November (end of the year)
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
Let us offer our homage to two Martyrs, whose memory was celebrated on this day even before that of St. Charles. Vitalis the slave and Agricola his master, combating together in the glorious arena proved that social inequality counts for nothing with regard to heaven's nobility. St. Ambrose, when sojourning at Bologna where they had suffered, discovered their bodies and celebrated their triumph.[1] The Church, following his example, has ever associated them in one common homage.
Prayer
Praesta, quaesumus omnipotens Deus, ut, qui sanctorum Martyrum tuorum Vitalis et Agricolae solemnia colimus, eorum apud te intercessionibus adjuvemur. Per Dominum.
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that celebrating the festival of thy holy martyrs, Vitalis and Agricola, we may be assisted by their intercession with thee. Through our Lord.
[1] Ambr. Lib. de Exhort. Virginitat. I.
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
And the Spirit and the Bride say: Come And he that heareth, let him say: Come! — Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.[1]
While we honour the Church triumphant with our chants, and succour the Church suffering with our prayers, let us also turn our thoughts to the Church militant, during these days when the closing cycle presents her to us as about to complete her work on earth. Now the Church is our model; but especially at the close of our pilgrimage ought we to make her attitude our own. The above-cited dialogue, which will terminate the world's history, shows clearly the sentiments wherewith the Holy Spirit inspires her in preparation for the final hour.
As the sufferings of the dying man break the last ties that bound him to the life of the senses; so the last social convulsions, however violently they may shake the Church, will eventually disengage her from the trammels of a world, which she will no longer be able to save from ruin. Free, therefore, to give herself up to her desires, which had been pent up for ages and kept under control by so many labours, she will have but one word to utter: Come! And in the universal destruction, when the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall hide her light, and the powers of heaven shall be moved, she will rejoice, knowing that in the midst of that awful night the cry will be heard: Behold the Bridegroom cometh!
Let him that heareth, let everyone of us say also: Come! If we love our Lord, if we would be recognized as members of his dear Church, let us be worthy of that beautiful title; let us see all things with the Church's eyes; let us appreciate all things, and especially death, according to her heart; let us look upon the last passage, both for our dear ones and for ourselves, as the entrance into the eternal nuptial feast. We know well that if anyone sincerely desires our Lord, our Lord will not be wanting to hint. Even if, after this life, we have yet some debts to pay, if some adornment be wanting to our wedding garment ere we can take our place at the heavenly banquet; the blessed passage, nevertheless, places all the just, at once and entirely, in a state of impeccability, and in the secure possession of eternal love. Such, as we shall have occasion to see, were the sentiments of our forefathers.
Many churches in France, Switzerland, and England, used formerly to sing the following Sequence in honour of the Saints.
Sequence
Christo inclyto candida
Nostra canunt melodiam agmina,
Laudes omnibus dantia
Sanctis per haec sacrata festalis.
Mariam primum vox sonet nostra,
Per quam nobis vitae sunt data praemis.
Regina, quae es mater et casta,
Solve nostra per Filium tuum peccata.
Angelorum concio tota
Et Archangelorum turba inclyta
Nostra diluant jam peccata,
Parando supera coeli gaudia.
Tu propheta, praeco, lucerns,
Atque plus quam propheta,
In lucida nos pone via,
Mundans nostra corpora.
Apostolorum princepe atque cuncta
Juncta caterva, jam corrobora
Vera in doctrina
Plebis pectors.
Stephane gloriose, rutilans in corona,
Sancorumque Martyrum turma valida,
Fortia date corda, corpora aeque firma,
Sacra ut hostem vincant rite spicula.
Martine inclyte
Et praesulum omnis caterva,
Suscipe nunc pia modo
nostra clemens precata.
Regina Virginum permaxima,
tu Mater es incorrupta,
Virgo et gravida; sacrata Domino est castitas:
Nostras serva animas mundaque corpora.
Monachorum veneranda suffragia
Omniumque Sanctorum contubernia per precata assidus
Nostra gubernent tempora, nosque ducant ad superna
Polorum vera gaudis.
Subjungant pium agmina
Amen redempta.
To Christ the all-glorious
our white-robed choirs sing melody,
giving praise to all the Saints
on this their sacred festival.
First let our voice name Mary,
through whom was given to us the gift of life
O Queen, who art both Mother and Virgin,
through thy Son cancel our sins.
May the whole assembly of Angels,
and the glorious multitude of Archangels,
cleanse away our sins,
and prepare us for the supernal delights of heaven.
O thou, who wast prophet,
and herald, and lamp,
yea and more than a prophet,
make us all pure and set us in the path of light.
Prince of Apostles,
together with all thy colleagues,
strengthen the hearts of thy people
in true doctrine.
Glorious Stephen, glittering in thy crown;
mighty army of holy martyrs;
give us brave hearts and strong bodies,
that the darts of our holy faith may duly vanquish the enemy.
Illustrious Martin,
and all the band of holy Pontiffs,
kindly receive this day
our filial prayers.
O peerless Queen of virgins,
thou art a Mother and yet spotless,
a Maiden and yet fruitful; chastity is sacred to our Lord;
preserve our souls and bodies pure.
May the venerable suffrages of the Monks,
and may the assembly of all the Saints by their prayers,
rule our times, and lead us
to the true and supernatural joys of heaven.
Let the ranks of the redeemed
add a fervent Amen.
The hymn for the Vespers of the Dead in the Mozarabic Office is taken from the tenth song in the Cathemerinon of Prudentius.
Hymn
Deus ignee fons animarum,
Duo qui socias elementa:
Vivum simul, ac moribundum,
Hominem, Pater effigiasti.
Tua sunt, tua Rector utraque:
Tibi copula jungitur horum;
Tibi, dum vegetata cohaerent
Spiritus simul et caro servit.
Rescissa sed ista seorsum,
Solvunt hominem, perimuntque;
Humus excipit arida corpus,
Animae rapit aura liquorem.
Quia cuncta creata necesse est
Labefacta senescere tandem,
Compactque dissociari,
Et dissona texta retexi.
Hine maxima cura sepulchris
Impenditur: hinc resolutos
Honor ultimus accipit artus,
Et funeris ambitus ornat.
Hoc provida Christicolarum
Pietas studet utpote credens
Fore protinus omnia viva,
Quae nunc gelidus sopor urget.
Ui jacta cadavera passim
Miserans tegit aggere terrae:
Opus exhibet ille benignum
Christo pius omnipotenti.
Quia lex eadem monet omnes
Gemitum dare sorte sub una,
Cognataque funera nobis
Aliena in morte dolere.
Sequimur tua dicta, Redemptor,
Quibus atra e morte triumphans,
Tua per vestigia mandas
Socium crucis ire latronem.
Patet ecce fidelibus ampli
Via lucida jam paradise;
Licet et nemus illud adire
Homini, quod ademerat anguis.
Illic precor, Optime Ductor,
Famulam tibi praecipe mentem
Genitali in sede sacrari,
Quam liquerst exsul, et errans.
Animas, non immemor ob hoc,
Quarum memores sumus ipsi,
Dues, sorde rogamus, piatas,
Erebi rogis fac alienas.
Sit honor tibi, fons pietatis:
Laus, gloria, summa potestas
Patri, Genito, sive Domino
Orbis Regi; qui Deus unus.
Amen.
O God, thou fiery source of living beings,
who, uniting two elements in one,
the mortal and the immortal,
didst fashion man, O our Father.
Both are thine, and thou art their Ruler;
their union is linked to thee;
and while they live and cleave together,
both spirit and flesh serve thee.
But when they are rent asunder,
dissolution and death come upon man;
the dry earth receives his body,
while the swift spirit flees to heaven.
‘Tis the lot of all created things
to fail and grow old at last,
for compound beings to be dissolved,
for the union of dissimilar elements to be unknit.
Therefore is so great care bestowed upon the sepulchres;
therefore are the last honours
paid to these lifeless limbs,
and the funeral pomp does them homage.
Such is the provident piety
exercised by Christ's disciples,
believing that all which now lies wrapt in icy slumber,
shall suddenly spring to life again.
Whoever, then, in loving pity,
shall cover with earth the corpses that lie unburied,
does in his piety a kindly deed
to Christ himself the Omnipotent.
Since the common law admonishes us
that all groan under the same fate,
it behoves us to mourn, in a stranger's death,
the loss of one of our kin.
We follow therefore thy words,
O Redeemer, when, triumphing over dismal death,
thou didst bid the thief, thy fellow-crucified,
to tread in thy footprints.
Lo! Now the shining path,
that leads to the broad land of Eden, lies open to thy faithful;
and man may again enter that beautiful garden,
of which the serpent had despoiled him.
There, O best of guides! We pray thee,
bid the soul thy handmaid
be made holy in the place of her creation,
which she had quitted as an exile and a wanderer.
Wherefore be mindful, O God, of the souls,
whose memory we cherish;
let them, we beseech thee, be cleansed from all stain,
and escape the fires of hell.
Honour to thee, O fount of mercy!
Praise, glory, sovereign power,
to the Father, to the Son, to the Lord
who rules the world, one only God.
Amen.
The following Preface, which is well inspired and has a ring of the ancient formulae, is still used in some places in Masses for the Dead.
Preface
Vere dignum et justum est, sequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus; per Christum Dominum nostrum. In quo nobis spem beatae resurrectionis concessisti; ut dum naturam contristat certa moriendi conditio, fidem consoletur futurae immortalitatis promissio. Tuis enim fidelibus, Domine, vita mutatur, non tollitur; et dissoluta terrestris hujus habitationis doo, aeterna in ccoelis habitatio comparatur. Et ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus, cumque omni militia coelestis exercitus, humnum gloriae tuae canimus, sine fine dicentes: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
It is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we should always and in all places give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, through Christ our Lord. In whom thou halt bestowed on us the hope of a blessed resurrection: so that, although the inevitable sentence of death fills our human nature with sorrow, the promise of a future resurrection consoles our faith. For the life of thy faithful, O Lord, is altered, not taken away ; and when this house of our earthly habitation is destroyed, an eternal dwelling is prepared for us in heaven. And therefore with the Angels and Archangels, with the Thrones and Dominations, and with all the host of the heavenly army, we sing a hymn to thy glory, saying without ceasing: Holy, Holy, Holy.
[1] Apox. xxii. 17, 20.
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
Thou art my portion, O Lord, Alleluia, in the land of the living, Alleluia, Alleluia. — Bring forth my soul out of prison, to confess to thy Name; in the land of the living, Alleluia, Alleluia. — Glory and honour be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, world without end, Amen: in the land of the living, Alleluia, Alleluia.[1]
Such is the opening chant for the departed, in the Mozarabic Missal. With the Greeks, in like manner, no word is of more frequent recurrence in the Office of the Dead, than the Alleluia.[2] Moreover, both Greece and Spain are but observing what was once a general practice throughout the Church.
St. Jerome tells us how, at the death of Fabiola, all the Roman people assembled, the chant of psalms echoed on all sides, and the sublime Alleluia filled the temples till it shook their gilded roofs.[3] Two centuries later, the story of St. Radegonde's funeral, written by her daughter Baudonivia, proves that, if submissive tears were not forbidden to the survivors and might at times even flow abundantly, the custom in Gaul was, nevertheless, the same as that of Rome.[4]
And again with regard to a later period, the Manuscript of Rheims quoted by Dom Hugh Menard in his notes on the Gregorian Sacramentary,[5] prescribes as a prelude to the burial prayers, the chanting of the Psalm In exitu Israel de Egypto, with Alleluia as Antiphon.
When St. Anthony buried in the desert the body of St. Paul the first hermit, the biographer of the latter relates that, in accordance with Christian tradition, Anthony sang hymns as well as psalms.[6] Such was actually the universal Christian tradition, identical in all lands.
St. John Chrysostom remarks the same fact, and explains it thus : “Tell me, are they not conquerors, the dead whom we carry in procession with shining torches and the singing of hymns? Yes; we praise God and give him thanks; for he crowns the departed one; he has put an end to his labour; and he keeps him near himself, free from all fear. Seek no other explanation for these hymns and psalms they are an expression of joy.”[7]
St. Dionysius speaks in the same strain, in his book on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. A fter alluding to the joy of the dying Christian, as he sees approaching the end of his struggle and an eternal security, he adds: “The relatives of the deceased, his friends in God and in holiness, proclaim him blessed for having conquered at last ; and they address their songs of thanksgiving to the heavenly Author of the victory. Praying that themselves may obtain a similar lot, they bear him to the hierarch the distributor of the holy crowns, to whom it belongs to perform the sacred rites prescribed with regard to those who have slept in the Lord.”[8]
Tomorrow we will give some examples of these last honours paid by the Church to her children.
Certain Churches borrow the following stanzas from the tenth Song of the Cathemerinon, which gave us yesterday the Mozarabic Hymn for the Dead.
Hymn
Jam mœsta quiesce querela,
Lacrymas suspendite matres,
Nullus sua pignora plangst:
Mors haec reparatio vitae est.
Quidnam sibi saxa cavata,
Quid pulchra volunt monumenta,
Res quod nisi creditur illis
Non mortus, sed data somno?
Nam quod requiescere corpus
Vacuum sine mente videmus,
Spatium breve restat ut alti
Repetat collegia sensus.
Venient cito secula cum jam
Socius ccalor ossa revisat,
Animataque sanguine vivo
Habitacula pristina gestet.
Quae pigra cadavera pridum
Tumulis putrefacta jacebant,
Voucres rapientur in auras
Animas comitata priores.
Six semina sica virescunt
Jam mortua, jamque sepulta:
Quae reddita cespite ab imo
Veteres meditantur aristas.
Nunc suscipe terra fovendum,
Gremioque hunc concipe molli:
Hominus tibi membra sequestro,
Generosa et fragmina credo.
Animae fuit haec domus olim,
Factoria ab ore creatae;
Fervens habitavit in istis
Sapientia principe Christo.
Tu depositum tage corpus:
Non immemor ille requiret
Sua munera fictor et suctor
Propriique aenigmata vultus.
Veniant modo tempora justa
Cum spem Deus impleat omnem,
Reddas patefacta necesse est
Qual tibi trado figuram.
Amen.
Cease now each sad complaint;
ye mothers check your tears;
let no man mourn the pledges he has given:
for this death is the restoration of life.
What mean these sculptured marbles,
and these fair monuments,
save that what is committed to them is not dead,
but laid to sleep?
For this body which we see lying lifeless,
yet a little while and it will seek once more
the companionship of the spirit
that has fled on high.
Quickly shall the time come,
when friendly life shall make these cold embers glow;
and animating them with circling blood,
shall take back her former dwelling.
The motionless corpses,
that have lain corrupting in their graves,
shall be caught up into the swift air,
united to the same souls as before.
Even thus do the dry seeds,
dead and buried, become green blades;
and, springing up from the sward,
recall the former ears.
Receive now, O earth, this deposit into thy care,
and cherish it in thy tender bosom:
'tis the form of a man I place in thee,
noble remains I entrust to thee.
This was once the home of a spirit
breathed from the mouth of its Creator;
Christ ruled these members,
and his holy wisdom dwelt therein.
Then shelter the body confided to thee:
he who made it will not forget it,
but will ask back the gifts he had given,
and the likeness of his own countenance.
Soon the promised time will come,
when God shall fulfil all hope;
then thou must needs open thy bosom,
and restore this form such as I give it thee.
Amen.
The following Responsory is the last of the third Nooturn in the short Office of the Dead per annum. After it we give an ancient prayer, found in the Ambrosian rite, and appropriated to deceased benefactors and relatives.[9]
Responsory
℟. Libera me, Domine, de viis inferi qui portas aereas confregisti: et visitasti infernum, et dedisti eis lumen, ut viderent te, * Qui erant in poenis tenebrarum.
V. Clamantes et dicentes: Advenisti, Redemptor noster. * Qui erant.
V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. * Qui erant.
℟. Deliver me, O Lord, from the ways of hell, who hest broken the brazen gates, and halt visited hell, and halt given light to them, that they might behold thee * who were in the pains of darkness.
V. Crying, and saying: Thou art come, O our Redeemer. * Who were.
V. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them. * Who were.
Prayer
Deus vita viventium, spes morientium, salus omnium in te sperantium, praesta propitius, ut animae famulorum famularumque tuarum a famularumque tuarum a nostrae mortalitatis tenebris absolutae in perpetua cum sanctis tuis luce laetentur. Per Dominum.
O God, the life of the living, the hope of the dying, the salvation of all that trust in thee, mercifully grant that the souls of thy servants and handmaids, delivered from the darkness of our mortality, may rejoice with thy Saints in perpetual light. Through our Lord.
The following Prose by Adam of St. Victor, though often assigned to other feasts, was sung in several places to celebrate all the Saints.
Sequence
Supernae matris gaudia
Repraesentet Ecclesia:
Dum festa coli annus,
Suspiret ad perpetus.
In hac valle miseriae
Mater succurrat filiae:
Hic coelestes excubiae
Nobiscum stetn in acie.
Mundus, caro, daemonia
Diversa movent praelia:
Incursu tot phantasmatum
Turbatur cordis sabbatum.
Dies festos cognatio
Simul haec habt odio,
Certatque pari foedere
Pacem de terra tollere.
Confusa sunt hic omnia,
Spes, metus, moeror, gaudium:
Vix hora vel dimidia
Fit in coelo silentium.
Quam felix illa civitas
In qua jugis solemnitas!
Et quam jocunda curia,
Quae curae prorsus nescia!
Nec languor hic, nec senium,
Nec fraus, nec terror hostium,
Sed una vox laetantium
Et unus ardor cordium.
Illic cives angelici
Sub hierarchia triplici,
Trinae gaudent et simplici
Se Monarchiae subjici.
Mirantur, nec deficiunt,
In illum quem prospiciunt:
Fruuntur, nec fastidunt,
Quo frui magis sitiunt.
Illic patres dispositi
Pro dignitate meriti,
Semota jam caligine
Lumen vident in lumine.
Hi sancti quorum hodis
Celebrantur soemnia
Jam revelata facie
Regem cernunt in gloria.
Illic Regina virginum,
Transcendens culmen ordinum,
Excuset apud Dominum
Nostrorum lapsus criminum.
Nos ad sanctorum gloriam,
Per ipsorum suffragia,
Post praesentem miseriam
Christi perducat gratia.
Amen.
Let the Church on earth commemorate
the joys of her mother the Church in heaven:
and while she celebrates annual feasts,
let her sigh for those which are eternal.
May the mother assist her daughter
in this valley of sorrows:
and may our heavenly guardians
be at our side in the battle.
The world, the flesh, and the devils
wage their several warfares;
at the onslaught of so many terrors,
the heart's tranquility is disturbed.
All this brood
detests our feast-days,
and with united force,
endeavours to drive peace from the earth.
Here all is confusion;
hope, fear, sadness,
joy are commingled:
in heaven, scarce half an hour is silence kept.
Oh! How happy is that city,
where there is unceasing festivity!
and how joyful is that assembly
where care is utterly unknown!
No sickness there, nor old age;
no deceit, nor terror of foes;
but all one voice of joyful souls,
and all one burning love of hearts.
There the angelic citizens in
their triple hierarchy rejoice
to be subject to a Monarch
who is both One and Three.
They admire, and faint not in contemplating,
the God upon whom they gaze;
they enjoy him, and are not satiated,
for the enjoyment brings new thirst.
There are our fathers,
ranked according to their merit;
all darkness is now dispelled,
and in God's light they see light.
These Saints, whose solemnity
is celebrated today,
behold with unveiled face
the king in his glory.
There is the Queen of virgins,
far above the highest choirs;
may she, before the Lord,
excuse our guilty falls.
And after this present misery,
may the grace of Christ,
through the intercession of the Saints,
lead us to the same glory!
Amen.
[1] In Missa defunctorum Officium (seu Introitus). Tu es portio mes, Domine, alleluia, in terra viventium, aleluia, alleluis. V. Educ de carcere animam meam ad confitendum nomini tuo: in terra viventium, alleluia, alleluia. Gloria et honor Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, in saecula saeculorum, amen: in terra viventiu, alleluia, alleluia.
[2] Goar Nota 6a ad Officium Exsequiarum in Euchologio.
[3] Hieron. ad Oceanum, de morte Fabiolae.
[4] Baudonivia, Vita Radegundis, 28.
[5] Nota 680.
[6] Hieron. Vita S. Pauli, primi eremitae, 16.
[7] Chrys. In epist. ad Hebr. Hamil. Iv.
[8] Dionys. De eccles. hierarch. Cap. VII. 1 § 1, 2, 3.
[9] Oratio super sindonem, in Missa quotidiana pro defunctis Fratribus, Sororibus, Propinquis et Benefactoribus.
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
“A great mystery” says St. John Chrysostom, “is accomplished in our dead. A mystery of praise and of joy, when, summoned by the King of kings, the soul goes to meet her Lord, accompanied by Angels sent from heaven for the purpose! And thou-dost thou lament?[1] When the bridegroom, to whom thou hast given thy daughter, carries her to a far country, thou dolt not complain, provided he makes her happy; although her absence is a grief to thee, the sadness is tempered. And now, because it is not a man, a fellow-slave, but the Lord himself that claims one of thy family, is thy grief to be without measure? I do not forbid thee to shed a tear; weep, but be not disconsolate even as others who have no hope.[2] And be ready also to return thanks, as is meet; honouring thereby thy dead, as well as glorifying God, and thus giving them magnificent obsequies.”[3]
With such sentiments were our fathers inspired, in those farewells of the primitive liturgy, which contrasted so strangely with the sad of pagans, and which made the funeral train resemble a pomp bridal procession. First, loving hands respectfully washed the body, which had been sanctified by the waters of Baptism and the holy oil, and so often honoured by the visit of our Lord in his blessed Sacrament. It was then clothed in the robes of honour in which it had served its divine Spouse; and, like him in the tomb, it was surrounded with fragrant spices. Often the sacred Host itself was laid upon the breast after the holy sacrifice of thanksgiving and propitiation. Thus, during an admirable succession of prayers and triumphant chants, amid clouds of incense and numberless torches, the body was carried to the place of rest, where Christian burial was to associate it to the last mystery of our Saviour's mortal career. There, as over the garden of Golgotha on the great Saturday, the naked Cross, despoiled of its divine Burden, looked down upon the graves, where the Man-God in his mystic members still awaited the hour of resurrection.
At Rome, and indeed in all the Latin Churches, in the middle ages, there were sung, during the procession to the tomb and the burial, seven celebrated Antiphons, whose touching inspiration, perpetuated in the In Paradisum and the Subvenite, is in complete harmony with the sentiments we have just alluded to. The first, Aperite mihi portas justitiæ, formed the refrain to Psalm 117, Confitemini Domino, and enhanced its accents of victory. It is from this Psalm that the Church borrows the Verse she so unceasingly repeats on the Solemnity of solemnities: Haec dies quam fecit Dominus, exsultemus et laetemur in ea. This is the day which the Lord hath made, let us be glad and rejoice therein.
But we cannot do better than give the entire series of Antiphons, indicating the Psalms which they accompanied. The last Psalm and the Canticle Benedictus are still used; as also the Responsory Subvenite and the Antiphon In Paradisum, which according to the present Ritual are sung, the former on entering the Church, the latter on leaving it.
1. Ant. Aperite mihi portas justitiae, ingressus in eas confitebor Domino.
1. Ant. Open to me the gates of justice: I will go in to them and give praise to the Lord.
Ps. 117. Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus
2. Ant. Ingrediar in locum tabernaculi admirabilis, usque ad domum Dei.
2. Ant. I shall go into the place of the wonderful tabernable, even to the house of God.
Ps. 41. Quemadmodum desiderat cervus
3. Ant. Haec requies mea in saeculum saeculi, hic habitabo quoniam elegi eam.
3. Ant. This is my rest forever and ever: here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.
Ps. 131. Memento Domine David
4. Ant. De terra plasmasti me Domine, et carne induisti me: Redemptor meus, resuscita me in novissimo die.
4. Ant. Thou has formed me, O Lord, of the earth, and with flesh thou hast clothed me: O my Redemmer, raise me up on the last day.
Ps. 138. Domine probasti me
5. Ant. Nom intres in judicium cum servo tuo, Domine, quia non justificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis vivens.
5. Ant. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord: for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.
Ps. 142. Domeine exaudi orationem meam
6. Ant. Omnis spiritus laudet Dominum.
6. Ant. Let every spirit praise the Lord.
Ps. 148. Laudate Dominum de coelis
7. Ant. Ego sum resurrectio et vita: qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet: et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum.
7. Ant. I am the resurrection, and life: he that believes in me, though he be dead, shall live; and every one that lives and believes in me shall never die.
Canticle Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel
In some places the following Antiphon was sung at the conclusion.
Laeto animo pergo ad te, suscipe me Domine; quia de terra plasmsti me, spiritus de coelo introivit in me jussu tuo, veni ut commendes terrae corpus meum: animam quam dedisti, suscipe illam Deus.
With a joyful heart I come to thee, receive me, O Lord; since of the earth thou didst form me, and a spirit from heaven entered into me by thy command, come and commit my body to the earth, and the soul which thou gayest receive O my God.
Responsory and Antiphon from the Roman Ritual
℟. Subvenite Sancti Dei, occurrite Angeli Domini:
* Suscipientes animam ejus:
* Offerentes eam in conspectu Altissimi.
V. Suscipiat te Christus qui vocavit te, et in sinum Abrahae Angeli deducant te.
* Suscipientes.
V. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat ei.
* Offerentes.
Ant. In paradisum deducant te Angeli: in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chrous Angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.
℟. Come to his assistance, all ye Saints of God; meet him all ye Angels of the Lord,
* Receiving his soul,
* presenting it in the sight of the Most High.
V. May Christ receive thee, who has called thee, and may the Angels conduct thee into Abraham's bosom.
* Receiving his soul.
V. Eternal rest give to him, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine on him.
* Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
Ant. May the Angels conduct thee into paradise: may the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and lead thee into the holy city of Jerusalem. May the choir of angels receive thee, and mayst thou have eternal rest with Lazarus, who was formerly poor.
For the consolation of mothers, as well as in homage to the Paradise of which their children are the graceful flowers, we will today commemorate, with St. Ephrem, the little ones snatched in their innocence from this land of miseries.
Canon xxxvi[4]
Amabilis puer quem gratia in utero matris formavit, ut vidit lucem, ut insiliit acerba mors, et aestu infestiore quam solis esse solet, vernantis floris folia decussit, caulem arefecit, ramos siccavit.
Obitum fiere tuum vereor, qui didici te a filio Regis ad supernae lucis adyta fuisse deductum. Natura quidem tuo, fili, fat illacrymari eogit: ego vero dum recognite te ad regionem beatae lucis translatum, cavendum mihi video ne Regis aula profano polluatur lucut, tum ipse arguar audax et impudenes, qui laetitiae regiam atratus et lacrymans intraverim. Quin ergo meliore consilio puram hostiam offeram, et ad hilaritatem animum componam.
Tui quidem cantus, care puer, meas ante mulcibant sures, meque vehementer delectarunt; suave melos quod olim fundebas memoria adhuc retineo, et verba recordor. Quamquam dum cor illa repetit, mens ad Superum evolat choros, et audit admirabunda Coelites tecum canentes triumphale carmen Hosanna.
Pars tua, Domine, sunt parvuli pueri, hisce sedes in coelo super astra dabis. Illos pro nobis, oro, statue deprecatores; puras quippe scimus esse puerorum preces.
Quin ergo te summis efferam laudibus, qui jubes tuis tales convivas assidere mensis. Nostrae Reparator salutis in oculis conspectuque populi amplexatus est pueros, eisque benedixit, quo hujus aetatis puritatem et innocentiam sibi placere demonstraret. Vere omni laude dignus est, cui innocentes pueros apud se habere placuit.
Vidit ille, in quo tamquam in sua sede considet justitis, hominum iniquitates ultra omnem increvisse modum, et pessumdata innocentia ubique regnare contumaciam in perversa nitentium. Delectum puerorum agmen, misso apparitore ad se accersivit, et in delicarum aeternarum sede locavit.
Parvuli, quasi lilia de deserta et inculta regione revulsa, in amcenissimi horti areis iterato panguntur; et quasi margaritae insreuntur diademati; inde ad coeleste regnum evecti, sine fine laudant suae felicitatis Auctorem.
Porro cuinam jucundum non sit, parvulos videre coelo donatos? Aut quisnam plangat eorum obitum, quod tensos ubique vitiorum laqueos evaserint? Utinam tua, Domine, favente gratia, talem mihi contigat habere finem, et beato eorum potiri convictu.
Laus sit et gloria Optimo, Maximo, qui pueros terris abstulit et coelo dedict, qui parvulos hujus vitae aerumnis eripuit et in coeestem et beatam domum transtulit, atque in illam jucundissimam securitatem asseruit.
The lovely child, whom grace formed in his mother's womb, no sooner saw the light, than cruel death rushed upon him, and with a heat more burning than the sun's, struck off the leaves of this spring flower, withered its stem, and scorched its branches.
I dare not lament thy death, for I have heard that the King's Son has led thee into the inner courts of heavenly light. Nature indeed forces me, my child, to weep over thy fate: but when I think of thee carried into the region of blessed light, I see I must beware of dishonouring the King's court by my profane grief; moreover I should be accused of being bold and impertinent, if I entered the palace of joy weeping and clad in mourning weeds. Therefore I will take a better way, and, offering a spotless victim, I will turn my soul to joyfulness.
Thy songs, indeed, beloved boy, were once so welcome to my ears, and delighted me exceedingly; the sweet sounds thou didst utter and thy pretty prattle I well remember. But while the heart recalls them, the mind soars to the choirs of Angels, and listens entranced to the heavenly citizens singing with thee the triumphant song Hosanna.
The little children, O Lord, are thine own portion ; and to them thou wilt give thrones, beyond the stars. Set them before thee, I pray, as our intercessors, for we know that children's prayers are pure.
Why, then, should I not extol thee with highest praises, who commandest such guests to be seated at thy table? In the presence of the people, my Redeemer and Saviour embraced children and blessed them, in order to show how pleasing to him are the purity and innocence of that age. Truly is he worthy of all praise, who loves to be surrounded by innocent little Ones.
He, in whom justice is seated as on her own throne, sees that the sins of men have increased beyond all measure; that all innocence is crushed out, and that everywhere reigns the insolence of them that contend for evil. He has therefore sent his officer to gather the band of children and lead them to himself, where he has placed them in the abode of eternal delights.
The little ones, like lilies uprooted from this desert and uncultivated land, are planted again in the flower-beds of the most lovely garden ; like pearls they are set in our Lord's diadem; caught up from earth tothe heavenly kingdom, they unceasingly praise the Author of their happiness.
Who, then, would not rejoice at seeing heaven thus given to babes? Or who would bewail their death, since they have escaped from the snares of vices everywhere spread out? May it please thee, O Lord, that by thy grace a similar end may be my lot, and I may be admitted to a share in their blessed life.
Praise and glory be to God the supremely Good and Great, who has taken the children from earth and given them to heaven; who has snatched the little ones from the miseries of this life and taken them to a heavenly and blessed home, and has established them in that most happy security.
Canon xliv
Perfecta tibi, Domine Deus noster, jam est laus ex ore infantium et lactentium; pueri quippe sunt, qui modo quasi agni simplices in horto deliciarum pubescunt, Gabrielem Archangelum electi hujus gregis ductorem sequenties. Incolunt terram nefariis acelerum vestigiis usquequaque expiatam; ejus autem quae maledicto subjecta fuit, ne meminere quidem.
Veniet tandem sanctissimus ille dies, quando eorum cadavera vocem Filii Dei audient, et e tumulis cum tripudio exsilient; contra inimica virtutis voluptas frontem submittet rubore suffusa, quod illorum mentes perturbare nequiverit. Paucos hic quidem vicere dies, paradisus excepit in aevum sempiternum victuros: unde ipsorum parentes abesse se dolent, eoque ocyus perveniere desierant.
O Lord our God, thy praise is now perfected out of the mouths of babes and sucklings; these children, who now like simple lambs, grow up in the garden of delights, following the Archangel Gabriel the guide of this chosen flock. They dwell in a land entirely free from all traces of wicked crime; but of that other, which was subjected to the curse, they have not so much as the remembrance.
At length that most holy day will come, when their bodies shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and exultingly spring from their tombs; while self-indulgence, the enemy of virtue, will hang down her head, being covered with confusion because she could not disturb their souls. They lived but few days on earth, paradise received them to live for eternal ages: wherefore their parents mourn that they themselves are still far off from that land, and long to reach it with all speed.
Let us conclude with a prayer taken from the rites of the Latin church for the burial of infants.
Prayer
Omnipotens et mitisseme Deus, qui omnibus parvulis renatis fonte baptismatis dum migrant a saeculo, sine ullis eorum meritis, vitam illico largiris aeternam, sicut animae hujus parvuli hodie credimus te fecisse: fac nos, quaesumus Domine, per intercessionem beatae Mariae semper virginis, et omnium sanctorum tuorum, hic purificatis tibi mentius famulari, et in paradiso cum beatis parvulis perenniter sociari. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
℟. Amen.
O Almighty and most merciful God, who vouchsafest to all children baptized, departing this world, eternal life, without any merit of theirs, as we believe thou hast done this day to the soul of this child: grant us, we beseech thee, O Lord, by the intercession of the blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, and of all thy saints, to serve thee here with pure minds, and to be united hereafter with thy blessed children in heaven. Through.
℟. Amen.
[1] Chrys. in Acta Ap. Homilis xxi. 3, 4.
[2] i. Thess. iv. 12.
[3] Chrys. Homilia de Dormientibus, V. de Lazaro, 2.
[4] S. Ephram Syri funebres canones, ap. Assemani.
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
How could we more appropriately conclude the teachings of this Octave, than by quoting the words used by the Church herself in today's Liturgy?
Strangers as we are and pilgrims on the earth, let us fix our hearts and our thoughts on the day which will give to each of us a home, and restore us to Paradise. Who, that is on a voyage, would not hasten to return to his country! Who, that is on the way home, would not eagerly desire a favourable wind, that he might the sooner embrace his dear ones! Parents, brothers, children, friends in multitudes impatiently await us in our heavenly fatherland; blessed crowd already secure of their own eternal happiness, they are solicitous about our salvation. What joy for them and for us, when at length we see them and they may embrace us! How great the delight of that heavenly kingdom: no more fear of death; but eternal and supreme happiness! Let all our earnest desires tend to this: that we may be united with the Saints, that together with them we may possess Christ.[1]
These enthusiastic words, borrowed from St. Cyprian's beautiful book “On Mortality,” are used by the Church in her second Nocturn; and in the third she gives us the strong language of St. Augustine, consoling the faithful, who are obliged still to remain in exile, by reminding them of the great beatitude of this earth : the beatitude of those who are persecuted and cursed by the world. To suffer gladly for Christ, is the Christian's glory, the invisible beauty which wins for his soul the good pleasure of God, and procures him a great reward in heaven.[2]
He that hurteth, let him hurt still, says our Lord ; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. Behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.[3] Patience, then, Christians I Patience, all who are now despised, for time is short; the fashion of this world passeth away![4] It is in the light of our Baptism that we must look upon those foolish men, who think themselves strong, because they are violent; who call themselves wise, because pleasure is their only law. When the Man-God, with the spirit of his mouth, shall take vengeance on Satan their leader, their lot will be the indignant sentence heard by the Prophet of Patmos: Without are dogs, murderers, every one that loveth and maketh a lie.[5] Meanwhile the whole creation, which they made the unwilling slave of their corruption, will answer to their digraceful fall by a triumphant song of deliverance. Itself will be transformed into new heavens and a new earth. It will partake of the glory of the children of God, delivered like itself, and will be worthy to contain the new Jerusalem, the holy city, where in our flesh we shall see God; and where, seated at the right hand of the Father in the Person of Jesus Christ, our glorified human nature will enjoy forever the honours of a bride.
Let us honour all the Saints by a Sequence long sung on this Octave day by the church of Seville.
Sequence
Ad honorem Salvatoris,
Intus corde, voce foris,
Concinat haec concio;
Dulcis erit melodia
Si concordent ista tria:
Cor, os, operatio.
Admirandus est in sanctis
Suis Deus; sed cum tantis
Tandem bonis satiat,
Cur dum spirant in hac vita
Vix respirant, eos ita
Flagellat et cruciat?
Numquid, Christe, pie odis
Quos diversis poenae modis
Dignum ducis affici,
Et attritos in tormentis
Saepe sinis et consentis
Dirae neci subjici?
Sed non odit, sed explorat
Quo affectu quis laborat
In ejus obsequio;
Amat cunctos, probat tamen
Per sudorem et certamen
Quanta sit devotio.
Certant enim contra mundum,
Hostem nequam et immundum,
Canis quoque vitia;
Hac imprimis confessores
Martyresque formant mores
Virili constantia.
Est certamen capitale
Quod conflict capitale
Martyri supplicium;
Sed interdum confessori
Litor deest in lituri
Carnis optans gaudium.
Ob amorem ergo Christi
Certant illi, certant isti,
Tam mares quam feminae:
Qui plus sudat in agone
Plus mercedis et coronae
Refert pro certamine.
Omnes Deo sunt electi:
Velit Deus horum flexti
Meritis et precibus,
Ut quum dies erit dira
Non nos sua subdat ira
Tartari tortoribus.
Sed hunc nostra laudet lyra
Cum coelorum civibus.
Amen.
To the honour of our Saviour,
let this assembly sing,
both with the inward music of the heart,
and with the outward sound of the voice;
sweet will be the melody if these three
be of one accord: heart, lips, and action.
God is wonderful in his Saints;
but since at the last he satisfies them
with such good things, wherefore,
while they live this life,
are they scarce able to breathe,
he so scourges and torments them?
Is it O Christ, that thou
dost lovingly hate them,
since thou judgest well that
they should suffer in so many ways,
and permittest them often to be crushed
under tortures and subjected to a cruel death?
Nay, he hates them not,
but seeks to know with how much
love each one labours in his service;
he loves them all, yet he proves,
by the toil and the strife,
how great is their devotedness.
For they strive against the world,
the wicked unclean foe,
the vices of the flesh;
chiefly by this manly constancy
that confessors and martyrs
form themselves to virtue.
The special combat for the martyr
is that which gives him
the stroke of death;
but for the confessor the executioner is wanting;
he must choose the struggle
against the pleasures of the flesh.
'Tis therefore for the love of Christ
that strive the former and the latter,
whether men or women;
and he that labours most in the strife,
carries off a higher prize,
a brighter crown for his combat.
All are elected by God:
may God allow himself to be moved
by their merits and prayers,
that when the terrible day shall come,
he may not in his wrath
hand us over to the infernal torturers.
But rather may our lyre be permitted
to praise him in the company of the heavenly citizens.
Amen.
Let us next pray for our dear departed ones. The Missals of several churches furnish us with this earnest supplication.
Sequence
De profundis exclamantes
Audi, Christe, nostras voces
In coelesti curia:
Pro defunctis fidelibus
Orat nunc mater omnibus,
Te supplex Ecclesia.
Fiant ergo intendentes
Ut audiant tuae aures
Vocia haec suffragia:
Vox haec orat, Rex gloriae
Fidelibus ut hocie
Concedas remedia.
Peccatores quamvis simus,
Sustinere nec possimus,
Si observes vitia:
Fiat tamen salutaris
Quae offertur nunc a nobis
Pro defunctis hostia.
Haec quam Patri obtulisti
Offerimus et nos ipsi;
Sit eis propitia:
Propitius esto eis;
Solve vincla, jesu, reis
In tua potentis.
Propter legem quam dedisti,
Te sustinent quos fecisti:
Averte supplicia:
Te sustinent, eruantur;
In te sperant, educantur
Ad coeli palatia.
In te sperant, in te credunt;
Ad te tendunt et suspirant
De faecis miseria:
In te die, in te nocte,
In te mane et vespere
Sit eis fiducia.
Sit apud te quem rogamus,
Pro qua tibi supplicamus,
Pietatis copia:
Ut redims eas, Christe,
Supplex rogat coetus iste,
Ab omni nequitia.
Reginarum imperatrix,
Tua roget te genitrix:
Fiat horum impetratix
Quae rogamus, Maria.
Bone Jesu Rex gloriae,
Omnes sancti praecipue
Te rogantes sint hodie
Pro eorum venia.
Qui per crucem exaltatus
Peccatorum es misertus,
Audi preces queis devotus
Ad te clamat noster coetus
Cum misericordia.
Per te vincla confringantur,
Portae mortis destruantur,
Diaboli confundantur,
Et animae consequantur
Sempiterna guadia.
Amen.
As we cry out from the depths,
hear, O Christ, our voices
from thy heavenly court:
mother Church now
suppliantly implores thee
for all the faithful departed.
Let, then, thine ears be attentive
to hear her prayerful voice:
this voice that calls on thee,
O King of glory,
to grant this day
some relief to the faithful.
Although we are sinners
and unable to endure
if thou consider our vices:
still, let the victim
now offered by us
avail for the dead.
See, we offer the same
as thou didst offer to the Father:
may it be a succour to them;
yea, be thou propitious to them,
and in thy might, O Jesus,
loose the bonds of the guilty.
Because of the law which thou hast given,
the creatures thou hast made wait for thee;
turn away the punishment:
they wait for thee, may they be delivered;
they trust in thee,
lead them forth to the heavenly dwellings.
In thee they trust, in thee they believe,
towards thee they yearn and sigh
from their awful depth of misery;
in thee by day, in thee by night,
in thee at morn and evening
be their sure confidence.
With thee, we implore,
be that abundant mercy for which we pray;
that thou wouldst redeem them,
O Christ, from all evil,
this suppliant crowd
beseeches thee.
Let the Queen of queens,
thy Mother, intercede;
may Mary obtain
for us what we ask.
O good Jesus, King of glory,
let all thy Saints
ask pardon for them,
especially on this day.
O thou who, raised upon the cross,
didst take pity on sinners,
mercifully hear the prayers
wherewith our assembly
cries to thee.
By thee may all bonds be broken,
the gates of death destroyed,
the devils put to confusion,
and souls obtain possession
of never-ending joys.
Amen.
[1] S. Cyprian. De Mortalitate, xxvi.
[2] S. Aug. De Sermone Domini in monte, Lib. i. cap. v.
[3] Apoc. xxii. 11-13.
[4] I Cor. vii. 29-31.
[5] Apoc. xxii. 15.
[6] De Rossi. Bullet: 1879.