St Felix of Valois – Matins with the Company of Heaven

Having found online the Vitæ SS. Joannis de Mattha, et Felicis de Valois, &c., by that learnèd Franciscan Francis a S. Augustino Macedo,  published at Rome in 1660, I give both his splendid Latin description of the celestial Matins celebrated by Our Lady and all the company of heaven together with St Felix, and my poor rendering of what turned out to be a very difficult piece of prose:

Ædificato jam in Cervo frigido amplo Cœnobio, & frequenter habitato à fratribus, & noctes matutinis psalmis resonante, accidit, ut pulsantis negligentia æra Campanæ ea ipsa sacratiori nocte natalium Deiparæ anniversario pervigilio, penitus silerent.  Quamquàm hoc non negligentiæ, sed providentiæ assignandum videretur.  Qùi enim possent ea nocte fratres vigiliis assueti, tam profundè sopiri, quam Religio, vel insuetis reddit insomnem?  Vigilabat de more Felix, & quòd horas prævenire solitus, in chorum prior venerat.  Meliores ibi psaltes socios habuit.  Deipara Virgo è cœlo lapsa secum adduxerat cælites; ac ut habitus loco responderet, & ne concentus vocum à conspectu oculorum discreparet, cùm Virgo ipsa, tùm сomitatus solemnem Familiæ Crucem gestabat.  Eminebat Deipara, & nitida luce perfusa vincebat tenebras.  Et quasi expectasset, dum veniret Felix siluit, ubi is adfuit, voce suavissima præcìnuit Antiphonas.  Secuti sunt Angeli Sanctis intermixti.  Divisi in choros alternis canentes Matutinum cum Felice officium persolverunt.  Fuit hoc futuræ mortis præsagium; cantus ille Cygnæum quiddam præseferebat.   

([Pars II.] "Vita S. Felicis de Valois", Cap. VIII., p. 104f.) 

An ample monastery having been built at Cerfroid, both oft dwelt in by the brethren, and by nights having resounded with matins psalms, it happened, that by forgetfulness of the ringers the brass bell thereof, on that more sacred night vigil on the anniversary of the birth of the Mother of God, was wholly silent.  Although it may be seen that this was not out of negligence, but assigned by providence.  For wherefrom were the brethren, accustomed to vigils, able that night both deeply to be lulled to sleep, and by Religion, especially as they were accustomed to offer up sleeplessness?  Felix by custom kept vigil, and because he was wont to anticipate the hours, in choir first he worshipped.  There he had sweeter companion psalmists.  The Virgin Mother of God from heaven descended, with her she brought citizens of heaven; and that she correspond to the habit of the place, and lest the harmony of voices be different from what the eyes consider, as with the Virgin herself, so the solemn company wore the Cross of the Order.  The Mother of God became visible, and pouring forth brilliant light conquered the darkness.  And as if expected, when having come Felix was silent, where she was present, with a most sweet voice she sang the antiphons.  Angels intermixed with saints followed.  Singing, divided into alternate choirs, with Felix they discharged the office of Matins.  This was for him a presage of his impending death; it was as it were his swansong.

As mentioned below, this visitation, a foretaste of that perpetual canticle of praise sung before God and the Lamb, was vouchsafed St Felix of Valois within two months of his death: it was indeed his earthly swansong, but only as it were a clearing of his throat ere he joined for ever the choirs above.

May this consoling tale inspire us in our prayers, particularly when joining in the Prayer of the Church in her sacred round of liturgy, that, as Tertullian said, we may fit ourselves now for what we hope will be our endless employ hereafter.

St Felix of Valois

A charming tale told of St Felix (from the third lesson of his history, formerly read in the second nocturn of his feast):

Illústrem… a beáta Vírgine Matre favórem accépit ; dormiéntibus síquidem cunctis frátribus et ad matutínas preces in pervigílio Nativitátis Deíparæ média nocte recitándas, Deo sic disponénte, non surgéntibus, Felix, de more vígilans et horas prævéniens, chorum ingréssus, réperit beátam Vírginem in médio chori, hábitu cruce órdinis insigníto indútam, ac Cælítibus simíliter indútis sociátam.  Quibus permíxtus Felix, præcinénte Deípara, laudes divínas concínuit ríteque persólvit.  Et, quasi jam a terréstri ad cæléstem chorum evocarétur, instántis mortis ab Angelo cértior factus...

…he received an extraordinary favour from the Blessed Virgin Mary.  During the night watch on the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, while the brethren slept, and in the providence of God did not wake for midnight office, Felix who had been watching, as was his habit, in anticipation of reciting the Office, entered the choir.  There he found the Blessed Virgin in the middle of the choir, robed in the habit and cross of the Order.  Around her was a company of heavenly beings, clothed in similar attire.  Felix took his place among them, and as the Mother of God intoned the Office, sang with them and duly rendered praises unto God.  Then, as if already he was being summoned from an earthly choir to an heavenly one, an Angel informed him that death was at hand...

Having thus sung with Our Lady and the angels on the 8th of September, he passed to heaven, there to sing God's praises with them for evermore, on the 4th of November 1212.

I recall a like, if even more extraordinary story told of St Catherine of Siena: Our Lord was wont to appear to her, and would walk with her up and down her room while reciting the Breviary with her after the manner of a pair of religious – except that when it came to the doxology, she would bow to Him while He proclaimed, Glory be to the Father and to Me and to the Holy Ghost.

St Felix of Valois

I have previously blogged on St Felix, one of the cofounders of the Trinitarians.

Interestingly, it transpires that the history of St Felix is quite obscure, and he was never officially canonized - instead, his cult was allowed by Rome in 1666...

In the current 2005 Martyrology, he is commemorated on the 4th of November in tenth place, and moreover his entry is marked with an asterisk, signifying that it is only to be read in places and religious houses where he is venerated (as is done with those equipollently canonized and the merely beatified).  This is what is written:

Apud Cervum Frigidum* territorii Meldensis in Gallia, sancti Felicis de Valois, qui, postquam solitariam vitam diu egit, socius sancti Joannis de Matha in Ordine Sanctissimæ Trinitatis Redemptione Captivorum instituendo fuisse habetur.

(At Cerfroi* in the territory of Meaux in France, St Felix of Valois, who, after having long practised the solitary life, is held to have been the companion of St John of Matha in establishing the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives.)

[*Literally, "Cold Stag" - which sounds more like a town in Arizona than in France!]

Trinitati Gloria, Captivis Libertas

Christ's Triumph over Temptation

While having my confession heard by my ghostly father this day, he advised me to seek God's grace to conquer temptation, and in so doing imitate Our Lord God, Jesus Christ, Who remained night and day in prayer to His heavenly Father: for, though tempted by Satan forty days in the wilderness, He sinned not, but overcame all trials owing to His steadfast adherence [as man] to the Will of the Father [Whose Will is also His as God, since in the Trinity there is only one Divine Will]. Therefore, as penance he bade me read and reflect upon the Gospel of this the First Sunday of Lent (identical in both old and new rites, or rather forms of the one Roman Rite) - St Matthew iv, 1-11.



St Thomas Aquinas, I recalled while reading and thinking on the sacred text, avers that in this pericope we see how the machinations of the Devil are laid bare, for our instruction and forewarning. (The Common Doctor's own commentary on this passage can be found, in Latin, here; and of course he discusses the Temptation of Christ in the Summa Theologiae, III, 41 - most especially, in art.4, resp.)

First - as we know in our own lives - the crafty tempter proposes some seeming good within our power, such as, in our Lord's case. to turn stones into bread: which would seem innocent of harm, but in fact would have been incorrect, as a prostitution of wonderworking for menial and base ends conducing not to the furtherance of the Kingdom (whereas the miracles of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes were aimed at not so much sating the hunger of the many as shewing them Who it was that preached conversion to them). Second, the Evil One suggests some secretly prideful and presumptuous act, as to tempt God by calling for divine aid on the pretext of a twisted scripture. Third - here Satan uncloaks himself - he shamelessly calls us to do that which is most vile and base, as to commit devil-worship for the sake of filthy lucre and temporal sovereignty, or for whatever wrongful end.

Our Lord, however, defeats him who is a liar and murderer from the beginning by the force of the truth of God's word, in each case proving from the five books of Moses that the action proposed is contrary to faith and morals. Thus ought we depend more on God's word than on any fleshly food; thus ought we never place ourselves in some occasion of sin whereby we vainly put God to the test to see if He will save us from ourselves and our inclinations to evil;thus ought we above all remember at all times "The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve".

Redemption from the Slavery of Sin

I also reflected today on two Orders, their saints, and the liturgical collects thereof, being very pertinent to the theme of being loosed from the slavery of sin and made God's children and free: those relating to the Trinitarians and Mercedarians. Both religious societies were set up, in answer to heavenly insinuations, within a few decades of each other (in 1198 and 1218/1235 respectively), and for the same object, the ransoming and rescue of Christian men held captive by the Moors and Saracens.

The former was founded by SS John of Matha and Felix of Valois, upon reception of various signs and revelations from heaven, also shared by the great Pope Innocent III, who clothed them in their white habit marked with the red and blue cross previously shewn them between the antlers of a stag, and named them the Order of the Most Holy Trinity by reason of their tricolour vesture; their Order's motto is Trinitati Gloria, Captivis Libertas ("Glory to the Trinity; to Captives, Liberty"), or, as a prayer, Gloria tibi Trinitas, et captivis libertas ("Glory to Thee, O Trinity, and to captives, liberty!").

The latter, named in honour of Our Lady of Ransom or of Mercy, she who manifested the will of heaven to her chosen instruments St Peter Nolasco (together with, it is said, his confessor, St Raymond of Peñafort, O.P.) and King James of Aragon, was co-founded by these men; one of its first and most famous members was St Raymond Nonnatus, so called because delivered by caesarean section after his mother's death. St Peter Nolasco died while praying the 110th Psalm, at the verse Redemptionem misit Deus populo suo ("God hath sent redemption unto His people" ).

These saints are commemorated in the 1962 Missal with very apposite prayers, as follows:

St Peter Nolasco, Confessor, Mercedarian - 28th January:

Deus, qui in tuæ caritátis exémplum, ad fidélium redemptiónem sanctum Petrum Ecclésiam tuam nova prole fœcundáre divínitus docuísti : ipsíus nobis intercessióne concéde ; a peccáti servitúte solútis, in cælésti pátria perpétua libertáte gaudére: Qui vivis et regnas...

(O God, Who for an ensample of Thy charity, didst divinely teach holy Peter to make fruitful Thy Church with a new offspring, for the redemption of the faithful: by his intercession grant unto us, being delivered from the bondage of sin, to rejoice in the endless freedom of our heavenly fatherland. Who livest and reignest...)

St John of Matha, Confessor, Trinitarian - 8th February:

Deus, qui per sanctum Joánnem órdinem sanctíssimæ Trinitátis ad rediméndum de potestáte Saracenórum captívos cælitus institúere dignátus es: præsta, quæsumus; ut, ejus suffragántibus méritis, a captivitáte córporis et ánimæ, te adjuvánte, liberémur. Per Dóminum...

(O God, Who through saint John didst deign in heavenly manner to institute the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the redemption of captives from the power of the Saracens: grant, we beseech Thee, that at the intercession of his merits, we may by Thee be delivered from all bondage both of body and soul. Through...)

St Raymond Nonnatus, Confessor, Mercedarian - 31st August:

Deus, qui in liberandis fidelibus tuis ab impiórum captivitáte beátum Raymundum Confessórem tuum mirábilem effecísti: ejus nobis intercessióne concéde; ut a peccatórum vínculis absoluti, quæ tibi sunt placita, liberis méntibus exsequámur. Per Dóminum...

(O God, Who didst effect Thy blessed Confessor Raymond marvellous in the deliverance of Thy faithful from the capitivity of the impious: by his intercession grant us that, the bonds of sin being dissolved, with free minds we may perform those things which are pleasing unto Thee. Through...)

Our Lady of Ransom, or, of Mercy - 24th September:

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 Dóminum nostrum...

(O God, Who by the most glorious Mother of Thy Son didst vouchsafe to increase Thy Church with a new offspring for the redemption of Christ's faithful from the power of the heathen: grant, we beseech Thee, that as we piously revere the Institutrix of so great a work, by her equal merits and intercession, we may be delivered from all sins and the bondage of the devil. Through the same...)

St Felix of Valois, Confessor, Trinitarian - 20th November:

Deus, qui beátum Felícem Confessórem tuum ex erémo ad munus rediméndi captívos cælitus vocáre dignátus es: præsta, quæsumus; ut per grátiam tuam ex peccatórum nostrórum captivitáte, ejus intercessióne, liberáti, ad cæléstem pátriam perducámur. Per Dóminum...

(O God, Who by a heavenly inspiration didst deign to call blessed Felix Thy Confessor from the desert to the work of the redeeming of captives: grant, we beseech thee, that, by Thy grace, at his intercession, delivered from the captivity of our sins, we may be brought to our heavenly fatherland. Through...)