For the Propagation of the Faith

Missa pro Fidei Propagatione

Deus misereátur nostri, et benedícat nobis: illúminet vultum suum super nos, et misereátur nostri: ut cognoscámus in terra viam tuam, in ómnibus géntibus salutáre tuum. * Confiteántur tibi pópuli, Deus: confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes.

May God have mercy upon us, and bless us: may He cause the light of His countenance to shine upon us, and may He have mercy upon us: that we may know Thy way upon earth, Thy salvation in all nations. * Let the people confess to Thee, O God : let all people give praise to Thee.

(Psalm 66:2-4 from the Introit of Mass)

Deus, qui omnes hómines vis salvos fíeri et ad agnitiónem veritátis veníre: mitte, quaesumus, operários in messem tuam, et da eis cum omni fidúcia loqui verbum tuum; ut sermo tuus currat et clarificétur, et omnes gentes cognóscant te solum Deum verum, et quem misísti Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum, Dóminum nostrum.

O God, who desirest that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of Thy truth: send, we beseech Thee, labourers into Thy harvest, and grant them grace to speak Thy word with all trust: that Thy words may run and be glorified : and that all nations may know Thee the one true God, and Him whom Thou hast sent.

(Collect)

Lesson from the Book of Wisdom.

Have mercy upon us, O God of all, and behold us, and show us the light of Thy mercies : and send Thy fear upon the nations, that, have not sought after Thee : that they may know that there is no God beside Thee, and that they may show forth Thy wonders. Lift up Thy hand over the strange nations, that they may see Thy power. For as Thou hast been sanctified in us in their sight, so Thou shalt be magnified among them in our presence. That they may know Thee, as we also have known Thee, that there is no God beside Thee, O Lord. Renew Thy signs, and work new miracles. Glorify Thy hand, and Thy right arm. Raise up indignation, and pour out wrath. Take away the adversary, and crush the enemy. Hasten the time, and remember the end, that they may declare Thy wonderful works. Give testimony to them that are Thy creatures from the beginning, and raise up the prophecies which the former prophets spoke in Thy name. Reward them that patiently wait for Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful : and hear the prayers of Thy servants according to the blessing of Aaron over Thy people, and direct us into the way of justice, and let all know that dwell upon the earth that Thou art God, the beholder of all ages.

(Ecclus. 36:1-10,17-19)

Confiteántur tibi pópuli, Deus, confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes: terra dedit fructum suum.

V. Benedícat nos Deus, Deus noster, benedícat nos Deus: et métuant eum omnes fines terrae.

Let people confess to Thee, O God: let all people give praise to Thee: the earth hath yielded her fruit.

V. May God, our God, bless us, may God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear Him.

(Gradual. Psalm 66:6-8.)

Allelúja, allelúja. V. Jubiláte Deo, omnis terra: servíte Dómino in lætítia: introíte in

conspéctu ejus, in exsultatióne. Allelúja.

Alleluia, alleluia. Sing joyfully to God, all the earth, serve ye the Lord with gladness : come in before His presence with exceeding great joy. Alleluia.

(Psalm 99:1.)

Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndum Matthaeum.

In illo témpore: Circuíbat Jesus omnes civitátes et castélla, docens in synagógis eórum, et praedicans Evangélium regni, et curans omnem languórem et omnem infirmitátem. Videns quia erant vexáti, et jacéntes sicut oves non habéntes pastórem. Tunc dicit discípulis suis: Messis quidem multa, operárii autem pauci. Rogáte ergo Dóminum messis, ut mittat operários in messem suam.

Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. At that time : Jesus went about all the cities and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and every infirmity. And seeing the multitudes, He had compassion on them : because they were distressed and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. Then He saith to His disciples : the harvest indeed is greats but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth labourers into His harvest.

(St Matthew 9:35-38.)

Afférte Dómino, pátriae géntium, afférte Dómino glóriam et honórem, afférte Dómino glóriam nómini ejus: tóllite hóstias, et introíte in átria ejus: adoráte Dóminum in átrio sancto ejus.

Bring unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the Gentiles, bring unto the Lord glory and honour, bring unto the Lord glory unto His name: bring sacrifices and come into His courts, adore ye the Lord in His holy court.

(Psalm 95:7-9. Offertory)

Protéctor noster, áspice, Deus, et réspice in fáciem Christi tui, qui dedit redemptiónem

semetípsum pro ómnibus: et fac; ut ab ortu solis usque ad occásum magnificétur nomen tuum in géntibus, ac in omni loco sacrificétur et offerátur nómini tuo oblátio munda.

Behold, O God our protector, and look upon the face of Thy Christ, who gave Himself a ransom for all: and grant that from the rising of the sun even unto the setting thereof Thy name may be exalted among the Gentiles, and that in every place a clean offering be sacrificed and offered to Thy name.

(Secret)

Laudáte Dóminum, omnes gentes: laudáte eum, omnes pópuli: quóniam confirmáta est super nos misericordia ejus, et véritas Dómini manet in ætérnum.

Praise the Lord all ye nations: praise Him all ye people: for His mercy is confirmed upon us; and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.

(Communion Psalm 116:1-2.)

Redemptiónis nostrae múnere vegetáti: quaesumus, Dómine; ut, hoc perpétuae salútis auxílio, fides semper vera profíciat.

Refreshed by this gift of our redemption, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that by means of this help to our eternal salvation the true faith may ever advance.

(Postcommunion)

Book Review: "In the Name of the Father."

"In the Name of the Father: Homilies for Sundays and Feast days in the Extraordinary Form Calendar," edited by Julien Chilcott-Monk. Canterbury Press Norwich. £19.99 list price.

This is an excellent book for those who attend the old rite of mass on Sundays and feast days. It contains short homilies on the Gospels of the Sundays and major feast days throughout the year. That this should have been published now is a very welcome development, and indicates a wish by those who attend the old mass to nourish their spiritual life on it, and to engage in Lectio Divina based on the readings in it. Books of this type were of course common in the past. For the Novus Ordo, they still are, although the style isn't necessarily the same as that presented here.

The idea from this book was from one of the Oratorian fathers of Oxford - Fr. Dominic Jacob - to whom the book is dedicated. Most of the contributors, other than the editor, are priests of the Oxford Oratory, or other priests with either an Oratorian or an Oxford connection. Most of them will be well known to regular attenders of the old rite in southern England. One or two Oratorians are omitted, which is a pity - their erudition would have added to the book.

The first sermon I read, for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, by Fr Anton Webb, was a masterly exposition of the Gospel of the day. The miracles of healing that Our Lord worked in Capernaum, related in the Gospel of St John and in the Synoptics, are compared. They are not the same miracle: in the one, the centurion, a gentile, shows great faith to the extent of not needing our Lord to come in person; in the other, by contrast, a ruler, a Jewish official from Herod's court, shows very limited faith, and needs to check on the time that the miracle took place to be reassured. Different qualities of faith, but even the limited faith of the ruler had its value. "We all have small beginnings and advance at different rates ... the greater example of the centurion urges us to press on and never to think that we have enough faith."

The sermon for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, by Fr Nicholas Schofield, has a different flavour. It is certainly not lacking in learning, with a reference to St Augustine, and such examples from history as we would expect from the author. However, the sermon overall recalls us to the basic realities of the spiritual life - death, judgement, hell and heaven - in a thoroughly traditional, yet not pessimistic, manner. The liturgical year is passing away; so is this world. Let us always live mindful of its end, and our own. "These considerations should not make us morbid or lead us to despair. Rather, they challenge us to examine our lives, to make the most of God's grace and continual mercy, and strive for holiness."

The Sermon for All Saints Day, by Fr Dominic Jacob, is one that I have heard in church, so I greet it as an old friend. We envisage a great gulf between the saints in heaven, and ourselves in the here and now. We marvel at the words and works of the great saints - more admiration than emulation, often. But we are called to join them, that countless host that no man can number, who are commemorated on this day, so that eventually this will be our feast day too. Also, remember, that the saints weren't born as such - many of them started out with their full share of human failings. "We see in them what we are called to be, and are encouraged because they too experienced failure, trial and sin, yet by God's grace were strengthened to overcome the weakness of human nature."

There is a diversity of style in these sermons: some show biblical scholarship, some knowledge of the Fathers, some great insight into the spiritual life, some knowledge of the saints, and others simple piety and devotion. What they have in common is a straightforward focus upon the faith, and spiritual life, rather than merely academic points, or merely commonplace anecdotes. It is all practical - what must we do, and what must we know, to be saved - and a lot of learning is worn lightly. In the preface, Monsignor Antony Conlon - himself a skilled preacher - explains that genuine preaching isn't about artistry or stirring up the emotions, so much as the preacher putting his gifts at the service of the Church, in a spirit of docility and humility. He suggests that the Novus Ordo can encourage a style of preaching which is excessively autobiographical, with more emphasis on entertainment than on obedience, sacrifice and self-control. "Some forms of preaching thought to be pastorally effective remain only on the level of the ethical and humanitarian, and ignore the doctrinal and catechetical." These faults are absent from this volume, and it is better for it.

One further defect of many sermons, that isn't mentioned, is that they are often too long. I have heard too many a preacher, who would have given an excellent short sermon in ten minutes, lengthen it to twenty minutes or longer, and thereby ruin his good work. Few mass-goers have the patience to listen to long sermons with attention, and few preachers have the time or the talent to deliver engaging long sermons. The time for lectures is not during mass. Although the sermons in the book vary in length, they are all short, and in this also would be good models for others to follow.

Having praised the book highly, now to its main defect. It is regrettable that content which is of such high quality, and from a reputable publisher, should have been presented rather shoddily. It has, in fact, an air of being rushed, with the usual processes of copyediting and proof-reading being neglected. Those things that can be corrected by a spell-check are correct, but Latin words, punctuation, and some of the facts, are incorrect.

Some blemishes I noticed fairly quickly were:
1. The Transfiguration is referred to, both in the contents and in its proper place, as being on 4th August (rather than 6th);
2. Sometimes the S - standing for saint - has a full stop and sometimes not; at one point, John Henry Newman is referred to by the initials JHM;
3. In the preface, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum is referred to as Romanum Pontificum;
3. Multiple typos in the Latin texts, for example:
In Anniversario Dedicatione Ecclesiae - should be Dedicationis, since it's the church that is dedicated, not the anniversary;
In Exultatione S. Crucis - should be Exaltatione;
Under 2nd February, the Nunc Dimittis is quoted inaccurately - plebes is given instead of plebis, and a similar error is made on 6th Sunday after Pentecost;
On Pentecost, terrarium is given instead of terrarum;
Famillae is given instead of Familiae for the Holy Family.
(This list isn't exhaustive.)

Now anybody can make an odd typo. It seems a pity, though, that there are so many typos in the Latin. If Latin sentences are given, they should at least be checked, and the impression given here is that nobody has cared enough to do this. This detracts from the quality of the book.

Overall, definitely worth having. Royalties from sale of the book will go to the Oxford Oratory "Renewal and Reaffirmation" appeal. The renovation of the Oratory Church is partially complete, but much more money is needed to finish the task, and this is a cause well worth supporting. From the Oratory Lodge, it costs the list price of £19.99; it's cheaper on Amazon, but less goes to the Appeal!

Mr Lazlo Kiss, Requiescat in Pace

Mr Lazslo Kiss, the webmaster of the excellent Divinumofficium website, died unexpectedly on 11th July.

Further details are available on the Rorate Coeli blog.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.

His site is valuable for providing the texts for the daily office and for the mass, both in Latin and English (and Hungarian), and in several different versions. I've personally used it as an easy and accessible way of saying the Breviary in the two versions I use most commonly i.e. the immediately pre-1911 and immediately post-1911 forms. By providing 6 different versions of the office, from Monastic pre-Tridentine through to 1960 newcalendar, it was possible to see clearly the evolution of the office over that period.

It would appear from the Rorate Coeli blog that a new home has been found for the website.

May Mr Kiss rest in peace, and may his work on earth continue.

DF

Commemorations at Vespers

Commemorations of the Blessed Virgin, of St Joseph, of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and for Peace. 

I've commented before that I am keen on extra commemorations during Holy Mass or during the Divine Office. These could be of secondary saints, or an octave, for example. This evening - 28th July - was First Vespers of St Martha, with a commemoration of SS Nazarius and Celsus, and a separate commemoration of SS. Felix, Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrice.

The format of a commemoration is easy. The Magnificat antiphon, versicle and response, and collect, of the office that would have been said had those saints been commemorated. See below for some examples.

However, there was a further delight today. Since the office of St Martha is a semi-double in rank, there are also a number of standard commemorations - or suffragia - which are recited at certain times of the year, typically for ferial offices or those of feasts of rank less than double. (See the rubrics for full details, if you need them).

According to the St Pius X version of the breviary, which was in force from 1911 up to 1955 - and is still commonly used today by many right-minded traditionalists - there is one commemoration: of All Saints.

According to the Tridentine breviary, which was in force up to 1911 - and which is the subject of renewed interest among traditionalists - there are four separate commemorations: of the Blessed Virgin, of St Joseph, of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and for Peace.

Here are these four commemorations in translation. For the original Latin you might look at the excellent divinumofficium website, which allows comparisons of the different versions of the breviary from pre-Tridentine Monastic through to 1960. I have pinched the translations from the same source.

Ex-Anglicans, or those who have been illicitly visiting the rites of our separated brethren, will recognize the prayer for peace, which was retained by Cranmer in his bastardized office of Evensong.

Incidentally, if you follow the revised rubrics post 1955, your life is a lot easier but less enriched. You simply have vespers of the double feast of SS. Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent. No commemorations of other saints, no commemoration of Our Lady, St Joseph, SS Peter and Paul. And no prayers for Peace required.

Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ant. O Holy Mary, be thou an help to the helpless, a strength to the fearful, a comfort to the sorrowful; pray for the people, plead for the clergy, make intercession for all women vowed to God may all that keep thine holy remembrance, feel the might of thine assistance.

V. Pray for us, holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, unto all thy servants, that they may continually enjoy soundness both of mind and of body, and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness, and enter into the joy of thine eternal gladness.

Commemoration of St. Joseph


Ant. Behold a faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over His household.

V. Glory and riches shall be in his house.
R. And his righteousness endureth for ever.

Let us pray.
O God, who, in thine unspeakable foreknowledge, didst choose thy blessed servant Joseph to be the husband of thine own most holy Mother; mercifully grant that now that he is in heaven with thee, we who on earth do reverence him for our defender, may worthily be holpen by the succour of his prayers to thee on our behalf.

Commemoration of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul


Ant. Peter the Apostle, and Paul the Teacher of the Gentiles, have taught us thy law, O Lord.

V. Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.
R. They shall be mindful of thy Name, O Lord.

Let us pray.
O God, whose right hand caught the Blessed Peter when he walked upon the water, and began to sink, and thrice delivered his fellow-Apostle Paul from the deep of the sea, when he suffered shipwreck graciously hear us, and grant, for the sake of them both, that we also may attain everlasting glory.

For Peace.


Ant. Give peace in our time, O Lord, for there is none other that fighteth for us, but only Thou O Lord.

V. Peace be within thy walls.
R. And prosperity within thy palaces.

Let us Pray.
O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; so that, with our hearts set to obey thy commandments, and freed from the fear of the enemy, we may pass our lives in peace under thy protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ etc.

Prayer for Priests

PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep Thy priests within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Thy Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with Thy Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of Thy priesthood.

Let Thy holy love surround them, and shield them from the world’s contagion.

Bless their labours with abundant fruit,

and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here on earth,

and in heaven, their everlasting crown.
Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for priests and vocations to the priesthood.

St. Therese of Lisieux
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The devil hates priests. He works day and night to draw them into sin and error. He slanders the name of good priests. He tries to prevent the ordination of good men to the priesthood. He tries to drive them to despair or presumption. He delights when they can be ensnared in his devices, when he can parade them as a scandal before the world. His real enemy is the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ Our Lord. May Our Lord defend His priests; may Mary, the mother of priests, keep them from harm. May the glories of the priesthood be exalted before the world, and be a terror to the enemies of the Church. Amen.

Lots of Commemorations

I always appreciate commemorations at Lauds and Vespers, and yesterday (Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension) was a fine specimen. Three commemorations, according to the very fine Ordo from the St Laurence Press: St Norbert, St Boniface, and the Octave of the Ascension.

Commemorations can arise when one feast is displaced by another - for example, yesterday St Boniface was displaced by the Sunday. They can arise when 1st vespers of one saint is recited, but the saint of the day just finishing is commemorated. And during an octave, the octave can also be commemorated. The week after Christmas can get exciting, since several octaves overlap (depending on which rubrics you're using). It all gets complicated, which is why we need fine people like the St Laurence press to keep us on the straight and narrow.

All of this is, of course, simplified in the various Novi Ordines, where virtually nothing is commemorated, and there are virtually no octaves. Dull.

The way a commemoration takes place is that, after the main collect for the day, the Antiphon for the Magnificat (or Benedictus, at Lauds) is recited, together with the versicle and response, and then the collect of the feast being commemorated.

Commemorations for the Sunday in the Octave of the Ascension, AD MMXI

For St Norbert

O holy Priest and Bishop, thou worker of so many mighty works, and good shepherd to Christ's flock, pray for us unto the Lord our God.

V. The Lord loved him, and adorned him.
R. He clothed him with a robe of glory.
 
Let us pray.

O God, who didst appoint Saint Norbert, thy Confessor and Bishop, to be an excellent preacher of thy holy word, and through him hast enriched thy Church with a new offspring : grant, we beseech thee; that, by the intercession of his merits, we may of thee be enabled to perform those things which he taught both in word and in deed. Through etc.
 
For St Boniface
 
If any man shall come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
V. The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree.
R. And shall spread abroad like a cedar in Libanus.

Let us pray.
O God, who by the labours of blessed Boniface, thy Martyr and Bishop, didst vouchsafe to call many nations to the knowledge of thy Name: mercifully grant that we, who as on this day do keep his feast, may by his advocacy find favour in thy sight.

For the Octave of the Ascension

Father, I have manifested thy Name unto the men whom thou hast given me: and now I pray for them, not for the world, because I come to thee, alleluia.

V. God is gone up with a merry noise, alleluia.
R. And the Lord with the sound of the trumpet, alleluia.

Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God: that like as we do believe thine only-begotten Son our Saviour to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell. Who liveth etc.

Meditations for the Octave of Corpus Christi by St Alphonsus Liguori, Day 4

MEDITATIONS FOR THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI
by St Alphonsus Liguori

MEDITATION IV.

ON THE GREAT LOVE WHICH JESUS CHRIST HAS SHOWN US IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

"Jesus, knowing that His hour was come, that He should pass out of this world to the Father: having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end" (St. John xiii. 1). Jesus knowing that the hour of His death was come, desired to leave us, before He died, the greatest pledge of His affection that He could give us; and this was the gift of the Most Holy Sacrament: "He loved them to the end;" which St. Chrysostom explains, 'He loved them with extreme love' He loved men with the greatest love with which He could love them, by giving them His whole Self. But at what time did Jesus institute this great Sacrament, in which He has left us Himself ? On the night preceding His death: "The same night in which He was betrayed" (writes the Apostle), "He took bread; and giving thanks, broke and said, Take ye and eat; this is My Body" (1 Cor. xi. 23, 24). At the very time that men were preparing to put Him to death, He gave them this last proof of His love. The marks of affection which we receive from our friends at the time of their death, remain more deeply impressed on our hearts; for this reason did Jesus bestow on us this gift of the Blessed Sacrament just before His death. With reason, then, did St. Thomas call this gift 'a sacrament and pledge of love;' and St. Bernard, ' the love of loves;' because in this Sacrament Jesus Christ united and accomplished all the other acts of love which He had shown us. Hence St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi called the day on which Jesus instituted this Sacrament, 'the day of love.'

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS.

O infinite love of Jesus, worthy of being loved with a like infinite love! Thou, my Lord, dost love men so much; how is it, then, that men love Thee so little in return? What more couldst Thou do to make Thyself loved by them? O my Jesus, Thou art so amiable and so loving; make Thyself, I pray Thee, known; make Thyself loved. When shall I love Thee as Thou hast loved me? Oh, discover to me more .and more the greatness of Thy mercy, in order that I may burn ever more and more with Thy love, and always seek to please Thee. O beloved One of my soul, would that I had always loved Thee! Alas, there was a time when I not only did not love Thee, but despised Thy grace and Thy love! I am consoled by the sorrow which I feel for it, and I hope for pardon through Thy promise to forgive him that repents of his sins. To Thee, O my Saviour, do I turn all my affections; help me, through the merits of Thy Passion, to love Thee with my whole strength. Oh, that I could die for Thee, as Thou didst die for me! O Mary, my Mother, do thou obtain for me the grace from henceforth to love God alone.