Feast Oe the Sacked Heart of Jesus

comes forth with the water from the fountains of the Saviour, 1 and makes us worthy of the precious Blood, which flows together with the water. Then does mankind, thus born again of water and the Holy Ghost, become entitled to enter intQ the kingdom of God ; 2 and the Church, thus made ready for her Spouse in those same waters of Baptism, is united to the Incarnate Word in the Blood of the saored Mysteries. We, being members of that holy Churoh, have had the same union with Christ ; we are bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh ; 3 we have received the power to be made adopted Sons of God, 4 and sharers, for all eternity, of the divine life, which He, the Son by nature, has in the bosom of the Father.

On, then, thou Jew ! though ignorant of the nuptials of the Lamb, give the signal of their being accomplished. Lead the Spouse to the nuptial bed of the Cross ; he will lay himself down on that most preoious Wood, which his mother, the Synagogue, has made to be his couch ; she prepared it for him, on the eve of the day of his alliance, when, from his sacred Heart, there is to come forth his Bride, together with the Water, which cleanses her, and the Blood, which is to be her dower. It was for the sake of this Bride, that he left his Father, and the bright home of his heavenly Jerusalem ; he ran, as a giant, in the way of his intense love ; he thirsted, and the thirst of the desire gave him no rest. The scorching wind of suffering which dried up his bones, was less active than the fire which burned in his Heart, and made its beatings send forth, in the agony in the Garden, the Blood which, on the morrow, was to be spent for the redemption of his Bride. He has reached Calvary, it is the end of his journey ; he dies ; he sleeps, with his burning thirst upon him. But the Bride, who is formed for him during this his mysterious sleep, will

1 Is. xii. 3. 8 Gen. ii. 23 ; Eph. v. 30.

• St. John, iii. 6. 4 St. John, i. 12. goon rouse him from it. That Heart, from which she was born, has broken, that she might oome forth; broken, it ceased to beat, and the grand hymn which, through it, had been so long ascending from earth to heaven, was interrupted, and creation was dismayed at the interruption. Now that the world has been redeemed, man should sing more than ever the canticle of his gratitude ; and the strings of the harp are broken ! Who will restore them ? Who will reawaken in the Heart of our Jesus the music of its divine throbbings ?

The new-born Church, his Bride, is standing near that opened side of her Jesus ; in the intensity of her first joy, she thus sings to God the Father : J will praise thee, 0 Lord, among the people, and I will sing unto thee among the nations. Then, to her Jesus: Arise, thou, my glory ! my psalteiy, my harp, arise ! And he arose in the early morning of the great Sunday ; bis sacred Heart resumed its melody, and, with it,

Heart of the Spouse belongs to his Bride, and they are now two in one flesh. 2

Christ being now in possession of her who has wounded bis Heart, 3 he gives her, in return, full power over that sacred Heart of his, from which she has issued. There lies the secret of all the Church's power. In the relations existing between husband and wife, whioh were created by God, at the beginning of the world, and (as the Apostle assures us), in view of this great mystery of Christ and the Church, 4 — man is the head, 5 and the woman may not domineer in the government of the family. Has the woman, then, no power ? Shehas power, and a great power, — she must address herself to her husband's heart, and gain all by love. If Adam, our first father, sinned, it was because Eve used, and for evil, her influence over his heart, by

1 Pb. cvii. 1-4. *Eph. v. 32. sent up to heaven

• Gen. ii. 24; Eph. v. 31. » Cant. iy. 9,

5 1 Coy. 3, misleading him, and as in him ; — Jesus saves us, because the Church has won his Heart ; and that human Heart could not be won, without the divinity also being moved to mercy. And here we have the doctrine of devotion to the sacred Heart of Jesus, as far as regards the principle upon which it rests. In this its primary and essential notion, the devotion is as old as the Church herself, for it rests on this truth, whioh has been recognised in every age, — that Christ is the Spouse, and the Church is his Bride.

The Fathers and holy Doctors of the early Ages had no other way, than the one we have been putting before our readers, when expounding the mystery of the Church's having been formed from Jesus' side : and the words they used, — though always marked by that reserve which was called for by so many of their hearers being as yet uninitiated, — were taken as the text for the sublime and fearless developments of later Ages. " The initiated," says St. John Chrysostom, " know the mystery of the Saviour's foun- " tains ; from those, that is, from the Blood and the " Water, the Church was formed ; from those same, " came our Mysteries ; so that, when thou approaohest "the dread chalice, thou must come up to it, as " though thou wert about to drink of that very Side "of Christ." 1 "The Evangelist," says St. Augustine, "made use of a word which has a speoial "import, when he said, — the soldier opened Jesus 9 " Side with a spear : he did not say, struck the Side, " or wounded the Side, or anything else like that ; but "he said, he opened Jesus' Side. He opened it ; for " that Side was like the door of life ; and when it was u opened, the Saoraments (the Mysteries) of the Church " came through it. . . . This was predicted by that "door which Noe was commanded to make in the " side of the Ark, through which were to go those " living oreatures whioh were not to be destroyed by

1 In Johan. Horn, lxxxiy. 5.

" the deluge ; and all these things were a figure of "the Church." 1

Enter thou into the rock, and hide thee in the pit, 2 says Isaias ; and what means this, hut " enter into the " Side of thy Lord ? " as the expression is interpreted, in the 13th Century, by Ghierric, a disciple of St. Bernard, and Abbot of Igny. 3 St. Bernard himself thus comments the verses 13 and 14 of the seoond Chapter of the Canticle : " Come my dove, in the clifts "of the rock , in the hollow places of the wall:* O " beautiful clifts of the rock, wherein the dove takes " safe shelter, and fearlessly looks at the hawk that

" hovers about ! And what may I see through

" that opening ? The iron hath pierced his soul, " and his Heart hath come near ; so that, through " the olift, the mystery of his Heart is made visible, "that great mystery of love, those bowels of the

" meroy of our God What else art thou, 0

" Lord, but treasures of love, but riohes of goodness ?

" I will make my way to those full store-

" cellars. I will take the Prophet's advioe, and will " leave the cities ; 1 mil dwell in the Rock, and be like " the dove that maketh her nest in the mouth of the hole " in the highest place} Sheltered there, like as Moses " was in the hole of the Rook, 6 I will see my Lord, "as he passes by." 7 In the next century, we have the Seraphio Doctor, St. Bonaventure, telling us in his own beautiful style, how the new Eve was born from the Side of Christ, when in his sleep ; and how the spear of Saul was thrown at David, and struck the wall, 8 as though it would make its way into Him, of whom David was but a type, that is, into Christ, wno is the Book, 9 the mountain-cave where are salubrious springs, the shelter where doves build their nests. 10

1 In Johann. Tract, cxx. 2. 1 Is. ii. 10.

8 in Dom. Palm. Serm. iv.

4 Cant. ii. 13, 14.

5 Jerem. xlviii. 28.

6 Exod. xxxiii. 22.

7 S. Bern, in Cant. Serm. lxi. 8 1 Kings, xviii. 10,11.

9 1 Cor. x. 4. 10 Lignum vita.

Our readers will not expect us to do more than give them this general view of the great mystery, and tell them how the holy Doctors of the Church spoke of it. A 6 far as St. Bernard and St. Bonaventure are concerned, the devotien to the mystery of Christ's side opened on the Cross, is but a part of that which they would have us show to the other wounds of our Redeemer. The sacred Heart, as the expression of Jesus' love, is not treated of, in their writings,, with the explioitness wherewith the Church would afterwards put it before us. For this end, our Lord himself selected certain privileged souls, through whose instrumentality, he would bring the Christian world to a fuller appreciation of the consequenoes which are involved in the principles admitted by the whole Church.

It was on the 27th of January, in the year 1281, in the Benediotine Monastery of Helfta,near Eisleben, in Saxony, that our Divine Lord first revealed these ineffable secrets to one of the Community of that House, whose name was Gertrude. " She was then twenty years of age. The Spirit of God came upon her, and gave her her mission. She saw, she heard, she was permitted to touch, and what is more, she drank of, that chalice of the sacred Heart, which inebriates the elect. She drank of it, even whilst in this vale of bitterness ; and what she herself so richly reoeived, she imparted to others, who showed themselves desirous to listen. St. Gertrude's mission was to make known the share and action of the sacred Heart in the economy of God's glory and the sanctifioation of souls ; and, in this respeot, we cannot separate her from her companion, St. Mechtilde.

" On this special doctrine regarding the heart of the Man-God, St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde hold a very prominent position among all the Saints and mystical writers of the Church. In saying this, we do not except even the Saints of these later ages, by whom our Lord brought about the public, the official, worship, which is now given to his sacred Heart ; these Saints have spread the devotion, now shown to it, through* out the whole Church ; — but they have not spoken of the mysteries it contains within it, with that set purpose, that preoision, that loveliness whioh we find in the * Revelations ' of the two Saints, Gertrude and Meohtilde.

" It was the Beloved Disciple, who had rested his head upon Jesus' breast, at the Supper, and perhaps heard the beatings of the sacred Heart, — the Disciple who, when standing at the foot of the Cross, had seen that Heart pierced with the soldier's spear, — yes, it was he who announced to Gertrude its future glorification. She asked him how it was that he had not spoken, in his writings iu the New Testament of what he had experienced when he reclined upon Jesus' sacred Heart : he thus replied : i My mission was to write, for the Churoh whioh was still young, a single word of the uncreated Word of God the Father,— that uncreated Word, concerning which the intellect of the whole human race might be ever receiving abundant truth, from now till the end of the world, and yet it would never be fully comprehended. As to the sweet eloquence of those throbbings of his Heart, it is reserved for the time when the world has grown old, and has become cold in God's love,— ^that it may regain favour by the hearing such revelation." (The Legate of Divine Love. Bk. iv. ch. 4.)

" Gertrude was chosen as the instrument of that revelation ; and what she has told us, is exquisitely beautiful. At one time, the divine Heart is shown to her as a treasure, whioh holds all riches within it ; at another, it is a harp played upon by the Holy Spirit, and the music whioh comes from it gladdens the Blessed Trinity, and all the heavenly court. It is a plenteous spring, whose stream bears refreshment to the souls in Purgatory, strength and every other grace to them that are still struggling on this earth, and delights whioh inebriate the blessed in the heavenly

Jerusalem. It is a golden thurible, whenoe there asoend as many different sorts of fragrant incense, as there are different races of men, for all of whom our Redeemer died upon the Cross. It is an altar, upon whioh the Faithful lay their offerings, the eleot their homage, the Angels their worship, and the eternal High Priest offers himself as a Saorifioe. It is a lamp suspended between heaven and earth. It is a chalioe out of which the Saints, but not the Angels, drink, though these latter receive from it delights of varied kinds. It was in this Heart, that was formed and composed the Lord's Prayer, the Pater noster ; that Prayer was the fruit of Jesus' Heart. By that same sacred Heart, are supplied all the negligences and deficiencies which are found in the honour we pay to God, and his Blessed Mother and Saints. The Heart of Jesus makes itself as our servant, and our bond, in fulfilment of all. the obligations inoumbent on us ; in it alone, do our actions derive that perfection, that worth, whioh makes them acceptable in the eyes of the divine Majesty; and every grace, whioh flows from heaven to earth, passes through that same Heart. When our life is at its close, that Heart is the peaceful abode, the holy sanctuary, ready to reoeive our souls as soon as they have departed from this world ; and having received them, it keeps them in itself for all eternity, and beatifies them with every delight !" 1 By thus revealing to Gertrude the admirable mysteries of divine love, included in the doctrine which attaches to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was, so to say, forestalling the workings of hell, whioh, two oenturies later on, were to find their prime mover in that same spot. Luther was born at Eisleben, in the year 1483. He was the apostle, after being the

1 Preface to the Revelatiom of St, Gertrude translated into French from the new Latin Edition, published by the Benedictine Fathers of Solesmes. vol. z. 2 a inventor, of theories the very opposite of what the Sacred Heart reveals. Instead of the merciful God, as known and loved in the previous ages, Luther would have the world believe him to be the direct author of sin and damnation, who creates the sinner for crime and eternal torments, and for the mere purpose of showing that he oould do anything, even injustice ! Calvin followed ; he took up the blasphemous dootrines of the German apostate, and rivetted the protestant principles by his own gloomy and merciless logic By these two men, the tail of the dragon dragged the third part of the stars of heaven. 1 In the 17th Century, the old enemy put on hypocrisy, in the shape of Jansenism ; changing the names of things, but leaving the things unchanged, he tried to get into the very oentre of the Church, and there pass off his impious doctrines; and Jansenism, which, under the pretext of safeguarding the rights of God's sovereign dominion, aimed at making men forget that he was a God of mercy, — Jansenism was a favourable system, wherewith the enemy might propagate his so-called Reformation. That God who so loved the world / 2 beheld mankind discouraged or terrified, and behaving as though in heaven there was no such thing as mercy, still less, love. Tbis earth of ours was to be made to see, that its Creator had loved it with affectionate love ; that he had taken a heart of flesh in order to bring that infinite love within man's reaoh and sight ; that he made that human Heart, which he had assumed, do its work, that is, beat and throb from love, just as ours do, for he had become one of ourselves, and, as the Prophet words it, had taken the cords of Adam ; s that Heart felt the thrill of joy when duty-doing made us joyous ; it felt a weight and pang when it saw our sorrows ; it was gladsome when it found that, here and there, there would be souls to love him in return.

1 Apoc. xii. 4. 3 St. John, iii. 16. » Osee, xi. 4.

How were men to be told all this P Who would be ohosen to fulfil the prophecy made by Gertrude the Great P Who would come forth, like another Paul or John, and teach to the world, now grown old, the language of the divine throbbings of Jesus' Heart P There were then living many men noted for their learning and eloquence; but they would not suit the purpose of God. God, who loves to ohoose the weak (and often it is, that he may confound the strong), 1 had selected for the manifesting of the mystery of the Sacred Heart, a servant of his, of whose existence the world knew not ; — it was a Religious woman who lived in a monastery whioh had nothing about it to attract notioe. As, in the 13th Century, he had passed by the learned men, and even the great Saints, who were then living, and selected the Blessed J uliana of Liege as the instrument which was to bring about the institution of the Corpus Christi Feast, — so in this present case : he would have his own saored Heart be glorified in his Church by a solemn Festival ; and he imparts and intrusts his wish to the humble Visitandine of Paray-le-Monial, now known and venerated, throughout the world, under the name of Blessed Margaret- Mary. The mission thus divinely fiven to her, was to bring forward the treasure, which ad been revealed to St. Gertrude, and which, all the long interval, had been known to only a few privileged souls. Sister Margaret-Mary was to publish the secret to the whole world, and make the privilege oease, by telling every one how to possess it. Through this apparently inadequate instrument, the Saored Heart of Jesus was a heavenly reaction offered to the world against the dullness whioh bad settled on its old age : it became a touching appeal to all faithful souls that they would make reparation for all the contempt, and slight, and coldness, and sins, wherewith

1 1 Cor. i. 27. our age treats the love of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus.

" I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament on one of the days during the Octave" (of Corpus Christi, June, 1675,) says the Blessed Margaret, "and I received from my God exceeding great graces of his love. And, feeling a desire to make some return, and give him love for love, he said to me : * Thou canst not make me a greater, than by doing that which I have so often asked of thee.' He then showed me his divine Heart, and said: * Behold this Heart, which has so loved men, as that it has spared nothing, even to the exhausting and wearing itself out, in order to show them its love ; and, instead of acknowledgment, I receive, from the greater number, nothing but ingratitude, by their irreverences and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt wherewith they treat me, in this Sacrament of love. But what is still more deeply felt by me is, that they are hearts which are consecrated to me, which thus treat me. It is on this account, that I make this demand of thee, — that the first Friday after the Ootave of the Blessed Saorament be devoted to a special Feast in honour of my Heart ; that thou wilt go to Communion on that day ; and give it a reparation of honour by an act of amendment, to repair the insults it has received during the time of its being exposed on the Altar. I promise thee, also, that my heart will dilate itself, that it may poor forth, with abundance, the influences of its divine love upon those who shall thus honour it, and shall do their best to have such honour paid to it.'" 1

By thus calling his servant to be the instrument of the glorifioation of his Sacred Heart, our Lord made her a sign of contradiction ; just as he himself had been. 2 It took more than ten years for Blessed

1 Vie de la Bienheureuie, ecrite par elle-metne. * St. Luke, ii.* 34.

Margaret to get the better, by dint of pafcienoe and humility, of the suspicions wherewith she was treated by the little world around her, and of the harsh oonduct of the Sisters who lived with her in the same Monastery, and of trials of every sort. At last, on the 21st of June, in the year 1686, the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi, she had the consolation of seeing the whole Community of Paray-le-Monial kneeling before a pioture, which represented the Heart of Jesus as pierced with a spear ; it was the Heart by itself ; it was encircled with flames, and a crown of thorns, with the Cross above it, and the three Nails. That same year, there was begun, in the Monastery, the building of a Chapel in honour of the Sacred Heart ; and Blessed Margaret had the happiness of seeing it finished and blessed. She died shortly afterwards, in the year 1690. But all this was a very humble beginning : where was the institution of a Feast, properly so called P and where its solemn celebration throughout the Church ?

So far back as the year 1674; our Lord had, in his own mysterious way, brought Margaret-Mary to form the acquaintance of one of the most saintly Religious of the Society of J esus then living, — it was Father De la Colombiere. He recognised the workings of the Holy Spirit in this his servant, and became the devoted apostle of the Sacred Heart, first of all at Paray-le- Monial, and, then, later on, in our own country of England, where he was imprisoned by the heretics of those times, and merited the glorious title of Confessor of the Faith. This fervent disciple of the Heart of Jesus died in the year 1682, worn out by his labours and sufferings ; but the Society, in a body, inherited his zeal for the propagation of devotion to the Sacred Heart. At once, numerous confraternities began to be formed, and everywhere there began to be built Chapels, in honour of that same Heart. Hell was angry at this great preaohing of God's love, The

Jansenists were furious at this midden proclamation, at this apparition, as St. Paul would say, of the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour ; 1 and the men who were proclaiming it, were aiming at restoring hope to souls, in which they, the Jansenists, had sowed despondency. The big world must interfere ; and it began by talking of innovations, of scandals, of even idolatry ; at all events, this new devotion was, to put it mildly, a revolting dissecting of the sacred Body of Christ ! Erudite pamphlets were published, some theological, some physiological, to prove that the Churoh should forbid the subject ! Indecent engravings were circulated, and witticisms, such as indignation can make, were made, in order to bring ridicule upon those for whom the world had coined the name of Cordicolce, or Heart- Worshippers. 2

1 Tit. iii. 4.

• In the year 1720, the City of Marseilles was visited by a plague. It had been brought by a vessel that had come from Syria. As many as a thousand a day fell victims to the scourge. Tne Parliament, which was mainly composed of Jansenists, had, of course, fled ; and there was nothing being done to stay the contagion from spreading. The then Bishop, Monseigneur de Belzunce, assembled such of his priests as had been spared ; and, standing in the avenue, which is now called by his name, he solemnly consecrated his Diocese to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At once, the plague abated, and gradually disappeared. Two years later, nowever, it again showed itself, and threatened to repeat its fierce onslaught, but it was arrested in consequence of the City Magistrates binding themselves and their successors for all future ages, by a vow, to the solemn acts of public worship, which, up to this present day, have proved a protection and glory to the City of St.

These events were noised throughout the world, and were the occasion of the Feast of the Sacred Heart being kept, not only, as hitherto, in the Monasteries of the Visitation Order, but in several Dioceses of France.

That noble, but tried, kingdom, is now erecting a national monument in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ; it is the splendid Church which is now being built on Montmartre, near Paris. May that loving Heart of our Lord bless his devoted France, the eldest daughter of the Church ! Like the Church, she is under terrible trials ; and as they are companions in affliction, may they, through the mercy of the Heart of Jesus, be soon united in prosperity, an work together for the happiness of the world !

But, human wisdom, or human prejudice, or even human ridicule, cannot withstand God's purposes. He wished that human hearts should be led to love, and therefore worship, the Sacred Heart of their Redeemer ; and he inspired his Churoh to reoeive the devotion, which would save so many souls, though the world might not take heaven's view. The Apostolio See had witnessed all this ; and, at last, gave its -formal sanction. Rome had frequently granted Indulgences in favour of the devotions privately practised towards the Sacred Heart ; she had published innumerable Briefs for the establishment of local Confraternities, under that title ; and, in the year 1765, in accordance with the request made by the Bishops of Poland and the Arch-Confraternity of the Sacred Heart at Rome, Pope Clement the thirteenth issued the first pontifioal decree in favour of the Feast of the Heart of Jesus, and approved of a Mass and Office, which had been drawn up for that Feast. The same favour was gradually accorded to other Churches, until, at length on the 23rd of August, 1856, Pope Pius the Ninth, of florious memory, at the instance of all the Bishops of Vance, issued the Decree for the inserting the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Calendar, and making obligatory its celebration by the universal Churoh.

The glorification of the Heart of J esus called for that of its humble handmaid. On the 18th of September 1864, the Beatification of Margaret-Mary was solemnly proclaimed by the same Sovereign Pontiff, who had put the last finish to the work she had begun, and given it the definitive sanction of the Apostolic See.

From that time forward, the knowledge and love of the Sacred Heart have made greater progress, than they had done during the whole two previous centuries. In every quarter of the globe, we have heard of Communities, Religious Orders, and whole Dioceses, oonsewating themselves to this souroe of every grace, thia

MASS. sole refuge of the Church in these sad times. There have been pilgrimages made of thousands, from every country, to the favoured sanctuary of Paray-le-Monial, where it pleased the Divine Heart to first manifest itself, in its visible form, to us mortals.

We now put before our readers the Mass, which has been approved of for our Feast

. MASS.

In the liturgy of this Feast, there is scarcely any mention made of the Heart of Flesh assumed by our Saviour. When, in the last century, there was question of approving a Mass and Office in honour of the Sacred Heart, the Jansenists, who had zealous partisans even in Borne, excited so much opposition, that the Apostolic See did not deem it prudent to speak openly, at that early period, on the points which some so angrily disputed. It, however, readily granted, both to Portugal and the Republic of Venice, an Office, in which the Heart of Jesus, victim of love, and pierced with a spear 9 was offered to the adorations of the Faithful. But, in the Mass and Office which Borne afterwards gave for the general use, she, out of a motive of prudence, kept to the glorification of our Bedeemer's love, of which it could not reasonably be denied that his Heart of Flesh was the true and direct symbol.

Thus, the Introit, which is taken from Jeremias, extols the infinite mercies of him, whose heart has not oast off the children of men.

INTROIT.

Miserebitur secundum He will have mercy accord - mtdtitudinem miserationum ing to the multitude of his suarum ; non enim humi- mercies : for he hath not

_ ' afflicted, nor cast off the children of men : the Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him, alleluia, alleluia.

Pa. The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever : to generation and generation. f. Glory, etc. mercy.

He will have liavit ex corde suo, et abjecit filios hominum: bonus est Dominus sperantibus in eum, animse quserenti ilium, alleluia, alleluia.

Ps. Misericordias Domini in seternum cantabo : in generationem et generationem. t : Gloria Patri. Miserebitur.

The Church, deeply moved with gratitude for the immense blessings brought to her by the Sacred Heart, prays, in her Collect, that her children may have the grace to appreciate those divine benefits, and receive, with holy joy, the fruits they are intended to produce.

COLLECT.

Grant, we beseech thee, 0 almighty God, that we, who glory in the most sacred Heart of thy beloved Son, and celebrate the singular benefits of his love towards us, may rejoice both in their accomplishment, and in the fruit they produce. Through, etc.

Concede, qusesumus omnipotens Deus : ut, qui in sanctissimo dilecti Filii tui Corde gloriantes, prsecipua in nos charitatis ejus beneficia recolimus, eorum pariter et actu delectemur et fructu. Per eumdem.

EPISTLE.

Lesson from the Prophet Isaias.

Ch. XT I.

I will give thanks to thee, 0 Lord, for thou wast angry with me ; thy wrath is turned away, and thou hast comforted me. Behold, God is my Saviour; I will deal confidently, and will not fear : be-

Lectio Isai'se Prophetse

Cap. XII.

Confitebor tibi, Domine, quoniam iratus es mihi : conversus est furor tuus, et consolatus es me. Ecce Deus Salvator meus, fiducialiter agam, et non timebo : quia foxtitudo mea, et laus mea.

468 mass*

Dominus, et factus est mihi in salutem. Haurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus Salvatons, et dicetis in die ilia : Confitemiui Domino, et invocate Nomen ejus : mementote quoniam excelsum est Nomen ejus. Oantate Domino quoniam magnifice fecit : annuntiate hoc in universa terra. Exsulta, et lauda, habitatio Sion: quia magnus in medio tui Sanetus Israel. of Sion : cause the Lord is my strength, and my praise, and he is become my salvation. Ye shall draw waters, with joy, out of the Saviour's fountains, and ye shall say, in that day : Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his Name : remember that his Name is high. Sing ye unto the Lord, for he hath done great things : show this forth, in all the earth. Eejoice, and praise, 0 thou habitation for great is he, that is in the miast of thee, the Holy One of Israel.

My people have done two evils, said God, in the ancient Covenant : they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 1 How wonderful is this eomplaint ! it is made by infinite love, on seeing his proffered benefits refused. And what is still more wonderful, the God who is thus slighted by his ungrateful children, who pretend to find their happiness in something which is not Himself, overlooks the iusult, to consult for the remedying of their misery. He is touched at seeing these poor mistaken children trying to get their burning thirst quenched by created things, whereas He alone can quench it. Material goods, and outward beauty, have misled them, and made them slaves to their 6ensual appetites : their soul, which was created for infinite good, has thought it might find its rest in those feeble and flittering reflections of the sovereign beauty, — reflections and images which were intended to lead them to the divine reality. How lead back to the living fountain the poor creature who has been made a dupe of the mirage of the desert, and is rushing on

1 Jerem. ii. 13. deeper and deeper into the scorching sands? 0 Israel ! sing praise' to thy Lord ! And thou, Sion, bless thy God for his infinite mercy towards thee ! "Water has sprung forth from the Bock which thou hast met in the wilderness, where the madness of thy guilty fever kept thee a wanderer. On the very steep which was urging thee to flesh, thou hast met thy Jesus ; he has made himself thy companion on the way of this earth's life ; he is God, but he has been made Flesh, that so, for thy soul's good, he might draw thee as the Prophet foretold, with the cords of Adam 1 that is, by the love and loveliness of that Heart of his own sacred Flesh, lead thee to the object whioh was to satisfy thine own heart, and for which thou wast created. Thus made captive to the Infinite by the bands of this love whioh Jesus showed thee, 2 thou hast found thyself within reach of the fountain of water, which springeth up into life everlasting;* and thy joy at finding thy Saviour's fountains has made thee loathe the muddy water of the broken cisterns of old. Thy thirst keeps on, but the water is ever there for thee to drink in as deeply as thou wiliest : thou hast the Sacred Heart, which waB opened for thee by the soldier's spear. Thirst, and drink, and both for ever !

The immense love which fills the Heart of the Man-God, and has led him to undergo unparalleled sufferings in order to save us; the meekness and humility of that divine Heart, whioh he himself would have us take as the chief characteristic of his whole life ; — these are the mysteries proposed by the Gradual and Alleluia- Verse, that we may know them, and let them influence our conduct.

1 Osee, xL 4. * Jbid. 3 St. John, iv. 14.

GMADTAL-

O to* oezz&t. am tnr*4tk per r^rn, a£^*KLte. **: rvtete, « est 4>>>r ti-^t fa/jjT mean.

1. Coxa d£>xist rk. <rn €T3LL.t in iL^do. in fcry^tn zit eo*.

AlieHia, aHeltca- iaitL* sum et buEiili* corde : et mreiiifXVi req^km ani- f . ImAxb a me, qaia mabog restrL?. A^l-rl .:a.

O »S thai yw by the way. at^r^d and set if ^ue be asy sorrow Hke «y

Harine V-rei kk owa, wiso were £t the world, he krred tb^ci onto the end.

Alkrl^ia. »TWrrk-

T. L£*rn of rse, becaaae I am meek and humbie of heart : *sd ye «hall find rest to your

GOSPKL.

Sequ^iitia aancti Erangelii aecundum Joannem.

Oi/>. X/X.

In iilo tempore: Judaei (qnoniam Parascere erat} at non remanerent in enice corpora Sabbato 'erat euim magnu* dies ille Sabbatf rogaverunt PQatam at frangerentor eoram crura, et tollerentur. Yenerunt ergo mibtes: et primi quideiu fregerunt crura, et alterius, qui crucifixus est cum eo. Ad Jeeum autem cum venissent, ut viderunt eum jam mortuum, non fregerunt ejus crura; sed unas militum, lancea latus ejus aperuit, et continuo exivit sanguis et aqua. Et qui vidit testimonium perhibuit: et verum est testimonium ejus.

Sequel of die holy Gospel according to John.

Ck. XIX.

At that time: the Jews, [because it was the Paraseere), that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day, [for that was a frreat Sabbath-day}, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore, came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But, after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs; bat one of the soldiers, with a spear, opened his side, and, immediately, there came out blood and water. And he that saw it, hath given testimony: and his testimony is true.

"We have already explained this passage of St,

John's Gospel ; and, in doing so, we brought it into juxtaposition with certain texts from the first Epistle of the same Apostle, which throw such light on what the Gospel relates regarding the opening of Jesus' Side. Let us imitate our Mother, the Church, who hears these mysterious words with suoh profound attention. This Gospel tells us of the beautiful path by which she first came. Yes, she was born from the Heart of the Man-God. It seems to us, — now that we know what we do, — that she could not have had any other beginning than this ; for she is the work, by excellence, of his love ; and it is for this his Bride, that he has accomplished all his other works. Eve was taken from Adam's side, and it was done as a figure of a future mystery ; but, for that very reason of its being a type and prediction, no trace was to be left of the faot itself. But in the mysterious fulfilment of the figure, that is, in the Side of our Jesus being opened, that his Bride, the Church, might come forth, the trace was to remain for ever. As often as she looks at this wound, she is reminded of her glorious origin ; and that open Side is like a ceaseless telling her, that she has but to go to that Sacred Heart, and there she will find everything she needs for her ohildren.

The Offertory is taken from the J 02nd Psalm, that magnificent hymn of love and gratitude, which extols the numberless favours and infinite mercies of God.

OFFERTORY.

Bless the Lord, 0 my soul : and never forget all he hath done for thee : who satisfieth thy desire with good things, alleluia.

Benedic anima mea, Domino : et noli oblivisoi omnes retributiones ejus : qui rep let in bonis desiderium tuum, alleluia.

Let us, in the Secret, unite with the Church in

MASS. imploring of oar Lord to enkindle within onr souls the flames of his holy love, that thus our hearts may be in unison with that of our great High Priest, who offers a Saorifioe, which is both his own and ours.

After the Secret, follows the Preface ; it is that of the holy Cross. Our Jesus was still attached to the sacred Wood, when his Heart was pierced and opened. The choice of such a Preface was an act of reverential love paid, by our holy Mother, to the glorious instrument, which gave her life by working her redemption.

8ECRBT.

Tuere nos, Domine, tua tibi holocausta offerentes : ad queB ut ferventius corda nostra prseparentur, flammis adure tuse divinse charitatis. Qui vivis.

Defend us, O Lord, who offer to thee thy holocaust : and, that our hearts may be more fervently prepared for it, enkindle within them the flames of thy divine charity. Who livest, etc.

PREFACE.

Vere dignum et justum est, sequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus : qui salutem humani generis in ligno crucis constituisti : ut unde mors oriebatur, inde vita resurgeret: et qui in ligno vincebat, in ligno quoque vinceretur : per Christum Dominum nostrum . Per quern majestatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Doininationes, tremunt Potestates. Coeli, coalorumque virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concele-

It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should always and in all places give thanks to thee, 0 holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God : who hast appointed, that the salvation of mankind should be wrought on the wood of the Cross : that, from whence death came, thence life might arise : and, that he, who overcame by the tree, might also, by the Tree, be overcome : through Christ our Lord. By whom the Angels praise thy majesty, the Dominations adore it, the Powers tremble before it. The Heavens and the heavenly

Virtues, and the blessed Sera - brant. Cum quibus et nos- phim, with common jubilee, tras voces, ut admitti jubeas glorify it. Together with deprecamur, supplici con- whom, we beBeoch thee, that fessione dicentes : Sanctus, we may be admitted to join Sanctus, Sanctus, etc. our humble voices, saying : Holy, Holy, Holy, etc.

In order to exoite in her children, sentiments of reparation to the Sacred Heart, whioh is bo muoh in the spirit of this Feast, the Church, at the moment of Communion, reminds them how their Jesus was abandoned, when in the midst of the sufferings, whioh he endured out of love for us.

COMMUNION.

My heart hath expected Improperium exspectavit reproach and misery : and I cor meum, et miseriam : et looked for one, that would sustinui qui simul contris- grieve together with me, but taretur, et non fuit : et qui there was none : and for one consolaretur, et non inveni. that would comfort me, and I alleluia, found none, alleluia.

The Church who has just been so closely united with her Spouse in these saored Mysteries, is able to understand, all the more fully, the lessons given to her by the Saored Heart. She prays tnat her children may increase in true humility, may abhor the pride which is so rife in this fallen world, and prove themselves to be the disciples of Him, who was meek and humble of Heart.

POSTCOMMUNION.

Being fed with peaceful delights, and life-giving Sacraments, we suppliantly beseech thee, O Lord our God, that

Pacificis pasti deliciis, et salutaribus Sacramentis, te supplices exoramus, Domine Deus noster : ut qui mitis

60 et humifa corde, nos a hnmj/ropensus facia* a superins eaeculi vanitatibus ab- erery vice, horrere. Qui vivis. fastly thou, who art meek and Titkntm labe purgatoa. ble of HearL wouldst make us to be dean from the stain of and more steadto abhor die proud vanities of the world. Who

Hvest, etc,

"We here give the three Hymns of this Feast ; they are fall of beauty and sublime teaching.

HYMN Ft

Auctor beate saeculi, Christe Eedemptor omnium,

Lumen Patris de lumine Deusque verns de Deo.

Amor coegit te tuns Mortale corpus sumere, Ut novus Adam redderes, Quod vetus ille abstulerat :

Hie amor almus artifex Terrae, marisque et siderum,

Errata patrum miserans, Et nostra rumpens vincula.

Non corde discedat tuo Vis ilia amoris inclyti : Hoc fonte gentes hauriant Remissionis gratiam.

Percussum ad hoc est lancea,

Passumque ad hoc est vulnera,

Ut nos lavaret sordibus Unda fluente et sanguine

Decus parenti et Filio, Sanctoque sit Spiritui, Quibus potestas, gloria, Eegnumque in omne est ssBculum.

Amen.

E VESPERS.

O blessed Creator of this world, Christ, Redeemer of all men, Light of the Father's Light, and true God of God !

It was thy love compelled thee to assume a mortal body, that thou, the new Adam, mightest restore what the Old one had taken from us.

That gracious love, which had created this earth, and sea and stars, had pity on the sins of our first Parents, and broke our chains.

Let not the vehemence of thine admirable love depart from thy Heart ; and let all nations come to this Fount and thence draw the grace of pardon.

For this was it struck by the spear, for this it suffered the wounds, that it might cleanse us from our defilements, by the Water and Blood which flowed from it.

Be honour to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost! To whom are power, glory, and the Kingdom, for all ages !

Amen.

Hymn fob

0 see ! how the haughty and savage host of our sins has wounded the innocent Heart of our God, who deserved far Other treatment !

It is our sins that direct the spear of the soldier who brandishes it ; and deadly sin it is, that sharpens the steel of the cruel lance.

From this wounded Heart, is born the Church, the Bride of Christ : this opened Side is the door put, for the salvation of his people, in the side of the Ark.

From this there flows a perennial grace, like a sevenfold stream ; that there, in the Blood of the Lamb, we may wash our sullied robes.

It is a crying shame if we repeat our sins, which wound that Blessed heart ; no ; let us strive to put within our hearts the flames which burn round His, and are the symbols of its love.

Give us this grace, O Jesus ! give it us, thou, 0 Father! and thou, O Holy Spirit ! To whom are power, glory, and the Kingdom, for all ages !

Amen.

MATINS.

En ut superba criminum Et seeva nostrorum cohors Cor sauciavit innocens Merentis baud tale Dei.

Yibrantis hastam militisf Peccata nostra dirigunt, Ferrumque dirt© cuspidis Mortale crimen acuit.

Ex corde scisso Ecclesia Christo jugata nasoitur : Hoc ostium arcee in latere est

Genti ad salutem positum.

Ex boo perennis gratia, Ceu septiformis fluvius ; Stolas ut illic sordidas Lavemus Agni in sanguine.

Turpe est redire ad crimina,

Quae cor beatum lacerent ; Sed ramulemur cordibus Flammas amoris indices.

Hoc, Christe, nobis, hoc Pater,

Hoc, sancte, dona, Spiritus, Quibus potestas, gloria, Eegnumque in omne est saecuhim. Amen.

HYMN FOR LAUDS.

0 Heart ! thou ark holding within thee the Law, not of the old bondage, but of grace, and of pardon, and of mercy.

VOL X.

Cor area legem continens, Non servitutis veteris, Sed gratiae, sed veniae, Sed et misericordiaa.

2h

Cor sanctuarium novi Intemeratmn foederis, Templum vetusto sanctius, Velumque scissum utilins.

Te vulneratum charitas Iotu patenti voluit, Amoris invisibilis Ut veneremur vulnera.

Hoc sub amoris sym bolo Passue omenta et mystica, Utrumque sacrifioium Christus saoerdos obtulit.

Quia non amantem redamet?

Quia non redemptus diligat, Et corde in isto seligat sterna tabernacula P

Deous Parenti et Filio, Sanotoque sit Spiritui, Quibus po testae, gloria, Begnumque in omne est sseculum.

^ TnftTi .

XD HSABX OF JS8US.

O Heart! Thou spotless Sanctuary of the New Covenant ! Thou Temple, holier than the one of old ! Thou Veil, that wast torn, but by a tearing of such greater boon to us!

It was thy love that would have thy heart wounded with this open Wound, that we might see (through it) the wounds of thine unseen lore, and venerate them.

Under this symbol of love, Christ, our High Priest, having suffered both cruelly and mystically, offered the twofold Sacrifice.

Who would not love the Saviour who loves him f Who would not love Him, by whom he has been redeemed r Who would not wish to take up his abode for ever in this his Jesus 1 Heart.

Be honour to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost! To whom are wer, glory, and the Kingon, for all ages !

A rami .

Third suKDAt amee pentecost. 467

THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTEOOST.

MASS

The faithful soul has witnessed, through the sacred Liturgy, the close of the mysteries of our Redemption, which were wrought, in succession, by our Jesus, and applied to us, one after the other, by his Churoh, in her divine worship of them. The Holy Ghost has been sent, by the Father and Son, and he has lovingly and graciously come, to continue amongst us the work of the Incarnate Word. He, the Spirit of the Father and Son, is come to support the Christian in this second portion of both time and season ; it is, as far as the Year of Qraoe is concerned, the second portion of that Year ; and the Holy Spirit is to rule it ; and he does so by bringing before us gradually, we might say week by week of this Time after Pentecost, the fulness of the Christian life, as we received it from our Redeemer, who has now ascended into heaven, and thenoe has sent us this beautiful Paraclete, to form within us that life, to its full development. Amongst other gifts he gives us for the purpose, he shows us how to pray. Prayer, as our Jesus told us, must be continual ; we must be always praying, and not faint or fail. 1 And yet, we know not what we should pray for, 2 nor how we should pray, so as to obtain. This is quite true ; but He, the Holy Spirit, knows it all ; and comes to us, helping our infirmity, yea, and himself asking for us, with unspeakable groanings* In the Introit and

• St. Luke, xyiii. 1. * Rom* viii. 26. * Ibid.

MASS. the whole Mass for this Sunday, we are taught that Prayer must have, amongst its other requisite qualities, that of humble repentance for our past sins, and of confidence in God's infinite mercy.

This is the Third Sunday after Pentecost ; it is the first which has no rubrical connexion with the great Feasts we have been solemnising ; it is a Sunday with all the simplicity of the Office of the Time.

Respioe in me, et miserere mei, Domine, quoniam unieu et pauper sum ego: vide humilitatem me am, et laborem meum: et dimitte omnia peccata mea, Deus mens.

Ps. Ad te, Domine, levavi animam meam : Deus mens, in te confido, non erubescam. Gloria Patri. Bespice.

Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me, 0 Lord, for I am alone and poor ; see my abjection and my labour ; and forgive me all my sins, 0 my God.

Pe. To thee, 0 Lord, have I lifted up my soul : in thee, 0 my God, I place my trust, let me not be ashamed. Glory, etc. Look thou.

Protector in te sperantmm, Deus, sine quo nihil est validum, nihil sanctum: multiplica super nos misericordiam tuam ; ut, te rectore, te duoe, sic transeamus per bona temporalia, ut non amittamus wterna. Per Dominum.

O God, the protector of those who hoDe in thee! without whose aid, nothing is strong, nothing holy: increase thy mercy towards us ; that under thy direction and conduct, we may so pass through the blessings of this life, as not to lose those which are eternal. Through, etc.

SECOND

A cunctis nos qusesumus, Domine, mentis et corporis defende periculis : et interoedente Deata et gloriosa

COLLECT.

Preserve us, O Lord, we beseech thee, from all dangers of soul and body : and, by the intercession of the glorious and blessed Mary, the ever Virgin-Mother of God, of Blessed Joseph, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, of Blessed N. (here is mentioned the titular Saint of the Church), and of all the Saints, grant us, in thy mercy, health and peace; that, all adversities and errors being removed, thy Church may serve thee with undisturbed liberty. semper Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, cumque beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque beato N. et omnibus Sanctis, salutem nobis tribue benignus et pacem ; ut destructis adversitatibus et erroribus * universis, Ecclesia tua secura tibi serviat libertate.

The third Collect is left to the Priest's own choice.

EPISTLE.

Lesson of the Epistle of St. Lectio Enistolae beati Peter the Apostle. Petri Apostoli.

J. Ch. v.

Dearly beloved : be ye humbled under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the time of visitation. Casting all your care upon him, for he hath care of you. Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour : whom resist ye, strong in faith ; knowing that the same affliction befals your brethren who are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us into nis eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, and confirm and stablish you. To him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.

J. Gap. v.

Charissimi, humiliamini sub potenti manu Dei, ut vos exaltet in tempore visitationis : omnem sollioitudinem vestram projicientes in eum, quoniam ipsi cura est de vobis. Sobrii estota, et vigilate : quia adversariui vester diabolus tanquam leo rugiens circuit, quaerens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide : scientes eamdem passionem ei, quae in mundo est, vestrse fraternitati fieri. Deus autem omnia gratise, qui vocavit nos in setemam suam gloriam in Christo Jesu, modicum passos ipse perfioiet, oonfirmabit, solidabitque. Ipsi gloria, et imperium in saecula saeculorum.

The miseries of this present life are the test to whioh mass;

God puts his soldiers ; he passes judgment upon them, and classifies them, according to the degree of courage they have shown. Therefore is it, that we all have our share of suffering. The oombat has commenced. God is looking on, watching how each of us comports himself. The day is not far off, when the J udge will pass sentence ou the merits of each combatant, and award to each one the recompense he has won. Combat now ; peace and rest and a orown, then. Happy they who, during these days of probation, have recognised the mighty hand of God in all the trials they have had, and have humbled themselves under its pressure, lovingly and confidingly ! Against such Christians, who have been strong in faiths the roaring Hon has not been able to prevail. They were sober, they were watchful, during this their pilgrimage. They were fully convinced of this, that every one has to suffer in the present life ; they therefore never sighed and moaned, as though they were the only sufferers ; they did not assume the attitude of victims, and call it Resignation ! but they took each trial as it came, and, without talking to every one about it, they

2uietly and joyously united it with the sufferings of Jhrist. 0 true Christians ! you will be joyous for all eternity, when there will be made the manifestation of that eternal glory in Christ Jesus, which he will pass on to them, that they may share it with him for ever !

The Gradual keeps up the same strain ; — it enoourages the faithful soul to confidence. Let him oast all his care upon his heavenly Father ; has he not always graciously heard him in all his troubles and necessities ? As to enemies, let him cast away the thought; God will think of that, and, if it so please him, will avenge the soul they persecuted.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PBNTBC03T. 4ffl

GRADUAL.

Cast thy care upon the Lord : and he shall sustain thee. tf. When I cried out to the Lord, he graciously heard my voice against those who were coming upon me.

Allel Luia. alleluia. f. God is a just fudge, strong and patient ; is he angry every day ? Alleluia.

Jacta cogitatum tuum in Domino : et ipse te enutriet.

Dum clamarem ad Dominum, exaudivit vocem meam ab his qui appropinquant mini.

Alleluia, alleluia. y. Deus judex justus, fortis et patiene, numquid irascitur per singulos dies ? Alleluia.

OOSPRL.

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Luke.

Ch. XV.

At that time : the publicans and sinners drew near unto him to hear him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And he spoke to them this parable, saying : What man of you that hath a hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost until he find it? And when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulders rejoicing: and coming home call together his friends and neighbours, saying to them : Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost ? I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Luoam.

Cap. XV.

In illo tempore, erant appropinquant.es ad Jesum publicani, et peccatores, ut audirent ilium. Etmurmurabant Phariseei, et Scribra, dicentes : Quia hie peccatores recipit, et manducat cum illis. Et ait ad illos parabolam istam, dicens : Quis ex vobis homo, qui habet centum oves: et si perdiderit unum ex illis, nonne dimittit nonaginta novem in deserto, et vadit ad illam, quae perierat, donee inveniat* earn ? et cum invenerit earn, imponit in humeros suos gaudens: et veniens domum, convocat amioos, et vicinos, dicens illis : Congratulamirii mihi quia inveni ovem meam quae perierat ! Dico vobis auo ita gau<Uum erit in

472 MASS. coelo super uno peccatore ninety-nine just who need not pcenitentiam agente, quam penance. Or what woman super nonaginta novem jus- having ten groats : if she loee tis, qui non indigent poani- one groat, doth not light a tentia. Aut quae mulier ha- candle, and sweep the house, hens drachmas decern, si and seek diligently until she perdiderit drachmam unam, find it P And when she hath nonne accendit lucernam, found it, call together her et everrit domum, et quserit friends and neighbours, say- diligenter donee inveniat ? ing : Eejoice with me, because

JSt cum invenerit, convocat I have found the groat which arnicas et vicinas, dicens : I had lost ? So I say to you

Congratulamini mihi quia there shall be joy before the imveni drachmam, quam angels of God upon one sinner perdideram ! Ita dico vobis, doing penance, gaudium erit coram Angelis Dei super uno peccatore pcenitentiam agente.

This parable of the Sheep that is carried back to the fold on the Shepherd's shoulders was a favourite one with the early Christians ; and they made representations of it at almost every turn. The same is put before us in to-day's Gospel, that our confidence may be strengthened in God's infinite mercy. It reminds us, in its own beautiful way, of our Lord J esus ; whom we contemplated, a few weeks back, ascending trium-

1)hantly into heaven, carrying thither, in his arms, the ost human family, which he had won back from Satan and death and sin. For, as St. Ambrose says, " who " is the Shepherd of our parable ? It is Christ, who carries thee, poor man, in his own Body, and has " taken all thy sins upon himself. The Sheep is one, " not by number, but by its kind. Eioh Shepherd " this, of whose flock all we human beings form but " the hundredth part ! for he has the Angels, and " Archangels, and Dominations, and Powers, and " Thrones, and all the rest, — all those other countless " flocks, whom he has left yonder up the mountain, that f< he might run after the one Sheep he had lost." 1

1 St. Amb. in Zmcam, vii

But it is from St. Gregory the Great that the Church, in her Matins of this Sunday, took the Commentary of this Gospel. And, in the sequel of that Homily, the holy Doctor gives us the explanation of the Parable of the Woman and the ten Groats. " He," says St. Gregory, " that is signified by the " Shepherd is also meant by the Woman. Jesus is " God ; he is the Wisdom of God. And because good " coin must bear the image of the king upon it, there- " fore was it that the Woman lost her groat, when " Man, who had been created after God's image, " strayed from that image by committing sin. But, " the Woman lights a lamp ; the Wisdom of God hath " appeared in human flesh. A lamp is a light whioh " burns in a vessel of day ; and Light in a vessel of ** day, is the Divinity in our flesh. It is of the vessel 41 of bis Body, that this Wisdom says : My strength is " dried up like a potsherd} For, just as clay is made " hard by fire, so His strength was dried up like a " potsherd, because it has strengthened unto the glory " of his resurrection, in the crucible of sufferings, the

" Flesh which it (Wisdom) had assumed

" Having found the groat she had lost, the Woman " calleth together her friends and neighbours, saying : " ' Rejoice with me ! because I have found the groat ichich " / had lost} Who are these friends and neighbours, "if not the heavenly Spirits, who are so near to 41 divine Wisdom, by the favours they enjoy of the " ceaseless vision ? But, we must not, meanwhile, " neglect to examine why this Woman, who represents " divine Wisdom, is described as having ten groats, one " of which she loses, then looks for, and again finds " it ? We must know, then, that God made both 41 Angels and Men, that they might know him ; and " that having made both immortal, they were both " jnade to the image of God. The Woman, then, ha(J

» P». xxi. 16.

MASS.

"ten groats, because there are nine orders of Angels, " and Man who is to fill np the number of the elect, " is the tenth groat ; he was lost by his sin, but was " found again, because Eternal Wisdom restored him, " by lighting the lamp, that is, by assuming his flesh, '* and through that working wonderful works, which "led to his recovery." 1

The Offertory is an outpouring of gratitude and love for the God who dwelleth in Sion ; he does not abandon them that seek him ; he does not forget the poor man 9 8 prayer.

OFFERTORY.

Sperent in te omnes, qui noveront Nomen tuum quoniam non derelinquis quserentes te : lite Domino, qui habitat in Sion, quoniam non est obli- Sion : tus orationem pauperum.

Let them trust in thee, O Do- Lord, who know thy name : mine: for thou hast not forsaken peal- them that seek thee. Sing ye to the Lord who dwelleth in for that he hath not forgotten the prayer of the poor.

SECRET.

Bespioe, Domine, munera supplioantis Ecclesi®: et safuti credentium perpetua sanctificatione sumenda oonoede. Per Dominum.

Look down, O Lord, on the offerings of thy suppliant Church; and grant that thy faithful may always worthily partake thereof in order to their salvation. Through, etc.

ShCOND SECRET.

Exaudi nos, Deus Salu- Graciously hear us, O God taris noster : ut per huj us our Saviour : that by virtue of

Sacramenti virtutem, a this sacrament, thou mayest cunctis nos mentis et cor- defend us from all enemies, of poris hostiou-tf tucaris, gra- both soul and body : grant us tiam tribuens in praaseuti, grace in this life, and glory in et gloriam m futuro. the next.

The third Secret is left to the Priest's own ehoioe.

1 8. Greg. Homil. xxxiv. in Evangelia,

The Preface is that appointed for all Sundays during the year, for which no proper one is fixed, either of the Time, or for a Feast. It is given in page 128.

The Communion- Anthem recalls to our minds, and with muoh appropriateness, the merciful teaching of to-day's Gospel, now that Eternal Wisdom has regained full possession of the lost groat, by means of the sacred Banquet, which He Himself had given to the repentant prodigal.

COMMUNION.

I say to you: there is joy Dico vobis: gaudium est among the Angels of Qod over Angelis Dei super uno pecone sinner doing penance. catore poenitentiam agente.

POSTCOMMUNION. tua nos, Domine, sumpta vivifioent : et miseprseminum. etc.

May thy sacred mysteries, Sanota O Lord, which we have reoeived, give us life ; and ricordiee sempiternce cleansing us from our sins, parent expiatos. Per Domake us worthy of thy eternal mercy. Through,

SECOND PO TCOMMUNION.

May the oblation of this divine Sacrament, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, both cleanse and defend us ; and by the intercession of Blessed Mary, the Virgin -Mother of God, of Blessed Joseph, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, of Blessed N. and of all the Saints, free us from all sin, and deliver us from all adversity.

Mundet et muniat nos. qusBsuinus, Domine, divini Sacramenti munus oblatum. et intercedente beata Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, cumque beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque beato N. et omnibus Sanctis, a cunctis nos reddat et perversitatibus expiatos, et adversitatibus expedites.

The third Postcommunion is left to the Priests OVH\ choice,

The Psalms, Capitulu above, pages 88-98.

ANTIPHOK OF

QaaBmalier habeas drachmas decern, et si perdiderit drachmam unam, nonne accendit lucernam, et everrit domain, et quserit diligenter donee inveniat ?

OKBMTJS.

Protector in te sperantinm Deus, sine qno nihil est validum, nihil sanctum : multiplies super not misericordiam tuam ; ut, te recto re, te duce, sic transeamus per bona tomporalia, ut non amittamus externa. Per Dominum. i, Hymn and Veracle, as

THE MAGKIFICAT.

What woman, having tea groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it P

LET 17B PBAY.

O God, the protector of those who hope in thee ! without whose aid, nothing is strong, nothing holy: increase thy mercy towards us ; that under thy direction and conduct, we may so pass through the blessings of this life, as not to lose those which are eternal. Through, etc.