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A-
OFFICE BOOK
FOR
DOMINICAN SISTERS
Sisters of Saint Dominic
CONVENT OF SAINT CATHERINE RACINE, WISCONSIN
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Nihil Obstat
T. G. K1NSELLA, O.P.
J. E. MARK, O.P., S.T.Lr., S.T.D.
In festo Visitationis B.V.M.. die 2 Julii, 1940
Nihil Obstat
H. B. RIES
Censor Librorum
St. Francis, Wis., die 7 Septembris, 1940
Imprimatur
^MOYSES E. KILEY
Imprimi Potest
PETRUS O'BRIEN, O.P., S.T.Lr.
Prior Provincialis Provinciae S. Alberti M.
Archiepiscopus Milwaukiensis
Copyright. 1941 Sisters of Saint Dominic racine. wisconsin
Printed in U. S. A.
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Sntrotiuction
THE Little Office is a particular form of devotion to our Blessed Lady Mary. It may be con- sidered as a supplement or a substitute of the Divine Office. Its origin can be traced back to the tenth century, though the official text of the Dominican Breviary to which the Little Office was attached dates back only to the year 1256.
It has been said that a religious who is faithful to the duty of reciting the daily Office worthily, attentively and devoutly will also be faithful to his or her other duties. An unintelligent recital is truly wearisome and mentally stupefying. To say the Office properly, therefore, some serious study is necessary. The Little Office is the prayer of the Church, but if it is our duty to say the Office, it should be a personal prayer as well. When St. Alphonsus Liguori had finished his book on the psalms, he wrote of himself, "I find that I now recite the Office with more attention than formerly, when I used to read many passages without understanding their meaning."
The greater part of the Office consists of the psalms and other passages of Holy Scripture. A perfect knowledge of the meaning and interpre- tation of each single part is not necessary in order to pray the Office well, but we should have, at least, an accurate general knowledge of the psalms and their meaning, so that we may be able to pray the Office with serious thought and with profit to ourselves. If any part of the Office seems uninteresting, we may find it helpful to use that part as a subject for serious medita-
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INTRODUCTION
tion. For that purpose, this edition of the Little Office contains some short explanations. These are in no way all-inclusive. Since prayer is a, holy conversation with God and the Saints, it should be the interpretation and manifestation of our personal pious desires and intentions. One verse of a psalm may often suffice to arouse these holy desires. Here as well as in all our spiritual life, the grace of God and our good will is most important. A good will implies the determination of trying to recite the Little Office with more fervor and to avoid reciting it out of routine.
The object of our prayer is first, the glory of God, whose incomprehensible perfections we exalt whenever we say: "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost." Secondly, we seek the honor of Mary, the Queen of heaven and earth. Of this we should be mindful. We pray also for the prosperity of the whole Catholic Church. We pray for peace among all nations; we pray for the welfare of our own holy commu- nity; we pray for the welfare of all mankind, for the salvation of every human soul, and for every soul in Purgatory.
We glorify God at a time when He is offended in a thousand ways; when sinful men decry God's holiness and justice, His goodness and providence, and even deny His very existence. We honor Mary, the most holy Mother of God, at a time when millions of men dishonor or at least neglect to honor her. Let us, then, make the sacrifice of saying the Little Office "not with sadness or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver" (II Cor. ix: 7).
Fr. Cyril Wahle, O.P., S.T.Lr., P.G.
Feast of St. Catherine April 30, 19 UO
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Contents
Page
Introduction ........................... v
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Explanations and Medita-
TIONS ............................
Prayer before the Office
!Matins
Lauds 48
Prime 96
Tierce 110
§ g x t •••.••••.••••.•••...•••••..••••••« 128
None 142
Vespers 158
Compline 200
LITURGICAL CHANT
Salve Regina 235
0 Lumen 237
Litany of the Blessed Virgin 238
Inviolata 241
Regina Caeli 244
Commemoration of the Saints and Blessed of the Dominican Order
common commemorations
For a Martyr 246
For Many Martyrs 247
For a Confessor 249
For One or More Martyrs and Confes- sors in Paschal Time 251
For a Virgin 252
For Many Virgins 253
For One, Neither Virgin Nor Martyr (Widow) 254
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SAINTS AND BLESSED OF THE ORDER (Arranged in alphabetical order)
Agnes of Montepulciano 290
Aimo Tapparelli 334
Albert of Bergamo 304
Albert the Great 369
Alphonsus Navarrete and Companions . . 312
Alvarez of Cordova 271
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Amata, Diana and Cecilia 314
Ambrose Sansedoni 280
Andrew Abellon 307
Andrew Franchi 311
Andrew of Peschiera 260
Anthony della Chiesa 327
Anthony Neyrot 288
Anthony Pavoni 287
Antoninus of Florence 302
Augustine of Biella 326
Augustine of Hippo 337
Augustine Lucerino 328
Bartholomew of Braganza 359
Bartholomew Cerveri 292
Benedict XI 318
Benvenuta Bojani 361
Bernard Scammacca 269
Bertrand of Garrigue 343
Catherine of Alexandria 372
Catherine of Racconigi 342
Catherine de Ricci 266
Catherine of Siena (Principal Feast) . . 297
— (Translation of body) 273
— (Stigmata of) 284
Cecilia, Diana and Amata 314
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Ceslaus of Poland 322
Christopher of Milan 273
Clare Gambacorta 290
Dalmatius Monerio 346
Damian of Finario 360
Diana, Cecilia and Amata 314
Dominic de Guzman (Principal Feast) . . 329
— (Translation of body) 309
— (In Suriano) 346
Dominic and Gregory 293
Dominic Spadaforo 350
Emily Bicchieri 335
Francis of Assisi 351
Francis de Capillas 259
Francis de Possadas 345
Giles of Portugal 307
Guala of Bergamo 342
Gundisalvus 260
Henry Suso 274
Holy Name of Jesus 256
Hyacinth of Poland 332
Ignatius Delgado and Companions 321
Imelda Lambertini 306
Innocent V 317
Isnardo of Chiampo 280
James Benefatti 375
James of Bevagna 336
James Salamonio 314
James of Ulm 357
James of Varazze 321
Columba of Rieti
Constance of Fabriano
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Jane of Aza 331
Jane of Portugal 305
Jane of Orvieto 326
Jerome and Companions 365
John of Gorcum and Companions 319
John Dominici 315
John Licci 369
John Massias 344
John of Salerno 332
John of Vercelli 376
Jordan of Pisa 274
Jordan of Saxony 269
Joseph, Spouse B. V. M 278
— (Patronage of) 282
Lawrence of Ripafracta 347
Louis Bertrand 355
Louis M. Grignon of Montfort 294
Lucy of Narnia 371
Magdalen de Panattieri 358
Mannes de Guzman 328
Mark of Modena 345
Marcolinus of Forli 263
Margaret of Castello 288
Margaret of Hungary 264
Margaret of Savoy 380
Mary Bartholomea 309
Mary Magdalene 323
Mary Mancini 265
Martin of Porres 365
Matthew Carreri 354
Nicholas Paglia 268
Osanna of Mantua 317
Patronage of B. V. M 377
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Pagre
Peter of Verona 295
Peter Geremia 277
Peter Gonzalez 289
Peter of Ruffia 366
Peter Sanz and Companions 313
Peter of Tiferno 358
Pius V 300
Raymund of Capua 354
Raymund of Pennafort 261
Reginald of Orleans 270
Relics of Saints of the Order 361
Rose of Lima 339
Rosary (Feast of) 348
Sadoc and Companions 312
Saints of the Order (All) 367
— (Relics of) 361
Sebastian Maggi 376
Sybiline of Biscossis . 281
Simon Ballacchi 364
Stephana of Quinzanis 257
Stephen Bandelli 316
Thomas Aquinas (Principal Feast) .... 275
— (Patronage) 369
Villana de Botti 272
Vincent Ferrer 284
William and Companions 310
Zedislava Berkiana 258
Office of the Dead
\^cspGi*s ••••••••«••«•••,•«.•••••,.••••• 381
IMstins • 397
Lauds 441
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Prayers at Meals
Non-Fasting Days 464
Fasting Days 477
Prayers for Daily or Occasional Use
Angelus * 480
Regina Caeli 482
Chapter of Faults 483
General Absolution, Formula of the 488
Litany of the Saints According to Do- minican Rite 493
Prayer of Bl. Jordan to St. Dominic 501
Prayers for the Dying 507
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C&e JLfttle fflMffce of tfje lBIesaeo
Virgin fi^atp
According to the Constitutions of the Domini- can Sisters of the Third Order, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin is said in Latin and in choir. If, however, through necessity any part of the Little Office must be said privately it may be said in English, and all indulgences attached to it may be gained. The rescripts on the indul- gences to be gained are as follows:
To those who shall recite the whole Office of the Blessed Virgin, even to those who are bound to recite it, an indulgence of seven years once a day; a plenary indulgence, once a month, on any day, to those who shall recite it on everyday of the month on the usual conditions; indulgence of 300 days, once a day, to those who shall recite only Matins and Lauds; an indulgence of 50 days for the reciting of each hour of said Office, as also for the reciting of the Vespers and Compline apart from the rest of the Office. Leo XIII, Nov. 17, 1887.
For. the hymn Ave Maris Stella, an indulgence of 300 days, once a day. Leo XIII, Jan. 27, 1888.
For the Magnificat, an indulgence of 100 days, once a day; an indulgence of seven years once every Saturday in the year. Leo XIII, Sept. 20, 1879.
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2 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
The following prayers may be substituted for the Little Office when, for any reason, the read- ing of the Office is impossible:
For Matins and Lauds: Apostles' Creed; 28 Our Fathers; 28 Hail Marys.
For Prime: Apostles' Creed; 7 Our Fathers; 7 Hail Marys.
For Tierce, Sext, and None, each: 7 Our Fa- thers; 7 Hail Marys.
For Vespers: 14 Our Fathers; 14 Hail Marys.
For Compline: Apostles' Creed; 7 Our Fa- thers; 7 Hail Marys.
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THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
WITH
EXPLANATIONS AND MEDITATIONS
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€&e Little Dfftce of tjje TSUssttt $ftgftt $©atp
Prayer Before the Office
A peri, Domine, os meum ad benedi- cendum nomen sanc- t u m tuum : munda quoque cor meum ab omnibus vanis, per- versis et alienis cogi- tationibus; intellec- tum illumina, affec- tum inflamma, ut dig- ne, attente, ac devote hoc Officium recitare valeam, e t exaudiri merear ante conspec- tum divinse Majesta- tis tuse. Per Chris- t u m Dominum nos- trum. Amen.
Domine, in unione illius divinae intentio- nis, qua ipse in terris laudes Deo persolvis- ti, has tibi Horas per- solvo.
Qpen, 0 Lord, my mouth to bless Thy Holy Name: cleanse also my heart from all v a i n, per- verse and distracting thoughts ; enlighten my understanding, in- flame my will, that I may worthily, atten- tively and devoutly recite this Office, and deserve to be heard in the presence of Thy Divine Majesty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
0 Lord, in union with that divine in- tention, wherewith Thou didst offer praises on earth to God, I offer these Hours to Thee.
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applanation ano s^eDttation
Prayer Before the Office
ACKNOWLEDGING my entire dependence on God, I ask: "What can I offer the Lord that is worthy of Him" (Mich, vi: 6). The Holy Ghost answers : "Praise the Lord according to His mani- fold greatness" (Ps. cl: 2). But who is worthy to do so, since St. Thomas calls the recitation of the Office the solemnity of the angels? Therefore, I humbly ask the Holy Ghost to raise my soul to heaven, to remove the obstacles caused by this world and to grant me the qualities of a pious prayer.
O God, uplift my soul to Thee ; purify my mind and heart from all worldly impressions, sinful representations, unfitting affections and diver- sions; enlighten my understanding with divine truth; enkindle in my will the fire of divine love; penetrate my heart with deepest reverence; con- centrate my affections on Thy holy presence that I may pray with due humility, attention and de- votion as is necessary for every pious conversa- tion with Thy omnipotent, holy majesty.
To be acceptable to God I must pray with con- fidence in the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in conformity and union with His intentions, for He said: "Without me you can do nothing" (John xv : 5). 0 God, make me worthy to obtain Thy mercy in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Divine Son. O Lord, while on earth Thou didst glorify the Heavenly Father; permit me now to join my prayer with Thy most holy in- tentions. Amen.
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6 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Ad Matutinum
A ve, Maria, gratia
plena, Dominus tecum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
V. Domine, labia mea aperies.
R. Et os meum an- nuntiabit laudem tu- am.
V. Deus, in adjuto- rium meum intende.
R. Domine, ad ad- juvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri, et Fi- lio,et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in prin- cipio et nunc, et sem- per, et in s&cula sae- culorum. Amen. Alle- luia.
A Septuagesima vero usque ad Pascha loco Alleluia dicitur Laus tibi, Domine, Rex seter- use gloria.
At Matins
TTail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
V. 0 Lord, Thou wilt open my lips.
R. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
V. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
R. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Fa- ther, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the be- ginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima until Easter instead of Alleluia is said Praise be . to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
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MATINS
7
Matins
"ly/TATINS, meaning Morning Prayer, is made up *" • partly of reading and thus assumes some- what the character of a meditation. At each Hour we begin the praises of our heavenly Queen with the Angelic Salutation. These words, coming first from heaven and now from our humble hearts, must be most pleasing to Mary because they remind her of her exalted dignity, her ex- ceedingly great joy and her most noble mission. We should endeavor to recite them with a rever- ence similar to that of St. Gabriel and St. Eliza- beth. In the Dominican rite, only the first part of the Ave Maria is recited because in the early days of the Order the second part had not yet been added to the Angelic Salutation.
Mindful of our unworthiness and helplessness to praise God and our Blessed Lady properly, we ask for divine assistance. Knowing that all heavenly blessings come to us through the great sacrifice on Calvary, we make the Sign of the Cross and express thereby our consecration to our crucified Lord. We confess our faith in the Most Holy Trinity and renew our good inten- tion to do all for God's greater glory. We con- firm our invocation and resolution with the He- brew word Amen which means So be it. Alle- luia which means God be praised indicates our spiritual joy and gratitude. During the season of penance we praise our Lord as the King of eternal glory.
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8 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Invitatorium: Re- gem Virginia Filium, * venite, adoremus.
PSALMUS 94
VTenite, exsultemus Domino, jubilemus Deo salutari nostro:| praeoccupemus faciem ejus in confessione, | et in psalmis jubile- mus ei.
R. Regem Virginia Filium, * venite ado- remus.
V. Quoniam Deus magnus Dominus, et rex magnus super omnes deos: | quoni- am non rep&let Do- minus plebem suam:| quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines ter- rse, | et altitudines montium ipse conspi- cit.
R. Venite, adore- mus.
V. Quoniam ipsius est mare et ipse fecit
Invitatory: Our King, a Virgin's Son, 0 come, let us adore.
PSALM 94
me, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us joyfully sing to God our Saviour, let us come before His presence with thanks- giving, and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms.
R. Our King, a Virgin's Son, O come, let us adore.
V. The Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods; for the Lord will not reject His people; for in His hands are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His.
R. 0 come, let us adore.
V. For the sea is His and He made
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THE INVITATORY AND PSALM 94
Y THE invitatory prayer, which is partly
" taken from Psalm 94, we invite and encourage all the faithful together with ourselves to adore the King of kings, who has become the God-Man by assuming our human nature from the most holy Virgin Mary, whom we implicitly glorify as
the Mother of Jesus Christ and our Mother. While reciting Psalm 94, we repeat after each verse that same invitatory prayer to incite our fervor and to add solemnity. All are invited to worship God. It is man's chief duty. Though it is sometimes nec- essary to be busy about many things, our worship of God comes first. Martha served the Lord; Mary listened to Him and so did better (Luke x: 42). We come now to honor God, who is all- holy, all-powerful, all-merciful and to thank Him who made us, redeemed us, sanctified us. Let us sing His praises with a joyful heart as did the angels in Bethlehem. Let us often renew our good intention to seek first the Lord and His kingdom.
The King, the Virgin's Son, let us adore. Be- hold God's infinite majesty. Christ is the King above all kings. It was Mary's greatest joy to adore Jesus in the manger where He appeared so little, although possessing all power. Let us join our Blessed Lady. Nothing can resist the maj- esty of Christ; nothing transcends His mercy. He came for all, He died for all, He will judge all, He will reward and punish according to each one's
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10 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
illud, | et aridam fun- daverunt manus ejus : | venite adoremus (hie genuflectitur) et pro- cidamus ante Deum:| ploremus coram Do- mino, qui fecit nos, | quia ipse est Domi- nus Deus noster, | nos autem populus ejus, et oves pascuse ejus.
R. Regem Virginis Filium, * venite ado- remus.
V. Hodie, si vocem ejus audieritis, | noli- te obdurare c o r d a vestra, | sicut in ex- acerbatione secun- dum diem tentationis in deserto: | ubi ten- taverunt m e patres vestri, | probaverunt et viderunt opera mea.
R. Venite, adore- mus.
V. Quadraginta an- nis proximus fui gen- erationi huic, et dixi : | Semper hi errant
it, and His hands formed the dry land:
0 come, let us adore (kneel for one verse) and fall down before God: let us weep be- fore the Lord that made us, for He is the Lord our God, and we are His peo- ple, and the sheep of His pasture.
R. Our King, a Virgin's Son, 0 come, let us adore.
V. Today, if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the pro- vocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness : where your fathers tempted Me and proved Me and saw my works.
R. O come, let us adore.
V. Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and
1 said: These men do
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merits and demerits. Wherefore, let us offer Him our sacrifice of adoration with a humble and con- trite heart. We are the chosen sheep of His fold ; we are made by His hand, redeemed by His death, spiritually fed by His own flesh and blood. We are all His own. Even our bodies are His mem- bers (I Cor. vi: 15). Today then turn to God; join Mary in her divine praises.
When you hear His law, do not harden your heart. The Israelites, freed from the bondage of Egypt and wandering to the Promised Land, ex- perienced at one time God's miracles, at another, His chastisements. They, nevertheless, ignored the ways of God, doubted His providence and con- tinued to murmur against Him. But "I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me" (Ps. lxxxiv: 9). Happy the soul that hears the Lord speaking within her. Let us adore the Lord God, the heav- enly King, the Blessed Virgin Mary's beloved Son Jesus Christ.
For forty years the children of Israel on their journey to Palestine offended God by their unbe- lief, indifference and disobedience. God justly punished them. They were not allowed to enter the Land of Promise. Come, we will adore the Lord and submit ourselves to His laws and ways. We will join Mary, the Blessed Mother of the King of kings, and with her we will promise again faithful submission to God. "Behold the hand- maid of the Lord" (Luke i: 38). Be it done to me according to the word and will of the Father
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12 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
corde; | ipse vero non cognoverunt vias me- as, | quibus juravi in ira mea, | si i n t r o i- bunt in requiem me- am.
Regem Virginia Fi- lium, * venite adore- mus.
Gloria Patri, et Fi- lio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in prin- cipio, et nunc, et sem- per, | et in specula sse- culorum. Amen.
Venite, adoremus.
Regem Virginis Fi- lium.
Venite, adoremus.
HYMNUS
Quem terra, pontus, jethera
Colunt, adorant, pre- dicant,
always err in heart; but My ways they have not known, so I swore in My wrath, that they shall not enter into My rest.
Our King, a Vir- gin's Son, 0 come, let us adore.
Glory be to the Fa- ther, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
0 come, let us adore.
Our King, a Vir- gin's Son.
0 come, let us adore.
HYMN
WHOM earth, and sea and sky pro- claim
The Ruler of their triple frame
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and the Son and the Holy Ghost. May I remain mindful of God, my Creator and Lord, whom I adore; of God, my Savior, the Good Shepherd, to whom I will listen and whom I will follow; of God, my eternal Judge, to whom I promise obedience and fidelity.
HIS hymn, composed by Venantius Fortunatus
* in the sixth century in honor of the mystery of the Incarnation, expresses in a more solemn and condensed form the principal thought and inten- tion of our prayer.
We admire the greatness and humility of our divine Lord and the dignity of His holy Mother. The whole universe, the earth, the sea and the sky adore Him, proclaim His glory and serve Him, who has become the little Infant of the Blessed Virgin. The greatest has become the least, the first has become the last. By an ex- ceptional grace of God the Virgin Mary is privi- leged to be the secret sanctuary of Him whom the moon and the sun and all creation obey. How happy is this Mother and how great is her dignity!
The great Architect of the universe, who meas- ures the waters in the hollow of His hand and weighs the heavens in His palm, is enclosed with- in thee, 0 Blessed Mother. By the heavenly messenger thou art made supremely happy; by the Holy Ghost thou art made fruitful; the De-
HYMN
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14 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Trinam regentem ma- He unto Whom their
chinam, praises rise
Claustrum Marise ba- Within the womb of
julat. Mary lies.
Cui luna, sol et omnia
Deserviunt per tem- pora,
Perfusa cseli gratia,
Gestant puellae vis- cera.
Beata Mater munere,
Cujus supernus Arti- fex
Mundum pugillo con-
tinens, V e n t r i s sub area
clausus est.
Beata caeli nuntio,
Fcecunda Sancto Spi- ritu,
Desideratus gentibus
Cujus per alvum fu-
sus est.
Her womb, the seat
of every grace Is now the Lord's
abiding place, That Lord to Whom
the sun by day, The moon by night,
their service pay.
0 happy Mother that
thou art! Close underneath thy
beating heart, Lies thy Creator-God,
who plann'd The world, He holds
within His hand.
Blest by the herald angel's tongue,
O'er thee God's shad- owing Spirit hung,
And fill'd thy womb whence issued forth
The long-desir'd of all the earth.
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sired of the nations has been entrusted to thee. O Mary, Mother of all grace and mercy, we pray, protect us from our enemy and receive us at the hour of our death. Glorified forever be our Lord, the Son of the Blessed Virgin, and God, our Father, and the Holy Ghost, our Sanc- tifier. Amen.
St. Thomas reminds us (S. T. III. 1. 2) that for the restoration of human nature it was not ab- solutely necessary that God — whose means are without limit — should become incarnate, but that it was necessary only in order that this end might be attained better and more conveniently for our advancement. Quoting St. Augustine, St. Thomas enumerates five effects of the mystery of the Incarnation. First, faith is given a more sound basis in the fact that it is God Himself who speaks. Secondly, hope is greatly strength- ened, "Nothing was so necessary for raising our hope as to show us how deeply God loved us." Thirdly, charity is more strongly enkindled, "What greater cause is there for the Lord's com- ing than to show God's love for us." Fourthly, we are assisted in well-doing by the fact that Christ set us an example, "God was made man that He who might be seen by man and whom man might follow might be shown to man." Fifthly, man can attain to the full participation of the Divinity which is the end of human life, "God was made man that man might be made Godlike."
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16 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Maria, mater gratiae,
Mater misericordise,
Tu nos ab hoste pro- tege,
Et hora mortis sus- cipe.
Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui natus es de Vir- gine.
Cum Patre et Sancto
Spiritu, In sempiterna s&cu-
la. Amen.
PSALMUS 8
rjOMiNE, Do minus noster, * quam admirabile est nomen tuum in universa ter- ra!
Quoniam e 1 evata est magnificentia tua, * super caelos.
Ex ore infantium, et lactentium perfe- cisti laudem propter inimicos t u o s, * ut
O Mary, Mother of all
grace, Mother of mercy to
our race, Protect us now from
Satan's power, And own us at life's
closing hour.
All glory be to Thee,
0 Lord, A Virgin's Son, by all
ador'd : And equal praise for
ever greet The Father and the
Paraclete. Amen.
TSALM 8
O Lord, our Lord: how admirable is Thy name in the whole earth!
For Thy magnifi- c e n c e is elevated : above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and suck- lings Thou hast per- fected praise, because
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PSALM 8
f\VR Lord God, the Creator of the whole uni- " verse, calls forth our admiration even in the very early hours of the day. If before dawn we look up to the sky and see the brightness of innumerable stars, we are led to turn our thoughts to their Maker and in profound admira- tion adore His majesty. Darkness may still cover the manifold works of God here on earth; yet we cannot but realize that everywhere His power, wisdom and goodness have become manifest. How wonderful is the magnitude, the celerity, the regularity of the stars! The splendor of the work points to the greatness of its Maker. Thus the whole universe calls upon us, "Come let us praise the Lord." Even little children seeing such magnificence praise the Lord and raise their voices against ail who deny God, for "Out of the mouths of infants and of sucklings Thou hast perfected praise," as Jesus said (Matt, xxi: 16). God has chosen the humble to put to shame those who are wise and mighty in their own eyes.
I will reflect on the vastness of the heavens and the surpassing excellence of the moon and the stars. The moon is a symbol of Mary as the stars are the symbol of the saints, and they all are the work of the Holy Ghost, who is called the Finger of God.
How insignificant is man compared with the immensity of the universe, and yet the Son of God has visited him and has Himself become a
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destruas inimicum et ultorum.
Quoniam videbo cse- los tuos, opera digito- rum tuorum : * lunam et stellas, quae tu fun- dasti.
Quid est h o m o, quod memor es ejus? *aut films hominis, quoniam visitas eum?
Minuisti eum paulo minus ab Angelis, gloria et honor e coro- nasti eum: * et con- stituisti eum super opera manuum tua- rum.
Omnia subjecisti sub pedibus ejus, * oves et boves univer- sas: insuper et peco- ra campi.
Volucres casli, et pi- sces maris, * qui per-
of Thine enemies : that Thou mayst de- stroy the enemy and the avenger.
For I will behold Thy heavens, the works of Thy fingers : the moon and the stars which Thou hast founded.
0 what is man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou visit- est him?
Thou hast made him a little less than the Angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and hon- our : and hast set him over the works of Thy hands.
Thou hast subject- ed all things beneath his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, the beasts also of the field.
The birds of the air and the fishes of
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man. How much greater than all the material world is the dignity of man, whom God has cre- ated to the image and likeness of the Most High! Man is only a little less than the pure spirits; how wonderfully is he honored and crowned with glory in the God-Man Jesus Christ, to whom is given all power in heaven and on earth. Be- cause man has a spiritual soul, dominion is given him over all animals, also over the fowls in the air and the fishes in the sea and every creeping creature that moves upon the earth (Gen. i: 26).
Indeed, the mindfulness of God for us sur- passes all our understanding, all our expecta- tions and all our merits. The more we reflect on the great works of God as so many manifes- tations of His own infinite excellency, the more shall we praise Him with this prayer of the psalmist. No saint ever said this prayer with such profound devotion as did Mary, who next to the humanity of Christ is the greatest master- piece of the almighty Creator. May Mary allow us to unite our praises with hers.
Our prayer is more likely to be heard if we say the Office in a holy place, because there we con- ceive a greater devotion; first, on account of the consecration of that place; secondly, on account of the sacred mysteries and other signs of holi- ness contained therein; thirdly, on account of the concourse of many adorers, for our Lord prom- ised to be in the midst of two or three gathered together in His Name (Matt, xviii: 20) (S. T. II. II. 84, 3.2).
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ambulant semitas ma- ris.
Domine, Dominus noster, * quam admi- rabile est nomen tu- um in universa terra!
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 18
pAELi enarrant glo- riam Dei, * et ope- ra raanuum ejus an- nuntiat firmamen- tum.
Dies diei eructat verbum, * et nox noc- ti indicat scientiam.
Non sunt loquelae, neque sermones * quorum non audian- tur voces eorum.
In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum : * et in fines orbis terrae verba eorum.
In sole posuit ta- bei-naculum suum: * et ipse tanquam spon-
the sea: that pass through the paths of the sea.
O Lord, our Lord: how admirable is Thy Name in all the earth!
Glory be.
PSALM 18
'Phe heavens show
forth the glory of God: and the firma- ment declareth the work of His hands.
Day unto day ut- tereth speech: and night unto night showeth knowledge.
There are no speech- es nor languages: where their voices are not heard.
Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth; and their words to the ends of the world.
His tabernacle He hath set in the sun: and he as a bride-
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PSALM 18
^TTHE visible and invisible world alike invite us *■■ to glorify God. The heavenly bodies — the sun, the moon and the stars — and the firmament, that immense space where God has placed them, manifest without a moment's interruption the glory of God; namely, His power and wisdom, His goodness and providence. As the day fol- lows the night, and as day and night follow each other with incessant repetition, so they continue to glorify God. As God has created the universe and preserves it in existence, so for His own glory He has also created time, and He regu- lates its duration in continual succession of past, present and future. We pay highest honor to God by acknowledging these facts and confess- ing that He alone is the Creator and Preserver of all. The voices of the heavens, which are the expressions of these truths, are so loud and so clear that they can be understood by all peoples of all languages and of all customs. That hymn of heavenly praise goes forth to all the nations of the world from generation to generation of all mankind. In a similar manner is the teach- ing of Christ made manifest to all men through the Apostles and their successors, the Lord be- ing with them till the end of time.
The sun surpasses every part of the universe that is beneficent to us, first by its splendor. Thus, like a tabernacle from which God mani- fests His goodness to man, it can be compared with the bride-chamber from which the bride- groom proceeds to a splendid oriental marriage feast. Secondly, as the sun in its course from
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sus procedens de tha- lamo suo:
Exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam, * a summo cselo egres- sio ejus.
Et occursus ejus usque ad summum ejus: * nec est qui se abscondat a c a 1 6 r e ejus.
Lex Domini imma- culata, convertens animas: * testimoni- um Domini fidele, sa- pientiam prsestans parvulis.
Justitise Domini r e c t se, laetificantes corda : * prseceptum Domini lucidum ; il- luminans oculos.
Timor Domini sanc- tus, permanens in s£- culum sseculi : * judi- cia Domini vera, jus- tificata in semetipsa.
groom coming forth from his bride-cham- ber:
Hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way : His going forth is from the end of heav- en.
And his circuit even to the end there- of: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.
The law of the Lord is unspotted, convert- ing souls: the testi- mony of the Lord is faithful, giving wis- dom to little ones.
The justices of the Lord are right, re- joicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, en- lightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is holy, endur- ing for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justi- fied in themselves.
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the East to its noonday height runs its way like a giant with ease and irresistible power, so Jesus Christ as a divine sun dispenses to all, with the majesty of almightiness, the spiritual light of His eternal truth and the warmth of His divine love. Thirdly, as the material sun descending in its course from the highest heav- ens to its setting in the West continues to bene- fit all the earth, so Christ, the divine sun, most efficaciously pours out His benevolence and grace unto all mankind.
The divine law of Christ surpasses in splen- dor, power and efficiency all this material bene- ficence. It is without stain and defect. It pene- trates the innermost sanctuary of human con- science and demands absolute purity. Its first effect is the conversion of the interior man. Spiritual darkness and coldness disappear. Man turns to his Creator, the supreme Law-Giver. The law of God is a shining light and brings clarity to mind and heart. It gives testimony of the Lord; it is truthful, reliable, unchangeable, incorruptible. To those who accept it as little children, with readiness, willingness and with all their heart, the law of Christ, which is above all the law of true charity, gives wisdom ena- bling them to discern the substantial in this changeable world and to be concerned with the eternal. The divine law not only gives general principles for our moral life, but it also directs our individual activities according to different circumstances in human life. At first sight it seems to be a burden, but to the faithful ob- server of God's law, its fruit is joy of the soul because it effects conformity of the will with the
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Desiderabilia super aurum et lapidem pretiosum multum: * et dulciora super mel et f avum.
Etenim servus tu- us custodit ea, * in custodiendis illis re- tribute multa.
Delicta quis intel- ligit ? ab occultis meis munda me: * et ab ali&iis parce servo tuo.
Si mei non fuerint dominati, tunc imma- culatus ero : * et emundabor a delicto maximo.
Et erunt ut compla- ceant e 1 6 q u i a oris mei: * et meditatio cordis mei in conspec- tu tuo semper.
Domine, ad j utor meus, * et redemptor meus.
Gloria Patri.
More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honey-comb.
For Thy servant keepeth them: and in keeping them there is a great reward.
Who can under- stand sins? from my secret ones cleanse Thou me: and from the sins of others, spare Thy servant.
If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be with- out spot: and I shall be cleansed from the greatest sin.
And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in Thy sight.
0 Lord, my helper: and my redeemer.
Glory be.
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will of God and enlightens the mind to realize the secret of God's benevolence in all His ways.
Fidelity to the divine law can be called the fear of the Lord. That profound filial reverence for God's holy will is a gift of the Holy Ghost; accordingly, it is holy and makes holy and it lasts forever. Hence, also man needs never to change his principles. The decrees and final de- cisions of the Lord do not depend upon man or place or time; they are justified in themselves. Whatever may be the satisfaction that wealth and power and pleasure can afford, it is tran- sient like a shadow and unreal like a dream when compared with the happiness of a faith- ful servant of God's law. To him experience proves that this fidelity causes happiness here and now and contains a great reward.
Yet even while trying my best, I may be guilty of some kind of disobedience to the law without knowing it. I may be guilty of some transgression which forever may remain hidden from my conscience. From these, 0 Lord, cleanse me. I may be guilty of other sins or faults committed out of .human respect or in bad com- pany. From these, 0 Lord, spare Thy servant. Free me from the servitude and the guilt of sin; then shall I be without spot and cleansed from the greatest evil. May all my words of praise please Thee, and may the affections of my heart always be in harmony with Thy' presence. With Mary and through Mary, our Blessed Lady, Thou art, O Lord", my Redeemer from all iniquity and my helper in meriting and reaching heaven. Amen.
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PSALMUS 23
mini est terra, et plenitudo ejus: * o r b i s terrarum, et universi qui habitant in eo.
Quia ipse super maria fundavit eum:
* et super flumina praeparavit eum.
Quis ascendet in m ont em Domini? * aut quis stabit in loco sancto ejus?
Innocens manibus et mundo corde, qui non accepit in vano animam suam, * nec juravit in dolo proxi- mo suo.
Hie accipiet bene- dictionem a Domino:
* et misericordiam a Deo, salutari suo.
Haec est generatio quserentium e u m, * quaerentium faciem Dei Jacob.
PSALM 23
rPHE earth is the Lord's and the ful- ness thereof: the world and all they that dwell therein.
For He hath found- ed it upon the seas: and upon the rivers hath He prepared it.
Who shall go up to the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in His holy place ?
The innocent in hands and the clean of heart: who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn in guile unto his neigh- bour.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord : and mercy from God his Saviour.
This is the genera- tion of them that seek Him: of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob.
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PSALM 23
HIS psalm was sung when during the reign of
"*King David the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Tabernacle on Mount Sion in Je- rusalem. It reminds us of our Blessed Lady when she as the true Ark of the Covenant was presented in the temple by her parents at the age of three. It reminds us also of the presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple and of the glorious Ascension of our Lord into the heavenly Jerusalem. How great is the majesty of Him who enthroned upon the Ark of the Covenant makes the temple of Mount Sion His dwelling-place! The whole uni- verse is His own and honors Him as its Maker. All creation in its every part is present to the Creator.
With Mary let us dedicate ourselves to God, using the things of this world as if we used them not, in order to glorify God in a worthy manner. That which seems to be most unstable has by the power of God become a firm basis. Witness the seas and the waves, upon which God founded the earth. Likewise, he who with Mary has re- nounced all the world can offer, has by this act laid a firm foundation for his striving after vir- tue and holiness in the midst of countless tempta- tions and trials.
Deepest reverence for God's infinite holiness prompts us to ask: "Who shall be allowed to ap- pear before Him, to stand in His sanctuary, and to present to Him his poor sacrifices?" Only he
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Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portas aster- n a 1 e s : * et introibit Rex glorias.
Quis est iste Rex g 1 6 r i as? * Dominus fortis et potens, Do- minus potens in pras- lio.
Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portas aster- n a 1 e s : * et introibit Rex glorias.
Quis est iste Rex glorias? * Dominus virtutum ipse est Rex glorias.
Gloria Patri.
Ant. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et be- nedictus fructus ven- tris tui.
V. Diffusa est gra- tia in labiis tuis.
R. Propterea bene- dixit te Deus in aster- num.
Lift up your gates, 0 ye princes! and be ye lifted up, ye ever- lasting gates: and the King of glory shall enter in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord who is strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your gates, 0 ye princes! and be ye lifted up, ye ever- lasting gates : and the King of glory shall enter in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
Glory be.
Ant. B lessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
V. Grace is poured abroad on thy lips.
R. Therefore hath God blessed thee for ever.
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is worthy to approach the Lord who by the grace of Christ is not guilty of wrongdoing and evil thoughts, who has not neglected his duties nor wasted his talents. Only he who has not been dishonest, unfaithful, uncharitable toward his neighbor. A soul so disposed shall receive divine blessing and spiritual life superabundantly from the merciful God and Saviour. Such a soul be- longs to the family of the Saints, who seek first the kingdom of God and His justice.
In a glorious procession the great King takes possession of His throne. The choir members without the gates of the temple hail Him at His triumphant entrance. Joyfully and jubilantly they address the priests within the temple to salute and welcome the King of glory. And the priests within filled with admiration of the great and mighty Lord adore and praise Him, who is ever the victorious conqueror of all His enemies. The choir outside repeats with still greater so- lemnity its salutation of the Lord. To the excla- mation: "Who is the King of glory?" the priest- choir within answers with the jubilation that reaches its climax: "He is the Lord of hosts; He is the King of glory; He is God Himself."
ANTIPHON AND LESSONS
T TSING the words of St. Gabriel and St. Eliza- ^ beth, we reverently praise the unique dignity and mission of Mary as the Mother of God, thus epitomizing the motive of our praying these
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Pater noster secre- te
Pater noster, qui es in cselis: sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in ter- ra.
P a n e m nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie.
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debi- toribus nostris.
V. Et ne nos indu- cas in tentationem.
R. Sed libera nos a malo.
Jube, domne, bene- dicere.
Benedictio : Alma Virgo virginum in- tercedat pro nobis ad Dominum.
R. Amen.
V
LECTIO I
^ancta Maria, Vir- go virginum, ma-
Our Father in se- cret.
Our Father, who art in heaven: hal- lowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heav- en.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we for- give those who tres- pass against us.
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
We pray thee vouch- safe us a blessing.
Blessing: May the Virgin of virgins in- tercede for us to our Lord.
R. Amen.
FIRST LESSON
XJoly Mary, Virgin of virgins, Mother
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The Versicle (which signifies being said to- wards the altar) and the Response (which ex- presses the corresponding reply) combine the psalms with the lessons and state in a short form their contents; namely, the fact that God, much pleased with Mary because of her spiritual beauty, bestows upon her His eternal blessings.
The Lord's Prayer, which by a divine command has been given to all mankind under the inspira- tion of the Holy Ghost, is the creation and crown of all prayer and must be preferred to every other prayer.
We ask for a blessing, believing that our read- ing now added to the psalmody will be beneficial to us through Mary's intercession. The short prayers for Mary's assistance that constitute the blessing before each of the Lessons are an ex- pression of our confidence in her who is the Mother of Jesus and our Mother.
Instead of the scriptural lectures in the Bre- viary, we have in the Little Office three short prayers to Mary. With profound reverence for her exceptional dignity and privilege, we humbly ask for her help that we, too, may merit eternal glory and reign with all the saints in the heav- enly Kingdom. For our insufficiency we ask the
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ter et filia Regis re- gum 6mnium, tuum nobis impende sola- tium: ut caelestis reg- ni per te mereamur habere premium, et cum electis Dei reg- nare i n perpetuum. T u autem, Domine, miserere nostri.
R. Deo gratias.
R. Sancta et imma- culata virginitas, qui- bus te laudibus effe- ram n£scio : * Quia quern caeli capere non poterant, tuo gremio contulisti. V. Bene- dicta tu in mulieri- bus, et benedictus fructus ventris t u i. R. Quia quern cseli capere non poterant, tuo gremio contulisti.
Jube, domne, bene- dicere.
and daughter of the King of kings! be- stow upon us thy con- solation, that through thee we may deserve to have the reward of the heavenly king- dom, and to reign with the elect of God unto all eternity. But Thou, 0 Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Thanks be to God.
R. 0 holy and im- maculate Virginity, with what praises to extol thee I know not, for thou gavest Him from thy bosom, whom the heavens could not contain. V. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. R. For thou gavest Him from thy bosom whom the heavens could not con- tain.
We pray thee vouch- safe us a blessing.
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Lord's mercy. Appreciating God's gifts and mercy, we express our gratitude in the response, Deo Gratias.
Then praising Mary's most wonderful holy vir- ginity, we realize our unworthiness. Sancta et immaculata virginitas, etc. was our St. Antonine's most favorite prayer. In the Versicle and Re- sponse, we extol Mary's divine motherhood by repeating the salutation of St. Gabriel and St. Elizabeth.
Next to her immaculate conception, Mary's per- petual virginity is the most beautiful jewel in her crown. Our Blessed Lady enjoyed the perma- nent possession of perfect chastity; she preserved the integrity of the body; by her free choice and firm resolution she abstained forever from all pleasures of the flesh, licit as well as illicit; she confirmed this purpose by a holy vow and con- secrated herself entirely to God "that she might think of the things of the Lord and be holy in both body and spirit" (I Cor. vii: 34). Being thus prepared and directed by divine grace Mary became the most holy Spouse of the Holy Ghost in order to be a worthy mother of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. This includes for us three articles of faith — Mary was ever the purest Virgin be- fore, during and after the birth of Jesus Christ.
Again we ask for a blessing.
We trust in Mary's great power because she is the Mother of God Himself.
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B enedic tio : Sancta Dei Genitrix sit no- bis auxiliatrix.
R. Amen.
LECTIO II
Oancta Maria, pia- rum piissima, in- tercede pro nobis sanctarum sanctissi- ma: per te, Virgo, nostra sumat preca- mina, qui, pro nobis ex te natus, regnat super aethera: ut sua caritate nostra dele- antur peccamina. Tu autem, Domine, mise- rere nostri.
R. Deo gratias.
R. Beata es, Virgo Maria, quae Dominum portasti Creatorem mundi: * Genuisti eum qui te fecit, et in aeternum permanes Virgo. V. Ave, Ma-
Blessing: May the Mother of God be our helper.
R. Amen.
SECOND LESSON
f) HOLY Mary, most V compassionate of all the compassionate, and holiest of all the holy, make interces- sion for us. Through thee, 0 Virgin, may He receive our pray- ers who, born of thee, reigneth above the skies, that so of His loving kindness our sins may be cleansed away. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Thanks be to God.
R. Blessed art thou, 0 Virgin Mary, who didst bear the Lord, the C r e a t o r of the world. Thou gavest birth unto Him that made thee, and still
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divine Son, the King of heaven, will accept our prayer through her and grant us forgiveness of our sins. The Deo Gratias expresses our thanks to our Lord for His mercy.
We address Mary as the holiest of all the holy because in accordance with her most exalted dignity of the Mother of our Saviour she was full of grace. We are obliged to believe that she was free both from original and personal sin. The first prerogative is called her Immaculate Conception, the second her Sinlessness. Theo- logians assure us that our Blessed Lady was throughout her entire life also actually exempt from every impulse of concupiscence. To her was given the grace of perfect perseverance and confirmation in grace. While her sanctity was certainly inferior to the sanctity of Christ, Mary, nevertheless, enjoyed such a high degree of sanc- tifying grace and consequently of the infused theological and moral virtues and of the gifts of the Holy Ghost that her sanctity on earth and now her glory in heaven transcends by far the combined sanctity and glory of all the angels and saints.
How praiseworthy is the holy virginity of Mary! She gave us her Son, the all-powerful Creator of all things, and she remains a virgin forever. And so, with St. Gabriel and the whole Church we salute Mary.
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ria, gratia plena, Do- minus tecum. R. Ge- nuisti eum qui te fe- cit, et in aeternum permanes Virgo.
Jube, domne, bene- dicere.
B enedictio: Nos cum prole pia benedi- cat Virgo Maria.
R. Amen.
LECTIO III
O ancta Dei Geni- trix, quae digne meruisti concipere quern totus orbis ne- quit comprehendere, tuo p i o interventu, culpas nostras ablue: ut, redempti, peren- nis sedem gloriae per te valeamus scandere, ubi regnas cum eo- dem Filio tuo sine tempore. Tu autem,
thou remainest a Vir- gin evermore. V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. R. Thou gavest birth unto Him that made thee, and still thou remainest a Virgin evermore.
We pray thee vouch- safe us a blessing.
Blessing: May the Virgin Mother Mary, with her Holy Child, bless us.
R. Amen.
THIRD LESSON
f\ holy Mother of U God, who didst worthily deserve to conceive Him whom the whole world can- not contain, cleanse away our sins by thy loving intercession; that we, who have been redeemed, may through thee be able to ascend to the seat of perpetual glory,
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And how holy is Mary's dignity! To express her maternal relation to the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, theologians cannot find ade- quate human language. "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man: God of the substance of the Father begotten before the worlds, and Man of the substance of His mother born into the world." As Jesus has a Divine Father and a human mother, Mary can claim one and the same Son with God the Father. Thus Mary is called the Daughter of the Heavenly Father. And be- cause "Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost" Mary is also the Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
The holy motherhood and virginity of Mary is beyond all praise. We repeat our prayer for her blessing: May the Virgin-Mother with her divine Child bless us.
In the Third Lesson we ask Mary that through her loving intercession we may be purified from sin. We trust in her because she worthily deserved to conceive Him whom the whole world cannot contain. St. Thomas Aquinas (S.T. Ill: 2, 11 ad 3) explains this prerogative of Mary: "The Blessed Virgin is said to have merited to bear the Lord of all, not that she merited His Incarnation, but that by the grace bestowed upon her she merited that grace of purity and holiness which fitted her to be the Mother of God." We ask Mary that we, having been redeemed, may through her be enabled to enter heaven, where she reigns with her Son forever. Again we give thanks to God.
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Domine, miserere nostri.
R. Deo gratias.
R. Felix namque es, sacra Virgo Maria, et omni laude dignis- sima : * Quia ex te or- tus est Sol justitise, Christus Deus noster. V. Ora pro populo, interveni pro c 1 e r o, intercede pro devoto foemineo sexu: senti- ant omnes tuum juva- men, quicumque cele- brant tuam commem- orationem. R . Quia ex te ortus est Sol justi- tise, Christus Deus noster. V. Gloria Pa- tri, et Filio, et Spiri- tui Sancto. R. Chris- tus Deus noster.
Diebus Dominicis et Festis in quibus omitti- tur canticum Te Deum
where, with Him, thy Son, thou reignest unto everlasting ages. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Thanks be to God.
R. Yea, happy art thou, 0 holy Mother of God, and most wor- thy of all praise: for out of thee arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God. V. Pray for the people, plead for the clergy, make in- tercession for the de- vout female sex: let all feel thy helping power who celebrate thy blessed memory. R. For out of thee arose the Sun of Jus- tice, Christ our Lord. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost! R. Christ our Lord.
On those Sundays and Feasts, when the Te Deum (see below)
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In the Felix namque, we proclaim Mary happy and worthy of all praise because she gave us the Sun of Justice.
We ask her for her prayer on behalf of all who venerate her in the various states of life.
And again we extol her because she gave us the Sun of Justice, Christ our God.
Jesus Christ is the Sun of Justice for various reasons, but especially because by His most holy passion He offered to the offended justice of God sufficient satisfaction and reconciled us with His Heavenly Father, thus becoming our justification. St. Paul says, "Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption, that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has proposed to be a propitia- tion, through faith in His blood, to the showing of His justice for the remission of former sins" (Rom.iii:24). And St. Thomas declares (S. T. III. 1, 2. 2) that a condign satisfaction which would be adequate to make good for the fault committed could not be made by man, because a single hu- man person could not make up adequately for the harm done to the whole of human nature and also because a sin committed against God has a kind of infinity derived from the infinity of the Divine Majesty. The greater the person offended, the more grievous the offense. Hence, for con- dign satisfaction it was necessary that the act of the one satisfying should have an infinite effi- ciency, as being of God and man.
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(vide infra) repetitur.
R. Felix namque es, sacra Virgo Maria, et omni laude dignis- ex te or-
is omitted, the follow- ing is added :
R. Yea, happy art
thou, 0 holy Mother
of God, and most
worthy of all praise:
for out of thee arose
the Sun of
Christ our
The Canticle Te De- um is omitted when- ever it is not said in the divine Office.1
CANTICLE
We Praise Thee, O
God: we acknowl- edge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee : the Father everlasting.
To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the heav- ens and all the Pow- ers therein.
To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim : con- tinually do cry.
iThe "Te Deum" is not said on the Sundays of Advent and the Sundays from Septuagesima until Easter, Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th), Holy Innocents' day (Dec. 28th), Simple Feasts from Septuagesima to Easter, and, outside Septuagesi- ma, on Feasts less than Simple, Ash Wednesday, all Holy Week, the Vigil of Pentecost, All Souls' day (Nov. 2nd).
tus est Christus Deus noster.
Te Deum omittitur quando in Officio divi- no non dicitur.1
CANTICUM
rpE Deum laudamus: * te Dominum con- fitemur.
Te aeternum Pa- trem * omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli, * tibi Cseli, et univer- se Potestates:
Tibi Cherubim et *
bili voce proclamant
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MATINS 41 THE "TE DEUM"
/^OD is infinitely perfect; His majesty is sub- " lime beyond all our comprehension. The main purpose of His every action can be only His own honor and glory. "The Lord has made all things for Himself" (Prov. xvi: 4). All creatures honor God their Creator because they are some realiza- tion of God's thoughts and decrees and because they are directed by God's providence and observe their God-Given laws. We, too, being the handi- work of God are bound to contribute to His glory according to His plan and our peculiar nature and ability. "As the word 'glory' properly de- notes that somebody's good is known and ap- proved by many" (S. T. II. II. 132, 1, c), it is meet and just that we, as intelligent creatures, acknowledge God's excellency and universal do- minion, and as associates of the angels in our own name and in the name of all inanimate crea- tion intelligently praise God the Creator, the supreme Law-Giver and the greatest Benefactor of the whole universe. "Give praise to our God, all ye His servants, and you that fear Him, little and great" (Apoc. xiv). With regard to His essence God is incomprehensible and ineffable, and, therefore, "above all praise" (Ecclus. xliii: 33). In this respect we owe Him reverence and the honor of latria. But if we speak of God as to His effects, which are ordained for our good,
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Sanctus, Sanctus,
Sanctus * Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra* ma jestatis glo- ria; tuse.
Te gloriosus * Apostolorum chorus,
Te Prophetarum * laudabilis numerus,
Te Martyrum can- didatus * laudat exer- citus.
Te per orbem ter- rarum * sancta confi- tetur Ecclesia,
Patrem * immensae
»
Majestatis ;
Venerandum tuum verum * et unicum Filium;
Sanctum quoque * Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriae, * Christe.
Tu Patris * sempi- ternus es Filius.
Tu, ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,
Holy, Holy,
Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full: of the maj- esty of Thy glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The admirable com- pany of the Prophets,
The white-robed ar- my of Martyrs: praises Thee.
The Holy Church throughout all the world: doth acknowl- edge Thee.
The Father: of in- finite Majesty.
Thine adorable, true: and only Son.
Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory: O Christ.
Thou art the ever- lasting Son: of the Father.
When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver
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we owe Him praise" (S. T. II. II. 91, 1, c) . We should praise God also with our lips, "My mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips" (Ps. xlii: 6). Now as St. Thomas Aquinas says, "We speak God's praises when we fervently call to mind the wonders of His works. Yet the outward praise of the lips avails to arouse the inward fervor of those who praise, and to incite others to praise God" (S.T. II. II. 91, lad 2).
The canticle Te Deum has become the special hymn of praise and thanksgiving in the Church. Its origin dates back to the fifth century, but its author is unknown. In faith, hope and charity, with profound humility and enthusiastic admira- tion we lift up our mind and heart to the Most High and adore Him as the one God, our Lord. The whole universe worships Him as the ever- lasting Father whom St. Paul calls, "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort" (II Cor. i: 3). All the angelic choirs in heaven above, all the Cherubim and Seraphim praise God continu- ally, adoring His infinite holiness as was revealed to the prophet Isaias (vi: 3), "Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of His glory." The Holy, Holy, Holy refers to the Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity. In God all His perfections are identical with His essence, but it is especially His incomprehensible sanctity that calls for particular glorification
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* non horrmsti Vir- ginia uterum.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, *K aperiristi credentibus r e g n a caelorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes * in gloria Patris.
Judex crederis * esse venturus.
Hie genuflectitur.
Te ergo qusesumus, tuis famulis subveni, * quos pretioso san- guine redemisti.
Aeterna f ac cum Sanctis tuis * in glo- ria numerari.
Salvum fac popu- lum tuum, Domine, * et benedic haereditati tuse.
man: Thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When Thou hadst overcome the sting of death : Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believ- ers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God: in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou shalt come: to be our Judge.
Kneel for the follow- ing verse.
We pray Thee, therefore, help Thy servants: whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy saints: in glory ever- lasting.
0 Lord, save Thy people : and bless Thine inheritance.
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from mankind. Our Lord Himself has taught us that our first petition is to be : "Hallowed be Thy name" (Matt, vi: 9), and St. Paul says, "This is the will of God, your sanctification" (I Thess. iv: 3). By God's sanctity we may understand His infinite dignity and absolute majesty, His immac- ulate purity and absolute immunity from sin, or His essential love of His own goodness or the absolute conformity of His will with His own substance. Since God has said: "You shall be holy for I am holy" (I Peter i: 16), our sanctity, which consists in the possession of sanctifying grace and the practice of divine charity, is the most excellent means of glorifying God. Because by the grace of God the saints in heaven are for- ever confirmed in their state of sanctity, we con- fess that God is eminently praised by the holy apostles, prophets and martyrs.
In order that we may honor God according to His dignity and that our adoration may be per- fect and acceptable to God, we unite our praises with those of Jesus Christ, who as our Mediator presents all our worship to the heavenly Father. Wherefore, we the Church militant on earth glorify the Blessed Trinity, especially the God- Man, the Head of the Mystical Body of Christ. We glorify Christ as the King of glory, the eter- nal Son of the Father, the Son of the holy Virgin Mary, the victorious Conqueror of sin and death,
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Et rege eos, * et extolle illos usque in seternum.
Per singulos dies* benedicimus te;
Et laudamus nomen tuum in speculum, * et in sseculum s&culi.
Dignare, Do mine, die isto * sine peccato nos custodire.
Miserere n o s t r i, Do mine, * miserere nostri.
Fiat misericordia t u a, Domine, super nos, * quemadmodum speravimus in te.
In te, Domine, spe- r a v i : * non conf un- dar in aeternum.
V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Ge'nitrix.
R. Ut digni efficia- m u r promissionibus Christi.
Si Laudes immediate non sequuntur, dicatur V. Domine, ex audi, cum Oratione Concede, p. 80.
And govern them: and lift them up for ever.
Day by day: we magnify Thee.
And we praise Thy Name for ever: yea, for ever and ever.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day: to keep us without sin.
0 Lord, have mercy upon us: have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let Thy mercy be upon us: as we have hoped in Thee.
0 Lord, in Thee have I hoped: let me not be confounded for ever.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
If Lauds are not to follow immediately, say: V. O Lord, hear our prayer, and the prayer, Grant, as p. 80.
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the powerful King of Heaven, the future Judge of all mankind. Trusting in Christ's mercy who has redeemed us in His own Precious Blood (Apoc. v: 9), we humbly ask on bended knees for salvation, direction and sanctification. In con- cluding the hymn of praise, we ask three times for mercy and express our unfailing confidence in Him whom we acknowledge as our Lord God.
The words of St. Thomas on the varying de- grees of gratitude and ingratitude deserve our consideration. He comments thus (S. T. II. II. 107. 2) : "The first degree of gratitude is to recog- nize the favor received; the second, to express one's appreciation and thanks; and the third, to repay the favor at a suitable place and time ac- cording to one's means. Likewise, the first de- gree of ingratitude is to fail to repay a favor; the second, to delay to acknowledge a favor; while the third and supreme degree is to fail to recognize the reception of a favor whether through forgetfulness or any other cause. It be- longs also to the first degree of ingratitude to return evil for good; to the second, to find fault with a favor received ; and to the third, to esteem kindness as though it were unkindness.
We conclude Matins and begin Lauds by be- seeching Mary, the Mother of God, to intercede for us "that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."
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Ad Laudes
V. Deus, in adjuto- rium meum intende.
R. Domine, ad ad- juvandum me f est ma.
Gloria Patri.
Sicut erat. Alleluia.
A Septuagesima vero usque ad Pascha loco Alleluia dicitur Laus tibi, Domine, Rex seter- nm glorias.
PSALMUS 92
F)0MINUS regnavit, decorem indutus est: * indutus est Do- minus fortitudinem, et praecinxit se.
Etenim firmavitor- bem terrse, * qui non commovSbitur.
Parata sedes tua ex tunc : * a sseculo tu es.
Elevaverunt flumi- na, Domine: * eleva- verunt flumina vocem suam.
At Lauds
V. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
R. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be.
As it was. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima until Easter instead of Alleluia is said Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
PSALM 92
rpHE Lord hath
reigned, He is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded Himself.
For He hath estab- lished the world: which shall not be moved.
Thy throne is pre- pared from of old: Thou art from ever- lasting.
The floods have lifted up, 0 Lord : the floods have lifted up their voice.
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Lauds
AUDS — meaning praises — were originally
prayed immediately after Matins or at dawn. As the Matins point to the Old Law with its ob- scure figures, so the Lauds point to the New Law with its divine light diffused by the Holy Ghost. The Lauds symbolize a three-fold resurrection: the resurrection of the Sun of justice, the resur- rection of mankind to the life of grace, and the resurrection of all creation into the harmony of the order of redemption.
YlfHO can describe the majesty of God? He is " King; He owns and rules all. His power and providence are the secure foundation of the uni- verse. His throne is firm and everlasting. The floods of the rivers, the waves of the sea, the surges of the ocean may rise up in wild tumult, but mightier than all is the Lord on high. Won- derfully does the Lord prove His care for His people. He deserves unbounded confidence, and holy reverence is due to His temple.
Who can describe the majesty of Christ? His sacrifice on the cross won for Him all power in heaven and on earth. Even as then He con- quered death, He now rules alike over the forces
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Elevaverunt flumi- na fluctus s u o s, * a vocibus aquarum multarum.
Mirabiles elationes maris: * mirabilis in altis Dominus.
Testimonia tuacre- dibilia facta sunt ni- mis : * domum tuam decet sanctitudo, D6- m i n e, in longitudi- nem dierum.
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 99
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra: * servite Domino in lsetitia.
Introite in conspec- tu ejus, * in exsulta- tione.
S c i 1 6 1 e quoniam Dominus ipse est De- us : * ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos.
Populus ejus, et oves pascuae ejus: in- troite portas ejus in
The floods have lifted up their waves: with the voice of many waters.
Wonderful are the surges of the sea: wonderful is the Lord on high.
Thy testimonies are become exceedingly credible: holiness be- cometh Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days.
Glory be.
PSALM 99
Oing joyfully to God, ° all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness.
0 come ye into His presence: with ex- ceeding great joy.
Know ye that the Lord He is God: He made us and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture: Go ye into
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of nature and over the mind and heart of man. In the plenitude of His power He established His throne upon Peter — the rock. Here in the Church militant He will reign till the end of time, and in the Church triumphant He will reign forever.
Only in humble submission to the authority of this Church can I prove my loyalty to my eternal King. How noble and reliable are the Church's testimonies of the truth and of the divine author- ity confided to her! Since holiness is the most excellent of her characteristics, I can become a worthy member only by striving to become holy.
Who can describe the majesty of Mary, whom the Holy Ghost fittingly adorned with beauty and strength to be the worthy Mother of Jesus Christ and His Church? The testimonies of her dignity and holy mission have become exceedingly credi- ble, and her holiness excels forever among all the Saints. She is my hope and my joy.
T ET all men rejoice in the Lord and offer Him " their service with gladness. Let all live in His presence and walk before Him with a cheerful heart, "For God loveth a cheerful giver" (II Cor. ix: 7). He has made us and we are His own. He will provide for us, as the Good Shep- herd feeds His sheep. "O how good and sweet is.
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conf essione, * atria ejus in hymnis, confi- temini illi.
Laudate nomen ejus: quoniam suavis est Dominus, in aeter- num miser icordia ejus, * et usque in ge- nerationem et gene- rationem Veritas ejus.
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 62
us, Deus meus, * ad te de luce vi- gilo.
Sitivit in te anima mea, * quam multipli- citer tibi caro mea.
In terra deserta, et i n v i a, et inaquosa : sic in sancto apparui tibi, * ut viderem vir- tutem tuam, et glori- am tuam.
Quoniam melior est misericordia tua su-
His gates with praise and into His courts with hymns, and give glory to Him.
Praise ye His Name for the Lord is sweet, His mercy endureth for ever: and His truth to generation and generation.
Glory be.
PSALM 62
rj God, my God: to ^ Thee do I watch at break of day.
For Thee my soul hath thirsted : for Thee my flesh, O how many ways!
In a desert land and where there is no way and no water : so in the sanctuary have I come before Thee: that I might behold Thy power and Thy glory.
For Thy mercy is better than lives: my
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Thy spirit, O Lord, in all things!" (Wisd. xii: 1). He wants an undivided heart. "No man can serve two masters" (Matt, vi: 24). Let us adore Him and thank Him in His temple, because His benevolence, mercy and faithfulness endure for- ever from generation to generation.
How joyfully did Mary praise the Lord when she entered the house of Zachary and was saluted by St. Elizabeth! Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord, served Him always unconditionally and unreservedly. Therefore, she enjoyed perfect peace and experienced the goodness of the Lord.
But first and foremost, Jesus Christ Himself is our example. He did always the things that pleased His heavenly Father, that the world might know that He loved the Father. How joy- fully did Christ the God-Man praise Him when He ascended into heaven! How great must have been the peace and joy of the good thief when he had repented and our Lord promised him, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." How will we rejoice and praise God's mercy when we take pos- session of the throne which Christ has prepared for us in heaven!
VVTHATEVER the world may offer is imperfect, " " and whatever is imperfect cannot fully sat- isfy the human soul, which is immortal. Our in- tellect craves infinite truth; our heart yearns
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per vitas : * labia mea laudabunt te.
Sic benedicam te in vita mea : * et in no- mine tuo levabo ma- nus meas.
Sicut adipe et pin- guedine repleatur anima mea : * et labi- is exsultationis lau- dabit os meum.
Si memor fui tui super stratum meum, in matutinis medita- bor in te:*quia fu- isti adjutor meus.
Et in velamento alarum tuarum exsul- tabo, adh&sit anima mea post te : * me sus- cepit dextera tua.
Ipsi vero in vanum qusesierunt an imam meam, introibunt in inferiora terra* :*tra- dentur in manus gla- dii, partes vulpium erunt.
lips shall praise Thee.
Thus will I bless Thee all my life long : and in Thy Name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips.
If I have remem- bered Thee upon my bed: in the morning shall I meditate upon Thee: for Thou hast been my helper.
And I will rejoice under the covert of Thy wings; my soul cleaveth unto Thee : Thy right hand hath received me.
But they have sought my soul in vain, they shall go in- to the lower parts of the earth: they shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the por- tions of the foxes.
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after infinite goodness ; our imagination longs for infinite beauty; our whole being tends towards everlasting life. Only God is infinite. Hence in God only can we find everlasting happiness.
When King David was persecuted by his son Absalom and had found refuge in the desert, he prayed: "0 God, my God, to Thee do I watch at the break of day; for Thee my soul has thirsted and in how many ways my flesh!" Thus does every pious soul turn to God. Without God our soul is like a desert land, pathless and waterless. From morning until evening throughout life we will glorify God. We will enter His sanctuary to adore Him and to contemplate His power and glory. His mercy is above all other good things, even better than life itself, and is worthy of all praise.
Our external attitude will express our interior desire and reverence. Moses prayed with out- stretched arms. The priest during the sacrifice of Holy Mass prays with uplifted hands. To love and to praise God strengthens the soul as nourishing food supports the body. Even when we lie down to rest let us praise God as our greatest benefactor. As the young bird feels safe under the wings of its mother, so David found consolation in his confidence in God. With His right arm, the symbol of power, God will protect us against our enemies. He will punish
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Rex vero laetabitur in Deo, laudabuntur omnes, qui jurant in eo : * quia obstructum est os loqulntium ini- qua.
Gloria Patri.
CANTICUM TRIUM PUERORUM Dan. iii, 57-58 et 56
T>enedicite, omnia " opera D6mini Do- mino : * laudate et su- perexaltate e u m in s£cula.
Benedicite, Angeli Domini, Domino:* benedicite, caeli, Do- mino.
Benedicite, aquse omnes, quae super cae- los sunt, Domino: * benedicite omnes vir- tutes Domini, Domi- no.
Benedicite, sol et luna, Domino: * bene- dicite, stellse caeli, Do- mino.
But the king shall rejoice in God: all shall be praised that swear by Him: for the mouth of them that speak wicked things is stopped.
Glory be.
CANTICLE OF THE THREE CHILDREN Dan. Hi, 57-88 and 56
All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and ex- alt Him above all for ever.
O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: 0 ye heavens, bless the Lord.
0 all ye waters that are above the heav- ens, bless the Lord: 0 all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord.
O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
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unjust persecutors with eternal destruction, and we shall rejoice in God with all the faithful.
We may pray this psalm in union with Jesus Christ, whose most holy and uninterrupted desire was to be with His heavenly Father, for whose glory He laboured and suffered incessantly until He gained the victory over the enemies of God. No doubt, Mary, our Blessed Lady, often prayed this psalm that portrays so perfectly the senti- ments of her fervent soul.
Y AN order of Nabuchodonosor, the King of
" Babylon, the three youths, Ananias, Azarias and Misael, were cast into a fiery furnace because they refused to adore his statue. Yet by a mira- cle of God's merciful providence, they passed unscathed among the flames. Then they glorified God singing this canticle as related by the prophet Daniel. The concluding verses in honor of the Blessed Trinity were added by the Church.
With enthusiastic zeal for God's glory the three young men call upon all creation to praise the Lord. To praise another is to recognize in him those excellencies and qualities which call for re- spect and esteem. To praise God is to acknowl- edge that He who is the Supreme Being and
CANTICLE-BENEDICITE
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Benedicite, o m n i s imber et ros, Domi- no: * benedicite om- nes spiritus Dei, Do- mino.
Benedicite, ignis et aestus, Domino : * be- nedicite, f rigus et aes- tus, Domino.
Benedicite, r o r e s et pruina, Domino: * benedicite, gelu et frigus, Domino.
Benedicite, glacies et nives, Domino: * benedicite, noctes et dies, Domino.
Benedicite, lux et tenebrae, Domino: * benedicite, fulgura et nubes, Domino.
Benedicat terra D6- minum : * 1 a u d e t et superexaltet eum in s£ecula.
Benedicite, montes et colles, Domino: * benedicite, universa germinantia in terra, Domino.
0 every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord : 0 all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord.
0 ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: 0 ye cold and heat, bless the Lord.
0 ye dews and hoar- frosts, bless the Lord : O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord.
0 ye ice and snows, bless the Lord: 0 ye nights and days, bless the Lord.
0 ye light and dark- ness, bless the Lord: O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
0 let the earth bless the Lord: let it praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
0 ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: O all ye things that spring up in the earth, bless the Lord.
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Supreme Goodness is the source of all good. Every creature is in its own measure a realiza- tion of some thoughts of God and, hence, in its being and activities it is in some manner a reve- lation of God's perfections and thus serves as a means of glorifying God.
In Holy Scripture man is compared to a fading flower, and yet God made him only a little less than the angels. In man the material and the spiritual coalesce. It is man's supreme role — placed as he is in the midst of all creation, en- dowed with intellect and will — to worship God also in the name of the material world — that is, to lend his understanding and will, his heart and his voice to all inanimate creation, that in him and through him God may be perfectly glorified.
It is even more appropriate in these days to pray this beautiful canticle with religious fervor, since today as well as in the days of the three pious youths, so many people worship creatures instead of dedicating creatures to God, their Creator. Probably, we have often neglected to invite creation to praise the Lord when appar- ently we were crossed by others and made to suffer. How heroically did holy Job praise the Lord when he was deprived of all comfort and when all creation seemed to be against him! With a loud voice did the three young men call upon all creation to bless the Lord. We should
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Benedicite, fontes, Domino : * benedicite, maria et flumina, Do- mino.
Benedicite, cete et omnia, quae moventur in aquis, Domino : * benedicite, omnes vo- lucres cseli, Domino.
Benedicite, omnes bestiae et pecora, Do- m i n o : * benedicite, filii hominum, Domi- no.
Benedicat Israel Dominum : * laudet et superexaltet eum in ssecula.
Benedicite, sacer- dotes Domini, Domi- no: * benedicite, ser- vi Domini, Domino.
Benedicite, splritus et animae justorum, Domino : * benedicite, sancti et humiles cor- de, Domino.
Benedicite, Anania, Azaria, Misael, Do- mino : * laudate et su- perexaltate eum in ssecula.
0 ye fountains, bless the Lord: O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
O ye whales and all that move in the wa- ters, bless the Lord: 0 all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord.
O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord : 0 ye sons of men bless the Lord.
O let Israel bless the Lord: let them praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
0 ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: 0 ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
0 ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord.
O Ananias, Azari- as, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
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be happy to recite this canticle in company with others, as it is natural for us to give outward expression to the interior affections of our mind.
The whole universe will serve us more effec- tively as a means of glorifying God, if we reflect with purpose on how "the heavens show forth the glory of God and the firmament declareth the work of His hands" (Ps. xviii: 2). Every crea- ture tends to its own perfection, striving so to say, to bring the idea that God has implanted in it to perfect development. The world of stars above is continually working at its own perfec- tion; so, too, the crystal in the dark shaft, the rose and lily in the garden, the proud oak on the forest's edge. None of them rest until they have made the utmost use of their possibilities of development. Surely, we human beings will not stop half-way. We, too, are a part of the great arc of light that God has spanned for His own glory. Seeing everything around us shine more brightly every day, we should have only one aim — daily, hourly to unfold in more beautiful colors. "He that is just, let him be justified still ; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works" (Apoc. xxii: 11).
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Benedicamus P a- trem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu : * lau- demus et superexaltS- mus eum in specula.
Benedictus es, D6- mine, in firmamento cseli: * et laudabilis, et gloriosus, et super- exaltatus in saecula.
Hie non dicitur Glo- ria Patri, neque Amen.
PSALMUS 148
T audate Dominum, de cselis : * lauda- te eum in excelsis.
Laudate eum, om- nesAngeli eius:* lau- date eum, omnes vir- tutes ejus.
Laudate eum, sol et luna : * laudate eum, omnes stellse et lumen.
Laudate eum, caeli cselorum : * et a q u se omnes, quae super cae-
Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost: let us praise and ex- alt Him above all for ever.
Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, in the firma- ment of heaven: and worthy of praise, and glorious, and magni- fied for ever.
Neither Glory be, nor Amen is said here.
PSALM 148
P>raise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise ye Him in the high places.
Praise ye Him, all His angels : praise ye Him, all His hosts.
Praise ye Him, O sun and moon: praise Him all ye stars and light.
Praise Him, 0 ye heavens of heavens : and let all the waters
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PSALM 148
T>RAISE ye the Lord from the heavens, praise ■* ye Him in the high places. As our Lord God is worthy to receive glory and honor (Apoc. iv: 11), the main purpose of the holy Office is to honor God, to confess and glorify His perfections. It is, therefore, foremost a prayer of adoration and thanksgiving. The Holy Ghost invites us (Ps. cl: 2) to praise the Lord according to the multitude of His greatness. God has manifested His greatness in the multitude of His creatures. Consequently, we invite all creation to glorify God. Every creature glorifies God in its own way, at least by its very nature and existence and by its obedience to the laws which the Creator has ordained for it. Thus we read in the Revelations of St. John (Apoc. v: 13), "And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them, I heard all saying, 'To Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, benediction and honor and glory and power forever and ever.' " St. Augustine says in his commentary on Psalm 148, "As often as creatures endowed with reason contemplate the stars, God is praised by these heavenly bodies; for when He is praised on account of them, it is as if they themselves paid Him homage. In call- ing upon the stars to join us in God's praise we, as reasonable beings, call upon all nature that beholds them ; for in them as in a shining mirror,
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los sunt, laudent no- men Domini.
Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandavit etcreata sunt.
Statuit ea in seter- num, et in saeculum saBCuli: * prseceptum posuit, et non prsete- ribit.
Laudate Dominum de terra: * dracones, et omnes abyssi.
Ignis, grando, nix, glacies, spiritus pro- cellarum: * quae faci- unt verbum ejus:
Montes, et omnes colles : * ligna f ructi- fera, et omnes cedri.
Bestise, et universa pecora : * serpentes, et volucres pennatse.
Reges terras, et om- nes populi: * princi- pes, et omnes judices terrse.
that are above the heavens, praise the name of the Lord.
For He spoke and they were made: He commanded and they were created.
He hath established them for ever, and for ages of ages: He hath made a decree and it shall not pass away.
0 praise the Lord from the earth: ye dragons and all ye deeps.
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds: which fulfil His word:
Mountains and all hills: fruit-bearing trees and all cedars.
Beasts and all cat- tle: serpents and feathered fowls:
Kings of the earth and all people: prin- ces and all judges of the earth.
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we see the splendor of the divine majesty." The praise of Him is above heaven and earth; and He has exalted the horn of His people. The horn is a symbol of power; thus the Lord is to be praised because He has given material and spirit- ual strength to His people. This is especially verified in the Promised Messiah, "Who is the first-born of every creature: For in Him were all things created in heaven and on earth all
things were created by Him and in Him" (Col. i: 16).
The prophet Isaias in a vision saw God sitting on a throne of majesty and before Him two choirs of Seraphim. Each angel had six wings. With two they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with the other two they flew, singing in alternate verses to each other, "Holy, Holy, Holy the Lord God of hosts. All the earth is full of His glory" (Is. vi: 1). How wonderfully blessed is the priest when in the Holy Mass before the Consecration he joins the heavenly choirs repeat- ing the same praises! How glorious is the voca- tion, how precious are those moments when we are allowed to forget all earthly vanities and be occupied solely with God, the Highest, the Purest, the Best — to praise Him, to adore Him, to love Him!
"O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God. For of Him and by Him and in Him are all things; to Him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. xi: 33). To praise God is not a waste of time. To thank and praise
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Juvenes, et virgi- nes, senes cum junio- ribus laudent nomen Domini: * quia exal- tatum est nomen ejus solius.
Confessio ejus su- per caelum et terram: * et exaltavit cornu populi sui.
Hymn us omnibus Sanctis ejus:* filiis Israel populo appro- pinquanti sibi.
Gloria Patri.
Ant. Post partum Virgo | inviolata per- mansisti : Dei Geni- trix, intercede pro no- bis.
CAPITULUM Eccli. xxiv, 23
"CVX) quasi vitis fruc- tificavi suavita- tem odoris: et flores mei fructus honoris et honestatis. R. Deo gratias.
Young men and maidens, let the old with the younger praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is exalted.
His praise is above heaven and earth: and He hath exalted the horn of His peo- ple.
A hymn to all His saints : to the chil- dren of Israel, a peo- ple that draweth nigh unto Him.
Glory be.
Ant. After child- birth thou still didst remain a Virgin un- dented: 0 Mother of God, intercede for us.
LITTLE CHAPTER Eccli. xxiv, 23
As THE vine I gave forth a pleasant odour: and my flow- ers are the fruits of honour and riches.
R. Thanks be to God.
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God is always our first and most excellent work, replete with blessings. All the world over, Holy Church sings daily, "It is truly meet and just, right and salutary that we should give praise to Thee always and in all places." Like the angels we must draw near to God in profound reverence. With two wings they covered their feet so as not to be hindered by anything. Before we approach God we must cleanse our souls from all unholy, worldly distractions, desires and wishes. With two wings the angels covered their faces. Are we aware of the fact that we stand before God, the Omnipotent, looking upon us? With two wings the angels flew about. Where are our acts of faith, hope and charity? Again, the angels stood still before the throne of God; so should we listen to God's holy inspirations and engrave them deeply upon our memory.
ARY, the Queen of all who "follow the
ATA Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Apoc. xiv: 4 ) , although remaining a spotless virgin, has the privilege and joy of being the Mother of the Son of God. We ask her to pray for us especially that we, too, may preserve purity of soul and
The vine pleases man on account of its fra- grant odor and luscious fruit; Mary pleases God on account of her prerogatives of perpetual vir- ginity and divine motherhood.
ANTIPHON AND CHAPTER
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HYMNUS
0 GLORIOSA Domina,
Excelsa supra sidera,
Qui te creavit, provi- de
Lactasti sacro ubere.
Quod Eva tristis ab-
Tu reddis almo ger-
mine: Intrent ut astra flebi-
les,
Cseli fenestra facta es.
Tu Regis alti janua
Et porta lucis fulgi- da:
Vitam datam per Vir-
Gentes red em plaudite.
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HYMN fl GLORIOUS
v Throned in light
Sublime above the starry height,
Thine arms thy great Creator pressed
A suckling at thy sa- cred breast.
Through the dear Blossom of thy womb.
Thou changest hap- less Eva's doom.
Through thee to con- trite souls is given
An opening to their home in heaven.
Thou art the Great King's portal bright
With pearls and stones of living light.
Come then, ye ran- somed nations, sing
The Life Divine 'twas hers to bring.
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HYMN
N THIS hymn which is a continuation of the
hymn of the Matins we salute Mary on her throne of glory and call to mind her great privi- lege of being the Mother of her Creator. We praise her for she has restored to us the loss entailed through the sin of Eve; she has opened heaven for us and has given us the eternal King and the Author of divine life. We pray Mary the mother of grace and mercy to protect us against our enemy and to receive us at the hour of our death. May all redound to the glory of Mary's most holy Son and of the eternal Father and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
When Jacob fled from Canaan in fear of his brother Esau's anger, he passed a night in an open field and "he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth and the top thereof touching heaven; the angels also of God ascend- ing and descending by it and the Lord leaning upon the ladder. And when Jacob awaked he said, Indeed, the Lord is in this place. This is no other but the house of God and the gate of heaven" (Gen. xxviii).
With the Church we invoke Mary as the gate of heaven. Mary, thou art the great King's portal bright. Like Jacob the Church journeys through this world and Mary is the portal open- ing into the great Kingdom of the Lord. Like Jacob every Christian journeys as a stranger
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Maria, Mater gratiae,
Mater misericordiae,
Tu nos ab hoste pro- tege,
Et hora mortis sus- cipe.
Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui natus es de Vir- gine,
Cum Patre et Sancto
Spiritu, In sempiterna ssecula.
Amen.
V. Elegit earn De- us, et praeelegit earn.
R. Et habitareeam facit in tabernaculo suo.
CANTICUM ZACHARI/E Lucae i, 68-79
"Oenedictus D 6 m i- nus Deus Israel, * quia visitavit, et fecit redemptionem plefois
sua?:
0 Mary, Mother of
all grace, Mother of mercy to
our race. Protect us now from
Satan's power. And own us at life's
closing hour.
All glory be to Thee,
0 Lord, A Virgin's Son, by all
ador'd : And equal praise for
ever greet The Father and the
Paraclete. Amen.
V. God hath cho- sen her, and hath forechosen her.
R. And He maketh her to dwell in His tabernacle.
CANTICLE OF ZACHARIAS Luke i, 68-79
"Dlessed be the Lord God of Israel: for He hath visited and wrought the redemp- tion of His people.
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through this short life, having the Kingdom of God in himself by grace and Mary as its holy portal. Like a fugitive each one of us must leave this earth when the end of life comes and then, too, Mary will be for us the portal to the great King's eternal heaven.
In the Versicle and Response, we sum up all the glories of Mary, declaring that God has chosen and exalted her among all women and has privileged her to dwell in His sanctuary.
IN THE Benedictus, the Canticle of Zachary, the father of St. John the Baptist, we give
thanks to God for the great benefit of redemption. God has visited us with His benevolence and has given us in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, an all-powerful Redeemer. He has been faithful to His word as He promised through His prophets. He has granted salvation from all our enemies and has manifested His mercy to mankind ac- cording to His testament and the oath He swore to Abraham. He has delivered us from the bondage of the evil one so that without fear we may serve Him in holiness and justice throughout life. We recall the excellent vocation given to St. John the Baptist to be the Precursor of our Lord, to prepare His ways and to instruct us unto the remission of sins. It is the work of God's mercy through His divine Son to remove
CANTICLE OF ZACHARY
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Et erexit cornu sa- lutis nobis : * in domo David pueri sui.
Sicut locutus est per os sanctorum, * qui a sseculo sunt, prophetarum ejus.
Salutem ex inimi- cis n o s t r i s, * et de manu omnium qui oderunt nos.
Ad faciendam mi- sericordiam cum pa- t r i b u s nostris : * et memorari testamenti sui sancti.
Jusjurandum, quod juravit ad Abraham, patrem nostrum, *da- turum se nobis.
Ut sine timore de manu inimicorum nostrorum liberati, * serviamus illi.
In sanctitate, et justitia coram ipso, * omnibus diebus nos- tris.
Et tu, puer, Pro- phets Altissimi voca-
And hath raised up a horn of salvation to us : in the house of His servant David.
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets : who are from the beginning.
Salvation from our enemies : and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform mercy to our fathers: and to remember His holy testament.
The oath, which He swore to Abraham, our father: that He would grant unto us.
That, being deliv- ered from the hand of our enemies: we may serve Him with- out fear.
In holiness and jus- tice before Him: all our days.
And thou, 0 child, shalt be called the
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the darkness of sin and the shadow of death and to enable us to follow in His footsteps and find peace in God.
Thus we are reminded of our holy vocation to be, like St. John the Baptist, a light to the world that all may see our good works and praise the Father in heaven.
St. John the Baptist was a man of perfect self-denial. While still very young he left his home, his father and mother, not in order to see the world or to study at famous schools, but to go into the desert to live a life of holy solitude with God, a life of silence, prayer and penance. "His garment was of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins and his meat was locusts and wild honey" (Matt, iii: 4). There in the desert he enjoyed no earthly possessions, no worldly pleasures or honors. Having been sanc- tified before he was born, he longed ardently for the holy company of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who he knew lived close by. How he longed to work in the carpenter shop at Nazareth! Yet to be faithful to his holy vocation he denied himself entirely. Jesus called him "a burning and shin- ing light" (John v: 35). His light was, as St. Thomas explains it, a participation of the divine light. He was illuminated by grace and the light of God's Word "to give testimony of the Light, that all men might believe through him" (John i: 8). That light which was burning in St. John was divine charity. As fire is most
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beris : * prseibis enim ante faciem Domini parare vias ejus.
Ad dandam scienti- am sahitis plebiejus: in remissionem pec- catorum eorum.
Per viscera miseri- cordia* Dei nostri: * in q u i b u s visitavit nos Oriens ex alto.
Illuminare his, qui in tenebris, et in um- bra mortis sedent: * ad dirigendos pedes nostros in viam pacis.
Gloria Patri.
Per totum Adven- tum:
Ant. Spiritus sanc- tus | in te descendet, Maria: | ne timeas, habebis in utero Fi- lium Dei. Alleluia.
Prophet of the Most High: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.
To give knowledge of salvation to His people: unto the re- mission of their sins.
Through the bow- els of the mercy of our God : in which the Orient from on high hath visited us.
To enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be.
Throughout Advent:
Ant. The Holy Ghost shall come down upon thee, O Mary: fear not, thou shalt bear within thy womb the Son of God. Alleluia.
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active, so is charity. Nothing can resist its powers. As fire rapidly spreads and burns away the dross of earth, so also charity makes fervent and zealous. And as fire is led upwards, so char- ity unites with God, who is above all. The light which was shining in St. John was two-fold in its effect: interiorly, it enlightened his intellect by the knowledge of divine truth and caused him to shine with heaven's splendor; exteriorly, it shone in his teaching and in the example of his good works.
ANTIPHONS AND PRAYERS
^pHE Antiphons expressing a special perfection •■-of Mary and the prayers expressing a special petition change according to the various seasons of the ecclesiastical year.
St. Gabriel announced the Incarnation to Mary with the words, Spiritus Sanctus in te descen- dit, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee. He attributed the conception of Jesus Christ to the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, the Author of all grace, the Love of the Father and the Son. Mary conceived our Lord in sanctity; the Incar- nation is the work of the incomprehensible love of God and an exceedingly great grace. In the words, "He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High" (Luke i: 32), St. Gabriel declared to Mary the dignity of the Child she was to conceive.
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V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus
US, qui de beatse Ma rise Virginia utero, Verbum tuum, angelo nuntiante, car- nem suscipere voluis- ti : praesta supplicibus tuis ; ut, qui vere earn Genitricem Dei cr&di- mus, ejus apud te in- tercessionibus a d j u- vemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
A Nativitate Domini usque ad Purificatio- nem:
Ant. G&iuit | pu- erpera Regem, cui nomen seternum, | et gaudia matris habens cum virginitatis ho-
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
f\ God, who wast pleased that Thy Word should take flesh of the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and didst make it known unto her by the message of an Angel: grant that we Thy suppliants, who truly believe her to be the Mother of God may, through her in- tercession, find help with Thee. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
From Christmas to the Purification:
Ant. A Woman in childbirth brought forth a King, whose Name is eternal; and, possessing a Mother's
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The invocation Lord, hear my prayer and let my cry come unto Thee is the first verse of Psalm 101.
In the Oremus or prayer for Advent, we remind God of the fact that His will was accom- plished in the Annunciation and Incarnation and we ask that we who believe Mary to be truly the
Mother of God may find help through her inter- cession. Our Blessed Lady is most charitable. The Church applies to her the words, "He that shall find me shall find life and shall have salva- tion from the Lord" (Prov. viii: 35). St. Bona- venture says that Mary is so solicitous about the relief of the miserable that she appears to desire nothing with greater ardor than to comfort them. At the marriage of Cana in Galilee, when the wine failed, Mary did not wait to be asked but taking pity on the affliction of the spouses she asked her Son for help and induced Him to change water into wine by miraculous power. But, says St. Bonaventure, if Mary's compassion for the afflicted was so great while she was in this world, her pity for us is certainly much greater now that she is in heaven, where she has a better knowledge of our miseries and greater compassion for us.
We praise Mary because she bore the eternal King and was privileged with the joy of mother- hood and the honor of permanent virginity.
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nore, | nec primam si- milem visa est, nec habere sequentem.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus
us, qui salutis set^rnse, b e a t se Maris virginitate fce- cunda, humano gene- ri pnfemia prsestitis- ti: tribue, qusesumus; ut ipsam pro nobis intercSdere s e n t i a- mus, per quam me- ruimus auctorem vi- tae suscipere, Chris- tum Dominum nos- trum.
R. Amen.
A Festo Purilicatio- nis usque ad Pascha, et a Trinitate usque ad Adventum :
Ant. 0 gloriosa | Dei Genitrix, Virgo
joys with a Virgin's honour, her like hath not appeared before nor since.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
f\ God, who, through V the fruitful Vir- ginity of Blessed Mary, hast given to mankind the reward of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may feel the intercession she makes for us, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the Author of life, Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
From the Purifica- tion until Easter, and from Trinity Sunday until Advent:
Ant. 0 glorious Mother of God! O
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Through Mary, the Virgin Mother, God has given to mankind the reward of eternal salva- tion. Realizing this, we who have been favored to receive Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of eternal life, beseech God to grant us the grace of enjoying Mary's intercession.
Along with the Little Office of the Blessed Vir- gin, we must never cease invoking our Blessed Lady with the Holy Rosary. About this devo- tion, Pope Benedict XV in his inspiring encycli- cal said: "The Rosary is the mystic crown which Christian people place every day on the queenly head of the Mother of God. It is cer- tainly the most beautiful flower of human piety and the most fruitful source of heavenly graces. This prayer is perfect because of the praise it offers, because of the lessons it imparts, because of the graces it obtains and because of the tri- umphs it achieves."
Many beatified Dominicans showed a special preference for the beautiful prayer, O Gloriosa Dei Genitrix. It reminds us of Mary's un- equalled dignity, prerogatives and glory. We are certain that her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, who obeyed her on earth, will grant her in heaven whatever she asks Him for our eternal salvation. Our Lord Himself commanded us to ask that we may receive. Let us, then, not cease to ask Mary for her intercession.
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semper, Maria, | quse Dominum omnium meruisti portare, et Regem angelorum so- la Virgo lactare: | nostri, qusesumus, pia memorare, et pro no- bis Christum depre- care: | ut, tuis fulti patrociniis, ad caeles- tia regna mereamur pervenire.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veriiat.
Or emus
/Concede nos famu- los tuos, qusesu- mus, D6mine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis salute gau- dere, et, gloriosa be- a t se Maria? semper Virginis intercessio- ne, a prsesenti libera- ri tristitia, et seterna perfrui laetitia. Per |
Mary ever Virgin ! who alone wast found worthy to bear the Lord of all, and, though a Virgin, to suckle the King of angels; be graciously mindful of us, we be- seech thee, and pray to Christ for us, that we, being upholdenby thy care, may deserve to attain to the heav- enly kingdom.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
/^rant, we beseech " Thee, 0 Lord God, that we Thy servants may enjoy continual health of mind and body; and that, through the glorious intercession of Bless- ed Mary, ever Virgin, we may be delivered from present sorrow
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With the prayer Concede nos, which is re- peated in Tierce and Vespers, we fervently ask our Lord to grant to His servants the joy of continual health of soul and body. St. Matthew (xiv: 14) tells us: "Jesus had compassion on the multitude and healed their sick." And again (Matt, ix: 35) "Jesus went about all the cities and towns . . . healing every disease and every in- firmity." The Gospel frequently remarks: "And He healed them all." Wherefore, our Lord is pleased to accept the prayer of him who asks for health of soul and body. We ask also that through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary we may be delivered from the sorrows of this present life and hereafter enjoy eternal hap- piness. We do well to remember that Jesus Christ wrought His first miracle through Mary's intercession and that the whole history of the Dominican Order is a proof that Mary is the Virgin most merciful and most powerful with
When we ask God for temporal favors, it is well to consider that they are not our highest good and that we ought, therefore, to pray for them with resignation and on condition that they be useful to our souls. And when God does not grant them we may be certain that He denies them to us on account of the love He bears us and because He sees that they would be injurious to our eternal salvation. (St. Alphonsus)
God.
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Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
Toto Tempore Pas- chali :
Ant. Beata | Dei Genitrix Maria, Virgo perpetua, | templum Domini, sacrarium Spiritus Sancti, | tu sola sine exemplo pla- cuisti Domino nostro Jesu Christo: | ora pro populo, interveni pro clero, | intercede pro devoto foemineo sexu: Alleluia, | al- leluia.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Or emus
Concede nos, ut su- pra, p. 80.
Hie fit Commemora- tio currentis Festi Or- dinis.
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and hereafter enjoy eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
From Easter to Trinity Sunday:
Ant. 0 Blessed Mary, Mother of God, perpetual Virgin, Temple of the Lord, Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, thou only and without equal wast pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ : pray for the people, plead for the clergy, make intercession for the devout female sex: Alleluia, alleluia.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray Grant, as on p. 80.
Here make Commem- oration of the current Dominican feast.
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In the Antiphon, Beata Dei Genitrix Maria first, we address Mary as the blessed Mother of God, as the temple of our Lord, as the sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, as the holy virgin who with- out an equal has pleased our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we ask that she may pray for the people in general, for the clergy, and for the religious orders of women.
The great apostle of Vienna, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, is well-known for his unswerving con- fidence in Mary's powerful protection. He was accustomed to say, "When I am summoned to a sick person who I know is unprepared or un- willing to hear of confession, I pray the Rosary on the way, and everything goes according to my wishes when I arrive at the patient's house. The Mother of God never denies me assistance when I invoke her with fifty or with a hundred fifty Hail Mary's. It is not her custom to fail."
On December 8, 1933, Pope Pius XI canonized Bl. Bernadette Soubirous, who at the age of thirty-nine died as Sister Mary Bernard of the Sisters of Charity in Nevers, France. In 1868, Mary Immaculate had appeared to Bernadette in Lourdes eighteen times. At the sixth apparition Mary's message to Bernadette was, "Pray the Rosary for the conversion of sinners." And strange to say, those eighteen visions lasted as long as Bernadette prayed the Rosary — certainly a sign that we should pray the Ave Maria over and over again.
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Sequentes Memoriae dicuntur per totum an- num :
MEMORIA DE BEATO DOMINICO PATRE NOSTRO
Ant Benedictus | Redemptor omnium, qui, saluti providens hominum, | mundo de- dit sanctum Domini- cum.
V. Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius.
R. Et non supplan- tabuntur gressus ejus.
Or emus
FJeus, qui Ecclesiam tuam beati Domi- nici, Confessoris tui Patris nostri, illumi- nare dignatus es my- itis et doctrinis: con- cede, ut, ejus inter- cess ion e, temporali- bus non destituatur auxiliis, et spirituali- bus semper proflciat incrementis. Per
The following- Com- memorations are said daily, throughout the whole year:
COMMEMORATION OF OUR HOLY FATHER ST. DOMINIC
Blessed be the Re- deemer of all, who, in providing for the sal- vation of men, gave St. Dominic to the world.
V. The law of his God is in his heart.
R. And his steps shall not fail.
Let us pray
f\ God, who didst vouchsafe to en- lighten Thy Church by the merits and teaching of our bless- ed Father, Dominic, Thy Confessor, grant, through his interces- s i o n, that it may never be wanting in temporal help and always increase in
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LAUDS
COMMEMORATIONS
E EXPRESS our filial gratitude to God for
v f having given to the world the great apostle St. Dominic. The zeal and the holiness with which the apostles Peter and Paul fulfilled the will of God were renewed in St. Dominic, the founder of the apostolic Order of Preachers.
In St. Dominic, our Father, God has given to His Church a light that shines in the holiness of his priestly life, in the untiring work of his apos- tolic life, and in the unswerving sacrifices of his religious life. Accordingly, we humbly and con- fidently ask God that through St. Dominic's inter- cession our holy Church may always enjoy tem- poral help and spiritual progress.
For hundreds of years it has been a pious cus- tom in the Dominican Order to honor St. Dominic by offering to God on fifteen consecutive Tues- days preceding the Feast of St. Dominic, August 4, or at some other time of the year, a special devotion according to the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, to which a plenary indulgence has been attached. Holy Scripture gives many incidents which prove that the prayer of the Saints is powerful with God. Abraham prayed for Sodom, Moses prayed for his people, Job interceded for his friends, and God listened to all these suppli- cations. St. Paul prayed for two hundred sev- enty-six men who were in danger of shipwreck and "every soul got safe to land" (Acts xxvii:
34).
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Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
MEMORIA DE S. CATHARINA SENENSI, VIRGINE ORDINIS NOSTRI »
Ant. Det Cathari- na | f rui nos vero lu- mine Christi, | et so- ciet superis virgo be- ata choris.
V. Anima mea ex- sultabit in Domino.
R. Et delectabitur super salutari suo.
Or emus
~r\EUS, qui b e a t se Catharinae, v i r- ginitatis et patientiae speciali privilegio de- coratse, malignantium spirituum certamine vincere, et in am6re tui nominis in con-
spiritual growth. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
COMMEMORATION OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA, VIRGIN 1
Ant May C a t h e- rine, the virgin bless- ed, give us the enjoy- ment of the true light of Christ and unite us to the heavenly choirs.
V. My soul shall exult in the Lord.
R. And shall be de- lighted with His sal- vation.
Let us pray
O God, who didst enable blessed Catherine, by a spe- cial privilege of vir- ginity and patience, to overcome the as- saults of evil spirits, and to stand unshak-
1 This commemoration is made daily except at Lauds of Feasts of First or Second Class. It is also omitted on April 30 and throughout the octave, in favor of the special com- memoration prayers for the festival.
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St. Catherine of Siena, a great contemplative and yet a most active Tertiary of the Dominican Order, excelled even among the Saints of her time in her prayers, labors and sufferings for the Church of Jesus Christ.
St. Catherine, the "seraphic virgin" is, per- haps, the most perfect type of the Dominican ideal. Her mind, her life, her writings are all steeped in the essential spirit of the Order. Large and free, full of enthusiasm, full of faith and good sense, chivalrous in every impulse and purpose, devoted with unswerving loyalty to the Holy See, and full of infused and divine science, St. Catherine presents an epitome of the Domin- ican character. Her life is a perfect example, showing how to unite the contemplative and the active state. St. Catherine soared to the very heights of divine contemplation amid the jarring vexation of ordinary domestic duties and public
The Versicle and Response express the same sentiments as the first verse of the Magnificat.
St. Catherine, the Patroness of the Third Order, is by an extraordinary grace of God a perfect example of holy virgmity and true Chris- tian patience. Ever victorious over the powers of darkness, she enjoyed intimate friendship with Christ. We pray that, imitating her example, we may overcome the wickedness of the world and the temptations of our spiritual enemies and may safely advance to the glory of Jesus Christ.
life.
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cusse permanere tri- buisti: concede qu&- sumus, ut ejus imita- tione, calcata mundi nequitia, et omnium hostium superatis in- sidiis, ad tuam secu- re gloriam transea- mus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
MEMORIA DE SANCTIS ORDINIS
Ant. 0 quam | fe- lix gloria semper est Sanctorum, | quam prseclara merita sunt Praedicatorum, | quo- rum verbo et opere mundus decoratur, | eorumque munere mens consolidatur.
V. Exsultabunt Sancti in gloria.
R. Laetabuntur i n cubilibus suis.
en in the love of Thy holy name, grant we beseech Thee, that, after her example, treading under foot the wickedness of the world and overcom- ing the wiles of all our enemies, we may safely pass onward to Thy glory. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
COMMEMORATION OF THE SAINTS OF THE ORDER
Ant. 0 what hap- piness and glory be- long always to the saints, how distin- guished the merits of the Preachers, by whose words and deeds the world is adorned, by whose of- fices the mind grows stronger.
V. The Saints shall be joyful in glory.
R. They shall sing for joy upon their beds.
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We recall and admire the glory and excellent merits of the Dominican Saints, who by their words and deeds nobly enriched the world and incite our imitation.
The saints in heaven experience forever the truth of the words of St. Peter "you shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorified ; receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls" (I Peter i: 8).
Heaven is our final goal. It is the place where God manifests Himself in all His glory. Heaven is that state of life in which the Blessed, having attained their ultimate perfection in supernat- ural beatitude, enjoy by the light of glory the intuitive vision of the Most Holy Trinity with all its divine mysteries. Heaven is that state of eternal happiness where all the Angels and Saints in most intimate supernatural friendship possess everything in common. There faith is transformed into vision, hope into possession, and charity has become perfect. There the knowl- edge of the Saints extends even to purgatory and to this earth in as much as the honor of God, the salvation of souls and the happiness of the Saints is concerned. The various degrees of the happiness of the Blessed correspond to the higher or lower measure of grace with which they are endowed and to the intimacy of their union with God. "Each shall receive his own reward ac- cording to his own toil" (I Cor. iii: 8).
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Or emus
/Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut ad meliorem vitam Sanctorum t u 6 r u m Ordinis nostri exem- pla nos provocent, quatenus quorum me- moriam agimus, 6ti- am actus imitemur. Per Christum Domi- num nostrum. R. Amen.
MEMORIA DE OMNIBUS SANCTIS
Ant. Sancti | Dei o m n e s, intercedere dignemini | pro nos- tra omniumque salu- te.
V. Orate pro nobis, omnes Sancti Dei.
R. Ut digni efficia- m u r promissionibus Christi.
Or emus
rFRlBUE, quaesumus, Domine, omnes Sanctos tuos jugiter pro nobis orare, et
Let us pray
/^rant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the exam- ples of the Saints of our Order may incite us to a better life, that we may imitate their actions whose blessed memory we celebrate. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE SAINTS
Ant. 0 all ye Saints of God, vouchsafe to intercede for the sal- vation of us and of all mankind.
V. Pray for us, 0 all ye Saints of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
/^rant, we beseech " Thee, 0 Lord, that all Thy Saints may continually pray for
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Mindful of the will of God as expressed in the words: "He that is just let him be justified still and he that is holy let him be sanctified still," we pray that the examples of the Dominican Saints may urge us to strive after perfection and to imitate the deeds of those whose memory we celebrate.
Believing in the Communion of Saints, we now praise all the members of the Church triumphant in heaven and confidently ask for their interces- sion.
We ask all the saints to help us by their prayers that we may be made worthy of their glory and happiness.
Having implored the help of the great friends of our Lord, we ask God Himself to grant that all the Saints of heaven may without interruption pray for us and that He may mercifully hear their prayer.
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eos clementer exaudi- re digneris. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
MEMORIA PRO PACE
Ant. Da pacem, | Domine, in diebus nostris, | quia non est alius, qui pugnet pro nobis, | nisi tu, Deus noster.
V. Fiat pax in vir- tute tua.
R. E t abundantia in turribus tuis.
Or emus
US, a quo sancta desideria, recta consilia et justa sunt opera, da servis tuis illam, quam mundus dare non potest, pa- cem : ut, et corda nos- tra mandatis tuis de- dita et hostium sub- lata formidine, tem- pora sint tua protec-
us, and vouchsafe of Thy clemency merci- fully to hear them. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
COMMEMORATION FOR PEACE
Ant. Grant peace, O Lord, in our days, for there is none other to fight for us but Thou, our God.
V. Peace be within thy strength.
R. A n d plenteous- ness in thy towers.
Let us pray
f\ God, from whom proceed holy de- sires, right counsels and just works, grant to Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts being intent upon Thy command- ments, and the fear of our enemies taken
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We should be at peace with God, with ourselves, and with our fellowmen. If in this threefold re- gard everything is well-ordered, firmly estab- lished, free from disturbance, peace is perfect. The peace of the world leads to the enjoyment of temporal and external things; it is fleeting and false because "men have evil desires in their hearts" (Psalms xxvii: 3). The peace of the saints leads to eternal joys and calms us exter- iorly and interiorly. Christ wants to give us this His peace, not as the world gives (John xiv: 27).
The Versicle and Response are Verse 7 of Psalm 121.
Good dispositions, especially in our own selves, are necessary to enjoy the peace of Christ. Our mind must not be enslaved nor absorbed by any inordinate affection; our sensitive appetite must be at rest from disturbance of the passions,
and our will must be entirely centered in God. We ask God to grant us such dispositions, that in our relation to Him we may be His faithful servants and in relation to the world we may enjoy His protection and be free from unreason- able fear, full of confidence in Christ who has overcome the world (John xvi: 33) and who
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tione tranquilla. Per Dominum nostrum Je- sum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia ssecula sse- culorum.
R. Amen.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
V. Benedicamus Domino.
R. Deo gratias.
V. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Quando una H o r a aliam immediate sequi- tur, unica tantum vice dicitur Ave.
away, the times through Thy protec- tion may be peaceful. Through our Lord Je- sus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reign- eth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
When one Hour im- mediately follows an- other the Hail Mary is said only once between them.
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wants to give us the peace that is not of this world. In this life, as St. Thomas says (in John xiv) we can possess Christ's peace but imper- fectly, because we are never wholly free from dis- turbances caused by our fellowmen nor from the snares of our enemies. But in the Kingdom of God we will enjoy perfect peace, for there our
enemies cannot disturb or molest us. We con- clude our prayer with the words: "Through our Lord Jesus Christ" because He is our eternal High Priest and the only Mediator between God and us. In Him the human and the divine na- ture are united in the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and through His sacrifice we are reconciled with God. He Himself said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No man com- eth to the Father but by me" (John xiv: 6) and St. Paul says: "All things are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (I Cor. iii: 22). Thus we pray in the name of Christ. We believe in Him as our mediator, our way to the Father; we trust in His mercy, merits and the interces- sion He makes 'for us in heaven (Hebr. ix: 24).
At the close of the Office, we exhort each other to continue to praise and thank God, if not by prayer at least by the service we render Him.
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Ad Primam
V. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
V. Deus, in adjuto- rium meum intende.
R. Domine, ad ad- juvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri.
Sicut erat. Alleluia.
A Septuagesima vero usque ad Pascha loco Alleluia dicitur La us tibiy Domine, Rex aster- nse glorise.
HYMNUS
II/Temento, salutis auetor,
Quod nostri quondam
corporis, Ex illibata Virgine
Nascendo, for mam sumpseris.
At Prime
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
V. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
R. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be.
As it was. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima until Easter instead of Alleluia is said Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
HYMN
A uthor of grace, sweet Saviour mine,
Remember that Thy
flesh divine, From the unsullied
Virgin came Made like unto our
mortal frame.
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Prime
DRIME, meaning first, is the morning prayer of * the Church. It reminds us that our Lord came into the temple early in the morning (John viii: 2). With this prayer we prepare for and dedicate to God a new day's work in His vine- yard, asking that it may be meritorious for heaven.
IN THE hymn recited at the beginning of the four Little Hours, we appeal to our Lord as the Author of grace, who in His mercy so hum- bled Himself as to assume a human body like ours and in so doing gave exceptional honor to Mary, the purest Virgin. Then we turn to Mary, the Mother of grace and mercy, imploring her to pro- tect us from our enemy and to receive us at the hour of our death. May all glory be to our Lord, the Son of the Blessed Virgin, and to God the Father and to the Holy Ghost forever and ever.
Each of the Little Hours, Prime, Tierce, Sext and None contains three of the fifteen Gradual Psalms. These songs were chanted by the Jews as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem, the special dwelling-place of God. It is fitting that we, as Pilgrims to the heavenly Jerusalem, now chant these same Psalms.
HYMN
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Maria, mater gratia?,
Mater misericordiae,
Tu nos ab hoste pro- tege,
Et hora mortis sus- cipe.
Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui natus es de Vir- gine,
Cum Patre et Sancto
Spiritu, In sempiterna ssecula.
Amen.
PSALMUS 119
Ad Dominum cum tribularer clama- vi : * et exaudivit me.
Domine, libera ani- mam meam a labiis iniquis, * et a lingua dolosa.
Quid detur tibi, aut quid apponatur tibi * ad linguam dolosam?
.•
Sagittae potentis
0 Mary, Mother of
all grace, Mother of mercy to
our race, Protect us now from
Satan's power. And own us at life's
closing hour.
All glory be to Thee,
0 Lord, A Virgin's Son, by
all ador'd: And equal praise for
ever greet The Father and the
Paraclete. Amen.
PSALM 119
Tn my trouble, I
cried to the Lord: and He heard me.
0 Lord, deliver my soul from wicked lips: and from the deceitful tongue.
What shall be giv- en thee, or what shall be added to thee: to a deceitful tongue?
The sharp arrows
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PSALM 119
¥N Psalm 119 we pray to God with Jesus and * Mary for protection against our enemies. God has so often in the past delivered us from evil; He will also hear our prayer now. Our earthly pilgrimage to the heavenly country is a burden because some around us are indifferent to the di- vine truths of holy religion, and others misunder- stand, falsify, contradict and persecute the faith- ful. This has been the experience of all God's servants. Jesus Christ Himself, who came to give testimony of the truth, was rejected and crucified. For Mary, too, it was extremely pain- ful to know and to experience that her Divine Son was set for the fall of many in Israel and throughout the world until the end of time.
The enemies of the divine truth are lying lips, wicked lips, deceitful tongues. The oppositions and blasphemies against the Truth Incarnate caused the martyrs greater sufferings than death itself. No wonder that the saints in the midst of wicked and merciless enemies of the truth prayed as did St. Stephen, "Lord Jesus, receive my spir- it" (Acts vii: 58). So great is the evil of a de- ceitful tongue, that no punishment can be too severe. The destruction of Jerusalem according to the prophecy of our Lord is a sufficient illustra- tion.
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acutae, * cum carboni- bus desolatoriis.
Heu mihi, quia in- colatus meus prolon- gatus est : habitavi cum habitantibus Ce- dar: * multum incola fuit anima mea.
Cum his, qui ode- runt pacem, eram pa- cificus: * cum loque- bar i 1 1 i s, impugna- bant me gratis.
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 120
T evavi oculus meos in montes, * unde veniet auxilium mihi.
Auxilium meum a Domino, * qui fecit caelum et terram.
Non det in commo- tionem pedem tuum: * neque dormitet qui custodit te.
Ecce non dormita- bit neque dormiet, * qui custodit Israel.
of the mighty: with coals that lay waste.
Woe is me that my sojourning is pro- longed! I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Cedar : my soul hath been long a sojourner.
With them that hated peace, I was peaceable : when I spoke unto them, they for no cause did fight against me.
Glory be.
PSALM 120
T HAVE lifted up my
eyes to the moun- tains : from whence help shall come to me.
My help is from the Lord: who made heaven and earth.
May He not suffer thy foot to be moved : neither let Him slum- ber that keepeth thee.
Behold He shall neither slumber nor sleep : that keepeth Israel.
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Are we sincere when we pray with the psalm- ist: "Woe is me that my sojourn is prolonged"? And are we resolved to live peacefully with those who hate peace, so that the words of the psalmist "they fought against me without cause" (John xv : 25), may be fulfilled in our lives as they were in the life of our Lord? Let us pray this psalm in the spirit of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Sorrowful Mother, in order to gain strength and courage to bear patiently unjust criticisms, un-, charitable remarks, unfounded suspicions, rash judgments and hatred of divine truth.
HEN the Israelites on their yearly journey
fT to Jerusalem came within sight of the Holy City, or when they ascended the second step up to the temple they encouraged one another with the pious confidence in God's mighty providence expressed in this psalm. It is thus the Holy Family may have prayed when they went up to Jerusalem with the Child Jesus. It is thus St. Dominic may have prayed when after his hard missionary work among the heretics he ap- proached Rome to ask the Holy Father for the approbation of his apostolic order. It is thus the
PSALM 120
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Do minus custodit te, Dominus protectio t u a, * super manum dexteram tuam.
Per diem sol non uret te: * neque luna per noctem.
Dominus custodit te ab omni malo: * custodiat animam tu- am Dominus.
Dominus custodiat introitum tuum; et exitum tuum: * ex hoc nunc, et usque in speculum.
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 121
T aetatus sum in his quas dicta sunt mihi : * In domum Do- mini ibimus.
Stantes erant pedes nostri, * in atriis tu- is Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, quae aedificatur ut civitas: * cujus participate ejus in idipsum.
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy protection upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not burn thee by day : nor the moon by night.
The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep
thy coming-in and thy going-out : from henceforth, now, and evermore.
Glory be.
PSALM 121
T REJOICED at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet were standing: in thy courts, 0 Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, which is built as a city : which is compact together.
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priest prays when he enters the sanctuary and approaches the altar and the tabernacle to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass: Adjutorium nos- trum in nomine Domini, Our help is in the name of the Lord. It is thus that all who strive after perfection must continue to go onward and up- ward with firm confidence in God's helping grace and protecting power. God may not at once come to our aid, yet we know He never slumbers. Though our earthly pilgrimage be full of dangers, though hardships and temptations, sorrows and distresses trouble us day and night, we confidently turn to our Lord and Saviour, who has said: "I am the door. By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved; and he shall go in and go out and shall find pasture. I am come that they may have life and have it more abundantly" (John x: 9).
HE pilgrims entering Jerusalem and arriving
* at the temple were filled with joy and praised the beauty and strength of the Holy City, the center of their religious and civic life and the capital city of their King. They prayed and ex- horted all to pray for the peace and prosperity of the city they loved so ardently.
PSALM 121
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Illuc enim ascendS- r u n t tribus, tribus Domini: * testimoni- um Israel ad confiten- dum nomini Domini.
Quia illic sederunt sedes in judicio, * se- des super domum Da- vid.
Rogate quae ad pa- cem sunt Jerusalem: * et abundantia dili- gentibus te.
Fiat pax in virtute tua: * et abundantia in turribus tuis.
Propter f r a t r e s meos et proximos me- os, * loquSbar pacem de te:
Propter domum Domini Dei nostri, * quasivi bona tibi.
Gloria Patri.
Ant. Dignare me | laudare te, Virgo sa- crata: | da mihi vir-
For thither went up the tribes, the tribes of the Lord: the tes- timony of Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord.
For their seats have sat in judg- ment: seats upon the house of David.
Pray ye for the things that are for the peace of Jerusa- lem : and abundance for them that love thee.
Peace be within thy strength : and abun- dance within thy tow- ers.
For my brethren and my neighbours' sake: I spoke peace of thee.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God: I sought good things for thee.
Glory be.
Ant. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Vir-
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PRIME
This psalm is well adapted for the use of the Christians who even today journey to Jerusalem or to Rome, the city of St. Peter and St. Paul, or to Lourdes or any other famous shrines. This psalm which so many saints have prayed at the hour of death is even more appropriate for us on our pilgrimage to the heavenly Jerusalem, and we may well say it daily. It is likewise fitting to pray this psalm in preparing to assist at Holy Mass. And whenever by prayer or meditation we wish to honor Mary, the mystical City of God, we may pray this psalm.
We should desire to reach our true home — heaven with its beatific vision — for three rea- sons. First, for the sake of true joy. "You shall see and your heart will rejoice because of a sweet and delightful light" (Isaias lxvi: 14). Secondly, on account of the multiplicity or plu- rality of that joy. "Then you shall see and abound and your heart shall wonder and be en- larged when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to you," (Isaias lx) because "we will see Him as He is and He will be all things to all men." For God will be to our intellect the fulness of light; to our will an abundance of peace; to our memory the continuation of eter- nity. Thirdly, because of the eternity of that joy. "His servants shall serve Him and they shall see His face and reign with Him for ever and ever" (St. Th. in I Cor. ix).
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tutem contra hostes tuos.
CAPITULUM Eccli. xxiv, 14
Ab initio, et ante s&cula creata sum, et usque ad fu- turum speculum non desinam, et in habi- tation sancta coram ipso ministravi.
R. Deo gratias.
V. Post p a r t u m Virgo * inviolata per- mansisti. R. Post par- turn Virgo * inviolata permansisti. V. D e i Genitrix, * intercede pro nobis. R. Invio- lata permansisti. V. Gloria Patri, et F 1 1 i o, * et Spiritui Saneto. R. Post par- tum Virgo * inviolata permansisti.
gin: give me strength against thine ene- mies.
LITTLE CHAPTER Eccli. xxiv, 14
Tj^ROM the beginning, and before the world was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling- place I ministered be- fore Him.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. After childbirth thou still didst re- main a Virgin unde- fined. R. After child- birth thou still didst remain a Virgin un- dented. 7. 0 Mother of God, intercede for us. R. A Virgin un- dented. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. After childbirth thou still didst remain a Virgin undefiled.
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167
ANTIPHON AND CHAPTER
RUE devotion to our Blessed Lady supposes
* holy reverence for her exalted dignity and a firm determination to resist her enemies, — a twofold grace to ask for through Mary's inter- cession.
In the eternal plans of God Mary, the Mother of our Saviour and our own heavenly Mother, because of her predilection and high office, en- joys such an all-surpassing excellence that these words, though literally referring to the only- begotten Son of the Heavenly Father, can rightly be applied to her who is the first-born of all the predestined for heaven.
The short aspiration of the Versicles and Re- sponses express again our love for Mary and our confidence in her power and mercy.
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108 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
V. Benedicta tu in mulieribus.
R. Et benedictus fructus ventris tui.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Or emus
rati am tuam, qu&- ^* sum us, Domine, mentibus nostris in- funde: ut qui, Ange- lo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnatio- nem cognovimus, per passionem ejus et crucem, ad resurrec- tionis gloriam perdu- camur. Per eundem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Fili- um tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in uni- tate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia spe- cula sseculorum.
R. Amen.
V. Blessed art thou amongst women.
R. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
DOUR forth, we be- Thee, 0 Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the mes- sage of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His res- urrection. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord Thy Son, Wholivethand reign- eth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. R. Amen.
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We believe in the great mystery of the Incar- nation of the Son of God, made known first of all to Mary, our Blessed Lady, by St. Gabriel. Even as Mary for her sanctification and glorification was entirely dependent on the graces merited by our Lord through His bitter passion on the Cross, so we, too, continually need similar graces to live a holy life in preparation for a worthy partici- pation in the glorious resurrection of our Lord on the day of the general judgment. At the be- ginning of every new day let us be mindful of this our last end and humbly ask God to grant us this favor.
Commenting on the words of St. Paul (Col. iii: 2), "Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth" St. Bernard says, "Whosoever after doing penance returns not to carnal consolations, but advances with confidence in the Divine Mercy and proceeds with a certain devotion and joy in the Holy Ghost and who al- though he is grieved at the memory of past sins is yet more delighted and enkindled with a long- ing desire for eternal things, — such a person has evidently risen with Christ, because a holy delight fills that soul which was before filled with worldly pleasures. Nor can the valuable mingle with the vain, nor the eternal with the transitory, nor the spiritual with the carnal, nor the highest with the lowest, so that one at the same time seeks the things which are above and the things which are upon the earth" (St. Th. The Human- ity of Christ, 57).
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V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
V. Benedicamus Domino.
R. Deo gratias.
7. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Ad Tertiam
7. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
V. Deus, in adjuto- rium meum intende.
R. Domine, ad ad- juvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri.
Sicut erat. Alleluia.
A Septuagesima vero usque ad Pascha loco
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
At Tierce
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
V. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
R. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be.
As it was. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima until Easter instead of
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Tierce
IERCE, the third hour of the day, correspond-
ing to our nine o'clock in the morning, com- memorates a special manifestation of divine charity; namely, the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles. In monasteries this prayer precedes the Community Mass and may serve as a preparation for Holy Communion and as a petition to the Holy Ghost to be made strong in divine charity.
In the first part of the Hymn we think "of the charity of God that has appeared to us in this, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (I John iv: 9). St. Thomas (I John iv) says: Observe . that the Apostle states four reasons, whereby the gift of the Incarnation is rendered pleasing and acceptable. First, because of the Person giving the gift, since He who gives gives from the great-' est love and affection. Hence, sometimes care is taken not so much concerning that which is given as concerning the love of the person giving a gift. Surely, this gift of God to us was given from the greatest love or charity of the Father, "In this the charity of God appeared to us."
The second reason is on the part of the gift given or sent. When that which is given is great
HYMN
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112 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Alleluia dicitur Laus tibi, D6mine,Rex aster- rue glorias.
HYMNUS "1/fEMENTO, salutis
auctor,
Quod nostri quondam
corporis, Ex illibata Virgine
Nascendo, f o r m a m sumpseris.
Maria, mater gratise,
Mater misericorcjiae,
Tu nos ab hoste pro- tege,
Et hora mortis sus- cipe.
Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui natus es de Vir- gine,
Cum Patre et Sancto
Spiritu, In sempite>na ssecula.
Amen.
Alleluia is said Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
HYMN
A uthor of grace, sweet Saviour mine,
Remember that Thy
flesh divine, From the unsullied
Virgin came Made like unto our
mortal frame.
0 Mary, Mother of
all grace, Mother of mercy to
our race, Protect us now from
Satan's power. And own us at life's
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All glory be to Thee,
O Lord, A Virgin's Son, by
all ador'd: And equal praise for
ever greet The Father and the
Paraclete. Amen.
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of grace that it suffices for the salvation of all mankind, this indeed is the greatest privilege and it was given to Mary. For in every danger we can obtain salvation from this glorious Virgin and likewise in every work of virtue we can have Mary as our helper and therefore she truly says of herself, "I am the Mother of fair love and of holy fear and of knowledge and of holy hope. In me is all hope of life and virtue" (Ecclus. xxiv: 24).
Mary's many blessings to us are principally six: 1. She has divided the sea for us, that is the world ; so that we may safely pass through it. 2. She has brought us the water of grace from the rock — Christ, so that we may drink freely of this life-saving water of grace. 3. Mary is our be- loved favor-bearing Queen, for she gives us the honey of devotion, so that we may be refreshed.
4. She is our beloved Mediatrix through whose divine clemency we obtain grace and mercy.
5. Mary is our beloved Queen; through her we conquer the devil. 6. And finally through Mary's power we are set free from the hands of all our enemies.
HAVING been held in the Babylonian captivity for fifty-one years, the Jews were unexpect- edly permitted to return to Palestine under King Cyrus of Persia in 536 B.C. The psalmist ex- presses their exceedingly great joy, for the sud-
PSALM 125
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PSALMUS 125
Tn convertendo D6- minus captivita- tem Sion : * f acti su- mus sicut consolati.
Tunc repletum est gaudio os nostrum : * et lingua nostra ex- sultatione.
Tunc dicent inter gentes : * Magnifica- vit Dominus facere cum eis.
Magnificavit Domi- nus facere nobiscum:
* facti sumus laetan- tes.
Converte, Domine, captivitatem nostram,
* sicut torrens in aus- tro.
Qui seminant in la- crymis, * in exsultati- one metent.
Euntes ibant et fle- bant, * mittentes se- mina sua.
Venientes a u t e m venient cum exsulta-
PSALM 125
Vlf HEN the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion: we became like men com- forted.
Then was our mouth filled with gladness: and our tongue with joy.
Then shall they say among the Gentiles : the Lord hath done great things for them.
Yea, the Lord hath done great things for us: and we are made joyful.
Turn again our captivity, 0 Lord: as a stream in the south.
They that sow in tears: shall reap in joy.
Going, they went and wept: casting their seeds.
But coming they shall come with joy-
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den liberation seemed unbelievable. Even the Gentiles had to acknowledge that the Lord had done great things for the Jews.
When after many thousand years the promised Messiah had come, and St. Elizabeth saluted our Blessed Lady as the mother of the Redeemer, Mary could find no better word to express her joy than the humble prayer, "My soul doth mag- nify the Lord." When the risen Lord appeared to the Apostles and invited the astonished Thomas to put his hand into His side, Thomas gave expression to his joy with the words of adoration, "My Lord and my God!"
Should not we, when freed from sin through the Sacrament of Penance, rejoice in the Lord and praise His mercy? Every new ascent and progress in the way of perfection is a grace; it is a new conversion and a new deliverance from the former state of captivity.
The psalmist, then, praying for further pro- tection against evil and for the happy return of the rest of the captives, asks the Lord to grant that they may quickly return and enjoy abundant prosperity, like the river which in the south of Juda during the dry season is waterless but by the autumn rains is filled with water and runs swiftly. We, in our religious life, left to our- selves, become so attached to temporal things that we are like a torrent dried up in summer, but, when enlightened and strengthened by the powerful grace of the Holy Ghost, we despise all earthly things, seeking instead those that are
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134 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
tione, * portantes ma- nipulos suos. Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 126
W%& Dominus sedifi-
caverit domum, * in vanum laborave- runt, qui sedificant earn.
Nisi Dominus cus- todierit civitatem, * f rustra vigilat, q u i custodit earn.
Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere : * surgite postquam se- deritis, qui manduca- tis panem doloris.
Cum declerit dilec- tis suis somnum: * ecce haereditas Domi- ni filii: merces, fruc- tus ventris.
Sicut sagittse in manu potentis: * ita filii excuss6rum.
fulness: carrying their sheaves. Glory be.
PSALM 126
TTnless the Lord
build the house: they labour in vain who build it.
Unless the Lord keep the city: he watcheth in vain who keepeth it.
Vain is it for you to rise before light: rise after ye have tak- en your rest, 0 ye that eat the bread of sor- row!
When he shall give sleep to his beloved: behold the inheritance of the Lord are chil- dren: the reward, the fruit of the womb.
As arrows in the hand of the mighty: so the children of them that have been shaken.
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eternal and heavenly, and so like the river after the autumn rains we run swiftly and advance in virtue.
After their return, the Israelites were com- pelled to labor hard to rebuild the city and to restore the barren country. The psalmist en- courages them by pointing to the sower who sows in sorrow but reaps in joy. Our life on earth is a time of probation, but our Lord en- courages us with the words, "He that shall lose his life for me shall find it" (Matt, x: 39). And St. Paul says, "He who soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who soweth in bless- ings shall also reap blessings" (II Cor. ix: 6). "In doing good let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing" (Gal. vi: 8).
PSALM 126
WHEN the Israelites after their return from the Babylonian captivity were working to re- build the Holy City and the temple they were much molested by their enemies. But they were so anxious to finish their work that "of them that built on the wall and that carried burdens, and that laded: with one of his hands he did the work and with the other he held the sword" (II Esd. iv: 17). Wherefore, the psalmist warns them not to be over-solicitous about their work but to trust in God, because without God's bless- ings all human efforts are in vain. Vain is it to labor, vain is it to build a house or guard a
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Beatus vir, qui im- plevit desiderium su- um ex ipsis: * non confund£tur, cum lo- quetur inimicis suis in porta.
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 127
"Deati omnes, qui ti- ment Dominum:* qui ambulant in viis ejus.
Labores manuum tuarum quia mandu- cabis: * beatus es, et bene tibi erit.
Uxor tua sicut vi- tis abundans, * in la- teribus domus tuse.
Filii tui sicut no- velise olivarum, * in circuitu mens© tuae.
Ecce sic benedice- tur homo, * qui timet Dominum.
Benedicat tibi Do- minus ex S i o n : * et videas bona Jerusa-
Blessed is the man that hath filled the desire with them: he shall not be confound- ed when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.
Glory be.
PSALM 127
Olessed are all they that fear the Lord: and that walk in His ways.
For thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands: blessed art thou, and well shall it be with thee!
Thy wife as a fruit- ful vine: on the sides of thy house.
Thy children as olive plants : round about thy table.
Lo, thus shall the man be blessed: that feareth the Lord.
The Lord bless thee out of Sion : and may- est thou see the good
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city, vain it is to rise early in the morning with- out having taken sufficient rest, unless the activ- ity be performed with due moderation and a lively sense of trust in the fatherly providence of God. You that earn your bread through hard labor, put your trust in God and He will give you rest and sleep, He will give you peace and consolation.
Among the Israelites, a family blessed with many children was a sign of God's favor and a sure defense against enemies, compared by the psalmist to many arrows in the hand of the mighty one. If we in religious life want to pre- serve what we have gained with hard labor, if we want to make any progress, we must always be mindful of the warning of our Lord, "With- out Me you can do nothing" (John xv: 5). St. Paul says, "Neither he that planteth is anything nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase" (I Cor. iii: 7). The whole life of our Blessed Lady was not so much the service of Martha but the prayer and confidence exempli- fied in Martha's sister Mary, of whom our Lord said, "She has chosen the better part which shall not be taken away from her."
THE man who fears to offend God and keeps His commandments shall enjoy the fruit of his labor and the blessings of a happy family, of a virtuous wife and of many well-trained chil- dren. The psalmist prays that the Lord from
PSALM 127
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138 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
lem omnibus diebus vitae tuae.
Et videas filios fi- liorum tuorum, * pa- cem super Israel.
7. Gloria Patri.
Ant. In prole Ma- ter, | in partu Virgo, | gaude et laetare, Vir- go Mater Domini.
CAPITULUM Eccli. xxiv, 16
T^T RADICAVI in po- pulo honorificato, et in parte Dei mei haereditas illius et in plenitudine sancto- rum detentio mea.
R. Deo gratias.
V. Ora pro nobis, * sancta Dei GSnitrix. R. Ora pro nobis, * sancta Dei Genitrix. V. Ut digni efficia- mur * promissionibus
things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
And mayest thou see thy children's children: peace upon Israel.
Glory be.
Ant. In offspring a Mother, in childbirth a Virgin, rejoice and be glad, 0 Virgin Mother of our Lord.
LITTLE CHAPTER Eccli. xxiv, 16
And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of the Saints.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. V. That we may be made worthy of the
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139
His temple in Sion may bless him, that he may see the holy City abound always in all good things, that he may be favored with a long life to see his children's children and that his whole nation may enjoy a constant peace.
No saint was ever more God-fearing than Mary. Deepest reverence towards God charac- terized every detail of her life. She thus be- came the most fruitful vine in the vineyard of the Lord. To meet the daily difficulties coura- geously, to enjoy prosperity and happiness and to prevent future calamities we must live in the fear of the Lord and walk in His ways.
In the antiphon In prole, we congratulate Mary for her unique excellence of divine mother- hood and miraculous virginity.
As the Incarnate Wisdom became rooted in mankind and thereby honored in a special way the Jewish people, whom He chose as His in- heritance and the assembly of the Saints, so Mary came from the chosen people and is hon- ored as the mother of the Church and the most blessed in the assembly of the Saints.
In conformity with her exalted dignity as the Mother of God, Mary has both the power and the will to help us, her adopted children. Hence, we ask for her intercession and pray God to grant peace and security to all who trust in her patronage.
St. Alphonsus Liguori says (Consideration 32) with St. Bonaventure that our Blessed Lady en-
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Christi. R. Sancta Dei Genitrix. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, * et S p i r i t u i Sancto. R. Ora pro nobis, * sancta Dei Genitrix.
V. Elegit earn De- us et praeelegit earn.
R. Et habitare earn facit in tabernaculo suo.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus
|3rotege, Domine, famulos tuos sub- sidiis pacis : et, beatse Maria? semper Virgi- nia patrociniis confi- dentes, a cunctis hosti- bus redde securos. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Fili- um tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in uni- tate Spiritus Sancti
promises of Christ. R. O holy Mother of God. V. Glory be to the Father, and to Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God.
V. God hath chosen her and fore-chosen her.
R. And he maketh her to dwell in His tabernacle.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
r\EFEND Thy serv- ants, 0 Lord, by granting them the gift of peace, and as they have confidence in the patronage of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, so do Thou make them safe from all their ene- mies. Through our Lord Jesus Christ
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joys the singular privilege given to her by her Son that she can obtain for her servants all graces. Like a Queen, Mary sends angels to en- lighten, to purify and to perfect her servants. To inspire confidence in our great Advocate, the Church makes us invoke her under the title of the Powerful Virgin, "Powerful Virgin, pray for us." St. Antonine says, "The prayer of the divine Mother partakes of the nature of a command and, therefore, it is impossible for her not to be heard." St. George says that Jesus Christ, as if to dis- charge the obligation which He owes to His Mother for having given Him His human nature, hears all her prayers. St. Bridget one day heard Jesus Christ addressing His Mother, as St. Al- phonsus says, with the following words, "Ask of me what you wish, for your petition cannot be fruitless. Because you refused me nothing on earth, I will refuse you nothing in heaven." St. Alphonsus also says, "Mary's prayers are omni- potent because it is but just that the mother should partake of the power of the Son. The Son is omnipotent by nature, the Mother is omni- potent by grace; that is, she obtains by her prayers whatsoever she asks. There is no sin- ner, however abandoned, whom Mary cannot save by her intercession." "You have," says St. George, "insuperable strength, lest the multi- tude of our sins should overcome your clemency. Nothing resists your power, for the Creator re-
gards your glory as His own.
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per omnia spe- cula sseculorum.
R. Amen.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
V. Benedicamus Domino.
R. Deo gratias.
V. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. R. Amen.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
At None
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
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Ad No nam
V. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- d ictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
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None
ONE, the ninth hour of the day, correspond-
ing to our three o'clock in the afternoon, in- dicates that the day is declining and that the laborers are anticipating a recompense for their labors. It points to our Lord's last words and death on the Cross. "From the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice . . . and yielded up the ghost" (Matt, xxvii: 50). It reminds us that our own life will soon come to an end.
birth. Concerning these blessings, St. Thomas says (The Humanity of Christ) :
1. This Divine Child is born to us as an ex- ample of holy purity. According to St. Matthew (i: 21), "He shall save His people from their sins." And St. Bernard observes, "In Christ Himself who maketh the purification of our sins, behold He cometh to cleanse the dregs of hu- manity." St. Augustine declares, "0 Blessed In- fancy, by which the life of our race is repaired. "0 most gracious and delightful cry of an Infant, by which we may escape eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth."
2. A Child is born to us as an example of humility. So St. Bernard says, "Let us strive to become as this Child. Let us learn from Him, for He is meek and humble of heart, for this
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V. Deus, in adjuto- rium meum intende.
R. Domine, ad ad- juvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri.
Sicut erat. Alleluia.
A Septuagesima vero usque ad Pascha loco Alleluia dicitur Laus tibi, Domine, Rex xter- nse glorias.
HYMNUS lyfEMENTO, Salutis
auctor,
Quod nostri quondam
corporis, Ex illibata Virgine
Nascendo, f o r m a m sumpseris.
Maria, mater gratiae,
Mater misericordiae,
Tu nos ab hoste pro- tege,
Et hora mortis sus- cipe.
V. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
R. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be.
As it was. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima until Easter instead of Alleluia is said Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
HYMN
A uthor of grace, sweet Saviour mine,
Remember that Thy
flesh divine, From the unsullied
Virgin came Made like unto our
mortal frame.
O Mary, Mother of
all grace, Mother of mercy to
our race, Protect us now from
Satan's power. And own us at life's
closing hour.
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Child, namely the great God, became man not without cause."
3. A Child is born to us to bring us an in- crease of charity. "I am come to cast fire upon the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?" (Luke xii: 49). St. Bernard says, "Great Lord, Thou hast become a Child, exceedingly to be loved and praised." A Child is born, it is said, who is in every way lovable to us, for He is our Father, Brother, Lord, Servant, Reward and Ex- ample. In as much as He humbleth Himself in becoming man, by so much the more does He show Himself greater in manifesting His good-
4. A Child is born to us as a consolation for our hope and security. Wherefore, St. Paul says (Hebr. iv: 16), "Let us go therefore with con- fidence to the throne of grace," that is, to Christ, in whom grace reigns supreme, "that we may obtain mercy," that is, the remission of our past sin, "and find grace in seasonable aid." St. Au- gustine says, "O sweetest day, the day of Christ's birth in which compunction came even to unbe- lievers, mercy to the wicked, pardon to the sorrowful, release to the captive, remedy to the wounded. 0 blessed day, in which was born 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world'; in whose birth, whosoever has a good conscience rejoices sweetly; whosoever is good, prays fervently, supplicates most devoutly. Sweet day and truly sweet for those doing pen- ance and seeking pardon."
ness.
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146 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui natus es de Vir- gine,
Cum Patre et Sancto
Spiritu, In sempiterna ssecula.
Amen.
PSALMUS 128
Oaepe expugnavS- runt me a juven- tute mea, * dicat nunc Israel.
S a3 p e expugnave- runt me a juventute mea : * etenim non po- tuerunt mihi.
Supra dorsum me- um f abricaverunt pec- catores : * prolonga- verunt iniquitatem suam.
Dominus justus concidit cervices pec- catorum: * confun- dantur, et convertan- tur retrorsum omnes, qui oderunt Sion.
Fiant sicut foenum
All glory be to Thee,
O Lord, A Virgin's Son, by
all ador'd: And equal praise for
ever greet The Father and the
Paraclete. Amen.
PSALM 128
r^FTEN have they fought against me from my youth: let Israel now say.
Often have they fought against me from my youth: but they could not prevail over me.
The wicked have wrought upon my back: they have lengthened their ini- quity.
The Lord, who is just, will cut the necks of sinners: let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Sion.
Let them be as
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PSALM 128
ISRAEL recalls the many trials and sufferings which her people have endured during and since their dwelling in Egypt. As the blacksmith with repeated blows strikes the iron upon the anvil or as the plowman plows deep and long furrows through the soil, so have her enemies persecuted Israel. But they could not prevail against her. The just Lord has delivered Israel and confounded the enemies, who before God are as weak and worthless as the grass upon the oriental roofs, which grows and withers away and yields no harvest. There are, consequently, neither mowers nor reapers, nor do the people passing by have occasion to wish God's blessing upon them.
In our spiritual life we must confess the truth of what Holy Scripture tells us: "The life of man upon earth is a warfare" (Job vii: 1). And St. Paul preaches "that through many tribula- tions we must enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts xiv: 21). "We know that to them that love God all things work together unto good to such as, according to His purpose, are called to be saints" (Rom. viii: 28). Though our enemies or those of the Church be ever so numerous and bitter, they can cause no lasting harm, for "If God be for us, who is against us?" (Rom. viii:
Convinced of these truths, we are resolved to be faithful to the example and teaching of our
31).
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148 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
tectorum : * quod pri- usquam evellatur ex- aruit.
De quo non imple- vit manum suam qui metit: * et sinum su- um qui manipulos col- ligit.
Et non dixerunt qui praeteribant : Be- nedictio Domini su- per vos: * benedixi- mus vobis in nomine Domini.
Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 129 FJE PROFUNDIS cla-
mavi ad te, Do- mine: * Domine, ex- audi vocem meam:
Fiant aures tuse in- tendentes, * in vocem deprecationis mese.
Si iniquitates ob- servaveris, Domine: * Domine, quis susti- nebit?
Quia apud te propi- tiatio est: * et prop-
grass on the house- tops : that withereth ere it be plucked up.
Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand: nor he that gathereth sheaves his bosom.
And they that passed by have not said: the blessing of the Lord be upon you: we have blessed you in the name of the Lord.
Glory be.
PSALM 129
f\\JT of the depths have I cried unto Thee, 0 Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
0 let Thine ears be attentive ; to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou wilt mark iniquities, 0 Lord: Lord, who shall stand it?
For with Thee there is merciful for-
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Lord and to pray for our enemies, returning good for evil, so that we will reap an abundant harvest on the day of recompense. Although Mary was the most amiable and benevolent among all the saints, yet she was always the ob- ject of the bitterest hatred of the powers of darkness. But she crushed the head of the ser- pent and is crowned in heaven as the glorious Queen of victory.
IN THIS psalm, the eleventh of the Gradual psalms, the sixth of the Penitential Psalms, the psalmist in the name of the people calls on God with the deepest affliction of his heart for deliverance from the Babylonian captivity. Con- scious of his iniquities, he knows that if God insists on His divine justice, no creature can of- fer sufficient satisfaction. But he knows also that God has promised pardon to the penitent sinner, if he trusts in His infinite mercy and with humble and fervent prayer asks for for- giveness. So, with a truly contrite heart full of hope in God's unlimited power and mercy and relying on His gracious promises, the psalmist perseveres in prayer and in patient watchfulness like the Eastern watchman, who throughout the night eagerly waits for the morning dawn that will bring him relief and rest. For with the Lord there is mercy and plentiful redemption, and He shall redeem His people from all their in- iquities.
PSALM 129
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ter legem tuam susti- nui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus: * speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matuti- na usque ad noctem: * speret Israel in Do- mino.
Quia apud Domi- num misericordia : * et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Is- rael, * ex omnibus in- iquitatibus ejus.
V. Gloria Patri.
PSALMUS 130
TV)MINE, non est ex- altatum cor me- um : * neque elati sunt oculi mei.
Neque ambulavi in magnis : * n e q u e in mirabilibus super me.
giveness: and by rea- son of Thy law have I waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word : my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night: let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him there is plentiful redemption.
And He shall re- deem Israel: from all his iniquities.
Glory be.
PSALM 130
T ord, my heart is not exalted ; nei- ther are mine eyes lofty.
Neither have I walked in great mat- ters: nor in marvel- lous things above me.
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If we are truly sorry for having offended God by our sins, our confidence in our Lord's mercy and Mary's intercession can never be too great. With God there is plentiful redemption, not only for us but for all. "Jesus Christ is the propi- tiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (I John ii: 2). When Mary as the Sorrowful Mother standing beneath the cross united her sacrifice with that of her divine Son for the salvation of all mankind, she was declared our mother. So we also, when join- ing our prayer with the holy sacrifice and prayer of our Lord and His mother on behalf of suffer- ing souls on earth and in Purgatory, may confi- dently expect a most favorable response.
PSALM 130
HAVING been tested by many trials and suf- ferings, the pious Israelite in humble sub- mission finally surrenders himself to God and admonishes his fellowmen to do likewise. This prayer expresses humility, resignation and con- fidence in God.
Our hearts are not exalted, if we do not deem ourselves to be above what we are; if we realize our littleness and entire dependence on God and, for this reason, restrain our affections from un- reasonably tending to great things. Our eyes are not lifted up if we refrain from proud looks or if in our gestures, words and deeds we do not claim more consideration than is justly due, if we do
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152 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Si n o n humiliter sentiebam: * sed ex- altavi animam meam.
Sicut ablactatus est super matre sua: * ita retributio in ani- ma mea.
Speret Israel in Do- mino, * ex hoc nunc, et usque in sseculum.
Gloria Patri.
Ant. Beata Mater | et intacta Virgo, | glo- riosa Regina mundi, intercede pro nobis ad Dominum.
CAPITULUM Eccli. xxiv, 17-18
Quasi cedrus exalta- ta sum in Libano, et quasi cypressus in monte S i o n. Quasi palma exaltata sum in Cades, et quasi plantatio rosse in Je- richo.
R. Deo gratias.
If I was not hum- ble-minded : but ex- alted my soul:
As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul:
Let Israel hope in the Lord: from hence- forth now and ever- more.
Glory be.
Ant. 0 blessed Mother and immacu- late Virgin, O glori- ous Queen of the world, intercede for us with our Lord.
LITTLE CHAPTER Eccli. xxiv, 17-18
T was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and like a cypres u- tree on Mount Sion. Like a palm tree in Cades was I exalted, and like a rose-plant in Jericho.
R. Thanks be to God.
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not manifest a contemptuous demeanor and if we do not strive after things above our abilities.
We are resigned to God's holy will and provi- dence, as a child that is weaned quietly reposes in its Mother's arms. We hope in God, if with firm confidence we expect from Him all we need, provided that we faithfully cooperate with His grace and make good use of the means He gives us. "He that glorieth may glory in the Lord" (I Cor. i: 31) as did Mary, His most humble and faithful handmaid.
To acknowledge our littleness and dependence on our Blessed Lady's help, we address Mary with her unique titles; praising her most won- derful exaltation, we ask for her intercession with the Lord.
Mary's greatness is most beautifully expressed by four images: her Immaculate Conception, by the incorruptibility of the cedar; the rectitude of her reason perfected through the intellectual virtues, by the erect form of the cypress; her glory as Queen of Saints and conqueror over all enemies of God, by the palm with its bare trunk crowned with gigantic leaves and sweet fruit; her grace and beauty, by the rose plant with its aromatic fragrance.
Considering Mary's dignity, mission and heav- enly glory, we realize her .sublime elevation and
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154 LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
V. Elegit earn De- us, * et praeelegit earn. R. Elegit earn Deus, * et praeelegit earn. V. Et habitare earn facit * in tabernaculo suo. R. Et praeelegit earn. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, * et Spiritui Sancto. R. Elegit earn D e u s * et praeelegit earn.
V. Sancta Dei Ge- nitrix, Virgo semper, Maria.
R. Intercede pro nobis ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus
Tj^A m uloru m tuorum, quaesumus, Domi- ne, delictis ignosce:
V. God hath chosen her and hath fore- chosen her. R. God hath chosen her and hath fore-chosen her. V. And He make th her to dwell in His tabernacle. R And hath fore-chosen her. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. God hath chosen her and hath fore-chosen her.
V. 0 holy Mother of God, ever Virgin,
Mary.
R. Intercede for us unto our Lord God.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
tV)RGlVE, we beseech r Thee, O Lord, the sins of Thy servants :
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continue to ask humbly for her intercession. Then we pray God that we who cannot please Him by our own deeds may through her inter- cession obtain forgiveness of our sins and eter- nal salvation.
Our holy Church calls Mary the Virgin most merciful. St. Alphonsus (Consideration 32) says, "The eyes of the Lord are upon the just and this Mother of mercy keeps her eyes upon the just and upon sinners that she may preserve them from falling into sin or that, should they fall, she may raise them up." St. Bonaventure used to say that in looking at Mary he seemed to be- hold mercy itself. Likewise, St. Bernard exhorts us to recommend ourselves with great confidence in all our necessities to this powerful Advocate, who is all mercy and benignity to those who in- voke her intercession. The Blessed Virgin said one day to St. Bridget (as St. Alphonsus men- tions ) , "I am called by all the Mother of mercy and truly His mercy has made me merciful. Therefore, miserable will he be who, while it is in his power, has not recourse to me who am merciful." "Perhaps," says St. Bonaventure, "we are afraid that in asking Mary's intercession she will refuse it to us." "No," continues the Saint, "Mary does not refuse and never has re- fused pity and aid to any sinner who has in- voked her intercession." She has not done so and she cannot do so because God has made her the Queen and Mother of mercy and as such she
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ut, qui tibi placere de actibus nostris n o n valSmus, Genitricis Filii tui Domini nos- tri intercessione sal- vemur. Per eundem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Fili- um tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in uni- tate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia s&-
R. Amen.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
V. Benedicamus Domino.
R. Deo gratias.
V. Ave, Maria, gra- tia plena, Dominus te- cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
| that we, who cannot be pleasing unto Thee by any actions of our own may be saved by the intercession of the Mother of Thy Son, our Lord. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord Thy Son, Who liveth and reign- eth with Thee in Unity of the Holy- Ghost, one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
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is bound to care for the miserable. St. Basil calls her a public hospital. Public hospitals are erected for the poor and they who are in the greatest poverty have the first claims to admis- sion. Hence, according to St. Basil, Mary ought to receive with the utmost tenderness and care the greatest sinners who have recourse to her. Again Mary said to St. Bridget — as St. Alphon- sus mentions — that when a sinner has recourse to her, however enormous his guilt may be, she regards not the sins with which he is charged, but the intention with which he comes. If he comes with a sincere desire to amend, she re- ceives him and heals all his wounds. Wherefore, St. Bonaventure says, "Poor sinners, do not de- spair; raise your eyes to Mary and trust in the mercy of this good Mother." "Let us then," says St. Bernard, "ask the grace which we have lost and let us ask it through Mary."
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Ad Vesperas
V. Ave, tia plen cum.
R. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et bene- dictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
V. Deus, in adjuto- rium meum intende.
R. Domine, ad ad- juvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri.
Sicut erat. Alleluia.
A Septuagesima vero usque ad Pascha loco Alleluia dicitur Laus tibi, Domine, Rex aster- nse gloria.
PSALMUS 109
*T|ixit Dominus D6- mino meo : * Sede a dextris meis :
Donee ponam ini- micos tuos, * scabel- lum pedum tuorum.
V i r g a m virtutis tuffi emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare
At Vespers
V. Hail, Mary,