If High Mass is Too Short

If High Mass is too short, to begin with, a vernacular hymn can be sung beforehand, during the procession of the sacred ministers and servers from the sacristy, out through its exterior door, down along beside the outside of the church and in through the great west doors (or, during inclement weather, down one of the side aisles to the back of the church), then up the central aisle to the altar. In addition to this, or as an alternative, the former custom of many churches of France could be adopted – to sing the Veni Creator, with the usual versicle and collect, before Mass. (On Sundays, of course, the usual sprinkling of holy water during the Asperges, versicles and collect would immediately precede the Introit.)

As adjuncts to preaching, vernacular hymns before and after the sermon could be sung, such singing being an old German custom. And of course the sermon itself could begin with the sign of the cross, the reading of the Scriptural text upon which the sermon is founded and developed, and a prefatory “Hail Mary”, while at its end the sermon could end with an ascription of praise, to which some suitable versicle (for example, on Good Shepherd Sunday, Jesu, Pastor bone, – Miserere nobis) could be appended, and then the sign of the cross for a conclusion.

(I pass over in respectful silence the potentially limitless extension of the duration of High Mass by the indefatigable expatiations of the preacher himself...)

Furthermore, following various customs of old time, traditional forms of intercessory prayer could be read after the sermon, such as that known in France as Prône, consisting of prayers for the living (Psalm 122, Kyrie, Pater noster, several versicles and a collect) and the dead (Psalm 129, several more versicles and another collect).

After Mass ends, at the conclusion of the Last Gospel, it is in many places the pious custom for the sacred ministers and servers to process first to the Lady Chapel and there lead the singing of the seasonal Marian anthem, with its versicle and collect. (In England, of course, the prescribed versicle and collect for the Queen would first be chanted; in France, the equivalent versicle is sung thrice before the Postcommunion.) After that, a recessional hymn in the vernacular could suitably be sung while they depart by the long way, down the central aisle, then out the west doors and back around the outside of the church to the sacristy (or, if the weather is unfavourable, returning thence via one of the side aisles).

To summarize, these are suitable optional additions to High Mass:

1. Before (Asperges and) Mass:

(a) Processional Hymn

(b) Veni Creator, versicle & collect

2. At Sermon:

(a) Hymn before Sermon

(b) Sign of the Cross, text & Hail Mary before Sermon

(c) Final ascription of praise, then versicle & Sign of the Cross after Sermon

(d) Hymn after Sermon

(e) Intercessory Prayers

3. After Mass:

(a) Marian anthem, versicle & collect

(b) Recessional Hymn

Such an addition of up to four hymns would afford a valuable opportunity for congregational singing of quality vernacular hymnody, in addition to the chanting of the Ordinary (either led by the choir, or sung in parts by them alone), and the Proper (by the choir alone). It goes without saying that the choir would typically also sing suitable Offertory and Communion Motets – and, following the French custom, it could add an Elevation Motet (O salutaris hostia, or Ave verum, or Pie Jesu at Masses for the dead).

Banal Insipid Prayers

I was initially delighted that at long last the lawful authorities in Holy Mother Church had noticed a glaring omission in the modern  Roman Missal – the absence of any Votive Mass in Time of Mortality (that is, by Pestilence and Plague) – and had issued a new Mass in Time of Pandemic, for the professed purpose of "implor[ing] God to bring an end to this pandemic" (A peste perambulante, Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship, 30th March 2020).

This Mass proper may be used on all days not solemnities or of equivalent rank, so it may replace even Feasts of Our Lord, his Mother, his Apostles, and the Saints, as well as Sundays of Ordinary Time (no great loss, that), and both Sundays of Christmastide and Days within the Octave of Christmas! 

There are only 47 days of the year when it may not be used! These are the Sundays of Advent, Lent and Eastertide (including Pentecost Sunday of course); Ash Wednesday, all the days of Holy Week, the Easter Triduum, the Easter Octave, the Ascension of Our Lord, and Trinity Sunday; and also the Solemnities of Corpus Christi, the Sacred Heart, and Christ the King – all these being "movable feasts", amounting to 36 days – and moreover 11 solemnities that occur on fixed dates: those of Christmas, Mary the Mother of God, the Epiphany, St Joseph, the Annunciation, the Nativity of St John Baptist, Saints Peter & Paul, the Assumption, All Saints, All Souls, and the Immaculate Conception.

However, and most unfortunately, the prayers of this new formulary are disappointingly banal, insipid and uninspiring. I trust the good Lord will bear with such limp and timid effusions, for he knows mankind all too well; but we must acknowledge that this is a jejune and feeble production of the CDW, unworthy of the sacred liturgy. Compare this to the EF Votive Mass in Time of Mortality, drawn up by Clement VI in 1348 at the onrush of the Black Death! The comparison is extremely telling.

To begin with, in the Novus Ordo the readings are usually taken from those of the ferial day, but if desired, a selection (itself extracted from those For Any Necessity) is proposed for use with these appointed prayers – yet none of these readings actually mentions plague, disease, pestilence or illness! 

To be fair, the suggested Epistle is the magnificent ending of Romans chapter 8 (verses 31b-39), but while a most uplifting passage, it is not explicitly ad rem. The alternative Lesson (Lamentations 3:17-26) is also pleasant enough, but not directly concerned with epidemics or universal contagion. The same can be said of the two alternative responsorial psalms – abbreviated from Psalms 79(80) and 122(123) – and the Gospel Acclamation (2 Cor. 1: 3b-4a): they are by their very nature as inspired Scripture written for our edification, but they do not directly address the matter at hand. The Gospel pericope, even more peculiarly, is not one of the many in which Our Lord heals the sick, but rather concerns him stilling the wind and the waves (Mark 4:35-41), when the disciples cry out in fear.

What of the EF Mass from the days of the Black Death? Its Lesson speaks of the Davidic Plague and its averting by God's mercy, when he relented at the prayer of the repentant King, and restrained the destroying angel he had sent, in his wrath at David's sin, to inflict the punishment of pestilence. The Gradual recalls that the Lord sent his word, and he healed and saved men from death. The Gospel relates how Christ in his days on earth healed the sick and drove out demons. The Offertory refers to Aaron's propitiatory offering of incense (cf. Numbers 16:46-48), which appeased the anger of God and stilled the plague he had sent to punish rebellious Israel. But such themes are evidently strong meat, despite being truths taught explicitly in the Bible, and would be too, too much for effete, delicate moderns who can bear only the milk of a milk-and-water religion.

To return to this new OF proper Mass, the appointed Entrance and Communion Antiphons are well-known, indeed beloved texts offering consolation (Is 53:4; Mt 11:28), but have no direct reference to a pandemic. By contrast, the Introit and Communion of the EF Mass pro vitanda mortalitate (to use its older title) are much more relevant: the former refers directly to the Davidic Plague (as does the Lesson), while the latter refers to Our Lord's healing of the sick.

Now, to the prayers of the just-published Mass in Time of Pandemic, which include the special Lenten feature of a Prayer over the People after the Prayer after Communion:

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, in omni perículo singuláre præsídium, qui fílios tuos in tribulatióne fide supplicántes exáudis, nobis propitiáre benígnus, et præsta, quǽsumus, defúnctis réquiem ætérnam, solámen plorántibus, salútem infírmis, moriéntibus pacem, operántibus pro fratrum sanitáte robur, spíritum sapiéntiæ illis qui nos in potestáte moderántur, et ánimum ad omnes benévole accedéndi ut cuncti nomen sanctum tuum glorificáre valeámus. Per Dóminum. 

Súscipe, Dómine, múnera quæ, in hodiérnis perículis, tibi offérimus, et fac, quǽsumus, ut, omnipoténtia tua, in fontem sanitátis pacísque convertántur. Per Christum. 

Deus, a quo recépimus vitæ ætérnæ medicínam, concéde, quǽsumus, ut, per hoc sacramentum de cæléstis remédii plenitúdine gloriémur. Per Christum. 

Protéctor in te sperántium, Deus, bénedic pópulum tuum, salva, tuére, dispóne, ut, a peccátis liber, ab hoste secúrus, in tuo semper amóre persevéret. Per Christum.

What can be said of the immensely long, almost wearisome Collect? If divided up, as I am about to demonstrate using its official English version, it would be better as a series of petitions in the Universal Prayer:

Almighty and eternal God, our refuge in every danger, to whom we turn in our distress; in faith we pray[:]
(1) look with compassion on the afflicted,
grant
(2) eternal rest to the dead,
(3) comfort to mourners,
(4) healing to the sick,
(5) peace to the dying,
(6) strength to healthcare workers,
(7) wisdom to our leaders and
(8) [to us] the courage to reach out to all in love,
so that together we may give glory to your holy name. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Note carefully: petitions 1 and 2 ask for what cannot be seen (God's compassionate eye cast upon the afflicted, and eternal rest granted to the dead); petitions 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 ask for good emotional and intellectual states of mind; and petition 4 alone actually asks for a visible benefit (healing for the sick) that, frankly, will come to most anyway (since only a small percentage die of this disease). Certainly God is our refuge in danger and distress; certainly we ought pray for all these benefits; but where is the prayer that this pandemic cease? Isn't that the professed purpose of this whole Mass? So why does it nowhere ask for it?

Do the author(s) and those who have promulgated this formulary perhaps not believe that God can bring this pandemic to an end, whensoever and howsoever he has decided in his all-wise providence?

The new Orationes super oblata, post communionem and super populum are reasonable, but could be used generally as they contain hardly anything more than vague references – the first refers to "the perils of these days" ("this time of peril" in the official translation), and prays that the offered bread and wine become a source of healing, but nothing more than that, which many such offertory prayers express in similar terms; the second is even more general, even as regards its allusions to Holy Communion as medicine and a heavenly remedy (which expressions are again commonly used in such prayers); the third of these is much the best, as it asks God, the Protector of those who hope in him, to bless, save, protect and dispose them to persevere, but I don't think that we generally regard this present pandemic as an "enemy", and the prayer – of course – has to end with an embarrassingly glib reference to "love".

Those prayers of the almost-seven-centuries-old Missa in tempore mortalitatis, on the other hand, are most explicit in their insistence that pestilence is the just punishment due on account of our sins, and so we must repent and cry to God for mercy:

Deus, qui non mortem, sed pænitentiam desideras peccatorum: populum tuum ad te revertentem propitius respice; ut, dum tibi devotus exsistit, iracundiæ tuæ flagella ab eo clementer amoveas. Per. 

Subveniat nobis, quæsumus, Domine, sacrificii præsentis oblatio: quæ nos et ab erroribus universis potenter absolvat, et a totius eripiat perditionis incursu. Per. 

Exaudi nos, Deus salutaris noster: et populum tuum ab iracundiæ tuæ terroribus liberum, et misericordiæ tuæ fac largitate securum. Per.

In the Collect, the first oration above, God is confessed as desiring not the death, but the repentance of sinners, such that he is implored graciously to regard his people turning back to him, that he may mercifully remove from us the scourges of his wrath.

Likewise, in the Secret of this traditional formulary, we beg the Lord that the offering of this present sacrifice may both powerfully absolve us from all errors, and deliver us from every incursion of perdition; and in the Postcommunion, God our health and salvation is asked to hear us, that his people be freed from the terrors of his wrath, and made secure in the gracious gift of his mercy.

How much more concise and to the point these prayers are.

Luckily, given that worldwide Masses are more and more said only in private, and less and less in public – how annoying to proud modern liturgists! – it is more and more the case that priests, unfettered by any de facto constraints on their free choice, are able to offer Mass according to the Vetus Ordo, and thus may sensibly choose the older of these two opposed propers, for "the old is better" (Luke 5:39).

Votive Mass for Oxygen

Let every thing that hath breath : praise the Lord. 

— Ps, 150, 6 (Ordinariate Psalter)

We should always work as if all depends on us, whilst ever praying knowing that all depends on God – to this end, for the benefit of future Martian Catholics, I subjoin a proposed Votive Mass from the forthcoming editio princeps of the Missale Martianum, in its native Latin first, to which is appended an unofficial English translation. It will be noted that the orations are of the neo-Gallican type, being pastiches of Scriptural texts, which may betray a Baroque tendency in their compiler!

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Missa votiva pro oxygenio

ex Missali Martiano

Introitus Sap. 2, 1. 2. 3

Exiguum est tempus vitæ nostræ, quoniam fumus flatus est in naribus nostris: et transibit vita nostra tamquam vestigium nubis, et sicut nebula dissolvetur. (T.P. Alleluja, alleluja.)

Ps. 38, 14 Remitte mihi, ut refrigerer priusquam abeam et amplius non ero.

V. Gloria Patri.

Non dicitur Gloria in excelsis.

Oratio Cf. Dan. 5, 23 & 2 Mach. 7, 23

Deus, mundi Creator, qui habes flatum nostrum in manu tua, et omnes vias nostras: spiritum nostrum iterum cum misericordia redde et vitam. Per.

Lectio Danielis Prophetæ. 10, 2-19

In diebus illis ego Daniel lugebam trium hebdomadarum diebus: panem desiderabilem non comedi, et caro et vinum non introierunt in os meum, sed neque unguento unctus sum, donec complerentur trium hebdomadarum dies. Die autem vigesima et quarta mensis primi, eram juxta fluvium magnum, qui est Tigris. Et levavi oculos meos, et vidi: et ecce vir unus vestitus lineis, et renes ejus accincti auro obrizo: et corpus ejus quasi chrysolithus, et facies ejus velut species fulguris, et oculi ejus ut lampas ardens: et brachia ejus, et quæ deorsum sunt usque ad pedes, quasi species aëris candentis: et vox sermonum ejus ut vox multitudinis. Vidi autem ego Daniel solus visionem: porro viri qui erant mecum non viderunt, sed terror nimius irruit super eos, et fugerunt in absconditum. Ego autem relictus solus vidi visionem grandem hanc: et non remansit in me fortitudo, sed et species mea immutata est in me, et emarcui, nec habui quidquam virium. Et audivi vocem sermonum ejus: et audiens jacebam consternatus super faciem meam, et vultus meus hærebat terræ. Et ecce manus tetigit me, et erexit me super genua mea, et super articulos manuum mearum. Et dixit ad me: Daniel vir desideriorum, intellige verba quæ ego loquor ad te, et sta in gradu tuo: nunc enim sum missus ad te. Cumque dixisset mihi sermonem istum, steti tremens. Et ait ad me: Noli metuere, Daniel: quia ex die primo, quo posuisti cor tuum ad intelligendum ut te affligeres in conspectu Dei tui, exaudita sunt verba tua: et ego veni propter sermones tuos. Princeps autem regni Persarum restitit mihi viginti et uno diebus: et ecce Michaël, unus de principibus primis, venit in adjutorium meum, et ego remansi ibi juxta regem Persarum. Veni autem ut docerem te quæ ventura sunt populo tuo in novissimis diebus, quoniam adhuc visio in dies. Cumque loqueretur mihi hujuscemodi verbis, dejeci vultum meum ad terram, et tacui. Et ecce quasi similitudo filii hominis tetigit labia mea: et aperiens os meum locutus sum, et dixi ad eum, qui stabat contra me: Domine mi, in visione tua dissolutæ sunt compages meæ, et nihil in me remansit virium. Et quomodo poterit servus domini mei loqui cum domino meo? nihil enim in me remansit virium, sed et halitus meus intercluditur. Rursum ergo tetigit me quasi visio hominis, et confortavit me, et dixit: Noli timere, vir desideriorum: pax tibi confortare, et esto robustus. Cumque loqueretur mecum, convalui, et dixi: Loquere, domine mi, quia confortasti me.

Graduale Ps. 103, 29-30

Auferes spiritum eorum, et deficient, et in pulverem suum revertentur.

V. Emittes spiritum tuum, et creabuntur; et renovabis faciem terræ.

Alleluja, alleluja.

V. Job 32, 20 Aperiam labia mea, et loquar, et respirabo paululum.

Alleluja.

Post Septuagesimam, omissis Alleluja et versu sequenti, dicitur:

Tractus Job 33, 4; 27, 3; 32, 20

Spiritus Dei fecit me, et spiraculum Omnipotentis vivificavit me.

V. Quia donec superest halitus in me, et spiritus Dei in naribus meis.

V. Aperiam labia mea, et loquar, et respirabo paululum.

Tempore autem paschali omittitur graduale, et ejus loco dicitur:

Alleluja, alleluja.

V. Job 27, 3 Quia donec superest halitus in me, et spiritus Dei in naribus meis.

Alleluja.

V. Job 32, 20 Aperiam labia mea, et loquar, et respirabo paululum.

Alleluja.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam. 7, 11-16

In illo tempore: Ibat Jesus in civitatem quæ vocatur Naim: et ibant cum eo discipuli ejus et turba copiosa. Cum autem appropinquaret portæ civitatis, ecce defunctus efferebatur filius unicus matris suæ: et hæc vidua erat: et turba civitatis multa cum illa. Quam cum vidisset Dominus, misericordia motus super eam, dixit illi: Noli flere. Et accessit, et tetigit loculum. (Hi autem qui portabant, steterunt.) Et ait: Adolescens, tibi dico, surge. Et resedit qui erat mortuus, et cœpit loqui. Et dedit illum matri suæ. Accepit autem omnes timor: et magnificabant Deum, dicentes: Quia propheta magnus surrexit in nobis: et quia Deus visitavit plebem suam.

Offertorium Is. 42, 5 & 8a

Hæc dicit Dominus Deus, creans cælos, et extendens eos; formans terram, et quæ germinant ex ea, dans flatum populo qui est super eam, et spiritum calcantibus eam: ego Dominus, hoc est nomen meum. (T.P. Alleluja.)

Secreta Cf. Dan. 10, 17-18 & Is. 42, 5 & Ps. 106, 22

Domine Deus, cujus angelus Danielem prophetiam, cum halitum ejus intercluderetur, confortavit: da, quæsumus, flatum et spiritum populo tuo, ut tibi sacrificent sacrificium laudis. Per.

Præfatio communis.

Communio Gen. 2, 7

Dominus Deus inspiravit in faciem hominis spiraculum vitæ, et factus est homo in animam viventem. (T.P. Alleluja.)

Postcommunio Cf. Act. 17, 24 & 25 & 28

Deus, qui fecisti mundum et omnia quæ in eo sunt: da omnibus, quæsumus, vitam et inspirationem et omnia; in quo vivimus et movemur et sumus. Per.

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Votive Mass for Oxygen

from the Martian Missal

Introit Wis. 2, 1. 2. 3

The time of our life is short, for the breath in our nostrils is smoke: and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist. (P.T. Alleluia, Alleluia.)

Ps. 38, 14 O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.

V. Glory be.

The Gloria in excelsis is not said.

Collect Cf. Dan. 5, 23 & 2 Mach. 7, 23

O God, Creator of the world, who hast our breath in thy hand, and all our ways: restore to us again in mercy both breath and life. Through.

A lesson from the Prophet Daniel. 10, 2-19

In those days: I Daniel mourned the days of three weeks. I ate no desirable bread, and neither flesh, nor wine entered into my mouth, neither was I anointed with ointment: till the days of three weeks were accomplished. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month I was by the great river which is the Tigris. And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw: and behold a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with the finest gold: and his body was like the chrysolite, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lamp: and his arms, and all downward even to the feet, like in appearance to glittering brass: and the voice of his word like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw it not: but an exceeding great terror fell upon them, and they fled away, and hid themselves. And I being left alone saw this great vision: and there remained no strength in me, and the appearance of my countenance was changed in me, and I fainted away, and retained no strength. And I heard the voice of his words: and when I heard, I lay in a consternation, upon my face, and my face was close to the ground. And behold a hand touched me, and lifted me up upon my knees, and upon the joints of my hands. And he said to me: Daniel, thou man of desires, understand the words that I speak to thee, and stand upright: for I am sent now to thee. And when he had said this word to me, I stood trembling. And he said to me: Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, to afflict thyself in the sight of thy God, thy words have been heard: and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me one and twenty days: and behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there by the king of the Persians. But I am come to teach thee what things shall befall thy people in the latter days, for as yet the vision is for days. And when he was speaking such words to me, I cast down my countenance to the ground, and held my peace. And behold, as it were the likeness of a son of man touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke, and said to him that stood before me: O my lord, at the sight of thee my joints are loosed, and no strength hath remained in me. And how can the servant of my lord speak with my lord? for no strength remaineth in me, moreover my breath is stopped. Therefore he that looked like a man touched me again, and strengthened me. And he said: Fear not, O man of desires, peace be to thee: take courage and be strong. And when he spoke to me, I grew strong: and I said: Speak, O my lord, for thou hast strengthened me.

Gradual Ps. 103, 29b-30

Thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.

V. Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Alleluia, alleluia.

V. Job 32, 20 I will open my lips, and I will speak and take breath a little.

Alleluia.

After Septuagesima, omitting Alleluia and the verse following, is said:

Tract Job 33, 4; 27, 3; 32, 20

The spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.

V. For as long as breath remaineth in me, and the spirit of God in my nostrils.

V. I will open my lips, and I will speak and take breath a little.

In Paschal Time, however, the gradual is omitted, and in its place is said:

Alleluia, alleluia.

V. Job 27, 3 For as long as breath remaineth in me, and the spirit of God in my nostrils.

Alleluia.

V. Job 32, 20 I will open my lips, and I will speak and take breath a little.

Alleluia.

The continuation of the holy Gospel according to Luke. 7, 11-16

At that time: Jesus went into a city that is called Naim; and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude. And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, he said to her: Weep not. And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us: and, God hath visited his people.

Offertory Is. 42, 5 & 8a

Thus saith the Lord God, creating the heavens, and stretching them out: establishing the earth, and the things that spring out of it: giving breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that tread thereon: I the Lord, this is my name. (P.T. Alleluia.)

Secret Cf. Dan. 10, 17-18; Is. 42, 5; Ps. 106, 22

Lord God, whose angel didst strengthen the prophet Daniel when his breath was stopped: give, we beg, breath and spirit to thy people, that to thee they may sacrifice the sacrifice of praise. Through.

The Common Preface.

Communion Gen. 2, 7

The Lord God breathed into the face of man the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (P.T. Alleluia.)

Postcommunion Cf. Act. 17, 24 & 25 & 28

O God, who didst make the world and all things that are therein: give to all, we beg, life, and breath, and all things; in whom we live and move and are. Through. 

The Translation of Saint James

Both in the Mozarabic Rite, and in the proper calendar for Spain according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the 30th of December is not an unadorned day of the Christmas Octave, but rather the Feast of the Translation of St James, according to the ancient tradition whereby his sacred body was transported from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela. 

How delightful, that the days after Our Lord's Nativity should honour, first St Stephen, first Christian Martyr, next St John the beloved disciple, Apostle and Evangelist, thirdly the Holy Innocents, the first to die for Christ, fourthly the great Archbishop-Martyr Thomas à Becket, and fifthly the Translation of the Apostle St James, before lastly, on the last day of December, honouring St Sylvester, Pope of Christian freedom and peace.

I append the texts of the Mass of the Translation of St James, first in Latin, then in an English version:

Die xxx Decembris.

IN FESTO TRANSLATIONIS

S. Jacobi Apostoli, et Hispaniarum Patroni.

Introitus. Tob. 13, 13 & 14.

Luce splendida fulgebit justus. Nationes ex longinquo venient ad eum, et adorabunt Dominum in conspectu ejus, et terram suam in sanctificationem habebunt.

Psalm. 150, 1. Laudate Dominum in Sanctis ejus: Laudate eum in firmamento virtutis ejus.

Gloria Patri.

Oratio

Deus, qui dispositione mirabili Corpus beati Jacobi Apostoli tui de Hierosolymis ad Hispaniam transferri, et in Compostella gloriosè sepeliri voluisti: concede quæsumus, ut ejus meritis, et precibus in cælesti Jérusalem collocari mereamur. Per Dominum.

Si hoc Fest. venerit in Domin. aut die, in quo fit de ea, fit commemorat. Domin. postea Oct. in fine dicitur Evang. ejusdem Dominicæ.

Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Corinthios. 1 Cor. 15, 39-50.

Fratres, non omnis caro eadem caro, sed alia quidem hominum, alia vero pecorum, alia volucrum, alia autem piscium. Et corpora cælestia, et corpora terrestria: sed alia quidem cælestium gloria, alia autem terrestrium. Alia claritas solis, alia claritas lunæ, et alia claritas stellarum. Stella enim à Stella differt in claritate: sic et resurrectio mortuorum. Seminatur in corruptione, surget in incorruptione. Seminatur in ignobilitate, surget in gloria. Seminatur in infirmitate, surget in virtute. Seminatur corpus animale, surget corpus spiritale. Si est corpus animale, est et spiritale, sicut scriptum est: Factus est primus homo Adam in animam viventem, novissimus Adam in spiritum vivificantem. Sed non priús quod spiritale est, sed quod animale: deinde quod spiritale. Primus homo de terra terrenus: secundus homo de cælo cælestis. Qualis terrenus, tales et terreni: qualis cælestis, tales et cælestes. Igitur, sicut portavimus imaginem terreni, portemus et imaginem cælestis. Hoc autem dico, fratres, quia caro, et sanguis regnum Dei possidere non possunt: neque corruptio incorruptelam possidebit.

Graduale. Ps. 33, 7 & 21.

Iste Sanctus clamavit ad Dominum, et exaudivit eum: et de omnibus tribulationibus ejus salvavit eum.

V. Custodit Dominus omnia ossa ejus: unum ex his non conteretur.

Alleluja, alleluja.

Isai. 2, 2 & 11, 10. V. Fluent ad eum omnes gentes, et erit sepulchrum ejus gloriosum.

Alleluja.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundùm Matthæum. 20, 20-23.

In illo tempore: Accessit ad Jesum mater filiorum Zebedæi cum filiis suis, adorans, et petens aliquid ab eo. Qui dixit ei: Quid vis? Ait illi: Dic ut sedeant hi duo filii mei, unus ad dexteram tuam, et unus ad sinistram in regno tuo. Respondens autem Jesus, dixit: Nescitis quid petatis. Potestis bibere calicem, quem ego bibiturus sum? Dicunt ei: Possumus. Ait illis: Calicem quidem meum bibetis: sedere autem ad dexteram meam, vel sinistram, non est meum dare vobis, sed quibus paratum est à Patre meo.

Credo.

Offertorium. Eccli. 44, 14.

Corpora Sanctorum in pace sepulta sunt, et nomen eorum vivit in generationem, et generationem. Alleluja.

Secreta.

Præsta, quæsumus omnipotens Deus; ut beati Jacobi Apostoli tui intercessione, quem ad laudem tui nominis, dicatis muneribus honoramus, piæ in nobis fructus devotionis accrescat. Per Dominum.

Præfatio, et Communic. de Nat.

Communio. Isai. 55, 5.

Gentes, quæ te non cognoverunt, ad te current, et adorabunt, propter Dominum Deum tuum, et sanctum Israël; quia glorificavit te.

Posteommunio.

Deus, qui beatum Jacobum Apostolum tuum gloriosum fecisti in cælis, et ejus Corpus singulari cultu venerari voluisti in terris: concede propitius; ut, qui mirabilem ejus translationem festivo celebramus obsequio, ad æternam gloriam ejus intercessione transferri mereamur. Per Dominum.

******

30th December.

THE FEAST of the TRANSLATION

of St James the Apostle, and Patron of Spain.

Introit. (Tob. 13, 13 et 14; Ps. 150, 1)

With a glorious light the just shall shine. Nations from afar shall come to him, and shall adore the Lord in his presence, and shall esteem his land as holy.

Ps. Praise ye the Lord in his Saints: praise ye him in the firmament of his power.

Glory be.

Collect.

O God, who by marvellous management didst will the body of blessed James thine apostle to be transferred from Jerusalem to Spain and in Compostela to be buried magnificently: grant, we beseech thee; that by his merits and prayers we may deserve to be assembled together in the heavenly Jerusalem. Through...

If this Feast should occur on Sunday, or the day on which the Sunday is kept, a commemoration of the Sunday is made after that of the Octave, and at the end is said the Gospel of the same Sunday. [According to the liturgical books of 1962, this rubric would not apply.]

Lesson from the Epistle of blessed Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.

(1 Cor. 15, 39-50)

Brethren: All flesh is not the same flesh: but one is the flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, another of fishes. And there are bodies celestial, and bodies terrestrial: but, one is the glory of the celestial, and another of the terrestrial. One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power. It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written: The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit. Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly. Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly. Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of God: neither shall corruption possess incorruption.

Gradual (Ps. 33, 7 et 21)

This Saint cried to the Lord, and he heard him: and out of all his troubles he saved him.

V. The Lord keepeth all their bones, not one of them shall be broken.

Alleluia, alleluia. (Is. 2, 2 et 11, 10)

V. All nations shall flow unto him, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.

Alleluia.

The continuation of the holy Gospel according to Matthew (20, 20-23)

At that time: There came to Jesus the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, adoring and asking something of him. Who said to her: What wilt thou? She saith to him: Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom. And Jesus answering, said: You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? They say to him: We can. He saith to them: My chalice indeed you shall drink; but to sit on my right or left hand, is not mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by my Father.

Creed.

Offertory (Ecclus 44, 14.)

The bodies of the Saints are buried in peace, and their name liveth unto generation, and generation.

Secret

Grant, we beg, almighty God, that, by the intercession of blessed James thine Apostle, whom, to the praise of thy name, we honour by dedicated gifts, the fruit of pious devotion may grow in us. Through…

Preface and Communicantes of Christmas.

Communion (Is. 55, 5)

Nations, that knew not thee, shall run to thee, and shall adore, because of the Lord thy God, and the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Postcommunion

O God, who didst make blessed James thine Apostle glorious in heaven, and didst will his body to be venerated with singular care on earth: grant propitiously; that, we who celebrate his marvellous translation with festive worship, may deserve, at his intercession, to be transferred to everlasting glory. Through…

Our Lady of Fatima

Having heard Mass of Our Lady of Fatima at Carmel this morning, it was good to gather with our little schola twelve hours later at St Francis and first practice, then sing Compline followed by Benediction; it seemed fitting to begin the latter with Jesu dulcis memoria, then to chant the Litany of Loreto, before proceeding to the usual Tantum ergo &c. We closed with the Sub tuum, concluding this Marian feast by flying to her patronage, that the Blessed Virgin defend us by her all-powerful intercession in all dangers.

God's in His Heaven...

...Tony's in Canberra, and Julian's in Hobart. Te Deum and all that, and not before time!

Having motored down to Hobart after work, I arrived at St Mary's Cathedral a good 70 minutes early: hence I actually got a seat in the nave. It was standing room only by the time the Premier and finally the Governor arrived for their reserved seats.

After "welcome to country", His Grace was welcomed at the doors of the Cathedral, and, coming in and up past the altar to before the tabernacle, he and all present knelt in silent prayer, the choir singing Bruckner's evocative Locus iste. After retiring to vest, he returned in procession with the ministers and concelebrating priests, bishops and archbishops, as the congregation and choir, accompanied by organ and brass ensemble, sang "Be thou my vision".

The Papal mandate was read by the Nuncio entirely in Latin, and very good Latin, too. I was pleased to realize that I could follow what was being said; for the benefit of us all, however, the Vicar General then read an English translation. How good to hear His Holiness exhort us to rejoice in our new Archbishop, and ever stick by him.

At the paying of homage to His Grace, the priests of the archdiocese came forward one by one, accompanied by parishioners representing their parish. I was struck by how very aged – no offence intended – were both the priests and the majority of the parish representatives.

One thing only marred the otherwise devout and beautiful ceremony, blessed with soaring music (such as C. V. Stanford's superlative Te Deum at the end) and excellent preaching: a mistress of ceremonies presided at the lectern, her locus of power being the superintendence of the lay readers (the lectionary being too holy for their hands) and psalm singer (who wasn't even allowed to hold his own music).

The ABC news today reports that, while "St Marys Cathedral has used middle-aged women as altar servers in the past... [Archbishop] Porteous says he prefers children and men to take on the role, to encourage them into the priesthood." Just as our new Prime Minister has started sacking senior public servants, so our new Archbishop is making his views clear.

The Sacrifice of Reparation

While I was talking with a fellow blogger the other day, he told me of a colleague of his, a committed Catholic, but who had nonetheless been surprised and caught unawares when mention was made of a Mass being offered in reparation for the sin of abortion – that colleague knew of course that abortion is a tragic evil and a vile sin, but was unaware that the Sacrifice of the Mass could be offered up in reparation therefor: indeed, he seemed unaware of either the concept of reparation for sin, or that the Mass was a Sacrifice – the making present in our midst of the Sacrifice of Christ Himself, the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world – let alone one that could rightly be offered in atonement for sin.

Given that the concept of sin itself is not believed in by many (yet our age has been and still is afflicted by every form of sinful violence and even warfare, as every man knows), and that too many even confession-going Catholics would regard the three Hail Mary's or the like that they receive in penance as quite sufficient a quantity of reparation, I can perceive why the idea of making reparation for sins could seem strange.

Yet how odd it is, really, that, if Christ willingly suffered for our sake, on our behalf, and if we as Christians are called to follow Christ and take up our cross in union with him, then the obvious conclusion – that we ought make vicarious atonement for sin, in union with Christ, "filling up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ" as St Paul dared to say – is not drawn.

A generation or two ago, what was then widespread devotion to the Sacred Heart would have made all Catholics familiar with the idea of reparation; indeed, both a collect and a prayer over the offerings to that effect still occur in the Missal on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart:

O God, who in the Heart of your Son, wounded by our sins, bestow on us in mercy the boundless treasures of your love, grant, we pray, that in paying him the homage of our devotion, we may also offer worthy reparation. Through... 

Look, O Lord, we pray, on the surpassing charity in the Heart of your beloved Son, that what we offer may be a gift acceptable to you and an expiation of our offences. Through Christ our Lord.

Alas, the Sacred Heart is not known nor loved as once it was.

But as to not knowing the Mass to be offered up as a Sacrifice in reparation for sin, I hazard a guess that the man in question has heard the Eucharistic Prayers again and again, at all the Masses he attends; but perhaps has not perceived their significance, especially if (as is usually the case) Eucharistic Prayer II (the short one) has been the main one he has heard used. 

For, to begin with, E.P. II contains only one mention of oblation: "we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation" – without any further explanation as to what this offering of the Bread which has become Christ's live-giving Body, and the Chalice which now contains His saving Blood, might effect. Certainly none of the very brief intercessions contained in E.P. II refer to reparation or atonement for sin.

I have heard from a correspondent that, while Catholics have a good idea of Christ's Presence in the Sacrament (as, say, compared to Anglicans, given their manifold views on that subject, even if their Eucharistic services were valid), sad to say ordinary Catholics of the modern Roman Rite have to a large extent lost the idea of Sacrifice. The same writer made the reasonable claim that E.P. II is quite deficient as regards the sacrificial merit of the Mass, which, given its status as the most commonly used Eucharistic Prayer, has led to Catholics being insufficiently reminded of this point. 

Similarly, I would go on to add, the abandonment of due reverence and of Eastward celebration has served to make Mass seem more a happy little Communion service rather than something awesome, solemn and sacrificial, a truly religious and priestly act of cultic worship and sacrifice – which is what it truly is and thus should be worthily celebrated in piety, fear and love.

But the other Eucharistic Prayers do speak more of sacrifice. That is why I remain surprised that a man could be a Mass-goer and not know these things, assuming he actually attends to the words spoken, since not vainly (one presumes) does the priest pray aloud at Mass.

To begin with, the Roman Canon makes reference to the liturgical action as "this sacrifice of praise... this oblation of our service", and to the consecrated species as "this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless victim," that is, Jesus Christ present in His Body and Blood, which are named, under their sacramental veils, as "the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation... these offerings" which are offered up for the Church, for the Pope, for the local Bishop, for all passers-on of the Catholic Faith, for all present, for those dear to us, for the redemption of our souls, for deliverance from damnation and enumeration among the elect, for repose of the faithful departed.

Of course, these days in the Ordinary Form of the Mass, the Roman Canon or E.P. I is not so commonly used... but others are, above all, E.P. III, whose expressive language more than compensates for the minimalistic nature of E.P. II, that short, mean little prayer whose main advantage, if such is an advantage rather than a scandal, is its brevity. Even the very Missal itself, in its Introduction (GIRM, n. 365), states that E.P. II is for use on weekdays, not Sundays nor feasts.

Eucharistic Prayer III is to my mind the prayer that, being in reasonably common use, best teaches the doctrine of the Mass as a sacrifice of reparation. It may be asserted that this E.P. is if anything even more explicit about the Sacrifice of the Mass and its atoning power than the Roman Canon! For it states that God has gathered a people to Himself "so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name", and in fulfilment thereof, at Mass "we offer [Him] in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice" and we address God, asking him to "Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and [recognize] the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself" – indeed, "May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world".

Surely this teaches the doctrine of the Mass-Sacrifice as one of reparation? For in the Church's One Oblation, we recognize, and beg God to receive on our behalf, "the sacrificial Victim" – Jesus Christ crucified – "by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself". This is the doctrine of vicarious atonement expressed in prayer. And furthermore, this doctrine of reparation, of reconciliation, of atonement, is repeated again, when at Mass the priest prays on our behalf "May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation... advance the peace and salvation of all the world".

While perhaps the terms reconciliation and reparation are not entirely synonymous, it seems to me that the underlying message is one and the same. So it appears odd to me that, given E.P. III is used reasonably often, a person who goes to Mass could have never put two and two together and realized that the Mass is a Sacrifice, since it makes present Christ Himself, our High Priest and Sacrifice, crucified and risen, in His own true Flesh and Blood, rent and spilt for us; and that, just as Christ's oblation of himself on Calvary was a perfect atonement for the sins of the world, so too its making present in the Mass is itself the plenitude of reparation.

Too much teaching and catechesis, it must be acknowledged, however, has puerilely emphasised the gladsome presence of Christ in the Eucharist, while never alluding to His presence as precisely the same sacrificial Victim as died for us on Calvary's Tree. The way some Masses are conducted would not seem consonant with such a sobering truth... it remains a grave temptation to try to have Christ without His Cross; yet One was nailed to the other, and ever lifts up pierced Hands in intercession on our behalf; as is said to priests at their ordination, we should recognize that which we imitate, and live as befits those who bear in their bodies the Passion of Christ.

The fourth Eucharistic Prayer is more explicit still about the identity of our Offering with that of Christ, and its saving power: "we offer you his Body and Blood, the sacrifice acceptable to you which brings salvation to the whole world". It states that it is "the Sacrifice which you yourself have provided for your Church"; and in its intercession it bids God "remember now all for whom we offer this sacrifice". That said, it seems to me that E.P. III is the prayer most direct in its expression of the doctrine of the Eucharist as a reparative sacrifice.

The two Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation also teach this doctrine. E.P.R. I states "we offer you, who are our faithful and merciful God, this sacrificial Victim who reconciles to you the human race. Look kindly, most compassionate Father, on those you unite to yourself by the Sacrifice of your Son... who heals every division". E.P.R. II similarly reads "we offer you what you have bestowed on us, the Sacrifice of perfect reconciliation. Holy Father, we humbly beseech you to accept us also, together with your Son".

Finally, the Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs (in its first incarnation, the so-called Swiss Eucharistic Prayer, later rendered more orthodox by Roman redrafting), in each of its four variants (which are identical but for a different Preface and a different intercessory insert), also teaches this consoling doctrine. It prays "we offer you the Bread of life and the Chalice of blessing. Look with favour on the oblation of your Church, in which we show forth the Paschal Sacrifice of Christ that has been handed on to us". For Christ is in truth our Passover and our lasting peace, who has reconciled all in Himself; and to the Church has been handed on this Mystery, this saving Sacrament of the altar, which makes present, in the life-giving Bread and blessed Chalice, the true Body and Blood of Christ.

It never ceases to amaze me, given that "the law of prayer is the law of belief", how men can go to Mass, which is generally said in the vernacular, and has been for decades, and yet not know what the prayers themselves teach. Mass is not merely a Communion service (for which a well-stocked tabernacle would suffice) – it is the Sacrifice of Calvary made present. Why else do we sing "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us... grant us peace"?

Caroline Chisholm Library Fundraising Dinner

I am a member of Melbourne's excellent Caroline Chisholm Library (though, as I live in Tasmania, I rarely get to visit it), and have been asked to advertise their upcoming 20th anniversary Fundraising Dinner (see below), to be preceded by a Mass of Thanksgiving held in the beautiful and historic chapel of the Academy of Mary Immaculate (a lovely chapel indeed, and otherwise not open to the public; and what a name for a school). But do note, dear reader, these interesting details about the Library, and consider visiting it, attending talks there, and becoming a member:

The Caroline Chisholm Library, located in the Melbourne CBD, is a theological lending and reference library with approximately 30,000 volumes of Catholic and Christian literature, specialising in Church History, Hibernica, patristics, hagiography, spirituality and mysticism. There are substantial collections of works by John Henry Newman, Thomas Aquinas, G. K. Chesterton, Jacques Maritain and Etienne Gilson, among others. The library regularly hosts lectures [I gave one a decade ago], a book club and discussion groups. All members of the public are welcome to browse the library, use it for reference purposes or attend lectures. Library membership is available for a low fee and this grants borrowing rights.

 

Melbourne is one of the few cities in the English speaking world with an extensive Catholic library primarily devoted to helping aid the intellectual faith development of the Catholic laity.

 

The library is run by Catholic lay volunteers and receives no financial assistance from the Church - it is reliant on membership fees and fundraising for financial support. Hence, this upcoming dinner...

On Thursday 8^th August 2013

The Caroline Chisholm Library

Will celebrate 20 Years of Life and Service

6 p.m.  Mass of Thanksgiving

Chapel of the Academy of Mary Immaculate

88 Nicholson Street Fitzroy

7 p.m. for 7.30,

Fund-raising & Celebration Dinner

The Pumphouse Hotel

128 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy (opposite Exhibition Gardens)

Speaker: Julian McMahon, Barrister,

Catholic Faith in the Public Arena

 Meal $80 per head; $150 per double; Drinks at bar prices.

For Bookings or information please call 03 9670 1815 or 0411 483 494

Or Email: cclibrary@bigpond.com

Please pay by cash, cheque or transfer to the library’s account:- 

ANZ Bank,  BSB 013040 Account 254936888

Tax Deductible Donations for the Library Most Welcome

*** Please: Put note on transfer: “Name”, plus “dinner” or “donation”.