6th DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

English: Orthodox Christmas decoration Српски / Srpski: Православнa Божићна декорација,Храм Васкрсења господњег у Ваљеву 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 6th DAY IN THE OCTAVE
OF CHRISTMAS
[The Third Mass of Christmas is said,
Epistle and Gospel of Second Mass of Christmas] 

Introit
Isa 9:6
A Child is born to us, a Son is given to us; upon His shoulder dominion rests; and His name shall be called the Angel of great counsel.
Ps 97:1
Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
A Child is born to us, a Son is given to us; upon His shoulder dominion rests; and His name shall be called the Angel of great counsel.

COLLECT

Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that the new birth, in the flesh, of Your only-begotten Son may deliver us whom the bondage of old keeps under the yoke of sin.
Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

Lesson
Lesson from the letter of St Paul the Apostle to Titus
Titus 3:4-7
Dearly beloved: When the goodness and kindness of God our Savior appeared, then not by reason of good works that we did ourselves, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the bath of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit; Whom He has abundantly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, in order that, justified by His grace, we may be heirs in the hope of life everlasting, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gradual
Ps 97:3-4, 2.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to God, all you lands.
V. The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice. Alleluia, alleluia.
V. A sanctified day has shone upon us; come, you nations, and adore the Lord: for this day a great light has descended upon the earth. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Luke 2:15-20
At that time, the shepherds were saying to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. So they went with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. And when they had seen, they understood what had been told them concerning this Child. And all who heard marveled at the things told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept in mind all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them.

Secret
Make holy the sacrificial gifts we offer, O Lord, and by the new birth of Your only-begotten Son cleanse us from the stains of our sins.
Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. 

Post Communion
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that the Savior of the world, born this day, Who is the author of our birth in godliness, may bestow on us immortal life.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.     

 

Image via Wikipedia

CHRISTMAS | ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT / DEEP CALLS TO DEEP

CHRISTMAS | ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT / DEEP CALLS TO DEEP

+RHG celebrating the Third Mass of Christmas in my private chapel in my residence this morning; the Traditional Latin Mass.

THE VIGIL OF CHRISTMAS; FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

THE VIGIL OF CHRISTMAS


  

Fourth Sunday of Advent

PRIVILEGED VIGIL / PURPLE
All Advent seems concentrated on the Vigil Mass. All the desires and hopes of men point to this night of miraculous birth. "This day . . . the Lord will come." He is to be welcomed as Saviour and King; but also with the awareness that He is our Judge. The Gospel and Epistle are filled with the deep mystery of the divine and human in the Saviour. Both the name that Joseph was to give Him and the vocation of the Apostle Paul, tell us that the Saviour we possess is meant for all nations.

INTROIT Ex. 16:6-7
This day you shall know that the Lord will come and save us; and in the morning you shall see His glory.
Ps. 23:1. The earth and its fullness is the Lord's; the world and all those who dwell therein.
V. Glory be . . .


The Gloria is not said

COLLECT
O God, who each year makes us happy with the anticipation of our redemption, grant that as we now joyfully welcome Your only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, we may also look with confidence on the same Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, when He comes as judge; who lives and rules with You . . .

Commemoration of the FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

O Lord, we beseech Thee, stir up Thy power, and come, and with great might succor us: that by the help of Thy grace that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost . . .

EPISTLE Rom. 1:1-6
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Which he had promised before, by his prophets, in the holy scriptures, Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh, Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith, in all nations, for his name: Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL Ex. 16:6, 7; Ps. 79:2-3
This day you shall know that the Lord will come and save us; and in the morning you shall see His glory.
V. Take heed, You who rule Israel, You who are shepherd over Joseph. You who are enthroned above the Cherubim, reveal Yourself to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
Tomorrow the sinfulness of the earth shall be blotted out, and the Saviour of the world shall rule over us. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 1:18-21
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. 
And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 23:7
Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, O eternal gates, and the king of glory shall enter in.

SECRET
O Almighty God, we eagerly look forward to the adorable birthday of Your Son; grant that we may also receive His everlasting gifts with joy; who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Commemoration of the FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

O Lord, we beseech Thee, look down favorably upon these present Sacrifices: that they may profit us both unto devotion and salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Isa. 40:5
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all men shall see the salvation of God.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, grant us new life as we celebrate the birthday of Your only-begotten Son, for His heavenly rite is our food and drink. Through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Commemoration of the FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Having received Thy gifts, we beseech Thee, O Lord: that as we frequent this Mystery, so the world of our salvation may advance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God . . .

DEC. 14 FERIAL DAY; THURSDAY THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

THURSDAY THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

INTROIT Isa. 30:30

People of Sion, behold, the Lord shall come to save the nations; and the Lord shall make heard the glory of His voice in the joy of your heart.Ps. 79:2 Take heed, you who rule Israel, you who shepherd over Joseph. 

V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O Lord, stir up our hearts to accept the message of Your only-begotten Son, so that, through His coming on earth, we may serve Him always with a pure intention; who lives and rules with You . . .

EPISTLE Rom. 15:4-13

Brethren: For what things soever were written were written for our learning: that, through patience and the comfort of the scriptures, we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind, one towards another, according to Jesus Christ: That with one mind and with one mouth you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive one another, as Christ also hath received you, unto the honour of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: But that the Gentiles are to glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles and will sing to thy name." And again he saith: "Rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people." And again: "Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles: and magnify him, all ye people." And again, Isaias saith: "There shall be a root of Jesse; and he that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope." Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing: that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Ghost.

GRADUAL Ps. 49:2-3, 5

Out of Sion, perfect in beauty, God shall come revealed. 

V. Gather before Him His saints, who have ratified His covenant with sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 121:1

I rejoiced at the tidings which were told me, "We shall go into the house of the Lord."

Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 11:2-10

At that time, when John had heard in prison the works of Christ: sending two of his disciples he said to him: "Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another?" And Jesus making answer said to them: "Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me."

And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What went you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see? A prophet? Yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold I send my angel before my face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.' "

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 84:7-8

You will turn again, O God, and bring us life, and Your people shall rejoice in You. Show us Your mercy, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation.

SECRET

O Lord, let our humble offering of these prayers and sacrifices appease You for our sins. We have no merits of our own to depend on; so assist us with Your aid. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Bar. 5:5; 4:36

Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high, and behold the joy that comes to you from your God.

POSTCOMMUNION

We have just been nourished with Your Body and Blood, O Lord. Teach us through this Sacramental rite to despise the things of earth and to yearn for the things of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Our Lady of Guadalupe; Tuesday Second Week in Advent

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
TUESDAY SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

WITHIN THE OCTAVE

Archbishop Zumarraga. Image via Wikipedia

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / WHITE
On the summit of a hill a few miles north of Mexico City, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Aztec Indian convert, in December, 1531. In order that the Spanish Archbishop Zumarraga of Mexico might have faith in the apparitions, Mary made roses bloom on the cold, arid hillside, and impressed a picture of herself upon Juan Diego's roughly woven mantle. Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has helped to weld into a nation the various peoples of Mexico; [millions of Indians were baptized and entered the Church] and her shrine has never been closed, even during the most bitter conflicts between Church and State in that country.


INTROIT
Hail, Holy Mother, who brought forth the King who rules heaven and earth forever and ever. 
Ps. 44:2. My heart overflows with good tidings; I sing my song to the king.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O God, You have placed us under the special patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and through her You have favored us with endless blessings. May we, who joyfully honor her this day on earth, enjoy her company forever in heaven. Through Our Lord . . .
 
Commemoration of TUESDAY SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Your only-begotten Son, so that through His coming we may be able to serve You with purified minds.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
R. Amen
 
EPISTLE  Eccli. 24:23-31
As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor: and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches.
I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.
In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.
Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits.
For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.
My memory is unto everlasting generations.
They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst.
He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.
They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

GRADUAL  Cant. 6:9; Eccli. 50:8
Who is she who comes forth as th morning dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun? 
V. As a rainbow that gives light in the bright clouds, and as the budding roses in the springtime.

Alleluia, alleluia!  V. Cant. 2:12
The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning has come.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL  Luke 1:39-47
At that time, Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she cried out with a loud voice and said: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord." And Mary said: "My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON  II Par. 7:16
I have chosen and sanctified this place, that my name may be here, and my eyes and my heart may dwell here forever.

SECRET 
O Lord, through Your mercy and the intercession of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, let this offering bring us prosperity and peace now and forever. Through Our Lord . . .
 
Commemoration of TUESDAY SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT 
Be appeased, we beseech You, O Lord, by the prayers and offerings of our human frailty, and where the support of our own merits is lacking, come to our assistance with Your protection.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON  Ps. 147:20
He has not done this for any other nation, and His ordinances He has not made known to them.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, grant that we who have received the Sacrament of our salvation may be protected through the intercession of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, in whose honor we have offered this Sacrifice to Your majesty. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of TUESDAY SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT 
We who have been refreshed by the food of spiritual nourishment, humbly beseech You, O Lord, that through partaking of this sacrament You will teach us to disdain the things of earth and love those of heaven.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen. 

Juan Diego. 18th Century Painting. Image via Wikipedia

SATURDAY THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

SATURDAY THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

Introit
Ps 24:1-3
To You I lift up my soul: in You, O my God, I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. No one who waits for You shall be put to shame.
Ps 24:4
Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
To You I lift up my soul: in You, O my God, I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. No one who waits for You shall be put to shame.

COLLECT
 Put forth Your power, O Lord, we beseech You, and come, that with You as our protector we may be rescued from the impending danger of our sins; and with You as our deliverer, may we obtain our salvation.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
R. Amen


Lesson
Lesson from the letter of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans
Rom 13:11-14
Brethren: Understand, for it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we came to believe. The night is far advanced; the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk becomingly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gradual
Ps 24:3-4
No one who waits for You shall be put to shame.
V. Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths. 

GOSPEL
Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Luke 21:25-33
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations bewildered by the roaring of sea and waves; men fainting for fear and for expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the son of Man coming upon 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 parable. "Behold the fig tree, and all the trees. When they now put forth their buds, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things coming to pass, know that the kingdom of God is near. Amen I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all things have been accomplished. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."   

SECRET
May these offerings, O Lord, cleanse us by their mighty power and thus make us come purer before You Who are their author.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.


POSTCOMMUNION 
May we receive Your mercy, O Lord, in the midst of Your temple, and thus prepare with due observance for the coming festal season of our redemption.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

RORATE CÆLI: Prepare ye the way of the Ordo

RORATE CÆLI: Prepare ye the way of the Ordo



Sunday, 24 December 2017 may be a confusing day for diocesan priests who offer the TLM, a reminder that every priest and sacristy should have an Ordo.  On that Sunday, the Vigil of Christmas is the Mass to be offered all day, using the 1962 calendar, including Sunday morning. The Vigil of Christmas takes the place of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, as it has for centuries when landing on Sunday the 24th.

The photo above shows the FSSP Ordo.  The Vigil of Christmas entry is based on the rubrics.

Dec. 1st Ferial Day; St. Edmund Campion (1581 A.D.); Saint Eligius (660 A.D.)

Ferial Day

SAINT ELIGIUS
Bishop

[Historical] 

SAINT EDMUND CAMPION

Priest/Martyr

[Historical]

Eligius, a goldsmith at Paris, was commissioned by King Clotaire to make a throne. With the gold and precious stones given him he made two. Struck by his rare honesty, the king gave him an appointment at court, and demanded an oath of fidelity sworn upon holy relics; but Eligius prayed with tears to be excused, for fear of failing in reverence to the relics of the Saints. On entering the court he fortified himself against its seductions by the austerities and continual ejaculatory prayers. He had a marvelous zeal for the redemption of captives, and for their deliverence would sell his jewels, his food, his clothes, and his very shoes, once by his prayers braking their chains and opening their prisons. His great delight was in making rich shrines for relics. His srtiking virtue caused him, a layman and a goldsmith, to be made Bishop of Noyon, and his sanctity in this holy office was remarkable. He possessed the gifts of miracles and prophecy, and died in 665.

Mass of a CONFESSOR BISHOP,

COLLECT
 O Almighty God, grant that our solemn celebration of the feast of Your confessor bishop Eligius may increase our devotion and bring us closer to our salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINT EDMUND CAMPION

[Wikipedia]  Born 24 January 1540, executed at Tyburn 1 December 1581 Beatified December 1886, canonized 1970

Edmund Campion was born in London, the son of a Catholic bookseller, who later became Protestant. Anti Catholic feeling during this period of the Reformation meant that England was a hotbed of religious conflict, and from 1534 Catholics were increasingly persecuted for their faith. After schooling at Christ’s Hospital, his precocious scholarship led him to study at St John’s College, Oxford, where he became a Fellow at only seventeen years of age. He was a renowned speaker and teacher, and was chosen to present an address to Queen Elizabeth at the age of twenty six. He impressed her so much that she tried to recruit him to her service, an offer which he declined. He later became a Deacon of the Church of England, and seemed destined to become a rising star in that church. However he became uneasy about the validity of their teachings, convinced that religious truth lay with the Catholic Church. In June 1571 he left England to study at the English College at Douai where he was received into the Catholic faith. Three years later he moved to Rome and entered the Jesuit noviciate, afterwards spending time in Vienna and Prague. He was ordained priest in 1578. In 1580 he returned to England as part of the English Mission, ministering to Catholics in this area (particularly Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire) as well as in the north of England. During this time he wrote his famous pamphlet “Decem Rationes” – Ten Reasons, which argued against the validity of the Church of England. This was secretly printed at Stonor Park, near Henley, a place which frequently provided him with refuge. The pamphlet was distributed anonymously and caused a sensation, leading to an increasingly intensive manhunt. He was finally captured at Lyford Grange, near Wantage and taken to the Tower of London. Here he was questioned in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, who asked if he acknowledged her as the true Queen of England. He affirmed this, and was offered wealth and dignities if he would renounce his Catholic faith. He refused and remained in prison, being tortured several times. He was summoned to four public conferences and despite having no time to prepare and suffering the effects of torture, he reportedly conducted himself so easily and readily that he won much admiration from those present. He was finally convicted of treason on trumped up charges that he had conspired against the life of the Queen and had fomented rebellion. He and his fellow accused priests received their death sentence by joining in the singing of the Te Deum Laudamus. After spending his last days in prayer he was taken to Tyburn and hanged, drawn and quartered, a martyr for the Catholic faith. Edmund Campion was Beatified in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII and declared a Saint in 1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. His Feast Day is 1 December.

Saint Clement I, Pope and Martyr; Saint Felicitas, Martyr, mother of the 7 Holy Brothers

SAINT CLEMENT I
Pope and Martyr

SAINT FELICITAS
Martyr

DOUBLE/RED

Pope Clement I, third successor of St. Peter, is believed to have ruled the See of Rome during the last ten years of the first century. He was the author of a beautiful and widely celebrated letter to the Corinthians. "They who are great," he wrote, "cannot yet subsist without those that are little, nor the little without the great. In our body, the head without the feet is nothing, neither the feet without the head. And the smallest members of our body are useful and necessary to the whole." He is said to have been exiled by Trajan to the Chersonese, where he converted so many pagans that the Emperor had him drowned in the sea.

English: The Martyrdom of Saint Clement (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

INTROIT Isa. 59:21; 56:7 
The Lord said, "My words which I have put into your mouth shall never be wanting to your lips. And your gifts shall be acceptable upon my altar." 
Ps. 111:1. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Clement shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FELICITAS, MARTYR 
According to ancient tradition, Felicitas, a Roman widow, was the mother of seven sons executed for the Faith. Felicitas herself was beheaded in the year 165 under Marcus Antoninus.

O Almighty God, may the merits and prayers of Your blessed Martyr Felicitas, whose feast we celebrate today, be our protection. Through Our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Philipp. 3:17; 4:1-3
Brethren: Be ye followers of me, brethren: and observe them who walk so as you have our model. For many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping) that they are enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction: whose God is their belly: and whose glory is in their shame: who mind earthly things. But our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself. Therefore my dearly beloved brethren and most desired, my joy and my crown: so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beg of Evodia and I beseech Syntyche to be of one mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, my sincere companion, help those women who have labored with me in the gospel, with Clement and the rest of my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.

GRADUAL Ps. 106:32, 31
Let them extol him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. 
V. Let them praise the Lord for his merits and for his wondrous deeds to the children of men.

Alleluia, alleluia! Matt. 16:18
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church. 
Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 16:13-19
At that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: "Whom do men say that the Son of man is?" But they said: "Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Jesus saith to them:"But whom do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answering said to him: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Jer. 1:9-10
Behold, I have placed my words in your mouth; lo, I have set you over the nations and over kingdoms, to root up and to pull down, to build and to plant.

SECRET 
We have offered our gifts to You, O Lord. Let Your light graciously shine upon Your Church, so that this flock may everywhere prosper, and it pastors, under Your guidance, may be truly pleasing to You. Through Our Lord . . . 

Commemoration of SAINT FELICITAS
Look with favor upon the offerings of Your people, O Lord. Let us rejoice in the protection of Your saints whose feast we are permitted to celebrate today. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 16:18
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, govern the Church, which You have been pleased to nourish with Your Heavenly Food. Guide her by Your powerful direction, so that she may enjoy greater freedom and remain unshaken in the fullness of faith. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FELICITAS
Increase Your Gifts within us, O Almighty God, and order our lives according to Your will through the intercession of Your saints. Through Our Lord . . .

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT MARTIN I, Pope and Martyr

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST

SAINT MARTIN I
Pope and Martyr

DOUBLE / GREEN

INTROIT Jer. 29:11, 12, 14
Said the Lord: "I think thoughts of peace and not of affliction. You shall call upon Me and I will hear you, and I will bring you back from captivity from all places." Ps. 84:2. Lord, You have blessed Your land; You have restored Jacob from captivity.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT Forgive the offenses of Your people, O Lord, so that through Your merciful goodness we may be freed from the bondage of sin into which we were led by our own weakness. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT MARTIN I 

Martin I, formerly papal ambassador at the court of Constantinople, was elected Pope in July, 649. In October of the same year he convoked the Lateran Council which condemned the heresy of the Monothelites (who denied that Christ had a human will). Emperor Constans II favored the heresy, and, after an unsuccessful attempt on the Pope's life, had him arrested, taken to Constantinople, and condemned to death. When the death sentence was commuted to exile, Pope Martin was banished to the Chersonese, where he died in 655, broken by his sufferings.
 
O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Martin shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Philipp. 3:17-21; 4:1-3
Brethren: Be ye followers of me, and mark those who walk after the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping) that they are enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction: whose God is their belly: and whose glory is in their shame: who mind earthly things. But our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself. Therefore my dearly beloved brethren and most desired, my joy and my crown: so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beg of Evodia and I beseech Syntyche to be of one mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, my sincere companion, help those women who have labored with me in the gospel, with Clement and the rest of my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.

GRADUAL Ps. 43:8-9
You have freed us from those who afflict us, O Lord, and You have put to shame those who hate us.
V. In God we will glory all the day, and praise Your name forever.

Alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 129:1-2
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my prayer!
Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 9:18-26
At that time, as Jesus was speaking these things unto them, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored him, saying: "Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." And Jesus rising up followed him, with his disciples.
And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself: "If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed." But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: "Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole." And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout, He said: "Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth." And they laughed him to scorn.
And when the multitude was put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand. And the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that country.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 129:1-2
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my prayer, out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord.

SECRET 
We offer this sacrifice of praise, O Lord, to fulfill our debt of service to You. May Your blessings which we cannot merit, continue to reach us through Your boundless mercy. Through Our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT MARTIN I 
We have offered our gifts to You, O Lord. Let Your light graciously shine upon Your Church, so that this flock may everywhere prosper, and its pastors, under Your guidance, may be truly pleasing to You. Through our Lord . . .
 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Mark 11:24
Amen I say to you, all things whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you.

POSTCOMMUNION 
You have given us the happiness of participating in this Heavenly Banquet, O Almighty God. Let us not now fall victim to any human danger. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT MARTIN I
O Lord, govern the Church, which You have been pleased to nourish with Your heavenly Food. Guide her by Your powerful direction so that she may enjoy greater freedom and remain unshaken in the fullness of faith. Through our Lord . . .  

WORSHIP IN THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS, YOUR ETERNAL LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.

WORSHIP IN THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS, YOUR ETERNAL LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. | ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT / DEEP CALLS TO DEEP

Western Civilization Exists for the Mass

NOV 7

Posted by Brian Williams -Liturgy Guy

Many are stunned today at the speed in which western civilization is collapsing. Coinciding with this is the post-conciliar crisis within the Church, the fourth great crisis of Christendom as it has been described by that great defender of orthodoxy, Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan. What may not be as clear too many is the connection between the destruction of the Mass and of the collapse of the Christian west.

One man who understood this connection was Dr. John Senior, professor of English, Literature, and Classics and co-founder of the very successful Integrated Humanities Program at the University of Kansas. Dr. Senior taught for decades at the university level. He was also a convert to the Catholic faith, devoted to the traditional Mass and an attendee of Immaculata Chapel (SSPX) in St. Mary’s, Kansas.

Senior has been credited with inspiring a generation of young men and women who, having studied under him at Kansas, converted to Catholicism. As Michael Matt of the Remnant has noted, “under his tutelage, (his students) had learned to love the old Faith as he did and thus desired to serve the Church as loyally as had their revered teacher.”

Early in his book The Restoration of Christian Culture, John Senior speaks to the inseparable nature of civilization and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:

Whatever we do in the political or social order, the indispensable foundation is prayer, the heart of which is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the perfect prayer of Christ Himself, Priest and Victim, recreating in an unbloody manner the bloody, selfsame Sacrifice of Calvary. What is Christian culture? It is essentially the Mass. That is not my or anyone’s opinion or theory or wish but the central fact of 2,000 years of history. Christendom, what secularists call Western Civilization, is the Mass and the paraphernalia which protect and facilitate it. All architecture, art, political and social forms, economics, the way people live and feel and think, music, literature ―all these things when they are right are ways of fostering and protecting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Understanding this, is it any wonder why a growing number of Catholics today (sometimes derisively dismissed as ‘radical traditionalists’) speak of the need for liturgical restoration? Is it any surprise that we are seeing a cultural collapse in the west considering the anthropocentric and profane Masses offered for much of the last fifty years?

Reading the above quote by Senior recently I was immediately reminded of another occasion when esteemed laity highlighted the inseparable connection between the Mass and civilization.

On the eve of the implementation of Pope Paul’s new Mass in the U.K. back in 1971, a group of learned English signatories wrote the Holy Father a letter, an appeal. Many of the distinguished signers were not even Catholic. They included such artists and thinkers as Agatha Christie, Graham Greene, Robert Graves, Ralph Richardson, Kenneth Clark, Malcolm Muggeridge, and Yehudi Menuhin to name just a few. In total nearly sixty people signed.

Their letter today, and the subsequent response of Rome, are referred to as the Agatha Christie indult, named after its most prominent signer. Put simply, the letter argued for the preservation of the Roman Rite as the jewel of western civilization. They began:

If some senseless decree were to order the total or partial destruction of basilicas or cathedrals, then obviously it would be the educated -whatever their personal beliefs- who would rise up in horror to oppose such a possibility.

Now the fact is that basilicas and cathedrals were built so as to celebrate a rite which, until a few months ago, constituted a living tradition. We are referring to the Roman Catholic Mass. Yet, according to the latest information in Rome, there is a plan to obliterate that Mass by the end of the current year.

Next, the signatories argued (as John Senior did) that the traditional Mass is foundational to, and inseparable from, western civilization:

We are not at this moment considering the religious or spiritual experience of millions of individuals. The rite in question, in its magnificent Latin text, has also inspired a host of priceless achievements in the arts -not only mystical works, but works by poets, philosophers, musicians, architects, painters and sculptors in all countries and epochs. Thus, it belongs to universal culture as well as to churchmen and formal Christians.

The implication is clear. If the “rite in question” has inspired the culture and lifted the human spirit in such a manner “in all countries and epochs”, then what happens when it is distorted and diminished. If western civilization exists for the Mass, then what happens when the Mass is changed? Consistently profaned? Modernized?

The letter concludes with both an appeal, and a filial warning, to the Holy Father:

The signatories of this appeal, which is entirely ecumenical and nonpolitical, have been drawn from every branch of modern culture in Europe and elsewhere. They wish to call to the attention of the Holy See, the appalling responsibility it would incur in the history of the human spirit were it to refuse to allow the Traditional Mass to survive…

Cardinal Heenan delivered the letter to Pope Paul VI, resulting in the granting of the Latin Mass indult for England and Wales in November 1971.

What is sad today, nearly fifty years after the “reform” of the Roman Rite, is that many within the Church still do not see what John Senior and the signatories of the Agatha Christie letter so clearly recognized. History has proven them to be truly prophetic. We can view these last fifty years as our Babylonian exile. Our captivity, merited through pride and disobedience.

Surveying the ecclesial and cultural landscape near the end of his life, Senior held nothing back in his assessment:

The crisis is over; we have lost. This is no longer just a prediction, it is a simple observation: Rome has been desecrated. We are in the age of darkness. Triumphalist reactions are in vain. The modern world and the Church deserve the punishment that God is raining down on us.

Despite this current punishment we cannot despair. In the end, we know Who is victorious. We do not, however, participate in this victory if we fail to reassert the fundamental connection between the Mass and western civilization.

The Mass must first be the foundation of the family before it can be the foundation of the culture. All of life must flow from Our Eucharistic Lord, present in our churches, on the altars, in the hands of our priests. The Social Kingship of Christ must once again be proclaimed as well.

We must also reject the nonsensical notion of the Mass as an ecumenical experiment. As a laboratory for innovation. As an expression of the secular instead of an encounter with the eternal. This must all be rejected. It is offensive and it is not Catholic.

Western civilization, or more accurately Christendom, exists for the Mass. We have seen the fruits of secularism, of rejecting this fundamental truth. We have seen both the culture and the Church teeter (and in some places fall) due to the loss of understanding of this foundational truth. Even where the culture fails to grasp this notion, it is still true never the less.

In the end this is why so many fight for the liturgy, despite the scorn of some and the indifference of many. This truth compels us. Father John Zuhlsdorf (Fr. Z) likes to say, “Save the Liturgy, save the World.” Indeed.