WEDNESDAY OCTAVE DAY OF THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH – Mass Propers

O glorious St. Joseph! Father and Protector of the Faithful, we bless our Mother the Church, for that she, now that the world is drawing to the close of its existence, has taught us to confide in thee. Many ages passed away, and thy glories had not been made known to the world; but even then, thou wast one of mankind’s most powerful intercessors. Most affectionately didst thou fulfil thy office as head of the great human family, whereof the Incarnate Word was a member. Nations and individuals experienced the benefit of thy prayers; but there was not the public acknowledgment of thy favours, — there was not the homage of gratitude, which is now offered to thee. The more perfect knowledge of thy glories, and, the honouring thee as the Protector of mankind, — these were reserved for our own unhappy times, when the state of the world is such as to require help beyond that which was granted to former ages. We come before thee, O Joseph! to honour the unlimited power of thine intercession, and the love thou bearest for all the children of the Church, the Brethren of Jesus. Thou, O Mary! art pleased at seeing us honour him, whom thou didst so tenderly love. Never are our prayers so welcome to thee, as when they are presented to thee by his hands. The union, formed by heaven between thyself and Joseph, will last for all eternity; and the unbounded love thou hast for Jesus is an additional motive for thee’ to love him who was the Foster-father of thy Child, and the Guardian of thy Virginity. — O Joseph, we also are the children of Mary, thy Spouse; treat us as such, bless us, watch over us, and receive the prayers which now more than ever, the Church encourages us to present to thee.

Thou art the pillar of the world,” — columen mundi; thou art one of the foundations whereon it rests ; because of thy merits and prayers, our Lord has patience with it, in spite of the iniquities which defile it. How truly may we say of these our times: There is now no saint; — truths are decayed from among the children of men! How powerful then, must not thine intercession be, to avert the indignation of God, and induce him to show us his mercy ! Grow not weary of thy labour, O thou universal Protector! The Church of thy Jesus comes before thee, on this day, beseeching thee to persevere in thy task of love. See this world of ours, now it is become one great volcano of danger by the boasted liberty granted to sin and heresy! Delay not thine aid, but quickly procure for us what will give us security and peace. Whatever may be our necessities, thou art willing and able to assist us. We may be the poorest and last among the children of the Church; it matters not; thou lovest us with all the affectionate compassion of a Father. What a joy is not this to our hearts, O Joseph! — We will therefore turn to thee in our spiritual wants. We will beg thee to assist us in the gaining the virtues we stand in need of, in the battles we have to fight against the enemies of our souls, and in the sacrifices which duty asks at our hands. Make us worthy to be called thy Children, O thou Father of the Faithful! Nor is thy power limited to what regards our eternal welfare; daily experience shows us how readily thou canst procure for us the blessing of God upon our temporal interests, provided they are in accordance with his divine will. Hence it is, that we hope for thy protection and aid in what concerns our worldly prospects. The house of Nazareth was confided to thy care; deign to give counsel and help to all them that make thee the Patron of all that regards their earthly well-being.  Glorious Guardian of the Holy Family, the family of Christendom is placed under thy special Patronage; watch over it in these troubled times. Hear the prayers of them that seek thine aid, when about to choose the partner who is to share with them the joys and the sorrows of this world, and help them to prepare for their passage to eternity. Maintain between husbands and wives that mutual respect, which is the safeguard of their fidelity to each other. Obtain for them the pledge of heaven’s blessings. Fill them with such reverence for the holy state to which they have been called, that they may never deserve the reproach given by St. Paul to certain married people of that day, whom he compares to heathens, who know not God. Grant us, also, Joseph, another favour. There is one moment of our lives, which is the most important of all, since eternity depends upon it: it is the moment of our Death. And yet we feel our fear abated by the thought, that God’s mercy has made thee the special Patron of the Dying. Thou hast been intrusted with the office of making Death happy and holy to those who invoke thee. To whom could such a prerogative have been given more appropriately than to thee, O Joseph, whose admirable death was one of the sublimest spectacles ever witnessed by Angels or by men, for Jesus and Mary were by thy side, as thou didst breathe forth thy soul. Be, then, our helper at that awful hour of our Death. We hope to have Mary’s protection, for we daily pray to her that she would aid us at the hour of our Death ; but we know that Mary is pleased at our having confidence in thee, and that where thou art, she also is sure to be. Encouraged by thy fatherly love, O Joseph! We will calmly await the coming of our last hour; for if we are careful in recommending it to thee, thou wilt not fail to take it under thy protection.

The Liturgical Year – Dom Gueranger, O.S.B

      

  St. Peter of Verona. Martyr

Saint Peter of Verona O.P. (1206 – April 6, 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr, was a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was killed by an assassin, and was canonized as a Catholic saint 11 months after his death, making this the fastest canonization in history.

SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH – OCTAVE DAY

SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, CONFESSOR
AND PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
With a commemoration of St. Peter of Verona, Martyr

DOUBLE/MAJOR FEAST / WHITE VESTMENTS

I will go in unto the altar of God. Unto God who giveth joy to my youth…

INTROIT – Psalm 32: 20, 21

Adjutor, et protector noster est Dominus: ideo laetabitur cor nostrum, et in nomine sancto ejus speravimus, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.  Qui regis Israel, intende: qui deducis, velut ovem, Joseph. V. Gloria Patri .

Adjutor, et protector noster est Dominus . . .

The Lord is our helper and protector: in Him our heart shall rejoice, and in His holy Name we have trusted, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.  (Ps. 79. 1). Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V. Glory be to the Father.

The Lord is our helper and protector . . .

COLLECT

O God, who in Thine unspeakable Providence wast pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the Spouse of Thy Most Holy Mother: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we honor as our protector upon earth. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost.

2nd COLLECT – Peter of Verona, Martyr

Praesta quæsumus omnípotens Deus: ut beáti Petri Mártyris tui fidem cóngrua devotióne sectémur; qui, pro ejúsdem fidei dilatatióne, martyrii palmam méruit obtinére. Per Dóminum.

Grant we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that we may honor the faith of blessed Peter, Thy martyr, with fitting devotion, as he by the spread of the same faith was found worthy to obtain the palm of martyrdom. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE –  Genesis 49: 22-26

Lesson from the Book of Genesis.

Joseph was a growing son, a growing son, and comely to behold: the daughters run to and fro upon the wall. But they that held darts provoked him, and quarreled with him and envied him. His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, the stone of Israel. The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his father: until the desire of the everlasting hills shall come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.

GRADUAL – Psalm 36

Alleluia, alleluia. V. In whatever tribulation they shall cry to me, I will hear them, and be their protector always.

ALLELUIA 

Alleluia.  Obtain for us, Joseph, grace to lead an innocent life: and may our life ever be shielded by thy patronage.  Alleluia.

GOSPEL – Luke 3: 21-23

 Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

At that time: It came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, heaven was opened: and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape as a dove upon Him: and a voice came from heaven: Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well pleased. And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty years: being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.             

OFFERTORY  Psalm 147: 12, 13

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, because He hath strengthened the bolts of thy gates: He hath blessed thy children within thee. Alleluia, alleluia.

 SECRET

Supported by the patronage of thy Spouse of Thy Most Holy Mother, we beseech Thy clemency, O Lord, that Thou wouldst make our hearts to despise all earthy things and to love Thee, the true God, with perfect charity: who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost.

2nd Secret – St. Peter of Verona, M

Preces, quas tibi, Dómine, offérimus intercedénte beáto Petro Mártyre tuo, cleménter inténde: et propugnatóres fidei sub tua protectióne custódi. Per Dominum.

Graciously give ear, O Lord, to the prayers we offer Thee, and, through the intercession of blessed Peter, Thy martyr, keep under Thy protection those who defend the Faith. Through our Lord.

Preface of St. Joseph

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should magnify with due praises, bless and proclaim Thee on the Solemnity of blessed Joseph; who, being a just man, was given by Thee as a Spouse to the Virgin Mother of God, and, as a faithful and prudent servant was set over Thy Family, that, with fatherly care, he might guard Thine only-begotten Son, conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, and the Powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say with lowly praise:

THE SANCTUS

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

COMMUNION – Matthew 1: 16

But Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ, alleluia, alleluia.

POSTCOMMUNION

We who are refreshed at the fountain of divine blessing, beseech Thee, O Lord our God: that as Thou makest us to rejoice in the protection of blessed Joseph so, by his merits and intercession, Thou wouldst make us to be sharers of heavenly glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

2nd Postcommunion – St. Peter of Verona, M

The Assassination of Saint Peter Martyr, by Giovanni Bellini.

Fideles tuos, Dómine, custódiant sacraménta, quæ súmpsimus: et intercedénte beáto Petro Mártyre tuo, contra omnes advérsos tueántur incúrsus. Per Dominum.

May the sacraments which we have received, keep Thy faithful, O Lord, and, by the intercession of blessed Peter, Thy martyr, guard them against all assaults of the enemy. Through our Lord.

 

THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH – TLM Propers

St. Joseph, spouse of our Lady, Confessor and Patron of the Universal Church

St. Joseph was by birth of the royal family of David, but was living in humble obscurity as a carpenter when God raised him to the highest sanctity, and fitted him to be the spouse of His Virgin Mother, and foster-father and guardian of the Incarnate Word. Joseph, says the Holy Scripture, was a just man; he was innocent and pure, as became the husband of Mary; he was gentle and tender, as one worthy to be named the father of Jesus; he was prudent and a lover of silence, as became the master of the holy house; above all, he was faithful and obedient to divine calls. His conversation was with angels rather than with men. When he learned that Mary bore within her womb the Lord of heaven, he feared to take her as his wife; but an angel bade him fear not, and all doubts vanished. When Herod sought the life of the divine Infant, an angel told Joseph in a dream to fly with the Child and His Mother into Egypt.

“Saint Joseph’s Dream” by Francesco Trevisani

Joseph at once arose and obeyed. This sudden and unexpected flight must have exposed Joseph to many inconveniences and sufferings in so long a journey with a little babe and a tender virgin, the greater part of the way being through deserts and among strangers; yet he alleges no excuses, nor inquires at what time they were to return. St. Chrysostom observes that God treats thus all His servants, sending them frequent trials to clear their hearts from the rust of self-love, but intermixing seasons of consolation. “Joseph,” says he, “is anxious on seeing the Virgin with child; an angel removes that fear. He rejoices at the Child’s birth, but a great fear succeeds: the furious king seeks to destroy the Child, and the whole city is in an uproar to take away His life. This is followed by another joy, the adoration of the Magi; a new sorrow then arises: he is ordered to fly into a foreign unknown country, without help or acquaintance.” It is the opinion of the Fathers that upon their entering Egypt, at the presence of the child Jesus, all the oracles of that superstitious country were struck dumb, and the statues of their gods trembled and in many places fell to the ground. The Fathers also attribute to this holy visit the spiritual benediction poured on that country, which made it for many ages most fruitful in Saints. After the death of King Herod, of which St. Joseph was informed in another vision, God ordered him to return with the Child and His Mother into the land of Israel, which our Saint readily obeyed. But when he arrived in Judea, hearing that Archelaus had succeeded Herod in that part of the country, and apprehensive that he might be infected with his father’s vices, he feared on that account to settle there, as he would otherwise probably have done for the education of the Child; and therefore, being directed by God in another vision, he retired into the dominions of Herod Antipas, in Galilee, to his former habitation in Nazareth. St. Joseph, being a strict observer of the Mosaic Law, in conformity to its direction annually repaired to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Our Saviour, now in the twelfth year of His age, accompanied His parents thither. Having performed the usual ceremonies of the feast, they were returning with many of their neighbors and acquaintances towards Galilee; and never doubting but that Jesus was with some of the company, they travelled on for a whole day’s journey before they discovered that He was not with them.

But when night came on and they could hear no tidings of Him among their kindred and acquaintance, they, in the deepest affliction, returned with the utmost speed to Jerusalem. After an anxious search of three days they found Him in the Temple, discoursing with the learned doctors of the law, and asking them such questions as raised the admiration of all that heard Him, and made them astonished at the ripeness of His understanding; nor were His parents less surprised on this occasion. When His Mother told Him with what grief and earnestness they had sought Him, and asked, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold Thy Father and I sought Thee in great affliction of mind,” she received for answer, “How is it that you sought Me? did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But though thus staying in the Temple unknown to His parents, in all other things He was obedient to them, returning with them to Nazareth, and there living in all dutiful subjection to them. As no further mention is made of St. Joseph, he must have died before the marriage of Cana and the beginning of our divine Saviour’s ministry. We cannot doubt that he had the happiness of Jesus and Mary attending at his death, praying by him, assisting and comforting him in his last moments; whence he is particularly invoked for the great grace of a happy death and the spiritual presence of Jesus in that hour.

St. Soter, Pope and Martyr

St. Soter was raised to the papacy upon the death of St. Anicetus, in 173. By the sweetness of his discourses he comforted all persons with the tenderness of a father, and assisted the indigent with liberal alms, especially those who suffered for the faith. He liberally extended his charities, according to the custom of his predecessors, to remote churches, particularly to that of Corinth, to which he addressed an excellent letter, as St. Dionysius of Corinth testifies in his letter of thanks, who adds that his letter was found worthy to be read for their edification on Sundays at their assemblies to celebrate the divine mysteries, together with the letter of St. Clement, pope. St. Soter vigorously opposed the heresy of Montanus, and governed the Church to the year 177.

St. Caius, Pope and Martyr

From The Liturgical Year – Ven. Dom Gueranger, O.S.B.

The Palms of two martyred Popes are intertwined and grace this day of the Calendar. Soter suffered for Christ in the second, and Caius in the third century; a hundred years separate them, and yet we have the same energy of faith, the same jealous fidelity to keep intact the depositum left by Christ to his Church. What human society ever existed, that produced heroes for century after century? The Society, however, which was founded by Christ,  in other words, the Church,  is based on that traditional devotedness, which consists in laying down one’s life for the Faith. And if so, we may be sure that the spirit of Martyrdom would show itself in them that were the Heads and Fathers of this Society. The first thirty Successors of St. Peter paid dearly for the honor of the Supreme Pontificate;  they were Martyrs. How grand the Throne of our Risen Jesus, surrounded as it is by all these Kings clad in their triumphant scarlet robes! Soter was the immediate successor of Anicetus, whose feast we kept on the 17th of this month. Time has effaced the details of his life. Eusebius, however, gives us a fragment of a Letter written by St. Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, wherein thanks are expressed to the Pontiff for the alms be sent to the Faithful of that Church, during a famine. An Apostolic Letter was sent with these alms ; and St. Dionysius tells us, that it was read in the assemblies of the Faithful, together with the one addressed to the same Church, in the preceding century, by St. Clement. The Roman Pontiffs have ever united charity to their fidelity in preserving pure the Deposit of our Faith. With regard to Caius, he suffered death in the terrible Persecution under Dioclesian; and little more than a mere mention of his name is given in the annals of Christian Rome.

HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS PROPERS

The Solemnity of St. Joseph

SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, CONFESSOR
AND PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
With a commemoration of Sts. Soter and Cajus Popes and Martyrs

THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER
(Wednesday after Good Shepherd Sunday)
Double Feast of The First Class with a Octave / White Vestments

INTROIT – Psalm 32: 20, 21

Adjutor, et protector noster est Dominus: ideo laetabitur cor nostrum, et in nomine sancto ejus speravimus, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.  Qui regis Israel, intende: qui deducis, velut ovem, Joseph. V. Gloria Patri .

Adjutor, et protector noster est Dominus . . .

The Lord is our helper and protector: in Him our heart shall rejoice, and in His holy Name we have trusted, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.  (Ps. 79. 1). Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V. Glory be to the Father.

The Lord is our helper and protector . . .

COLLECT

O God, who in Thine unspeakable Providence wast pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the Spouse of Thy Most Holy Mother: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we honor as our protector upon earth. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost.

Second Collect – Commemoration of Sts. Soter and Cajus

In Thy loving kindness, we beseech Thee, O Lord, be moved by the offering of our gifts and enlighten Thy Church: that Thy flock may prosper everywhere and shepherds, under Thy guidance, may be rendered acceptable to Thee. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE – Genesis 49: 22-26

Lesson from the Book of Genesis.

Joseph was a growing son, a growing son, and comely to behold: the daughters run to and fro upon the wall. But they that held darts provoked him, and quarreled with him and envied him. His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, the stone of Israel. The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his father: until the desire of the everlasting hills shall come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.

GRADUAL – Psalm 36

Alleluia, alleluia. V. In whatever tribulation they shall cry to me, I will hear them, and be their protector always. Alleluia. V.: Obtain for us, Joseph, grace to lead an innocent life: and may our life ever be shielded by thy patronage.  Alleluia.

Baptism of Christ-Francesco Albani

GOSPEL – Luke 3: 21-23

 Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

At that time: It came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, heaven was opened: and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape as a dove upon Him: and a voice came from heaven: Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well pleased. And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty years: being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.       

Sermon –  Fr Isaac Mary Relyea: The Flight into Egypt

      

OFFERTORY  Psalm 147: 12, 13

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, because He hath strengthened the bolts of thy gates: He hath blessed thy children within thee. Alleluia, alleluia.

 SECRET

Supported by the patronage of thy Spouse of Thy Most Holy Mother, we beseech Thy clemency, O Lord, that Thou wouldst make our hearts to despise all earthy things and to love Thee, the true God, with perfect charity: who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost.

Preface of St. Joseph

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should magnify with due praises, bless and proclaim Thee on the Solemnity of blessed Joseph; who, being a just man, was given by Thee as a Spouse to the Virgin Mother of God, and, as a faithful and prudent servant was set over Thy Family, that, with fatherly care, he might guard Thine only-begotten Son, conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, and the Powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say with lowly praise:

THE SANCTUS

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

COMMUNION – Matthew 1: 16

But Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ, alleluia, alleluia.

POSTCOMMUNION

We who are refreshed at the fountain of divine blessing, beseech Thee, O Lord our God: that as Thou makest us to rejoice in the protection of blessed Joseph so, by his merits and intercession, Thou wouldst make us to be sharers of heavenly glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

Second Postcommunion – Commemoration of Sts. Soter and Cajus

Since Thy Church has been nourished by the sacred repast, govern her in Thy clemency, we beseech Thee, O Lord, so that under the guidance of Thy mighty rule she may enjoy greater freedom and abiding integrity of religion. Through our Lord.

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

       THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

       In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia.

       Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia.

      The Liturgical Year – Dom Gueranger, O.S.B.         

This Sunday goes under the name of the Good Shepherd Sunday, because, in the Mass, there is read the Gospel of St. John, wherein our Lord calls him self by this name. How very appropriate is this passage of the Gospel to this present Season, when our Divine Master began his work of establishing and consolidating the Church, by giving it the Pastor, or Shepherd, who was to govern it to the end of time! In accordance with the eternal decree, the Man- God, on the fortieth day after his Resurrection, is to withdraw his visible presence from the world. He is not to be again seen upon the earth till the Last Day, when he will come again to judge the living and the dead. And yet, he could never abandon mankind, for which he offered himself on the Cross, and which he delivered from death and hell by rising triumphantly from the Grave. He will continue to be its Head after his Ascension into heaven: but what shall we have, on earth, to supply his place? We shall have the Church. It is to the Church that he will leave all his own authority to rule us; it is into the hands of the Church that he will entrust all the truths he has taught ; it is the Church that he will make the dispenser of all those means of salvation, which he has destined for the world. This Church is a society, unto which all mankind is invited. It is composed of two classes of Members; the governing and the governed; the teaching and the taught; the sanctifying and the sanctified. This Society is the Spouse of Christ; it is by her that he produces his elect. She is the one only Mother of the elect; out of her bosom, there is no salvation. But how is this society to subsist? How is it to persevere through the long ages of time, even to the Last Day? Who is to give it unity and adhesion of its parts? What is to be the visible link between its members, — the palpable sign of its being the true Spouse of Christ, in the event of other societies rising up and disputing her titles? If Jesus himself could have remained with us, we should have had nothing to fear, for where he is, there also are truth and life; but, as he says, he is going, and we may not as yet follow him. Give ear, then, and learn what is the primary quality of the true Spouse of Christ. Jesus was one day, previous to his Passion, in the country of Cesarea Philippi; his Apostles were standing around him, and he began questioning them about what they thought of him. One of them, Simon the son of John or Jonas, and brother to Andrew, answered in the name of all, and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God!  Jesus expressed his pleasure at receiving Simon’s testimony, which was not the result of any human knowledge, but the expression of a divine revelation there and then granted to him; and he immediately told this Apostle, that from that time forward he was to be, not Simon, but Peter (which means a Rock). Christ had been spoken of by the Prophets under the name of a Rock, or Stone; by thus solemnly conferring upon his Disciple a title so characteristically that of the Messias, Jesus would give us to understand, that Simon was to have a something in common with himself, which the other Apostles were not to have. After saying to him: Thou art Peter, (that is, thou art the Rock,) — he added: And upon this Rock I will build my Church. Let us weigh the force of these words of the Son of God: / will build my Church. He has, then, a project in view, — he intends to build a Church. It is not now that he will build it, but at some future period; but one thing we already know as a certainty, — it is, that this Church will be built on Peter. Peter will be its foundation; and whosoever is not on that foundation, will not belong to the Church. Let us again give ear to the Text: And the gates of hell shall not prevail against my Church. In scriptural language, gates signify the powers: the Church of Christ, therefore, is to be proof against all the efforts of hell. And why? Because the foundation, which Jesus is to give to it, shall- be one that no power can shake. The Son of God continues: And I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus implied this: I will make thee the King of “my Church, of which thou art to be the Foundation!” Nothing could be clearer. But let us remember, that all these magnificent promises regard the future.* That future has now become the present. We are now come to the last days of Jesus’ visible presence here below. The time is come for him to make good his promise, and found the Kingdom of God, — that Church which he was to build upon the earth. The Apostles, in obedience to the order sent them by the Angels, are come into Galilee. Our Lord appears to them on the shore of the lake of Tiberias: after providing them with a mysterious repast, and whilst they are all attentive to his words, he suddenly addresses himself to Peter: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me/ Observe, he does not call him Peter; he, as it were, goes back to the day when he said to him : Simon, son of Jonas, thou  art Peter; he would have his Disciples note the connection between the promise and its actual fulfillment. Peter, with his usual eagerness, answers his Master’s question: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus resumes, with a tone of authority: Feed my Lambs! Then repeating the question, he says: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter is surprised at his Master’s urging such an inquiry; still, he answers with the same simplicity as before: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee: and as soon as he had given answer, Jesus repeats the words of in vestiture: Feed my lambs! The Disciples respectfully listen to this dialogue; they see plainly, that, here again, Peter is made an object of Jesus’ partiality, and is receiving some thing which they themselves are not to receive. They remember what happened at Cesarea Philippi, and how, ever since that day, Peter has been treated by their Master with especial honour. And yet, there is another privilege or office to be added to this of feeding the Lambs. A third time, then, Jesus says to Peter: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? This is too much for the Apostle. These three questionings of his love bring to his mind the three denials he had so sinfully made to the servant girl of Caiphas. He feels the allusion to his recent infidelity; and this third time, his answer implies a prayer for forgiveness; his reply bespeaks humility rather than assurance: Lord says he, thou knowest all things! Thou knowest that I love thee! Then, making Peter’s authority complete, Jesus pronounces these imposing words: Feed my Sheep Here, then, we have Peter made Shepherd by Him, who says of himself: l am the good Shepherd. Firstly, our Lord gives his Apostle, and twice over, the care of his Lambs; — this does not make him the complete Shepherd: but when he bids him feed his Sheep too, the whole Flock is subjected to his authority. Now, therefore, let the Church show herself, let her take her stand, let her spread herself through the length and breadth of the nations; Simon, the son of John, is proclaimed its visible Head. Is the Church a Building? He is the Foundation-Stone, the Petra, the Rock. Is she a Kingdom? He holds the Keys, that is, the sceptre. Is she a Fold? He is the Shepherd. Yes, this Church, — which Jesus is now organizing, and is to be proclaimed to the world on the day of Pentecost, — is to be a Fold. The Word, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is come down from heaven, that he may gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed; and the time is at hand when there shall be but one Fold and one Shepherd.

The good shepherd – Luca Giordano

O Jesus! Our Divine Shepherd! We bless thee, we give thee thanks. It is by thee that the Church, thou art now founding, subsists and lives through every age, congregating and saving all that put themselves under her guidance. Her authority, her strength, her unity, all come from thee, her infinitely powerful and merciful Shepherd! We likewise bless and thank thee for that thou hast secured this authority, this strength, this unity, by giving us Peter as thy Vicar, Peter our Shepherd in and by thee, Peter to whom all, both Sheep and Lambs, owe obedience, Peter in whom thou, our Divine Head, will be for ever visible, even to the end of the world!

 Second Sunday after Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday

 Semi-double / White    Missa ‘Misericordia Dómini’

INTROIT 

Misericordia Dómini plena est terra, alleiúia: verbo Dómini cæli firmáti sunt, allelúia, allelúia. Exsultáte, justi, in Dómino: rectos decet collaudátio. Glória Patri.

Introitus-Misericordia Domini

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, alleluia: by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: praise is comely for the upright. Glory be to the Father

COLLECT

O God, who, by the humility of Thy Son, hast raised up a fallen world, grant to Thy faithful people abiding joy; that those whom Thou hast delivered from the perils of eternal death, Thou mayest cause to enjoy endless happiness. Through the same Lord.

EPISTLE

Dearly beloved, Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow His steps, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Who when He was reviled, did not revile: when He suffered, He threatened not, but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly: who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray, but you are now converted to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

GOSPEL

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know Me, as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.  Laus Tibi, Christe.

The Miraculous Mass of Saint Gregory the Great

Homily by Pope St Gregory the Great

Dearly beloved brethren, ye have heard from the Holy Gospel what is at once your instruction, and our danger. Behold, how He Who, not by the varying gifts of nature, but of the very essence of His being, is Good, behold how He saith: I am the Good Shepherd. And then He saith what is the character of His goodness, even of that goodness of His which we must strive to copy: The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the Sheep. As He had foretold, even so did He; as He had commanded, so gave He ensample. The Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep, and made His Own Body and His Own Blood to be our Sacramental Food, pasturing upon His Own Flesh the sheep whom He had bought. He, by despising death, hath shown us how to do the like; He hath set before us the mould wherein it behoveth us to be cast. Our first duty is, freely and tenderly to spend our outward things for His sheep, but lastly, if need be, to serve the same by our death also. From the light offering of the first, we go on to the stern offering of the last, and, if we be ready to give our life for the sheep, why should we scruple to give our substance, seeing how much more is the life than meat? And some there be which love the things of this world better than they love the sheep; and such as they deserve no longer to be called shepherds. These are they of whom it is written: But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth.  He is not a shepherd but a hireling which feedeth the Lord’s sheep, not because he loveth their souls, but because he doth gain earthly wealth thereby. He that taketh a shepherd’s place, but seeketh not gain of souls, that same is but an hireling; such an one is ever ready for creature comforts, he loveth his pre-eminence, he groweth sleek upon his income, and he liketh well to see men bow down to him.

Sermon Padre Pfeiffer Saturday April 18, 2015

OFFERTORY

Psalm 62: 2, 5  O God, my God, to Thee do I watch at break of day: and in Thy name I will lift up my hands, alleluia.

SECRET

May this holy oblation, O Lord, ever draw down upon us Thy saving blessing; that it may perfect in virtue what it represents in mystery. Through our Lord.

PREFACE FOR EASTER

It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that at all times, but more especially at this season, we should extol Thy glory, O Lord, when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed. For He is the true Lamb that hath taken away the sins of the world. Who by dying hath overcome our death, and by rising again hath restored our life. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

THE SANCTUS

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

COMMUNION 

I am the good shepherd, alleluia: and I know My sheep, and Mine know Me, alleluia, alleluia.

POSTCOMMUNION

Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who obtain from Thee the grace of a new life, may ever glory in Thy gift. Through our Lord.          

FEAST OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT – MASS PROPERS

     

      SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT 

Among all the Pastors, whom our Lord Jesus Christ has placed, as his Vicegerents, over the universal Church, there is not one whose merits and renown have surpassed those of the holy Pope, whose feast we keep to-day. His name is Gregory, which signifies watchfulness; his surname is the Great, and he was in possession of that title when God sent the Seventh Gregory, the glorious Hildebrand, to govern his Church. In recounting the glories of this illustrious Pontiff, it is but natural we should begin with his zeal for the Services of the Church. The Roman Liturgy, which owes to him some of its finest Hymns, may be considered as his work, at least in this sense, that it was he who collected together and classified the prayers and rites drawn up by his predecessors, and reduced them to the form, in which we now have them. He collected also the ancient chants of the Church, and arranged them in accordance with the rules and requirements of the Divine Service.

For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts. – Malachi – 1:11

Hence it is, that our sacred music is called the Gregorian Chant, which gives such solemnity to the Liturgy, and inspires the soul with respect and devotion during the celebration of the great Mysteries of our Faith. He is, then, the Apostle of the Liturgy, and this alone would have immortalized his name; but we must look for far greater things from such a Pontiff as Gregory. His name was added to the three, who had hitherto been honored as the great Doctors of the Latin Church. These three were Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome; who else could be the fourth but Gregory? The Church found in his Writings such evidence of his having been guided by the Holy Ghost, — such a knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, such a clear appreciation of the Mysteries of Faith, and such unction and authority in his teachings, that she gladly welcomed him as a new guide for her children. 

Such was the respect, wherewith everything he wrote was treated, that his very Letters were preserved as so many precious treasures. This immense Correspondence shows us, that there was not a country, scarcely even a city, of the Christian world, on which the Pontiff had not his watchful eye steadily fixed; that there was not a question, however local or personal, which, if it interested religion, did not excite his zeal and arbitration, as the Bishop of the universal Church. If certain writers of modern times had but taken the pains to glance at these Letters, written by a Pope of the 6th century, they would never have asserted, as they have done, that the prerogatives of the Roman Pontiff are based on documents, fabricated, as they say, two hundred years after the death of Gregory. Throned on the Apostolic See, our Saint proved himself to be a rightful heir of the Apostles, not only as the representative and depository of their authority, but as a fellow-sharer in their mission of calling nations to the True Faith.

The Liturgical Year – Ven. Dom Guéranger O.S.B.

Eucharistic Miracle of Rome – ITALY, 6th-7th Century         

Among the most important works in which this Eucharistic Miracle, which occurred in Rome in the year 595, is mentioned is The Life of Blessed Pope Gregory, written by a deacon named Paul in 787.

It was the custom in those days that the bread used for the Eucharistic Celebration was prepared by the faithful themselves.  Pope St. Gregory the Great was a direct witness of this Miracle.  One Sunday, while he was celebrating Holy Mass in the ancient church dedicated to St. Peter, at the time for distributing Holy Communion, he noticed that among the faithful standing in line there was also present one of the women who had prepared the bread for the Consecration.  She was laughing out loud.  The Pope, visibly disturbed, asked her what was the reason for her behavior.  The woman defended herself by saying she could not bring herself to believe how it was possible that the bread which she herself had prepared with her hands, thanks to the words of consecration, had become the Body and Blood of Christ.  At that point, St. Gregory prohibited her from going to Communion and implored God to enlighten her.  Just when he finished praying, he saw the very portion of bread prepared by that woman change into flesh and blood.  The woman, repentant, knelt down to the ground and began to weep.  Even today, part of the Relic of the Miracle is preserved at Andechs in Germany, at the local Benedictine Monastery.

St. Gregory I, the Great – Pope and Doctor / Thursday in the Third Week of Lent

Double/White Vestments    –   Missa ‘Si díligis me’

INTROIT – John 21:15-17

Si díligis me, Simon Petre, pasce agnos meos, pasce oves meas.

Ps.Exaltábo te, Dómine, quóniam suscepísti me, nec delectásti inimícos meos super me. Gloria Patri.

If thou lovest Me, Simon Peter, feed My lambs; feed My sheep.

Ps. I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

O God, Who didst give to the soul of Thy servant Gregory the reward of everlasting bliss: mercifully grant, that we who are oppressed by the burden of our sins, may be raised up by his intercession with Thee. Through Jesus Christ thy Son…

Second Collect For The Feria In Lent 

O God, who hast in their heavenly birthday bestowed upon thy blessed Saints Cosmas and Damian everlasting glory, and upon us the assistance of thine unspeakable providence: grant, we pray thee, that we, who now observe the same, may use it to the increasing of thy honor and glory.  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.

EPISTLE – I Peter 5: 1-4, 10-11

Dearly beloved, the ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech , who am myself also am ancient, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre’s sake, but voluntarily: neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart. And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you. To Him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.

GRADUAL: Psalm 106: 32, 31

Let them exalt him in the Church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients. Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and the wonderful works to the children of men.

The Ascended Virgin with Sts Gregory the Great and Benedict –
Pinturicchio (1512)

TRACT – Psalm 39:10-11

I have declared Thy justice in a great church, lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, Thou knowest it. I have not hid Thy justice within my heart: I have declared Thy truth and Thy salvation. I have not concealed Thy mercy and Thy truth from a great council.

Handing over of the keys – Raffaello Sanzi (Raphael)

  GOSPEL: Matthew 16: 13-19

At that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Cæsarea 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, Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, 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 to thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.”

OFFERTORY – Jeremiah 1. 9-10

Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth:  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

SECRET

Vouchsafe, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of blessed Gregory, we may profit by this oblation of the Sacrifice which wrought for the whole world remission of sin. Through Jesus Christ…

SECOND SECRET OF THE FERIA IN LENT

O Lord, who in this holy sacrifice hast given unto us thyself the firstfruits of all martyrs:  we beseech thee to accept the oblations which we render unto thee, in honor of the servants, whose death is right dear in thy sight.  Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord.  Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God.

PREFACE – OF THE APOSTLES

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, to entreat Thee humbly, O Lord, that Thou woulds not desert Thy flock. O everlasting Shepherd; but through Thy blessed Apostles, wouldst keep it under Thy constant protection; that it may be governed by those same rulers, whom as vicars of Thy work, Thou didst set over it to be its pastors. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of The glory, evermore saying:

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

COMMUNION – Matthew 16: 18

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.

POSTCOMMUNION

O God, Who didst make the blessed Pontiff Gregory rank in merit with Thy Saints: mercifully grant that we who celebrate this festival in his memory, may also follow the example of his life. Through Jesus Christ…

Second Postcommunion For The Feria in Lent

Grant, we pray thee, O Lord, that we who have here received this holy sacrament pleading the merits of thy blessed Martyrs Cosmas and Damian, may obtain therein the assurance of our everlasting salvation.  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.

Introit – 00:00:00 – 00:06:27

Kyrie Eleison – 00:06:28 – 00:12:59

Asperges me, Domine – 00:13:00 – 00:19:40

Credo IV – 00:19:41 – 00:27:26

Pange lingua gloriosi – 00:27:27 – 00:33:57

Gradual and Alleluia – 00:33:58 – 00:40:38

Credo III – 00:40:39 – 00:47:21

Jesu dulcis memoria – 00:47:22 – 00:54:23

Adoro te devote – 00:54:34 – 01:01:01

      St. Gregory the Great, ora pro nobis!  

Second Sunday in Advent / St. Ambrose – Mass Propers

St. Ambrose of Milan

Ambrose was of a noble family, and was governor of Milan in 374, when a bishop was to be chosen for that great see. As the Arian heretics were many and fierce, he was present to preserve order during the election. Though only a catechumen, it was the will of God that he should himself be chosen by acclamation; and, in spite of his utmost resistance, he was baptized and consecrated. He was unwearied in every duty of a pastor, full of sympathy and charity, gentle and condescending in things indifferent, but inflexible in matters of principle. He showed his fearless zeal in braving the anger of the Empress Justina, by resisting and foiling her impious attempt to give one of the churches of Milan to the Arians, and by rebuking and leading to penance the really great Emperor Theodosius, who in a moment of irritation had punished most cruelly a sedition of the inhabitants of Thessalonica. He was the friend and consoler of St. Monica in all her sorrows, and in 387 he had the joy of admitting to the Church her son, St. Augustine. St. Ambrose died in 397, full of years and of honors, and is revered by the Church of and as one of her greatest doctors.

Second Sunday in Advent /St. Ambrose, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

II Class / Semi-Double / Violet Vestments

Missa – ‘Populus Sion’

INTROIT

Isaias (Isaiah) 30:30

Populus Sion, ecce Dóminus véniet ad salvándas gentes: et audítam fáciet Dóminus glóriam vocis suæ in lætítia cordis vestri.

Psalm 79: 2 Qui regis Israel, inténde: qui dedúcis, velut ovem, Joseph. Glória Patri.

People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to  be heard, in the joy of your heart.

Psalm 79: 2  Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thine only-begotten Son; that through His coming we may attain to serve Thee with purified minds. Who with Thee liveth and reigneth.

Second Collect of St. Ambrose

O God, by whose providence blessed Ambrose was sent to guide thy people in the way of everlasting salvation: grant, we beseech thee; that as we have learned of him the doctrine of life on earth, so we may be found worthy to have him for our advocate in 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.

EPISTLE

Romans 15. 4-13

Brethren, 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 honor of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to con- firm 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

Psalm 49: 2, 3, 5

Out of Sion hath he appeared in perfect beauty. God shall come plainly. Gather ye his saints together unto him; who ordained his covenant above sacrifice.

ALLELUIA

Alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 121: 1

I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord.  Allelúia.

GOSPEL

Matthew 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 Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.

OFFERTORY

Psalm 84: 7-8

Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life, and Thy people shall rejoice in Thee: show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation.

SECRET

Be appeased, we beseech Thee, O Lord, by the prayers and offerings of our humility: and where we have no merits to plead for us, do Thou help us with Thine aid. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord…

Second Secret for St. Ambrose

Almighty and everlasting God, through the intercession of blessed Ambrose thy Confessor and Bishop, make thou the gifts offered to thy Majesty profitable unto our eternal salvation.  Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God…

PREFACE OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, ever-lasting God: Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out with one voice saying:

The Sanctus

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

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

COMMUNION

Baruch 5: 5; 4: 36

Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high, and behold the joy that cometh to thee from thy God.

POSTCOMMUNION 

Filled with the food of this spiritual nourishment, we suppliantly entreat Thee, O Lord, that through our participation in this Mystery Thou wouldst teach us to despise earthly things and to love heavenly ones. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord…

Second Postcommunion for St. Ambrose

Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that we who have received these Sacraments of our salvation, may ever be aided by the prayers of blessed Ambrose thy Confessor and Bishop, in whose honor we have offered these gifts to thy Majesty.  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.

FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY / FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY  /  FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / WHITE

 

RELECTION – by Abbot Guéranger

The world had to wait for the fullness of time to be completed; and then, God would send into this world His only Son, begotten of Him from all eternity. This His most merciful purpose has been carried out, and the Word made Flesh hath dwelt among us.  [St. John i. 14.]  By seeing His glory, the glory of the only-begotten Son of the Father, [Ibid.] we have come to know that, in God, there is Father and Son. The Son’s mission to our earth, by the very revelation it gave us of Himself, taught us that God is eternally Father, for whatsoever is in God is eternal. But for this merciful revelation, which is an anticipation of the light awaiting us in the next life, our knowledge of God would have been too imperfect. It was fitting that there should be some proportion between the light of faith, and that of the vision reserved for the future; it was not enough for man to know that God is One.

So that, we now know the Father, from whom comes, as the Apostle tells us, all paternity, even on earth. [Eph. iii. 15.]  We know Him not only as the creative power, Which has produced every being outside Himself; but, guided as it is by faith, our soul’s eye respectfully penetrates into the very essence of the Godhead, and there beholds the Father begetting a Son like unto Himself. But, in order to teach us the mystery, that Son came down upon our earth. He Himself has told us expressly that no one knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal Him. [St. Matt. xi. 27.] Glory, then, be to the Son, Who has vouchsafed to show us the Father! and glory to the Father, Whom the Son hath revealed unto us!

The intimate knowledge of God has come to us by the Son, Whom the Father, in His love, has given to us. [St. John iii. 16.]  And this Son of God, Who, in order to raise up our minds even to His own

Divine Nature, has clad Himself, by His Incarnation, with our human nature, has taught us that He and His Father are one; [St. John xvii. 22.] that They are one and the same Essence, in distinction of Persons. One begets, the Other is begotten ; the One is named Power; the Other, Wisdom, or Intelligence. The Power cannot be without the Intelligence, nor the Intelligence without the Power, in the sovereignly perfect Being: but, both the One and the Other produce a third Term.

The Son, Who had been sent by the Father, had ascended into Heaven, with the human Nature which He had united to Himself for all future eternity; and lo! the Father and the Son send into this world the Spirit Who proceeds from Them both. It was a new Gift, and it taught man that the Lord God was in three Persons. The Spirit, the eternal link of the first two, is Will, He is Love, in the Divine Essence. In God, then, is the fullness of Being, without beginning, without succession, without increase; for there is nothing which He has not. In these three eternal Terms of His uncreated Substance, is the Act, pure and infinite.

Having passed through the mysteries which He Himself wrought, we next celebrated the descent of the Holy Spirit, Who had been announced as coming to perfect the work of the Son of God. We adored Him, and acknowledged Him to be distinct from the Father and the Son, Who had sent Him to us with the mission of abiding with us. [St. John xiv. 16.] He manifested Himself by Divine operations which are peculiarly His Own, and were the object of His coming. He is the soul of the Church; He keeps her in the truth taught her by the Son. He is the source, the principle of the sanctification of our souls; and in them He wishes to make His dwelling. In a word, the mystery of the Trinity has become to us, not only a dogma made known to our mind by revelation, but, moreover, a practical truth given to us by the unheard-of munificence of the three Divine Persons: the Father, Who has adopted us; the Son, Whose brethren and joint-heirs we are; and the Holy Ghost, Who governs us, and dwells within us.

Let us, then, begin this day, by giving glory to the one God in three Persons. For this end, we will unite with holy Church, who in her Office of Prime recites on this solemnity, as also on every Sunday not taken up by a feast, the magnificent Symbol known as the Athanasian Creed. It gives us, in a summary of much majesty and precision, the doctrine of the Holy Doctor St. Athanasius, regarding the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation.

The Athanasian Creed

[QUICUNQUE VULT]

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic [Apostolic/Universal] Faith, which except everyone shall have kept whole and undefiled, without doubt he will perish eternally.

Now the Catholic Faith is this: We worship One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is One, the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit; the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated; the father infinite, the Son infinite, and the Holy Spirit infinite; the Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.

And yet not three eternals but one eternal, as also not three infinites, nor three uncreated, but one uncreated, and one infinite. So, likewise, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty; and yet not three almighties but one almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son God, and the Holy Spirit God; and yet not three Gods but one God. So the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord; and yet not three Lords but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be both God and Lord; so are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say, there be three Gods or three Lords.

The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding.

So there is one Father not three Fathers, one Son not three Sons, and Holy Spirit not three Holy Spirits. And in this Trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less, but the whole three Persons are co eternal together and coequal.

So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped. He therefore who wills to be in a state of salvation,

let him think thus of the Trinity.

But it is necessary to eternal salvation that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The right faith therefore is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.

He is God of the substance of the Father begotten before the worlds, and He is man of the substance of His mother born in the world; perfect God, perfect man subsisting of a reasoning soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood.

Who although He be God and Man yet He is not two but one Christ; one however not by conversion of the GodHead in the flesh, but by taking of the Manhood in God; one altogether not by confusion of substance but by unity of Person. For as the reasoning soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ.

Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again from the dead, ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life eternal, and they who indeed have done evil into eternal fire.

This is the Catholic faith, which except a man shall have believed faithfully and firmly he cannot be in a state of salvation.

            _____________________________________

INTROIT: Tob. 12:6; Ps. 8:2

Blessed be the Holy Trinity and undivided Unity: we will give glory to Him, because He hath shown His mercy to us. Ps. O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth! V. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

O almighty and everlasting God, who hast granted to Thy servants, in confessing the true Faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of Majesty to adore the Unity: we beseech Thee, that by steadfastness in the same Faith, we may ever be defended against all adversity. Through our Lord.

Commemoration of the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

O God, the strength of all who place their trust in You, graciously hear our prayers. Because of our weak human nature, we can do nothing without You. Help us by Your grace that we may fulfill Your commands and please You in will and action. Through our Lord. 

EPISTLE: Romans 11:33-36

O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How in- comprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor? Or who hath first given to Him, and recompense shall be made Him? For of Him, and by Him, and in Him, are all things: to Him be glory forever. Amen.

GRADUAL: Dan. 3:55,56

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, that beholdest the depths and sittest above the Cherubim. V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven, and worthy of praise for- ever.

ALLELUIA: Dan. 3:52

Alleluia, alleluia. V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and worthy to be praised forever. Alleluia

GOSPEL: Matthew 28:18-20

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: All is power given to Me in heaven and on earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And be- hold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

OFFERTORY: Tob. 12:6

Blessed be God the Father, and the only- begotten Son of God, and also the Holy Ghost; because He hath shown His mercy to us.

SECRET:

Sanctify, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, by the invocation of Thy holy Name, the Sacrifice we offer, and by it make of us an everlasting offering unto Thee. Through our Lord.  

Commemoration of the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Graciously accept the offerings we dedicate to You, O Lord, and let them win for us Your unending assistance. Through our Lord

PREFACE OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one Lord: not in the Oneness of a single Per- son, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what by Thy revelation we believe of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation; so that in con- fessing the true and eternal Godhead, in It we should adore distinction in persons, unity in Essence, and equality in Majesty: in praise of which Angels and Archangels, Cherubim also and Seraphim day and night exclaim, without end and with one voice saying:

COMMUNION: Tob. 12:6

We bless the God of heaven, and before all living we will praise Him; because He has shown His mercy to us.

POSTCOMMUNION 

O Lord, our God, may our reception of this Sacrament and our acknowledgment of the holy and eternal Trinity and Its undivided Unity profit us unto health of mind and body. Through our Lord.

Commemoration of the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

We have received Your exceedingly great Gifts in all their fullness, O Lord. Grant that we may use these graces for our salvation and never cease to sing Your praises. Through our Lord.

http://www.livemass.org/LiveMass/daily.html 

http://www.divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/missa/missa.pl

Reflection: http://www.catholictradition.org/Easter/easter25.htm

QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS PROPERS

                      

 

                                                      Mary, Our Queen

                                   

                                          (Image)    St. Petronilla  60 A.D.

                                  Commemoration of ST. PETRONILLA      Virgin

                                               WITHIN THE OCTAVE

                       DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / WHITE VESTMENTS

                                                      Missa “Gaudeamus”  

 This feast was established in the Traditional Calendar by Pope Pius XII for May 31st to cap off Mary’s Month of May. In AAS 38, Pius XII declared: “Mary is queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest and by singular election.” He also proclaimed in Ineffabilis Deus that her queenship should be venerated “as something extraordinary, wondrous, [and] eminently holy.” Medieval hymns proclaim often Mary’s title as Queen such as Salve Regina, Regina Coeli, and Ave Regina Coelorum. In the Litany of the BVM or Litany of Loreto she is proclaimed Queen in 12 instances beginning with “Queen of angels” to “Queen of peace.” There is also the fifth mystery of the Rosary: The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

INTROIT:

Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary, our Queen, on whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and join in praising the Son of God. Alleluia, alleluia.

Ps 44:2

My heart overflows with a goodly theme: as I sing my ode to the King.

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.

Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary, our Queen, on whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and join in praising the Son of God. Alleluia, alleluia.

COLLECT

Let us pray.

Grant we beseech You, O Lord, that we who keep the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Queen, safe under her protection, may be worthy to have peace now and glory in the future.

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.

Commemoration of SAINT PETRONILLA

Graciously hear us, O God our Savior that as we rejoice in the festival of blessed Petronilla, Your Virgin, so may we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching that we may be enlightened by the fervor of her dedicated holiness.

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.

EPISTLE – LESSON:

Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus

Eccli 24:5; 14:7; 14:9-11; 24:30-31

From the mouth of the Most High I came forth, the firstborn before all creatures. In the highest heavens did I dwell, my throne on a pillar cloud. Over all the land, over every people and nation I held sway, and by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low. He who obeys me will not be put to shame, and they who work by me shall not sin. They who explain my shall have life everlasting.

GRADUAL

 Apoc. 19:16; Ps. 44:10

Upon His cloak and upon His thigh He has written the name: King of kings and Lord of lords.

V. The queen stands at His right hand, clad in robes of gold from Ophir.

ALLELUIA:

Alleluia, alleluia.

V. Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who stood beneath the Cross of the Lord. Alleluia.

V. Now with Him you reign forever. Alleluia.

GOSPEL:

Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Luke

R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

Luke 1:26-33

At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And when the angel had come to her, he said, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. When she had heard him she was troubled at his word, and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and shall bring forth a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father, and He shall be king over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

S. By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out.

OFFERTORY:

Sprung from a royal line, all radiant is Mary, by whose prayers we most devoutly beg to be helped both in mind and in spirit. Alleluia.

SECRET

Accept, we beseech You, O Lord, the gifts of the rejoicing Church and grant by the pleading merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen, that they may be helpful for our salvation.

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.

Commemoration of SAINT PETRONILLA 

 Accept this gift, O Lord, from a people dedicated to you. We offer it in honor of Your Saints for the help we have received from them when we were in trouble. Through our Lord

May the offering made by your devoted people be pleasing to You, O Lord, in honor of Your Saints, through whose merits they know they have received help in times of trial.

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.

PREFACE

Blessed Virgin

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should praise and bless, and proclaim Thee, in the Feast of the Blessed Mary, ever-Virgin: Who also conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, and the glory of her virginity still abiding, gave forth to the world the everlasting Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, and the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise:

COMMUNION:

Matt 19:28-29

Most worthy Queen of the world, Mary ever Virgin, who have borne Christ the Lord, the Savior of all, intercede for our peace and salvation. Alleluia.

POSTCOMMUNION

We who have celebrated the sacred rites in honor of holy Mary, our Queen, pray, O Lord, that through the intercession of her in whose honor they have been joyously performed, they may be helpful for our salvation.

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.

Commemoration of SAINT PETRONILLA

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…

  Sources: Divinumofficium.com –  Daily Catholic.org

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