January 1st: Dom Gueranger on The Circumcision of Our Lord Pt. III

"......what shall we give in return to this Saviour of our souls for the Circumcision, which he has deigned to suffer, in order to show us how much he loved us? We must, according to the teaching of the Apostles, circumcise our heart from all its evil affections, its sins and its wicked inclinations; we must begin, at once, to live that new life, of which the Infant Jesus is the sublime model. Let us show him our compassion for this his earliest suffering for us, and be more attentive, than we have hitherto been, to the example he sets us."

From a Sequence in the ancient Missals of the Church of Paris:

"May thy Circumcision be the cleansing and the healing of our heart's wounds.
May the blood thou didst shed purify our stains, refresh our parched hearts, and give consolation to the sad.
We are beginning now a New Year, when friends give Gifts to friends; let thine, dear Jesus, be the preparing us our recompense.
Amen."

Magnificat Antiphon at Second Vespers:

"Great is the mystery of our inheritance! The womb of a most pure Virgin became the Temple of God. Hi is not defiled assuming to himself Flesh from her. All nations shall come, saying: Glory be to thee, O Lord!"

After the prayer the Octave of Saint Stephen is commemorated.

Octave Day of Christmas

Thursday 1 January 2009

OCTAVA NATIVITATIS DOMINI
Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
1st Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum


Oremus:

Deus, qui salútis ætérnæ, beátæ Maríæ virginitáte fœcúnda, humáno géneri præmia præstitísti: tríbue, quæsumus; ut ipsam pro nobis intercédere sentiámus, per quam merúimus auctórem vitæ suscípere, Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum:
Qui tecum vivit et regnat...

Let us Pray:

O God, who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast bestowed upon mankind the rewards of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the Author of Life, Jesus Christ They Son, our Lord:
Who with Thee...

Link:

• Fr Goffine's The Church's Year
• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: breviary.net)

The Circumcision of Our Lord: First Vespers Pt. II

"Capitulum:

The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men, instructing us, that denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly, in this world. (Titus II)..........

"Then is sung the hymn of Christmas Day: 'Jesu, Redemptor omnium'

V. The Word was made flesh, alleluia
R. And dwelt among us, alleluia

Magnificat Antiphon: By reason of the exceeding charity wherewith God loved us, he sent us his Son in the likeness of sincful flesh.

Let us pray:
O God, who by the fruitful Virginity of the Blessed Mary hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech thee, that we may experience her intercession, by whom we received the Author of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. Who liveth &c."

January 1st: Dom Gueranger on First Vespers of The Circumcision of Our Lord Pt. I

"Today, the Son of Man is to be circumcised; this first sacrfice of his innocent Flesh must honour this eigth day of his mortal life. Today, also, a Name is to be given him - the Name will be 'Jesus', and it means 'Saviour'. So that, Mysteries abound on this day: let us not pass one of them over, but honour them with all possible devotion and love................

"There is another object, that shares the love and devotion of the Faithful, on this great Solemnity. This object is Mary, the Mother of God. The Church celebrates, today, the august prerogative of this divine Maternity, which was conferred on a mere creature, and which made her the co-operatrix with Jesus in the great work of man's salvation."

"Psalms and Antiphons

Antiphon: O admirable Interchange! The Creator of mankind, assuming a living Body, deigned to be born of a Virgin; and, becoming Man without Man's aid, bestowed on us his Divinity.
Psalm 109 '..celebrates the Kingly character, the Priesthood, and the sovereign Judgeship of our Emmanuel, and implies consequently, the wonderful dignity of her who gave him Birth.'
Ant.

Antiphon: When thou wast born ineffably of the Virgin, the Scriptures were fulfilled. As dew upon Gedeon's Fleece, thou camest down to save mankind. O Lord our God! we praise thee.
Psalm 112: '......contains the praise of God who exalts the humble, and gives the joys of maternity where nature has refused them; it announces, with an air of triumph, the glories and the maternity of Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of men.....'
Ant.

Antiphon; In the bush seen by Moses as burning yet unconsumed, we recognise the preservation of thy glorious Virginity. O Mother of God intercede for us.
Psalm 121 '....The last three psalms chant the praises of Jerusalem, the City of God - the symbol of Mary, who is 'the City of God.....'
Ant.

Antiphon: The Root of Jesse hath budded; the Star hath risen out of Jacob; a Virgin hath brought forth the Saviour. O Lord our God! we praise thee.
Psalm 126
Ant.

Antiphon: Lo! Mary hath brought forth a Saviour unto us, whom John seeing exclaimed: Behold the Lamb of God! Behold him that taketh away the sins of the world, alleluia.
Psalm 147
Ant.

Seventh Day in the Christmas Octave

Wednesday 31 December 2008

DE VII DIE INFRA OCTAVAM NATIVITATIS
Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity
2nd Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum

Collect of the Sunday; with commemoration of S Silvester I^(?) P C at Low Masses:

Oremus: Gregem tuum, Pastor ætérne, placæatus inténde: et per beátum Silvéstrum Summum Pontificem perpétua protectióne custódi; quem totíus Ecclésiæ præstitísti esse pastórem. Per Dóminum...

Let us Pray: Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercessed of blessed Silvester Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ...

Link:

• St Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association
  

(image: detail of image Constitutum Constantini, courtesy of Wikipedia)

Sixth Day in the Christmas Octave

Tuesday 30 December 2008

DE VI DIE INFRA OCTAVAM NATIVITATIS
Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity
2nd Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum
(Collect of the Sunday)

Dom Guéranger notes:

This is the only day within the Christmas Octave which is not a Saint's Feast. During the Octaves of the Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost, the Church is so absorbed in the respective mysteries that she puts off everything that could share her attention; whereas during this of Christmas, there is only one day which does not celebrate the memory of some glorious Saint, and our Infant Jesus is surrounded by a choir of heroes who loved and served him. Thus the Church, or, more correctly, God - for God is the first author of the cycle of the year - shows us how the Incarnate Word, who came to save mankind, desires to give mankind confidence by this his adorable familiarity.

(image: breviary.net)

Fifth Day in the Christmas Octave

Monday 29 December 2008

DE V DIE INFRA OCTAVAM NATIVITATIS
Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity
2nd Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum

Collect of the Sunday; with Commem. of S Thomas^(?) B M at Low Masses:

Oremus: Deus, pro cujus Ecclésia gloriósus Póntifex Thomas gládiis impiórum occúbuit: præsta, quæsumus; ut omnes, qui ejus implótant auxílium, petitiónis suæ salutárem consequántur efféctum.
Per Dóminum...

Let us Pray: O God, for the sake of whose Church the glorious bishop Thomas fell by the sword of ungodly men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his aid, may obtain the good fruit of their petition.
Through our Lord...

~~*~~

From the Baronius Missal:

Saint Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is the Martyr of the liberties of the Church in the XIIth Century. Henry II, King of England, wished him to sanction customs contrary to the liberties of the Church. St Thomas knew that to make this divine society subservient to the secular power, would be to violate her very constitution, and therefore as Bishop he would willingly suffer death in defence of the Church of Christ. He was slain in his Cathedral by the King's soldiers on December 29th, 1170.

(image: earliest known portrayal of Thomas Becket's murder in Canterbury Cathedral, courtesy of Wikipedia)

Sunday within the Christmas Octave

Sunday 28 December 2008

DOMINICA INFRA OCTAVAM NATIVITATIS
Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity
2nd Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum
(No commem of the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord)


Oremus:

Omnipotens sempitérne Deus, dírige actus nostros in beneplácito tuo: ut in nómine dilécti Fílii tui mereámur bonis opéribus abundáre:
Qui tecum vivit...

Let us Pray:

O Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to Thy good pleasure; that in the Name of Thy beloved Son we may deserve to abound in good works:
Who with Thee...

Commem. of the Holy Innocents MM at Low Masses:

Oremus: Deus, cujus hodiérna die præcónium Innocéntes Mártyres non loquéndo, sed moriéndo conféssi sunt: ómnia in nobis vitiórum mala mortífica: ut fidem tuam, quam lingua nostra lóquitur, étiam móribus vita fateátur. Per Dóminum nostrum....

Let us Pray: O God, whose praise the martyred Innocents on this day confessed, not by speaking, but by dying: destroy in us all the evils of sin, that our life also may proclaim by deeds Thy faith which our tongue professes. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth...

~~*~~

Commentary on the Collect for Sunday (Fr John Zuhlsdorf, The Wanderer 2005):

In the functionally superior Lewis & Short Dictionary we learn that beneplacitum means "good pleasure, gracious purpose"�. The preposition in using the ablative case indicates a condition, situation or relation rather than a reference to space where or time when something was occurring. In the Vulgate beneplacitum translates the original Greek eudokia in, e.g., Eph 1:9; 1 Cor 10:5. Other phrases are used for eudokia too (e.g., bona voluntas in Luke 2:14, the famous "peace on earth to men of good will"� or "peace on earth good will toward men"�). Paul wrote eudokia at the beginning of 2 Thessalonians (1:11-12), rendered as voluntas bonitatis in the Vulgate:

...oramus semper pro vobis ut dignetur vos vocatione sua Deus et impleat omnem voluntatem bonitatis et opus fidei in virtute ut clarificetur nomen Domini nostri Iesu Christi in vobis et vos in illo secundum gratiam Dei nostri et Domini Iesu Christi… we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfill every good resolve (omnem voluntatem bonitatis) and work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (RSV).

We can find connections between 2 Thessalonians and our Collect at several points: mereamur in the Collect with dignetur in Paul (both having to do with meriting or being worth of), beneplacitum with voluntas bonitatis, bona opera with opus fidei (good works flowing from lived faith), nomen Filii with nomen Domini Iesu Christi. Taken in the sense of "gracious purpose"� we can make a connection to Paul's vocatio too, our "calling"� or the purpose for which God placed us on this earth with a part of His plan to fulfill.

Abundo means, "to overflow with any thing, to have an abundance or superabundance of, to abound in."� If we go back to the idea of the preposition in and the ablative indicating place or location in space, (in beneplacito tuo) we have an image of our good works originating in God and, coming from Him, overflowing out from us. Some Protestants are under the false impression that Catholics think we can "earn"� our way to heaven by our own good works, as if our good works had their own merit apart from God. Catholics believe, however, that true good works always have their origin in God, but the works are truly our works as well since we cooperate with God in performing them. Therefore, having their origin and purpose in God, they merit the reward of God's promises. Whenever we find a reference to works in these liturgical prayers, do not forget the Catholic understanding of good works.

Holy Innocents, from the Baronius Missal:

It is because Herod believed the words of the Magi and of the high Priests whom he consulted that he sees a rival in the Infant of Bethlehem and with jealousy pursues the Child, born King of the Jews. It is this God-King that the Innocents by dying confess; their passion is the exaltation of Christ.

And a Blogger notes:

Guéranger comments (Vol. 2, Bk. 1, pg. 280) that the Holy Innocents received a Baptism of Blood. This is certainly possible. However, they were all Jewish males, and the common opinion among the Fathers and Doctors of the Church was that circumcision obtained the forgiveness of original sin before the preaching of Christ. (See St. Thomas's article on the effect of circumcision.) If that is correct, then the Holy Innocents were already cleansed from original sin, and would certainly have obtained salvation no matter how they died.

While Tradition does say that the Innocents received a Baptism of Blood, the circumstance of their death did not obtain salvation for them, but added a certain splendor to their heavenly crowns because they were made like Christ (the intended victim) in their deaths.

Links:

• Fr Goffine's The Church's Year
• Gregorian Chant propers
• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: breviary.net)

St John the Evangelist

Saturday 27 December 2008

S. JOANNIS, Apostoli et Evangelistae
St. John the Evangelist, Apostle
2nd Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum
Commem. of the Octave of the Nativity at all Masses

Oremus.

Concéde, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut nos Unigéniti tui nova per carnem Natívitas líberet; quos sub peccáti jugo vetústa sérvitus tenet. Per eúmdem Dóminum.

Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that the new birth, in the flesh, of thine only-begotten Son, may deliver us whom slavery from of old doth keep under the yoke of sin. Through the same.

~~*~~
Link:

• Gregorian Chant propers
  
• chant blog
  
• Vultus Christi
  

(image: breviary.net)

St Stephen, Protomartyr

Friday 26 December 2008

SANCTI STEPHANI, Protomartyris
St. Stephen, the first Martyr
2nd Class, Red
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum
Commemoration of the Octave of the Nativity at all Masses

Oremus.
Concéde, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut nos Unigéniti tui nova per carnem Natívitas líberet; quos sub peccáti jugo vetústa sérvitus tenet. Per eúmdem Dóminum.

Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that the new birth, in the flesh, of thine only-begotten Son, may deliver us whom slavery from of old doth keep under the yoke of sin. Through the same.

~~*~~

From matins, the Office of Readings for today⁽¹⁾, the feast of St Stephen, the first martyr:

From the Acts of the Apostles:

The members of the Council...became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory, and Jesus standing at the right side of God. "Look!" he said. "I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!"

...Then they all rushed together at him at once, threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in charge of a young man named Saul. They kept on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!" He said this and died. And Saul approved of his murder.

From a sermon by St Fulgentius of Ruspe:

Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal king; today we celebrate the triumphant death of a soldier.

...The love then that brought Christ down from heaven to earth, lifted Stephen from earth to heaven. The love that showed itself first in the kind, shone forth next in the soldier. And Stephen, so as to deserve to win the crown -- which is what his name means -- had love as his weapon and by it was everywhere victorious. Through love of God he did not yield to the raging of the Jews, and through love of his neighbour he prayed for those who were stoning him...

Trusting in the strength of love he overcame the cruel raging of Saul, and so won for himself as a companion in heaven, the man who had been his persecutor on earth. ...And now Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ; he exults with Stephen, he reigns with Stephen.

What a really true life must there be now, brethren, where Paul is not put to confusion although he killed Stephen, but where, instead, Stephen rejoices in the fellowship of Paul; for in both of them love itself rejoices. In Stephen, love overcame the ferocity of the Jews, in Paul it covered a multitude of sins, and in both of them love deserved to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Love, therefore, is the origin and source of all good things; it is a most excellent defence, the road that leaves to heaven. Whoever walks in love can neither stray nor be afraid. Love guides, love protects, love leads to the end.

⁽¹⁾ - Divine Office, vol. I, pp. 46* - 50*.

~~*~~

Link:

• Vultus Christi: "Wreathe the Door of Thy Heart"
  

Dom Gueranger on the afternoon of Christmas Eve

"Let us repair to the House of our Heavenly Father, for the Hour of Vespers is near; and on our way, let our thoughts be at Bethlehem, where Joseph and Mary are already arrived. The sun is rapidly setting; and our Divine Sun of Justice is still hid beneath the Cloud, the Womb of the purest of Virgins. Night is coming on; Joseph and Mary are going through the narrow streets of the City of David, seeking a shelter. Let our hearts be attentive, and united, in love, with the two holy Pilgrims. Every heart and voice should now be giving forth to our God the tribute of praise and grateful love. Oh! happy we, that have a tribute of Song and Psalmody ready for our use, worthy of the Day and of its ineffable Mystery - it is our Mother that offers us her Liturgy. Let us prepare to join her."

Christmas Eve: Dom Gueranger on the Office of Prime

"At the Office of Prime, in Cathedral Chapters and Monasteries, the announcement of tomorrow's Feast is made with unusual solemnity. The Lector, who frequently is one of the dignitaries of the Choir, sings, to a magnificent chant, the following Lesson from the Martyrology. All the assistants remain standing during it, until the Lector comes to the word 'Bethlehem', at which all genuflect, and continue in that posture until all the glad Tidings are told."

The Lesson traces the ages of the world from the Creation through to the Incarnation of our Lord and concludes thus:

"...in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God, and Son of the eternal Father, wishing to consecrate this world by his most merciful coming, being conceived of the Holy Ghost, and nine months since his conception having passed, in Bethlehem of Juda, is born of the Virgin Mary, being made man: THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE FLESH!"

Link:

• Breviarium Romanum blog
  

Christmas Day

Thursday 25 December 2008

IN NATIVITATE DOMINI
Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
1st Class, White
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Nativity

Christmas is the only day of the year which keeps the old custom of celebrating its Feast at midnight. At this hour we call to mind that Mary in her spotless virginity gave to the world its Saviour. In the midst of darkness, the Light was born. Therefore the Church celebrates Christmas on December 25th, the time of the year when the days begin to lengthen. The custom of having three Masses originated in Jerusalem. A Mass was said in Bethlehem at a very early hour in the morning. Later a second Mass was celebrated in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. About midday a third Mass was celebrated.

-- Baronius 1962 Missal

1) Midnight Mass: "Dominus Dixit"

The Midnight Mass specially recalls the temporal birth of Jesus:

Oremus:

Deus, qui hanc sacratíssimam noctem veri lúminis fecísti illustratióne calréscere: da, quæsumus; ut, cujus lucis mystéria in terra cognóvimus, ejus quoque gáudiis in cœlo perfruámur:

Qui tecum vivit et regnat...

Let us Pray:

O God, Who hast made this most holy night to shine forth with the splendor of the true Light: grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who have known the mysteries of His light on earth, may enjoy also His happiness in heaven.

Who with Thee liveth and...

2) Dawn Mass: "Lux Fulgebit"

The Mass at Dawn especially recalls the spiritual birth of Jesus in our souls, and commemorates the adoration of the shepherds:

Oremus:

Da nobis, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut, qui nova incarnáti Verbi tui luce perfúndimut; hoc in nostro respléndeat ópere, quod per fidem fulget in mente.

Per eúmdem Dóminum...

Let us Pray:
Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we on whom the new light of Thy Incarnate Word is poured, may show forth in our works that brightness, which now doth illuminate our minds by faith.

Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who...

3) Daytime Mass: "Puer Natus Est"

The Third Mass during the Daytime recalls especially the eternal generation of Jesus, and celebrates the dignity of the Son of God:

Oremus:

Concede, quæsumus omnípotens Deus: ut nos Unigéniti tui nova per carne Natívitas líberet: quos sub peccáti jugo vetústa sérvitus tenet.

Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum...

Let us Pray:
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the new birth of Thine only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free, who are held by the old bondage under the yoke of sin.

Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God...

Links:

• Guéranger, L'Année Liturgique, "Noël, Messe de l'Aurore"
• Goffine, The Church's Year, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
  
• Gregorian Chant Propers (mp3 and music)
• The New Liturgical Movement (Introit, "Puer natus")
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (First Mass, Missa in nocte)
• Second Mass: What Does the Prayer Really Say? (Second Mass, Missa in Aurora)
  

(image: breviary.net)

notes: Christmastide

Notes for the Liturgy during Christmastide

1. At Christmas each Priest may celebrate three Masses (and retain the three stipends): Mass of the night, Mass at dawn, and Mass of the day. Priests who celebrate three Masses without interruption must follow these guidelines: (i) there is no ablution, even of water, after the first and second Mass; the Priest should purify his fingers in the ablution bowl; at the first two Masses the Chalice is simply recovered with the purificator, pall and veil and left on the corporal; and (ii) at the Offertory, a new Host is brought by the server. The Priest does not wipe the Chalice before he pours the wine and the water.

2. At the second Mass on Christmas Day there is a commemoration of St. Anastasia, even at a sung Mass. At the third Mass there is no Last Gospel; the Last Gospel of the Epiphany formerly said at this point has been suppressed.

3. The faithful who received Communion at Midnight Mass may also receive Communion at another Mass during the day.

4. The Communicantes of Christmas is used from December 25h through to January 1st (Octave Day of the Nativity): at midnight, "noctem sacratissimam"; at the other Masses, "diem sacratissimum".

5. On December 29th, 30th, and 31st, the Proper is taken from the Mass Puer Natus during the Octave of the Nactivity. On January 2nd, the Proper is taken from the Mass of the Octave Day of the Nativity (January 1st). On January 7th to 9th, the Mass is of the Epiphany. On January 12th, the Mass is of the first Sunday of the Epiphany.

6. A Plenary Indulgence may be gained by publicly saying or singing the Te Deum in thanksgiving on December 31st; a Plenary Indulgence may also be gained by publicly saying or singing Veni Creator Spiritus on January 1st.

7. The Gloria is said at every Mass of the seaons, even of the feria, during Christmastide.

8. The Daily Mass for the Dead is prohibited on all ferias of Christmastide and throughout the former Octave of the Epiphany.

(excerpted/adapted from the 2009 Liturgical Ordo, Priestly Fraternity of St Peter)

Christmas Eve: Dom Gueranger on 'the Offices of this beautiful Vigil'

Matins:

"First then, the Church makes a mysterious announcemnt to her children.....They are the words which Moses addressed to the people of God, when he told them of the heavenly Manna, which they would receive on the morrow. We too, are expecting our Manna, our Jesus, the Bread of Life, who is to be born in Bethlehem, which is 'the House of Bread'.

Invitatory:
"This day ye shall know that the Lord will come, and in the morning ye shall see his glory.

"The Responsories are full of sublimity and sweetness. Nothing can be more affective than their lyric melody, sung to us by our Mother the Church, on the very night which precedes the night of Jesus' Birth.

"R. Sanctify yourselves this day, and be ye ready: for on the morrow ye shall see The Majesty of God amongst you.
V. This day ye shall know that the Lord will come, and in the morning ye shall see The Majesty of God amongst you.

"R. Be ye constant; ye shall see the help of the Lord upon you: fear not, Judea and Jerusalem: Tomorrow ye shall go forth, and the Lord shall be with you: Sanctify yourselves, ye children of Israel, and be ye ready.
V. Tomorrow ye shall go forth and the Lord shall be with you.........

"R. Sanctify yourselves, ye children of Israel, saith the Lord: for on the morrow, the Lord shall come down: And shall take from you all that is languid.

V. Tomorrow the iniquity of the earth shall be cancerlled, and over us shall reign the Saviour of the world. And he shall take from you all that is languid."

Christmas Eve

Wednesday 24 December 2008

IN VIGILIA NATIVITATIS DOMINI
Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
1st Class, Violet
No Gloria; No Alleluia; Credo; Common Preface

Oremus:

Deus, qui nos redemptiónis nostræ annua exspectatióne lætíficas: præsta; ut Unigénitum tuum, quem Redemptórem læti suscípimus, veniéntem quoque Júdicem secúri videámus, Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum : Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus. Let us Pray:

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly Expectation of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ: grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge.

Who liveth and reigneth with thee.

Links:

• Guéranger, L'Année Liturgique, "Noël, Messe de Minuit"
• Goffine, The Church's Year, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
  
• Gregorian Chant Propers (mp3 and music)
• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: breviary.net)

The Season of Christmas

Dom Guéranger writes in The Liturgical Year:

We apply the name of Christmas to the forty days which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which she received the good tidings from the Angels on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing four thousand years. The Faithful will remember that the Liturgy commemorates this long expectation by the four penitential weeks of Advent.

The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our Saviour's Nativity by a feast or commemoration of forty days' duration is founded on the holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending forty days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfill, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers.

The Feast of Mary's Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus' Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of forty days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church. And firstly, with regard to our Saviour's Birth on December 25, we have St. John Chrysostom telling us, in his Homily for this Feast, that the Western Churches had, from the very commencement of Christianity, kept it on this day. He is not satisfied with merely mentioning the tradition; he undertakes to show that it is well founded, inasmuch as the Church of Rome had every means of knowing the true day of our Saviour's Birth, since the acts of the Enrollment, taken in Judea by command of Augustus, were kept in the public archives of Rome. The holy Doctor adduces a second argument, which he founds upon the Gospel of St. Luke, and he reasons thus: we know from the sacred Scriptures that it must have been in the fast of the seventh month that the Priest Zachary had the vision in the Temple; after which Elizabeth, his wife, conceived St. John the Baptist: hence it follows that the Blessed Virgin Mary having, as the Evangelist St. Luke relates, received the Angel Gabriel's visit, and conceived the Saviour of the world in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, that is to say, in March, the Birth of Jesus must have taken place in the month of December.

But it was not till the fourth century that the Churches of the East began to keep the Feast of our Saviour's Birth in the month of December. Up to that period they had kept it at one time on the sixth of January, thus uniting it, under the generic term of Epiphany, with the Manifestation of our Saviour made to the Magi, and in them to the Gentiles.

Benedict to Priests: "spend much time praying the Divine Office"

The Holy Father encouraged priests not to be afraid "to spend much time reading and meditating on the Scriptures and praying the Divine Office! Almost without your knowing it, God's word, read and pondered in the Church, acts upon you and transforms you."

-- His Holiness Benedict XVI at Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, on September 13, 2008.

(Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe;
reproduced from Breviarium Romanum blog with permission)

"O Emmanuel"

Tuesday 23 December 2008

"O Emmanuel"

"O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, Desire of all nations and their Salvation: Come and save us, O Lord our God."

Dom Guéranger reflects:

"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 mayest not only be called our Emmanuel, but our Jesus, that is, He that saves us."

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

And to finish off, a recording of the great Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel:

For more on the history of the hymn, please see this article by the great chant expert Mary Berry, reproduced at NLM here.

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: chantblog)

"O Rex Gentium"

Monday 22 December 2008

"O Rex Gentium"

"O King of Nations, and their Desire; the Cornerstone, who makest both one: Come and save mankind, whom thou formedst of clay."

Dom Gueranger continues to reflect on Mary's journey to Bethlehem carrying the unborn Jesus. How, he asks, will her human heart bear simultaneously the intensity of a mother's love for her baby and the love of 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 the earth its Saviour, and to men that Cornerstone, 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. Yes Come for thy creation has grown degenerate; it is lost; death has taken possession of it: take it thou again into thy almighty hands, and give it a new creation; save it; for thou hast not ceased to take pleasure in and love thy own work."

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: chantblog)

"O Oriens"

Sunday 21 December 2008

"O Oriens"

"O Day-Spring, Brightness of the Light everlasting, and Sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death."

In his commentary on the fifth great 'O' antiphon, Dom Guéranger directly addresses Jesus in Mary's womb, there hidden and unrecognised as she makes her way with Joseph among the crowds on the journey to their native town, "there to be enrolled as the Edict commands". He imagines the indifference with which Mary and Joseph are regarded, if indeed they are noticed at all. Therefore it is no surprise that passeres-by give no thought to the Child, who is obviously so soon to be born.

"And yet this Child is thyself, O Sun of Justice! Oh! increase our Faith, but increase too our love.....Dearest Jesus! who thus traversest the world thou hast created, and who forcest not the honage 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!"

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?

(image: chantblog)

Prayers before and after the Office

It is considered praiseworthy to say the following prayer, kneeling, in preparation for the Office. By local custom, it may be said either privately, or in unison by the whole Choir, but in a low tone of voice.

Ante Divinum Officium

Aperi, Dómine, os meum ad benedicéndum nomen sanctum tuum: munda quoque cor meum ab ómnibus vanis, pervérsis et aliénis cogitatiónibus; intelléctum illúmina, afféctum inflámma, ut digne, atténte ac devóte hoc Offícium recitáre váleam, et exaudíri mérear ante conspéctum divínæ Majestátis tuæ. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen. Dómine, in unióne illíus divínæ intentiónis, qua ipse in terris laudes Deo persolvísti, has tibi Horas [vel hanc tibi Horam] persólvo.

Prayer before Office

Open, O Lord, my mouth to bless thy holy Name; cleanse also my heart from all vain, evil, and wandering thoughts; enlighten my understanding and kindle my affections; that I may worthily, attentively, and devoutly recite this Hour [or these Hours], and so be meet to be heard before the presence of thy divine Majesty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, in union with that divine intention wherewith thou, whilst here on earth, didst render praises unto God, I desire to offer this my Office of prayer unto thee.

~~*~~

To those who devoutly say, kneeling, the following prayer after the Divine Office, Pope Leo X granted the remission of the defects and faults in its recital arising from human frailty. The prayer must always be said kneeling, even in private recitation, unless illness or grave impediment prevents one from kneeling down.

Post Divinum Officium

Sacrosánctæ et indivíduæ Trinitáti, crucifíxi Dómini nostri Jesu Christi humanitáti, beatíssimæ et gloriosíssimæ sempérque Vírginis Maríæ fœcúndæ integritáti, et ómnium Sanctórum universitáti sit sempitérna laus, honor, virtus et glória ab omni creatúra, nobísque remíssio ómnium peccatórum, per inifiníta sæcula sæculórum.
R. Amen.

V. Beáta víscera Maríæ Vírginis, quæ portavérunt ætérni Patris Fílium.
R. Et beáta úbera, quæ lactavérunt Christum Dóminum.

Et dicitur secreto Pater noster et Ave María.

Prayer after the Office

To God Most Holy, in his Divine Majesty of Trinity in Unity;
To Jesus Christ, our Lord and God made man and crucified for us;
To blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, from whose glorious purity he took flesh;
And to the entire Company of the Saints of God, in heaven;
Be praise, honour, power, and glory, from every creature on earth:
And likewise to us sinners may there be full remission of all our sins:
Throughout all ages, world without end.
R. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the everlasting Father.
R. And blessed are the paps which gave suck to Christ the Lord.

Then is said secretly a Pater and an Ave.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sunday 21 December 2008

DOMINICA IV ADVENTUS
4th Sunday of Advent
1st Class, Violet
No Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Holy Trinity

Oremus.

Excita, quæsumus, Dómine, poténtiam tuam, et veni : et magna nobis virtúte succúrre; ut per auxílium grátiæ tuæ, quod nostra peccáta præpédiunt, indulgéntia tuæ propitiatiónis accéleret : Qui vivis.

Let us pray.

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power, and come; make haste to our aid with thy great might ; that, by the help of thy grace, that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by thy merciful forgiveness.

Who livest and reignest.

~~*~~

"Jesus' public life begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan. (Cf. Lk 3. 23; Acts 1. 22) John preaches 'a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.' (Lk 3. 3) A crowd of sinners (Cf. Lk 3. 10-14; Mt 3. 7; 21. 32) --tax collectors and soldiers, Pharisees and Sadducees, and prostitutes--come to be baptized by him. 'Then Jesus appears.' The Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives baptism. Then the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaims, 'This is my beloved Son.' (Mt 3. 13-17) This is the manifestation ("Epiphany") of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and Son of God." (CCC 535)

Numerous allusions appear in the Liturgy of this day to Jerusalem and her people. Let us be filled with sentiments of hope and of joy, for the coming of Jesus is nigh. Let us prepare the way in our hearts for the Messiah: Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

Links:

• Goffine, The Church's Year, fourth Sunday in Advent
  
• Guéranger, L'Année Liturgique, "4ème Dimanche Avent"
• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  
• Gregorian Chant Propers
• chantblog
• Vultus Christi: Ave Maria, gratia plena, on the Sunday of the B.V.M. in Advent
  

(image: breviary.net;
reflection: St Francis Xavier Association)

"O Clavis David"

Saturday 20 December 2008

"O Clavis David"

"O Key of David, Scepter of the house of Israel; that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth: come, and bring forth from the prisionhouse the captive, who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death."


Dom Guéranger reflects:

"....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 art come to deliver sits in the shadow of death. Open his prison-gates by the 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 has enriched by thy grace, and the creatures whom thou has made to be thine own Brethren."

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?

(image: chantblog)

Ember Saturday in Advent

Saturday 20 December 2008

SABBATO QUATUOR TEMPORUM
Ember Saturday in Advent
2nd Class, Violet
No Gloria; No Credo; Common Preface

Oremus.

Deus, qui cónspicis, quia ex nostra pravitáte afflígimur : concéde propítius ; ut ex tua visitatióne consolémur : Qui vivis et regnas.

Let us pray.

O God, who seest us to be sorely afflicted by reason of the frailty of our mortal nature : grant, we beseech thee, that we may be relieved by thy gracious visitation.

Who livest and reignest with the Father.

Link:

• Goffine, The Church's Year, Ember Saturday in Advent
  

(image: catholic-resources.org, illustrating Lk. 3:1-6, the Gospel for both this and the IVth Sunday in Advent)

December 18th: On the Constancy of God

See today's reflection on 'Thoughts from an Oasis......'

"O Radix Jesse"

Friday 19 December 2008

"O Radix Jesse"

"O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom kings shall stop their mouths, whom the Gentiles shall seek: Come and deliver us, and tarry not."

Most commonly the following passages are cited as sources for this:
he following passages as sources:

Isaias 11:1: And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.

Isaias 11:10: In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.

Micha 5:1: Now shalt thou be laid waste, O daughter of the robber: they have laid siege against us, with a rod shall they strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.

However, Isaiah 11:10, Romans 15:12, and Revelation 5:5, are also sometimes cited.

Dom Guéranger reflects:

"Go forward, O Mother of God and Mother of Men!......our hearts are with thee and count thy steps.....Come, then, O Root of Jesse thus hid in this ark of purity; thou wilt soon appear before thy people as the 'standard' around 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."

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?

(image: chantblog)

Ember Friday in Advent

Friday 19 December 2008

FERIA SEXTA QUATUOR TEMPORUM
Ember Friday in Advent
2nd Class, Violet
No Gloria; No Credo; Common Preface


Oremus.

Excita, quæsumus, Dómine, poténtiam tuam, et veni : ut hi, qui in tua pietáte confídunt, ab omni cítius adversitáte liberéntur : Qui vivis.

Let us pray.

Stir up thy power, O Lord, we beseech thee, and come: that we, who put our trust and confidence in thy mercy, may speedily be delivered from all our adversities.

Who livest and reignest with the Father.

Through.


Link:

• Goffine, The Church's Year, Ember Friday in Advent
  

(image: breviary.net)

"O Adonai"

Thursday 18 December 2008

"O Adonai"

"O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel, who appearedst in the Bush of Moses in a flame of fire, and gavest him the law in Sinai: Come and deliver us with an outstretched arm."

Dom Guéranger reflects:

"......thou comest not to terrify, but to save us.

"Thy chaste Mother........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 mid-night hour of thy Nativity! Thus it is that thou willest 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 our our enemies."

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: chantblog)

A teacher's Reflection on the first 'O' Antiphon: 'O Sapientia'

To read this follow sidebar link to Jane's French Oasis blog. Reflections relating to the other 'O' antiphons will follow daily until December 23rd.

Ember Wednesday in Advent

This coming Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are Ember Days under the classical Roman Calendar. At the beginning of the four seasons of the year, the Church celebrated Ember Days to thank God for his blessings during the past year and to implore further graces for the new season.

Their observance is no longer required by many Catholic bishops conferences, however they are naturally of benefit and merit. Ember Days were marked by fasting and abstaining from meat as one would do on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. They are intended to consecrate to God the four seasons in nature, and to prepare by penance those who are about to be ordained. Ordinations were often conferred at this time, so it is traditional to pray for Vocations at this time! Something to remember.

The New Advent Catholic Encyclopaedia has a good small article on Ember Days.

~~*~~

Wednesday 17 December 2008

FERIA QUARTA QUATUOR TEMPORUM
Ember Wednesday in Advent
2nd Class, Violet
No Gloria; No Credo; Common Preface

Oremus.

Præsta, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus : ut redemptiónis nostræ ventúra solémnitas, et præséntis nobis vitæ subsídia cónferat, et ætérnæ beatitúdinis præmia largiátur. Per Dóminum.

Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God : that the coming festival of our redemption may obtain for us the comfort of thy succour in this life, and in the life to come the reward of eternal felicity.

Through.

Link:

• Goffine, The Church's Year, Ember Wednesday in Advent

"O Sapientia"

The seven days leading up to the vigil of the Nativity are called the "Great Ferias" of Advent. They are likely most well known for the so-called "O Antiphons" used at evening prayer in various liturgical Christian traditions.

Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are:

• December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
• December 18: O Adonai (O Adonai)
• December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
• December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
• December 21: O Oriens (O Morning Star)
• December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)
• December 23: O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel)

The hymn "O come, O come, Emmanuel" (in Latin, Veni Emmanuel) is a lyrical paraphrase of these antiphons.

In his L'Année Liturgique, Dom Prosper Guéranger notes thus:

"The Church enters to-day on the seven days 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."

~~*~~

Wednesday 17 December 2008

"O Sapentia"

"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."

Dom Gueranger concludes his commentary on the first great 'O' antiphon:

"Thou choosest Bethlehem for thy birthplace, because (it) 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 by thy light, and by that prudence which leads to salvation."

Here is a recording of the Antiphon, courtesy of the Oxford Dominicans:

Link:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say?
  

(image: chantblog)

Divinum Officium for beginners

Divinum Officium, recommended by Rorate Caeli as well as others, offers Latin and English prayers side by side.

Recommended for those who are experiencing difficulty obtaining a copy but who wish to begin to familiarize themselves with the Breviarium Romanum.

(reproduced from Breviarium Romanum blog with permission)

Breviary books

There are a number of useful books available to those who would like to learn the Roman Breviary^(?) in its classical form.

One such short work is Fr. Paul O'Sullivan's The Divine Office: How to Say it Devoutly; How to Make it a Pleasure. This short work focuses on why we say the Breviary, and how we can simply make it a pleasure as well as the liturgical function it is.

Three other books which may be found similarly useful are:

• first, the Rubrics of the Roman Breviary and Missal are essential if you have a Latin-only Breviary (FSSP, $10);
  
  
• secondly Fr Bernard Hausmann's Learning the new Breviary (PCP Books, $14) is good for when you still can't work out what the rubrics mean; and
  
  
• thirdly, Fr E.J. Quigley's The Divine Office -- although written in 1920 (and thus applicable to the 1911 Breviary), this book has a whole section on the "moral and ascetic theology for the recitation of the Breviary". It is available online at Project Gutenberg, but you can likely get cheap reprints on Abe Books.

Third Sunday of Advent

Sunday 14 December 2008

DOMINICA III ADVENTUS
3rd Sunday of Advent
commonly called "Gaudete Sunday"
1st Class, Violet/Rose
No Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Holy Trinity

Oremus.

Aurem tuam, quæsumus, Dómine, précibus nostris accómmoda: et mentis nostræ ténebras grátia tuæ visitatiónis illústra : Qui vivis.

Let us pray.

Incline thine ear, we beseech thee, O Lord, to our prayers: and make bright the darkness of our minds by the grace of thy visitation.

Who livest and reignest.

This collect is now used for the Monday in the 3rd Week of Advent in the Missal of Pope Paul VI, however, like so many it is also in the Gelasian Sacramentary and the Gregorian.

On this day the Church urges us to gladness in the middle of this time of expectation and penitence: the coming of Jesus approaches more and more. St. John, the holy precursor, announces to the Jews the coming of the Saviour. The Saviour'', he says to them, lives already among us, though unknown. He will soon appear openly." Now is the time for fervent prayers and for imploring Jesus to remain with us by His mercy. Let us prepare the way for Him by repentance and penitence and by a worthy reception of the Sacraments. All the prayers of this Mass are filled with that which the Church wishes our souls to be possessed at the approach of the Saviour..

Links:

• Goffine, The Church's Year, third Sunday in Advent
  
• Guéranger, L'Année Liturgique, "3ème Dimanche Avent"
• Gregorian Chant Propers
  

(image: breviary.net;
reflection: St Francis Xavier Association)

The Prayer of the Church

The breviary is above all the prayer of the Church, the prayer said in the name of the Church. It is helpful to understand the difference between private prayer and liturgical prayer. In private prayer I pray, mostly, for myself and my own affairs. It is the isolated person who stands in the centre of the action, and the prayer is more or less individualized. But in liturgical prayer, and therefore in the breviary, it is not primarily I who am praying, but the Church, the bride of Christ. The object of her prayer is broader, too: all the needs of God's kingdom here on earth. In liturgical prayer, I feel more like a member of a great community, like a little leaf on the great living tree of the Church. I share her life and her problems. The Church is praying through my mouth, I offer her my tongue to pray with her for all the great objectives of redemption, and for God's honour and glory.

We weep, too, or rather the Church weeps through our tears, together with those who weep, rejoices through our joys together with those who rejoice, does penance with the repentant. All the sentiments of Holy Mother Church find their echo in our heart. This gives a deeper content to our prayer; we spread out far beyond our own selves.

This basic element of our prayer with the Church gives the key to understanding and appreciating many of the psalms. For there is not room enough within the narrower confines of our own personal experience to sound all the rich variety of sentiments and moods and affections that these hymn-prayers contain. It is through the breviary that we participate in the official ministry and care of souls. The objectives of the Church, the objectives of Christ's redemption, become our own personal interests and objectives. We have become pastors in our own living room, from early morning until late at night.

So important, so essential, is this basic understanding of liturgical prayer that we should write it on the opening pages of our breviary and read it over at the beginning of each liturgical Hour: Now the Church is praising God through my mouth; now the Church is struggling after souls with my hands! Proper liturgical prayer is a most efficient tool in the ministry and salvation of souls.

-- from "A Commentary on the Breviary"

(Photo: Canonization of Saint Maria Goretti;
reproduced from Breviarium Romanum blog with permission))

The Excellence of the Breviary

The chief claim for the pre-eminence of the Canonical Hours over all other forms of prayer is that the Breviary contains the official, liturgical prayer of the Church. Whether the Office be recited publicly in choir or privately by an individual, it is not a private prayer, but the daily service of public praise, rendered to God, as prescribed by the Church. Those who recite the Divine Office do so in the name of all the faithful and for the benefit of all the members of the mystical body of Christ. The laity have had little opportunity to make the acquaintance of the treasury of prayer represented by the Breviary. Formerly, Vespers, often unfortunately in a rather truncated version, used to be a regular Sunday service in parish churches, but this practice has become almost obsolete. In some places, the faithful have become somewhat familiar with Matins and Lauds of the last three days of Holy Week, the "Tenebræ" Office in most cathedrals and in some other important churches. This present English translation of the Divine Office will make available to the laity, not well conversant with Latin, the opportunity to participate, day by day, in the liturgical prayer of the Church. Nor will this version, it is hoped, be without use to the clergy and others who are bound to the recitation of the Breviary. The English text should prove convenient for comparison with the Latin original to throw light on passages of difficult interpretation.

The words which are pronounced in the recitation of the Divine Office are chiefly from the inspired writings of the Bible. Most of the prayers are venerable compositions, centuries old. The Readings from the works of the Fathers express the traditional thought of the Church. The hymns are examples of lofty, spiritual poetry. NO other prayer is endowed with such special grace. No other can equal its rank as the authorized, official prayer of the Universal Church. Moreover, through the consistent use of the Missal and the Breviary we are enabled to live again the mysteries of Christ as they are presented to us in the seasons of the ecclesiastical year. Mass and Divine Office are liturgically interrelated. The latter furnishes the setting for the Mass, as the gold of the ring is the setting for the precious jewel of its stone. When the Office is chanted in common the Mass of the day is inserted during the course of the Canonical hours, usually after Terce The daily Mass and the daily Office form the liturgical mirror which reflects, day after day, year after year, the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ as the Church unfolds them, feast by feast and season by season. All the interior formation of man is effected by the better knowledge of Our Lord, His life and His works and His words The daily thoughtful reading of the Breviary cannot fail to bring one into better acquaintance with "The mystery which hath been hidden from ages and generations but is now manifested to his Saints" (Col. 1, 26). In the Divine Office, we sing to God a twelve-month hymn of praise in lasting memory of the life of Christ on earth and constant recognition of His life in heaven as we commemorate His life and His death, His resurrection and ascension, His life in glory in heaven and His eucharistic continuance in life on earth.

Associated with the annual cycle of the liturgical commemoration of the mysteries of Jesus Christ is the yearly cycle of the feasts of His Saints. In the celebration of the Saint's days, we worship God indirectly as "wonderful in His Saints" and we seek the intercession of those whose lives were models for our imitation in their devoted service of God, "the crown of all Saints." The recitation of the Divine Office, both as the direct cult of God and the indirect worship of Him paid through the honor shown His Saints will, in the words of the present Holy Father's great encyclical letter, "Mediator Dei," give us a part in that sacred liturgy on earth which is a preparation for the heavenly liturgy, in which along with Mary, the glorious Mother of God, and all the Saints, we confidently hope to sing eternally "to Him who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, blessing and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength forever and ever" (Apoc. V, 13).

-- Rev. William J. Lallou,
Taken from the "Roman Breviary In English"
published by Benziger Brothers, Inc. in 1950.

(reproduced from Breviarium Romanum blog with permission)