Sequence for the Feast of St John Evangelist

A blessed feast to all priests – for this day, being dedicate to St John Evangelist, adopted son of Mary the Virgin, and of all the Apostles the virgin priest, is a feast called in better days "the feast of priests".

Unfortunately, I managed to sleep in, and missed attending Mass… so I'll have to unite myself spiritually to the Sacrifice, and pay my respects to the clergy from afar.

In a very nice book I found secondhand (Jeffrey F. Hamburger, St. John the Divine: The Deified Evangelist in Medieval Art and Theology), I discovered a Dominican Sequence for the feast of St John the Evangelist; it appears in the Gradual of St Katharinensthal (dated about 1312).

This Sequence seems to have been given quite some attention – googling turned up several learned articles and even a book referring to it. Herewith, the Sequence, in charming mediæval style:

Verbum dei, deo natum, / quod nec factum nec creatum, / venit de celestibus

Hoc vidit, hoc attrectavit, / hoc de celo reseravit, / Johannes hominibus

Inter illos primitivos / veros veri fonti rivos / Johannes exilivit;

Toti mundo propinare / nectar illud salutare / quod de throno prodiit.

Celum transit veri rotam / solis ibi vidit totam / mentis figens aciem

Speculator spiritalis / quasi seraphim sub alis / dei videns faciem

Audiit in gyro sedis / quid psallant cum cytharedis / quater seni proceres

De sigillo trinitatis / nostre nummo civitatis / inpressit caracteres.

Celi cui sacrarium / suum Christus lylium / 

filio tonitrui / sub amoris mutui / pace commendavit.

Iste custos virginis / archanum originis /

divine mysterium / scribens evangelium / mundo demonstravit

Haurit virus hic letale / ubi corpus virginale / virtus servat fidei

Pena stupet quod in pena / sit Johannes sine pena / bullientis olei.

Hinc naturis imperat / ut et saxa transferat / indecus gemmarum

Quo iubente riguit / aurum fulvum induit / virgula silvarum.

Hic infernum reserat / morti iubet referat /quos venenum stravit.

Obstruit quod ebyon / cherintus et marcion / perfide latravit.

Volat avis sine meta /quod nec vates nec propheta / evolavit altius

Tam implenda quam impleta, / numquam vidit tot secreta / purus homo purius

Sponsus rubra veste tectus, / visus sed non intellectus / referre mysterium

Aquilam ezechielis / sponse misit que de celis / redit ad palacium.

Dic dilecte de dilecto, / qualis sit ex dilecto, / sponsus sponse nuntia.

Dic quis cibus angelorum / que sint festa supernorum / ut sponse presentia.

Veri panem intellectus, / cenam Christi supra pectus / sumptam nobis resera;

Ut cantemus de patrono, / coram agno coram throno, / laudes super ethera. 

Amen.

The Word of God, born of God, that was neither made nor created, came from the heavens

This he saw, this he touched, this he, John, unlocked from heaven for mankind.

Among those first true rivulets of the true source, John sprung forth;

To supply the whole world that saving nectar which flowed from the throne.

He transcended heaven, there he saw the wheel of the sun entirely transfixing his piercing mind

A spiritual speculator, like the seraphim seeing the face of God beneath their wings

He hears in their dwelling place what the four times six elders were singing with the harpists

From the seal of the Trinity on the coin of our condition he imprinted the characters.

To whom the shrine of heaven, his lily, Christ, the sun of thunder entrusted in peace.

He, the protector of the Virgin, showed the world the arcane mystery of the divine origins, writing his Gospel 

He drank the deadly poison by which his virginal body maintained the power of faith

Punishment is perplexed, that in punishment John is without pain in the bubbling oil

He commanded the laws of nature, that stones be transformed into beautiful gems.

By which command he stiffened and covered with tawny gold the litle branches of the forest.

He entered hell and commanded death that he give back those he had punished with poison.

He denied what Ebion, Cerinthus and Marcion barked perfidiously.

He flies like a bird without limit, in that neither seer nor prophet ever flew higher

As much what would be fulfilled as what has been, never were so many secrets seen so purely by a pure man

The bridegroom, adorned with a red garment, seen, but not comprehended, has to represent the mystery

He sent the bride the eagle of Ezechiel, which from the heavens returns to its palace.

Speak, O loved one, of the beloved, what his nature is and how he proceeds from the beloved, this the bridegroom announces to the bride.

Tell us about the food of angels, about the feasts of those above, in the presence of the bride.

The bread of true understanding, the feast of Christ, on his breast consumed: reveal yourself to us:

So that we may sing of our patron, before the Lamb, before the throne, praises above the air. 

Amen.

Visiting Priest

A friend of mine from the Mainland, recently ordained, came and spent a few days here while on holiday; it was great to – finally – receive his first blessing as a new priest, and to attend his Masses here, which he offered at Carmel each morning, kindly allowing the local priests to have a short respite from their usual duties; and I think it gladdened the hearts of many parishioners to see a young priest, especially when last night he joined us for a dinner in honour of our own beloved Fr Allan, who is just about to retire, aged eighty: it is reassuring to see one generation following another. Of your charity, pray for all priests, that they may well and truly serve God and His holy people.

Apology

A certain priest whose preaching and ars celebrandi I dislike has turned out to be a very good confessor indeed, and a kindly, helpful one: so I must record my embarrassment at having criticised him so harshly, seeing as his pastoral skills are, indeed, a blessing. Apologies, Father! - you're by no means the first I've misjudged.

A Nice Little Poem

What thou doest at Christ’s table,

Presbyter, think well;

Life eternal is preparèd

There for thee, or hell.

As the sacred taper burning

Dwindles in its size,

So the presbyter, if guilty,

Celebrating, dies.

Think of these — the death of Jesus,

Thine own death as well,

Earth’s deceptions, heaven’s glories,

And the pains of hell.

– The Sarum missal in English, F. E. Warren, trans.

An Amazing Sight

I was late to morning Mass this morning.  The priest at the altar was evidently a visitor... and, to my astonishment, after Mass, once he had de-vested in the sacristy, he came out and – went and knelt down and prayed (I think he even opened an office book)!

Compare this to most of the local clergy, who tend to fly out the door as soon as they've removed their vestments.

Despite what Canon Law prescribes*, it is rare to see priests praying either before or after Mass.  Of course, in charity one assumes they devoutly pray in the sacristy, and in their hearts as they drive to and fro; but to actually see them praying is far more edifying, and quells the suspicion that they say inwardly, "Thanks be to God that's over!" as their only orison.

*Can. 909 A priest is not to neglect to prepare himself properly through prayer for the celebration of the eucharistic sacrifice and to offer thanks to God at its completion.

— one wonders who bothers to obey this requirement.

A Nice Surprise

Having sat through a rather annoying Mass the other day (it being obvious that the celebrant begrudged having to say Mass on Monday, that priestly Sabbath more sacred than any other, and for that matter couldn't be bothered even to try saying the new words for his parts at Mass - when the laity present had all long since accepted and memorized theirs - and didn't even bother to use any Penitential Rite at all, this being dispensable in his estimation it appears, given the evident objective to get the liturgy over and done with), it was joy indeed to arrive at Mass, albeit rather late (being afflicted with hayfever), and to find at the altar, not some lacklustre cleric itching to be gone, but a godly religious, preaching a moving sermon about priestly and religious holiness, all to the glory of the Sacred Heart and its conquest of souls.  I couldn't remember his name until he reminded me of it, since I have a bad memory for names oddly enough, but I did recognize him, and did recall the name of his companion in the pews: it was Fr Benedict and Br Louis, those stalwart Conventual Franciscans, with whom I studied theology about a decade or so ago.  Very kindly they said hello to me after having made their thanksgiving after Mass, and I'm glad to wish them well for the remainder of their time here in Tasmania.  How good to see a priest happy to be a priest, and one who cares for the flock.

Ordinations

Tu es sacerdos in æternum, secundum ordinem Melchisedech!

I am delighted (as Archbishop Hart always says - except to unwelcome visitors!) to mention that to-day in Melbourne an old friend of mine, Cameron Forbes, will be ordained priest (together with Joseph Danh Truong) by His Grace the Archbishop at St Mary's Cathedral.

As to-day is the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, Mother of God, let us fly to her patronage, and invoke her maternal care especially for these beloved sons of hers, who, as priests, are a special delight for Our Lady - for in them as ministers of the New Testament she sees her Son, our One Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ. May her prayers help them live conformably to their most high calling, to be men of sacrifice and blessing, by the grace of God.

(In Rome, where I will be when this post appears, I will hope to add my poor prayers for this end.)

******

These two must be ordained by now - since it's the hottest part of the day here in Rome - so God bless them at the prayers of Holy Mary: ad multos annos.

I, too, attended an ordination to-day: at St Peter's, the Holy Father ordained five bishops. May they, too, be found good and faithful servants of the Lord, wise shepherds of His people.

Yes, Father, No, Father...

Fr Mannes once told me that when he, as a young man, first discovered the Latin Mass, he thought the priests who said it very holy; but came to think them also quite eccentric!

(Given the appalling behaviour, strange beliefs and general rudeness of many self-consciously modern post-Vatican II priests, no wonder. But still...)

As any decent priest will tell you - Fr Terence laughingly agreed, I recall - if a Catholic is not "anti-clerical" in a certain sense, he has not been catechized properly. Of course, as St Francis did, one should kneel down and kiss the hands of a priest, venerating his sacred office as a sacramental icon of Our Lord; but one should also hold a healthy candid attitude toward priestly faults and foibles - after all, much harm has come through excusing, being blind to, and even covering over serious clerical misbehaviour, though I speak not of real sins here.

Bishop McKenna of Bathurst, whom I knew some years back while he was still a priest based in Melbourne, told how he rather liked the somewhat disconcerting way members of the Neocatechumenal Way (when do they ever finish their neo-catechumenate, I wonder?) combine very great respect for the priest qua priest, with a very no-nonsense sense of the unworthy priest qua Christian man. This is a healthy attitude.

One thing that hanging around clerical circles will quickly confirm, is that priests think themselves very hard worked - but (as any layman can testify) would struggle to answer the demands of a full-time job. As my mother once asked me, What do priests do all week? It is proverbial that priests come in two sorts: those who work (too much), and those who don't (work enough). All the balderdash I've heard about clerical burnout! The few priests actually in risk of such would be the last ever to complain of it. As one Dominican always said, when throwing himself down into a chair after dolce far niente, "Exhausted, absolutely exhausted!" - "Oh yes, Father..."

Amusing too is the wry witticism that the social teaching of the Church applies only ad extra: priests can be as Pharaoh to their volunteer labour force, demanding extra work of people who have full time jobs of their own, if not families also... a puissant superior attitude can be painful. What can also give a bad impression is when clergy too quickly withdraw from some parish function for a clergy-only dinner: by all means, priests need to catch up, unwind, and enjoy themselves, but it can be very rude if they rapidly disappear from the parish bring-a-plate potluck lunch only too obviously to attend a rather better-stocked table nearby.

What I am getting to is that no one can escape the spirit of the age, even if one thinks oneself quite counter-cultural... indulging in a neo-Gothic romantic dream is all very well, but then it's off to the restaurant café for a rather good lunch (as I did myself this morning). It is excellent to make great martinis, but with this ought go dedication to one's duties - and some traditionalist priests are curates del mondo, flitting about from one pseudo-recusant chapel to another, while perhaps neglecting day-to-day humdrum matters. People and parishioners begin to talk, to tote up the days of Father's days away, and to wonder what their frequency signifies. If Father has good reason - a sick relative, a call of mercy, his due holiday - then no matter; but if he be touchy and angry about inquiries, is that a sign of an uneasy conscience?

There can be the temptation for traddie clergy to enjoy saying Mass here and there, reliving the derring-do of the intrepid, stubborn few in the dark years of persecution after Vatican II (not yet entirely over), but if they have the cure of souls in a particular place assigned them, then Canon Law does require more than a minimum attendance upon pastoral duties in that locale. As one hard-working parish priest observed about a certain Latin Mass sayer he knew, "Father says Mass - and that's it."

I have great respect and love for priests, true fathers in God, the men who make prayer and sacrifice, Christ's ministers to us sinners: but a true friend has a right also to make known constructive criticisms - just as I try to open my own eyes to my own enormities, and somehow work out my salvation. Pray for priests, and pray for me.