Some Examples on the Devotion of Hearing Mass, and Saying It Every Day, and the Reverence That We Should Have in Assisting at It

HOPE PIUS II and Sabelicus relate that in the Province of Istria, which marches with Pannonia and Austria, there lived a devout knight who was harassed by a grave temptation to hang himself, and sometimes was on the point of doing so. Living under this temptation, he disclosed it to a learned and God-fearing religious, to ask his advice. The religious comforted and consoled him greatly, and then told him to keep in his retinue a chaplain who should say Mass daily. He thought this a good plan, and made an agreement with a priest accordingly. The two of them went to live in a good castle which he had in the country. There for a twelvemonth he lived undisturbed, thanks to this most holy devotion. It happened one day that his chaplain asked his leave to go and keep a feast in a neighboring town with a clerical friend of his. The knight gave leave, intending to go there and hear Mass and be present at the feast. But something came in the way to detain him, so that it was midday when he managed to get out of his castle, much annoyed at the thought of missing Mass and already troubled with his old temptation. On his way in this distress he met with a peasant coming from that place, who assured him that divine service there was already over. At that the knight was so much afflicted that he began to curse his luck, and said that now, not having heard Mass that day, he gave himself up for a lost man. The peasant told him not to trouble himself, for he would sell him the Mass and all that he had merited before God by it. The knight agreed, and so a bargain was struck that he should give him the cloak that he was wearing. He gave it to him with hearty good will, and thereupon they parted. However, the knight thought fit to go to the town and make his prayer in the church. He did so, and afterwards returning to his house, when he reached the spot, the scene of that simoniacal transaction, he saw that the peasant had hung himself on a tree, God so permitting in punishment for his sin. He was much amazed, and gave thanks to the Lord for having delivered him; and henceforth, though he lived many years afterwards, he was no more troubled with that temptation.

In the chronicles of St. Francis we read of Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal and niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, that among other great virtues that she had, one was her tender compassion for the poor and the sick and her readiness to help them. It is said of her that no poor person ever asked her for alms whom she did not relieve, and, besides, she laid an injunction on her almoner to refuse alms to none. Now this holy queen had a page or valet, whom she employed in the distribution of her alms and her works of charity, as he was a virtuous boy and well-mannered. It happened that there was another page, a valet of the king, Don Dionysius, her husband, and in high favor with him. This page, seeing the favor in which the other stood with the queen, for envy of him and to curry favor with his master, tried to set him in an ill light by saying that the queen had an improper affection for him. And as the king was not leading a very good life, he was moved by the devil to feel at heart some uneasiness, and there stole over him a certain distrust of the queen, his wife. Wherefore, shocked at what his page had told him—though it is true that he did not altogether believe it, but was in a state of doubt—he made up his mind in any case to have that other page secretly put to death. That day he went out to take horse-exercise, and passed by a place where there was a limekiln, which was alight burning lime. He called apart the men who were stoking the fire, and gave them charge about a valet of his, whom he would send them with a message, asking whether they had done what the king had commanded; they were to seize him at once and cast him into the furnace, so that he should die outright there, that being a point appertaining to his highness’ service. When, then, the next morning came, the king directed the queen’s page to go with this message to the furnace aforesaid. But our Lord, Who never fails His servants and stands forth in defense of those who are innocent and blameless, ordained that this youth should pass by a church, where they were ringing the elevation bell for a Mass that was then being said. He went in, and heard that Mass to the end, and two others that then began one after another. The king meanwhile, anxious to know if he was already dead, happening to see the other page of the bedchamber, the one who had brought the accusation and given the false witness before the king, sent him in all haste to the furnace, to know if what he had commanded had been done. When he arrived with the message, being by all tokens the man whom the king had spoken to them about, the furnace men seized him at once, bound him, and cast him in alive. Meanwhile the other page, the innocent and faultless one, had finished hearing his Masses, and came to give the king’s message to those who were stoking the furnace, asking if they had fulfilled my lord’s commands, and they answered, Yes. With that answer he went back to the king. When the king saw him, he was almost beside himself, seeing and considering how this affair had turned out, quite the other way to what he had arranged and ordered. Turning to the page, he began to scold him, asking him where he had loitered such a long time. Then the servant gave him an account of himself and answered: “Sir, as I was going to carry out your highness’ command, I happened to pass close by a church, where they were ringing the elevation bell; I went in and heard that Mass to the end; and before it was finished, they began another and another Mass, and so I waited until they were all done, for my father gave me as his last blessing before he died an injunction, that all the Masses that I saw begin, I should hear unto the end.” Then the king by this judgment of God came to open his eyes to the truth, to the innocence of the queen, and the fidelity and virtue of the good servant, and so cast away the evil imagination that he was entertaining against her.

In the “Manual of Examples” it is related that there lived in a town two tradesmen of the same trade. One of them had a wife, sons, and family, and nevertheless was so devout as to hear Mass every day, and would on no account miss it; and so our Lord helped him, and his business went well, and his stock increased. The other on the contrary, though he had no child, nor servant, but only his wife, and was always at work day and night, even on feast days, and seldom heard Mass, yet never could get out of his wretched condition, but lived in great need and poverty. Seeing, then, how well the other was getting on, he one day put himself in his way, and asked him from what source so many good things came in to him, and he made such profits. “Why,” he said, “though you have such a family of children and a wife, the necessaries of life are never wanting to you. Your needs are always sufficiently supplied; and here I am alone with my wife, working harder than you do, and yet I live in never-ending need and poverty.” The other, who had the devout habit of hearing daily Mass, said in reply that he would show him tomorrow the place where he found this gain. Morning came, and he went to the other’s house and took him with him to church; and, after hearing Mass, told him to go back to his house and work. He did the same the next day, and said to him the same words. But on the third day, when he came to his house to take him with him to church, the other said to him: “Friend, if I wanted to go to church, there would be no need for you to come and take me there. I know the road well; what I wanted to know was, where is the place where you found such a vantage-ground for growing rich, and I wanted you to take me there where I too could enrich myself.” He answered him, saying: “I do not know nor have I any other place where to look for treasure of the body and the reward of life everlasting but in the church.” And in confirmation he added: “Have you not heard what the Lord says in the Gospel: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all other things shall be thrown in to you (Matt. vi. 33) ?” The good man, hearing this, understood the mystery, and was contrite for his sin, amended his life, and became thenceforth very devout, and heard his Mass every day from that day forth, and also began to get well and prosper and succeed in all his affairs.

St. Antoninus of Florence relates that of two young friends, who went out from town one feast day to go and enjoy themselves in the country at a certain hunting-party, one of them had taken care to hear Mass and fulfil the Church’s precept, and the other had not. As they went on together on their way, the weather set in to change and the heavens to lower. It looked as though the sky were going to fall and drown the world with the great claps of thunder that began, and the frequent flashes of lightning which came in rapid succession with portentously heavy rain. Between the flashes there was heard in the air a voice, and these youths themselves heard it, saying: “Give it him, strike him!” They stood aghast, but as the weather cleared up they went on their way; and when they were not expecting it, there let a flash, and killed the unhappy youth who had not that day heard Mass. Great was the terror and bewilderment that it caused in the other; he was out of his wits, and did not know what to do with himself. Finally, mainly because he was now near the place of meeting where the hunt was to come off, he went on and continued his journey, when he heard another voice that said: “Strike him, strike this one!” The poor fellow was much terrified at this voice, remembering what had happened to his companion; but he heard another voice in the air, which said: “I cannot, since today he has heard the Et Verbum caro factum est,” meaning thereby that he had heard Mass, because at the end of it there is usually said the Gospel of St. John, where these words occur. And so that youth escaped that terrible and sudden death.

We read of St. Bonaventure that, considering the sovereign majesty of God, Who is in this Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, and his very lowly condition, and fearing to fail to receive the Lord with due dispositions, he went many days without approaching the altar; and one day, hearing Mass, at the time when the priest broke the host, one part of it came to him and put itself in his mouth. Returning thanks to the Lord for this incomparable favor, he understood that it was meant to teach him that God is more pleased with those who lovingly and with heartfelt affection approach and receive Him, than with those who for fear stand aloof and omit to receive Him; as afterwards the saint himself put in writing. And St. Thomas wrote the same.

It is related of the holy Friar Ferdinand de Talavera, first Archbishop of Granada, that, when he was at court, occupied in many grave affairs of state, his many enemies not finding anything else they could accuse him of, some of them complained that he said Mass every day; they wondered how, with so many arduous charges upon him, he could be so well prepared, in such repose and peace of mind, as to celebrate every day as though he were in his monastery. When the Cardinal of Spain, the Archbishop of Toledo, Don Pedro Gonsalez de Mendoza, one day in familiar conversation told him what was‘said, the servant of God answered: “This is how it is, my lord. Since their highnesses have laid such heavy responsibilities on me, giving me a charge that is wholly beyond my strength, I have no other resource, not to fall down to the ground under my burden, but to betake myself every day to the Holy Sacrament, that so I may be able to have strength to carry on to the end, and give a good account of what their highnesses have entrusted me with.”

Surius relates of St. Peter Celestine, who was afterwards pope, that, setting himself one day to consider on the one hand the great majesty of the Lord, Who is present in this Most Holy Sacrament, and on the other his own meanness and unworthiness, and calling to mind St. Paul the first hermit, St. Anthony, St. Francis, and other saints, who had never dared to exercise this holy ministry of Mass and daily Communion, he fell into great doubt and perplexity concerning the frequentation of it, and abstained for some days in fear, trembling, and reverence for so great a Lord. He made up his mind to go to Rome to consult the pope on the question, whether it would be better to abstain from celebrating altogether or for some time. On his traveling for this purpose, there appeared to him on the road a holy abbot, already dead, the one who had given him the habit, and said to him: “Who, son, angel though he be, is worthy of this ministry? Nevertheless, I advise thee frequently to celebrate with fear and reverence;” and forthwith he disappeared.

St. Gregory relates that a little before his time it happened that a man was taken and carried off captive by the enemy to far distant lands, where he was for a long time imprisoned without anyone’s knowing or having news of him. After the lapse of so long a time, his wife believed him dead, and as such had Masses and sacrifices offered every week for his soul. And it pleased the Lord that, every time the Masses were said for him, the poor captive found himself free from his bonds. Not long after that, it came about that the man came out from his captivity and returned home free. He told his wife among other things this marvelous fact, which filled him with astonishment and wonder, that on certain days and at certain hours every week his chains fell off him, as has been said. His wife found by computation that it was just on these days and at these hours that she had had the sacrifice offered and Masses said for him. St. Gregory adds: “Hence, brethren, we may learn the efficacy of this sacrifice offered for us to loosen the bonds and fetters of the soul.” ‘Venerable Bede narrates a similar story.

St. Chrysostom says that at the time the priest celebrates the angels there assist, and that at the hour of the offering the altar is surrounded with angels. And he says that he had heard it related by a trustworthy person that an old man, a great servant of God, had seen suddenly descend from heaven a great multitude of angels, and that the altar was surrounded by them, vested in such bright robes that the sight dazzled his eyes, bowing down like soldiers before their king. ‘“So I can well believe,” says this glorious saint, “since where the King is, there the courtiers are.” And St. Gregory says: “Who doubts but that, in the hour in which this holy sacrifice is offered, at the voice of the priest the heavens are opened, and the courtiers of heaven come down along with Christ, and the whole place is encompassed with choirs of angels, like good courtiers in attendance on their king?” And thus many saints explain that passage of St. Paul, where he commands women to have their heads covered in church, giving as his reason, propter angelos—‘for the sake of the angels” (I Cor. xi. 10).

St. Nilus writes of the same St. John Chrysostom, who was his master, that, when he went into the church, he saw a great multitude of angels, clothed in white, with bare feet, bending their bodies with great reverence, in complete silence, and as it were quite overawed at the presence of Christ our God and Lord in this Sacrament. In accordance with this, the glorious Chrysostom says: “When you are before this Divine Sacrament, you must not think that you are in company with men on earth. Do you not feel the near presence of those heavenly troops of cherubim and seraphim, who stand before that great Lord of heaven and earth? Be ye, brethren, in the church in great silence, with fear and trembling. See how a king’s courtiers stand in his presence, how modest and grave and respectful they are. No one there dares utter a word, or roll his eyes one way or another; learn from thence the way in which you ought to appear before God.”