Christmas and Circumcision, Epiphany and Baptism

It struck me yesterday, that just as the Octave Day of Christmas is (or was) the feast of the Circumcision (it still is, in the traditional Dominican Rite), so the Octave Day of the Epiphany is the feast of the Lord's Baptism: so the liturgy passes from Christ's Birth to his Circumcision, he being born a subject of the Law, and then on from the Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, to his Baptism, a baptism of repentance which he vicariously undertook on our behalf at the hands of his cousin the Baptist, which sanctified the waters of the Jordan, and presaged his later institution of sacramental Baptism for all nations, by the power of his Passion applied to souls through the laver of regeneration.

Drink Mystic Monk Coffee

Yester-day I finally got around to unpacking and setting up my new coffee grinder and drip filter machines, so I could process and taste the Mystic Monk coffee beans I was given in Bunbury last year. Many thanks to my friends in Bunbury, who are the family of a friend of mine who joined the Carmelite Monks in Wyoming some years ago.

Litany of the Three Wise Men, in English

Some years ago, prior to my visit to Cologne, its Cathedral, and a pious veneration therein of the relics of the Magi, I posted a Litany of the Three Kings. A commenter once asked for a translation: now, years later, I've finally made one, which I subjoin below:

LITANY OF THE THREE HOLY KINGS OR MAGI OF THE GOSPEL

Lord, have mercy.       Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.     Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.       Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven,      Have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,             Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,          Have mercy on us.

Jesu, King of Kings,    Have mercy on us.

1. Holy Mary, Queen of Queens,       Pray for us.

Saint Joseph, tutor of the King of all,             Pray for us.

Holy King Gaspar,     Pray for us.

Holy King Melchior, Pray for us.

5. Holy King Balthazar,          Pray for us.

1. Most Holy Three Kings,    Pray ye for us.

Most Holy Three Magi of the East,   Pray ye for us.

Kings of Tharsis,        Pray ye for us.

Kings of the Arabians and of Saba,     Pray ye for us.

Patriarchs of the faithful,        Pray ye for us.

6. First-fruits of the nations, Pray ye for us.

Princes of the peoples,           Pray ye for us.

Whose expectation was Jesus,            Pray ye for us.

Whose desire was Jesus,         Pray ye for us.

Whose perfect joy was Jesus,            Pray ye for us.

11. Most illuminated by faith,            Pray ye for us.

Most robust in hope,  Pray ye for us.

Most fervent in charity,         Pray ye for us.

Most splendid with the gold of love, Pray ye for us.

Most religious with the incense of devotion,             Pray ye for us.

16. Most incorrupt with the myrrh of patience,        Pray ye for us.

Most profound in humility,   Pray ye for us.

Strongest in constancy,           Pray ye for us.

Most abundant in gratitude,   Pray ye for us.

Most liberal in munificence,   Pray ye for us.

21. Mirrors of all virtues,       Pray ye for us.

1. Who, seeing the star, reverently admitted divine inspiration,        Pray ye for us.

Who by free will obeyed, prompted by efficacious grace,     Pray ye for us.

Who departed your land, relations and friends for love of the heavenly King,

            Pray ye for us.

Who nothing dreaded the troubles and difficulties of the journey,     Pray ye for us.

Who in Jerusalem sought the new-born King of the Jews,     Pray ye for us.

6. Who before Herod intrepidly confessed faith in Christ,    Pray ye for us.

Who were taught by the Scribes and Pharisees from the Scriptures about the place where the Messias was to be born,    Pray ye for us.

Who were sent away by Herod to Bethlehem,           Pray ye for us.

Who, the star again appearing, with great joy greatly rejoiced,          Pray ye for us.

Who followed the same preceding you, until it stopped above where the Child was,

            Pray ye for us.

11. Who entering the house, found the Child with Mary his Mother,           Pray ye for us.

Who falling down worshipped the Infant abiding on her virginal lap,            Pray ye for us.

Who opening your treasures offered gold, incense and myrrh to the Child Jesus,

            Pray ye for us.

Who by mystic gifts demonstrated your faith to the whole world,   Pray ye for us.

Who declared the Child Jesus by gold to be King, by incense to be God, by myrrh to be Man doomed to die,       Pray ye for us.

16. Who provided provisions for the Child Jesus to be conveyed to Egypt,

            Pray ye for us.

Who by your kneeling worship provided for us an example of all virtues,

            Pray ye for us.

Who taught us to offer to God the gold of charity, the incense of prayer and the myrrh of patience,          Pray ye for us.

Who after adoring the Lord and offering gifts, humbly saluted the Most Holy Virgin Mother and Joseph her Spouse,      Pray ye for us.

Who received from the same Most Holy Virgin Mary and her Virginal Spouse Joseph thanks with joy for the offered gifts,        Pray ye for us.

21. Who commended yourselves, and your kingdoms and the peoples of the nations to Christ, and to the Most Holy Virgin, and to her Spouse,           Pray ye for us.

Who departed from the same Most Holy Virgin and her Spouse with a most felicitous appreciation of all goods,             Pray ye for us.

Who, forbidden by angelic address in dreams to return to Herod, were returned by another way to your country,            Pray ye for us.

Who wisely deceived Herod by divine command,      Pray ye for us.

Who prudently delivered the Child Jesus from peril of murder,        Pray ye for us.

26. Holy Three Kings,            Pray ye for us.

1. We sinners,             We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would obtain for us true and perfect contrition,     We beseech you, hear ye us.

That courteously you would assume patronage over us,       We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would choose to reconcile, commend and present us to the King of Kings,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would brighten our souls with your virtues,          We beseech you, hear ye us.

6. That you would procure for us the gold of charity, the incense of devotion and the myrrh of mortification,      We beseech you, hear ye us.

That we may deserve ever to seek and find Christ the Lord our King with you,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

That before heretics and infidels we may intrepidly confess the faith of Christ,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

That to Herod, that is, the blandishments of the world and its noxious desires, where Christ is not found, we may never return,             We beseech you, hear ye us.

That finally we may return by another way with you to the heavenly fatherland,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

11. That you would assist us in death's agony, and in abandoning all,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would enrich our poverty with your precious gifts,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would excite the Church militant, especially the [Holy] Roman Empire [i.e., Germany], to a more abundant love and cult towards you,         We beseech you, hear ye us.

That by your patronage you would safeguard, defend and protect your devout clients, and the place established for your cult, from the snares of adversaries, the tumults of wars, the insults of enemies, hunger besides and plague, and other perils,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would drive far off all pertinacious heretics from this province [i.e. of the Rhine],           We beseech you, hear ye us.

16. That you would procure for all those, whosoever are able to accomplish this, the help of efficacious grace,     We beseech you, hear ye us.

That persuaded by the prayers and good customs of the people, you would never desert that famous place [of your relics, i.e. Cologne],           We beseech you, hear ye us.

That you would obtain the grace of final perseverance for your votaries,

            We beseech you, hear ye us.

19. That you would vouchsafe graciously to hear us,            We beseech you, hear ye us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,          Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,          Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,          Have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Our Father…

V. And lead us not into temptation.

R. But deliver us from evil. (Mt 6:9-13)

V. Three were the precious gifts.

R. Which the Magi offered to the Lord.

V. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents.

R. The kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts. (Ps. 71:10)

Let us pray.

Collect. O God, who didst wondrously enlighten the three Magi of the East and Holy Kings Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, that they might visit and honour thy Son recently born in Bethlehem: grant, we beseech thee, that aided by their example and intercession, and in the darkness of this world illumined by the true faith, we may acknowledge thee, the eternal light, and advance securely between favourable and adverse things, until, all impediments being removed, we may readily attain unto thee, who inhabitest light unapproachable. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.