Posts tagged Advent
O Virgo virginum
Dec 23rd
December 23: The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Eighth Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud? quia nec primam similem visa es, nec habere sequentem. Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.
O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be? for neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after: Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery.
This feast, which is now kept not only throughout the whole of Spain but in many other parts of the Catholic world, owes its origin to the bishops of the tenth Council of Toledo, in 656. These prelates thought that there was an incongruity in the ancient practice of celebrating the feast of the Annunciation on the twenty-fifth of March, inasmuch as this joyful solemnity frequently occurs at the time when the Church is intent upon the Passion of our Lord, so that it is sometimes obliged to be transferred into Easter time, with which it is out of harmony for another reason; they therefore decreed that, henceforth, in the Church of Spain there should be kept, eight days before Christmas, a solemn feast with an octave, in honour of the Annunciation, and as a preparation for the great solemnity of our Lord’s Nativity. In course of time, however, the Church of Spain saw the necessity of returning to the practice of the Church of Rome, and of those of the whole world, which solemnize the twenty-fifth of March as the day of our Lady’s Annunciation and the Incarnation of the Son of God. But such had been, for ages, the devotion of the people for the feast of the eighteenth of December, that it was considered requisite to maintain some vestige of it. They discontinued, therefore, to celebrate the Annunciation on this day; but the faithful were requested to consider, with devotion, what must have been the sentiments of the holy Mother of God during the days immediately preceding her giving Him birth. A new feast was instituted, under the name of the Expectation of the blessed Virgin’s delivery.
This feast, which sometimes goes under the name of Our Lady of O, or the feast of O, on account of the great antiphons which are sung during these days, and, in a special manner, of that which begins O Virgo virginum (which is still used in the Vespers of the Expectation, together with the O Adonaï, the antiphon of the Advent Office), is kept with great devotion in Spain. A High Mass is sung at a very early hour each morning during the octave, at which all who are with child, whether rich or poor, consider it a duty to assist, that they may thus honour our Lady’s Maternity, and beg her blessing upon themselves. It is not to be wondered at that the Holy See has approved of this pious practice being introduced into almost every other country. We find that the Church of Milan, long before Rome conceded this feast to the various dioceses of Christendom, celebrated the Office of our Lady’s Annunciation on the sixth and last Sunday of Advent, and called the whole week following the Hebdomada de Exceptato (for thus the popular expression had corrupted the word Expectato). But these details belong strictly to the archaeology of liturgy, and enter not into the plan of our present work; let us, then, return to the feast of our Lady’s Expectation, which the Church has established and sanctioned as a new means of exciting the attention of the faithful during these last days of Advent.
Most just indeed it is, O holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire thou hadst to see him, who had been concealed for nine months in thy chaste womb; to know the features of this Son of the heavenly Father, who is also thine; to come to that blissful hour of his birth, which will give glory to God in the highest, and, on earth, peace to men of good-will. Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy thy desires and ours. Make us redouble our attention to the great mystery; complete our preparation by thy powerful prayers for us, that when the solemn hour has come, our Jesus may find no obstacle to his entrance into our hearts.
O Emmanuel
Dec 22nd
December 22: Seventh Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O Emmanuel, Rex et Legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et salvator earum; veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations, and their Salvation: Come and save us, O Lord our God!
O Emmanuel! King of peace! Thou enterest today the city of thy predilection, the city in which thou hast placed thy temple—Jerusalem. A few years hence the same city will give thee thy cross and thy sepulchre: nay, the day will come on which thou wilt set up thy judgement-seat within sight of her walls. But to-day thou enterest the city of David and Solomon unnoticed and unknown. It lies on thy road to Bethlehem. Thy blessed Mother and Joseph her spouse would not lose the opportunity of visiting the temple, there to offer to the Lord their prayers and adoration. They enter; and then, for the first time, is accomplished the prophecy of Aggeus, that great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first;[1] for this second temple has now standing within it an ark of the Covenant more precious than was that which Moses built; and within this ark, which is Mary, is contained the God whose presence makes her the holiest of sanctuaries. The Lawgiver himself is in this blessed ark, and not merely, as in that of old, the tablet of stone on which the Law was graven. The visit paid, our living ark descends the steps of the temple, and sets out once more for Bethlehem, where other prophecies are to be fulfilled. We adore thee, O Emmanuel! in this thy journey, and we reverence the fidelity wherewith thou fulfillest all that the prophets have written of thee; for thou wouldst give to thy people the certainty of thy being the Messias, by showing them that all the marks, whereby he was to be known, are to be found in thee. And now, the hour is near; all is ready for thy birth ; come then, and save us; come, that thou mayst not only be called our Emmanuel, but our Jesus, that is, he that saves us.
A Great Antiphon to Jerusalem
O Hierusalem! civitas Dei summi, leva in circuitu oculos tuos; et vide Dominum tuum, quia jam veniet solvere te a vinculis.
O Jerusalem! city of the great God: lift up thine eyes round about, and see thy Lord, for he is coming to loose thee from thy chains.
[1] Agg. ii. l0.
O Rex Gentium
Dec 21st
December 21: Sixth Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum; veni, et salva hominem quem de limo formasti.
O King of the nations, and their Desire, the Corner-stone, who makest both one: Come and save mankind, whom thou formedst of clay.
O King of nations! Thou art approaching still nigher to Bethlehem, where thou art to be born. The journey is almost over, and thy august Mother, consoled and strengthened by the dear weight she bears, holds an unceasing converse with thee on the way. She adores thy divine majesty; she gives thanks to thy mercy; she rejoices that she has been chosen for the sublime ministry of being Mother to God. She longs for that happy moment when her eyes shall look upon thee, and yet she fears it. For, how will she be able to render thee those services which are due to thy infinite greatness, she that thinks herself the last of creatures? How will she dare to raise thee up in her arms, and press thee to her heart, and feed thee at her breasts? When she reflects that the hour is now near at hand, in which, being born of her, thou wilt require all her care and tenderness, her heart sinks within her; for, what human heart could bear the intense vehemence of these two affections—the love of such a Mother for her Babe, and the love of such a creature for her God? But thou supportest her, O thou the Desired of nations! for thou, too, longest for that happy birth, which is to give to the earth its Saviour, and to men that corner-stone, which will unite them all into one family. Dearest King! be thou blessed for all these wonders of thy power and goodness! Come speedily, we beseech thee, come and save us, for we are dear to thee, as creatures that have been formed by thy divine hands. Yea, come, for thy creation has grown degenerate; it is lost; death has taken possession of it: take thou it again into thy almighty hands, and give it a new creation; save it; for thou hast not ceased to take pleasure in and love thine own work.
A Great Antiphon in honour of Christ
O Rex pacifice, tu ante saecula nate, per auream egredere portam, redemptos tuos visita, et eos illuc revoca, unde ruerunt per culpam.
O King of peace! that wast born before all ages, come by the golden gate; visit them whom thou hast redeemed, and lead them back to the place whence they fell by sin.
O Oriens
Dec 20th
December 20: Fifth Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae; veniet illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Day-spring, Brightness of Light everlasting, and Sun of Righteousness: Come and enlighten him that sitteth in darkness, and the shadow of death.
O Jesus, divine Sun! Thou art coming to snatch us from eternal night: blessed for ever be thy infinite goodness! But thou puttest our faith to the test, before showing thyself in all thy brightness. Thou hidest thy rays, until the time decreed by thy heavenly Father comes, in which all thy beauty will break upon the world; thou art traversing Judea; thou art near Jerusalem; the journey of Mary and Joseph is nigh its term. Crowds of men pass or meet thee on the road, each one hurrying to his native town, there to be enrolled, as the edict commands. Not one of all these suspects that thou, O divine Orient! art so near him. They see thy Mother Mary, and they see nothing in her above the rest of women; or if they are impressed by the majesty and incomparable modesty of this august Queen, it is but a vague feeling of surprise at there being such dignity in one so poor as she is; and they soon forget her again. If the Mother is thus an object of indifference to them, it is not to be expected that they will give even so much as a thought to her Child, that is net yet born. And yet this Child is thyself, O Sun of justice! Oh! increase our faith, but increase, too, our love. If these men loved thee, O Redeemer of mankind, thou wouldst give them the grace to feel thy presence. Their eyes, indeed, would not yet see thee, but their hearts, at least, would burn within them, they would long for thy coming, and would hasten it by their prayers and sighs. Dearest Jesus! who thus traversest the world thou hast created, and who forcest not the homage of thy creatures, we wish to keep near thee during the rest of this thy journey: we kiss the footsteps of her that carries thee in her womb; we will not leave thee, until we arrive together with thee at Bethlehem, that house of bread, where, at last, our eyes will see thee, O splendour of eternal light, our Lord and our God!
A Meditation On the Epistle: Phil. IV:4
Dec 19th
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” This exhortation by St. Paul should give us pause to consider what he means when he emphasizes by way of repetition something that should characterize the life of Christians, and that is joy. Express joy, brothers and sisters! This is the call of the Holy Spirit speaking through the holy Apostle, but what is this joy? We have to start by understanding that joy is not something that exists in and of itself. It is the result of something. Joy is the emotion, excitement, and passion that results from the knowledge of something good, and for the Christian that good is our union with Jesus Christ. We must understand that our Christian joy far exceeds any temporal joy because the basis for our joy is the eternal Son of God. Consequently, it should result in an infinite joy. A joy that is not the result of worldly satisfactions, but the result of knowing we have been reconciled with God through the cross of His Son.
Another aspect of Christian joy to be understood is that it does not necessarily exist in the absence of grief. One sees this when taking into consideration St. Paul’s circumstance when he wrote these words. He was not sitting in his home with his books and his favorite beverage contemplating the finer points of theology. He was in prison. However, it was this adversity that moved him to understand the joy of his Savior. How many professing Christians have you known who have fallen away from the Church when things went bad in their lives? Just the opposite should happen. As St. Cyprian explains, the difference between the Christian and the unbeliever is that our joy shines forth in our affliction. Hardship actually reinforces our joy, because we must understand that any temporal suffering is finite, but our joy is everlasting.
It is not a mere suggestion that we are to be, “anxious (or careful) for nothing.” That does not mean we are to ignore, or not be considerate of things going on in our lives. However, we cannot let these events distract us from engagement in our spiritual discipline. As a matter of fact, it is engagement with Jesus Christ that will overcome the the anxieties of this life. This engagement is articulated by St. Paul as “prayer and supplication and thanksgiving.” These things are easy for us when things are going well, but can you remember the last time you thanked God for suffering? Have you ever asked your Heavenly Father to continue a distressing circumstance if it would draw you deeper into union with His Son? If you do this, be assured you will know the joy of Christ because you will be emulating Him. We must remember the price of our joy was His blood.
Just as joy results from the anticipation of a great goodness, so too the result of a Christian joy is that “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” A peace which passes human understanding can only result from a knowledge that you are already at rest. When you understand that through your dwelling is in Christ and He in you, and that He has already overcome the world, then you will begin to exhibit in your life the peace that He has given you. Remember His words, “I leave you peace, my peace I give unto you.” Jesus Christ has given you something from eternity. You have received already the peace of heaven. You may know this gift of peace is present when you can do things such as praying for your enemies, reaching out to the unrighteous, or ignoring the contentions or hostilities of others. If you are doing such things you know that you have that gift of peace which passes human understanding, because worldlings don’t do such things. Be that as it may, like any other gift you receive, if you place it in a closet and forget it, what use is it to you?
As we approach the celebration of the Nativity, let us glory in the coming Prince of Peace. May we be strengthened in the knowledge that neither God nor His most holy virgin Mother will ever forget us, no matter what the circumstances may be in which we find ourselves. Let us be strengthened in this knowledge by the manifestation of St. Paul’s words, “The Lord is at hand.” The manifestation of these words being for us the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Sacrament wherein we see objectively the fulfillment of His promise that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.
Beloved, everything we do in this world is for naught unless it is accompanied by the grace of God. Conversely, if what we do is in conjunction with His grace, done in Christian joy and with the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, it will fill others with optimism and hope. Consequently, we will be fulfilling our mandate to advance the Kingdom of Heaven by the sanctification of this world.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,
“Doc”+
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Dec 19th
THE COLLECT.
O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world with out end. Amen.
THE EPISTLE. Phil. iv. 4.
REJOICE in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all under standing, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
THE GOSPEL. St. John i. 19.
THIS is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us, What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
O Clavis David
Dec 19th
December 19: Fourth Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O Clavis David et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit; veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel; that openest, and no man shutteth, and shuttest, and no man openeth: Come, and bring the prisoner out of the prison-house, and him that sitteth in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
O Jesus, Son of David! heir to his throne and his power! Thou art now passing over, in thy way to Bethlehem, the land that once was the kingdom of thy ancestor, but now is tributary to the Gentiles. Scarce an inch of this ground which has not witnessed the miracles of the justice and mercy of Jehovah, thy Father, to the people of the old Covenant, which is so soon to end. Before long, when thou hast come from beneath the virginal cloud which now hides thee, Thou wilt pass along this same road doing good,[1] healing all manner of sickness and every infirmity,[2] and yet having not where to lay thy head[3]. Now, at least, thy Mother’s womb affords thee the sweetest rest, and thou receivest from her the profoundest adoration and the tenderest love. But, dear Jesus, it is thine own blessed will that thou leave this loved abode. Thou hast, O eternal Light, to shine in the midst of this world’s darkness, this prison where the captive, whom thou hast come to deliver, sits in the shadow of death. Open his prison-gates by thy all-powerful key. And who is this captive, but the human race, the slave of error and vice? Who is this captive, but the heart of man, which is thrall to the very passions it blushes to obey? Oh! come and set at liberty the world thou hast enriched by thy grace, and the creatures whom thou hast made to be thine own brethren.
An Antiphon to the Angel Gabriel
O Gabriel! nuntius coelorum, qui januis clausis ad me intrasti, et Verbum nunciasti: Concipies et paries: Emmanuel vocabitur.
O Gabriel! the messenger of heaven, who earnest unto me through the closed doors, and didst announce the Word unto me: Thou shalt conceive and bear a Son, and he shall be called Emmanuel.
[1] Acts x. 38.
[2] St. Matt. iv. 23.
[3] St. Luke ix. 58.
O Radix Jesse
Dec 18th
December 18: Third Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.
O Root of Jesse, which standest for the ensign of the people; at whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the Gentiles shall seek: Come and deliver us; and tarry not.
At length, O Son of Jesse! Thou art approaching the city of thy ancestors. The Ark of the Lord has risen, and journeys, with the Gcd that is in her, to the place of her rest. How beautiful are thy steps, O thou daughter of the Prince,[1] now that thou art bringing to the cities of Juda their salvation! The angels escort thee, thy faithful Joseph lavishes his love upon thee, heaven delights in thee, and our earth thrills with joy to bear thus upon itself its Creator and its Queen. Go forward, O Mother of God and Mother of men! Speed thee, thou propitiatory that holdest within thee the divine Manna which gives us life! Our hearts are with thee, and count thy steps. Like thy royal ancestor David, we will not enter into the dwelling of our house, nor go up into the bed whereon we lie, nor give sleep to our eyes, nor rest to our temples, until we have found a place in our hearts for the Lord whom thou bearest, a tabernacle for this God of Jacob.[2] Come, then, O Root of Jesse! thus hidden in this Ark of purity; thou wilt soon appear before thy people as the standard round which all that would conquer must rally. Then their enemies, the kings of the world, will be silenced, and the nations will offer thee their prayers. Hasten thy coming, dear Jesus! Come and conquer all our enemies, and deliver us.
[1] 1 Cant. vii. 1.
[2] 2 Ps- cxxxi 3-5.
O Adonai
Dec 17th
December 17: Second Antiphon (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel, who appearedst in the Bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and gavest him the law in Sinai: Come and deliver us with an outstretched arm.
O sovereign Lord! O Adonai! come and redeem us, not by thy power, but by thy humility. Heretofore, thou didst show thyself to Moses thy servant in the midst of a mysterious flame; thou didst give thy law to thy people amidst thunder and lightning; now, on the contrary, thou comest not to terrify, but to save us. Thy chaste Mother having heard the emperor’s edict, which obliges her and Joseph her spouse to repair to Bethlehem, prepares everything needed for thy divine Birth. She prepares for thee, O Sun of justice! the humble swathing-bands, wherewith to cover thy nakedness, and protect thee, the Creator of the world, from the cold of that midnight hour of thy Nativity! Thus it is that thou wiliest to deliver us from the slavery of our pride, and show man that thy divine arm is never stronger than when he thinks it powerless and still. Everything is prepared, then, dear Jesus! Thy swathing-bands are ready for thy infant limbs! Come to Bethlehem, and redeem us from the hands of our enemies.
O Sapientia
Dec 16th
The Great O Antiphons by Dom Prosper Guéranger OSB (1801-1875), founder of the Abbey of Solesmes
(from L’Année Liturgique) – adapted for the Sarum sequence of the Antiphons
December 16: The beginning of the Great Antiphons (according to the Sarum Use / Book of Common Prayer)
The Church enters to-day on the seven days [eight days in our Anglican Use; see below] which precede the Vigil of Christmas, and which are known in the liturgy under the name of the Greater Ferias. The ordinary of the Advent Office becomes more solemn; the antiphons of the psalms, both for Lauds and the Hours of the day, are proper, and allude expressly to the great coming. Every day, at Vespers, is sung a solemn antiphon, consisting of a fervent prayer to the Messias, whom it addresses by one of the titles given Him in the sacred Scriptures.
In the Roman Church, there are seven of these antiphons, one for each of the greater ferias. They are commonly called the O’s of Advent, because they all begin with that interjection. In other Churches, during the middle ages, two more were added to these seven; one to our blessed Lady, O Virgo virginum; and the other to the angel Gabriel, O Gabriel; or to St. Thomas the apostle, whose feast comes during the greater ferias ; it began O Thoma Didyme[1]. There were even Churches where twelve great antiphons were sung; that is, besides the nine we have just mentioned, O Rex Pacifice to our Lord, O mundi Domina to our Lady, and O Hierusalem to the city of the people of God.
In the English Church, following the Sarum Use, the Great “O” Antiphons were commenced on the 16th of December with an eighth antiphon, O Virgo virginum, said on the 23rd. Though this usage appears by no means to have been exclusive to England and seems a later addition to the Roman custom, the editors are unclear on the origin of the modified practice. Perhaps a liturgical historian could help us out? In any event, whilst the Great “O” Antiphons themselves are not printed in the Book of Common Prayer, it should be noted that O Sapientia appears on the Prayer-book Kalendar at December 16. The antiphons have have long been part of secondary Anglican liturgical sources, such as the English Hymnal. More recently they have found a place in primary liturgical documents throughout the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England’s Common Worship liturgy (though this later follows the Roman timing and sequence).
The canonical Hour of Vespers has been selected as the most appropriate time for this solemn supplication to our Saviour, because, as the Church sings in one of her hymns, it was in the evening of the world (vergente mundi vespere) that the Messias came amongst us. These antiphons are sung at the Magnificat, to show us that the Saviour whom we expect is to come to us by Mary. They are sung twice, once before and once after the canticle, as on double feasts, and this to show their great solemnity. In some Churches it was formerly the practice to sing them thrice; that is, before the canticle, before the Gloria Patri, and after the Sicut erat. Lastly, these admirable antiphons, which contain the whole pith of the Advent liturgy, are accompanied by a chant replete with melodious gravity, and by ceremonies of great expressiveness, though, in these latter, there is no uniform practice followed. Let us enter into the spirit of the Church ; let us reflect on the great day which is coming; that thus we may take our share in these the last and most earnest solicitations of the Church imploring her Spouse to come, to which He at length yields.
First Antiphon
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia; veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily, and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.
O uncreated Wisdom, who art so soon to make thyself visible to thy creatures, truly thou disposest all things. It is by thy permission that the emperor Augustus issues a decree ordering the enrolment of the whole world. Each citizen of the vast empire is to have his name enrolled in the city of his birth. This prince has no other object in this order, which sets the world in motion, but his own ambition. Men go to and fro by millions, and an unbroken procession traverses the immense Roman world; men think they are doing the bidding of man, and it is God whom they are obeying. This world-wide agitation has really but one object; it is, to bring to Bethlehem a man and woman who live at Nazareth in Galilee, in order that this woman, who is unknown to the world but dear to heaven, and who is at the close of the ninth month since she conceived her Child, may give birth to this Child in Bethlehem; for the Prophet has said of him: His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. And thou, O Bethlehem! art not the least among the thousand cities of Juda, for out of thee he shall come.[2] O divine Wisdom! how strong art thou in thus reaching thine ends by means which are infallible, though hidden; and yet, how sweet, offering no constraint to man’s free-will; and withal, how fatherly, in providing for our necessities! Thou choosest Bethlehem for thy birth-place, because Bethlehem signifies the house of bread. In this, thou teachest us that thou art our Bread, the nourishment and support of our life. With God as our food, we cannot die. O Wisdom of the Father, living Bread that hast descended from heaven, come speedily into us, that thus we may approach to thee and be enlightened[3] by thy light, and by that prudence which leads to salvation.
A Prayer for the time of Advent (Mozarabic Breviary)
O Jesus, Son of God! born of a Virgin! whose Nativity struck the nations with terror, and compelled kings to reverence thee; grant unto us the beginning of Wisdom, which is thy fear; that we may thereby yield fruit, and render thee, by our advancement in the same, the fruits of peace. O thou that didst come like a torrent to call the nations, and wast born on earth for the conversion of sinners, show unto us the gift of thy grace, whereby all fear being removed, we may ever follow thee by the chaste love of inward charity. Amen.
[1] It is more modern than the O Gabriel; but dating from the thirteenth century, it was almost universally substituted for it.
[2] Mich. v. 2; St. Matt. ii. 6.
[3] Ps. xxxiii. 6.
An Advent Prophecy
Dec 13th
Read this from Isaiah 35:
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Many of us are anxious as we seek to understand Anglicanorum Coetibus and what it will mean for us. Some Anglicans are truly fearful of heart and imagine they will be better Catholics away from Rome, and I am amazed that our going to Rome causes them so much distress. The lady protesteth too much, methinks. We know the dangers on account of man’s sinfulness, including that of Bishops and prelates who would frustrate our aspiration and kill the Holy Father’s generosity and lucid awareness of the Church’s needs in the bud.
Let us be strong and without fear, for we await our Lord. Some of us may find ourselves at the gates of Paradise before we see the earthly Promised Land of the Church. Let Christ come and heal our weaknesses, fears and all that weighs us down. Waters shall break out in the wilderness, that wilderness where we are – that wilderness in which I often celebrate Mass alone (other than with the Angels and the Saints, and the whole Communion of the Church) each day, whilst there are not enough priests in my area for the parishes. The unholy shall not pass over the way of holiness, and I fear God’s judgement with trembling, for the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We wait for our Lord to take us over the river – in this case the Tiber – but also over that chasm that exists between us sinners and the Kingdom of God.
Certainly, these great prophecies of Isaiah have a special meaning for us this Advent. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt. vi. 33).
Third Sunday in Advent
Dec 13th
THE INTROIT. Ps. 33:1-6
Ant. REJOICE in the Lord, O ye righteous; / for it becometh well the just to be thankful.
2 Praise the Lord with harp: / sing praises unto him with the lute, and instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto the Lord a new song: / sing praises lustily with a good courage.
4 For the word of the Lord is true, / and all his works are faithful.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgement: / the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, / and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth.
Glory be. Repeat Antiphon.
THE COLLECT.
O LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
THE EPISTLE. 1 Cor. iv. 1.
LET a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by my self; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
THE GRADUAL. Ps. 80:1-3
HEAR, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; / show thyself also, thou that sittest upon the cherubim.
2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, / stir up thy strength, and come and help us.
Alleluia, All. Turn us again, O God; / show the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole. All.
THE GOSPEL. St. Matt. xi. 2.
NOW when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he whoso-ever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
The Second Sunday in Advent
Dec 5th
THE COLLECT.
BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Ecclesiastical Sundries
Nov 30th
- “[I]f He is present, we can continue to hope even when others can no longer assure us of support, even when the present becomes difficult.” Pope Benedict XVI celebrates First Vespers of Advent in the Vatican Basilica.
- A New York Times op-ed piece marks the fortieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae. The piece (which amazingly got past the editors) notes the paradox of the reformers’ insistence that “We must strip from our … Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren…” A great many of those Anglicans who will avail themselves of Anglicanorum Coetibus still employ eastward orientation (isn’t that redundant?), hieratic language, and much of the “baggage” Bugnini’s iconoclasts sought to destroy!
- Fr. Phillips on the Eucharist as the sign of unity.
- After experimenting with various forms of the papal pallium, through a similar process, the Holy Father has settled on a new pastoral staff. With its depiction of the Agnus Dei, it looks very middle-of-the-road Anglican if you ask me.
- ‘We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.’ Fr. Giles Pinnock, SSC preaches on the oneness of the Church for The First Sunday in Advent. ‘Where Peter is, there is the Church’.
To put it succinctly, we are certainly Christians because we have been Baptized, and we are certainly a community of Christians in which, in the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church talking about Christians outside the Catholic Church, ‘many elements of sanctification and of truth’, and ‘the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit’ may be found.
But nevertheless we are challenged that we do not have the fullness of the Church because we do not have full communion with the rock on which the One Church is founded.
To take a final swipe at the ‘branch theory’, the various denominations of the Church do not exist by a process of organic branchings, such that what we are part of is a flourishing and diverse tree; but by a process of violent breakings off, each of which is a wound in the body of Christ that is made up of all the Baptized.
An Advent Meditation from Cardinal Newman
Nov 28th
In this passage from an 1838 sermon Newman explains that Christian worship should prepare us on earth for meeting Christ our Judge. Only prayer, the sacraments, and profession of the whole mystery of faith can make us ready for that radically new life that awaits us in heaven. From the Cause for the Canonisation of John Henry Cardinal Newman web site.
Men sometimes ask, Why need they profess religion? Why need they go to church? Why need they observe certain rites and ceremonies? Why need they watch, pray, fast, and meditate? Why is it not enough to be just, honest, sober, benevolent, and otherwise virtuous? Is not this the true and real worship of God? Is not activity in mind and conduct the most acceptable way of approaching Him? How can they please Him by submitting to certain religious forms, and taking part in certain religious acts? Or if they must do so, why may they not choose their own? Why must they come to church for them? Why must they be partakers in what the Church calls Sacraments?
I answer, they must do so, first of all and especially, because God tells them so to do. But besides this, I observe that we see this plain reason why, that they are one day to change their state of being. They are not to be here for ever. Direct intercourse with God on their part now, prayer and the like, may be necessary to their meeting Him suitably hereafter: and direct intercourse on His part with them, or what we call sacramental communion, may be necessary in some incomprehensible way, even for preparing their very nature to bear the sight of Him.
Let us then take this view of religious service; it is “going out to meet the Bridegroom,” [see Matt. 25: 6] who, if not seen “in His beauty,” [Isaiah 33: 17] will appear in consuming fire. Besides its other momentous reasons, it is a preparation for an awful event, which shall one day be. What it would be to meet Christ at once without preparation, we may learn from what happened even to the Apostles when His glory was suddenly manifested to them. St. Peter said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” [Luke 5: 8] And St. John, “when he saw Him, fell at His feet as dead.” [Rev. 1: 17]
This being the case, it is certainly most merciful in God to vouchsafe to us the means of preparation, and such means as He has actually appointed. When Moses came down from the Mount, and the people were dazzled at his countenance, he put a veil over it. That veil is so far removed in the Gospel, that we are in a state of preparation for its being altogether removed. We are with Moses in the Mount so far, that we have a sight of God; we are with the people beneath it so far, that Christ does not visibly show Himself. He has put a veil on, and He sits among us silently and secretly. When we approach Him, we know it only by faith; and when He manifests Himself to us, it is without our being able to realize to ourselves that manifestation.
Such then is the spirit in which we should come to all His ordinances, considering them as anticipations and first-fruits of that sight of Him which one day must be. When we kneel down in prayer in private, let us think to ourselves, Thus shall I one day kneel down before His very footstool, in this flesh and this blood of mine; and He will be seated over against me, in flesh and blood also, though divine. I come, with the thought of that awful hour before me, I come to confess my sin to Him now, that He may pardon it then, and I say, “O Lord, Holy God, Holy and Strong, Holy and Immortal, in the hour of death and in the day of judgment, deliver us, O Lord!”
Again, when we come to church, then let us say:—The day will be when I shall see Christ surrounded by His Holy Angels. I shall be brought into that blessed company, in which all will be pure, all bright. I come then to learn to endure the sight of the Holy One and His Servants; to nerve myself for a vision which is fearful before it is ecstatic, and which they only enjoy whom it does not consume.
The First Sunday in Advent
Nov 28th
INTROIT. Ps. 25:1-7
Ant. UNTO thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul; / my God, I have put my trust in thee.
2 O let me not be confounded, / neither let mine enemies triumph over me.
3 For all they that hope in thee shall not be ashamed; / but such as transgress without a cause shall be put to confusion.
4 Show me thy ways, O Lord, / and teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me forth in thy truth, and teach me : / for thou art the God of my salvation; in thee is my hope all the day long.
6 Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies, / and thy loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old.
7 O remember not the sins and offences of my youth; / but according to thy mercy think thou upon me, O Lord, for thy goodness.
Glory be. Repeat Antiphon.
THE COLLECT.
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
THE EPISTLE. Rom. xiii. 8.
OWE no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
GRADUAL. Ps. 85:4-7
TURN us, O God our Saviour, / and let thine anger cease from us. 5 Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever? / and wilt thou stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another?
6 Wilt thou not turn again and quicken us, / that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Alleluia, All. O Lord, show thy mercy upon us, / and grant us thy salvation. All.
THE GOSPEL. St. Matt. xxi. 1.
WHEN they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them; and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple; and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
