Monday, December 26, 2011

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #8







 

(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largly from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

INTRODUCTION 

[Continued] 
Quotations no less ardent and eloquent might be drawn in abundance from the literature of every Christian age. No wonder if the Psalter, thus highly valued and commended, has always occupied, with the Gospels, the foremost place in the Church's liturgical devotions. It must be admitted, however, that with a lessening participation of the faithful in those devotions has gone a lessening use of them as prayers. Not to go back to the primitive centuries--laity and clergy--with one heart, one soul, and one voice took part in the Eucharistic and other celebrations (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32); throughout the Middle Ages the recitation of large portions of the Psalms--gradually made up into the "Breviary"--was customary for all devout Christians. 
To learn the Psalms was for boys and girls a chief part of education. 
Not only saintly kings such as Louis of France, Wenceslas of Bohemia, or Stephen of Hungary, but also less devout personages, grim soldiers and statesmen, like William the Conqueror and Philip Augustus, sought and found time from their secular cares to join the monks in their chant of the canonical hours, or to imitate them by private recital--much as this may amaze our modern Christians, who leave the Breviary, with its Psalms, hymns, lessons, and prayers to the clergy and are content it should be a closed volume to themselves.
(O'Neill, The Psalms and Canticles).


[To be continued]


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #7





 

(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largly from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

INTRODUCTION 

Continued] 


Denis the Areopagite says that the Psalms are, as it were, "a compendium of all the Scriptures. They teach the eradication of all vices, the attaining of all virtues, the fulness of all perfection; they illuminate faith, strengthen hope, inflame charity, inspire humility, especially comment meekness, are a school of patience and all other virtues: they give deep pleasure to the mind of the devout reciter and take away idle and worldly sadness. They set before us the torments of the impious, the rewards and joys of the just, the lessons of the beginner, the steps of the onward pilgrim, the completeness of the perfect, the life of the active, the meditations of the contemplative."
(O'Neill)

[To be continued]

Saturday, December 17, 2011


EMBER SATURDAY IN ADVENT

SIMPLE / PURPLE
INTROIT Ps. 79:4, 2
Come, O Lord, and show us Thy face, Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim: and we shall be saved.
Ps. 79:2. Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.
Glory be . . .

Let us pray.
Let us kneel.
Arise.

COLLECT
O God, who seest that we are afflicted because of our iniquity, mercifully grant that we may be comforted by Thy visitation: Who livest . . .

LESSON Isa. 19:20-22
In those days, they shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressor, and he shall send them a Saviour and a defender to deliver them. And the Lord shall be known by Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall worship him with sacrifices and offerings: and they shall make vows to the Lord, and perform them. And the Lord shall strike Egypt with a scourge, and shall heal it, and they shall return to the Lord, and he shall be pacified towards them, and heal them.

GRADUAL Ps. 18:7, 2
His going out is from the end of heaven: and His circuit even to the end thereof. The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declareth the work of His hands.

COLLECT
O God, who didst deaden the flames of fire for the three children: mercifully grant that the flame of vice may not consume us Thy servants. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE 2 Thess. 2:1-8
Brethren, we beseech you, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and of our gathering together unto Him: That you be not easily moved from your sense nor be terrified, neither by spirit nor by word nor by epistle. as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition Who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God. Remember you not that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity already worketh: only that he who now holdeth do hold, until he be taken out of the way. And then that wicked one shall be revealed: whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.

TRACT Ps. 79:2, 3
Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasses. Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come and save us.

GOSPEL St. Luke 3:1-6
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina: Under the high priests Anna and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins. As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Zac. 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold thy King will come to thee, the Holy and Savior.

SECRET
O Lord, we beseech Thee, look down favorably upon these present Sacrifices: that they may profit us unto both devotion and salvation. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 18:6, 7
He hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way: His going out is from the end of heaven, and His circuit even to the end thereof.

POSTCOMMUNION
We beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that the most holy Mysteries, which Thou hast given us for a safeguard of our renewal, may become our remedy both now and for time to come. Through our Lord . . .

Monday, December 12, 2011

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #6


 

(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largly from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 10:  Memebers o...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

INTRODUCTION 
[Continued]

Venerable Denis the Carthusian (d 1471) expresses the mind of medieval contemplatives:
"The Holy Spirit has poured into the Psalms words full of feeling, words suited to every description of mankind; now putting forward what belongs to the perfect and is to be sung with much fervor of spirit; now what concerns the imperfect and the penitent. He has hymns suited to every virtuous movement of the soul. Sometimes the words spoken in the person of Christ, sometimes in the person of the Church, sometimes in the person of a single sinner or penitent, sometimes in the person of one sharing the Divine zeal, sometimes in the language of thanksgiving." (O'Neill).

[To be continued] 




 

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Bernard Fellay, superior of the Society of St. Pius X has stated that his group will not accept the current doctrinal preamble given to them if there are no changes to it. It was originally given to them by Cardinal Levada on October 7. More

Monday, November 28, 2011

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #5



 

(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largly from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

Scroll of the Psalms

Image via Wikipedia

INTRODUCTION 
[Continued]

"The Psalms," says St. Augustine, "are a compendium of what is best in the Old Testament and a prophetic index of what is sublimest in the New. They are a common treasury of excellent devotion, well suited to supply everyone with what he needs. The Holy Spirit, breathing through the composition of the Psalms, and through the Synagogue transmitting them to the Church teaches and helps us to honor, praise, and invoke our Creator; not merely by precepts and examples, as in other sacred books, but by putting, so to speak, upon our lips, the very words of acceptable prayer." Thus He truly "helps our weakness; for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself pleads for us." (Rom. 8: 26). (O'Neill, S. J., Psalms and Canticles).
 

 

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Advent & Christmas


Adventkranz (liturgisch)

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First Sunday of Advent
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
J.M.J.

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS
(From the book "Could You Explain Catholic Practices?"
by Rev. Charles J. Mullaly, S.J. - 1937)

 Advent is a season of penance, and of preparation by the Faithful
for the spiritual joy of Christmas. It is a time when the Church
admonishes us to lift our hearts to God and to trust in Him who is to
free us from our sins. As Advent is a season of penance, the color of
the vestments used at its seasonal Masses is violet and the altar is
not decorated with flowers, except on the third Sunday which is
called Gaudete, or "Rejoice Sunday," because the Introit of the Mass
of that day reminds us of the near approach of our Lord's birth:
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Let your modesty be
known to all men. The Lord is nigh." During this season of penance, as
in Lent, the solemn celebration of marriage, that is, with Nuptial
Mass, etc., is forbidden.

 We should strive ever to emphasize the fact that Christmas is the
Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The greeting cards we
send at the holy season should be a manifestation of our Catholic
Faith, an aid to our friends to enter into the spirit of the holy
season, and a reminder to them that we are praying that they may know
Christ more intimately and love Him more ardently. Your cards to
non-Christian friends may be a means of causing them to make
inquiries in regard to the real meaning of Christmas.

 Christmas derives its name, "Christ's Mass," from the Mass offered
in honor of the Birth of Christ. Its early English form was written
as "Christes Maesse," and in the course of the change of the English
language it eventually became Christmas. In the earliest days of the
Church this feast did not exist. Greater stress was placed on the
Feast of the Epiphany, because it commemorates the day on which our
Saviour was made known to the Gentiles, when the Wise Men came to
adore Him. The Feast of the Nativity came gradually into existence in
the fourth century. Its first mention is made by the great Christian
writer, Clement of Alexandria, about the year 200, and shows that it
was celebrated on May 20. About the year 300, the Latin Church began
to observe it on December 25, because an ancient tradition assigns
that day as the probable date of the Birth of our Savior.

 Love of the Babe of Bethlehem, who was born to redeem us, caused
Catholics, in centuries long gone by, to introduce into our churches
a representation of the crib, the Divine Babe, The Blessed Mother,
St. Joseph, and the Shepherds. St. Francis of Assisi deserves the
credit of making this practice very popular. His zeal prompted him to
place at Graccio a representation of the cave of Bethlehem. His plan
permitted the Faithful vividly to grasp the story of Bethlehem and to
realize the poverty and suffering of our Saviour in the bleak, cold
stable where He was born. The plan has spread to churches in all
parts of the world.

 On the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, it is customary to put the
statues of the Wise Men beside the crib. In the early Church, this
feast was celebrated with great solemnity because it was the day on
which our Saviour was made known to those who were not of Israel. In
the fourth century, the Feast of the Nativity came into its own and
was given first importance, though in many Catholic co
untries the
custom exists of giving all Christmas presents on the Feast of
Epiphany, since on that day the Wise Men brought gifts to our
Saviour.
A Christmas tree in the United States.

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 The Christmas tree is of recent origin. It represents for us the Tree of the Cross. Bethlehem and Calvary are ever associated together in our Christian thoughts, for Christ was born to die on the Tree of Ignominy and thus redeem a sinful world. The lights placed upon the Christmas tree have for us a symbolical meaning. They portray the
Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

 Our modern Santa Claus, a crude, ridiculous figure,
can be traced back to that gentle lover of children--St. Nicholas. This Saint's feast is celebrated on December 6, and parents and friends gave
children presents on that day. The Dutch settlers in New York brought this custom with them to the New World, and the giving of presents on
December 6 and on Christmas Day became somewhat confused. St. Nicholas was contracted into "Santa Claus" and, with the increasing
pagan idea of the Yuletide, became the rollicking, bewhiskered figure so alien to the true Christmas spirit.

 Let our children look to the Christ Child for their Christmas presents. There is no need of deception here, and of shattering childish faith. The Christ Child exists; He loves the little ones and He wishes them to love Him. We have no use in a Catholic home for the fraudulent Santa Claus and the pagan Christmas he now symbolizes. Let the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ be for young and
old a day of spiritual joy and of close union with the Saviour whom we love.

PRAYER TO THE INFANT JESUS
Come to me, O Divine Savior, vouchsafe to be born in my heart.
Grant that, taught by Thine example, and assisted by Thy grace, I may be poor in spirit and humble of heart. Keep me chaste and obedient.
I wish to live but for Thee. O Mary, my Advocate and Mother, obtain
by thy prayers forgiveness of my past offences and holy perseverance
unto death. St. Joseph, do thou also pray for me, that I may become
daily more pleasing to Jesus. Amen.

CHRISTMAS NOVENA
Prayer to Obtain Favors

Hail and blessed be the hour
And moment in which the Son of God
Was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,
At midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, O my God,
To hear my prayer and grant my desires,
Through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
And of His Blessed Mother. Amen

(To be recited fifteen times a day from the Feast
of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) until Christmas)

--
Sincerely in Christ,
Our Lady of the Rosary Library
"Pray and work for souls"
http://olrl.org



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FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / PURPLE
This First Sunday of Advent or the Fourth before Christmas, is the first day of the Liturgical Year. The Mass prepares us this day for the double coming (adventus) of mercy and justice. That is why St. Paul tells us, in the Epistle, to cast off sin in order that, being ready for the coming of Christ as our Saviour, we may also be ready for His coming as our Judge, of which we learn in the Gospel. Let us prepare ourselves, by pious aspirations and by the reformation of our life, for this twofold coming. Jesus our Lord will reward those who yearn for Him and await Him: "Those who trust in Him shall not be confounded." 

INTROIT (Ps. 24. 1-3; Ibid. 4)
To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed. Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Ps. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECT
Arise in Thy strength, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: from the dangers which threaten us because of our sins, be Thy presence our sure defense, be Thy deliverance our safety for evermore. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Commemoration of  OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
The Blessed Virgin May appeared to the young Sister Catherine Laboure while she was at prayer with the Sisters in a chapel in Paris. Our Lady appeared in an oval frame, standing on a globe of the world. She was dressed in a white robe with a blue cloak edged with silver, having as it were diamonds in Her hands from which fell streams of golden rays upon the earth. A voice was heard saying: "These rays are the graces that Mary obtains for men." Then golden words formed around the oval: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!" The oval picture then turned around, and on the reverse side the Sister saw the letter M, with a cross above it, having a crosspiece at its base, and below the letter the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the former surrounded by a crown of thorns, and the latter pierced with a sword. Then the voice said: "A medal must be struck on this pattern; the persons who shall carry it with indulgences attached to it, and shall offer the above prayer, shall enjoy a very special protection from the Mother of God."
The medal was struck and spread all over the world, and immediately the most wonderful conversions and cures attested to its miraculous efficacy. Devout Catholics everywhere attest to its wonder-working power!

O Lord Jesus Christ, who wast pleased that the most Blessed Virgin Mary Thy Mother, immaculate from her first conception, should shine resplendent with miracles beyond number; grant, that, ever imploring her patronage, we may attain the joys of everlasting life; Who livest and reignest . . .
EPISTLE (Rom 13. 11-14)
A reading from the Epistle of the blessed apostle Paul to the Romans. Brethren, knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gradual: (Ps. 24. 3, 4)
None of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths.

Alleluia: (Ps. 84. 8)
Alleluia, alleluia. Show us O Lord, Thy mercy: and grant us Thy salvation. Alleluia.

Gospel: (Luke 21. 25-33)
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke.
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand." And He spoke to them a similitude: "See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh; so you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 24. 1-3)
To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait for Thee shall be confounded.

SECRET
May, O Lord, these Sacred Rites enable us, whom by Thy mighty power Thou hast cleansed from sin, to come pure in heart before Thee who art their author. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Commemoration of  OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
Moved by the petition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in answer to whose prayers Jesus Christ Thy Son worked His first miracle, enable us, Lord God, to minister the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of this Thy Son with pure hearts, and thus be counted worthy of Thy eternal banquet. Through the same our Lord . . .
 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Ps. 84. 13)
The Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.

POSTCOMMUNION
May we in the midst of Thy holy temple, O Lord, receive of Thy mercy, who seek with fitting honour to welcome the coming festival of our Redemption. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

 
Commemoration of  OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
O Lord God almighty, who givest us all things through the Immaculate Mother of Thy Son, enable us by the aid of this mighty Mother to escape the dangers of this time and come to life everlasting. Through the same . . .

Friday, November 25, 2011

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #4






 
(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largly from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

INTRODUCTION 
[Continued]

"The Psalms are very ancient religious poems of unsurpassed excellence with which the religion of the Old Testament has enriched the world. 
David dictating the Psalms, book cover. Ivory,...

Image via Wikipedia

They are hymns of great variety, and in them every religious sentiment finds expression. Little wonder, then, that they loomed large in the religious life of the people. They worshiped God by the singing of the Psalms. And justly. In the Psalms God Himself teaches us how to pray and worship, for they were written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Our Lord, too, and His Apostles used the Psalms in prayer. Taught by the example and precepts of Christ and of the Apostles, the Church introduced the Psalms into her liturgical prayer, of which they now form the major part. Many a saint in heaven today owes his exceptional glory to the devout recitation of these inspired prayers, the Psalms." 
(Rev. B. A. Hausmann, S. J. The New Psalter).

[To be continued]

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

SAINT CECILIA
Virgin and Martyr


DOUBLE / RED
The "Acts" of St. Cecilia say that she was brought up as a Christian amidst all the luxury of a patrician family in pagan Rome. Though she had vowed virginity, her father forced her to marry a young pagan named Valerian. Cecilia told Valerian of her vow, and he was converted by a vision
 of her guardian angelLater, Valerian and his brother Tiburtius (also a convert) were beheaded for having given burial to Christian martyrs. When Cecilia interred the bodies of Valerian and Tiburtius at her villa on the Appian Way, she herself was arrested. After the persecutors had tried unsuccessfully to suffocate her in the bathroom of her own home, she was beheaded. St. Cecilia has been chosen as the saint of musicians because of the following sentence in her "Acts," "While the instruments were playing [at her wedding feast] profane music, Cecilia sang rather to God in her heart."

INTROIT Ps. 118:46-47
I spoke of Your testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed; I meditated on Your commandments, which I loved dearly. 
Ps. 
118:1 Blessed are they who are undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 
V. 
Glory be . . .

COLLECT
We are made happy, O God, by the annual feast of Your blessed virgin martyr Cecilia. May we be inspired by the example of Your saint, as we honor her in this Mass. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON Eccli. 51:13-17
O Lord my God, You have exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away. I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, that He would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help. I will praise Your name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard. And You have saved me from destruction, and have delivered me from the evil time. Therefore I will give thanks, and praise You, O Lord our God. 

GRADUAL Ps. 44:11, 12, 5
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, for the king greatly desires your beauty. V. In your splendor and your beauty, make ready, ride on triumphant, and rule.

Alleluia, alleluia! VMatt. 25:4, 6
The five wise virgins took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And at midnight a cry arose, "Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go forth to meet Christ the Lord."
Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 25:1-13
At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. And five of them were foolish and five wise. But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: 'Behold the bridegroom cometh. Go ye forth to meet him.' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: 'Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.' The wise answered, saying: 'Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.' Now whilst they went to buy the bridegroom came: and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage. And the door was shut. But at last came also the other virgins, saying: 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' But he answering said: 'Amen I say to you, I know you not.' Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour."


OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 44:15, 16
Behind her the virgins shall be led to the king; her friends shall be brought to you with gladness and joy; they shall be led into the temple of the king, Our Lord.

SECRET 
May this offering, established to atone for our sins and bestow Your peace, O Lord, make us always worthy of Your forgiveness through the intercession of Your virgin martyr Cecilia. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 118:78, 80
Let the proud be put to shame for having unjustly harmed me; but as for me, I will observe Your commandments and Your precepts, that I may not be confounded.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, You have feasted Your family with the Food of Heaven. May we always be refreshed through the intercession of Your saint whose feast we celebrate this day. Through Our Lord . . .

Stefano Maderno's Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, ...Martyrdom of St. Cecilia in Rome. Image via Wikipedia
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