Monday, September 29, 2008

Prayers to St Michael

This morning, one of the Friars of the Immaculate offered Low Mass of St Michael; since he is still learning how to celebrate the old rite, as well as two servers, he had an M.C. as well (the redoubtable Aaron).  He also said the three morning Masses yesterday, and heard confessions (incl. my own): a good priest.

Here are some prayers to St Michael, that most glorious prince of the heavenly host, defender of the Church and all Christian souls against satanic attacks, and the psychopomp of departed souls:

Aspirationes ad Michaëlem Archangelum

Michaël Archangele, veni in adjutórium pópulo Dei.
(Aña. 4. ad Mat.; cf. Dan 10:13b)

Sancte Michaël Archangele, defende nos in prælio,
ut non pereámus in treméndo judício
. (Alleluia V.)

Princeps gloriosíssime, Michaël Archangele, esto memor nostri:
hic et ubíque semper precare pro nobis Fílium Dei.

(Aña ad Magnif. Ad II Vesp. (Rom.))

V/.
Ora pro nobis, Sancte Michaël Archangele.
R/.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Invocatio ad sanctum Michaëlem Archangelum

Sancte Míchaël Archángele, defénde nos in prœlio; 
contra nequítiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium. 
Imperet illi Deus, súpplices deprecámur, 
tuque, Princeps milítiæ cæléstis, 
Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, 
qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo, 
divína virtúte in inférnum detrúde. Amen. 

Saint Michael the Archangel (cf. Jude 9), defend us in battle (cf. Rev 12:7); 
be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil (cf. Eph 6:11). 
May God rebuke him (cf. Jude 9), we humbly pray, 
and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, (cf. Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; Josh 5:14; Lk 2:13)
by the power of God thrust into hell (cf. 2 Pet 2:4)
Satan (cf. Rev 20:1-3a) and all the other evil spirits, 
who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls (cf. Job 2:2; 1 Pet 5:8b). Amen.

Precatio ad sanctum Michaëlem Archangelum

Princeps gloriosíssime cæléstis milítiæ, 
sancte Míchaël Archángele, 
defénde nos in prœlio 
advérsus príncipes et potestátes, 
advérsus mundi rectóres tenebrárum harum, 
contra spiritália nequítiæ in cæléstibus. 
Veni in auxílium hóminum, 
quos Deus ad imáginem similitúdinis suæ fecit 
et a tyránnide diáboli emit prétio magno. 

Te custódem et patrónum sancta venerátur Ecclésia; 
tibi trádidit Dóminus ánimas redemptórum 
in supérna felicitáte locándas. 
Deprecáre Deum pacis, 
ut cónterat Sátanam sub pédibus nostris, 
ne ultra váleat captívos tenére hómines 
et Ecclésiæ nocére. 

Offer nostras preces in conspéctu Altíssimi, 
ut cito antícipent nos misericórdiæ Dómini 
et apprehéndas dracónem, serpéntem antíquum, 
qui est diábolus et Sátanas, 
et ligátum mittas in abýssum, 
ut non sedúcat ámplius gentes. 
Amen.

Most glorious Prince of the heavenly host, (cf. Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; Josh 5:14; Lk 2:13)
Saint Michael the Archangel, (cf. Jude 9)
defend us in battle (cf. Rev 12:7)
against the principalities and powers, 
against the rulers of this world of darkness, 
against the spirits of wickedness in the heavens. (cf. Eph 6:12)
Come to the assistance (cf. Dan 10:13) of men, 
whom God made in his own image and likeness (Wis 2:23; cf. Gen 1:26a, 27a)
and redeemed at a great price (cf. 1 Cor 6:20a; 7:23a) from the tyranny of the devil. 

Thou art venerated by Holy Church as her guard and patron; 
unto thee the Lord hath handed over the souls of the redeemed 
to be placed in happiness above. 
Entreat the God of peace, 
that he may crush Satan under our feet, (cf. Rom 16:20a)
lest he prevail further to hold men captive, 
and to injure the Church. 

Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High (cf. Ps 140:2; Rev 5:8; 8:3-4), 
so that the mercy of the Lord may swiftly overtake us (cf. Ps 78:8b)
and apprehend the dragon, the ancient serpent, 
who is the devil and Satan, 
and send him bound into the abyss, 
so that he may seduce the nations no more. (cf. Rev 20:2-3a; 12:9) Amen.

Alia Oratio

O Princeps cælestis militiæ, sancte Michaël, 
qui superbum Luciferum cum omnibus suis asseclis in tartarum dejecisti, 
O defensor et protector Ecclesiæ, 
O animarum ex hoc sæculo migrantium præses: 
succurre populo Dei, 
defende Ecclesiam tibi commendatam 
contra omnes insidias Satanæ; 
adjuva animam meam contra eundem hostem constitutam, 
quam tibi nunc commendo. 
Præsertim me in hora mortis meæ protege, 
ut ad paradisi gaudia admittar, 
ubi cum omnibus Angelis Deum æternis laudibus deprædicem. Amen. 

O Prince of the heavenly host, Saint Michael, 
thou who cast into hell proud Lucifer with all his followers, 
thou who art defender and protector of the Church, 
thou who art protector of souls departing from this world, 
come to the aid of the People of God 
and defend the Church committed unto thee 
against all the snares of Satan. 
Help my soul, which I now commend to thee, 
against this same enemy. 
Protect me especially at the hour of my death, 
so that I may be admitted to the joys of paradise 
where I, with all the Angels, may praise God eternally. Amen. 


Alia Oratio

Princeps gloriosissime, Sancte Michaël Archangele, 
ego humillimus cliens tuus saluto te per dulcissimum Cor Jesu Christi, 
quod in augmentum gaudii et gloriæ tuæ peramanter offero, 
gratias agens Deo pro beatitudine, quam tibi contulit, 
et quod te super omnes alios Angelos honorare et exaltare voluit. 
Tibi vitæ et mortis meæ curam specialiter commendo, 
adsis mihi nunc et semper, maxime in fine vitæ meæ, 
benigne me tunc consolare, conforta et protege. 
Impetra mihi augmentum fidei, spei et caritatis, 
nec permittas me a sancta fide deviare nec in foveam desperationis incidere, 
neque de operibus bonis, si quæ per gratiam Dei operatus sum, præsumere. 
Impetra mihi peccatorum meorum veniam, humilitatem, patientiam et alias virtutes, 
maxime vero perseverantiam in bono et gratiam finalem, 
ut tecum Deum meum glorificem in sæcula. Amen. 

O most glorious Prince, Saint Michael the Archangel, 
I, thy most humble servant, salute thee through the most beloved Heart of Jesus Christ 
which I lovingly offer for the increase of thy joy and thy glory. 
I give thanks to God for the blessedness which He brings to thee 
and with which He wishes to honor and exalt thee above all the other Angels. 
I especially commend myself to thy care in life and death. 
Be with me now and always, especially at the end of my life. 
Kindly console me, strengthen me, and protect me. 
Obtain for me an increase in faith, hope, and charity. 
Do not permit me to stray from the holy faith, nor fall into the snare of desperation, 
nor to take for granted good works, which I am engaged in through the grace of God. 
Obtain for me pardon of my sins, humility, patience and the other virtues, 
true perseverance in goodness, and the final grace 
that I may give glory to God with thee forever. Amen.

Private Morning Prayers

These days, upon getting up, these are the short prayers I usually say before having breakfast:

+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on thee.  (Eph. v, 14)

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: let the whole earth stand in awe of Him.  (Ps 95(96):9)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Make me a praise of Thy glory, O Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial and undivided.  (Cf. Bl Elizabeth of the Trinity; Eph. i, 6. 12. 14)

O my God, I believe in Thee, and in all that Thy Holy Church teacheth, for Thou hast said it and Thy word is true.

O my God, I hope in Thee for grace and for glory, because of Thy promises, Thy mercy, and Thy power.

O my God, I love Thee with all my heart, and for Thy sake I love my neighbour as myself.

O my God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against Thee, because Thou art so good, and with Thy help I will not sin again.

Dignare, Domine, die isto, sine peccato nos custodire.

Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata: da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos.

I am all Thine, and all that I am is Thine, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, Thy Holy Mother.

Maria, Mater gratiæ, 
Mater misericordiæ, 
Tu me ab hoste protege 
Et mortis hora suscipe.  Amen.

Gaude, Maria Virgo, cunctas hæreses sola interemisti in universo mundo.

Sancti Dei omnes, intercedere dignemini pro nostra omniumque salute.

Angeli, Archangeli, Throni et Dominationes, Principatus et Potestates, Virtutes cælorum, Cherubim atque Seraphim, laudate Dominum in excelsis, et intercedite pro nobis.

Sancti Angeli, custodes nostri, defendite nos in prœlio, ut non pereamus in tremendo judicio.

Angele Dei, qui custos es mei, me tibi commissum pietate superna, hodie illumina, custodi, rege et guberna.

And then the Angelus, a favourite prayer (see further here).

(I have also written further on why we should have great devotion to the angels.)

Saturday, September 27, 2008

AFL Grand Final Report

Robert, Michael and I - and another friend - shared a carton of Cascade Premium Light (Rob and I are from Tasmania, and I used to live round the corner from Cascade Brewery, pictured) and various nibbles, while watching the match of the year: and it was Hawthorn's return to the top, with a fourth-quarter success over a dogged but ill-aiming Geelong; the scores say it all: 18.7 (153) to 11.23 (89) - the Cats wasting far too many opportunities on behinds, not goals.  So we finished up with two bottles of champagne, to celebrate the Hawks' first premiership since 1991.  I rang Dad, from whom I learnt to be a Hawthorn supporter, and he reminded me that he was at the match that was their first grand final victory, back in 1961.

In between beers, being all of us interested in theology, we talked about Rob's doctoral research into the pre-history of the Oxford Movement, looking at a book about the alleged ethos thereof, and what this implies about the links between faith and the moral life - that sanctity and the apprehension of truth go hand in hand, whereas vice and infidelity lamentably conspire together - and agreed to catch up again soon.  Rob, you're a fine host!

It was a good day to watch footy, as this old ad illustrates:



Now, for some rest; I feel worn out after an arvo spent on the turps...

Friday, September 26, 2008

Pray the Preces

Aside from the Ember Days, and ferial Wednesdays and Fridays of Advent and Lent, the '62 Breviary omits the Preces, that is, a series of intercessions (largely drawn from the Psalms) used at Lauds and Vespers; and it utterly omits the former Preces at Prime and Compline, and also the abbreviated Preces used at Terce, Sext and None (comprising the initial Kyrie and Pater, plus the last three versicles only of those appointed for the cardinal Hours; the Carthusians do not abbreviate thus, but recite the full Preces of Lauds and Vespers at the Little Hours also).  

Now, when using the Roman Breviary I make it my practice pro opportunitate to say some or all of these prayers as an optional add-on extra, as it were, seeing as how there is a duty - urged on us by the Apostle, as being "good and agreeable in the sight of God our Saviour" - to make intercession for all men, for rulers and those in authority, "that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all piety and worthy behaviour," so that all may be brought to know the truth and be saved (cf. I Tim. ii, 1f).

Indeed, without these, the Roman Breviary may seem somewhat lacking in focussed intercession, excepting the second part of Prime, the capitular office - though of course, in its magnificent weekly cycle of Psalms above all, but also in hymns, versicles of Scripture and incomparable Collects, the Prayer of Holy Mother Church does ever beseech God for His aid.

These intercessions - specially recommended by the Church on the Ember Days, occurring at present, by her own liturgical tradition - I recommend to all, together with the Litanies of the Saints, so here are some links to them:

Holiday Plans

For the next two weeks, I'm off work, relaxing: the second week (Sunday to Friday) will be taken up with the Toodyay Retreat, but some of the first week (Tuesday to Thursday) will be spent down the South West, in and around the general Margaret River, Busselton, Dunsborough, and Bunbury area.

I obviously won't be posting during my annual retreat, but will try to keep this blog updated with some of my holiday pastimes.

Now, for any fellow Western Australians: any tips on good places to visit?

Oh, and in other personal, local and national news: Mum and Dad have just had their birthdays, so please remember them in your prayers; the new State Ministry was finally sworn in on Tuesday at Government House, some two weeks after the general election; and tomorrow is the AFL Grand Final (my team, Hawthorn, versus Geelong, in a replay of the '89 clincher), so, like all true blue Aussies, Michael and I are going round to Robert's place to drink beer, eat pies and other footy fare, and barrack for our teams: C'arn the mighty Hawks!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Ember Wednesday; Our Lady of Ransom

I've been back at the day Hours of the Roman Breviary for a while now, altho' (to save time) I'm still reading the Office of Readings from the modern Office (Matins being too long for me at present), and it has been good to-day to have the Preces at Lauds and Vespers; good too to recite Lauds II, with the Canticle of Anna.  Of course, as a private addition I still say the once-prescribed Paters and Aves, etc., before and after each Hour, and have been using the Preces (including those formerly for Prime, the Little Hours, and Compline) as another addition, but to-day they were there as an integral part of the cursus and pensum.

To-day is also the commemoration of Our Lady of Ransom, originally to venerate her as the authoress of the Mercedarians, those daring and chivalrous religious who (together with their holy and zealous competitors, the Trinitarians) yearly ransomed Christian men from the Mussulman; but for England she has a special place as her to whom the Catholics of that realm pray for the return of their home to be once more her Dowry.  There in England still exists The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, and this is their prayer (composed by Cardinal Wiseman):

Prayer for England

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy dowry, and upon us who greatly hope and trust in thee.

By thee it was that Jesus, our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more.

Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the cross, O Sorrowful Mother.  Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold, they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son.

Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith, fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee in our heavenly home.

AMEN.


It was good to-day also to make my confession; and while waiting in line for some time, somewhat perturbed, I was able to "redeem the time" and pray the Litanies of the Saints, of the Holy Name, of the Sacred Heart, and of the Precious Blood; and afterward, seven Ave's for a penance, and a grateful Te Deum.

How fitting, on this Ember Day, to pray this Collect, asking for the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin that we be freed from the only true slavery, the degradation of sin, which is enchainment to the devil:

Deus, qui per gloriosíssimam Fílii tui Matrem, ad liberándos Christi fidéles a potestate paganórum nova Ecclésiam tuam prole amplificáre dignátus es: præsta, quæsumus; ut, quam pie venerámur tanti operis institutricem, ejus páriter meritis et intercessióne, a peccátis ómnibus et captivitáte dæmonis líberemur. Per eúmdem...

O God, who through the most glorious Mother of thy Son didst vouchsafe to increase thy Church with a new offspring for the redemption of thy Christian people from the power of the heathen: grant, we beseech thee, that like as we on this day do honour her for the work of her institution, so by her merits and intercession, we may be delivered from all our iniquities and the bondage of the devil. Through the same...

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Quotation of the Day

Too many would fall under this malediction to-day, sloppy priests and abusers of the sacred...

Jeremias xlviii, 10a:  Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord carelessly (Vulg. fraudulently, Sept & Neo-Vulg. negligently)!

In the originals:

אָרוּר, עֹשֶׂה מְלֶאכֶת יְהוָה--רְמִיָּה
(MT: Jer. xlviii, 10a)

ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ποιῶν τὰ ἔργα κυρίου ἀμελῶς 
(LXX: Jer. xxxi, 10a - the Septuagint differently orders certain chapters)

Maledictus qui facit opus Domini fraudulenter* 
(Vulg: Jer. xlviii, 10a - the Neo-Vulgate reads *neglegenter)

Compare and consider this following instructive tale told of some religious: two of the brethren were reciting the Office together in an unbecoming posture, when on a sudden the devil appeared in their midst, said "This is the incense suited to your prayers," and disappeared again, leaving behind a foul stench! 

The Korean Martyrs

Having had a lazy day, I finally got around to Morning Prayer with Michael and James in the early afternoon!  Since it is better to pray with others ("two or three gathered" and all that), and because I'm the only one with a '62 Breviary, we used the modern Office: which had the happy result of keeping the feast of the 103 canonized Martyrs of Korea, SS Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions - and keeping in mind the many thousands more as yet uncanonized, but all so very precious in God's sight.  

Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus!  

The English (as opposed to that dreadful ICEL American edition) of the modern Office was published before this feast was inserted into the modern Calendar; however, all is from the Common, except for the Collect, which I read from my modern Latin Office:

Deus, omnium gentium creator et salus, qui in Coreana regione ad catholicam fidem populum adoptionis mirabiliter vocasti atque sanctorum martyrum Andreæ, Pauli ac sociorum gloriosa confessione crescere fecisti, eorum exemplo et intercessione concede, ut nos quoque in mandatis tuis usque ad mortem perseverare valeamus.  Per...

(God, the Creator and salvation of all peoples, Who in the Korean region wondrously called a people of adoption to the Catholic Faith and also made to grow the glorious confession of the holy martyrs Andrew, Paul and companions, concede by their example and intercession that we also may have the strength to persevere until death in Thy commandments.  Through...)

Day of Mourning


Guéranger alerts me to the unhappy anniversary falling this day: the wicked and impious occupation of Rome by the army of the Kingdom of Italy, on the 20th of September 1870.  By what right was the lawful sovereign of the Papal States despoiled of the last of his lands (the rest having been snatched and stolen in 1860), territories oft-contested but ever kept as the temporal domain of the Supreme Pontiff from the days of the Franks in the 8th Century, and, before that, the de facto sphere of Papal government in the Duchy of Rome as Byzantine power waned in the preceding ages?  Cursed was Victor Emmanuel's dynasty for this fell deed.

On the 19th of September, Rome had been besieged; the Masonic forces glorying in their attack on Peter had even chosen the date to coincide with their own unholy 'New Year', stooping even to vulgar insults against Christ's Vicar.  To read more of all this, refer to what is online of Roberto De Mattei's excellent book on Blessed Pius IX.

Viva il Papa-Re!

While the Lateran treaties of 1929 restored peace between the affronted Papacy and unhappy Italy, and at least gave recognition to the remnants of the Pope's rule over the Vatican, and declared extraterritorial various Church properties (such as Castel Gandolfo), it is to be hoped that one day the Papal States may be reborn as the phoenix.  The ignorant secular powers may scoff; it is they who shall be cast into the abyss on Judgement Day, realizing all too late in Whose hand is the government of all the earth.

As Psalm 91(92) has it,

Though the wicked spring up like grass
and all who do evil thrive,
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed.
But you, Lord, are eternally on high.
See how your enemies perish;
all doers of evil are scattered.

A Tiring Week

St Joseph of Cupertino on Thursday, and SS Januarius and Companions yesterday, have gone by without much comment: I've been rather busy and tired, and put off by irritations at work.

God, Who didst dispose Thy Onlybegotten Son exalted above earth to draw all (to Himself): mercifully permit, that, by the merits and example of Thy seraphic Confessor Joseph, lifted above all earthly desires, we may deserve to draw nigh unto Him: Who with Thee liveth...

I do hope that the blood of St Januarius kept as relics once more liquefied in its phials...

On a positive note, now we're into Spring it's the season for strawberries, and the first peaches too: so God is good.  Even better, I have a holiday coming up, and a Retreat...

Today's Saints, the Martyrs Eustace and Companions, intercede for us!

God, Who dost permit us to worship the birthdays of Thy holy Martyrs Eustace and his Companions, grant unto us to rejoice in eternal beatitude in their fellowship.  Through...

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Brazen Serpent a Type of Christ – Twelve Readings and Responsories

From time to time I compose shorter or longer devotions; this, one of the longer, is an extended reflection upon several overlapping themes...  I hope it may be of interest.

******

The Brazen Serpent a Type of Christ – Twelve Readings and Responsories

First Reading, from the Law

From the serpent came death to mankind. But the seed of the woman shall trample Satan down – this is the Protoevangelium, the first presage of the Good News of Christ. 

A reading from the book of Genesis.  (3:1-15)

In those days: 
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. 

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 
12 The man said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 


First Responsory  (Isaiah 27:1; 14:29b; 2 Corinthians 11:3,14)

R/. In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. * For from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent.
V/. I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. * For from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent. 

Second Reading, from the Law

God transforms Aaron’s rod into a serpent, and it consumes the serpents conjured up by the magicians of Egypt. The destruction of the serpents of evil by this marvellous serpent foretells Israel’s deliverance from Pharaoh, and man’s liberation from sin.

A reading from the book of Exodus.  (4:1-5; 7:8-13)

In those days: 
4:1 Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” 2 The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” 3 And he said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand, and take it by the tail” – so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand – 5 “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 

7:8 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the LORD commanded; Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. 12 For every man cast down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the LORD had said. 


Second Responsory  (Amos 5:18-19,27b; Jeremiah 8:17; Amos 9:3)

R/. Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light; as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. “For behold, I am sending among you serpents, adders which cannot be charmed, and they shall bite you,” * says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. 
V/. “Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them,” * says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. 

Third Reading, from the Law

Fiery serpents, or ‘seraph serpents’, bite the sinful. The image of such a serpent, however, avails for deliverance from their poison. This is a type of the redemption won for us by Christ Crucified from the slavery of sin. 

A reading from the book of Numbers.  (21:4-9)

In those days: 
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 
6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. 


Third Responsory  (Cf. Judith 8:24-25 (Vulg.); 1 Corinthians 10:9-12)

R/. They that did not receive the trials with the fear of the Lord, but uttered their impatience and the reproach of their murmuring against the Lord, were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents. * Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 
V/. We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents; nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 
* Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 

Fourth Reading, from the Law

The law of the Lord must be observed, lest Israel let God’s salvation go for nothing. Likewise, Christians ought not forget their liberation by Christ from the fiery serpents of the enemy. 

A reading from the book of Deuteronomy.  (8:11-16)

In those days, Moses said to the people: 
11 “Take heed lest you forget the LORD your God, by not keeping his commandments and his ordinances and his statutes, which I command you this day: 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.” 

Fourth Responsory  (Psalm 90(91) 9-10, 13; Isaiah 30:6a)

R/. Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. * You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 
V/. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the viper and the flying serpent, * You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 

Fifth, Historical Reading

The bronze serpent made by Moses was given idolatrous worship by the corrupt descendents of Israel, and so it was best destroyed. This demonstrates the danger of perversion of worship, of a turn to Satan from God. 

A reading from the second book of Kings.  (18:1-4)

In those days: 
1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had burned incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 

Fifth Responsory  (Revelation 12:7-9a; 20:1-3a)

R/. Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. * And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.
V/. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more. * And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. 

Sixth, Prophetic Reading

The seraphim, or ‘fiery ones’, may have been like the ‘fiery serpents’ and ‘flying serpents’ recorded elsewhere in Holy Writ. Here they are agents of good, bringing not poison but purification. They typify Christ and the Holy Spirit sent from God.

A reading from the prophet Isaiah.  (6:1-7)
In those days: 
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 6 Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.” 


Sixth Responsory  (Revelation 4:2-3,6b,8)

R/. At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. * “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 
V/. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures; and the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, * “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 

Seventh, Sapiential Reading

God showed mercy when he sent both a salutary punishment and a sure cure to his wayward people. They were taught obedience by suffering, and saved by recourse to God through the instrumentality of the brazen serpent, foretelling Christ as Mediator. 

A reading from the book of Wisdom.  (16:5-8,10-14)

5 For when the terrible rage of wild beasts came upon thy people 
and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents, 
thy wrath did not continue to the end; 
6 they were troubled for a little while as a warning, 
and received a token of deliverance to remind them of thy law’s command. 
7 For he who turned toward it was saved, 
not by what he saw, but by thee, the Saviour of all. 
8 And by this also thou didst convince our enemies 
that it is thou who deliverest from every evil. 
10 Thy sons were not conquered even by the teeth of venomous serpents, 
for thy mercy came to their help and healed them. 
11 To remind them of thy oracles they were bitten, 
and then were quickly delivered, 
lest they should fall into deep forgetfulness 
and become unresponsive to thy kindness. 
12 For neither herb nor poultice cured them, 
but it was thy word, O Lord, which heals all men. 
13 For thou hast power over life and death; 
thou dost lead men down to the gates of Hades and back again. 


Seventh Responsory  (Sirach 12:13-14; Ecclesiastes 10:11)

R/. Who will pity a snake charmer bitten by a serpent, or any who go near wild beasts? * If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage in a charmer. 
V/. So no one will pity a man who associates with a sinner and becomes involved in his sins. * If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage in a charmer. 

Eighth Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles

Christ’s promise to his disciples, that they should be unharmed if bitten by serpents, and be able to cure the sick by the laying on of hands, is fulfilled in the person of St Paul.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  (Acts 28:1-9)

In those days: 
1 After we had escaped, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 And the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, when a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 

7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 
8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery; and Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 

Eighth Responsory  (Romans 16:19-20a; Matthew 10:16,7-8a)

R/. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; * then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. 
V/. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. * Then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. 

Ninth, Gospel Reading

Our Lord identifies himself with the lifegiving bronze serpent once set up in the desert to cure those bitten by serpents. He promises to give everlasting life to all those who acknowledge him as the One who Is, who believe him to be God. 

A reading from the holy gospel according to John.   (12:30a, 31-34; 8:28a; 3:14-16)

At that time: 
12:30a Jesus answered, 31 “Now is the judgement of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; 32 and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what death he was to die. 34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?” 

8:28a So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he.” 

3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Ninth Responsory  (Mark 16:15b-18; Luke 10:19)

R/. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. * Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. 
V/. “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. * Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you.”

Tenth, Ecclesiastical Reading

To St Francis, afire with God’s love, was granted a vision of Christ as a Seraph upon a Cross – fulfilling the prophetic image of the fiery serpent as agent of salvation. At this transfixing vision, he is Christified, recreated in the very likeness of Christ Crucified. 

A reading from the Minor Life of St Francis, by St Bonaventure.  (Legenda minor, 6, 1)

St Francis was a faithful and devoted servant of Christ and [in 1224] two years before he died he observed a forty-day fast in honour of St Michael the Archangel on a mountain called La Verna, where he lived in complete solitude. There he experienced an extraordinary infusion of divine contemplation; he was all on fire with heavenly desires and he realized that the gifts of divine grace were being poured out over him in greater abundance than ever. The fervour of his seraphic longing raised him up to God and, in its compassionate tenderness, made him like Christ who chose to hang upon the Cross in the excess of his love. Then one morning about the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as he was praying on the mountainside, Francis saw a Seraph with six fiery wings coming down from the highest point in heaven. The vision descended swiftly and came to rest in mid-air quite near him; then he saw that the Seraph was nailed to a cross although he had wings. His hands and feet were stretched out and nailed to the Cross, while the wings were arranged about him wonderfully; two of them were raised above his head and two were stretched out in flight, while the remaining two were joined to his body and covered it. 


Tenth Responsory  (Attr. St Francis)

R/. I beseech you, O Lord, may the burning and mellifluous power of your love absorb my mind, that I may die to the world for the love of your love, * you who deigned to die on the cross for love of my love. 
V/. You have marked, O Lord, your servant Francis with the marks of our redemption, * you who deigned to die on the cross for love of my love.

Eleventh, Ecclesiastical Reading

A reading from the Minor Life of St Francis, by St Bonaventure.  (Legenda minor, 6, 2)

Francis was dumbfounded at the sight and his heart was flooded with a mixture of joy and sorrow. He was overjoyed to see how graciously Christ regarded him, as he appeared to him so intimately in this miraculous vision. But the sight of the cruel way he was nailed to the Cross pierced his soul with a sword of compassionate sorrow. Then Christ who appeared to him visibly, granted him spiritual enlightenment and he realized that, although the agony of the passion was not in keeping with the state of a seraphic spirit which is immortal, his vision had a deep meaning for him. It was set before his eyes that, as Christ’s lover, he might know that he was to resemble Christ crucified perfectly, not by physical martyrdom, but by the fervour of his spirit. As the vision disappeared, after they had conversed mysteriously in complete intimacy, it left his heart ablaze with seraphic eagerness and marked his body with the visible likeness of the Crucified. It was as if the fire of love had first penetrated his whole being, so that the likeness of Christ might be impressed upon it like a seal. 

Eleventh Responsory  (Galatians 6:14,17; 1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1)

R/. But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. * I urge you, then, be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 
V/. Pray for us, Seraphic Father Francis. * I urge you, then, be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 

Twelfth, Ecclesiastical Reading

A reading from the Minor Life of St Francis, by St Bonaventure.  (Legenda minor, 6, 3)

There and then the marks of nails began to appear in his hands and feet, the heads of which were in the palms of his hands and on the instep of each foot, while the points protruded on the opposite side. The heads appeared black and round in his hands and feet, but the points were long and bent back; they rose above the surrounding flesh and jutted out above it. The curved portion of the nails on the soles of his feet was so big and stood out so far that he could not put his foot firmly on the ground; a man could put his finger through the loop without difficulty, as I have been told by people who saw the stigmata with their own eyes. His right side was marked with a livid scar which often bled, and it looked as if it had been pierced with a lance. His habit and trousers used to be soaked with blood, so that the friars who washed them knew at once that Christ’s servant bore the likeness of the Crucified in his side, just as he bore it in his hands and feet. 

Twelfth Responsory  (Cf. St Bonaventure, Legenda minor, 6, 4)

R/. When the forty days which he intended spending in solitude on the mountain were over and the feast of St Michael the Archangel had come, St Francis came down from the mountain. * True love of Christ had now transformed his lover into his image. 
V/. With him he bore a representation of Christ crucified which was not the work of an artist in wood or stone; it had been inscribed on the members of his body by the hand of the living God. * True love of Christ had now transformed his lover into his image. 

Te Deum

Collect

Let us pray.

O God, to whom all creatures are obedient, and who made all things in wisdom by thy word, thine ineffable mercy we beseech, whom thou hast deigned to redeem by the wood of the holy cross, by the holy blood of thy Son, that thou, who art the tree of life and the restorer of paradise, may extinguish the dire poison of the serpent and, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, ever pour out the waters of salvation in all who believe in thee. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.

Stigmata of St Francis - II

"...  The... marvellous but thoroughly witnessed facts [concerning the stigmata of St Francis], which were already spoken of in Papal documents with especial praise and joy, were made, by the pleasure of Pope Benedict XI, the subject of a yearly memorial, which was afterwards extended by Paul V to the whole Church, in the hope of fanning in the hearts of the faithful the love of Christ Crucified."  (Lesson vi of Matins of this feast, prior to the '62 Breviary)

Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis.  R/.  Deo gratias.

Antiphon, Versicle, and Collects in Honour of the Stigmata of St Francis

Aña. Absorbeat, quæso, Domine, mentem meam vis ignita et melliflua amoris tui, ut amore amoris tui mundo moriar, qui amore amoris mei dignatus es in cruce mori.

V/. Signasti, Domine, servum tuum Franciscum.
R/. Signis redemptionis nostræ.

Oremus.

Domine Jesu Christe, qui frigescente mundo ad inflammandum corda nostra tui amoris igne, in carne beatissimi Patris nostri Francisci Passionis tuæ sacra Stigmata renovasti: concede propitius, ut ejus meritis et precibus crucem jugiter feramus, et dignos fructus pænitentiæ faciamus. Qui vivis et regnas in sæculum sæculorum.  R/.  Amen. 
Deus, qui beati Patris nostri Francisci corpus Passionis Filii tui signaculis decorasti, et animam in cælis mirabiliter sublimasti: concede propitius, ut qui ejusdem commemorationem celebramus, carnem nostram cum vitiis crucifigere, et ad cælestem patriam pervenire valeamus. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.  R/.  Amen.
Deus, qui mira crucis mysteria in beato Patre nostro Francisco Confessore tuo multiformiter demonstrasti: da nobis, quæsumus, devotionis suæ semper exempla sectari, et assidua ejusdem crucis meditatione muniri. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.  R/.  Amen.

Ant. I beseech you, O Lord, may the burning and mellifluous power of your love absorb my mind, that I may die to the world for the love of your love, who deigned to die on the cross for love of my love. (attr. St Francis of Assisi)

V/.  You have marked, O Lord, your servant Francis.
R/.  With the marks of our redemption.

Let us pray.

O God, who adorned the body of our blessed Father Francis with the signs of the Passion of your Son, and wondrously exalted his soul into heaven: graciously grant, that we who celebrate the commemoration of the same, may crucify our flesh with its vices, and have the strength to attain to the heavenly fatherland. Through the same Christ our Lord.   R/.  Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who, when the world was growing cold, in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of your love, renewed the sacred marks of your passion in the flesh of our most blessed Father Francis; mercifully grant that by his merits and prayers we may always bear our cross, and bring forth worthy fruits of penance. Who live and reign world without end.   R/.  Amen.
O God, who in divers ways shewed in our Father blessed Francis, your Confessor, the wonderful mysteries of the Cross, grant, we beseech you, that we may ever follow the example of his devotion, and be strengthened by constant meditation on that same Cross. Through Christ our Lord.   R/.   Amen.