FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

Disputation of Holy Sacrament by Raphael, 1509-1510

                            May 26

FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

By: Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine

Why is this day called Corpus Christi?

Because on this Thursday the Catholic Church celebrates the institution of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Latin term Corpus Christi signifies in English, Body of Christ.

Who instituted this festival?

Pope Urban IV, who, in the decree concerning it, gives the following explanation of the institution and grandeur of this festival: "Although we daily, in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass; renew the memory of this holy Sacrament, we believe that we must, besides, solemnly commemorate it every year, to put the unbelievers to shame; and because vie have been informed that God has revealed to some pious persons that this festival should be celebrated in the whole Church, we direct that on the first Thursday after the octave of Pentecost the faithful shall assemble in church, join with the priests in singing the word of God." Hence this festival was instituted on account of the greatness of the divine mystery; the unbelief of those who denied the truth of this mystery; and the revelation made to some pious persons. This revelation was made to a nun at Liege, named Juliana, and to her devout friends Eve and Isabella. Juliana, when praying, had frequently a vision in which she saw the bright moon, with one part of it somewhat dark; at her request she received instructions from God that one of the grandest festivals was yet to be instituted the festival of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. In 1246, she related this vision to Robert, Bishop of Liege, who after having investigated the matter with the aid . of several men of learning and devotion, among whom was Jacob Pantaleon, Archdeacon of Liege, afterwards Pope Urban IV. made arrangements to introduce this festival m his diocese, but death prevented his intention being put into effect. After the bishop's death the Cardinal Legate Hugh undertook to carry out his directions, and celebrated the festival for the first time in the year 1247, in the Church of St. Martin at Liege. Several bishops followed this example, and the festival was observed in many dioceses, before Pope Urban IV. in 1264 finally ordered its celebration by the whole Church. This order was confirmed by Clement V, at the Council of Vienna in 1311, and the Thursday after the octave of Pentecost appointed for its celebration. In 1317, Pope John XXII. instituted the solemn procession.

Why are there such grand processions on this day?

For a public profession of our holy faith that Christ is really, truly and substantially present in this Blessed Sacrament; for a public reparation of all the injuries, irreverence, and offences, which have been and are committed by impious men against Christ in this Blessed Sacrament; for the solemn veneration and adoration due to the Son of God in this Sacrament; in thanksgiving for its institution; and for all the graces and advantages received therefrom; and finally, to draw down the divine blessing upon the people and the country.

Had this procession a prototype in the Old Law?

The procession in which was carried the Ark of the Covenant containing the manna, was a figure of this procession.

The Church sings at the Introit the words of David:

INTROIT 
He fed them with the fat of wheat, alleluia: and filled them with honey out of the rock. Alleluia, alleluia  alleluia.  Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to the God of Jacob. (Ps. LXXX.) Glory...

COLLECT 
O God, who under a wonderful sacrament hast left us a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood, that we may ever feel within us the fruit of thy redemption. Who livest...

EPISTLE 
I Cor. XI. 23-29 
Brethren, I have received of the Lord, that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat; this is my body which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This Chalice is the New Testament in my blood: this do' ye; as often as you shall drink., for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until he come. Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink of the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

GOSPEL (John VI. 56?59.) At that time, Jesus laid to the multitude of the Jews: My flesh is meat indeed arid my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.

[The explanation of the epistle and gospel is contained in the following instruction.]

The Jews, liberated by the powerful hand of God from Egyptian captivity, went on dry ground through the midst of the Red Sea, whose waters became the grave of their pursuer, King Pharao, and, his whole army. Having arrived in the desert called Sin they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, their leaders; on account of the want of bread, and demanded to be led back to Egypt where there was plenty. The Lord God took pity on His people. In the evening He sent into their, camp great flocks of quails, which the Jews caught and ate, and on the morning of the next day the ground was covered with white dew, and in the desert something fine, as if pounded in a mortar, looking like frost on the earth, which as soon as the Jews beheld, they exclaimed in surprise: "Man hu?" "What is that?" But Moses said to them: "This is bread which the Lord has given you." And they at once began to collect the food which was white, small as Coriander seed, and tasted like wheat?bread and honey, and was henceforth called man or manna. God gave them this manna every morning, for forty years, Sabbaths excepted, and the Jews lived upon it in the desert, until they came to the Promised Land. This manna is a figure of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar which contains all sweetness, and nourishes the soul of him who receives it with proper preparation, so that whoever eats it worthily, dies not, though his body sleeps in the grave, for Christ will raise him to eternal life.

INSTRUCTION ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

It is that Sacrament in which under the appearance of bread and wine the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are really, truly and substantially present.

When and to what manner did Christ promise this Sacrament?

About one year before its institution He promised it in the synagogue at Capharnaum, according to St. John the Evangelist: (VI, 24-65.) When Jesus, near the Tiberian Sea, had fed five thousand men in a miraculous manner with a few small loaves, these men would not leave Him, because they marvelled at the miracle, were anxious for this bread, and desired to make Him their king. But Jesus fled to a high mountain, and in the night went with His disciples to Capharnaum which was a town on the opposite side of the sea; but a multitude of Jews followed Him, and He made use of the occasion to speak of the mysterious, bread which He would one day give them and all men. He first exhorted them not to go so eagerly after the perishable. bread of the body, but to seek the bread of the soul which lasts forever, and which the Heavenly Father would give them, through Him, in abundance. This imperishable bread is the divine word, His holy doctrine, especially the doctrine that He had come from heaven to guide us to eternal life. (Vers. 25-38.) The Jews murmured because He said that He had come from heaven, but the Saviour quieted them by showing that no one could believe without a special grace from His Heavenly Father (V. 43, 44.) that He was the Messiah, and had come from heaven. After this introduction setting forth that the duty of faith in Him and in His divine doctrine was a spiritual nourishment, Christ very clearly unfolded the mystery of another bread for the soul which was to be given only at some future time, and this the Saviour did not ascribe to the Heavenly Father, as He did the bread of the divine word, but to Himself by plainly telling what this bread was: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. (V. 51, 52.)

But the Jews would not believe these words, so clearly expressed, for they thought their fulfillment impossible, and said: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 

(V. 53.) But Jesus recalled not His words, answered not the Jews' objections, but confirmed that which He had said, declaring with marked emphasis: Amen, amen, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you., (V. 54.) He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed; he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father bath sent me; and I live ,by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread; shall live forever: (V. 55-59.) Jesus, therefore, said distinctly and plainly, that at a future time He would give His own Body and Blood as the true nourishment of the soul; besides, the Jews and the disciples alike received these words in their true, literal sense, and knew that Jesus did not here mention His Body and Blood in figurative sense, but meant to give them His own real Flesh and Blood for food; and it was because they believed it impossible for Jesus to do this, and because they supposed He would give them His dead flesh in a coarse, sensual manner, that the Jews murmured, and even several of His disciples said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? But Jesus persisted in His words: My flesh is meat indeed, &c., and calls the attention of His disciples to another miracle: to His future ascension, which would be still more incredible, but would come to pass; and by the words: It is the spirit which quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life, (V. 64) He showed them that this mystery could be believed only by the light and grace of the Holy Spirit, and the partaking of His Bodes and Blood would not be in a coarse, sensual manner, but in a mysterious way. Notwithstanding this, many of His disciples still found the saying hard, and left Him, and went no longer with Him. (V. 67.) They found the saying hard, because, as our Saviour expressly said, they were lacking in faith. He let them go, and said to His apostles: Will you also go away? thereby showing that those who left Him, understood Him clearly enough, and that His words did contain something hard for the mind to believe. The apostles did not leave Him, they were too well assured of His divinity, and that to Him all was possible, as St. Peter clearly expresses: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known that thou art Christ, the Son of God.

From the account given by St. John, it is plainly seen that Christ really promised to give us for our food His most precious Body and Blood, really and substantially, in a Wonderful, mysterious manner, and that He did not speak figuratively of faith in Him, as those assert who contemn this most holy Sacrament. If Jesus had so meant it, He would have explained it thus to the Jews and to His disciples who took His words literally, and therefore could not comprehend, how Jesus could give His Flesh and Blood to them for their food. But Jesus persisted in His words, that His Flesh was truly food, and His Blood really drink. He even made it the strictest duty for man to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood; (V. 54) He shows the benefits arising from this nourishment of the soul, (V. 55) and the reason why this food is so necessary and useful. (V. 56.) When His disciples left Him, because it was a hard saying, He allowed them to go, for they would not believe His words, and could not believe them on account of their carnal manner of thinking. This holy mystery must be believed, and cannot be comprehended. Jesus has then promised, as the Catholic Church has always maintained and taught, that His Body and Blood. would be present under the appearance of bread and wine in the Blessed Sacrament, a true nourishment for the soul, and that which He promised, He has really given.

When and in what manner did Christ institute the most holy Sacrament of the Altar?

At the Last Supper, on the day before His passion, after He had eaten with His apostles the paschal lamb, which was a prototype of this mystery. Three Evangelists, Matthew, (XXVI: 26?29.) Mark, (XIV. 22-25.) and Luke (XXII. 19-20.) relate in few, but plain words, that on this evening Jesus took into His hand bread and the chalice, blessed and gave both to His disciples, saying: This is my body, that will be given for you; this is my blood, which will be shed for you and for many. Here took place in a miraculous manner, by the all?powerful word of Christ, the mysterious transformation; here Jesus gave Himself to His apostles for food, and instituted that most holy meal of love which the Church says contains all sweetness. That which three Evangelists. plainly relate, St. Paul confirms in his first epistle to the Corinthians, (XI. 23-29. ,See this day's epistle) in which to his account of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament he adds: Whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, (that is, in a state of sin) shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord . . . .eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. (V. 27-29.)

From these words and those of the three holy Evangelists already mentioned, it is clear that Jesus really fulfilled His promise, really instituted the most holy Sacrament, and gave His most sacred Body and Blood to the apostles for their food. None of the Evangelists, nor St. Paul, informs us that Christ said: this will become my body, or, this signifies my body. All agree that our Saviour said this is my body, this is my blood, and they therefore decidedly mean us to understand that Christ's body and blood are really, truly, and substantially present under the appearance of bread and wine, as soon as the mysterious change has taken place. And this is confirmed by the words: that is given for you; which shall be shed for you and for many; because Christ gave neither bread nor wine, nor a figure of His Body and Blood, for our redemption, but His real Body, and His real Blood, and St. Paul could not assert that we could eat the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily, if under the appearance of bread and wine were present not the real Body and Blood of Christ, but only a figure of them, or if they were only bread and wine. This is also proved by the universal faith of the Catholic Church, which in accordance with Scripture and the oldest, uninterrupted Apostolic traditions has always believed and taught, that under the appearance of bread and wine the real Body and Blood of Christ are present, as the Ecumenical Council of Trent expressly declares: (Sess. XIII. C. I. Can. I. de sacros. Euchdr.) "All our ancestors who were of the Church of Christ, and have spoken of this most Blessed Sacrament, have in the plainest manner professed that our Redeemer instituted this wonderful Sacrament at the Last Supper, when, having blessed the bread and wine, He assured the apostles in the plainest and most exact words, that He was giving them His Body and Blood itself; and if any one denies that the holy Eucharist truly, really, and substantially contains the Body and Blood, the Soul and Divinity of, our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore the whole Christ, and asserts that it is only a sign or figure without virtue, let him be anathema."

Did Christ institute this Sacrament for all time?

Yes; for when He had promised that the bread which He would give, was His flesh for the life of the world, (john. vi. ga.) and had said expressly that whosoever did not eat His Flesh and drink His Blood would not have life in Him, He, at the Last Supper, by the words: Do this for a commemoration of me, (Luke XXII. 19.) gave to the apostles and their successors, the priests, the power in His name to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood, also to receive It and administer It as a food of the soul, which power the apostles and their successors, the priests, have always exercised, (I Coy. X. 16.) and will exercise to the end of the world.

How long after the change does Christ remain present under the appearance of bread and wine?

As long as the appearances remain; this was always the faith of the Church; therefore in the primitive ages when the persecutions were raging, after the sacrifice the sacred body of our Lord was taken home by the Christians to save the mystery from the pagans; at home they preserved It, and received It from their own hands, as affirmed by the holy Fathers of the Church Justin, Cyprian, Basil, and others. But when persecution had ceased, and the Church was permitted to profess the faith openly, and without hinderance, the Blessed Sacrament was preserved in the churches, enclosed in precious vessels, (ciborium, monstrance, or ostensorium) made for the purpose. In later times it was also exposed, on solemn occasions, for public adoration.

Do we Catholics adore bread when we pay adoration to the Blessed Sacrament?

No; we do not adore bread, for no bread is there, but the most sacred Body and Blood of Christ, and wherever Christ is adoration is due Him by man and angels. St. Augustine says: "No one partakes of this Body until he has first adored, and we not only do not sin when we adore It, but would sin if we did not adore It." The Council of Trent excommunicates those who assert that it is not allowable to adore Christ, the only?begotten Son of God, in the Blessed Sacrament. How unjust are those unbelievers who sneer at this adoration, when it has never entered into the mind of any Catholic to adore the external appearances of this Sacrament, but the Saviour hidden under the appearances; and how grievously do those indifferent Catholics sin who show Christ so little veneration in this Sacrament, and seldom adore Him if at all!

Which are the external signs of this Sacrament?

The form and appearance, or that which appears to our senses, as the figure, the color, and the taste, but the substance of the bread and wine is by consecration changed into the real Body and Blood of Christ, and only the appearance of bread and wine remains, and is observable to the senses.

Where and by whom is this consecration effected?

This consecration is effected on the altar during the holy Sacrifice of the Mass (therefore the name Sacrament of the Altar), when the priest in the name and by the power of Christ pronounces over the bread and wine the words which Christ Himself pronounced when He instituted this holy Sacrament. St. Ambrose writes: "At the moment that the Sacrament is to be accomplished, the priest no longer uses his own words, but Christ's words therefore. Christ's words complete the Sacrament."

Is Christ present under each form?

Christ is really and truly present under both forms, in Divinity and Humanity, Body and Soul, Flesh and Blood. That Jesus is thus present is clear from the words of St. Paul: Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more. (Rom. VI. 9.) Because Christ dies no more, it naturally follows that He is wholly and entirely present under each' form. Hence the council of Trent says: "Whoever denies that in the venerable Sacrament, of the Eucharist the whole Christ is present in each of the forms and in each part of each form, where a separation has taken place, let him be anathema."

Then no matter how many receive this Sacrament, does each receive Christ?

Yes, for each of the apostles received Christ entirely, and if God by His omnipotence can cause each individual to rejoice at the same instant in the sun's light, and enjoy its entireness, and if He can make one and the same voice resound in the ears of all the listeners, is He not able to give the body of Christ, whole and entire, to as many as wish to receive It?

Is it necessary that this Sacrament should be received in both forms?

No, for as it has already been said, Christ is wholly present, Flesh and Blood, Humanity and Divinity, Body and Soul, in each of the forms. Christ promises eternal life to the recipient also of one form when He says,: I f any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. (John. VI. 52.) The first Christians, in times of persecution, received this Sacrament only in the form of bread in their houses. Though in earlier times the faithful, like the priests, partook of the chalice, it was not strictly required, and the Church for important reasons has since ordered the reception of Communion under but one form, because there was danger that the blood of our Lord might be spilled, and thus dishonored; because as the Blessed Sacrament must always be ready for the sick, it was feared that the form of wine might be injured by long preservation; because many cannot endure the taste of wine; because in some countries there is scarcity of wine, and it can be obtained only at great cost and with much difficulty, and finally, in order to refute the error of those who denied that Christ is entirely present under each form.

Which area the effects of holy Communion?

The graces of this most holy Sacrament are, as the Roman Catechism says, innumerable; it is the fountain of all grace, for it ,contains the Author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, all goodness and perfection. According to the doctrine of the?Church , there are six special effects of grace produced by, this Sacrament in those who worthily receive it. It unites the recipient with Christ, which Christ plainly shows when He says: He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him; (John VI. 57.) hence the name Communion, of which St. Leo writes: "The participation of the Body and Blood of Christ transforms ' us into that which we receive," and from this union with Christ, our Head, arises also a closer union with our brethren in Christ, into one body. (I Cor. X. 17.) It preserves and increases sanctifying grace, which is the spiritual life of the soul, for our Saviour says: He that eateth me, the, same also shall live by me. (John VI, 58.) It diminishes in us concupiscence and strengthens us against the temptations of the devil. St. Bernard says: "This holy Sacrament produces tow effects in us, it diminishes gratifiation in venial sins, it removes the full consent in grievous sins; if any of you do not feel so often now the harsh emotion of anger, of envy, or impurity, you owe it to the Body and Blood of the Lord:" and St. Chrystostom: "When we communicate worthily we return from the table like fiery lions, terrible to the devils." It causes us to perform good works with strength and courage; for be who abides in Christ, and Christ in him, bears much fruit. (John XV.) It effaces venial sin, and preserves from mortal sin, as St. Ambrose says: "This daily bread is used as a help against daily weakness: and as by the enjoyment of this holy Sacrament, we are made in a special manner the property, the lams of Christ, which He Himself nourishes with His own heart's blood, He does not permit us to be taken out of His hands, so long as we cooperate with His grace, by prayer, vigilance and contest. It brings us to a glorious resurrection and to eternal happiness; for he who communicates worthily, possesses Him who is the resurrection and the life, (John XI. 25.) who said: He that eatheth my flesh, and drinketh ? my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. (John VI, 55.) He has, therefore, in Christ a pledge, that he will rise in glory and live for ever. If the receiving of this Sacrament produces such great results, how frequently and with what sincere desire should we hasten ~ to enjoy this heavenly banquet, this fountain of all grace! The first Christians received it daily, and St. Augustine says: "Daily receive what daily benefits!" and St. Cyril: The baptized may know that they remove themselves far from eternal life, when they remain a long time from Communion." Ah, whence comes in our days, the indifference, the weakness, the impiety of so many Christians but from the neglect and unworthy reception of Communion! Christian soul, close not your ears to the voice of Jesus who invites you so tenderly to His banquet: Come to me all you who are heavily laden and I will refresh you. Go often, very often to Him; but when you go to Him, do not neglect to prepare for His worthy reception, and you will soon feel its effects in your soul.

In what does the worthy preparation for this holy Sacrament consist?

The worthy preparation of the soul consists in purifying ourselves by a sincere confession from all grievous sins, and in approaching the holy table with profound humility, sincere love, and with fervent desire. He who receives holy Communion in the state of mortal sin draws down upon himself, as the, apostle says, judgment and condemnation. The worthy preparation of the body consists in fasting from midnight before receiving Communion, and in coming properly dressed to the Lord's banquet.

The holy Sacrament of the Altar is preserved in the tabernacle, in front of which a light is burning day and night, to show that Christ, the light of the world, is here present, that we may bear in mind that every Christian congregation should contain in itself the light of faith, the flame of hope, the warmth of divine love, and the fire of true devotion, by a pious life manifesting and consuming itself, like a light, in. the service of God. As a Christian you must believe that under the appearance of bread Christ is really present in the tabernacle, and that He is your Redeemer, your Saviour, your Lord and King, the best Friend and Lover of your soul, whose pleasure it is to dwell among the children of men; then it is your duty often to visit Him in this most holy Sacrament, and offer Him your homage and adoration, "It is certain," says: St. Alphonsus Ligouri, that next to the enjoyment of this holy Sacrament in Communion, the adoration of Jesus in this Sacrament is the best and most pleasing of all devotional exercises, and of the greatest advantage to us." Hesitate not, therefore, to practise this devotion. From this day renounce at least a quarter of an hour's intercourse with others, and go to church to entertain yourself there with Christ. Know that the time which you spend in this way will be of the greatest consolation to, you in the hour of death and through all eternity. Visit Jesus not only in the church, but also accompany and adore Him when carried in processions, or to sick persons. You will thus show your Lord the homage due to Him, gather great merits for yourself, and have the sure hope that Christ will one day repay you a hundredfold.

1. Thus St. Ignatius, the Martyr, who was instructed by the apostles themselves, rebukes in these words those who even at that time would not believe in the change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of the. Lord: "They do not believe that the real body of Jesus Christ our Redeemer who suffered for us and has risen from death is contained in the Sacrament of the Altar." (Ep. ad Smyr.) Thus St. Irenaeus who was a disciple of St. Polycarp, a pupil of St. John the Evangelist, writes: "Of the bread is made the body of Christ" (Lib. IV adv. haer.) In the same manner St. Cyril: "Since Christ our Lord said of this bread, This is my body, who dares doubt it? Since He said, This is my blood, who dares to say, it is not His blood?" (Lib. IV. regul. Cat.) and in another place: "Bread and wine which before the invocation of the most Holy Trinity were only bread and wine, become after this invocation the body and blood of Christ." (Cat. myrt. I.)

What can the unbelievers say to this testimony? Do they know the truth better than those apostles who themselves saw and heard Jesus at the Last Supper, and who taught their disciples that which they had seen and heard? All Christian antiquity proves the error of these heretics:

SSPX

Additional Info.
Disputation of Holy Sacrament by Raphael, 1509-1510
In the painting, Raphael has created a scene spanning both heaven and earth. Above, Christ is surrounded by a halo, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist on his right and left. Other various biblical figures such as Adam, Jacob and Moses are to the sides. God the Father sits above Jesus, depicted reigning over the golden light of heaven, and below Christ's feet is the Holy Spirit. On opposite sides of the Holy Spirit are the four gospels, held by putto. Below, on the altar sits the monstrance.
The altar is flanked by theologians who are depicted debating Transubstantiation. Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is the Holy Eucharist, which is discussed by representatives of the Church; among them are the original four Doctors of the Church, with Pope Gregory I and Jerome seated to the left of the altar and Augustine and Ambrose to the right, Pope Julius II, Pope Sixtus IV, Savonarola and Dante Alighieri. Pope Sixtus IV is the gold dressed pope in the bottom of the painting. Directly behind Sixtus is Dante, wearing red and sporting a laurel wreath (symbolizing his greatness as a poet). The bald figure reading a book and leaning over a railing in the left hand corner is Raphael's mentor and Renaissance architect Bramante.

Read Free online Goffinés Devout instructions on the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and holydays. 

Archive.org - Explanation of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, holidays and festivals throughout the ecclesiastical year

‘Martyr for Pope’ Francesca Chaouqui, now admits to leaking documents to author!

Francesca Chaouqui, hand-picked by Francis-Bergoglio.               

Newchurch of Rotten Fruits…

Self-proclaimed ‘Martyr for Pope Francis,’ Vatican consultant ‘admitted leaking documents to author’, trial hears.

According to a police officer, Francesca Chaouqui told investigators she sent Vatican papers to Gianluigi Nuzzi

A former consultant to a pontifical commission who denied to a Vatican court that she leaked documents about the Vatican’s financial reform to an Italian journalist had admitted to sending the documents when she was first interrogated, a Vatican policeman has claimed.

Stefano DeSantis, an officer investigating the leaking of the documents, testified on May 24 that Francesca Chaouqui told Vatican police officials that she sent documents regarding the Vatican Asset Management (VAM) to Gianluigi Nuzzi, author of Merchants in the Temple.

“We never assumed that she gave the documents, she admitted to it,” DeSantis told the court.

Chaouqui is on trial, along with Mgr Vallejo Balda, secretary of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, and Nicola Maio, the monsignor’s former assistant, for “committing several illegal acts of divulging news and documents concerning fundamental interests of the Holy See and (Vatican City) State.”

Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, author of Avarice, are accused of “soliciting and exercising pressure, especially on (Mgr) Vallejo Balda,” to obtain the documents.

The trial session on May 24 began with the cross-examination of Gianluca Gauzzi, deputy commissioner of the Vatican police, by the defendants’ lawyers regarding his testimony on May 16.

Gauzzi revealed the contents found on two iPhones and a Macbook Pro belonging to Mgr Vallejo Balda. In some of the messages found on the monsignor’s devices, Gauzzi said, “Chaouqui asked Mgr Vallejo to use WhatsApp because she believed it was a secure and tap-proof messaging system.”

When asked by Laura Sgro, Chaouqui’s lawyer, about the examination of the chats between Chaouqui and Mgr Vallejo Balda, Gauzzi stated that the police saw the message exchange on the Spanish monsignor’s phone.

Chaouqui, he added, deleted the messaging application from her phone before handing it over to the Vatican’s IT experts as part of the investigation.

However, because WhatsApp is connected to a person’s phone number, the police are certain the messages were between Mgr Vallejo Balda and Chaouqui even though she deleted the app from her phone, Gauzzi said.

Regarding Chaouqui’s initial confession of sending Nuzzi the documents, DeSantis told the court that she exhibited “exemplary behaviour” when she gave the Vatican police her formal statement and even made clarifications or specifications in her formal declaration.

Catholic Herald

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             REASONS RELATING TO THE

             AFTER-PENTECOST SEASON                                                              

We have finished the Feasts, the Fasts and the Seasons, which each year are held to recall the life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord with the coming of the Holy Ghost. The history of the God-man, the wonderful work of the redemption, the glories of the risen Saviour, and the coming down of the Holy Spirit, each year are brought before the world by the rites, the services and the ceremonies of the Church. Take away the Church and her works, and, in one generation, God and all his wonders, performed for man's redemption, would be forgotten. Inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Apostles appointed these chief feasts, festivals and seasons, to be celebrated to keep forever before the world the coming of our Lord and the work of our salvation.

     Six months of the year is thus dedicated to the memory of our Saviour, while the six following months are dedicated to the work of God in the souls of men. Thus half the year is spent in celebrating the work of the Son of God when he lived upon this earth, while the other six months are set apart in which to celebrate the working of this redemption in our souls. Nature itself is in harmony with all this, for in the winter season all is cold and dismal; light has left the earth, a figure of the state of the pagan nations when the Lord came to redeem the race. The summer season is the most beautiful part of the year. The earth is green, while flowers cover the fields, all springing forth in bountiful plentiness, a type of the grace of redemption springing up into everlasting life in the souls of men. In the spring time the seed is sown; in the spring time our redemption was sown by the death of our Lord; in the summer the seeds spring "forth and grow strong to bear the harvest of the autumn time; in the summer time the grace of God sown in the redemption, springs forth in souls of Adam's children, growing large and strong in godliness to bear the fruit of everlasting life, in the autumn time of eternity, when God will gather into his granary of heaven the souls of the saints, the fruits of redemption.

     Thus after the Easter Season we enter a new period of time, which differs from the others. From the beginning of Advent to the coming of the Holy Ghost, the mysteries of our salvation have been unfolded. That time was like a long series of feasts, of fasts, of ceremonies and of services, during which, as in a sublime drama, the work of the redemption of our race was renewed. This latter part of the year is not without its mysteries and its solemnities; some joyful and glorious, some sweet and touching, all for the good and the growth of Christian holiness in the souls of men, to end at Advent, when again we will begin the same solemnities of another year. The After-Pentecost Season is longer or shorter than six months, according to the time when Easter falls. This season has come down to us from the times of the Apostles. It is sometimes made up of twenty-eight weeks and sometimes of only twenty-three. The Sundays of this season are called the Sundays after Pentecost. Such are their names in the most ancient books in the olden Missals and in the quaint Sacramentaries of the ages past. Such is their name in the writings of Alcuin in the 8th century. In some of the ancient books these Sundays are divided into five series. The first is called the Sundays after Pentecost, the second the Sundays after the Feast of the Apostles, the third the Sundays after St. Lawrence, the fourth the Sundays of the Seventh Month, while the fifth was called the Sundays after St. Michael." These were their names in some of the oldest Missals and books used in the services of the Church from the middle ages till the 16th century. When Pope Pius V., published his Missal, following the customs of the Apostolic ages, and wiping out the Missals which for more than two hundred years before his time had been changing, the Sundays of this Season appear again with their old title, The Sundays after Pentecost.

That we may well understand the meaning of the time of the year in which we are now, we must remember the other Seasons through which we have passed. Each ceremony, each service was to make its influence felt in our souls. At Christmas, Christ was born in us; in Septuagesima Time he did penance for us; during Lent he fasted to show us an example; at Passion Time he died for us; he rose on Easter that we might rise from the death of sin; he went up into heaven to open to us its Spates of everlasting glory, and from the right hand of His Father he sent down the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, to live with us and to abide in our hearts. Thus all was done that Christ might be formed in us. The Holy Ghost then came into the world to live in the hearts and in the souls of men, to help them in their work of saving their souls. That same Spirit of God, who came on our Lord with his sevenfold gifts, comes on each one of us and leads us on to our salvation. That time of the work of the third Person of the Holy Trinity in the world is called the After-Pentecost Season.

     Two temples the Holy Ghost inhabits, the Church and the Christian soul. For this was he sent into the world. "I will send you another Paraclete, who will teach you all things and who will abide with you forever." By his strength and by his power, the holy Church, the Bride of the Lamb, goes on in her conquering career, gaining souls to God. Holiness and truth are in her. Unchanging in her teaching received from her founder, Christ; changing in discipline to accommodate herself to the different customs of peoples; kept from error by the Spirit of truth; obedient to her clergy, her commanders, like an army in battle array, she advances in this holy time after Pentecost to the conquest of souls, to battle with the old enemy of our race. Nothing on earth can be compared to her. She is above kings and governments. She is independent of earth. She is the mountain on the top of mountains. Persecuted for a time, yet she is always triumphant. Guided by the Holy Ghost she converts, sanctifies and saves the souls of men. This she always will do till the consummation of this world. This work of the Spouse of Christ is typified by the After Pentecost Season. She gathers then the fruit of holy souls. She baptises and guards the child from the moment of its birth. She teaches it her holy doctrine. She guides its stumbling footsteps during life, and at the end she sends the holy souls to heaven to worship God forever. Thus the work of the church is typified by this holy time, the last of the Seasons of the Christian year.

     The Christian is a temple of the Holy Ghost; " Know ye not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost?" No temple ever built by hand of man can equal the beauties of our bodies. In the beginning, God made man to live within him as in a temple, till sin in the garden drove the Lord away. Man becomes again the temple of his God at his baptism. Then we should be like the Church. We should go on from virtue to virtue, gaining during this Season gaining in grace and good works before God and man. But there is this difference between the Church and man in being the temples of the Holy Ghost, that while the Church represents in summer time the ages which will come to pass from the days of our Lord to the end of the world, the soul can at the end of this Season begin again the same series of feasts and fasts, of ceremonies and services, of the times and of the Seasons of the year, and thus increase in holiness and in godliness, till at death God calls him to the everlasting glories of heaven.

     From the times of the Apostles, the parts of the Holy Bible read in the Offices and in the Services, have been arranged for this time, so as to tell of the works of the Holy Spirit both in the Church and in the soul. The history of the children of Israel is but a figure of the story of the Church and of the Christian soul, and the trials and the battles of the Jews were types of the battles of the Church and of the Christians. From the first Sunday after Pentecost to the beginning of August, we read the four Books of Kings. They are a prophecy of the Church. The kingdom of Israel began by Saul. The Church of God began by the Jews. Saul was rejected by God. The Jews were discarded because they rejected the Saviour; David was chosen in his place. The nations were taken in the place of the Jews. David first lived in continual combats and warfare; the Church was first persecuted. At length peace came to Israel. Peace at length was given to the Church by Constantine. Solomon built his magnificent temple; the Church reared her wonderful Cathedrals. For a long time the Jews lived in peace; for many centuries the Church had peace during the middle ages. Of the twelve tribes ten fell away and were lost by Samaria in the north, being separated from the centre of worship at Jerusalem.

In the 16th century the nations of the north of Europe fell away at the reformation and are being lost, for now we see that little by little the revelation of God preserved by tradition is being destroyed among them. . .

From the death of Solomon began the wars of the Jews with the surrounding nations. Some were good and saintly kings, like Asa, Ezechias and Josias; some were bad infidel kings, like Achab, Manasser and Achaz. The people of God heard among the hills of Judea the voice of the Lord by the mouth of his prophets, calling them from the worship of idols, calling them to the worship of the Lord. The people of the Church hear the voice of God by the mouth of the clergy, calling them from the vices of this world, which are like so many idols. The Jews heard from the inspired men of old the ruin which would fall on them if they did not return to the religion of their fathers, as now we tell of the ruin of nations and of empires if they serve not the Church. Many times were the Jews punished for their sins. Many times have the Christians fallen because they served not their Lord. Thus the Jews were a figure of the Church, and Jerusalem a type of this world. They listened not to the prophets of the Lord. The Jews were taken captive; Jerusalem was destroyed, figures of the destruction of all things at the last coming of our Lord, at the destruction of the world. In August we read the Sapiential Books Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus because they tell us of the wisdom of God. That wisdom is the Son of God, the "Wisdom of the Father" revealed to man by the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost through the Prophets and through the Church, and who ever lives in her, and speaks to mankind by the voice of our chief pastor, the Pope.

     Man can do nothing of himself for his salvation unless helped by God. Following this grace of God he soon becomes a saint. To give a good example, we read in the month of September the lives of the Saints of the Old Testament, of Tobias, Judith, Esther and Job, in whose souls we see the work of the grace of God. But as towards the end of the world, as foretold by the prophets, the Church will be driven to fight the great battles, which will be raised against her by the persecutions of Anti- Christ, in the month of October we read the history of the last wars of the Jews, and how they conquered their enemies, as given in the books of the Maccabees. As they conquered those who would destroy the nation of the Jews, thus the Church will not be destroyed, but according to the words of our Lord, she will last till the end of the world. "Behold, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the world. Thus the church having her founder, Christ, with her, will outlive the persecutions of the last ages of the world. To recall the prophecies of the last days, when the number of the saints will be filled, in the month of November, at the end of the ecclesiastical year, we read the prophets of old — Ezechiel, terrible in his words; Daniel, whose inspired eye reviews the empires, the nations and the peoples of the earth, and the little prophets, who foretell the vengeance of God, the calamities of the latter times, the end of all, the death of the world, and the wonders which will come to pass when the Son of God, in power and in majesty, will come to judge the living and the dead.

     Such is the meaning of the After-Pentecost Season, the summer of the Church, when Christian souls flourish in grace, like trees planted by the limpid waters of life flowing from the exhaustless fountains of the crucified Saviour. During this time the vestments are green, to express the hope we have of salvation through our God, when guided by the Holy Ghost at the end of our exile in the heavenly and the everlasting Jerusalem which is above.

The first Sunday after Pentecost is called Trinity Sunday, because it is dedicated to the glory of the most Holy Trinity. From the times of the Apostles, the Christians had a feast set apart in which they recalled the glory and the worship of the Triune God. In some of the churches, in those times, they celebrated that feast the first Sunday before Advent, but most of the churches, following the traditions of the Apostles, held the festival on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In the first ages, besides these two Sundays mentioned, they devoted each Sunday in the year to the Holy Trinity, till at length the first Sunday after Pentecost was above all others set apart to the special worship of the Trinity, throughout the whole Church.

     All worship goes to the Holy Trinity, for when we adore any one of the most Holy Persons, we adore all Three, for they are one God. At the end of all the prayers, in administering the sacraments, at the end of the Psalms, all end with the words, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." These words were formed by the Apostles. When Arius and his followers in the 14th century denied that Christ was God, equal to the Father in all things, the Nicene Council condemned him, and to the words, " Glory be to the Father," etc., added, "As it was in the beginning, and is now, and will be forever, Amen," to show that Christ was always, is now, and ever will be God. The Saints of these olden times had a special devotion to the Holy Trinity. The remains of that is seen in the services of the Church.

Sunday was dedicated to the resurrection of our Lord, but in another manner it was set apart for the glory of the Trinity. For that reason, on Sunday, the office of Matins is always made up of three watches of three lessons each, to honor the three Persons of the blessed Trinity. The Athanasian Creed, which treats of the Three Persons of God, is said at Prime, and the Preface of Trinity Sunday is sung at the Masses of the Sundays of the year when there is no other feast.

     In the 8th century we read that the pious Alcuinus, encouraged by St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, composed the votive Mass we offer in honor of the Holy Trinity. Later, in 1022, the German bishops pronounced in favor of the devotion to that Mass. Before that time the Belgians had a feast in honor of the Holy Trinity, for the bishop of Liege celebrated a solemn feast in his cathedral in 920, and composed a complete Office for the day. It spread rapidly, especially among the religious Orders during the first years of the 11th century, being fostered by Bernon, Abbot of Reichnaw. We see by one of the old liturgical works of Cluny, that it was celebrated there for a long time before 1091. In 1061, Alexander II., sat upon the Chair of Peter, and sanctioned the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Trinity, which at that time had been spread into every part of the world.

     In the beginning of the 12th century, the prince of liturgical writers, Rupert the Abbot, wrote: "After having celebrated the solemnity of the coming of the Holy Ghost, we sing the glory of the Holy Trinity, in the Office of the following Sunday, and that is very proper, because after the descent of that divine Spirit, began the preaching of our belief, and in baptism is the faith and the confession of the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost In 1162, the glorious martyr, St. Thomas of Canterbury, celebrated the feast of the Holy Trinity in the cathedral on the first Sunday after Pentecost, in memory of his consecration to the episcopacy, which took place on that day. In 1260, the council of Aries, presided over by archbishop Florentin, solemnly sanctioned the feast in France, and added to it an Octave. In the beginning of the 13th century, Durand leads us to conclude that a great part of the Christian world kept the feast. Some of the churches of France celebrate twice in the year the feast of the Holy Trinity, on the first Sunday after Pentecost and on the last Sunday before Advent, the remains of very ancient customs.

     When Atilla, the “scourge of God," conquered a large part of the Roman empire, he destroyed numberless liturgical works of our holy religion. St. Boniface, archbishop of Metz, asked Alcuinus, the teacher of Charles and of his son Louis, kings of France, to rewrite again these books which had been destroyed. They were approved by the Council of Metz, and the feast of the Holy Trinity was commanded to be celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost.

                       St. Gregory the Great Missal

     Alcuinus wrote a special Mass for Trinity Sunday, every day we give glory to the Trinity. The Arians, who denied the Divinity of Christ and the Trinity, having spread, SS. Hilary and Ambrose, with Eusebius, wrote and preached against them, and Gregory the Great commanded the Mass to be sung and churches to be built in honor of the Most Holy Trinity  because, although each Sunday was consecrated to the Trinity in the early days of Christianity, when but few feasts of the saints were celebrated, it was foreseen that as the saints grew in numbers their memory would be celebrated during many Sundays of the year, and that unless a special feast in memory of the Holy Trinity was celebrated, soon the Trinity would not be honored as in former times. For that reason the feast was commanded to be held on the first Sunday after Pentecost. During this season of the year, except those of the *Quater Tenses of September, the Masses have no titles like the great feasts of the other seasons, for they are not of such importance, or they do not go back to the Apostolic times.

*Ember days

EMBER SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST - MASS PROPERS

 EMBER SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST

            Traditional day 
  of fast and partial abstinence.

            STATION AT ST. PETER’S

(Indulgence of 30 years and 30 quarantines)

                   FIRST CLASS

                  Semi-double

                Red vestments

     Missa ‘Caritas Dei diffusa’

       

                       INTROIT

                   Romans 5: 5

The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, alleluia: by His Spirit dwelling within us, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and let all that is within me bless His holy name. V. Glory be to the Father.

The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts…

                     INTROITUS

Caritas Dei diffúsa est in córdibus nostris, allelúia: per inhabitántem Spíritum ejus in nobis, allelúia, allelúia. Ps. 102: 1. Bénedic ánima mea, Dómino: et ómnia quæ intra me sunt, nómini sancto ejus. V. Gloria Patri.

Caritas Dei diffúsa est in córdibus nostris…

                      COLLECT

Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that, being gathered in the Holy Spirit, it may be nowise molested by any assault of the enemy. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth.

                       ORATIO

Mentibus nostris quæsumus, Dómine, Spíritum Sanctum benígnus infúnde: cujus et sapiéntia cónditi sumus, et providéntia gubernámur. Per Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat.

                   FIRST LESSON

                 Joel, 2, 28-32

   Lesson from Joel the Prophet

Thus saith the Lord God: I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Moreover, upon My servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth My spirit. And I will show wonders in Heaven; and in earth blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord doth come. And it shall come to pass, that every one that shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Haec dicit Dóminus Deus:. Effúndam Spíritum meum super omnem carnem: et prophetábunt fílii vestri, et fíliæ vestræ: senes vestri sómnia somniábunt, et júvenes vestri visiónes vidébunt. Sed et super servos meos, et ancíllas in diébus illis effúndam Spíritum meum. Et dabo prodígia in cælo, et in terra, sánguinem, et ignem, et vapórem fumi. Sol convertétur in ténebras; et luna in sánguinem; ántequam véniat dies Dómini magnus et horríbilis. Et erit, omnis qui invocáverit nomen Dómini, salvus erit.

    (Ordination of Door-keepers)

                 FIRST ALLELUIA

                    John 6: 64

Alleluia, alleluia. It is the spirit that quickeneth: but the flesh profiteth nothing.

Alleluia, allelúia. Spíritus est qui vivíficat: caro autem non prodest, quidquam.

                     COLLECT

May the Holy Spirit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, inflame us with that fire which Our Lord Jesus Christ sent upon the earth and earnestly wished to be enkindled. Who with Thee liveth and reigneth.

              SECOND LESSON

    Leviticus 23: 9-11, 15-17, 21

Lesson from the Book of Leviticus

In those days: the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When you shall have entered into the land which I will give you, and shall reap your corn, you shall bring sheaves of ears, the first-fruits of your harvest, to the priests, who shall lift up the sheaf before the Lord, the next day after the sabbath, that it may be acceptable for you, and shall sanctify it. You shall count therefore from the morrow after the sabbath, wherein you offered the sheaf of the first-fruits, seven full weeks, even unto the morrow after the seventh week to be expired, that is to say, fifty days; and so you shall offer a new sacrifice to the Lord, out of all your dwellings, two loaves of the first-fruits, of two tenths of flour leavened, which you shall bake for the first-fruits of the Lord. And you shall call this day most solemn and most holy. You shall do no servile work therein. It shall be an everlasting ordinance in all your dwellings and generations; said the Lord almighty.

          (Ordination of Lectors)

                       ALLELUIA

Alleluia. His spirit hath adorned the Heavens.

                      COLLECT

O God, Who for the healing of souls hast ordained the chastisement of our bodies by the devout exercise of fasting, mercifully grant that we may ever be devoted to Thee. Through our Lord.

                THIRD LESSON

    Deuteronomy 26: 1-3, 7-11

Lesson from the Book of Deuteronomy

In those days, Moses said to the children of Israel: Hear, O Israel, what I command thee this day. When thou art come into the land which the Lord Thy God will give Thee to possess, and hast conquered it, and dwellest in it, thou shalt take the first of all thy fruits, and put them in a basket, and shalt go to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that His name may be invocated there; and thou shalt go to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him: I profess this day before the Lord thy God, Who heard us, and looked down upon our affliction, and labour, and distress; and brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand, and a stretched-out arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders, and brought us into this place, and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. And therefore now I offer the first fruits of the land which the Lord hath given me. And thou shalt leave them in the sight of the Lord thy God, adoring the Lord thy God; and thou shalt feast in all the good things which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

         (Ordination of Exorcists)

              SECOND ALLELUIA

                       Acts 2: 1

Alleluia. When the days of Pentecost were accomplished, they were all sitting together.  

                      COLLECT

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that we may so abstain from carnal delicacies as to fast likewise from the sins that beset us. Through our Lord.

              FOURTH LESSON

Lesson from the Book of Deuteronomy

In those days, the Lord said to Moses: Speak to the Israelites, and tell them: If you live in accordance with My precepts and are careful to observe My commandments, I will give you rain in due season, so that the land will bear its crops, and the trees their fruit; your threshing will last till vintage time, and your vintage till the time for sowing, and you will have food to eat in abundance, so that you may dwell securely in your land. I will establish peace in the land, that you may lie down to rest without anxiety. I will rid the country of ravenous beasts, and keep the sword of war from sweeping across your land. You will rout your enemies and lay them low with your sword. Five of you will put a hundred of your foes to flight, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand of them, till they are cut down by your sword. I will look with favour upon you, and make you fruitful and numerous, as I carry out My covenant with you. So much of the old crops will you have stored up for food that you will have to discard them to make room for the new. I will set My Dwelling among you, and will not disdain you. Ever present in your midst, I will be your God, and you will be My people, says the Lord almighty.

          (Ordination of Acolytes)

                    ALLELUIA

                     (Kneel)

Alleluia. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

                     COLLECT

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we may so fast from bodily food as to abstain also from the sins that beset us. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth.

                  FIFTH LESSON

                 Daniel 3: 47-51

In those days, the angel of the Lord went down with Azarias and his companions into the furnace, and he drove the flame of the fire out of the furnace, and made the midst of the furnace like the blowing of a wind bringing dew. But the flame mounted up above the furnace nine and forty cubits: and it broke forth, and burnt such of the Chaldeans the king's servants as it found heating it. And the fire touched them not at all, nor troubled them, nor did them any harm. Then these three, as with one mouth, praised, and glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, saying:

     (Ordination of Subdeacons)

                     ALLELUIA

                  Daniel 3: 52

Alleluia. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and worthy to be praised for ever.

                     COLLECT

O God, Who didst mitigate the fumes of fire for the three children, grant propitiously that the flame of sin may not consume us Thy servants. Through our Lord.

                     EPISTLE

             Romans 5: 1-5

Brethren: Being justified by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom also we have access through faith into this grace wherein we stand, and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God. And not only so, but we glory also in tribulations; knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience trial, and trial hope, and hope confoundeth not; because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us.

    (Ordinations of Deacons)

                      TRACT

             Psalm 116: 1-2

O praise the Lord, all ye nations, and praise Him together, all ye people. V. For His mercy is confirmed upon us: and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.

The Gift of Holy Fear, or the Fear of God is actually the foundation of all other gifts because it fills us with reverence either for the Justice of God or for the Divine Majesty.

                    SEQUENCE

           Veni Sancte Spiritus

Holy Spirit! Lord of light! From Thy clear celestial height, Thy pure, beaming radiance give:

Come, Thou, Father of the poor! Come, with treasures which endure! Come, Thou light of all that live!

Thou of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow: Thou in toil art comfort sweet; Pleasant coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal! Light divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill. If Thou take Thy grace away, Nothing pure in man will stay; All his good is turn’d to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour Thy dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee adore, In Thy sevenfold gifts descend.

        (Ordination of Priests)

Give them comfort when they die; Give them life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen. Alleluia.

Ember Days - Ordination of a Priest                                                              

Veni, Sancte Spíritus,  et emítte caelitus  lucis tuæ rádium. Veni, pater páuperum;  veni, dator múnerum; veni, lumen córdium. Consolátor óptime,  dulcis hospes ánimæ,  dulce refrigérium. In labóre réquies, in æstu tempéries, in fletu solácium.

O lux beatíssima,  reple cordis íntima  tuórum fidélium. Sine tuo númine  nihil est in hómine,  nihil est innóxium. Lava quod est sórdidum,  riga quod est áridum,  sana quod est sáucium.

Flecte quod est rígidum,  fove quod est frígidum,  rege quod est dévium. Da tuis fidélibus,  in te confidéntibus,  sacrum septenárium.

       (Ordination of Priests)

Da virtútis méritum,  da salútis éxitum,  da perénne gáudium.  Amen. Allelúja.

                 GOSPEL

             Luke 4: 38-44

At that time, Jesus rising up out of the synagogue, went into Simon's house: and Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought Him for her. And standing over her He commanded the fever, and it left her: and, immediately rising, she ministered to them. And when the sun was down, all they that had any sick with divers diseases, brought them to Him: but He laying His hands on every one of them, healed them. And devils went out from many, crying out, and saying: Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, He suffered them not to speak, for they knew that He was Christ. And when it was day, going out He went into a desert place; and the multitudes sought Him, and came unto Him; and they stayed Him that He should not depart from them. To whom He said: To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God, for therefore am I sent. And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

               CREED

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things, visible and invisible.  And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. And born of the Father, before all ages. God of God: Light of Light: true God of true God. Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven. And became incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary: and was made man. He was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Who together, with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified: Who spoke by the prophets. And in one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the world to come. Amen.

            CREDO

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipoténtem, factórem coeli et terræ, visibílium ómnium et in visibílium. Et in unum Dóminum Jesum Christum, Fílium Dei unigénitum. Et ex Patre natum ante ómnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Génitum, non factum, consubstantiálem Patri: per quem ómnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos hómines et propter nostram salútem descéndit de coelis. Et incarnátus est de Spíritu Sancto ex María Vírgine: Et homo factus est. Crucifíxus étiam pro nobis: sub Póntio Piláto passus, et sepúltus est. Et resurréxit tértia die, secúndum Scriptúras. Et ascéndit in coelum: sedet ad déxteram Patris. Et íterum ventúrus est cum glória judicáre vivos et mórtuos: cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spíritum Sanctum, Dóminum et vivificántem: qui ex Patre Filióque procédit. Qui cum Patre et Fílio simul adorátur et conglorificátur: qui locútus est per Prophétas. Et unam sanctam cathólicam et apostolicam Ecclésiam. Confíteor unum baptísma in remissiónem peccatórum. Et exspécto resurrectiónem mortuórum. Et vitam ventúri saeculi. Amen.

           OFFERTORY

         Psalm 89: 2-3

O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried in the day and in the night before Thee: let my prayer come in before Thee, O Lord, alleluia.

             SECRET

That our fasts may be accepted by Thee, O Lord, grant us, we beseech Thee, by the grace of this sacrament, to offer Thee a clean heart. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth.

PREFACE OF PENTECOST

It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God; through Christ our Lord. Who ascending above all the heavens, and sitting at Thy right hand, on this day sent forth the Holy Ghost, as He had promised, on the children of adoption. Wherefore does the whole world rejoice with exceeding great joy; the hosts above and also the angelic powers join in singing the hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

        PRAEFATIO

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper, et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnípotens ætérne Deus: per Christum Dóminum nostrum Qui ascéndens super omnes cælos, sedénsque ad déxteram tuam, promíssum Spíritum Sanctum hodiérna die in filíos adoptiónis effúdit, Quaprópter profúsis gáudiís, totus in orbe terrárum mundus exsúltat. Sed et supérnæ Vírtútes, atque angélicæ Potestátes, hymnum glóriæ tuæ cóncinunt, sine fine dicéntes:

    THE SANCTUS

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis. Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.

    COMMUNION

       John 3: 8

The Spirit breatheth where He will: and Thou hearest His voice, alleluia, alleluia: but Thou knowest not whence He cometh, nor whither He goeth, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

    COMMUNIO

Spiritus ubi vult spirat: et vocem ejus audis, allelúia, allelúia; sed nescis unde véniat, aut quo vadat, allelúia, allelúia, allelúia.

POSTCOMMUNION

May Thy holy things, O Lord, fill us with divine fervour, so that we may have pleasure alike in their performance and in their effect. Through our Lord.

 POSTCOMMUNIO

Praebeant nobis, Dómine, divínum tua sancta fervórem: quo eórum páriter et actu delectémur, et fructu. Per Dóminum.