May 8 — The Apparition of Saint Michael

David foretold that the Emmanuel's coming into this world would be greeted by the Angels, and that they would humbly adore him on his first appearing among us. We saw tfris prophecy fulfilled on the Night ever blessed, when Mary brought forth the Fruit of her womb. The Angelic choirs sang one of their heavenly hymns, which led the Shepherds to the Stable ; we blended our songs with theirs, in homage to our infant God. The Resurrection of our Emmanuel was sure to be honoured by the presence of these blessed Spirits, who had witnessed, with amazement and trembling, the humiliations and cruelties of his Passion. The moment he passed through the barrier that imprisoned him in his Sepulchre, an Angel, with a face beaming as the sun, and garments white as snow, came and rolled back the Stone., and proclaimed to the holy Women, that He whom they were seeking had risen. When they entered the cave of the Sepulchre, two other Angels, clad in white robes, appeared to them, and repeated the tidings of Jesus' triumph.

Let us reverently honour these princely heralds of our deliverence, and consider how respectfully they cluster round Jesus their King and God, during the

THE ARCHANGEL.

1 Ps. xcvi. 8. Heb. i. 6. forty days after his Resurrection. They adore this glorified Humanity, which they are soon to see raised up to the highest heavens, and throned at the Father's right hand They rejoice with us in the happiness brought to us by this Paschal Feast, which restores immortality to us in the person of our Risen Saviour ; and thus, as St. Gregory told us a few days back, "it " is the Feast of the Angels, because, by its recalling " us to heaven, it fills up their number."1 It was but right, therefore, that Paschal Time should devote one of its days to honouring the Angelic Spirits. Eight days previous to the Annunciation, we kept the feast of St. Gabriel, our Lady's honoured messenger; to-day, it is St. Michael, the Archangel and Prince of the heavenly host, that is to receive our love and praise. He himself selected this day, by appearing on it, and leaving us a pledge of his presence and protection.

The very name of Michael urges us to honour this glorious Spirit ; it is a cry of enthusiasm and fidelity, for it signifies : " Who is like unto God ? " Satan trembles at hearing this name, for it reminds him of the noble protest wherewith the bright Archangel answered the call of the rebel angels. Michael proved his strength and prowess when he fought the great battle in heaven. On that account, he was made the Guardian and Protector of God's people ; — of the Jews first, and afterwards, of the Christian Church, for the Synagogue forfeited all her honours. Michael now watches over Jesus' Spouse, our mother ; he supports her in her trials, and she wins no triumph in which he has not had some hand.

But, we are not to suppose, that the holy Archangel is so engaged in looking after the general interests of Christ's kingdom on earth, that he cannot attend to the prayers of each individual member of lFa8chal Time, vol. i. page 135. the Church. God has given him a compassionate love for men ; and there is not a single soul that escapes his notice. He wields the sword in defence of the Spouse of Christ ; he wars with the dragon, who is ever lying in wait for the Woman and her Child ; 1 — but, at the same time, he is attentive to each one of us ; for, after having confessed our sins to Almighty God, and to the Blessed Mary ever a Virgin, we acknowledge them likewise to Blessed Michael the Archangel, and beseech him to pray for us to the Lord our God.

He assists at every death- bed, for his special office h to receive the souls of the elect, on their quitting the flesh. He, with loving solicitude and princely bearing, presents them to the Light Eternal, and introduces them into the House of God's glory. It is holy Church herself that tells us, in the words of her Liturgy, of these prerogatives of the great Archangel. She teaches us, that he has been set over Paradise, and that God has given him the charge of leading to heaven the souls of them that are to be received there. On the Last Day, when our Risen Jesus is to appear on the clouds of heaven to judge mankind, Michael will have to fulfil a ministry of awful import;— he, with the rest of the Angels, will have to separate the good from the bad, all of whom will then have resumed their bodies in the general resurrection. Our Catholic Forefathers, in the Middle Ages, were fond of representing the holy Archangel engaged in this dread function. They put him standing at the foot of Jesus' judgment-seat, and holding a scale, in which he is weighing the souls of men and their works.

Devotion to St. Michael was sure to spread through the Church, especially after the worship of idols had been banished from the various countries, and men

1 Apoc. xii. 13. were no longer tempted to give divine honour to creatures. Constantine built in honour of the great Archangel a celebrated Church called Michaelidn; and at the time of Constantinople's falling under the power of the Turks, there were no less than fifteen Churches that bore the name of Saint Michael, either in the City or the suburbs. In other parts of Christendom, this devotion took root only by degrees; and it was by the holy Archangels appearing to men, that the Faithful were prompted to have recourse to him. These apparitions were local, and for reasons which to us might seem of secondary importance: but God, who, from little causes, produces great effects, made use of them whereby to excite Christians to have confidence in their heavenly protector. The Greeks celebrate the apparition that took place at Chone, the ancient Colossa, in Phrygia. There was, in that city, a Church dedicated to St. Michael, and it was frequently visited by a holy man, named Archippus, who was violently persecuted by the pagans. One day, when Archippus was at his devotions in his favourite St. Michael's, his enemies resolved to destroy both him and the Church. Hard by, ran a brook which flowed into the river Lycus ; this they turned off, and flooded the ground on which stood the Church. Suddenly, there appeared the Archangel St. Michael, holding a rod in his hand : the water immediately receded, and flowed into a deep gulf, near Colossa, where the Lycus empties itself and disappears. The date of this apparition is not certain, beyond its having occurred at the period when the pagans were numerous enough in Colossa to harass the Christians.

Another apparition, which encouraged devotion to St. Michael in Italy, took place on Mount Gargano, in Apulia ; it is the one honoured by to-day's feast. A third happened on Mount Tomba, on the coast of Normandy: we will commemorate it on the 16th October

The feast we are keeping to-day is not so solemn as the one of September 29th ; it is, however, more exclusively in honour of St. Michael, inasmuch as the Autumn Feast includes all the choirs of the Angelic hierarchy. The Roman Breviary gives us the following account of the apparition on Mount Gargano.

That the Blessed Archangel Michael has often appeared to men, is attested both by the authority of sacred Scripture, and by the ancient tradition of the Saints. Hence, the memory of these apparitions is commemorated in divers places. As, heretofore, Michael was honoured by the Synagogue of the Jews as Guardian and Patron, so is he now by the Church of God. A celebrated apparition of the Archangel took place under the pontificate of Gelasius 1st, in Apulia, on the top of Mount Gargano, at whose foot lies the town of Siponto.

A bull, belonging to a man who lived on the mountain, having strayed from the herd, was, after much searching, found hemmed fast in the mouth of a cave. One of its pursuers shot an arrow, with a view to rouse the animal by a wound ; but the arrow rebounding, struck him that had sent it. This circumstance excited so much fear in the by-standers and in them that heard of it, that no one dared to go near the cave. The inhabitants of Siponto, therefore, consulted the Bishop ; who answered, that in order

PASCH: TIME. II.

Beatum Michaelem archangelum ssepius hominibus apparuisse, et sacrorum Librorum auctoritate, et veteri sanctorum traditione comprobatur. Quamobrem multis in locis facti memoria celebratur, Eum ut olim synagoga Judaeorum, sic nunc Custodem et Patronum Dei veneratur Ecclesia. Gelasio autem Primo Pontifice maximo, in Apulia in vertice Gargani montis, ad cujus radices incolunt Sipontini, arehangeli Michaelis fuit illustris apparitio.

Factum est enim, ut ex gregibus armentorum Gargani cujusdam taurus longe discederet : quern diu conquisitum in aditu spelunca hasrentem invenerunt. Cum vero quidam ex illis ut taurum configeret sagittam emisisset, retorta sagitta in ipsum recidit sagittarium. Quaeres cum prsesentes, ac deinceps cseteros tanto timore affecisset, ut ad earn speluncam propius accedere nemo auderet ; Sipontini Episcopum consulunt: aui indicto trium dierum jejunio et oratione, rem a 2 L to know God's will, they must spend three days in fasting and prayer.

At the end of the three days, the Archangel Michael intimated to the Bishop, that the place was nnder his protection, and that what had occurred was an indication of his will that God should be worshipped there, in honour of himself and the Angels. Whereupon, the Bishop repaired to tha cave, together with his people. They found it like a Church in shape, and began to use it for the celebration of the divine service. Many miracles were afterwards wrought there. Not long after, Pope Boniface dedicated a Church in honour of St. Michael, in the great Circus of Rome, on the third of the Kalends of October (September 29th), the day on which the Church celebrates the memory of all the Angels. But to-day's feast is kept in commemoration of the apparition of Michael the Archangel.

Holy Church tells us of the glories of St. Michael in several portions of the Liturgy ; but particularly in the following Responsory and Antiphons, taken from to-day's Office.

Deo respondit queeri oportere.

Post triduum Michael archangelus Episcopum monet, in sua tutela esse eum locum, eoque indicio demonstrasse, velle ibi cultum Deo in sui, et Angelorum memoriam adhiberi. Quare Episcopus una cum civibus ad earn speluncam ire pergit Quam cum in templi cujusdam similitudinem conformatam vidissent, locum ilium divinis officiis celebrare cceperunt : qui multis postea miraculis illustratus est. Nec ita multo post Bonifacius papa Bomae m summo Circo sancti Michaelis Ecclesiam dedicavit tertio Kalendas octobris ; quo die etiam omnium Angelorum memoriam Ecclesia celebrat. Hodiernus autem dies archangeli Michaelis apparitione consecratus est

19. Hie est Michael archangelus, princeps militiae Angelorum : * Cujus honor prsestat beneficia populorum, et oratio perducit ad regna ccelorum, alleluia. f. Archangelus Michael propositus Paradisi, quern

1$. This is Michael the Archangel, the chief of the Angelic host:* He repays, by blessings, the honour shown him by the Faithful : and his prayer leads us to the kingdom of heaven, alleluia.

% The Archangel Michael is set over Paradise, and is honoured by the citizens of honorificant Angelorum ci- beaven. * He repays, by bless- ves. * Cujus honor praestat ings, the honour shown him beneficia populorum, et by the Faithful, and his oratio perducit ad regna prayer leads us to the kingdom coelorum, alleluia, of heaven, alleluia.

Ant. Ant. Venit angelus cum multitudine Angelorum, cui tradidit Deus animas Sanctorum, ut perducat eas in Paradisum ezsultationis, alleluia.

The Archangel Michael Michael archcame with a multitude of Angels ; God confided unto him the souls of the Saints, that he might lead them to the Paradise of bliss, alleluia.

Ant. Michael the Arch- Ant. Michael archange- angel came unto the aid of lus venit in adj utorium po-

God'8 people ; he stood as a pulo Dei ; stetit in auxilium help to the souls of the just, pro animabus justis, alle- alleluia. luia.

Ant. O most glorious Ant. Princeps gloriosis-

Prince! Michael the Arch- sime Michael archangele, angel ! be mindful of us : here esto memor nostri : hie et for us to the Son of God. nobis Filium Dei. Alleluia, Alleluia, alleluia. alleluia.

The first of the following Hymns is used by the Church in the Vespers of the Feasts of St. Michael. The second is taken from the Lauds. They speak the praises, not only of our great Archangel, but likewise of St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and of all the blessed Spirits in general. On the feasts of St. Michael, the Church includes all the members of the Angelic Host in her tribute of honour, inasmuch as she has not instituted a Feast for the collective celebration of the nine Choirs of Blessed Spirits.

In the presence of the An- Te splendor, et virtus gels, who obey thee, we praise Patris, thee, O Jesus, thou brightness Te vita, Jesu, cordium, and power of the Father, thou Ab ore qui pendent tuo life of our hearts ! Laudamus inter Angelos.

Tis for thee that fights this Tibi mille densa milarmy of a thousand thousand lium Princes, at whose head is Ducum corona militat : and in all pla< ubique semper precare pro

1st hymn.

Sed explicat victor crucem Michael salutis signifer.

Draoonis hie dirum caput

In ima pellit tartara, Ducemque cum rebellibus Ccelesti ab arce fulminat.

Contra ducem superbise Sequamur hunc nos principem,

Ut cletur ex Agni throno Nobis corona gloriae.

Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac Paraclito, In sempiterna Bsecula.

Amen.

2nd

Christe, sanctorum decus

Angelorum, Gentis humanae sator, et re- demptor, Ccelitum nobis tribuas bea- tas

Scandere sedes. Angelus pacis Michael in sedes

Ccelitus nostras veniat ; serenae

Auctor ut pacis lacrymosa in §rcuin Bella releget. Angelus fortis Gabriel, ut hostes

Pellat antiques, et arnica ccelo,

Quae triumphator statuit per orbem, Templa revisat. Angelus nostra medicus salutis

Adsit e ccelo Raphael, ut omnes

L TIME.

Michael, the Conqueror, the Standard-bearer of salvation* who unfurls the Cross.

It was Michael that cast the cruel dragon into the depths of hell, and drove the rebels, with their chief, from the heavenly city.

Let us follow this Prince against the king of pride; that we may deserve to receive, from the throne of the Lamb, a crown of glory.

Glory be to God the Father, and to the Son who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages. Amen.

HYMN.

O Christ I thou the Holy Angels' glory, the Creator and Redeemer of mankind ! grant that we ascend to the happy thrones of the heavenly citizens.

May Michael, the Angel of peace, come from heaven into this our temple, and, bringing us sweet peace, drive dismal war back again to hell.

May Gabriel, the Angel of strength, come and rout our old enemies ; may he often visitthe heaven-loved temples, which the triumphant Jesus has placed throughout the world.

May Raphael, our heavenly Physician, descend and visit us, that he may heal all that are infirm, and direct our steps that falter in the path of life.

May the Virgin Queen of Peace, the Mother of Light ; may the holy choir of Angels; may all the inhabitants of bright heaven, ever assist and protect us.

May the Godhead ever blessed of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whose glory is proclaimed through the whole world, grant us this our prayer. Amen.

Sanet aegrotos, dubiosque vitae

Dirigat actus. Virgo dux pacis, Genitrixque lucis, Et sacer nobis chorus Angelorum

Semper assistat, simul et micantis Regia cceli. Praestet hoc nobis Deitas beata

Patris, ac Nati, pariterque Sancti

Spirit us, cujus resonat per omnem Gloria mundum. Amen.

The following Sequence is from the collection of the Monastery of Saint Gall, and was composed by the Monk Notker, in the eleventh century.

SEQUENCE.

O King of heaven 1 in thy

E raise, may our whole assemly and choir now sound forth its instruments of sweet music, and sing its hymns to thee.

For this is the day of Michael's most glorious feast, which gladdens the whole earth with beautiful joy.

Thou dividest the created by thee, into nine choirs; yet do they all thy bidding, when thou wiliest to demand angelic service.

Ad celebres, Rex ccelice, laudes

Cuncta Pangat jam canora Caterva symphonia Odas, atque solvat Concio tioi nostra.

Cum jam renovantur Michaelis inclyta

Valde festa, Per quae laetabunda Perornatur machina

Mundi tota. Novies distincta Spirituum sunt agmina

Per te facta.

Sed cum vis, Facis haec flammea

Per angelicas

Officinas

518 pasc]

Inter primaeva Sunt haec nam Creata tua ; Sed cum simus nos ultima Factura, Sed imago tua. Theologica categorizant Symbola Nobis haec ter tripartita Per privata officia.

Plebs angelica, Phalanx et arch angelica, Pnncipans turma.

Virtus Uranica, Ac Potestas almiphona,

Ac Seraphim ignicoma. Vos, o Coeli Satrapa, Vera daus Verbi nuntia, Atque Raphael, Vitae vernula, Transferte nos Inter Paradisicolas. Per vos Patris cuncta Complentur mandata,

Dominantia numina, Divinaque subsellia, Cherubim aetherea, Michael, Gabrielque

8U83 dat ejusdem Sophia, ompar quoque Pneuma, Una permanens in usia, Cui estis administrantia Deo millia Millium sacra.

Vices per his quinas Bis atque quingenta Vestra Centena millena Assistunt in aula, Ad quam Bex ovem centesimam Verbigena,

L TIME.

They were the first creatures of thy hands ; whereas we are thy last ; yet were we made to thine image.

This triple division of the heavenly Spirits, according to their special offices, reveals to us the mysterious design of God.

First comes the Angelic army; then the phalanx of Archangels ; then the host of the Principalities.

After these, follow the heavenly Virtues, the sweet-sounding Powers,

The spiritual Dominations, the Thrones divine, the ethereal Cherubim, the burning Seraphim.

O Michael, Prince of the heavenly court ! Gabriel, messenger of the Incarnate Word ! Raphael, our guide through life ! lead us to the company of the citizens of Paradise.

By you are fulfilled all the biddings of the Father, the Son (who is his Wisdom), and the co-equal Spirit,— the Three, One in essence,— the God to whom ye are the holy administering Spirits, thousands of thousands in number.

Ye stand in his Court, ten thousand times a hundred thousand ; and into this same, the King, the Father of the Word, brought the hundredth sheep, and the tenth groat,that they might share in your bliss.

Ye in the high heavens, and we the elect flock on earth, give forth our tuneful praise on sweet-sounding harps.

Thus after Michael's glorious battles, may our incense, when set on the golden altar, be acceptable to God;

Thus, when united in the same eternal glory, may we sing together our Alleluia I

Drachmamque decimam

Vestra Duxit ad agalmata. Vos per aethra, Nos per rura terrea,

Pars electa, Harmonica vota

Damus hinc Per lyricas citbaras.

Quo post bella Michaelis inclyta Nostra Deo sint accepta Aitream super aram Thymiamata, Quo in coseva Jam gloria Condecantemus Alleluia.

How beautiful art thou, O Michael, in thy heavenraade armour, giving glory to the God, whose enemy thou overcamest ! Thine humble and fervent eye is fixed on the throne of the Jehovah, whose rights thou defendedst, and who gave thee the victory. Thy sublime cry : " Who is like unto God ? " roused the faithful legions, and became thy name and thy crown. It will remind us, for all eternity, of thy fidelity to our Creator, and thy triumph over the dragon. Meanwhile, we enjoy thy loving protection ; we are thy happy clients.

Guardian Angel of Holy Church ! now is the time for thee to exert all the might of thine arm. Satan is furious in his efforts against the noble Spouse of thy Master ; brandish thy bright sword, and give battle to this implacable enemy. The Kingdom of Christ is shaken to its very foundations. Rome is in danger of seeing the Vicar of Christ dethroned within her walls. Is it, that the reign of the Man of Sin is about to be proclaimed on the earth ? Are we near that Last Day, when, this guilty world having been destroyed by fire, thou art to exercise, in the name of the Sovereign Judge, the terrible office of separating the goats from the sheep ? — If this earth is still to exist ; if the mission of the Church is not yet completed ; is it not time for thee, O Michael ! to show the Dragon of hell, that he may not, with impunity, insult on this earth the God who created it, who reideemed it, and whose name is King of kings, and Lord of lords ? The torrent of error and crime is unceasingly dragging the world to the brink of the precipice; save it, O glorious Archangel, by confounding the dark plots, which are laid for its destruction !

Thou, O Michael, art the Protector of our souls in their passage from time to eternity. During this present life, thine eye is upon our wants, and thine ear open to our prayers. Though awed by the brightness of thy glory, we love thee, dear Prince of heaven ! and we live happy and contented beneath the shadow of thy wings. In a few days, or, at most, years, our holy Mother the Church will be performing her last sacred rites over our lifeless remains ; she will pray for us, to our Heavenly Father, that we may be delivered from the lion's mouth, and that the standard-bearer, St. Michael, may bring us into the holy light. Watch over us now, O holy Archangel, lest we should then not deserve thy protection. The Dragon is ever threatening us ; he makes no secret of his wishing to devour us. Teach us, O Michael, to repeat thy beautiful words : " Who is like unto God ? " God's honour, the rights he has over us, our obligation to be faithful to him, and serve him, and coofess him as our Lord in all times and places,— oh, yes ! the deep-rooted sentiment of all this must be our shield in our danger, and the armour wherewith, like thyself, we must fight and win the battle. But we want some of thy sturdy

1 Mass for the Dead. The Offertory. courage, which resulted from the love thou hadst within thee. Oh ! pray for us, that we, toe, may love this our common Lord and Master ; then shall we be invincible. Satan cannot make head against a creature that is filled with the love of the great God.

This God created thee, O Michael ! and thou lovedst him as thy Creator ; but as to us, he not only created, he redeemed us, yea and at the price of his own Blood ! What, then, should be the intensity of our love for him ! Strengthen this love in our hearts ; and since we are fighting under thy leadership, guide us, inspirit us ; let thy look give us courage ; ward off from us the blows of the enemy's sword. We venture to hope that thou wilt be present at our last moments, O standard-bearer of our salvation ! In return for our tender devotion towards thee, deign to keep guard round our death-bed, cover it with thy shield. If the Dragon see the flash of thy sword, he will not dare to come near us. May our soul, on leaving the body, throw herself with affection into thine arms ! Cast her not from thee, O holy Archangel, when she seeks to cling to thee ; carry her to the judgment-seat, cover her beneath thy wings, calm her fears ; and oh ! may the Lord, thy Master, bid thee bear her speedily to the kingdom of eternal bliss 1

MAY 9.

ST. GREGORY NAZTA.NZEN,

M

BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHUKCH. ♦

Side by side with Athanasius, a second Doctor of the Church comes forward, at this glad Season, offering to the Risen Jesus the tribute of his learning and eloquence. It is Gregory of Nazianzum, — the friend of Basil ; the great Orator ; the admirable Poet, whose style combines energy of thought with a remarkable richness and ease of expression ; the one among all the Gregories who has merited and received the glorious name of Theologian, on account of the soundness of his teachings, the sublimity of his ideas, and the magnificence of his diction. Holy Church exults at being able to offer us so grand a Saint during Easter Time, for no one has spoken more eloquently than he on the Mystery of the Pasch. Let us listen to the commencement of his second Sermon for Easter ; and then judge for ourselves.

" I will stand upon my watch, says the admirable " Prophet Habacuc. I, also on this day, will imitate ' him ; I will stand on the power and knowledge " granted me by the favour of the Holy Ghost, that " I may consider and know what is to be seen, and " what will be told unto me. And I stood and I " watched : and lo ! a man ascended to the clouds ; " and he was of exceeding high stature, and his face

*Hab.ii. 1.

" was the face of an Angel, and his garment was M dazzling as a flash of lightning. And he lifted up " his hand towards the East, and cried out with a " loud voice. His voice was as the voice of a trumpet, "and around him stood, as it were, a multitude of " the heavenly host, and he said : ' To-day is salva- "'tion given to both the visible and the invisible " ' world. Christ hath risen from the dead : do ye also rise. Christ hath returned to himself: do ye " ' also return. Christ hath freed himself from the " 4 Tomb : be ye set free from the bonds of sin. The " ' gates of hell are opened, and death is crushed ; " ' the old Adam is laid aside, and the new one is " ' created. Oh ! if there be a new creature formed " c in Christ, be ye made new !'

" Thus did he speak. Then did the other Angels " repeat the Hymn they first sang when Christ was 41 born on this earth, and appeared to us men : Glory 44 be to God in the highest, and peace on earth, to " men of good will/ I join my voice with them, and 44 speak these things to you : — oh ! that I could have 44 an Angel's voice, to make myself heard throughout " the whole earth !

" It is the Pasch of the Lord ! the Pasch ! — in " honour of the Trinity, I say it a third time : the " Pasch ! This is our Feast of Feasts, our Solemnity " of Solemnities. It is as far above all the rest, — not " only of those which are human and earthly, but of 44 those even which belong to Christ and are celebrated " on his account, — yea, it as far surpasses them all, "as the sun surpasses the stars. Commencing with " yesterday, how grand was the Day, with its torches 44 and lights ! * * But how grander and brighter 4< is all on this morning ! Yesterday's light was but 44 the harbinger of the great Light that was to rise ; 44 it was but a foretaste of the joy that was to be 44 riven to us. But to-day, we are celebrating the 44 Resurrection itself, not merely in hope, but as

" actually risen, and drawing the whole earth to "itself."1

This is a sample of the fervid eloquence, wherewith our Saint preached the Mysteries of Faith. He was a man of retirement and contemplation. The troubles of the world, in which he had been compelled to live, damped his spirits ; the duplicity and wickedness of men fretted his noble heart ; and leaving to another the perilous honour of the See of Constantinople, which he had reluctantly accepted a very short time previously, — he flew back to his dear solitude, there to enjoy his God and the study of holy things. And yet, during the short period of his Episcopal government, notwithstanding all the obstacles that stood in his way, he confirmed the Faith that had been shaken, and left behind him a track of light, which continued even to the time when St. John Chrysostom was chosen to fill the troubled Chair of Byzantium.

The holy Liturgy thus speaks to us of the virtues and actions of this great Saint.

Gregorius, nobilis Cappadox, ex singulari divinarum litterarum scientia, Theologi logian, excognomen consecutus, Na- traordinary Athenis in omni disciplina- Nazianzum in rum genere una cum sancto Basilio eruditus, ad stndia sacrarum Litterarum se convertit, in quibus se in Ccenobio per aliquot annos exercuerunt, illarum sententiam non ex proprio ingenio, sed astery,where ex majorum ratione, et auctoritate interpretantes. Qui terpreting cum doctrina et vitae sanetitate florerent, vocati ad

Gregory, a Cappadocian nobleman, surnamed the Theo* on account of his learning in the zianzi in Cappadocia natus, sacred sciences, was born at Cappadocia. He, together with St. Basil, went through a complete course of studies at Athens ; after which, he applied himself to the study of the Sacred Scriptures. The two friends retired to a monthey spent several years over the Scripture, init not according to their own views, but by the sense and authority of the

Oratio II. in sanctum Pascha.

MAY 9. ST. GREG earlier Fathers. Owing to their reputation for learning and virtue, they were called to the ministry of preaching the Gospel, and became the spiritual Fathers of many souls.

After Gregory had returned home, he was made Bishop of Sasima, and afterwards administered the Church of Nazianzum. Being called, later on, to govern the Church of Constantinople, which was infected with heresy, he converted it to the Catholic Faith. This success, far from gaining him everyone's love, excited the envy of a great many. This caused a great division among the Bishops, which led the Saint to resign his See. He said to them those words of the prophet : " If this tempest be stirred up on my account, cast me into the sea, that you may cease to be tossed." Whereupon he returned to Nazianzum ; and, having got Eulalius made Bishop of that Church, he devoted his whole time to the contemplation of divine things, and to the writing treatises upon them.

He wrote much, both in prose and verse ; and in all, there is admirable piety and eloquence. In the opinion of learned and holy men, there is nothing to be found in his writings which is not conformable to true piety and Catholic truth, or which any one could reasonably call in question. He was a most vigorous defender of theConsubstantiality of the Son of God. No one munus predicandsa Evangelicse veritatis, plurimos Jesu Christo filios pepererunt.

Gregorius igituraliquando domum reversus, primum Sasimorum Episcopus creatus est, deinde Nazianzenam Ecclesiam administravit. Turn Constantinopolim ad earn regendam Ecclesiam accersitus, cum civitatem haaresum purgatam erroribus, ad Catfrolicam fidem reduxisset, quod ei summum omnium am ore m conciliare debebat, multorum paravit invidiam. Itaque cum inter Episcopos magna propterea esset facta seditio, sponte cedens Episcopatu, illud Prophetae dictum usurpavit : Si propter me commota est ista tempestas, dejicite me in mare, ut vos jactari desinatis. Quare Nazianzum reversus, cum illi Ecclesise Eulalium praeficiendum curasset, totum se ad contemplationemet scriptionem divinarum rerum contulit

Scripsit autem multa, et soluta oratione, et versibus, mirabili pietate, et eloquentia : quibus doctorum hominum, sanctorumque judicio * id assecutus est, ut nihil in illis, nisi ex versa pietatis et Catholicae religionis regula reperiatur, nemo quidquam jure vocare possit in dubium. Consubstantialitatis Filii fuit acerrimus propugnator. Ut autem vitaa lauda nemo ei propositus est, sic et orationis gravitate omnes facile superavit. In iis scribendi, ac legendi studiis ruri vitam monachi exercens, imperatore Theodosio, ad coelestem vitam, senio confectus, migravit ever led a more saintly life than he; no one was to be compared to him for eloquence, He led the life of a monk, spending his whole time in solitude, occupied in writing and reading. Having reached a venerable old age, he died during the reign of the emperor Theodosius, and entered into the blessed life of heaven.

The Greek Church, in herMenaea, gives the following magnificent encomiums of St. Gregory of Nazian-

HYMN.

(Die XXV. Januarii.)

Late resonans organum, modulatam citharam, harmonicam cinyram, et dulcisonam, pontificum principem, magnum Ecclesias Christi praeceptorem laudibus celebremus canentes : Salve, divinse abyssus gratiae ; salve, coelestium sublimitas cogitationum, Pater Patrum GregorL

Quibus hyinnis et cantibus te celebrabimus, par Angelis, in terris non humano more, sed supra viventem ? Verbi Dei praeconem, vere amicum castas Virginis, Apostolorum throni consortem, martyrum et sanctorum gloriosum decus, divinum Trinitatis sempiternae adoratorem, Sanctissime archisacerdos.

Pontificum principem,patriarcharum decus, interpretem dogmatum et cogi-

Let us celebrate the praises of the prince of Pontiffs, the great Doctor of the Church of Christ, the loud pealing organ, the well-tuned harp, the harmonious and sweet-sounding lute ; and let us thus sing : Hail, O abyss of divine grace ! Hail, Gregory, Father of fathers, whose spirit sublimely soared in heavenly thoughts !

With what hymns and canticles shall we praise thee, who wast as an Angel, leading on earth a superhuman life 1 Thou wast the herald of the Word of God, the friend of the chaste Yirgin, companion of the Apostolic choir, the glorious ornament of the Martyrs and Saints, the fervent adorer of the Eternal Trinity.— O most holy and most worthy Priest !

0 ye Faithful ! let us, assembled now together , honour, in sacred hymns, the prince of

MAY 9. ST.. GREC

Pontiffs, the glory of Patriarchs, the interpreter of the dogmas and thoughts of Christ, the most sublime mind ; let us thus address him : Hail fount of Theology, river of wisdom, and source of the knowledge of divine things ! Hail, most bright star, that enlightenest the whole world by thy, doctrine ! Hail, powerful defender of piety, and generous opponent of impiety !

Thou, O father Gregory, didst wisely shun the dangers and snares of the flesh : and, ascending to the midst of heaven on a chariot of four virtues, thou soaredst to beauty ineffable. Now art thou replete with it ; thou rejoicest in it, and obtainest for us peace and great mercy.

Opening thy mouth to receive the Word of God, thou didst draw in the Spirit of wisdom ; and, full of grace, thou soundest forth the divine dogmas, O thrice blessed Gregory ! Initiated into Angelic Powers, thou preachedst the Triple and Undivided Light. Illumined, therefore, by thy sublime teachings, we adore the Trinity, in which we confess one Godhead, that thus we may obtain the salvation of our souls.

Thou, O divinely inspired Gregory, didst, with thy tongue of fire, burn to nought the captious formulas of the heretics that fought against the Lord. Thou appearedst as a man with lips divine, speaking in the Spirit, the wondrous works of God, and tationum Christi, mentem sublimissimam, o fideles, in unum congregati, hymnis celebremus spiritualibus, dicentes: Salve, fons theologian, sapientia flumen, et origo divinae cognitionis. Salve, astrum lucidissimum, quod tuis doctrinis universum illustras mundum. Salve, potens pietatis defensor, et generose impietatis insectator.

Pater Gregori, sapienter pericula et msidias carnis effugisti : et super currum quadrijugem virtutum, per medium coeli transcend ens, ad pulchritudinem ineffabilem advolasti, qua repletus et exsultans, nunc animabus nostris obtines pacem et magnam misericordiam.

Verbo Dei aperiens os tuum, sapientiae Spiritum attraxisti ; et plenus gratia, divina resonare fecisti dogmata, ter beate Gregori ; et angelicis initiatus potestatibus, trinum et indivisibile lumen praedicasti. Ideo tuis illuminati divinis doctrinis, adoramus Trinitatem in una Deitate recognitam, ad obtinendam animarum nostrarum salutem.

Inflammata lingua tua, Deo inspirate Gregori, verborum versutias haereticorum cum Domino pugnantium penitus incendistL Vere apparuisti velut os divinum, in Spiritu loquens magnalia Dei, et scriptis re* present ans nobis earadem potentiam et substantial!) absconditae et mysticae Trinitatis. JSicut lumen trisolare terrestrem illuminasti mundum ; et nunc indesimenter intercedis pro animabus nostris.

Salve, flumen Dei, semper aquis gratiae plenum et omnem laetificans civitatem regis Christi, divinis verbis et dogmatibus tuis ; voluntatis torrens, mare inexhaustum, fidelis et justus doctrinae custos, acerrimus Trinitatis propugnator, organum Spiritus Sancti, mens vigilans, harmonica lingua, profunda Scripturarum interpretans mysteria ; nunc Christum exoca ut animabus nostris magnam concedat misericordiara.

Super virtutum montem ascendisti, terrenis rebus renuntians, et totus ab operibus mortuis alienus ; et tabulae manu Dei descriptas, dogmata purissima theologi» tuse recepisti, coelestia docens mysteria, sapiens Qregori.

Dei Sapientiam dilexisti, et verborum pulchritudinem amasti, et pra cunctis terra voluptatibus aestimastL Ideo corona gratiarum te mirabiliter decoravit Dominus, beatissime, et Theologum sibi segregans delegit.

Ut venerandae Trinitatis claritate mentem tuam abundanter illuminares, Pa- showing us, in thy Writings, the one same power and substan ce of thehidden and mysterious Trinity. Thou, as a triple Sunlight, enlightenedst this terrestrial globe ; and now thou ceaselessly intercedest for our souls.

Hail, river of God, ever full of the waters of grace, and gladdening the whole city of Christ the King with thy sublime words and teachings ! Hail, torrent of delight, exhaustless sea, faithful and just guardian of doctrine, most vigorous defender of the Trinity, organ of the Holy Spirit, mind ever watchful, tongue harmonious that explainest the profound mysteries of the Scriptures ! Pray now to Christ, that he grant his great mercy unt o our souls.

Thou ascendedst the mount of virtues, renouncing all things earthly, aud holding no fellowship with dead works. There thou receivedst the tables written with God's own hand, — the most pure dogmas of thy Theology, wherein thou teachest us heavenly mysteries, O most wise Gregory.

Thou lovedst the Wisdom of God and the beauty of his words ; thou prizedst them above all the pleasures of earth. Therefore, O most blessed one did the Lord wonderfully adorn thee with a diadem of graces, and choose thee as his own Theologian.

That thou mightest brightly enlighten thy mind with the light of the adorable Trinity*

MAY 9. ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN. thou, O Father, didst polish it, making it spotless by thy perfect profession of every virtue, as a new and freshly formed mirror. The divine reflections fell upon thee, and thou wast an image most like unto God.

Thou wast as a second Samuel given by God, — yea, given to God before thy conception, O most blessed one ! Thou wast adorned with prudence and temperance, and wast beautified with the most holy robe of the Pontificate, O Father ! as a mediator between the Creator and creature.

Thou puttest thy venerable lips to the cup of Wisdom, O Father Gregory, drawing thence a divine stream of theology, and distributing it abundantly to the faithful, and, by the same, repelling the torrent of heresies, which was laying waste the land, and was teeming with blasphemy. For in thee, the Holy Ghost found a steersman, who drove back and quelled the bold attacks of the impious, which raged like furious storms of wind : thou proclaimedst the Trinity in Unity of substance.

Let us, the Sheep of the Church, celebrate, in holy hymns, the Harp of the Holy Spirit, the scythe of heresy, the favourite of the orthodox, the second disciple that leans on Jesus' Breast, the contemplator of the Word, the wise Arch-Pastor ; and let us thus address him: Thou, O Gregory, art the good Shepherd,

PASCH .* TIME. II ter, illam expolivisti, optima virtutum professione iinmaculatam efficiens, velut novum et antefactum recens speculum. Unde et divinis imaginibus, simillimus Deo apparuisti.

Novus Samuel a Deo datus apparuisti, Deo ipsi datus etiam ante conceptionem, beatissime ; ornatus prudentia, temperantia, et sanctissima pontificatus stola decoratus, Pater ; mediator factus inter Creatorem et creaturam.

Ad sapienti® craterem venerabile os tuum admovisti, Pater Gregori ; et divinum theologize flumen inde exhausisti, et fidelibus abundanter distribuisti ; haereseon torrentem perniciosum, et blasphemiis abundantem reprimens. Spiritus enim Sanctus te velut gubernatorem invenit, repellentem et submoventem irapiorum audaces impetus, velut violentos flatus ventorum ; et Trinitatem in unitate substantias annuntiantem.

Lyram Spiritus Sancti, haereseon falcem, orthodoxorum voluptatem, alterum super pectus recumbentem discipulum, Verbi contemplatorem, sapientem archipastorem, nos Ecclesias oves, theologicis hymnis celebremus, dicentes : Tu es pastor bonus, Gregori, temetipsum tradens pro nobis, sicut ma- 2m gister noster Christus ; et nunc cum Paulo gaudens exsultas, et intercedes pro animabus nostris. delivering thyself up for us, as did Christ our Master. Now thou art joyously exulting together with Paul, and art interceding for our souls.

We salute thee, O glorious Doctor of the Church, on whom both East and West have conferred the title of Theologian ! Illumined by the rays of the glorious Trinity, thou gavest us to share in the light thus imparted to thee, — and a brighter was never granted bo mortal eye. In thee was verified that saying of our Saviour : Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God} The purity of thy soul prepared thee to receive the divine light, and thy inspired pen has transmitted to thy fellow-men something of thine own soul's enraptured knowledge. Obtain for us the gift of Faith, which puts the creature in communication with its God ; obtain for us the gift of Understanding, which makes the creature relish what it believes. The object of all thy labours was to guard the Faithful against the seductive wiles of heresy, by putting before them the magnificence of the divine dogmas. Oh ! pray for us, that we may avoid the snares of false doctrines, and have our eye ever fixed on the ineffable light of the Mysteries of Faith ; for, as St. Peter tells us, it is as a lamp in a dark place, that shineth until the day dawn, and until tlie Day-Star arise m our hearts.

There now seems to be a gleam of hope for the East, that has been, for so many long ages, a prey to error and slavery. Great changes are preparing for the unfortunate Byzantium, and politicians are studying how to profit by the crisis, and make her the prey of their respective Governments. Canst thou forget the City of which thou wast once the Pastor, and where thy name is still held in veneration ? Oh ! help her to throw off the shackles of schism and heresy. Her 1 St Matth. v. 8. 1 n. St. Pet. i. 19. being a slave to the infidel is the punishment of her having revolted against the Vicar of Christ ! this yoke seems about to be broken ; pray, O Gregory, that the more dangerous and humiliating one of error and schism may also be broken. A. movement of return to the truth has already begun to show itself. Whole provinces are awakening to a knowledge of their misery, and are casting a look of hope towards the common Mother of all Churches, who opens her arms to receive them. Aid this long-desired conversion, by thy prayers. Both East and West honour thee as one of the sublimest preachers of divine Truth ; obtain by thy powerful intercession, that East and West may be once more united in the one Fold, and under the one Shepherd, before our Risen Jesus returns to our earth to separate the cockle from the good seed, and lead back to heaven the Church, his Spouse and our Mother, out of whose pale there is no salvation.

Help us, during this Season, to contemplate the glories of our dearest Resuscitated. Oh ! for something of the holy enthusiasm for this Pasch, which inebriated thee with its joys and inspired thee with

Death, was the object of thy fervent affections even from thy childhood ; and when old age came, thy heart beat with love for Him, Pray for us, that we, too, may persevere in his service; that his divine Mysteries may ever be our grandest joy ; that this year's Pasch may ever abide in our souls ; that the renovation it has brought us may be visible in the rest our lives ; and that it may, in each successive year of its return, find us attentive and eager to receive its graces, until the eternal Easter comes with its endless joy !