as possible, and that a small gathering without any ceremony is in fact allegedly closer to the example of Our Lord and the Apostles in the Upper Room, and therefore Mass sitting about in bean-bags, with no vestments and so forth is per se more authentic, what Luther termed more real and evangelical, than what they deride as "bells and smells" and probably gay liturgy - the last criticism is particularly Australian, stems from our cultural cringe, albeit does have I will admit some truth to it in certain circles, yet is strange coming from liberals who presumably are less opposed to such immoral lifestyles!)

I feel sorry for Fr Kene, our local Nigerian priest-on-loan; apparently he, together with his confreres elsewhere in Tasmania, would prefer to dress as they do in Nigerian, in clerical outfits with Roman collars, but were told that "we don't do that here" - and I suspect that they have been warned off being too Catholic in other subtle ways, also.  No criticism meant of them personally of course; their preaching is excellent and orthodox.  But the cult of self-reinforcing anti-Roman mediocrity that reigns in the inward-looking Tasmanian presbyterate does not want to be discomfited: as I remarked at the time of the Tampa controversy (then-P.M. Howard's "Pacific solution" of taking boat-borne asylum seekers to detention camps on offshore islands or elsewhere), while the clergy here were vocal in opposing the Government on the refugee issue, if it had been a boatload of priests coming those same priests here would have urged them to be machine-gunned without mercy or pity.  

It's the dog-in-the-manger, spiritually abortifacient (in Bp Fisher's words), we-want-the-Church-to-die, almost self-hating attitude of the local priests that causes many of the faithful, including myself now I'm back, to simply retreat from involvement in the archdiocese.  The liberals have seen all their hopes blighted, and think that the disaster since the Council is the result of it not being fully implemented - as a complete rupture with the bad old days - by the nasty old Popes since.  This priestly generation (well, it's really a very old generation!) must die before rebuilding can occur: at least poor Adrian only has two years before retirement.  After all, the priest in Kingston parish - a strange example of apparent lack of Catholic faith; he preached in my hearing that Christ, when He died on Calvary, "didn't know He would rise again" - delights in telling his bewildered parishioners and parish councillors that he will be the last priest the parish will have (a large collection of the still-expanding southern suburbs of Hobart), and asserts they had best prepare for a priestless future (à la the Russian Old Believers perhaps? how unconsciously ironic).

Thanks be, in the Novus Ordo to-day is the feast of St Barnabas Apostle, the "Son of Encouragement", that faithful and greathearted man picked out by the Holy Ghost: by his name, he reminds me of the familiar passage from II Corinthians i, 3-5 which insists upon that which I live by, that it is in the God of all comfort we place our trust, and not in sinful men, of the sort who, were the Church a human institution only, would indubitably bring her to utter destruction:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort: Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, * that we also may be able to comfortthem who are in all distress, by the exhortation wherewith we also are exhorted by God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us; so also by Christ doth our comfort abound.

[* Here ends the Little Chapter at ferial Vespers.]