Easter Sunday: Morning

and reunites itself with that Body, which, three days before, it had quitted amidst an agony of suffering. The sacred Body returns to life, raises itself up, and throws aside the winding-sheet, the spices, and the bands. The bruises have disappeared, the Blood has been brought back to the veins ; and from these limbs that had been torn by the scourging, from this head that had been mangled by the thorns, from these hands and feet that had been pierced with nails, there darts forth a dazzling light that fills the oave. The holy Angels had clustered round the stable and adored the Babe of Bethlehem ; they are now around the sepulchre, adoring the oonqueror of death. They take the shrouds, and reverently folding them up, place them on the slab, whereon the Body had been laid by Joseph and Nioodemus.

But Jesus is not to tarry in the gloomy sepulohre. Quicker than a ray of light through a crystal, He passes through the stone that oloses the entranoe of the cave. Pilate had ordered his seal to be put upon this stone, and a guard of soldiers is there to see that no one touches it. Untouched it is, and unmoved ; and yet Jesus is free ! Thus, as the holy Fathers unanimously teach us, was it at His birth : He appeared to the gaze of Mary, without having offered the slightest violence to her maternal womb. The birth and the resurrection, the commencement and the end of Jesus' mission, these two mysteries bear on them the seal of resemblance : in the first, it is a Virgin Mother ; in the last, it is a sealed tomb giving forth its oaptive God.

And while this Jesus, this Man-God, thus breaks the sceptre of death, the stillness of the night is undisturbed. His and our viotory has cost Him no effort. 0 death ! where is now thy kingdom P Sin had made us thy slaves ; thy victory was complete ; and now, lo ! thou thyself art defeated ! Jesus, whom thou didst exultingly hold under thy law, has set

Himself free ; and we, after thou hast domineered over us for a time, we too shall be free from thy grasp. The tomb thou makest for us, will beoome to us the source of a new life, for He that now conquers thee is ' the First-born among the dead ; ' 1 and to-day is the Pasoh, the Passover, the deliverance, for Jesus and for us, His brethren. He has led the way ; we shall follow ; and the day will oome, when thou, the enemy, that destroyest all things, shalt thyself be destroyed by immortality. 3 Thy defeat dates from this moment of Jesus' resurrection, and, with the great Apostle, we say to thee : * 0 death ! where is thy victory P 0 death ! where is thy sting P' 3

But the sepulchre is not to remain shut : it must be thrown open, and testify to men, that He, whose lifeless Body lay there, is indeed risen from the dead. As when our Jesus expired upon the Gross, so now, immediately after His resurrection, an earthquake shook the foundations of the world ; but, this time, it was for joy. * The Angel of the Lord desoended from heaven, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struok with terror,' and fell on the ground * as dead men.' God has meroy on them ; they return to themselves, and quitting the dread sepulchre, they hasten to the city, and relate what they have seen.

Meanwhile, our risen Jesus, seen by no other mortal eye, has sped to His most holy Mother. He is the Son of God ; He is the vanquisher of death ; but He is, likewise, the Son of Mary. She stood near Him to the last, uniting the sacrifice of her mother's heart with that He made upon the Cross; it is just, therefore, that she should be the first to partake of the joy of His resurrection. The Gospel does not relate the apparition thus made by Jesus to His

1 Apoc, i, 5, 2 1. Cor, xy, 26. 3 Ibid. 56.

EASTER STTNDAY ! MORNING

Mother, whereas all the others are fully described. It is not diffioult to assign the reason. The other apparitions were intended as proofs of the resurrection ; this to Mary was dictated by the tender love borne to her by her Son. Both nature and grace required that His first visit should be to such a Mother, and Christian hearts dwell with delight on the meditation of the mystery. There was no need of its being mentioned in the Gospel ; the tradition of the holy Fathers, beginning with St. Ambrose, bears sufficient testimony to it ; and even had they been silent, our hearts would have told it us. And why was it that our Saviour rose from the tomb so early on the day He had fixed for His resurrection ? It was because His filial love was impatient to satisfy the vehement longings of His dearest and most afflicted Mother. Suoh is the teaohing of many pious and learned writers ; and who that knows aught of Jesus and Mary could refuse to accept it P

But who is there would attempt to desoribe the joy of suoh a meeting ? Those eyes, that had grown dim from wakefulness and tears, now flash with delight at beholding the brightness whioh tells her Jesus is come. He calls her oy her name ; not with the tone of voice which pierced her soul when He addressed her from the Cross, but with an aooent of joy and love, suoh as a son would take when telling a mother that he had triumphed. The Body, which, three days ago, she had seen oovered with Blood and dead, is now radiant with life, beaming with the reflections of divinity. He speaks to her words of tenderest affection, He embraces her, He kisses her. Who, we ask, would dare to desoribe this scene, which the devout Abbot Rupert says so inundated the soul of Mary with joy, that it made her forget all the sorrows she had endured.

Nor must we suppose that the visit was a short one, In one of the revelations granted to the seraphig

Si Teretai our Lord told her, that when He appeared to His blessed Mother immediately after His resurrection. He found her so overwhelmed with grief that she would soon have died; that it was not until several moments had passed, that she was able to realize the immense joy of His presence ; and that He remained a lone time with her, in order to console her. 1

Let us, who love this blessed Mother and have seen her offer up her Son on Calvary for our sake, let us affeotionately rejoioe in the happiness wherewith Jesus now repays her, and let us learn to compassionate her in her dolours. This is the first manifestation of our risen Jesus : it is a just reward for the unwavering faith whioh has dwelt in Mary's soul during these three days, when all but she had lost it. But it is time for Him to show Himself to others, that so the glory of His resurrection may be made known to the world. His first visit was to her who is the dearest to Him of all oreatures, and who well deserved the favour ; now, in His goodness, He is about to oonsole those devoted women, whose grief is, perhaps, too human, but their love is firm, and neither death nor the tomb have shaken it.

Yesterday, when sun-set proclaimed to the Jews the end of the great Sabbath and the commencement of the Sljanday, Magdalene and her companions went into the oity and bought perfumes, wherewith, this morning at break of day, they purpose embalming the Body of their dear Master. They have spent a sleepless night. Before the dawn of day, Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome, are on the road that leads to Calvary, for the sepulchre is there. So intent are they on the one objeot, that it never ocours to them, until it is too late, to provide for the removing of the heavy stone, whioh oloses the

1 Life of St, Teresa, written by herself: in the Additions, See p. 402 fa the translation by David I^ewis, 1870, sepulchre. There is the seal, too, of the Governor, which must be broken before they can enter ; there are the soldiers who are keeping guard : these difficulties are quite overlooked. It is early daybreak when they reach the tomb. The first thing that attracts their attention is, that the stone has been removed, so that one oan see into the sepulohre. The Angel of the Lord, who had reoeived the mission to roll back the stone, is seated on it, as upon a throne; he thus addresses the three holy women, who are speeohless from astonishment aDd fear : ' Be not affrighted ! Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was oruoified : He is risen, He is not here.' Then encouraging them to enter the sepulohre, he adds : * Behold the place where they laid Him ! 91

These words should fill them with joy : but no ; their faith is weak, and, as the Evangelist says, ' a trembling and fear seize them.' 2 The dear Remains they are in searoh of are gone : the Angel tells them so : his saying that Jesus is risen fails to awaken their faith in the resurreotion : they had hoped to find the Body ! While in the sepulohre, two other Angels appear to them, and the plaoe is filled with light. St. Luke tells us that Magdalene and her companions ' bowed down their heads,' for they were overpowered with fear and disappointment. Then the Angels said to them : * Why seek ye the Living with the dead P Remember how He spake unto you, when He was yet in Galilee, saying : " The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again! " ' 8 These words make some impression upon the holy women, and they begin to remember something of what our Lord had said of His resurrection. i Go!' said one of the Angels, 6 tell His disoiples and Peter, that He is going before you into Galilee.' 4

1 ft. Mark, xyi. 6. 2 Ibid. 8. 8 St. Luke, xxiv, 5, 6. 7. ♦ 8t Mark, *vi, 7,

PASCHAL TIMS

The three women leave the sepulohre and return with haste to the oitv ; they are full of fear, and yet there is an irresistible feeling of joy mingled with their fear. They relate what they have seen : they have seen Angels, and the sepulohre open, and Jesus' Body was not there. All three agree in their aooount ; but the Apostles, as the Evangelist tells us, set it down to womanish excitement : ' Their words seem idle tales and they believe them not.' 1 The Eesurreotion, of which their divine Master had so clearly and so often spoken, never onoe crosses their mini It is particularly to Peter and John that Magdalene relates the wonderful things she has seen and heard ; but her own faith is still so weak ! She went with the intention of embalming the Body of Jesus, and she found it not ! She can speak of nothing but her disappointment : * They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulohre, and we know not where they have laid Him ! , f eter and John determine to go themselves to the sepulohre. They enter. They see the * linen oloths lying ' 8 upon the slab whereon the Body of Jesus had been placed ; but the Angels who are now keeping

Juard in the holy cave appear not to them. Saint ohn tells us, that this was the moment he received the faith in the resurrection : he believes. 4 We are now merely giving the history of the events of this greatest of days, in the order in which they occurred : we will afterwards meditate upon them more leisurely, \yhen the holy Liturgy brings them before us.

So far, Jesus has appeared to no one save His blessed Mother ; the holy women have only seen the Angels, who spoke to them. These heavenly spirits bade them go and announce the resurreotion of their Master to the disciples and Peter. They are not told

• St. Luke, aoriv. 11. » St. John, xx. 2 t 8 Ibid. 6 t to bear the message to Mary ; the reason is obvious : Jesus has already appeared to His Mother, and is with her while all these events are happening. The sun is now shedding his beams upon the earth, and the hours of the grand morning are speeding onwards : the Man-God is about to proclaim the triumph He has won for us over death. Let us reverently follow Him in each of these manifestations, and attentively study the lessons they teach us.

As soon as Peter and J ohn have returned, Magdalene hastens once more to the tomb of her dear Master. A soul like hers, ever earnest, and now tormented with anxiety, cannot endure to rest. Where is the Body of Jesus ? Perhaps being insulted by His enemies P Having reached the door of the sepulohre, she bursts into tears. Looking in, she sees two Angels, seated at either end of the slab on which her Jesus had been laid. They speak to her, for she knows not what to say : ' Woman ! why weepest thou ?' — 4 Beoause they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.' Without waiting for the Angels to reply, she turns as though she would leave the sepulchre ; when lo ! she sees a man standing before her, and this Man is Jesus. 1 She does not recognize Him : she is in search of the dead Body of her Lord ; she is absorbed in the resolution of giving it a second burial ! Her love distracts her, for it is a love that is not guided by faith ; her desire to find Him, as she thinks Him to be, blinds her from seeing Him as He really is, — living, and near her.

Jesus, with His wonted condescension, speaks to her : ' Woman ! why weepest thou ? Whom seekest thou?' Magdalene recognizes not this voice; her heart is dulled by an excessive and blind sentiment of grief ; her spirit does not as yet know J esus. Her eyes are fixed upon Him ; but her imagination per-

• St. John ? xx, k

PA80HAL TIH1 snades her that this man is the gardener, who has oare of the ground about the sepulohre. She thinks within herself, * This perhaps, is he that has taken my Jesus ! ' and thereupon she thus speaks to him : 'Sir, if thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. 1 How is our loving Eedeemer to withstand this? If He praised her for the love she showed Him in the pharisee's house, we may be sure He will now reward this affectionate simplicity. A single word, spoken to her with the tone of voioe she so well understood, isenough: — ' Mary ! ' — ' Master ! 9 exolaims the delighted and humble Magdalene. 2 All is now clear : she believes.

She rushes forward : she would kiss those sacred feet, as on the happy day when she received her pardon; but Jesus stays her; this is not the time for suoh a demonstration of her affeotion. Magdalene, the first witness of the resurrection, is to be raised, in reward of her love, to the high honour of publishing the great mystery. It is not fitting that the blessed Mother should reveal the secret favour she has reoeived from her Son : Magdalene is to proclaim what she has seen and heard at the sepulchre, and beoome as the holy Fathers express it, the Apostle of the very Apostles. Jesus says to her : 'Go to my brethren, and say to them : I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' 8 < m

The seoond apparition of Jesus, then, is to Mary Magdalene : it is the first in testimony of His resurreotion, for the one to His blessed Mother was for another object. The Church will bring it before us on the Thursday of this week, and we will then make it the subject of our meditation. At present, let us adore the infinite goodness of our Redeemer, who, before

• St. John, xx. X5 t • Ibid* X6, * IKd. 11, seeking to fix the faith of His resurreotion in them that are to preach it to all nations, deigns to recompense the love of this woman, who followed Him even to the Gross, was faithful to Him after His death, and loved Him most, because most forgiven. By thus showing Himself to Magdalene, Jesus teaches us, that He is more anxious to satisfy the love He bears His faithful oreature than to provide for His own glory.

Magdalene loses no time in doing her Master's bidding. She hastens back to the city, and having oome to the disciples, says to them : 'I have seen the Lord, and these things He said to me.' 1 But as yet, they have not faith; John alone has received that gift, although he has seen nothing more than the empty sepulchre. Let us remember, that, after having fled like the rest of the disciples, he followed Jesus to Calvary, was present at His death, and was made the adopted son of Mary .

Meanwhile, Magdalene's two companions, Salome, and Mary the mother of James, are following her, though slowly and at some distance, to Jerusalem. Jesus meets them, and greets them, saying; 'All hail.' 2 Overcome with joy they fall down and adore Him, and kiss His sacred feet. It is the third apparition; and they that are favoured with it, axe permitted to do what was denied to the more favoured and fervent Magdalene. Before the day is over, Jesus will show Himself to them whom He has chosen as the heralds of His glory ; but He first wishes to honour those generous women, who, braving every danger, and triumphing over the weakness of their sex, were more faithful to Him, in His Passion, than the men He had so highly honoured as to make them His Apostles. When He was born in the stable at Bethlehem, the first he called to worship Him in His crib, were some poor shepherds; He sent his Angels

1 gt, John, xx. 18, 8 13t. Matth, xxviii. 9 t

?A8CHAL TIME to invite them to go to Him, before He sent the star to call the magi. So now, — when He has reached the summit of His glory, put the finish to all His works by His resurrection, and confirmed our faith in His divinity by the most indisputable miracle, — He does not begin by instructing and enlightening His Apostles, but by instructing, consoling, and most affeotionately honouring, these humble but courageous women. How admirable are the dispensations of our God ! How sweet, and yet, how strong ! 1 Well does He say to us by His prophet : i My thoughts are not your thoughts ! ' 2

Let us suppose, for a moment, that we had been permitted to arrange the order of these two mysteries. We should have summoned the whole world, kings and people, to go and pay homage at the crib. We should have trumpeted to all nations the miraole of miracles, the resurrection of the Crucified, the victory over death, the restoration of mankind to immortality ! But He who is 'the power and wisdom of God,' 3 Christ Jesus our Lord, has followed a very different plan. When born in Bethlehem He would have for His first worshippers a few simpleminded shepherds, whose power to herald the great event was oonfined to their own village: and yet the birthday of this little Child is now the era of every civilized nation. For the first witnesses of His resurrection, He chose three weak women; and yet, the whole earth is now, at this very moment, celebrating the anniversary of this resurrection. There is in it a mysterious feeling of joy unlike that of any other day throughout the year : no one can resist it, not even the coldest heart. The infidel who scoffs at the believer, knows at least that this is Easter Sunday. Yea, in the very countries where paganism and idolatry are still rife, there are Chris- l .Wisd, viii. h

3 1, Cor. i 24, baster Sunday: matins tians whose voices unite with ours in singing the glorious Alleluia to our risen Jesus. Let us, then, cry out as Moses did, when the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, and were keeping their first Pasoh: ' Who, 0 Lord, is like unto Thee, among the strong ? 9 1 We will resume our history of the resurrection, when we oome to the hour of each apparition. It is now time for us to unite with the Church in her Office of Matins. She has spent the greatest part of the night in administering that holy Sacrament of regeneration, whioh gives her a new people ; and now she is about to offer to God the wonted tribute of her praise.

THE OFFICE OF MATINS The Night-Offioe of every Sunday throughout the year consists of three portions, called Noeturns. Eaoh Nocturn is composed of three Psalms with their Antiphons, followed by three Lessons and Responsories. These Noeturns are preoeded by a Psalm, which is called the Invitatory, and end with the Ambrosian Hymn, the Te Deum ; they begin after midnight, and are over by the aurora, when the still more solemn Offioe of Lauds is chanted. But this night has been almost wholly spent in the administration of Baptism, and, when the holy Sacrifice is finished, it is close upon the hour of sun-rise. It is necessary, therefore, to shorten the usual Night-Office, in order that the Cantioles, wherewith the Church welcomes the return of light, — the work and type of her divine Spouse, — may be sung at the very time when the sun is shedding his first rays upon the earth. This is the reason of there being only one Nocturn for the Night-Office 1 of Easter Sunday.

*Exod. xv. 11.

1 The modern appellation of Matins has been given to this portion of the Divine Office because it is now celebrated in the morning.

PASCHAL Tmri

After the seoret recitation of the Pater, Ave, and Credo, the Church thus begins her Matins : f. 0 Lord I thou wilt open my lips. fy. And my mouth shall declare thy praise. f. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.

Jty. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, 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. Alleluia. f. Domine, labia mea aperies. * fy. Et OS meum annuntiabit laudem tuam. f. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. fy. Domine, ad adjuvandum me f estina.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto;

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in ssbcula ssBculorum. Amen. Alleluia.

Then follows, with the glad ohorus announcing the resurrection, the Invitatory Psalm, whereby the Church invites her ohildren to oome and adore the Lord their God. To-day, it is the Angels who tell the mystery to Magdalene and her companions : let us listen to the glorious tidings, for they are addressed to us also.

Surrexit Alleluia.

INVITATORY Dominus vere,

The Lord hath truly risen, Alleluia.

PSALM 94

Venite, exsultemus Domino, jubilemus Deo Salutari nostro, praeoccupemus faciem ejus in conf essione, et in psahnis jubilemus ei.

Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia.

Come, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us joyfully sing to God our Saviour; let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.

The Lord hath truly risen, Alleluia.

Quoniam Deus magnus Dominus, et Rex magnus super omnes deos: quoniam non repellet Dominus plebem suam, quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines terrae, et altitudines montium ipse conspicit.

Alleluia.

Quoniam ipsius est mare et ipse fecit illud, et aridam fundaverunt manus ejus. Venite, adoremus, et procidamus ante Deum: ploremus coram Domino qui fecit nos, quia ipse est Dominus Deus noster: nos autem populus ejus, et oves pascuae ejus.

Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia.

Hodie si vocem ejus audieritis, nolite obdurare eorda vestra, sicut in exacerbatione, secundum diem tentationis in deserto: ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri, probaverunt, et viderunt opera mea.

Alleluia.

Quadraginta annis proximus fui generationi huic, et dixi: Semper hi errant corde: ipsi vero non cognoverunt vias meas, quibus juravi in ira mea, si introibunt in requiem meam.

Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto;

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in saa-

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods; for in his hand are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his.

Alleluia.

For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us adore and fall down before God: let us weep before the Lord that made us, for he is the Lord our God: and we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

The Lord hath truly risen, Alleluia.

To-day, if ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, me the Lord; they proved me, and saw my works.

Alleluia.

Forty years was I nigh unto this generation, and I said: These always err in heart: and these men have not known my ways; so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.

The Lord hath truly risen, Alleluia.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall, be,

—Digitized by

PA8CHAL TIMH cula 88Bculorum. Amen. world without end. Amen.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

Surrexit Dominus vere, The Lord hath truly risen,

Alleluia. Alleluia.

The Invitatory is always followed by a Hymn; but out of a motive of respeot for this great Solemnity, the Church would observe the ancient form of her Offices, in whioh there were no Hymns, for they were not introduced till a comparatively later period. She observes this same exclusion of Hymns during the whole week. After the Invitatory, then, immediately follow the three Psalms.

The first speaks of the virtues and happiness of the just man, and, as the holy Fathers have interpreted it, refers to Christ, who is the New Man that came down from heaven ; He was the faithful observer of the divine law, which the first Adam transgressed ; the eternal Father glorified Him on this day of His resurrection.

Ant. Ego sum qui sum, Ant. I et consilium meum non est cum impiis: sed in lege mini voluntas mea est alle- am who am, and my counsel is not with the un- Do- godly: but my will is in the law of the Lord, alleluia, luia.

PSALM 1

Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit: et in cathedra pestilential non sedit.

Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

Sed in lege Domini vo- But his will is in the law of luntas ejus: et in lege ejus the Lord, and on his law he meditabitur die ac nocte. shall meditate day and night.

Et erit tanquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum: quod fructum suum dabit in ternpore suo.

And he shall be like a tree, which is planted near the running waters; which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season,

Et folium ejus non de- And his leaf shall not fall fluet: et omnia qusecumque faciet, prosperabuntur.

Non sic impii, non sic: sed tanquam pulvis, quern projicit ventus a facie terras.

Ideo non resurgent impii in judicio: neque peccatores in concilio justorum.

Quoniam novit Dominus viam justorum: et iter impiorum peribit.

Ant. Ego sum qui sum et consilium meum non est cum impiis: sed in lege Domini voluntas mea est, alleluia. off; and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.

Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.

Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

Ant. I am who am, and my counsel is not with the ungodly: but my will is in the law of the Lord, alleluia.

The second Psalm tells us how the Synagogue formed a plot against Christ. The Jews put to death the Messias who came to save them ; but they oould not prevent His Resurrection. He is the Son of Man, but He is also the Son of God : He begins His reign over the whole human race this very day. Wo to Israel that knew not the day of his visitation !

Ant. I have asked of my Father, alleluia: he hath given me the gentiles, alleluia, for an inheritance, alleluia.

Ant. Postulavi Patrem meum, alleluia: dedit mini gentes, alleluia, in hrereditatem, alleluia.

PSALM 2

Quare fremuerunt gentes: et populi meditati sunt inania?

Adstiterunt reges terrae, et principes convenerunt in unum: adversus Dominum, et adversus Christum ejus.

Dirumpamus vincula eo-

Why have the G-entiles raged, and the people devised vain things?

The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

They said: Let us break

K rum: et fnrojiciamus a nobis jugum ipsorum. • Qui: habitat in coelis, irridebit eos: et Dominus subsannabit eos.

Tunc loquetur ad eos in ira sua: et in furore suo conturbabit eos.

Ego autem constitutus sum Rex ab eo super Sion imontem sanctum ejus: praedicans preceptum ejus.

Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te.

Fostula a me, et dabo tibi gentes hroreditatem tuam: et possessionem tuam terminos terra.

Beges eos in virga ferrea: et tanquam vas figuli confringes eos.

Et nunc, reges, intelligite: eradimini qui judicata terram.

Senate Domino in timore: et exultate ei cum tremore.

Apprehenditedisciplinam, nequando irascatur Dominus: et pereatis de via justa.

Cum exarserit in brevi ira ejus: beati omnes qui confidunt in eo.

Ant. Postulavi Patrem meum, alleluia: dedit mini gentes, alleluia, in hsereditatem, alleluia. their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.

He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.

Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.

But I am appointed King by him over Sion, his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.

The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I will give thee the gentiles for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

And now, O ye kings understand: receive instruction, ye that judge the earth.

Serve ye the Lord with f ear : and rejoice unto him with trembling.

Embrace discipline lest at any time the Lord be angry, and ye perish from the just way.

When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.

Ant. I have asked of my Father, alleluia: he hath given me the gentiles, alleluia, for an inheritance, alleluia.

B ASTER SUNDAY: MATINS

The third Psalm is a prophecy of the Resurrection of Christ. His enemies would have that He was abandoned by God. He tlept in the tomb ; but God protected Him, and He arose, the oonqueror of His adversaria.

Ant. I have slept) and taken my sleep: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me. Alleluia, alleluia.

Ant. Ego dormivi, et somnum cepi: et exsurrexi, quoniam Dominus suscepit me. Alleluia, alleluia.

PSALM

Domine quid multiplicati sunt qui tribulant me? multi insurgunt adversum me.

Multi dicunt animse mesa: Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.

Tu autem, Domine susceptor mens es: gloria mea, et exaltans caput meum.

Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi: et exaudivit me de monte sancto suo.

Ego dormivi, et soporatus sum: et exsurrexi, quia Dominus suscepit me.

Non timebo millia populi circumdantis me: exsurge Domine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.

Quoniam tu percussisti omnes adversantes mihi sine causa: dentes peccatorum contrivisti.

Domini est salus: et super populum tuum benedictio tua.

Ant. Ego dormivi, et somnum cepi: et exsurrexi, quoniam Dominus suscepit me. Alleluia, alleluia.

Why, 0 Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? Many are they who rise up against me.

Many say to my soul : There is no salvation for him in his Grod.

But thou, 0 Lord, art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.

I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.

I have slept, and have taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.

I will not fear thousands of the people surrounding me: arise, 0 Lord, save me, O my God.

For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.

Ant. I have slept, and taken my sleep: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me. Alleluia, alleluia* f. Surrexit Dominus de f. The Lord hath risen from sepulchro, alleluia. the tomb, alleluia, fy; Qui pro nobis pependit ty. Who, for our sake, was in ligno, alleluia. nailed to the Cross, alleluia.

The Priest begins the first two words of the Lord's prayer:

Pater noster. Our Father.

The rest is said in silence, as far as the last two petitions ; when the priest says aloud : f. Et ne nos inducas in f. And lead us not into tentationem. temptation.

The choir answers: 1(7. Sed libera nos a malo. fy. But deliver us from evil.

Exaudi, Domine Jesu Christe, preces servorum tuorum, et miserere nobis, qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas in ssecula ssBcnlorum.

Then the priest : Graciously hear, O Lord Jesus Christ, the prayers of thy servants, and have mercy upon us: who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest for ever and ever.

The choir answers: Amen. Amen. Then one of the choir turns towards the priest, and, bowing down, says:

Jube, Domne, benedicere. Pray, Father, give thy blessing.

Benedictio. Evangelica lectio sit nobis salus et prosalvatectio. ti° n

The priest gives his blessing in these words : Blessing. May the reading of the Gospel bring us an( * protection.

1$?. Amen. Amen.

He who asked the blessing, then reads the first few words of the Gospel for the Mass of Easter Sunday : after this, he opens the homilies of St. Gregory the Great from which he takes a few passages as a commentary upon the sacred text.

Lectio sancti Evangelii secundum Marcum. Cap. XVI. In illo tempore: Maria Magdalene, et Maria Jacobi, et Salome, emerunt aromata: ut venientes ungerent Jesum. Et reliqua.

Lesson from the holy Gospel according to Mark. Ch. XVI. At that time, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And the rest.

LESSON I

Homilia sancti Gregorii Papae.

Audistis, fratres charissimi, quod sanctae mulieres, quaB Dominum fuerant secut», cum aromatibus ad monumentum venerunt, et ei quern viventem dilexerant, etiam mortuo studio humanitatis obsequuntur. Sed res gesta, aliquid in sancta Ecclesia signat gerendum. Sic quippe necesse est audiamus quae facta sunt, quatenus cogitemus etiam quae nobis sunt ex eorum imitatione facienda. Et nos ergo in eum, qui est mortuus, credentes, si odore virtutum referti, cum opinione bonorum pperum Dominum quaBrimus, ad monumentum profecto illius cum aromatibus venimus. IUae autem mulieres Angelos vident, quae cum aromatibus venerunt: quia videlicet illae mentes supernos cives aspiciunt, quae cum virtutum odoribus ad Dominum per sancta desideria proficiscvm-

Homily of St. Gregory, Pope.

You have heard, dearly beloved brethren, how the holy women, who had followed the Lord, came, with sweet spices, to the sepulchre, and how, having loved Him while He lived, they would honour Him, now that He is dead, with proofs of their affection. But this that they did, teaches what we, the members of the Church, should do: for we should so hearken to what was done, as that we may learn what we must do in order to imitate them. Now, we who believe in Him who was dead, if laden with the fragrance of virtue, and with the reputation of good works, we seek the Lord, we may truly be said to come to the sepulchre with sweet spices. Moreover, the women, who came with sweet spices, saw Angels; for those souls do come to the vision of the heavenly citizens, who, fragrant in virtue, tend to tneir I*ord by holy desirea, m

PASCHAL TIMS fy. Angelas Domini de- Bcendit de c»lo, et accedens revolvit lapidem, et super eum sedit, et dixit mulieribus: Nolite timere: scio enim quia crucifixum quaeritia, jam surrexit: venite et videte locum, ubi positus erat Dominus, alleluia. f. Et introeuntes in monumentum, viderunt juvenem sedentem in dextris, coopertum stola Candida, et obstupuerunt; qui dixit illis:

Nolite timere, &o. Gloria Patri, Ac. Repeat: Angelus Domini.

Benedictio. Divinum auxilium maneat semper nobiscum. Ip. Amen.

I(jf. The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it, and said to the women: Fear not: for I know that ye seek the Crucified: he is risen: come and see the place where the Lord was laid, alleluia. f. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe; and they were astonished: who saith to them:

Fear not Ac.

Glory be to the Father, Ac, Repeat: The Angel of the Lord.

Blessing. May the divine assistance remain always with us. fy. Amen.

LESSON II

Notandum vero nobis est, quidnam sit, quod in dextris seder© Angelus cernitur. Quid namque per sinistram nisi vita prosens: quid vero per dexteram, nisi perpetua vita designate? Undo in Canticis canticorum scriptum est: L»va ejus sub capite meo, et dextera illius amplexabitur me. Quia ergo Bedemptor noster jam prsesentis vit» corruptionem transierat, recte Angelus qui nuntiare perennem ejus vitam venerat, in dextera sedebat. Qui stola Candida coopertus apparuit: quia f estivitatja nostras gau-

Let us also take notice, how the Angel is seen to be seated on the right hand. What means this? This present life is signified by the left hand; eternal life by the right. Hence we have in the Canticle of canticles: His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me. Because, therefore, our Redeemer had passed from this present corruptible life, it was fitting that the Angel, who came to announce His immortal life, should sit on the right side. The Angel was clad in a white robe, because he came to herald the joy of our feas^ The

EASTER SUNDAY Z MATINS

:dia nuntiavit. Candor etenim vestis, splendorem nostra denuntiat solemnitatis. Nostrae, dicamus an suae? .Sed ut fateamnr verius, et suae dicamus, et nostra. IUa quippe Redemptoris nostri resurrectio et nostra festivitas fuit, quia nos ad immortalitatem reduxit: et Angelorum festivitas exstitit, quia nos revocando ad coelestia, eorum numerum implevit.

Cum transisset Sabbatum, Maria Magdalene, et Maria Jacobi, et Salome, emerunt aromata: Ut veni- , entes ungerent Jesum, alleluia, alleluia. f. Et valde mane una sabbatorum veniunt ad monumentum, orto jam sole.

Ut venientes.

Gloria Patri.

Ut venientes.

Benedictio, Ad societatatem civium supernorum perducat nos Bex Angelorum. Ipf. Amen. beauty of his' robe tells us of the splendour of our solemnity. Ought I not to say his rather than our if To speak correctly, the solemnity is both his and ours; for our Redeemer's Resurrection was our feast, because it restored us to immortality; and it was theifeast of the Angels, because, by recalling us to heaven, it filled up their number.

When the Sabbath , was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices^ That coming, they might anoint Jesus, alleluia, alleluia.

¥ . And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen.

. That coming.

Glory be to the Father.

. That coming.

Blessing. May the King of Angels lead us to the society of heavenly citizens, ty. Amen.

LESSON III

In sua ergo ac nostra f estivitate Angelus in albis vestibus apparuit: quia dum nos per resurrectionem Dominicam ad superna reducimur, coelestis patriae damna reparantur. Sed quid ad venientes f eminas affatur, audiamus. Nolite expavescere, Ac si ayerte dicat;

On this, then, both his and our feast, the Angel appeared clad in white robes, because, when we were restored to heaven by Jesus' resurrection, the celestial country recovered its losses. But let us listen to the words he addresses to the women on their coming to the sepulchre; Fear not) says he,

Paveant illi, qui non amant adventnm supernorum civium: pertimescant, qui carnalibus desideriis pressi, ad eorum se societatem pertingere posse desperant. Yos autem cur pertimescitis que vestroB concives videtis? Undo Mattheus Angelum apparuiase desoribens, ait: Erat aapectua ejua siout fulgur, et vestimenta ejus siout nix. In fulgore etenim terror timoris est, in nive autem blandimentum cando- ns.

It was as though he said: ( Let them fear that love not the visit of heaven's citizens: let them fear who, being weighed down by carnal desires, despair of ever being able to reach heaven. But why should you fear, who behold here your fellow-citizens?' Hence, Saint Matthew, describing the Angel's apparition, says: His countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. The lightning expresses something that causes fear; the snow denotes the affability of a sincere friend.

HYMN OF THANKSGIVING

Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.

Te sternum Pat rem: omnia terra veneratur.

Tibi omnes Angeli: tibi coeli, et universe potestates.

Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim: incessabili voce proclamant.

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaothl

Pleni sunt coeli et terra majestatis glorie tue.

Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus.

Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus.

Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.

Te per orbem terrarum sancta oonfitetur Ecclesia,

We praise thee, 0 God! we acknowledge thee to be our Lord.

Thee, the Father everlasting, all the earth doth worship.

To thee the Angels, to thee the heavens, and all the Powers:

To thee the Cherubim and Seraphim, cry out without ceasing:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth!

Full are the heavens and the earth of the majesty of thy glory.

Thee the glorious choir of the Apostles.

Thee the laudable company of the Prophets.

Thee the white-robed army of Martyrs doth praise.

Thee the holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge,

Patrem immensae majestatis,

Yenerandum tuum venim, et unicum Filium,

Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.

Tu Bex gloriae, Chrisfce.

Tu Patris sempitemus es Filius.

Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum.

Tu devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna ccelorum.

Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes: in gloria Patris.

Judex crederis esse Venturis.

The Father of incomprehensible majesty.

Thy adorable, true, and only Son,

And the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.

Thou, 0 Christ, art the King of glory.

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

Thou being to take upon thee to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.

Thou, having overcome the sting of death, hast opened to believers the kingdom of heaven.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.

Thee we believe to be the Judge to come:

All kneel at the following verse :

Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni, quos pretioso sanguine redemisti. iEterna fac cum Sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.

Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine: et benedic haereditati tuee.

Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.

Per singulos dies benedicimus te.

Et laudamus nomen tuum in sfleculum: et in sseculum seeculi.

Dignare, Domine, die isto, sine peccatp nos custodire,

We beseech thee, therefore, to help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious Blood.

Make them to be numbered with thy Saints in eternal glory.

0 Lord save thy people, and bless thine inheritance.

And govern them, and exalt them for ever.

Every day, we magnify thee.

And we praise thy name for ever and ever.

Youchsaf e, 0 Lord, to keep us this day without sin,

Miserere nostri, Domine: Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, miserere nostri. have mercy on us.

Fiat misericordia tua Do- Let thy mercy, O Lord, be mine super nos, quemadmo- upon us, as we have put our dum speravimus in te. trust in thee.

In te, Domine, speravi: In thee, 0 Lord, have I put non confundar in aeternum. my trust: let me not be confounded for ever.

In most of the churches in the west, during the middle-ages, as soon as the third Lesson was read, and before the Te Deum, the olergy went in procession, singing a Besponsory, to the chapel where the blessed Sacrament had been kept since Maundy Thursday, whioh was called the Chapel of the Sepulchre. Three clerics were vested in albs, and represented Magdalene and her two companions. When the procession reached the chapel, two deacons, in white dalmatics, who were standing at either end of the tomb, thus addressed the three clerics :

Quern quaeritis in sepul- Whom seek you in the chro, o christicolae? sepulchre, friends of Christ?

The clerics answered:

Jesum Nazarenum, o cce- Jesus of Nazareth, 0 ye licolee! citizens of heaven!

Then the deacons:

Non est hie; surrexit sic- He is not here; he hath ut praedixerat: ite, nunciate risen as he foretold: go, say quia surrexit. that he is risen.

The three clerics here went to the altar, and, raising up the cloths whioh covered it, they reverently kissed the stone. Then turning towards the bishop and the clergy, they sang these words:

Alleluia! Resurrexit Do- Alleluia! This day, the Lord minus hodie: resurrexit hath risen: the strong Lion,

Leo f ortis, Christus Filius Christ the Son of Grod, hath

Dei, risen,

EASTBK STJNDAT : MATINS

Two cantors stepped forward towards the altar steps, on which the clerics were standing, and addressed them in these words of the Sequence:

Die nobis, Maria, Tell us, 0 Mary, what sawest

Quid vidistis in via? thou on the way?

The first cleric, who represented Magdalene, answered:

Sepulchrum Christi vi- I saw the sepulchre of the ventis, living Christ: I saw the glory

Et gloriam vidi resurgentis. of him that had risen.

The second cleric, who represented Mary, the mother of James, added:

Angelicos testes, I saw the Angels that were

Sudarium et vestes. the witnesses: I saw the wind- ing-sheet and the cloths.

The third oleric, who represented Salome, completed the reply, thus: •

Surrexit Christus spes Christ my hope, hath risen!

mea. He shall igo before you into

PrecedetvosinGalilsBam. Galilee.

The two oantors answered with this protest of faith:

Credendum est magis soli It behoves us to believe the

Marias veraci, single testimony of the truth-

Quam Judaeorum ful Mary, rather than the

Pravae cohorti. whole host of wicked Jews.

Then the whole of the clergy joined in this acclamation:

Scimus Christum sur- We know that Christ hath rexisse truly risen from the dead. Do

A mortuis vere: thou, 0 conqueror and King!

Tu nobis, victor Rex, have mercy upon us. miserere.

The two deacons then opened the tabernacle. Taking the pyx, in w&oh was the blqssed Sacrament, f

-oogle they laid it upon a portable throne, or brancard, and the procession returned to the high altar. Glouds of incense perfumed the way, and the following beautiful Responsory was enthusiastically sung. The first part is oomposed of words from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans ; the Versicle is taken from the Greek Liturgy. The music is worthy of the words. ty. Christus resurgens ex ty. Christ rising again from mortuis, jam non moritur: the dead, dieth now no more; mors illi ultra non dominabi- death shall no more have do- tnr; quod enim mortuus minion over him; for in that est peccato, mortuus est he died, he died once: But semel: Quod autem vivit, in that he liveth, he liveth vivit Deo, alleluia, alleluia. unto God, alleluia, alleluia.

Dicant nunc Judaei, f. Let the Jews now tell quomodo milites custodi- us, how the soldiers, who entes sepulchrum perdide- guarded the sepulchre, lost runt Regem, ad lapidis posi- the King, though they had tionem; quare non serva- placed a rock over him. Why bant Petram justitiae? ^.ut kept they not the Bock of sepultum reddant, aut re- justice? Either let them restore surgentem adorent nobis- the buried One, or adore with cum dicentes: us the risen One, saying: But

Quod autem vivit, vivit in that he liveth, he liveth

Deo, alleluia, alleluia. unto God, alleluia, alleluia.

The procession having reaohed the sanctuary, the deacons placed the blessed Sacrament upon the altar. The bishop, after offering the homage of incense, entoned the Te Deum, in thanksgiviug for the Resurrection of our Redeemer.

This touohing ceremony which probably originated what were called The Mysteries, was not one of the traditions of the Roman Liturgy; still, it was an expression of the lively and simple faith of the middle ages. It gradually fell into disuse during the 16th and 17th centuries, when men became absorbed in material things, and lost that appreciation of the supernatural which their forefathers loved to encourage by every possible means. The ceremony we have just described, varied in the manner of its being carried out ; but we have given its chief traits, such as we find them mentioned in the ancient Ordinaries of our cathedrals.

The Churohes of Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland keep up, even to this day, the custom borrowed from the Orientals, of spending the night preoeding Easter Sunday in prayer. At break of day, the hour of the Eesurrection, the blessed Sacrament is taken from the sepulchre, and a solemn Benediction is given. Up to quite a recent period, in certain towns of. Spain, two processions started from the principal churoh: in one, was borne a statue of the blessed Virgin, which was covered with a veil ; in the other, the blessed Sacrament was carried under a canopy. The two separated, and marched in silence through the streets, until the sun appeared on the horizon when they met at an appointed place. The veil that covered the statue of the holy Mother of God was then removed, and the whole people sang the Anthem, Regina cceli, Icetare! thus commemorating the joy experienced by Mary when she was visited by Jesus after His Resurrection, that same Jesus who was there really present in the adorable Sacrament. The two processions then returned together to the church.

Another demonstration of Paschal joy consisted in the kiss of peace given by the faithful in the church at the announcement of the Resurrection hour. This custom, which was taken from the Oriental Churches, was kept up in the west until the 16th century. In some places, it was at the beginning of Matins that this kiss of peace was given, and with these words: Surrexit Christus ! — Christ is risen ! In others again, it was given after the ceremony we have been describing. In the Greek Liturgy, the following stanzas were sung during the time :

Pascha jucundissimum, Pascha Domini, Pascha, Pascha sacratissimum, illuxit nobis. Pascha! in gaudio nos invicem amplexemur. 0 Pascha, tristitire pretium! etenim ex sepulchro, tanquam ex thalamo, Christus hodie resplendens, mulieres laeta dulcedine replevit, dicens: Predicate Apostolis.

Dies est Resurrect ionis: splendescamus, diem festum agentes, et amplexemur nos invicem, fratres nuncupemus etiam odientes nos; omnia dimittamus propter Resurrectionem, et ita clamemus: Surrexit Christus a mortuis, mortem morte conterens, et jacentibus in monumentis vitam suppeditans.

The most joyous Pasch, the Pasch of the Lord, the Pasch, the most holy Pasch, has shone upon us! let us embrace each other with joy. 0 Pasch! thou recompense of our sorrow! for from his sepulchre, as from a bride-chamber, Christ hath this day risen resplendent, and hath filled the women with glad consolation, saying to them: Tell it to my Apostles!

It is the Resurrection day: let us be radiant with joy 4 as we keep the feast, and let us embrace one another, and call even them that hate us, brethren. Let us forgive all offences for the Resurrection's sake, and thus let us sing: Christ hath risen from the dead; he hath conquered death by death, and hath given life to them that lay in their graves.

We are all brethren: Jesus' resurrection has made us doubly so, for, as the Apostle says, He is 'the First-born from the dead' 1 He made us brethren by assuming our nature in His Inoarnation ; He renewed and made closer the fraternity by rising from the tomb, and opening to each of us the path to immortality. He is our elder Brother in that new life which dieth now no more. Whilst celebrating His victory, let us *ll be united together in mutual charity: it is His wish, it is the Pasch, it is the banquet-day of fraternal love !