From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

And the Spirit and the Bride say: Come And he that heareth, let him say: Come! — Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.[1]

While we honour the Church triumphant with our chants, and succour the Church suffering with our prayers, let us also turn our thoughts to the Church militant, during these days when the closing cycle presents her to us as about to complete her work on earth. Now the Church is our model; but especially at the close of our pilgrimage ought we to make her attitude our own. The above-cited dialogue, which will terminate the world's history, shows clearly the sentiments wherewith the Holy Spirit inspires her in preparation for the final hour.

As the sufferings of the dying man break the last ties that bound him to the life of the senses; so the last social convulsions, however violently they may shake the Church, will eventually disengage her from the trammels of a world, which she will no longer be able to save from ruin. Free, therefore, to give herself up to her desires, which had been pent up for ages and kept under control by so many labours, she will have but one word to utter: Come! And in the universal destruction, when the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall hide her light, and the powers of heaven shall be moved, she will rejoice, knowing that in the midst of that awful night the cry will be heard: Behold the Bridegroom cometh!

Let him that heareth, let everyone of us say also: Come! If we love our Lord, if we would be recog­nized as members of his dear Church, let us be wor­thy of that beautiful title; let us see all things with the Church's eyes; let us appreciate all things, and especially death, according to her heart; let us look upon the last passage, both for our dear ones and for ourselves, as the entrance into the eternal nuptial feast. We know well that if anyone sincerely desires our Lord, our Lord will not be wanting to hint. Even if, after this life, we have yet some debts to pay, if some adornment be wanting to our wedding garment ere we can take our place at the heavenly banquet; the blessed passage, nevertheless, places all the just, at once and entirely, in a state of impeccability, and in the secure possession of eternal love. Such, as we shall have occasion to see, were the sentiments of our forefathers.

Many churches in France, Switzerland, and England, used formerly to sing the following Sequence in honour of the Saints.

Sequence

Christo inclyto candida
Nostra canunt melodiam agmina,
Laudes omnibus dantia
Sanctis per haec sacrata festalis.

Mariam primum vox sonet nostra,
Per quam nobis vitae sunt data praemis.
Regina, quae es mater et casta,
Solve nostra per Filium tuum peccata.

Angelorum concio tota
Et Archangelorum turba inclyta
Nostra diluant jam peccata,
Parando supera coeli gaudia.

Tu propheta, praeco, lucerns,
Atque plus quam propheta,
In lucida nos pone via,
Mundans nostra corpora.

Apostolorum princepe atque cuncta
Juncta caterva, jam corrobora
Vera in doctrina
Plebis pectors.

Stephane gloriose, rutilans in corona,
Sancorumque Martyrum turma valida,
Fortia date corda, corpora aeque firma,
Sacra ut hostem vincant rite spicula.

Martine inclyte
Et praesulum omnis caterva,
Suscipe nunc pia modo
nostra clemens precata.

Regina Virginum permaxima, 
tu Mater es incorrupta,
Virgo et gravida; sacrata Domino est castitas:
Nostras serva animas mundaque corpora.

Monachorum veneranda suffragia 
Omniumque Sanctorum contubernia per precata assidus
Nostra gubernent tempora, nosque ducant ad superna
Polorum vera gaudis.

Subjungant pium agmina
Amen redempta.

To Christ the all-glorious
our white-robed choirs sing melody,
giving praise to all the Saints
on this their sacred festival.

First let our voice name Mary,
through whom was given to us the gift of life
O Queen, who art both Mother and Virgin,
through thy Son cancel our sins.

May the whole assembly of Angels,
and the glorious multitude of Archangels,
cleanse away our sins,
and prepare us for the supernal delights of heaven.

O thou, who wast prophet,
and herald, and lamp,
yea and more than a prophet,
make us all pure and set us in the path of light.

Prince of Apostles,
together with all thy colleagues,
strengthen the hearts of thy people
in true doctrine.

Glorious Stephen, glittering in thy crown;
mighty army of holy martyrs;
give us brave hearts and strong bodies,
that the darts of our holy faith may duly vanquish the enemy.

Illustrious Martin,
and all the band of holy Pontiffs,
kindly receive this day
our filial prayers.

O peerless Queen of virgins,
thou art a Mother and yet spotless,
a Maiden and yet fruitful; chastity is sacred to our Lord;
preserve our souls and bodies pure.

May the venerable suffrages of the Monks,
and may the assembly of all the Saints by their prayers,
rule our times, and lead us
to the true and supernatural joys of heaven.

Let the ranks of the re­deemed
add a fervent Amen.

---

The hymn for the Vespers of the Dead in the Mozarabic Office is taken from the tenth song in the Cathemerinon of Prudentius.

Hymn

Deus ignee fons animarum,
Duo qui socias elementa:
Vivum simul, ac moribundum,
Hominem, Pater effigiasti.

Tua sunt, tua Rector utraque:
Tibi copula jungitur horum;
Tibi, dum vegetata cohaerent
Spiritus simul et caro servit.

Rescissa sed ista seorsum,
Solvunt hominem, perimuntque;
Humus excipit arida corpus,
Animae rapit aura liquorem.

Quia cuncta creata necesse est
Labefacta senescere tandem,
Compactque dissociari,
Et dissona texta retexi.

Hine maxima cura sepulchris
Impenditur: hinc resolutos
Honor ultimus accipit artus,
Et funeris ambitus ornat.

Hoc provida Christicolarum
Pietas studet utpote credens
Fore protinus omnia viva,
Quae nunc gelidus sopor urget.

Ui jacta cadavera passim
Miserans tegit aggere terrae:
Opus exhibet ille benignum
Christo pius omnipotenti.

Quia lex eadem monet omnes
Gemitum dare sorte sub una,
Cognataque funera nobis
Aliena in morte dolere.

Sequimur tua dicta, Redemptor,
Quibus atra e morte triumphans,
Tua per vestigia mandas
Socium crucis ire latronem.

Patet ecce fidelibus ampli
Via lucida jam paradise;
Licet et nemus illud adire
Homini, quod ademerat anguis.

Illic precor, Optime Ductor,
Famulam tibi praecipe mentem
Genitali in sede sacrari,
Quam liquerst exsul, et errans.

Animas, non immemor ob hoc,
Quarum memores sumus ipsi,
Dues, sorde rogamus, piatas,
Erebi rogis fac alienas.

Sit honor tibi, fons pietatis:
Laus, gloria, summa potestas
Patri, Genito, sive Domino
Orbis Regi; qui Deus unus.

Amen.

O God, thou fiery source of living beings,
who, uniting two elements in one,
the mortal and the immortal,
didst fashion man, O our Father.

Both are thine, and thou art their Ruler;
their union is linked to thee;
and while they live and cleave together,
both spirit and flesh serve thee.

But when they are rent asunder,
dissolution and death come upon man;
the dry earth receives his body,
while the swift spirit flees to heaven.

‘Tis the lot of all created things
to fail and grow old at last,
for compound beings to be dissolved,
for the union of dissimilar elements to be unknit.

Therefore is so great care bestowed upon the sepulchres;
therefore are the last honours
paid to these lifeless limbs,
and the funeral pomp does them homage.

Such is the provident piety
exercised by Christ's disciples,
believing that all which now lies wrapt in icy slumber,
shall suddenly spring to life again.

Whoever, then, in loving pity,
shall cover with earth the corpses that lie unburied,
does in his piety a kindly deed
to Christ himself the Omnipotent.

Since the common law ad­monishes us
that all groan under the same fate,
it behoves us to mourn, in a stranger's death,
the loss of one of our kin.

We follow therefore thy words,
O Redeemer, when, triumphing over dismal death,
thou didst bid the thief, thy fellow-crucified,
to tread in thy footprints.

Lo! Now the shining path,
that leads to the broad land of Eden, lies open to thy faithful;
and man may again enter that beautiful garden,
of which the serpent had despoiled him.

There, O best of guides! We pray thee,
bid the soul thy handmaid
be made holy in the place of her creation,
which she had quitted as an exile and a wanderer.

Wherefore be mindful, O God, of the souls,
whose memory we cherish;
let them, we beseech thee, be cleansed from all stain,
and escape the fires of hell.

Honour to thee, O fount of mercy!
Praise, glory, sovereign power,
to the Father, to the Son, to the Lord
who rules the world, one only God.

Amen.

---

The following Preface, which is well inspired and has a ring of the ancient formulae, is still used in some places in Masses for the Dead.

Preface

Vere dignum et justum est, sequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus; per Christum Dominum nostrum. In quo nobis spem beatae resurrectionis concessisti; ut dum naturam contristat certa moriendi conditio, fidem consoletur futurae immortalitatis promissio. Tuis enim fidelibus, Domine, vita mutatur, non tollitur; et dissoluta terrestris hujus habitationis doo, aeterna in ccoelis habitatio comparatur. Et ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus, cumque omni militia coelestis exercitus, humnum gloriae tuae canimus, sine fine dicentes: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.

It is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we should always and in all places give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, through Christ our Lord. In whom thou halt bestowed on us the hope of a blessed resurrection: so that, although the inevitable sentence of death fills our human nature with sorrow, the promise of a future resurrection consoles our faith. For the life of thy faithful, O Lord, is altered, not taken away ; and when this house of our earthly habitation is destroyed, an eternal dwelling is prepared for us in heaven. And therefore with the Angels and Archangels, with the Thrones and Dominations, and with all the host of the heavenly army, we sing a hymn to thy glory, saying without ceasing: Holy, Holy, Holy.

---

[1] Apox. xxii. 17, 20.

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

ROME, wishing to admit as few interruptions as possible into the present great Octave, gives but a brief notice of St. Hubert in the Martyrology. It is fitting that we should imitate her reserve. Were we, however to omit all mention of him, Christian hunters, so faithful in proclaiming their glorious Patron, would not forgive us. It is right also to satisfy popular piety, and the gratitude of numberless clients saved from hydrophobia, and led to the feet of the Saint by a tradition of a thousand years' standing. A few words suffice to recount his life.

After the mysterious stag had revealed Christ to him, he became, from a hunter of wild animals, a hunter of souls; and merited to be called the Apostle of Ardenne, whose forests had often echoed to the baying of his hounds. He became the disciple and successor of St. Lambert; and transferring from Maestricht both the relics of the holy Martyr-Bishop and the Episcopal See, he raised Liege from an obscure village to a great town. His blessed death took place on May 30^th 727; and on November 3^rd 743, his precious remains were taken up for the first time, which led to the celebration of his feast on this day. In the following century, the Abbey of Andain was put in possession of the sacred deposit; and took from him the name of St. Hubert, as did likewise the town which sprang up around and soon became a centre for pilgrimages. Two orders of knighthood were established in honour of St. Hubert; the first perished with the fall of the Bourbons its last chiefs; the other still exists, and the kings of Bavaria are its Grand-Masters.

Antiphons[1]

Ave, decus Confessorum, ave, consors Angelorum: nobis praesens tripudium da, sit perenne gaudium; prece tua Deo grata sanos salva, aegros sana.
V. Justum deduxit Dominus per vias rectas.
℟. Et ostendit illi regnum Dei.

Hail, glory of Confessors ; hail, companion of Angels: give us present joy, which may become eternal bliss: by thy prayer, well-pleasing to God, save the healthy, heal the sick.
V. The Lord hath led the just man through righteous ways.
℟. And shewn him the kingdom of God.

---

Prayer

Propitiare, quaesumus Domine, nobis famulis tuis per sancti Huberti Confessoris tui atque Pontificis merita gloriosa, t ejus pia intercessione ab omnibus semper protegamur adversis. Per Dominum.

Be propitious, we beseech thee O Lord, to us thy ser­vants, through the glorious merits of St. Hubert thy Confessor and Bishop, that by his loving intercession we may ever be protected from all adversities. Through our Lord.

---

[1] Proper Office of the Abbey of St. Scholastica of Juvigny-les-Dames, where a tooth of St. Hubert was kept.

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

HUMILITAS. This word already stood, crowned with gold, upon his family escutcheon,[1] when Charles was born at the castle of Arona. It had been said of the Borromeos that they knew nothing of humility, except to bear it on their coat of arms: but the time had now come, when the mysterious device was to be justified by the most illustrious scion of that noble family; and when, at the zenith of his greatness, a Borromeo would learn to void his heart of self, in order that God might fill it. Far, however, from abjuring the high-mindedness of his race, the humble Saint was the most intrepid of them all, while his enterprises were to eclipse the noble exploits of a long line of ancestors. One more proof that humility never debases.

Charles was scarcely twenty-two years of age, when Pius IV, his maternal uncle, called him to the difficult post of Secretary of State, shortly afterwards created him Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan, and seemed to take pleasure in heaping honours and responsibilities on his young shoulders. The late Pontiff, Paul IV., had been ill requited for placing asimilar confidence in his nephews the Caraffas, who ended their days upon the scaffold. His successor, on the contrary, as the event testified, was actuated by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, not by the dictates of flesh and blood.

Sixty years of that fatal century had already elapsed, while the evils consequent on Luther's revolt were ever increasing, and the Church was daily threatened with some new danger. The Protestants had just imposed upon the Catholics of Germany the treaty of Passau, which completed the triumph of the fanatics, and secured to them equality and liberty. The abdication of Charles V. in despair, left the empire to his brother Ferdinand; while Spain, with its immense dominions in both hemispheres, fell to his son Philip II. Ferdinand I. inaugurated the custom of dispensing with Rome, by crowning himself with the diadem which St. Leo III. had placed upon the brow of Charlemagne; and Philip, enclosing Italy by taking Naples in the South and Milan in the North, seemed to many to be threatening the independence of Rome herself. Eng­land, reconciled for a brief period under Mary Tudor, was replunged by Elizabeth into the schism which con­tinues to the present day. Boy kings succeeded one another on the throne of St. Louis, and the regency of Catharine de Medici involved France in the wars of religion.

Such was the political situation which the minister of Pius IV. had to cope with, and to utilize to the best of his power for the interests of the Holy See and of the Church. Charles did not hesitate. With faith to supply for his want of experience, he understood that to the torrent of errors, which threatened to deluge the world, Rome must first of all oppose, as an embankment, that undivided truth of which she is the guardian.

He saw how, in contest with a heresy, which claimed the name of Reformation while it let loose every passion, the Church might take occasion from the struggle to strengthen her discipline, elevate the morals of her children, and manifest to the eyes of all her indefectible sanctity. This thought had already, under Paul III. and Julius III., led to the convocation of the Council of Trent, and inspired its dogmatic definitions and reformatory decrees. But the Council, twice interrupted, had not completed its work, which was still under dispute. It had now been suspended for eight years, and the difficulties in the way of its resumption continued to increase, on account of the quarrelsome pretensions of princes. The Cardinal-nephew bent all his efforts to surmount the obstacles. He devoted day and night to the work, imbuing with his views the Sovereign Pontiff himself, inspiring with his zeal the nuncios at the various courts, vying in skill and firmness with diplomatic ministers in order to overcome the prejudices or the ill-will of monarchs. And when, after two years of these difficult negotiations, the Fathers of Trent gathered together once more, Charles was the providence and the tutelary angel of this august assembly. To him it owed its material organization, its political security, the complete independence of its deliberations and their thenceforward uninterrupted continuity. Himself detained at Rome, he was the intermediary between the Pope and the Council. The presiding legates soon gave him their full confidence, as is proved from the pontifical archives; to him, as to the ablest counsellor and most reliable support, they daily had recourse in their solicitudes and anxieties.

For her (wisdom's) sake, says the Wise Man, I shall have glory among the multitude, and honour with the ancients, though I be young; ... and the faces of princes shall wonder at me. They shall wait for me when I hold my peace, and they shall look upon me when I speak, and if I talk much they shall lay their hands on their mouths.[2] Such was truly the case with St. Charles, at this critical moment of the world's history. No wonder that divine Wisdom, to whom he listened with such docility, and who inspired him so copiously, rendered his name immortal in the memory of a grateful posterity.

In his Defence of the too famous Declaration, Bossuet, speaking of the Council of Trent which owed its completion to St. Charles, says that it brought the Church back to the purity of her origin, as far as the iniquity of the times would permit.[3] And when the cecumenical sessions at the Vatican were opened, the Bishop of Poitiers, the future Cardinal Pie, spoke of that Council of Trent, which “deserved, more truly even than that of Nicaea, to be called the great Council; that Council, concerning which we may confidently assert, that since the creation of the world no assembly of men has succeeded in introducing among mankind such great perfection; that Council whereof it has been said that, as a tree of life, it has for ever restored to the Church the vigour of her youth. More than three centuries have elapsed since its labours were completed, and its healing and strengthening virtue is still felt.”[4]

“The Council of Trent is perpetuated in the Church by means of the Roman Congregations charged with its continual application, and with ensuring obedience to the pontifical constitutions which have followed and completed it.”[5] Charles suggested the measures adopted for this end by Pius IV., and approved and developed by succeeding Pontiffs. He caused the Liturgical Books to be revised, and the Roman Catechism to be compiled. But first, and in all things, he was himself the living model of the renewed discipline, and thus acquired the right to exercise his zeal for or against others. Rome, initiated by him in the salutary reform, of which it was fitting she should set the first example, was in a few months completely transformed. The three churches now dedicated to St. Charles within her walls,[6] and the numerous altars which bear his name in other sanctuaries of the holy City, are the testimony of her enduring gratitude.

His administration, however, and his sojourn in Rome lasted only during the six years of Pius IV's pontificate. On the death of that Pope, in spite of the entreaties of Pius V., whose election was due chiefly to his exertions, Charles set out for Milan, which called for the presence of its Archbishop. For nigh a century, the great Lombard city had scarcely known its pastors save by name; and this abandonment had delivered it, like so many others at that period, to the wolf that catcheth and scattereth the sheep. Our Saint understood far otherwise the responsibility of the cure of souls. He gave himself entirely to this duty, without care for himself, without a thought for the judgments of men, without fear of the powerful. His maxim was: to treat of the interests of Jesus Christ in the spirit of Jesus Christ;[7] his programme, the ordinances of Trent. Charles's episcopate was the carrying out of the great Council; its living form; the model of its practical application in the whole Church; and the proof of its efficiency, demonstrating that it sufficed for every reform, and could, of itself alone, sanctify both pastor and flock.

We would gladly have given more than a passing notice of these Acts of the church of Milan, which have been lovingly collected by faithful hands, and which show our Saint in so grand a light. Herein, after the six provincial councils and eleven diocesan synods over which he presided, follows the inexhaustible series of general or special mandates dictated by his zeal; pastoral letters, the most remarkable of which is the sublime Memorial written after the plague in Milan; instructions upon the holy Liturgy, upon the tenure of churches, upon preaching, upon the administration of the Sacraments, and notably the celebrated instruction to Confessors; ordinances concerning the archiepiscopal court, the chancellorship, canonical visitations; regulations for the archbishop's domestic family, and his vicars and officials of all ranks, for the parish priests and their meetings in conference (a custom introduced by him), for the Oblates he had founded, the seminaries, schools, and confraternities ; edicts and decrees; and lastly various tables, and complete forms of administrative acts, so drawn up that nothing remains but to insert names and dates. It is a true pastoral encyclopedia, which, in its magnificent amplitude, would appear to be the work of a long life; yet St. Charles died at the early age of forty-six; and moreover all this was written in the midst of trials and combats sufficient to have been his sole pre-occupation.

But it is time to listen to the Church’s account of him.

Carolus, Mediolani nobili Borroaeorum familia natus, quanta futurus esset sanctitate conspicuus, divina lux super parientis matris cubiculum noctu coruscans praesignavit. A pueritia clericali militiae adscriptus, abbatia postmodum insignitus, patrem admonuit, ne reditus in rem familiarem converterentur: quorum ipse nactus administrationem, quidquid supererat, expendebat in paupweres. Adolescens liberalibus disciplinis Papiae operam dedit. Castitatem adeo coluit, ut impudicas etiam mulieres ad labefactandam ejus pudicitiam pluries immissas invicta constantia fugaverit. Vigesimum tertium aetatis annum agens, a Pio Quarto ejus avunculo in sacrum Cardinalium collegium cooptatus, insigni pietatis ac virtutum omnium speldore praeluxit. Mox ab eodem Mediolanensis archiepiscopus creatus, in eo plurimam operam adhibuit, ut juxta sacrosanctum Tridentinum concilium, quod ejus potissimum sollicitudine jam tum fuerat absolutum, ecclesiam sibi commissam componeret: atque ut depravatos plebis suae mores reformaret, praeter iteratam saepius synodorum celebrationem, seipsum eximiae sanctitatis praebuit exemplar. In profigandis haereticis e partibus Rhaetorum et Helvetiorum, quorum plurimos ad christianam plurimos ad christianam fidem convertit, maxime laboravit.

Hujus viri caritas praecipue enituit, cum Uritano principatu vendito, pretium universum ad quadraginta aureorum millia, una die in pauperes erogavit. Nec minore pietate viginti millia, quae sibi fuerant legata, distribuit. Ecclesiasticos proventus, quibus ab avunculo copiose fuerat cumulatus, dimisit, nonnullis retentis, quibus ad proprios usus et egenorum necessitates utebatur. Quo tempore pestis Mediolani grassbatur, domesticam supellectilem, ne relicto sibi lectulo, in eosdem alendos contulit, super nuda in posterum tabula discumbens; eoque morbo laborantes sedulo invisens, paterno reficiebat affectu, et Ecclesiae sacramenta propriis ipse manibus administrans, mirum in modum solabatur: humullimis interim precibus reconciliator accedens, publica supplicatione indicta, fune sibi ad collum alligato, nudis pedibus, etiam offendiculo cruentatis, crucem bajulans, semetipsum pro peccatis populi hostiam offerens, divinam indignationem avertere satagebat. Ecclesiasticae libertatis fuit acerrimus propugnator. Disciplinae vero restituendae sollicitus, a seditiosis, dum orationi insisteret, tormenti bellici laxata rota, igneo globulo percussus, divina virtute servatur illaesus.

Abstinentia fuit admirabili: jejunabat saepissime, pane tantum et aqua, sois quandoque lupinis contentus. Nocturnis vigiliis, asperrimo cilicio, assiduis flagellis corpus domabat. Humilitatis ac mansuetudinis studiosissimus fuit. Orationem ac verbi Dei praedicationem, gravissimis licet curis occupatus, numquam intermisit. Multas ecclesias, monasteria, collegia aedificavit. Plura scripsit, ad episcoporum praesertim in structionem utilissima: cujus etiam opera parochurm catechismus prodiit. Demum in solitudinem Varalli montis, ubi sculptis imaginibus Dominicae passionis mysteria ad vivum repraesentantur, secessit: ibique, diebus aliquot voluntaria castigatione asperam, sed Christi dolorum meditationibus suavem vitam ducens, in febrim incidit. Mediolanum reversis, ingravescente morbo, cinere ac cilicio coopertus, et oculis in crucifixi imaginem defixis, migravit in coelum, aetatis anno quadragesimo septimo, Domini vero millesimo quingentesimo octogesimo quarto terio nonas Novembris. Quem miraculis clarum Paulus Quintus Pontifex Maximus in Sanctorum numerum retulit.

Charles was born at Milan, of the noble family of Borromeo. His future pre-eminent sanctity was foreshown by a heavenly light shining at night over the room where he was born. He was enrolled in his boyhood in the ranks of the clergy, and soon provided with an Abbey; but he warned his father not to turn its revenues to private use; and as soon as its administration was entrusted to him, he spent all the surplus income on the poor. As a youth he pursued his liberal studies at Pavia. He had the greatest love for holy chastity; and several times put to flight, with the greatest firmness, some shameless women sent to tempt him. In the twenty-third year of his age, his uncle Pius IV. created him Cardinal; and he adorned that dignity by his great piety and remarkable virtues. Being soon afterwards made Archbishop of Milan, he laboured strenuously to carry out, in his whole diocese, the decrees of the Council of Trent, which had just been concluded mainly through his exertions. To reform the evil customs of his people he held many synods, and moreover was ever himself a perfect model of virtue. He also laboured much to expel the he­retics from Switzerland and the country of the Grisons, and converted many of them to the true faith.

The charity of this holy man was strikingly exhibited, when he sold the principality of Oria, and in one day distributed the price, amounting to about forty thousand gold pieces, among the poor. With no less generosity he, on another occasion, distributed twenty thousand gold pieces left him as a legacy. He resigned the many ecclesiastical benefices which his uncle had bestowed upon him, except a few which he retained for his own necessities and for relieving the poor. When the plague was raging in Milan, he gave up the furniture of his house, even his bed, for the support of the poor, and thenceforward always slept on a bare board. He visited the plague-stricken with unwearied zeal, assisted them with fatherly affection, and, administering to them with his own hands the Sacraments of the Church, singularly consoled them. Meanwhile he approached to God in humble prayer as a mediator for his people; he ordered public supplications to be made, and himself walked in the processions, with a rope round his neck, his feet bare and bleeding from the stones, and carrying a cross; and thus offering himself as a victim for the sins of the people, he endeavoured to turn away the anger of God. He strenuously defended the liberty of the Church, and was most zealous in restoring discipline. For this reason some seditious persons fired upon him while he was engaged in prayer, but by the divine power he was preserved unharmed.

His abstinence was wonderful: he very often fasted on bread and water, and sometimes took only a little pulse. He subdued his body by night-watchings, a rough hairshirt and frequent disciplines. He was a great lover of humility and meekness. Even when occupied by weighty business, he never omitted his prayer or preaching. He built many churches, monasteries and colleges. He wrote many works of great value especially for the instruction of bishops; and it was through his care that the catechism for parish-priests was drawn up. At length he retired to a solitary place on Mount Varallo, where the mysteries of our Lord's Passion are sculptured in a life-like manner, and there after spending some days in severe bodily mortifications sweetened by meditation on Christ's sufferings, he was seized by a fever. He returned to Milan; but the illness growing much worse, he was covered with sackcloth and ashes, and with his eyes fixed on the crucifix he passed to heaven, in the forty-seventh year of his age, on the third of the Nones of November, in the year of our Lord 1584. He was illustrated by miracles, and was enrolled among the Saints by Pope Paul V.

---

Successor of Ambrose, thou didst inherit his zeal for the house of God; thy action also was powerful in the Church; and though separated in time by a thousand years, your names are now united in one common glory. May your prayers also mingle before the throne of God for us in these times of decadence; and may your power in heaven obtain for us pastors worthy to continue, or if need be to renew, your work on earth. How obviously applicable to both of you were those words of Holy Writ: What manner of man the ruler of the city is, such also are they that dwell therein.[8] And again: I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness; and my people shall be filled with my good things, saith the Lord.[9]

Rightly didst thou say, O Charles : "Never did Israel hear a more awful threat than this: Lex peribit a sacerdote.[10] Priests are divine instruments, upon whom depends the welfare of the world; their abundance is the riches of all, their default is the ruin of nations.”[11]

And when, from the midst of thy priests convoked in synod, thou didst pass to the venerable assembly of seventeen bishops thy suffragans, thy language became, if possible, still more vehement: “Let us fear lest the angered Judge say to us: If you were the enlighteners of my Church, why have you closed your eyes? If you pretended to be shepherds of the flock, why have you suffered it to stray? Salt of the earth, you have lost your savour. Light of the world, they that sat in darkness and the shadow of death have never seen you shine. You were Apostles; who, then, put your apostolic firmness to the test, since you have done nothing but seek to please men? You were the mouth of the Lord, and you have made that mouth dumb. If you allege in excuse that the burden was beyond your strength, why did you make it the object of your ambitious intrigues?”[12]

But, by the grace of God blessing thy zeal for the amendment of both sheep and lambs, thou couldst add, O Charles: “Province of Milan, take heart again. Behold, thy fathers have come to thee, and are assembled once more for the purpose of remedying thy ills. They have no other care, than to see thee bring forth the fruits of salvation; and for this end they multiply their united efforts.”[13]

My little children, of whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed in you.[14] Such is the aspiration of the Bride, which will cease only in heaven: and synods, visitations, reformation, decrees concerning preaching and government and ministry, were, in thy eyes, but the manifestation of this one desire of the Church, the expression of the mother's cry as she brings forth her children.[15]

Deign, O blessed Pontiff, to restore in all places the love of holy discipline, wherein the pastoral solicitude that rendered thee so glorious[16] found the secret of its marvellous fecundity. It may be sufficient for. the simple faithful merely to know that among the treasures of the Church there exists, side by side with her doctrine and Sacraments, an incomparable code, the work of ages, an object of legitimate pride to all her sons, whose divine privileges it protects. But the priest, entirely devoted to the Church, cannot serve her usefully without that profound and persevering study, which will give him the understanding of her laws in detail. But clergy and laity alike must beseech God, that the miseries of the times may not impede the meeting of our venerated superiors in the councils and synods prescribed at Trent,[17] and so grandly carried out by thee, O Charles, who didst prove by experience their value for the salvation of the world. May heaven, for thy sake, hear our prayer; and then we shall be able to say with thee[18] to the Church: “O tender mother, let thy voice cease from weeping, ... for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord; and thy sons shall return out of the land of the enemy. And I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness : and my people shall be filled with my good things.”[19]

Llet us say the following Sequence composed by Notker, and formerly sung in Germany on the day of the feast.

Sequence

Omnes sancti Seraphim, Cherubim,
Throni quoque Dominationesque,
Principatus, Potestates, Virtutes,
Archangeli, Angeli, vos decet laus et honores.
Ordines novem spirituum beatorum,
Quos in Dei laudibus firmavit caritas,
Nos fragiles homines firmate precibus:
Ut spirtales pravitates vestro juvamine vincentes fortiter,
Nuno et in aevum vestris simus digni sollemniis interesse sacris.
Vos quos Dei gratia vincere terrea,
Et angelis socios fecit esse polo:
Vos patriarchae, prophetae, apostoli, confessores, martyres, monachi, virgines,
Et viduarum sanctarum omniumque placentium populus supremo Domino,
Nos adjutorium nunc et perenniter foveat, protegat, ut vestrum
In die poscimus gaudiorum vestorum.

Amen.

All ye holy Seraphim, Cherubim,
Thrones also and Dominations,
Principalities, Powers, Virtues,
Archangels, Angels, to you beseemeth praise and honour.
Ye nine choirs of blessed spirits,
Whom charity has stablished in God's praises,
Make us frail mortalsas stable, by your prayers:
So that by your assistance, resolutely overcoming the spirits of wickedness,
We may be worthy to take part, both now and forever, in your sacred solemnities.
Ye whom the grace of God enabled to conquer the things of earth,
And associated with the Angels in heaven;
Ye patriarchs, prophets, apostles, confessors, martyrs, monks, virgins,
Assembly of holy widows, and of all who have been pleasing to the sovereign Lord,
May your assistance, now and ever, cherish and protect us,
As we pray on this day of your joys.

Amen.

---

We gather from the Euchology or Ritual of the Greeks a few samples of their prayers for the dead.

---

In Officio Exsequiarum

Venite, extremum vale, Deo gratias agentes, defuncto dicamus. Illi Dominus requiem conferat, precemur.

Qualis vita nostra est? flosculus, vapor, matutuinus ros vere. Adeste igitur et sepulcra circumlustremus. Ubi corporis venustas? Ubi juventus? Ubi illa lumina? Ubi carnis species? Cuncta velut foenum apparuertun, dissipata sunt cuncta. Venite et Christo cum lacrymis procedamus.

Salva sperantes in te, Mater solic occasum nescientis; Dei genitrix, optimum tuum natum precibus tuis interpella, precamur, ut ei qui hinc migravit, det requem, ubi justorum animae quiescent: divornum bonorum in aulis justorum haeredem illum constitue, in memoria aeterna, o immaculata.

Christus verus Deus noster qui a mortuis surrexit, intercessionibus illibatae suae Matris et omnium Sanctorum, servi sui vita functi animam in justorum tabernaculis collocet, in Abraham sinibus reclinet, justis annumeret; nostrique misereatur ut bonus et clements. Amen.

Eterna tibi sit memoria, semper beande et jugi animo recolende Frater noster.

Gloria Deo cui its complacuit.

Come, let us bid a last fare­well to the deceased, giving thanks to God. Let us pray that the Lord may give him rest.

What is our life? A little flower, a vapour, truly a morning dew. Come, then, and let us go round about the graves. Where is the beauty of the body? Where is youth ? Where now are those eyes? Where that comeliness of form? All appeared as grass, all are now withered. Come, and let us with tears prostrate before Christ.

O Mother of the sun that knows no setting, save them that trust in thee. Mother of God, we beseech thee, entreat thy most loving Son to giveunto him, who has left us, rest where the souls of the just repose. Establish him, O immaculate one, heir of divine possessions, and let him be in everlasting remembrance.

May Christ who rose from the dead, our true God, moved by the intercession of his spot­less Mother and of all the Saints, place the soul of his departed servant in the tabernacles of the just; may he lay him to rest in the bosom. of Abraham, numbering him among the just; and may he, who is both good and kind, have mercy upon us. Amen.

May thy memory be eternal, O our brother; thou shalt be forever blessed, and shalt ever be cherished in our hearts.

Glory be to God, who bath so willed!

---

[1] On a chief argent the word HUMILITAS sable, crowned or.
[2] Wisd. viii. 10-12.
[3] Gallia orthodoxa, Pars III., Lib. xi. cap. 13.; vii. cap. 40.
[4] Discourse pronounced at Rome, in the church of St. Andrew della Valle, Jan. 14^th, 1870.
[5] Pastoral instructin on occasion of the approaching Council of Bordeaux, June 26^th, 1850.
[6] St. Charles at the Catinari, one of the most beautiful in Rome; St. Charles on the Corso, which posesses his heart; St. Charles at the four fountains.
[7] Acta Eccl. Mediolanensis, Oratio habita in Concil. prov. Vi.
[8] Eccli. x. 2.
[9] Jerem. xxxi. 14.
[10] The law shall perish, shall fail, shall be silent, in the heart of the priestand on his lips. Ezech. vii. 26. Acta Eccl. Mediolan. Constitutiones et regulae societatis scholarum doctrinae christianae, Cap. III.
[11] Concio I ad Clerum, in Synod. diceces. xi.
[12] Oratio habita in concil. prov. ii.
[13] In concil. prov. vi.
[14] Gal. iv. 19.
[15] Concio I ad Clerum, in Synod. diceces. xi.
[16] Collect of the feast.
[17] Sessio xxiv, de Reformatione cap. II.
[18] Concio I ad Clerum, in Synod xi.
[19] Jerem. xxxi, 16, 14.
[20] Ambr. Lib. de Exhort. Virginitat. I.

 

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

Including descriptions of:

• Mass of the Holy Relics
• Vespers of the Holy Relics

HAD we Angels' eyes, we should see the earth as a vast field sown with seed for the resurrection. The death of Abel opened the first furrow, and ever since, the sowing has gone on unceasingly the wide world over. This land of labour and of suffering, what treasures it already holds laid up in its bosom ! And what a harvest for heaven, when the Sun of Justice, suddenly darting forth his rays, shall cause to spring up as suddenly from the soil the elect ears ripe for glory! No wonder that the Church herself blesses and superintends the laying of the precious grain in the earth.

But the Church is not content to be always sowing. Sometimes, as though impatient of delay, she raises from the ground the chosen seed she had sown therein. Her infallible discernment preserves her from error; and, disengaging from the soil the immortal germ, she forestalls the glory of the future. She encloses the treasure in gold or precious stuffs, carries it in triumph, invites the multitudes to come and reverence it; or she raises new temples to the name of the blessed one, and assigns him the highest honour of reposing under the Altar, whereon she offers to God the tremendous Sacrifice.

“Let your charity understand," explains St. Augustine:[1] “it is not to Stephen we raise an altar in this place; but of Stephen's relics we make an altar to God. God loves these altars; and if you ask the reason: Precious in the sight of the Lord is “the death of his saints.”[2] In obedience to God the invisible soul has quitted its visible dwelling. But God preserves this dwelling; he is glorified by the honour we pay to this lifeless flesh ; and, clothing it with the might of his divinity, he gives it the power of working miracles.”[3] Hence the origin of pilgrimages to the shrines of the Saints.

“Christian people," says St. Gregory of Nyasa, wherefore are you assembled here? A tomb has no attractions; nay, the sight of its contents inspires horror. Yet, see what eagerness to approach this sepulchre! So great an object of desire is it, that a little of the dust from around it is esteemed a gift of great price. As to beholding the remains it conceals, that is a rare favour, and an enviable one, as those can testify who enjoy the privilege: they embrace the holy body as though it were yet alive, they press their lips and their eyes upon it, shedding tears of love and devotion. What emperor ever received such honour?”[4]

“Emperors!” rejoins St. John Chrysostom; as the porters at their gates, such have they become with regard to poor fishers. The son of the great Constantine deemed he could not pay a higher honour to his father, than to procure him a place of sepulture in the porch of the fisherman of Galilee.”[5] And again, concluding his commentary on St. Paul's admirable Epistle to the Romans, the golden-mouthed Doctor exclaims: “And now, who will grant me to prostrate myself at Paul's sepulchre, to contemplate the ashes of that body which, suffering for us, filled up what was wanting of the sufferings of Christ? The dust of that mouth, which spoke boldly before kings, and, showing what Paul was, revealed the Lord of Paul? The dust of that heart, truly the heart of the world, more lofty than the heavens, more vast than the universe, as much the heart of Christ as of Paul, and wherein might be read the book of grace, graven by the Holy Spirit? Oh! that I might see the remains of the hands, which wrote those Epistles; of the eyes, which were struck with blindness and recovered their sight for our salvation; of the feet which traversed the whole earth! Yes; I would fain contemplate the tomb where repose these instruments of justice and of light, these members of Christ, this temple of the Holy Ghost. O venerable body, which, together with that of Peter, protects Rome more securely than all ramparts!”[6]

In spite of such teachings as these, the heretics of the sixteenth century profaned the tombs of the Saints, under pretext of bringing us back to the doc­trine of our forefathers. In contradiction to these strange reformers, the Council of Trent expressed the unanimous testimony of Tradition in the follow­ing definition, which sets forth the theological reasons of the honour paid by the Church to the relics of Saints:

“Veneration ought to be shown by the faithful to the bodies of the Martyrs and other Saints, who live with Jesus Christ. For they were his living members and the temples of the Holy Ghost; he will raise them up again to eternal life and glory; and through them God grants many blessings to mankind. Therefore, those who say that the relies of the Saints are not worthy of veneration, that it is useless for the faithful to honour them, that it is vain to visit the memorials or monuments of the Saints in order to obtain their aid, are absolutely to be condemned; and, as they have already been long ago condemned,[7] the Church now condemns them once more.”[8]

Considering the unequal distribution of relics throughout the world, Rome has not fixed one universal feast for the essentially local cultus of these precious remains. She leaves the particular churches free to consult their own convenience, reserving it to herself to bless and sanction the choice of each.

 

MASS OF THE HOLY RELICS

 

As the feast of the holy Relics is in many places celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of All Saints', we here give the Mass and Vespers most commonly used. The liturgical formulae are, however, not less variable than the date of the feast.

The Introit, borrowed from the thirty-third Psalm, tells us of God's solicitude for his own, in death as in life. Whatever may become of the just, under trial and persecution, their bones shall be gathered together again on the last day, at the voice of the Son of Man,

Introit.

Multae tribulationes justorum, et de his omnibus liberavit eos Dominus: Dominus custodit omnia ossa eorum: unum ex his non conteretur.

Ps. Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore: semper laus ejus in ore meo. Gloria Patri. Multae.

Many were the afflictions of the just, and out of all these the Lord delivered them: the Lord keepeth all their bones, not one of them shall be broken.

Ps. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Glory be to the Father. Many were.

---

The miracles wrought by these dry bones prove, says St. Augustine, that they are not really dead.[9] Let our faith in the future resurrection be thereby increased; and let us pray with the Church in her Collect, that we too, at the appointed time, may par­take in the glory of which their wonder-working power is the pledge.

Collect

Auge in nobis, Domine, resurrectionis fidem, qui in Sanctorum tuorum reliquiis mirabilia operaris: et fac nos immortalis gloriae participes, cujus in eorum cineribus pignora veneramur. Per Dominum.

Increase within us, O Lord, the faith of the resurrection, thou who workest wonders in the relics of thy Saints: and make us partakers of immortal glory, of which we venerate the pledges in their ashes. Through.

---

Then are commemorated the occurring Sunday and the Octave of All Saints, by their respective Collects.

---

Epistle

Lectio libri Sapientiae.
Eccli. xliv.

Hi viri misericordiae sunt, quorum pietates non defuerunt: cum semine eorum permanent bona, haereditas sancta nepotes eorum, et in testamentis stetit semen eorum: et filii eorum propter illos usque in aeternum manent: semen eorum, et gloria eorum non derelinquetur. Corpora ipsorum in pace sepulta sunt, et nomen eorum vivit in generationem et generationem. Sapientiam ipsorum narrent populi, et laudem eorum nuntiet Ecclesia.

Lesson from the Book of Wisdom.
Eccli. xliv.

These were meu of mercy, whose godly deeds have not failed. Good things continue with their seed, their posterity are a holy inheritance, and their seed hath stood in the covenants; and their children for their sakes remain for ever: their seed and their glory shall not be forsaken. Their bodies are buried in peace, and their name liveth unto generation and generation. Let the people shew forth their wisdom, and the Church declare their praise.

---

Our ancestors looked upon holy relics as their greatest riches, the treasure by excellence of their cities. Dew of heaven and fatness of the earth, the blessings of this world and of the next, seemed to distil from the bodies of the Saints. Their presence was a check to hostile armies, as well as to the legions of hell; it guarded morals, fostered faith, and encouragedprayer in the heart of cities, to which they attracted as great crowds as now flock to our centres of pleasure. And with what vigilance was cherished the blessed deposit, the loss whereof would have been considered the greatest of public calamities!

“I have here, my brethren,” says Cardinal Pie, to unfold to you a marvellous design of the God whom Scripture calls wonderful in his Saints. The Lord Jesus, who said to his disciples: Go ye and teach, euntes ergo docete, frequently takes pleasure in sending them forth again after their death; and he makes use of their apostolate from beyond the tomb, to carry the blessings of grace to other nations, besides those whom they evangelized in life. I have appointed you, he said, that you should go and should bring forth fruit: Posui vos ut eatis et fructum afferatis. In obedience to this command, the Saints, even after having reached the blessed term of their mortal pilgrimage, consent to become wayfarers once more. Had I leisure to recount to you all the posthumous wanderings of our illustrious pontiffs and thaumaturgi, for instance the repeated journeys of our own Hilary and Martin during more than ten centuries, I should, though captivating your attention by narratives full of interest, run the risk of wearying you by the length of my discourse.”[10]

The Gradual and its Verse, taken from the Psalms, extol the future glory feebly imaged by that which here surrounds the blessed on their couches of honour.

Gradual

Exsultabunt Sancti in gloria: laetabuntur in cubilibus suis.
V. Cantate Domino canticum novum: laus ejus in Ecclesia Sanctorum.
Alleluia, alleluia. V. Justi epulentur, et exsultent in conspectu Dei: et delectentr in laetitis. Alleluia.

The Saints shall rejoice in glory: they shall be joyful in their beds.
V. Sins ye to the Lord a new canticle: let his praise be in the church of the Saints.
Alleluia, alleluia. V. Let the just feast and rejoice before God, and be delighted with gladness. Alleluia.

---

Gospel

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam.
Cap. vi.

In illo tempore: Descendens Jesus de monte, stetit in loco campestri, et turba discipulorum ejus, et multitudo copiosa plebis ab omni Judaea et Jerusalem, et maritims, et Tyri, et Sidonis, qi venerant, ut audirent eum, et sanarentur a languoribus suis. Et qui vexabantur a spiritibus immundis, curabantur. Et omnis turba quaerebat eum tangere: quia virtus de illo exibat, et sanabat omnes. Et pise, elevatis oculis in discipulos suos, dicebat: Beati pauperes: quia vestrum est regnum Dei. Beati, qui nunc esuritis: quia saturabimini. Beati, qui nunc fietis: quia ridebitis. Beati eritis cum vos oderint homines, et cum separaverint vos, et exprobraverint, et ejecerint nomen vestrum tamquam malum, propter Filium hominis. Gaudete in illa die, et exsultate: ecce enim merces vestra multa est in coelo.

Sequal of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
Chap. vi.

At that time, Jesus coming down from the mountain stood in a plain place, and the company of his disciples, and a very great multitude of people from all Judaea and Jerusalem, and the sea-coast both of Tyre and Sidon, who were come to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. And they that were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the multitude sought to touch him, for virtue went out from him, and healed all. And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake be glad in that day and rejoice, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.

---

Amen, Amen, I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do![11] Our Lord was speaking of his Saints and disciples, who would believe in him so fully as to place their earthly happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution. His word was to be accomplished in them during life; but frequently it was to be still more manifested after death, in the power retained by their relics of driving away demons, healing all diseases, and obtaining every grace. It is not only from the narrow province of Judaea, but from the coasts of the entire world, that multitudes now flock to hear the saints in the silent eloquence of their tombs, and to experience the virtue that goes out from them.

St. Paulinus of Nola thus speaks in his poems: God, in his goodness, has willed that the Saints should be distributed among the nations, so that their aid might never be wanting to us weak mortals. If he has given the principal cities to the greatest Saints for their residence, the grace with which they are endowed for our sake is not confined to the places where their entire bodies rest; where there are but small portions, there is the same power, and God thus gives testimony to their credit in heaven. From the holy deposit the sacred ashes are scattered abroad, and become the seeds of life; let but the least drop be taken from the spring, and it is itself a souroe producing rivers of grace and of love.”[12]

Let us, then, honour our Lord in his Saints; for it is from him, as the Offertory tells us, that all their power originates.

Offertory

Mirabilis Deus in sanctis suis: Deus Israel ipse dabit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi suae, benedictus Deus. Alleluia.

God is wonderful in his Saints: the God of Israel is he who will give power and strength to his people: blessed be God. Alleluia.

---

“Whoever adored the Martyrs, or mistook a man for God?” asked St. Jerome, in his defence of the homage paid to sacred relics.[13] And the Church shows, in her Secret, that the cultus of these venerable ashes is rendered to the Saints themselves; while the Saints' own power is but a power of intercession before the Father of the divine Victim who wrought our salvation.

Secret

Imploramus, Domine, clementiam tuam: ut Sanctorum tuorum, quorum Reliquias veneramur, suffragantibus meritis, hostia quam offerimus nostrorum sit expatio delictorum. Per Dominum.

We implore thy mercy, O Lord, that by the suffrage of the merits of thy Saints, whose relics we venerate, the sacrifice which we offer may be the expiation of our sins. Through our Lord.

---

Then follow the Commemorations as above.

---

He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, said the Man-God, I will raise him up in the last day.[14] Holy Communion, which places in our bodies the germ of a glorious immortality, justifies the object of this feast, and explains its joy.

Communion

Gaudete justi in Domino: rectos decet collaudatio.

Rejoice in the Lord yet just: praise becometh the upright.

---

How could we better conclude our prayers of to-day, than by expressing our desire of living eternally with the blessed, who have been gladdening us with the presence of their holy relics! This the Church does in the Postcommunion.

Postcommunion

Multiplica super nos, quaesummus Domine, per haec Sancta guae sumpsimus, misericordiam tuam: ut sicut in tuorum solemnitate Sanctorum, quorum Reliquias colimus, pia devotione laetamur, ita eorum perpetua societate, te largiente, fruamur. Per Dominum.

Multiply thy mercy upon us, we beseech thee O Lord, by these holy mysteries which we have received, that as we rejoice with pious devotion in the solemnity of thy Saints, whose relics we venerate, so, by thy bounty, we may enjoy their eternal fellowship. Through our Lord.

---

Then the Commemorations as before; and at the end of the Mass, the Gospel of the Sunday is read, instead of that of St. John.

---

 

VESPERS OF THE HOLY RELICS

 

---

The Vespers are those of the Common for many Martyrs, with the Collect of today’s Mass for the Prayer.

---

1. Ant. Isti sunt Sancti, qui pro testamento Dei sua corpora testamento Dei sua corpora tradiderunt, et in sanguine Agni laverunt stolas suas.

1. Ant. These are the Saints who yielded their bodies for God's covenant, and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.

---

Ps. Dixit Dominus, page 36.

---

2. Ant. Sancti per fidem vicerunt regna, operati sunt justitiam, adepti sunt repromissiones.

2. Ant. The Saints by faith conquered kingdoms, wrought justice, and gained the promises.

---

Ps. Confitebor tibi Domine, page 37.

---

 

3. Ant. Sanctorum velut aquilae juventus renovabitur: florebunt sicut lilium in civitate Domini.

3. Ant. The youth of the Saints shall be renewed like that of the eagle: they shall flourish as the lily in the city of the Lord.

---

Ps. Beatus vir, page 38.

---

 

4. Ant. Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam ab oculis Sanctorum: et jam non erit amplius neque luctus, neque clamor, sed nec ullus dolor: quoniam prioria transierunt.

4. Ant. God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of the Saints : and now there shall be no more mourning, nor crying, nor any sorrow: for the former things are passed away

---

Ps. Laudate pueri, page 39.

---

 

5. Ant. In coelestibus regnis Sanctorum habitatio est, et in aeternum requies eorum.

5. Ant. The dwelling of the Saints is the kingdom of heaven, and their rest shall be eternal.

---

Ps. Credidi, page 83.

---

Capitulum
(Wisdom, iii.)

Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormentum mortis. Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori: illi autem sunt in pace.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: but they are in peace.

---

Hymn

Sanctorum meritis inclyta gaudia
Pangamus socii, gestaque fortia.
Gliscens fert animus promere cantibus
Victorum genus optimum.

Hi sunt, quos fatue mundus abhorruit;
Hunc fructu vacuum, floribus aridum
Contempsere tui nominis asseclae
Jesu Rex bone coelitum.

Hi pro te furias, atque minas truces
Calcarunt hominum, saevaque verbera:
His cessit lacerans fortiter ungula,
Nec carpsit penetralia.

Caeduntur gladiis more bidentium:
Non murmur resonat, non quaerimonia;
Sed corde impavido mens bene conscia
Conservat patietiam.

Quae vox, quae poterit linqua retexere,
Quae tu Martyribus munera praeparas?
Rubri nam fluido sanguine fulgidis
Cingunt tempora laureis.

Te summa o Deitas, unaque poscimus,
Ut culpas abigas, noxia subtrahas,
Des pacem famulis, ut tibi gloriam
Annorum in seriem canant.

Amen.

Let us together celebrate the glorious delights
merited by the Saints, and their heroic deeds:
for the mind exults to proclaim in song
these the noblest of conquerors.

These are they whom the world in its folly abhorred;
while they, the faithful followers of thy name,
O Jesus merciful King of the heavenly citizens,
despised the world as barren and devoid of fruits and flowers.

For thy sake they scorned the rage of men,
their savage threats and cruel stripes:
the fiercely rending hook, van­quished by their courage,
left the brave heart untouched.

Like sheep, they are slaughtered by the sword:
not a murmur, not a complaint es­capes them;
but with unquailing heart, the soul,
conscious of right, preserves its patience.

What voice, what tongue could relate
the rewards thou preparest for the Martyrs?
For, adorned with the purple of their own blood,
they bind their brows with victory's glittering laurels.

We beseech thee, O supreme and only God,
that thou wouldst cleanse away our sins, remove all evils,
and grant peace to thy servants,
that they may sing glory to thee for all ages to come.

Amen.

---

V. Exsultabunt Sancti in gloria.
℟. Laetabuntur in cubilibus suis.

V. The Saints shall rejoice in glory;
℟. They shall be joyful in their beds.

---

Antiphon of the Magnificat

Gaudent in coelis animae Sanctorum, qui Christi vestigia sunt secuti: et quia pro ejus amore sanguinem suum fuderunt, ideo cum Christo exsultant sine fine.

The souls of the Saints, who have followed the footsteps of Christ, rejoice in heaven: and because for his sake they shed their blood, therefore they exult with Christ forever.

---

The Canticle Magnificat page 44.

---

The Prayer is the Collect of the Mass, page 166.

---

Then follow the Commemorations of the Sunday and of the Octave.

---

In some churches, the hymn for this Feast is the following composed by Claud Santeul, who must not be confounded with John Baptist Santeul of St. Victor. The compositions of the former are superior to those of his brother in unction and simplicity, as well as by their orthodoxy.

Hymn

O vos unamines Christidum chori,
Sanctorum tumulos et cineres Patrum,
Charas exuvias, pignora coelitum
Laetis dicite cantibus.

Coelo quando piis aequa laboribus
Felices animae gaudia possident,
Poenarum sociis debita redditur
Hic laus et decus ossibus.

Passim sparsa Deus, policiti memor
Custos, ne pereant, pignora colligit:
Electosque suis providus aggerit
Aptados lapides locis.

Quin et relliquias, et tumulos sibi
Aras ipse Deus consecrat hostia:
Conjungensque suis se caput artubus,
Hos secum simul immolat.

Vos, quorum cineres supplicibus pia,
Tutum praesidium, plebs colit osculis,
Si vos nostra movent, subsidium boni
Vestris ferte clientibus.

Ut cum nostra novis splendida dotibus
Surget juncta choris spirituum caro,
Indivisa Trias sit Deus omnia
Nobis semper in omnibus.

Amen.

O choirs of Christians, one in heart,
celebrate in songs of joy the tombs
of the Saints and the ashes of our Fathers;
dear relics, pledges left us by the heavenly citizens.

While their happy souls possess in heaven
joys proportioned to their loving toils on earth,
here below meet praise and honour are rendered to their bodies,
sharers anon in their sufferings.

Mindful of his promise, God, their kind protector,
gathers these scattered pledges, lest they perish;
and lovingly collects his chosen stones
to fit them for their places.

Yea, God who is himself our Victim,
consecrates these relics and tombs into altars for himself;
the divine Head unites with these his members,
and immolates them together with himself.

O ye, whose ashes the pious people looks upon as its secure defence,
and honours with suppliant kisses;
if our troubles touch your hearts,
bring aid, in your goodness, to your clients.

So that when our flesh, resplendent with new gifts,
shall rise again and be united with the choirs of spirits,
God, the indivisible Trinity,
may be to us forever all in all.

Amen.

---

We next give the beautiful formula from the Roman Pontifical for the blessing of shrines and reliquaries.

Preface

Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus inaestimabilis, Deus ineffabilis, Deis misericordiarum, et totius consolationis. Qui Moysi famulo tuo praecepisti, ut juxta exemplar quod ei in monte demonstrasti, arcam de lignis imputribilibus construeret, et eam auro mundissimo circumdare, in qua urna aurea manna coelesti plena, cum tabulis testamenti digito majesestatis tuae conscriptis, in testimonium futuris genertionibus servari deberet. Quiqui nostris saeculis eadem sacratius intelligenda manifestasti, dum corpus unici Filii tui, opere Spiritus sancti de incorrupta Virgine conceptum, et anima rationali vivificatum, omni plenitudine divinitatis replesti:

Te suppliciter imporamus, omnipotens Deus, Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, ex quo omnis paternitas in coelo et in terra nominatur; ut haec vascula Sanctorum tuorum pignoribus praeparata, eisdem Sanctis tuis intercedentibus, coelesti benedictione perfundere digneris; quatenus qui horum patrocinia requirunt, ipsis intercedentibus, cuncta sibi adversantia, te adjuvante, superare, et omnia commode profutura, abundantia largitatis tuae mereantur invenire. Et sicut illi, te Domine inspirante, spiritualium nequitiarum versutias cavere, et humanitus exquisita tormenta non solum contemnere, sed etiam penitus evincere, Christo Domino confortante, potuerunt; ita ipsorum merita venerantibus, et Reliquias humiliter amplectentibus, contra diabolum, et angelos ejus, contra fulmina et tempestates, contra grandines, et varias pestes, contra corruptum serem, et mortes hominum, vel animalium, contra fures et latrones, sive gentium incursiones, contra malas bestias, et serpentium, ac reptantium diversissimas formas, contra malorum hominum adinventiones pessimas, eorumdem Sanctorum tuorum precibus complacatus, dexteram invictae potentiae tuae ad depulsionem nocivorum et largitatem proficuorum semper et ubique propitius extende.

Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate ejusdem Spiritus sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

It is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we should always and in all places give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal, inestimable God, ineffable God, God of mercies and of all consolation. Who didst com­mand thy servant Moses to construct, according to the pattern thou didst show him in the mount, an ark of incorruptible wood, and to cover it all over with purest gold, that therein might be preserved, as a testimony to future generations, the golden urn full of heavenly manna, with the tables of the Covenant written by the finger of thy Majesty. In our ages thou didst make known how these same things are to be more mystically understood, when thou didst fill with all the plenitude of the Divinity the Body of thine only Son, con­ceived of the most pure Virgin by the operation of the Holy Ghost, and quickened with a rational soul.

We suppliantly beseech thee, O Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom all paternity in heaven and on earth is named; that thou wouldst deign to imbue with thy heavenly blessing, through the intercession of thy Saints, these vessels prepared to receive their sacred remains; so that those, who have recourse to their patronage, may, through their in­tercession and by thine assistance, merit to overcome all adversities, and to obtain all that is useful and profitable from the abundance of thy bounty. And as these thy Saints, O Lord, by the inspiration of thy grace, were able to avoid the snares of the spirits of wickedness, and in the strength of Christ our Lord not only to despise but entirely to triumph over the most cruel tortures from the hands of men: even so, that those who venerate their merits and humbly embrace their relics may be protected against the devil and his angels, against lightnings and tempests, against hail and all sorts of plagues, against unhealthy atmosphere and mortalities among men and cattle, against thieves and assassins, against invasions of nations, against wild beasts and serpents and the innumerable kinds of reptiles, and against the most wicked designs of evil men, — do thou, being appeased by the prayers of the same thy Saints, mercifully stretch forth, always and everywhere, the right hand of thine invincible power, to drive away all that is evil, and to shed abroad all benefits.

Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

Amen.

---

Lastly, not to forget our dear dead on any of the days of this Octave, let us end with this ancient and tender supplication, used by the churches of Séez, le Mans, Angers, and Rennes, for the Commemoration of the departed.

Sequence

De profundis clamantes gemimus
Et gemendo preces effundimus: exaudi nos, Domine.

Miserere misertus miseris,
Qui Salvator et Salus diceris, competente munere. 

Sicut serves ad fontes properat
Sicut anima ad Te desiderat, fons misericordiae.

Fontis hujus aquis nos abluas,
Nec secundum culpas retribuas, Deus indulgentiae.

Nec mensuram observes scelerum,
Nec culparum numeres numerum, sed da locum veniae.

Non est opus reis judicio,
Sed affictis detur remissio, dono Tuae gratiae.

Tu dixisti: Vos qui laboribus
Pressi estis, atque oneribus, ego vos reficiam.

Ecce ad Te pressi confugimus,
A Te solo refici petimus, per tuam clementiam.

Nec facturam Tuam despicias,
Sed clamantem pius respicias, dans reis remedia.

Qui venturus es Judex omnium,
Animabus cunctis fidelium des aeterna gaudia.

Amen.

From the depths crying out we groan,
and groaning we pour forth our prayer : hear us O Lord.

Pitifully have pity on the pitiable,
O thou who art called the Saviour and Salvation, and thy function corresponds to thy name.

As the hart speeds to the fountains,
so does the soul yearn after thee, O fount of mercy;

wash us with the waters of this fountain,
and deal not with us according to our sins, O God of pardon.

Mark not the measure of our crimes,
and count not the number of our sins, but make way for indulgence.

Guilty as we are, it is not judgment we need;
but we are afflicted, grant us forgiveness by the free gift of thy grace.

Thou hast said : All ye that are heavily laden
with labours and with burdens, I will refresh you.

Behold how oppressed we flee to thee;
from thee alone we seek refreshment, through thine own clemency.

Oh! Despise not the work of thy hands;
but look tenderly upon the suppliant, and give healing remedies to the guilty.

Thou, who art to come as Judge of all,
grant to all the souls of the faithful everlasting joys.

Amen.

---

[1] Aug. Sermo cccxviii, de Stephano Mart. V.
[2] Ps. cxv. 15.
[3] Aug. Sermo cclxxv, de Vincentio Mart. II
[4] Greg. Nyss. De Theodoro Mart.
[5] Chyrs. In Epist. II. ad Cor. Hom. xxvi.
[6] Chyrs. In Epist. ad Rom. Hom. xxxii.
[7] Conc. Nic. II. cap. vii.
[8] Conc. Trid. Sess. xxv. De invocatione, veneratione et reliquiis Sanctorum.
[9] Aug. Sermo cccxix, de Stephano Mart. vi.
[10] Cardinal Pie, Discourse pronounced at the translation of the relics of St. Latuin.
[11] St. John xiv. 12.
[12] Paulin. Poem. xix, xxvii.
[13] Hieron. Contra Vigilantium.
[14] St. John. vi. 55.