November 8 — Dedication of Churches

function of the dedication, and the annual Feast that commemorates it, do not point merely to the material building, but rise to living and more sublime realities? The prinoipal glory of the noble edifioe will be to symbolize those great realities. Under the shelter of its roof, the human race will be initiated into ineffable secrets, the mystery whereof will be consummated in another world, in the noonday light of heaven. Let us listen to some doctrine on this subjeot.

God has but one sanctuary truly worthy of him, viz : his own divine life ; the tabernacle, with whioh he is said to surround himself when he bends the heavens ; though impenetrable darkness to the eyes of mortals, it is the inaccessible light wherein dwells in glory the ever-tranquil Trinity. 1 And yet, 0 God most high, this same divine life, which oannot be contained by the heavens, much less by the earth, thou deignest to oommunicate to our souls, and thereby to make man a partaker in the divine nature. Henceforth there is no reason why the holy Trinity should not reside in him, just as in the highest heavens. Thus, from the beginning, thou couldst lay it down as the law of the newly-oreated world, and couldst declare to the abyss, to the earth, to the heavens, that it would be thy delight to dwell with the ohildren. of men.

"When, therefore, the fulness of time came, God sent his Son, making him the son of Adam, in order that in man might dwell all the fulness of the Godhead corporally. 2 From that day forward earth has had the advantage over heaven. Every Christian has participation in Christ ; and having become the temple of the Holy Ghost, bears God in his body} This temple of God, says the Apostle, is holy, which you are ; 4 the temple is the individual Christian ; it is also the Christian assembly. i Cf. Ps. xvii. 2 Col. ii. 9. 3 Cor. vi. 20. * Ibid. iii. 17.

PUNT. VI. Q

Whereas Christ calls the whole human race to participate in his own fulness, the human race in its turn completes Christ. It is bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, one body with him, and, together with him, the one victim which is to burn eternally with the fire of love upon the altar of heaven. At the same time, Christ is the corner-stone, on whioh other living stones, all the predestined, are built up by the apostolio architects into the holy temple of the Lord. Thus the Churoh is the Bride, and by and with Christ she is the House of God. She is such already in this world, where in labour and suffering the elect stones are ohiselled, and are laid successively in the places assigned them by the divine plan. She is such in the happiness of heaven, where the eternal temple is being constructed of every soul that ascends from earth ; until, when completed by the acquisition of our immortal bodies, it will be consecrated by the great High-Priest on the day of the incomparable dedication, the olose of time. Then will the world, redeemed and sanctified, be solemnly restored to the Father who gave it his only-begotten Son, and God will be all in all. Then it will appear that the Church was truly the archetype shown beforehand on the Mount, 1 whereof every other sanctuary, built by the hands of men, could be but the figure and the shadow. Then will be realized the vision of St. John : I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying : Behold the tabernacle of God. 2

It was fitting, then, that this Feast should illuminate the closing Cycle with the first rays of eternity. It is by one of the seven Angels having phials full of the seven last plagues, that the Bride in her rich

1 Exod. xxvi. 30. 2 Apoc. xxi. 2, 3. apparel was shown to the Evangelist ; let the hope of contemplating her in her glory be a oomf ort to us too in these evil days. The expectation of her approaohing appearance will animate the oourage of the just during the final combats.

But let us, the children of the Church, already

£ raise our Mother. Let this day so dear to her eart be to us one of the greatest solemnities ; for it commemorates both her birth from the side of the heavenly Adam, and the sacred consecration which entitles her to the good pleasure of the Father, to the love of the Son, and to the bountiful gifts of the Holy Ghost.

FIRST VESPERS.

When, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the churches of France were restored to their holy use, it seemed good to the Holy See to establish a general Dedication Feast, instead of the local solemnity hitherto observed by each church on the actual anniversary of its consecration. The Feast was still to have the honours of a Double of second class, whioh proved that it had lost nothing of its importance in the eyes of Rome. Its being permanently fixed on a Sunday, secured to the people the benefit of annually receiving the sublime teaching in which our fathers took suoh delight. And the choice of this particular Sunday, immediately after the Octave of All Saints', made this solemnity as it were the completion of the other, and the crowning of the entire year.

The following Offioe and Mass are those of the

TIMS AFTER PENTECOST.

Common of the Dedication per annum. We shall have them again, in this same month, on the Dedications of the Lateran Basilica of our Saviour, and of the Basilicas of St. Peter on the Vatican and St. Paul on the Ostian Way.

The Church, about to sing in the 109 th Psalm the eternal Priesthood of Christ, is seized with an overpowering sentiment of the holiness of this house of the Lord, where she has assembled her children, and in which the great Sacrifice is offered to God. The first Antiphon is taken from the 92 nd Psalm, whioh it accompanies at Lauds.

1. Ant. Domum tuam 1. Ant. Holiness becometh Domine decet sanctitudo in thy house, O Lord, unto length longitudinem dierum. of days.

Ps. Dixit Dominus, page 36.

Tes, this house is holy : the house of prayer is the name given to it by all nations. This name had been foretold by Isaias, as our Lord himself reminded the buyers and sellers in the temple.

2. Ant. Domus mea do- 2. Ant. My house shall be mus orationis vooabitur. called the house of prayer.

Pa. Confitebor tibi Domine, page 37.

House of God ! how the Church loves to repeat it ! And now it reminds her of the Gospel text, where our Lord compares the man who hears his word and does it, to one who builds his house upon a rock. We begin to perceive the connection in the Churoh's mind between the faithful soul and the sacred building whose stability she is praising.

3. Ant. Hseo est domus 3. Ant. Domini firmiter aedificata, bene fundata est supra firmam petram.

This is the house of the Lord, strongly built, it is firmly founded on the solid rock.

Ps. Beatus vir, page 38.

The chants rise in enthusiasm ; the fourth Antiphon repeats, as if in ecstasy, the expressions of the third. Without any doubt the Church is no longer thinking of these walls which are one day to crumble ; the solid rock is Christ, the house is the assembly of the elect.

4. Ant. Bene fundata est 4. Ant. Firmly founded is domus Domini supra firmam the house of the Lord, upon petram. the solid rock.

Ps. Laudate pueri, page 39.

Caught up beyond this world, the Church in her admiration addresses the glorious dwelling, which the Lord her Spouse is building in heaven entirely of precious stones, the living gems which are to form the towers of the new Sion.

5. Ant. Lapides pretiosi 5. Ant. omnes muri tui, et turres Jerusalem gemmis sedificabuntur.

All thy walls shall be of precious stones, and the towers of Jerusalem shall be built of jewels.

PSALM 147.

Lauda Jerusalem, Domi- Praise the Lord, 0 Jerusanum : * lauda Deum tuum, lem : praise thy God, O Sion. Sion.

Quoniam confortavit se- Because he hath strengthras portarum tuarum : * be- ened the bolts of thy gates, nedixit filiis tuis in te. he hath blessed thy children within thee.

Qui posuit fines tuos p,- Who hath placed peace in. oem: • et adipe frumenti satiat te.

Qui emittit eloquium suum terrae * velociter currit sermo ejus.

Qui dat nivem sicut lanam : * nebulam sicut cinerem spargit.

Mittit crystallum suam sicut buccellas : * ante faciem frigoris ejus, quis sustinebit ?

Emittet Verbum suum, et liquefaciet ea : * flabit Spiritus ejus, et fluent aquae.

Qui annuntiat Verbum suum Jacob : * juetitias, et judicia sua Israel.

Non fecit taliter omni nationi: * et judicia sua non manifestavit eis. thy borders: and filleth thee with the fat of corn.

Who sendeth forth his speech to the earth : his word runneth swiftly.

Who giveth snow like wool : scatteretn mists like ashes.

He sendeth his crystal like morsels : who shall stand before the face of his cold ?

He shall send out his word, and shall melt them : his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.

Who declareth his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel.

He hath not done in like manner to every nation : and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them.

But this new Sion is the Church herself ; for who but she is the Bride? And in the Oapitulum St. John shows us this holy city, coming down from heaven, adorned as a bride for her bridegroom.

CAPITULUM. (Apoc. xxi.)

Vidi civitatem sanctam I Jerusalem novam descen- Jerusalem, dentem de ccelo a Deo, paratam sicut sponsam ornaviro suo. saw the holy city, the new coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her tarn husband.

The seventh oentury, it will be remembered, witnessed the solemn Dedication of the Pantheon, which gave rise to the Feast of All Saints. It is to the pame century we are indebted for the beautiful composition, from which the Hymns of Vespers and Lauds are taken. We will give the whole of it farther on, in its primitive text.

HYMN.

Coelestis urbs Jerusalem, Beata pacis visio, Quee celsa de viventibus Saxis ad astra tolleris, Sponsseque ritu cingjeris Mille Angelorum millibus.

O 8orte nupta prospera, Dotata Patris gloria, Respersa sponsi gratia, Regina formosissima, Christo jugata Principi, Cceli corusca civitas.

Hie margariti emieant, Patentque cunctis ostia : Virtute namque prsevia Mortalis illuo ducitur ; Amore Christi percitus Tormenta quisquis sustinet.

Scalpri salubris iotibus, Et tunsione plurima, Fabri polita malleo Hane saxa molem construunt,

Apti8que juncta Dexibus Locantur in fastigio.

Decus Parenti debitum Sit usquequaque Altissimo, Natoque Patris unioo, Et inolyto Paraclito, Oui laus, potestas, gloria sterna sit per ssecula.

Amen. f. Hsec est domus Domini firmiter aedificata.

Bene fundata est supra^firmam petram.

Jerusalem, heavenly city, blessed vision of peace ! Built of living stones, thou risest to the very stars ; and like a bride art circled round with thousand, thousand Angels.

Oh ! how happily art thou espoused ! Dowered with the Father's glory, and the grace of thy Spouse shed over thee, most lovely Queen united to Christ the King; resplendent city of heaven !

Thy gates, glittering with pearls, are open to all ; thither is led whosoever follows virtue, and who, urged by the love of Christ, endures torments.

After the strokes of the salutary chisel, and many a blow, the stones, polished by the workman's hammer, raise up this stately pile ; and being well fitted together, are placed in the highest summit.

Be everywhere due honour paid to the most high Father, and to that Father's only Son, and to the glorious Paraclete ; to whom be praise, power, and glory, through everlasting ages. Amen.

^. This is the house of the Lord, strongly built.

It is^Srmly founded on tbe u solid rock.

When Solomon dedicated the Temple, he reminded Jehovah of his former promises, concerning the place he would choose for his Name to dwell in. Our churohes are far superior to the ancient temple, for they have in them more than the Name of the Lord ; moreover, every Christian is now the dwelling-place of God. How muoh more excellently such is Mary, the predestined tabernacle, sanctified and dedicated, from the first moment of her existence, to the Grod who was to take Flesh in her, and thus begin to dwell among us ! Let us return thanks, both for her and for ourselves, by singing her heavenly canticle.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT.

Sanctificavit Dominus tabernaculum suum : quia haec est domu Dei, in qua invocabitur nomen ejus, de quo scriptum est : Et erit nomen meum ibi, dicit Dominus.

The Lord hath sanctified his tabernacle : for this is the house of God, in which his name shall be invoked, whereof it is written : And my name shall be there, saith the Lord.

The Canticle Magnifioat, page 44.

PRAYETt,

Deus, qui nobis per singulos annos hujus sancti templi tui consecrationis reparas diem, et sacris semper mysteriis reprsesentas incolumes : exaudi preces populi tui, et prsesta; ut quisquis hoc templum beneficia petiturus ingreditur, cuncta se impetrasse lsetetur. Per Dominum.

O God, who dost renew to us every year the day of the consecration of this thy holy temple, and dost ever bring us again in safety to the holy mysteries, graciously hear the prayers of thy people, and grant that whoever enters this temple to implore blessings, may rejoice in having obtained all his requests. Through our Lord. our juora.

The nam© of Ohuroh given to the Christian temple signifies the assembly of the baptized. The sanotifioation of the elect in its successive phases, is the soul and inspiration of that most solemn of liturgical functions, the dedication of a church.

First of all, the temple with its bare walls and closed doors represents the human race created by God, and yet robbed of his presence ever since the original sin. But the heirs of the promise have not yielded to despair : they have fasted, they have prayed through the night ; morning finds them sending up to God the supplication of the penitential Psalms, the inspired expression of David's chastisement and repentance.

At early dawn there appears under the tent, where the exiles are praying, 1 the Word our Saviour. He is represented by the Pontiff vesting in the sacred robes, as he clothed himself with our flesh. 2 The God- Man joins his brethren in their prayer ; then, leading them to the still closed temple, he there prostrates with them and redoubles his supplications.

Then around the noble edifice, unconscious of its destinies, begins the patient strategy, wherewith the grace of God, and the ministers of that graoe, undertake the siege of abandoned souls. Thrice the Pontiff goes around the whole building, and thrice he attempts to force open those obstinately olosed doors ; but his storming consists of prayers to heaven, his force is but the merciful and respectful persuasion of human liberty. " Open, 0 ye gates, and the King of glory shall enter in." At length the unbeliever yields; an entrance is gained into the temple: " Peace eternal to this house, in the name of the Eternal !"

All is not yet finished however ; far from it ; this

1 Sub tentorio ante fores Ecclesice consecrandee parato. Pontificate rom. 2 Simeon Thbssalonic. De templo et ejus consecra- tione. cii, is but the commencement ; the still profane edifice must be made into a dwelling worthy of God. The Pontiff, now within, continues to pray. His thoughts are intent upon the human race, symbolized by this future church. He knows that in its fallen state ignorance is its first evil. Accordingly he rises; and, on two lines of ashes running transversely from end to end of the temple and crossing in the centre of the nave, he traces with his episcopal crozier the Greek and Latin alphabets, the elements of the two principal languages 1 in which Scripture and Tradition are preserved. They are traced with the pastoral staff, on ashes, and on the cross ; because sacred science comes to us from doctrinal authority, because it is understood only by the humble, and because it is all summed up in Jesus orucified.

Like the catechumen, the human race now enlightened requires, together with the temple, to be purified. The Pontiff makes use of the loftiest Christian symbolism, in order to perfeot the element of this purification whioh he has so muoh at heart : he mingles water and wine, ashes and salt, figures of the humanity and the divinity, of the death and the resurrection of our Saviour. As Christ preceded us in the waters of Baptism at the Jordan, the aspersions are begun at the Altar and continued through the whole building, 2 Originally, at this point in the function, not only the interior and the pavement of the temple, but also the exterior of the walls, and in some places even the roof, 3 were inundated with the sanctifying shower which drives away demons, gives

1 Rbmjo. Antissiodorensis, tractatus de Dedicat. Ecclesiae ; Ivo Carnotensis, Sermo iv, de Sacramentis Dedicat., De Rossi, Bulletin. 1881. 2 Simeon Thessalon. ubi supra, cvii.

3 Et per culmina templi. Ordo IV. in Dedicat. apud Martene, ex Pontile, S. Dunstani Cantuar. this dwelling to God, and prepares it for the reception of fresh favours.

In the order of the work of salvation, water is followed by oil, which confers on the Christian, in the second Sacrament, the perfection of his supernatural being ; and which also makes kings, priests, and pontiffs. For all these reasons, the holy oil now flows copiously over the Altar, whioh represents Christ our Head, Pontiff and King, that it may afterwards, like the water, find its way to the walls of the entire church. Truly is this temple henceforth worthy of the name of church ; for thus baptized and consecrated, with the God-Man, by water and the Holy Ghost, the stones of which it is built represent perfectly the faithful, 1 who are bound together and to the divine Corner-Stone by the imperishable cement of love.

Praise the Lord, 0 Jerusalem, praise thy God, 0 Sion /* The saored ohants whioh, since the beginning of the solemn function, have not ceased to enhance its sublime developments, now redouble in enthusiasm; and rising to the full height of the mystery, they hail the ohuroh, now so intimately associated to the Altar, as the Bride of the Lamb? From this Altar ascend clouds of incense, which, mounting to the roof and stealing down the nave, impregnate the whole temple with the perfumes of the Spouse. And now the Subdeaoons come forward, presenting for the Pontiff's blessing the gifts made to the Bride on this great day, and the vesture she has prepared for herself and for the Lord.

In the early middle ages, it was only at this point 4 that took place the triumphant translation of the relics destined to be placed in the Altar, after

1 Pontificate rom. Ant, Lapides pretiosi, ad unctionem parietum.

2 Ps. cxlvii. ibid, ad id. 3 Haec est Jerusalem, ibid. 4 Remio. Antissiod. ubi supra ; Ordines veterum apud Martene. having remained all this time in the tent outside, as it were in exile. This ceremony is still, in the East, the conclusion of the Dedication rites. 1 "I go to "prepare a place for you," said our Lord, "and " when I have prepared it, I will come again, and " will take you to myself, that where I am you also " may be." In the Greek church, the Pontiff lays the holy relios on the saored disc, (corresponding to our paten), and carries them raised above his head, " honouring equally with the venerable mysteries " these preoious remains, because the Apostle said of " the faithful : You are the body of Christ and his "members" 2 In the West, up to the thirteenth century and even later, the saored Body of our Lord himself in the holy Eucharist was sealed up in the Altar with the relics of the Saints. It was the " Church united to the Redeemer, the Bride to the " Bridegroom," says St. Peter Damian ; 3 it was the final consummation, the passage from time to eternity.

MASS.

Filled with the thought of the day when she beoame the object of the divine predileotion, the Churoh renews her youth, and puts on her richest ornaments ; she robes herself in white as a bride. As at the moment when she was ennobled for ever by the outpouring of the holy chrism, the twelve torches, symbols of apostolic light, shine from her

1 Eucholog. Ordo et Officium Dedications Templi. 2 Simbon Thbsbalon. ubi supra, cxvi, 3 Petr, Damien. Sejrmo lxjrii. jn.Dedicat. iv.

DEDICATION OF CHTJRCHBS. consecrated walls above the twelve orosses which testify her right to the favours of heaven.

Our churohes are to the Angels the border-land between heaven and earth ; hence the Introit repeats the words uttered by Jacob on awaking from his vision of the mysterious ladder, with its heavenly messengers ascending and descending. The Verse, taken from the 83™ Psalm, celebrates at once the earthly and the heavenly temple.

" Is this the kingdom thou didst promise me, " Father ? " asked Clovis dazzled, as he entered for the first time the ohurch of St. Mary at TJheims. " No," replied Eemigius, " it is the entrance of the " way that will lead thee thither."

INTROIT.

Terribilis est locus iste : Terrible is this place : it is hie domus Dei est, et porta the house of God, and the sate ooeli, et vocabitur aula Dei. of heaven ; and shall be called

P«. Quam dilecta taber- Pa. tanacula tua, Domine virtu- bernacles, 0 concupiscit, et deficit anima mea in atria Domini, Gloria Patri. Terribilis. Ter- the court of God. How lovely are thy Lord of hosts ! turn : My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. Glory be to the Father. rible is this place.

The Holy See, while extending this Feast to churches not conseorated, has not thought fit to make any alteration in the Collect. Whether we oonsider these churches as participating in the privilege of their respective cathedrals ; or prefer to look at the dedication in its universal sense as explained above, whereby each saored building is but the symbol of one august temple the same in all places : thanks are due to him, who enables us this year again to taste the joys of so great a solemnity. life prolonged and health preserved, are benefits of God which we ought to recognize ; and to thank him for them in his house, is to dispose him to hear us when we come to ask him for all other blessings, corporal or spiritual, in this place where he deigns to listen to all the petitions of his people.

COLLECT.

Deus, qui nobis per singulos annos hujus saucti templi tui consecrationis reparas diem, et sacris semper mysteriis reprsesentas mcolumes : exaudi preces populi tui, et praesta; ut quisquis hoc templum beneficia petiturus ingreditur, cuncta se impetrasse laetetur. Per Dominum.

0 God, who dost renew to us every year the day of the consecration of this thy holy temple, and dost ever bring us again in safety to the holy mysteries, graciously hear the prayers of thy people, and grant that whoever enters this temple to implore blessings, may rejoice in having obtained all his requests. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE*

Lectio libri Apocalypsis beati Johannis Apostoli.

Cap. xxi.

In diebus illis : Vidi sanctam civitatem Jerusalem novam descendentem de coelo a Deo, paratam sicut sponsam ornatam viro suo. Et audivi vocem magnam de throno dicentem : Ecce tabernaculum Dei cum hominibus, et habitabit cum eis. Et ipsi populus ejus erunt, et ipse Deus cum eis erit eorum Deus : et absterget Deus omnem lacrymam

Lesson from the Book of the Apocalypse of blessed John the Apostle.

Chap. xxi.

In those days, I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying : Behold the tabernacle of God with men ; and he will dwell with them : and they shall be his people, and God himself with them shall be their God : and God shall wipe away all tears from

DEDICATION OF CHURCH KS. ab oculis eorum : et mors ultra non erit, neque luctus, neque clamor, neque dolor erit ultra, quia prima abierunt. Et dixit qui sedebat in throno : Ecce nova f acio omnia. their eyes ; and death shall be no more, nor mourning nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne said : Behold, I make all things new.

We must not forget that all the grandeurs of the Church in heaven belong, though invisibly, to the Church on earth, who is even now all beautiful and holy, truly a Bride, and as such attracting God, who through her dwells among us. The rrophets of Israel used the same expressions as does here the beloved disciple, when they announced that the unfaithful Sion was to be superseded, even on earth, by a new Jerusalem : — Behold I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be in remembrance. . . . And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying} And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Jerusalem, city of God, give glory to the Lord for thy good things, and bless the God eternal, that he may rebuild his tabernacle in thee. . . . Thou shalt shine with a glorious light : and all the ends of the earth shall worship thee. Nations from afar shall come to thee, and shall bring gifts, and shall adore the Lord in thee. . . . The gates of Jerusalem shall be built of sapphire and of emerald, and all the walls thereof round about of precious stones. All its streets shall be paved with white and clean stones : and Alleluia shall be sung in its streets?

To-day, then, let us congratulate the Church militant no less than the triumphant ; let us renew our veneration for her, our devotedness, and our love. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all you

1 la. lxv. 17-19. 2 Jerem. xxxi. 33. 3 Tob. xiii. that love her : rejoice for joy mth her, all you that mourn for her. That you may suck, and be filled with the breasts of her consolation : that you may milk out, and flow with delights, from the abundance of her glory} Thus sang the prince of prophets, who had seen, in the vision of the far future, the house of the Lord

Erepared on the top of mountains, and above the ills among the Gentiles. In proud Ninive, which held Israel captive, the old Tobias echoed his words, declaring himself blessed in the hope that one of his seed might live to contemplate the glory of the new Si on ; and he added : They shall be cursed tJiat shall despise thee : and they shall be condemned that shall blaspheme thee : and blessed shall they be that shall build thee up. . . . Blessed are all they that love thee, and that rejoice in thy peace. And let us also conclude with him : Blessed be the Lord who hath exalted it, and may he reign over it for ever and ever. 2

The ineffable sentiments which fill the soul of holy Church, find vent, in the Gradual, in one of the most admirable of all the Gregorian melodies. The Alleluia Verse is taken from the 137 th Psalm.

GRADUAL.

Locus iste a Deo factus This place was made by est, inestimabile sacramen- God, an invaluable mystery, turn, irreprehensibilis est. it is without reproof. f. Deus, cui adstat An- ^. 0 God, before whom gelorum chorus, exaudi pre- stands the choir of Angels, oes servorum tuorum. graciously hear the prayers of thy servants.

Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia. t. Adorabo ad templum f. I will worship towards sanctum tuum, et confitebor thy holy temple; and I will nomini tuo. Alleluia. give glory to thy name. Al- leluia.

1 Ib. lxvi. 2 Tob»xiii. .

GOSPEL.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam.

Cap. xix.

In illo tempore : Ingres- 8us Jesus perambulabat Jericho. Et ecce vir nomine Zachaeus : et hie princeps erat publicanorum, et ipse dives : et quaerebat videre Jesum, quis esset: et non poterat nrae turba, quia statura pusillus erat. Et praecurrens ascendit in arborem sycomorum ut videret eum : quia inde erat transiturus. Et cum venisset ad locum, suspicions Jesus vidit ilium, et dixit ad eum : Zachaee, festinans descende : quia hodie in domo tua oportet me manere. Et festinans descendit, et excepit ilium gaudens. Et cum viderent omnes, murmurabant, dicentes, quod ad hominem peccatorem divertisset. Stans autem Zachaeus, dixit ad Dominum : Ecce dimidium bonorum meorum, Domine, do pauperibus : et si quid aliquem defraudavi, reddo quadruplum. Ait Jesus ad eum : Quia hodie salus domui huic facta est : eo quod et ipse filius sit Abranae. Venit enim Filius hominis quaerere, et salvum facere, quod perierat.

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

Chap. xix.

At that time, Jesus entering in walked through Jericho. And behold there was a man named Zachaeus, who was the chief of the publicans, and he was rich; and he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and he could not for the crowd, because he was of low stature. And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore-tree that he might see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus was come to the place, looking up he saw him, and said to him: Zachaeus, make haste and come down, for this day I must abide in thy house. And he made haste and came down, and received him with joy. And when all saw it, they murmured, saying that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner. But Zachaeus standing said to the Lord : Behold, Lord, the half of my goods 1 give to the poor, and if I have wronged any man of anything, I restore him fourfold. Jesus said to him : This day is salvation come to this house; because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

In the Mass which follows the Dedication of their ohurches, the Greeks sing the .passage of the Gospel,

PINT. VI. where Jesus says to Simon Bar-Jona : Thou art Peter : and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It is a fitting conclusion to the symbolical lessons of so great a day ; and one certainly not less relished by us because of the sohism whioh originated it. Let us hail this apostolic rock, the fixing of whioh in our West proves that the Latin races are predestined to remain for ever the quarry that will furnish the noblest materials for the eternal temple. Nevertheless it is from other texts of the sacred Volume that our fathers chose the Gospel reading for to-day.

The comparison drawn by our Lord between the faithful soid and the man who built his house upon a rook, determined the ohoioe of some churches ; and as we have seen, it has inspired more than one Antiphon and Verse in the Office. Rome, however, preferred the passage in St. Luke, where Jesus invites himself to the house of ZachsBus. The house which our Lord deigned to make his own, and that not merely for a day, was the publican himself, so despised by the Synagogue ; it was all we the Gentiles, of whom, as St. Ambrose says in the Night Office, he was the figure. 1

Zaohceus, lowly of origin and poor in merits like the nations, as the holy Doctor explains, merited to see our Lord, whom his own people would not receive. He, then, who had neither the Prophets nor the Law to raise him above earth and enable him to see the Saviour, ran before ; he ran to the sycamore, that is to the Cross, 2 by which Jesus, leaving the Jews, had to pass in order to go to the Gentiles. From the height attained by his humility, he beheld the Wisdom of God. 8 He heard the Lord saying to this proud

1 Homil. diei festi, ex Ambk. in Luc. viii. 2 Homil. 6» diei infra Oct., ex Bed. in Luc. v. 3 Homil. 4» diei infra Oct., ex Grbg. Moral, xxvii. 27- and ungrateful multitude : Behold your house shall be left to you desolate ; while to him, despite the Pharisaical murmurs of fallen Israel, rose the sweet voice that invited him to supplant the first-born in the honour of receiving his God into his house. And surely, if the house of the man, who hears the words of Jesus and does them, is proof against winds and waves, being built upon a rock : what dwelling oould be more secure, than the heart of this representative of the disinherited nations, so magnifioently repairing the past, and anticipating so generously the very counsels of our Lord !

The Offertory is taken from a passage in the first Book of Paralipomenon, where David thanks God for having allowed him to gather the treasures necessary for the building of the temple. The Church makes his words her own, while she offers on the altar not only her gifts, but also herself and her children, to be united in one same Saorifioe with the Lord her Spouse, and to form with him the true temple of God. All things are thine, said the Prophet- King ; and we have given thee what we received of thy hand. . . . I know, my Ood, that thou protest hearts and lovest simplicity. 1

OFFERTORY.

Domine Dens, in simpli- 0 citate cordis mei lsetus obtuli universa : et populum tuum, qui repertus est, vidi cum ingenti gaudio : Deus Israel, custodi hanc voluntatem. Alleluia.

Lord God, in the simplicity of my heart I have joyfully offered all these things ; and I have seen with great joy thy people which are present: 0 God of Israel keep this will. Alleluia.

When the Dedication feast is not that of the church in which the Mass is being said, the words in parenthesis in the Secret are omitted.

1 1 Paralip. xxix.

SECRET.

Annuo, qusesumus Domine, precibus nostris : (ut a.uicumque intra templi hujus, cujus anniversarium dedicationis diem celebramus, am bi turn continemur, plena tibi, atque perfecta corporis et animse devotione placeamus;) ut, dum hseo vota prsesentia reddimus, ad seterna prsemia, te adjuvante, pervenire mereamur. Per Dominum.

Favourably incline to our prayers, 0 Lord, we beseech thee: (and grant that all we who are gathered within the walls of this temple, the anniversary day of whose dedication we are celebrating, may be pleasing to thee by complete and perfect devotion of body and soul;) so that while we offer these our present vows, we may by thy assistance deserve to arrive at eternal rewards. Through.

Prayer said in a oonsecrated ohurch has a very special efficacy, as the Communion Antiphon assures us on the strength of God's own words, declaring his house to be a house of prayer. And therein, adds the Church on her own authority, is verified this other divine word : Every one that asketh, receiveth ; and he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 1

COMMUNION.

Domus mea, domus orationis vocabitur, dicit minus: in ea omnis, qui petit, accipit : et qui quserit, invenit, et pulsanti aperietur.

My house shall be called Do- the house of prayer, saith the Lord: every one that asketh therein, receiveth ; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

The Postoommunion gathers into one last aspiration the sentiments which fill the holy Church on this great feast, while it beautifully expresses the manifold mystery of the day.

1 St. Luke zi. 10.

POSTCOMMTJNION.

Deus, qui de vivis et ele- 0 God, who preparest of ctis lapidibus seternum Ma- living and ohosen stones an jestati tuae prseparas habi- eternal habitation for thy Ma- taculum, auxiliare populo jesty, assist thy suppliant peo- tuo supplicanti, ut quod pie, that what benefits thy

Ecolesise tuae corporalibus Church by corporal space, may proficit spatiis, spiritualibus be enlarged by spiritual in- amplificetur augmentis. Per crease. Through our Lord. Dominum.

SECOND VESPERS.

The Second Vespers are the same as the First, excepting only the Versiole and the Magnificat Antiphon.

J. Domum tuam Domine Holiness becometh thy decet sanctitudo. house, 0 Lord,

In longitudinem die- R. Unto length of days. rum.

ANTIPHON OF

0 quam metuendus est locus is te : vere non est hie aliud, nisi domus Dei, et porta cceli.

THE MAGNIFICAT.

Oh ! how awful is this place ! Truly it is no other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven.

This Feast, as might be expected, has furnished abundant themes for Christian poetry. The Hymns of the Office in their original form, which we now give, were oomposed, as we have already said, in th? s^yenth century, f

HYMN.

Urbs Jerusalem beata, Dicta pacis visio, Qusb construitur in coelis Vivis ex lapidibus, Et Angelis coronata, Ut sponsata comite.

Nova veniens e coelo, Nuptiali thalamo Prseparata, ut sponsata Copuletur Domino : Plate® et muri ejus Ex auro purissimo.

Portse nitent margaritis Adytis paten tibus ; Et virtute meritorum Illuc introducitur Omnia, qui ob Christi nomen

Hie in mundo premitur.

Tunsionibus, pressuris Expoliti lapides, Suis ooaptantur locis Per manus artificis, Disponuntur permansuri Sacris eedificiis.

Angularis fundamentum Lapis Christus missus est, Qui parietum compage In utroque nectitur, Quern Sion sancta suscepit, In quo credens permanet.

Omnis ilia Deo sacra Et dilecta civitas, Plena modulis, in laude, Et canore jubilo, Trinum Deum unicumque Cum fervore praedicat.

Hoc in templo, summe Deus, Exoratus adveni ; Et dementi bonitate Precum vota suscipe ; Largam benedictionem. Hio infunde jugiter. ,

Jerusalem, blessed city, called the vision of peace ! She is built up in heaven of living stones, and surrounded by Angels, as a bride by her cortege.

'Tis the new Sion coming down from heaven, adorned for her nuptials, that as a bride she may be united to her Lord. Her streets and walls are all of purest gold.

Her ever open gates are glittering with pearls; and whosoever suffers in this world for the Name of Christ, finds entrance there in virtue of his merits.

The stones, polished by the blows of affliction, are fitted to their places by the builder's hand: they are fixed to remain for ever in the hallowed pile.

Christ the corner stone was sent to be the foundation, bound in both joints of the walls ; whom Sion received and became holy, in whom believing she endures for ever.

All this beloved city, consecrated to God, is full of melodies ; in praise and joyful song she fervently extols her God One and Trine.

In this temple, 0 most high God, be present when thou art called upon; and in thy merciful goodness receive our suppliant vows ; here pour out ever thy copious beneaictions r

Hie promereantur omnes Petita acquirere, Et adepta possidere : Cum Sanctis perenniter Paradisum introire, Translati in requiem.

Gloria et honor Deo Usquequaque altissimo, Una Patri, Filioque, Inclyto Paraclito, Cui laus est et potestas Per aeterna saBcula.

Amen.

Here may all merit to obtain what they request, and to keep what they have obtained: so that, when taken into their rest, they may enter Paradise for ever with the Saints.

Glory and honour he in all places to God most high : equally to the Father, and to the Son, and to the glorious Paraclete, to whom belong praise and power through everlasting ages. Amen.

The following Sequence magnificently celebrates the sublime mystery of the Dedication, as understood by our forefathers. It has been sung in our churches ever since the thirteenth century, and has been considered worthy to be attributed to Adam of St. Viotor. We have thought it necessary to give the text most generally used at present.

Jerusalem et Sion filira, Ocetus omnis fidelis curiae, Melos pangant jugis laetitias : Alleluia. Christus enim, norma justitiae,

Matrem nostram desponsat hodie,

Quam de lacu traxit miseries, Ecclesiam.

Hanc, sanguinis et aquaB munere,

Dum penderet in crucis art>ore ?

Let the daughters of Jerusalem and Sion, and all the assembly of the faithful people, sing a sweet song of never-ending joy : Alleluia.

For Christ, the pattern of holiness, this day doth wed our mother, holy Church, whom he hath drawn from the abyss of misery.

While hanging on the tree of the Cross, the God made Man brought her forth from his own side, giving her the,

TIliB AFTER PENTECOST.

De proprio produxit latere

Deus homo. Formaretur ut sic Ecclesia, Figuratur in prima femina, Qusb de costis Adae est edita,

Mater Heva.

Hera fuit noverca posteris : Hsec eat mater electi generis,

VitsB parens, asylum mise- ris, Et tutela. Hcec est oymba qua tuti ve- himur,

Hoc ovile quo tecti condimur

Hbdc oolumna qua firmi nitimur Veritatis. O solemnis festum lsetitisB, Quo unitur Christus Ecclesise,

In quo nostras salutis nuptiae

Celebrantur ! Justis inde solvuntur praemia,

Lapsis autem donatur venia :

Et sanctorum augentur i gaudia

Angelorum. Ab aeterno fons sapientiae, Intuitu solius gratiae, Sio praevidit in rerum serie

Haec futura.

Christus jungens nos suis nuptiis, Becreatos veris deliciis, Interesse faciat gaudiis Electorum. Amen, blood and water for her dower.

That thus was to be formed the holy Church, was prefigured in the first of womankind, our mother Eve, produced from Adam's side.

Eve was a cruel step-mother to her posterity ; but this one is the mother of the chosen race, parent of life, a refuge to the wretched, and their shelter.

This is the bark wherein we safely sail, this the sheep-fold that shelters and protects us, this the pillar of truth whereon we lean securely.

0 feast of solemn joy ! whereon Christ is united to the Church, whereon the nuptials of our salvation are celebrated !

Rewards this day are given to the just, and pardon is bestowed upon the fallen ; yea, and the joys of the holy Angels are increased.

Prom all eternity the Fount of Wisdom, regardless of aught save his free grace alone, foresaw and arranged in due course these happy events.

May Christ, uniting us in his own nuptials, and recreating us with true delights, admit us to share in the eternal joys of his elect. Amen.

Let us now hear what blessings the Bride implores, on the day of their oonseoration, for these ohurohes, in each of which she sees an image of herself. If we remember that the Churoh's prayer is always heard, this Preface from the Pontifical will show us what great benefits await our humble supplications.

PREFACE. iEterne Deus, adesto precibus nostras, adesto Sacramentis, adesto etiam piis famulorum tuorum laborious, nobisque misericordiam tuam poscentibus. Descendat quoque in hanc Ecclesiam tuam, quam sub invocatione sancti nominis tui, in honorem sanctse crucis, in qua coseternus tibi Filius tuus Dominus noster Jesus Ghri8tus pro redemptione mundi pati dignatus est, et memoriam sancti tui N. nos indigni consecramus, Spiritus Sanctus tuus, septiformia gratise ubertate redundans; ut quotiescumque in hac domo tua sanctum nomen tuum fuerit invocatum, eorum, qui te invocaverint, a te pio Domino preces exaudiantur.

0 beata et sancta Trinitas, quae omnia purificas, omnia mundas, et omnia

Stromas. O beata majestas ei, quae cuncta imples, cuncta contines, cuncta disponis. 0 beata et sancta manus Dei, quae omnia eanctificas, omnia benedicis, omnia locupletas. 0 sancte Sanctorum Deus, tuam cle-

O eternal God, be propitious to our prayers, be propitious to our sacred rites, be propitious to the pious labours of thy servants, as we implore thy mercy. Upon this church, which we though unworthy consecrate under the invocation of thy holy Name, unto the honour of the holy Cross whereon thy co-eternal Son our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to suffer for the redemption of the world, and in memory of thy Saint N. ( here, is named the titular of the church ), may thy Holy Spirit descend, overflowing with the abundance of his sevenfold grace ; so that, whensoever thy holy Name is invoked in this house, thou O Lord, in thy goodness, mayest hear the prayers of them that call on thee.

O blessed and holy Trinity, that purifiest all things,, clean - sest all things, adornest all things. 0 blessed Majesty of God, that fillest all things, containest all things, orderest all things. 0 blessed and holy hand of God, that sanctifiest all things, blessest all things, enrichest all things. 0 God, Holy of holies, wxt^ mentiam humillima devotione depo8cimu, ut hanc Ecclesiam tuam, per nostras humilitatis famulatum, in honorem eanctra et victoriosissimse crucis, et memoriam sancti tui N. purificare, benedicere, et oonsecrare, perpetua sanctificationis tuae ubertate digneris. Hie quoque Sacerdotes sacrificia tibi laudis operant. Hie fideles populi vota persolvant. Hie peccatorum onera solvantur, fidelesque lapsi reparentur. most bumble devotion we implore tby mercy that thou wouldst deign, through the ministry of our lowliness, to purify, bless, and consecrate, by the everlasting abundance of thy sacred gifts, this thy church, unto the honour of the holy and triumphant Cross, and the memory of thy Saint N. Here also may thy priests offer to thee the sacrifice of praise. Here may the faithful perform their vows. Here may the burdens of sinners be undone, and the faithful who have fallen be restored to

In hac ergo, qusesumus Domine, domo tua Spiritus sancti gratia segroti sanentur ; infirmi recuperentur ; claudi curentur; leprosi mundentur ; cseci illuminentur; d&moniaejiciantur. Cunctorum hie debilium incommoda, te, Domine, annuente, pellantur, omniumque vincula peccatorum absolvantur. Ut omnes qui hoc templum beneficia juste deprecaturi ingrediuntur, cuncta so impetrasse laeteator ; ut concessa misericordia, quam precantur, perpetuo miserationis tuae munere glorientur. Per eumdem Dominum.

We therefore beseech thee, 0 Lord, in this thy house, by the grace of thy Holy Spirit, may the sick be healed, the infirm restored to strength, the lame cured, the lepers cleansed, the blind enlightened, demons cast out. May all miseries and weaknesses be driven away, by thy favour, O Lord, and the bonds of all sins be loosed. Thus may all who enter this temple for the purpose of rightly asking thy benefits, rejoice to find afi their petitions granted; so that, having obtained the mercy they sought, they may glory in the eternal munificence of thy tender compassion. Through the same Lord.

We will oonolude with these beautiful formulae from the Ambrosian Liturgy, where the Dedication is oelebrated on the third Sunday of October, and gives its name, post Dedicationem, to the l$st Sundays q| the sacred Cycle.

PREFACE.

Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Qui eminentiam potestatis acceptae tradidit Ecclesise, quam pro honore percepto et Beginam constituit, et Sponsam. Cujus sublimitati uni versa subjecit ; ad cujus judicium consentire jussit e coelo. Haec est mater omnium viventium, filiorum numero facta sublimior : quae per Spiritual Sanctum quotidie Deo filios procreat ; cujus palmitibus mundus omnis impletus est : quae propagines suas ligno bajulante suspensas erigit ad regna coelorum. Haec est civitas ilia, sublimis jugo montis erecta, perspicua cunctis, et omnibus clara ; cujus conditor, et inhabitator est idem Dominu noster Jesus Christus Filius tuus. Quern una tecum omnipotens Pater.

It is ju9t to return thanks to thee, 0 eternal God, through Christ our Lord. Who delivered to the Church the eminent power he had received from thee, and, on account of that honour, constituted her Queen and Bride. To her sovereignty he subjected all things, and ordered her judgment to be ratified in heaven. She is the mother of all the living, and her glory is enhanced by the number of her children : for daily by the Holy Spirit she brings forth sons to God. The whole world is filled with her branches : and suspending her shoots on the tree that supports her, she raises them up to the kingdom of heaven. She is the city built on the summit of the lofty mountain, visible to all, well-known to all; whose builder and indweller is the same Jesus Christ our Lord thy Son, whom together with thee, 0 almighty Father, the Angels praise.

Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam, Unigeniti tui Sponsam vocare dignatus es, ut, quae habet gratiam per fidei devotionem, haberet etiam ex nomine pietatem : da, ut omnis haec plebs, nomini tuo serviens, hujus vocabuli consortio digna esse mereatur. PereumdemDor

0 God, who hast deigned to call the Church the Bride of thine only-begotten Son ; that as she has found favour by the devotion of her faith, so she might also obtain love by reason of her very name : grant that all this people subject to thy Name, may be found worthy to share with minum. her so glorious an appellation.

Througn the same Lord.

I have loved 0 Lord the beauty of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwelleth. 1 May this word remain with us as a lingering fragrance of the great solemnity. Thy' house, 0 God, is our Church, unspeakably beautiful with the splendour of the divine mysteries. Compared with her, what was the tabernacle that sheltered the Ark of the Covenant of Sinai ? And yet the thought of it filled the heart of David in the desert, and made him faint like the stag panting after the fountains of water. Let us learn from our fathers, who lived in the ages of expectation, how to love the oourts of the Lord.

Christian ! the exile which afflicted David, can never be your fate ; for in Baptism you became the sanctuary of God. Let this Dedication day remind you of the consecration which took you from yourself to make you the temple of the Holy Ghost ; to give you to Christ, together with whom your life is henceforth hidden in the sweet and fruitful secrecy of the Father's Face. Learn to render to the Blessed Trinity in your soul a homage worthy of his presence.

Lastly, baptized and consecrated soul, remember that you are not alone at the banquet of God's love ; that divine charity, which unites you to Christ the Spouse, must link you to his members, and fit you, a living stone, to the other stones ; preparing you here below for your future place in the struoture of the heavenly sanotuary. Learn to adapt yourself to the living Church ; to vibrate in unison with the great Bride ; practising for eternity, where your one happy occupation will be to glorify with her, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,

1 J>8. XXT. 8.

November 9.

DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT SAYIOUR.

In the fourth oentury of our era, the cessation of persecution seemed to give the world a foretaste of its future entrance into eternal peace. " Glory to " the Almighty ! Glory to the Eedeemer of our " souls ! " wrote Eusebius at the opening of the tenth and last book of his History. Himself a witness of the triumph, he desoribes the admirable spectacle everywhere displayed by the dedication of the new sanctuaries. In oity after city the Bishops assembled, and crowds flooked together. From nation to nation, the good-will of mutual charity, of common faith, and of recollected joy, so harmonized all hearts, that the unity of Christ's body was clearly manifested in these multitudes animated by the same inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It was the fulfilment of the ancient prophecies : the living city of the living God, where all, whatever their age or sex, praise together the Author of all good things. How solemn were then the rites of the Church ! The complete perfection therein displayed by the Pontiffs, the enthusiasm of the psalmody, the inspired read- ings, the celebration of the ineffable Mysteries, formed a divine pageantry. 1

Constantino had placed the imperial treasure at the disposal of the Bishops ; and he himself stimulated their zeal for what he oalled in his edicts the work of the ohurches. 2 Rome, the place of his victory by the Cross, the capital of the now Christian world, was the first to benefit by the prince's munifioence. In a series of dedications, to the glory of the holy Apostles and Martyrs, Sylvester, the Pontiff of peaoe, took possession of the eternal city in the name of the true God.

To-day is the birthday of the mother and mistress of ohurches, called " of our Saviour, Aula Dei (God's palaoe), the golden Basilica;" it is a new Sinai, 3 whence the apostolio oracles and so many Councils have made known to the world the law of salvation. No wonder this feast is celebrated by the whole world.

Although the Popes for centuries have ceased to dwell in the Lateran palaoe, the Basilioa still holds the first rank. It is as true now, as it was in the time of St. Peter Damian, to say that " as our Saviour " is the Head of the elect, so the church which bears " his name is the head of all churohes ; those of St. " Peter and St. Paul, on its right and left, are the " two arms with whioh this sovereign and universal " ohurch embraces the whole earth, saving all those who desire salvation, oherishing and protecting " them in its maternal bosom." 4 And St. Peter Damian applied conjointly to our Saviour and his Basilica the words of the prophet Zacharias : Behold a Man, the Orient is his name : and under him shall he spring up, and shall build a temple to the Lord.

1 Euseb. Hist. eccl. x. 1-4. 2 Ibid. De vita Constantini, ii, 45, 46. 3 Inscriptio vetus olim in apside majori.

4 Pete. Dam. Epist. Lib. ii. 1.

Yea, he shall build a temple to the Lord : and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit, and rule upon his throne : and he shall be a priest upon his throne. 1

It is still at the Lateran Basilica that the Eoman Pontiffs take offioial possession of their See. There each year, in the name of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, the episcopal functions are performed, viz : the blessing of the Holy Oils on Maundy Thursday, and on Holy Saturday the blessing of the Font, solemn Baptism and Confirmation, and the general Ordination. Could the great poet of the age of triumph, Prudentius, return to life in these our days, he might still say : "The Roman people hasten in " eager crowds to the Lateran, whence they return " marked with the sacred sign, with the royal chrism. " And are we yet to doubt that Rome is consecrated "to thee, 0 Christ !" 2

Let us now read the liturgical history of this day.

Ritus quos in consecrandis ecclesii et altaribus Bomana servat Ecclesia, beatus Silvester Papa primus instituit Nam etsi jam ab Apostolorum tempore loca fuerunt Deo dicata, quae ab quibusdam Oratoria, ab aliis Ecclesiae dicebantur, ubi collects fiebant per unam sabbati, et cbristianus populu orare, Dei verbum audire, et Eucharistiam sumere solitus erat: non tamen ilia adeo solemni ritu consecrabantur, neo in eis adhuc in titulum erectum erat altare, quod chrismate delibutum, Domini nostri r l Zach.Ti. 12, 13. 2 Pb 686-688.

The rites observed by the Roman Church in consecrating churches and altars were instituted by the blessed Pope Sylvester. For although from apostolic times churches were dedicated to God, and called by some oratories, by others churches; and in them the Christian people assembled on the first day of the week, and were wont there to pray, to hear the word of God, and to receive the Holy Eucharist; yet hitherto they were never so solemnly consecrated, nor was an altar erected in them, anointed with chrism, to represent and signify our Lord dent. Lib. i. contra Symmachum.

Jesu Christi, qui altare, hostia et sacerdos noster est, figuram exprimeret.

Sed ubi Constantinus imperator per baptismi sacramentum sanitatem salutemque consecutus est, turn prim am lege ab eo lata concessum est toto orbe terrarum, Christiani ut ecclesias cedificarent : quos ille non solum edicto, sed etiam exemplo ad sacram sedificationem est cohortatus. Nam et in suo Lateranensi palatio ecclesiam Salvatori dedicavit, et ei oontinentem basilicam nomine sancti Joannis Baptistse condidit, eo loco quo ipse, baptizatus a sancto Silvestro, a lepra mundatus est : quam idem Pontifex consecravit quinto idus novembris : cujus consecrationis memoria celebratur hodierno die, quo primum Romse publico ecclesia consecrata est, et imago Salvatoris in pariete depicta populo romano apparuit.

Quod si beatus Silvester postea in consecratione altaris Principis Apostolorum decrevit, ut deinceps nisi ex lapide altaria non sedificarentur, tamen basilicse Lateranensis altare fuit e ligno erectum: quod mirum non est. Nam cum a sancto Petro usque ad Silvestrum, propter persecutiones, Pontifices certo loco consistere non possent : quocumque eos necessitas compulisset, sive

Jesus Christ, who is our altar, our victim, and our priest.

But when the emperor Constantino had received health of body and soul by the Sacrament of Baptism, he promulgated a law to the whole world, allowing the Christians to build churches ; and he encouraged them in this work by his own example as well as by this edict. Thus, in his Lateran palace he dedicated a church to our Saviour; and founded the adjoining baptistery in honour of St. John Baptist, on the very spot where he himself had been baptized by St. Sylvester and cleansed from his leprosy. The Pontiff consecrated it on the fifth of the Ides of November ; and we celebrate the memory thereof on this same day, whereon for the first time a church was publicly dedicated in Rome, and there appeared before the eyes of the Roman people an image of our Saviour depicted on the wall.

Although later on, when consecrating the altar of the Prince of the Apostles, blessed Sylvester decreed that thenceforward all altars should be built of stone ; yet the altar of the Lateran Basilica was of wood. This however is not surprising. For, from the time of St. Peter down to Sylvester, persecution prevented the Pontiffs from having any fixed abode ; so that they offered the holy Sacrifice either

NOV. 9. DEDICATION OF ST. SAVIOUR^. S59 in oryptas, sive in coemeteria, sive in sedes piorum, super illo altari ligneo ad arc» similitudinem concavo, sacra faciebant. Quo altari sanctus Silvester, reddita Eccleeira pace, honoris causa Principis Apostolorum, qui in illo sacrificasse dicitur, et reliquorum Pontificum, qui usque ad id tempus ad mysteria conficienda eo usi fuerant, in Lateranensi prima ecclesia collocato, sancivit ne quisquam in eo, prater Eomanum Pontificem, Missam deinceps celebraret. Eamdem ecclesiam incendiis, vastationibus, terrse insuper motibus disjectam eversamque, ac sedula Summorum Pontificum cura reparatam, nova postmodum molitione restitutam, Benedictus decimus tertius Pontifex Maximus Ordinis Praedicatorum, die vigesima octava aprilis anni millesimi septingentesimi vigesimi sexti, ritu solemni consecravit, ej usque celebritatis memoriam hac die recolendam statuit. Quod autem Pius nonus perficiendum censuerat, Leo decimus tertius, cellam maximam, vetustate fatiscentem, ingenti molitione producendam laxandamque curavit, vetus musivum, multis jam an tea partibus instauratum, ad antiquum exemplar restitui et in novam absidem, opere cultuque magnifico e*ornatam,tran8ferri, aulam

PENT. VI. m crypts or cemeteries, or in the houses of the faithful, as necessity compelled them, upon the said wooden altar, which was hollow like a chest. When peace was granted to the Church, Sylvester placed this altar in the first church, the Lateran ; and in honour of the Prince of the Apostles, who is said to have offered the holy Sacrifice upon it, and of the other Pontiffs who had used it up to that time, he decreed that no one should celebrate Mass upon it except the Eoman Pontiff. This church having been injured and half ruined in consequence of fires, hostile invasions, and earthquakes, was several times repaired by the care of the Popes. After a new restoration Pope Benedict XIII. a Dominicau, solemnly consecrated it, on the twenty-eighth day of April in the year 1726, and ordered the commemoration thereof to be celebrated on this present day. The great works undertaken by Pius IX., have been happily completed by Leo XIII., to wit: the principal apse, which was threatening to fall through age, has been very much enlarged ; the ancient mosaic, already partially restored at different times, has been reconstructed on the old model, and transferred to the new apse, which is handsomely and richly decorated ; the roof and woodwork of the transepts have been renewed and orna- a transversam laquean et con- mented. tignatione refectis expoliri jussit, anno millesimo ocquarto, sacrario, sede canonicorum perpetuaque ad tistery. Baptisterium Constantinianum portiou adjectis.

Moreover a sacristy and a house for the Canons have been added, as well as a tingentesimo octuagesimo portico connecting these buildings with Constantino's bap- The whole work was completed in the year 1884.

So many details might seem superfluous to the profane. But, just as the Pope is to all of us our first and our own Pastor, so his church of the Lateran is our own church ; whatever concerns it cannot, or at least should not, be a matter of indifferenoe to the faithful. Let us take our inspirations regarding it from the following beautiful formulae, given us by the Roman Pontifioal in the dedication ceremony. To no churoh oould they be better applied than to this.

ANTIPHONS AND RESPONSOBIES. ft. Fundata est domus ft. The house of the Lord is

Domini super verticemmon- founded upon the summit of tium, et exaltata est super mountains, and raised up omnes colle, et venient ad above all hills, and all nations earn omnes gentes. * Et di- shall come to her. * And they cent : Gloria tibi, Domine. shall say : Glory be to thee,

O Lord. y. Venientes autem ve- f. Coming they shall come nient cum exsultatione, por- with joyfulness, carrying their tantes manipulos suos. *Et sheaves. * And they shall dieent. say: ft. Tu Domine universo- ft. Thou, O Lord of all rum, aui nullam habes in- things, who hast no need, hast digentiam, voluisti templum willed that this thy temple tuum fieri in nobis. * Con- should be in the midst of us. serva domum istam imma- * Preserve this house spotless culatam in seternum, Do- for ever, O Lord, mine. f. Tu elegisti, Domine, ^. Thou, O Lord, hast cho- domum istam ad invocan- sen this house, that thy name dum nomen tuum in ea ; ut may be invoked in it ; that it esset domus orationis, et may be a house of prayer ano} obsecrationis populo tao. * Conserva.

Ant. Pax eeterna ab iEterao huic domui. Pax perennis, Verbum Patris, sit pax huic domui. Pacem pius GoQsolator huic praestet domui.

Ant. 0 quam metuendus est locus iste : vere non est hie aliud, nisi domus Dei, et porta coeli.

Ant. Haec est domus Domini fir miter eedifioata : bene fundata est supra firmam petram.

Ant. Vidit Jacob scalam, summitas ejus coelos tangebat, et descendentes Angelos, et dixit : Vere locus iste sanctus est.

$. Hseo est Jerusalem ci vitas ilia magna coelestis, ornata tamquam sponsa Agni. * Quoniam tabernaciSum facta est. Alleluia.

^. Portse ejus non claudentur per diem, nox enim non erit in ea. * Quoniam.

Platese tuse, Jerusalem, sternentur auro mundo, Alleluia, et cantabitur in te canticum lsetitiee, Alleluia. * Et per omnes vico tuos dice tux ab universis, Alleluia, Alleluia. f. Luce splendida fulgebis : et omnes fines terrae adorabunt te. * Et per omnes.

Ant. Oircumdate Sion, et complectimini earn, narrate in turribus ejus. supplication for thy people.

• Preserve.

Ant. Peace eternal from the Eternal be to this house ! May the unending Peace, the Word of the Father, be peace to this house ! Peace may the loving Consoler grant unto this house !

Ant. Oh how awful is this place : truly it is nought else but the house of God, and the gate of heaven.

Ant. This is the house of the Lord, strongly built : it is firmly founded on the solid rock.

Ant. Jacob beheld a ladder, the top whereof touched the heavens; and Angels coming down ; and he said : Truly this place is holy.

&. This is Jerusalem, the great and heavenly city, adorned as the Bride of the Lamb.

• For she has become the true tabernacle. Alleluia. y. Her gates shall not be closed by day, and there shall bt no night in her. * For she has become.

&. Thy streets, O Jerusalem, shall be paved with pure gold, Alleluia, and there shall be sung in thee the canticle of joy, Alleluia. * And all alone thy streets every one shall say : Alleluia, Alleluia. y. Thou shalt shine with a glorious light ; and all the ends of the earth shall worship thee. * And all along.

Ant. Surround Sion and encompass her, tell ye her wonders in her towers^ f. Magnus Dominus et laudabilis nimis, in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto ejus.

R. Induit te Dominus tunica jucunditatis, et imposuit tibi coronam. * Et ornavit te ornamentis Sanctis.

Luce splendida fulgebis, et omnes fines terrse adorabunt coram te. * Et ornavit te.

"f. Nationes ex longinquo ad te venient, et munera deferentes adorabunt Dominion ; et terram tuam in sanctificatione habebunt, et nomen magnum invocabunt in te. • Et ornavit. f. Benedicti erunt, qui te sedificaverunt ; tu autem lsetaberis in filiis tuis, quoniam omnes benedicentur et congregabuntur ad Dominum. • Et ornavit te. y. Great is the Lord and exceedingly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.

The Lord hath clad thee with a garment of joy, and hath set a crown on thy head.

• And he hath adorned thee with holy ornaments.

Thou shalt shine with a glorious light, and all the ends of the earth shall worship before thee. * And he hath adorned. f. Nations from afar shall come to thee, and bringing gifts shall adore the Lord; and they shall esteem thy land as holy, and shall call upon the great name in thee.

• And he hath adorned. f. Blessed shall they be that build thee up ; but thou shalt rejoice in thy children, because they shall be all blessed, and shall be gathered together to the Lord. * and he hath adorned.

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui per Pilium tuum, angularem scilicet lapidem, duos ex diverso venientes, ex circumcisione et praeputio pariete, duosque ereges ovium sub uno eoaemque pastore unisti ; da famulis tuis per hsec nostra devotionis officia, indissoluble vinculum charitatis, ut nulla divisione mentium, nullaque perversitatis varietate sequestrentur, quos sub uni*

0 Almighty, eternal God, who through tky Son, the Corner-stone, hast joined the two walls coming from opposite directions, to wit, from the circumcision and the uncircumcision, and hast united the two flocks of sheep under the one same pastor ; give to thy servants, through these functions of our devotion, the indissoluble bond of charity, so that no division of opinions, no sort pf perverse disagreement, may regimine pastoris unus grex continet, uniusque te custode ovilis septa concludunt. Per Dominum. us separate those, who are all one flock under the guidance of one shepherd, and are enclosed in one fold under thy protection.

Through the same Lord.

On this day is commemorated the great martyr Theodore of Amasea, a conscript soldier, who was burnt alive. His praises have been celebrated by St. Gregory of Nyssa ; he is honoured in Rome at the foot of the Palatine, and had three ohurches dedicated to his name in Constantinople. Let us say with the Latin Church :

Deus, qui nos beati Theo- 0 dori Martyris tui conf essione gloriosa circumdas et protegis : prsesta nobis ex ejus imitatione proficere, et oratione f ulciri. Per Dominum.

God, who dost encompass and protect us by the glorious confession of blessed Theodore thy Martyr; grant us by his example to improve, and by his prayer to be supported.

Through our Lord.

November 10. SAINT ANDREW AVELLINO.

CONFESSOR.

In the sixteenth century, in reply to the reproach of exhaustion hurled against the Church, the Holy Ghost raised from her soil an abundant harvest of sanotity. Andrew was one of his most worthy cooperators in the work of holy reformation and supernatural renaissance, which then took plaoe. Eternal Wisdom had as usual suffered Satan to go before, for his own greater shame, cloaking his evil works under the grand names of renaissanoe and reform.

It was nine years since St. Oajetan had departed this world, leaving it strengthened by his labours and all embalmed with the fragranoe of his virtues ; the former Bishop of Theate, his companion and collaborator in founding the first Regular Clerks, was now governing the Church under the name of Paul IV. ; when in 1556 God bestowed upon the Theatines, in the person of our Saint, an heir to the supernatural gifts, the heroic sanctity, and the zeal for the sanctuary, that had characterized their father. Andrew was the friend and support of the great Bishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo, whose glory in heaven he went to share on this day. His pious writings are still used in the Churoh. He himself formed some admirable disciples, suoh as Laurenoe Scupoli, author of the well-known work so prized by the Bishop of Geneva, the Spiritual Combat 1

Nothing need be added to the following history of his life.

Andreas Avellinus, dictus antea Lancellottus, apud Castrum Novum Lucaniae pagum natus, inter ipsa infantiae primordia, futures sanctitatis non obscura praebuit indicia. Adolescens ad litteras addiscendas paterna e domo egressus, lubricam illius aetatis semitam inter bonaram artium studia ita peregit, ut sapientiae initium, quod est timor Domini, ob oculos potissimum habere numquam praetermiserit. Cum egregia proinde forma eximiura castitatis studium conjunxit, quo impudicas saepe mulierum insidias elusit, interdum etiam apertam vim propulsavit. Clericali militiae jampridem adscriptus, Neapolim se contulit, ut legalibus disciplinis vacaret, ibique jurisprudentiae lauream adeptus, atque interea ad sacerdotalem dignitatem evectus, causarum patrocinia in foro dumtaxat ecclesiastico, proque privati quibusdam personis, juxta sacrorum canonum sanctiones agere coepit. Verum

Andrew Avellino, formerly called Lancelot, was born at Castro Nuovo in Lucania; and, while still an infant, gave evident signs of future holiness. He left his father's house to study the liberal arts ; in the pursuit of which he passed so blamelessly through the slippery age of youth, as ever to keep before his eyes the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Of a comely appearance, he was so great a lover of holy purity that he was able to escape snares laid for his chastity by shameless women, and even to repel open attacks. After being made a cleric, he went to Naples to study law, and there took his degree. Meanwhile he was promoted to the priesthood; after which he began to plead, but only in the ecclesiastical court and for private individuals, in accordance with the prescriptions of Canon Law. Once, however, when pleading a cause, a slight untruth escaped him ; and happening soon after, in reading

1 It is clear and very practical. Yes, my daughter, the Spiritual Combat is a great book, and a book dear to me. I have carried it in my pocket for at least eighteen years, and I never read it without profit. S. Fhancis de Sales, Spiritual Letters. cum aliquando inter causam agendam leve ei mendacium excidisset, mox vero f ortuita sacramm Scripturarum lectione in ilia verba incidisset : Os, quod mentitur, occidit animam; tanto ejus

• culpse dolore ac pcenitentia correptus est, ut statim ab

: eju8modi vitae instituto sibi recedendum esse duxerit. Itaque, abdicatis forensibus curis, se totum divino cultui sacrisque ministeriis mancipavit. Cumque ecclesiastical virtutis exemplis emineret, sanctimonialium regi-

. mini a tunc exsistente archiepiscopo Neapolitano

, praefectus fuit. Quo in mu-

. nere cum pravorum hominum odia subiisset, primo quidem intentatae sibi necis periculum declina vit ; mox

. vero per sicarium tribus in facie acceptis vulneribus, injuriae atrocitatem aequo animo pertulit. Turn perfections vitae desiderio flagrans, ut inter Olericos regulares adscriberetur, suppliciter postulavit, votique compos f actus, ob ingentem, quo aestuabat, crucis amorem, ut sibi Andreae nomen imponeretur, precibus impetravit.

Arctioris itaque vitae curriculum alacri studio in-

. gressus, in eas maxime virtutis exercitationes incubuit, ad quas sese arduis etiam emissis votis obstrinxit, altero scilicet suae ipsius voluntati jugiter obsistendi, the Holy Scripture, to come upon these words : The mouth that belieth killeth the soul, he conceived so great a sorrow and repentance for his fault, that he determined at once to abandon that kind of life. He therefore left the bar, and devoted himself entirely to the divine service and the sacred ministry. As he was eminent in priestly virtues, the Archbishop of Naples confided to him the direction of certain nuns. In discharging this office he incurred the hatred of some evil men, who attempted his life. He escaped their first assault ; but soon afterwards one of the assassins gave him three wounds in the face : an injury which he bore unmoved. Desirous of a more perfect life, he humbly begged to be admitted among the Begular Clerks; and on obtaining his request, he asked to be called by the name of Andrew, on account of his ardent love of the Cross.

He earnestly devoted himself to the stricter manner of life he had embraced, and to the practice of the virtues, going so far as to bind himself thereto by two most difficult vows, viz; never to do his own will, and ever to ad- altero vero in via christian© perfectionis semper ulterius progrediendi. Regularis disciplinae cultor assiduus, et in ea promovenda, cum aliis prseesset, studiosissimus fult. Quidquid ab instituti sui officii et regulse praescripto supererat temporis, orationi et animarum saluti tribuebat. In confessionibus excipiendis mira ejus pietas et prudentia enituit: vicos et oppida Neapoli finitima evangelicis ministeriis magno cum animarum lucro frequens lustrabat. Quam ardentem erga proximos sancti viri caritatem signis etiam Dominus illustravit. Cum enim intempesta nocte ab audita segri confessions domum rediret, ac pluvise ventorumque vis nrselucentem facem exstinxisset, non solum ipse cum sociis inter effusissimos imbres nihil madef actus est ; verum etiam, inusitato splendore e suo corpore mirabiliter emicante, sociis inter densissimas tenebras iter monstravit. Abstinentia et patientia, nec non abjectione atque odio sui summopere prsestitit. Necem fratris filio illatam imperturbato animo tulit, ac suo ab omni ulciscendi cupiditate compescuit, imo etiam pro inter - fectoribus opem et misericordiam judicum imploravit.

Pluribus in locis Clericorum regularium Ordinem vance in Christian perfection. He had the greatest respect for religious discipline, and zealously promoted it when he was superior. Whatever time remained over after the discharge of his duties and the prescriptions of the rule, he devoted to prayer and the salvation of souls. He was noted for his piety and prudence in hearing Confessions. He frequently visited the towns and villages near Naples, exercising the apostolic ministry with profit to souls. Our Lord was pleased to show by miracles how great was this holy man's love of his neighbour. As he was once returning home late at night from hearing a sick man's confession, a violent storm of wind and rain put out the light that was carried before him; but neither he nor his companions were wet by the pouring rain; and moreover a wonderful light shining from his body enabled them to find their way through the darkness. His abstinence and patience were extraordinary, as also his humility and hatred of self. He bore the assassination of his nephew with unruffled tranquillity, withheld his family from seeking revenge, and even implored the judges to grant mercy and protection to the murderers.

He propagated the Order of the Regular Clerks in many pronagavit, eorumque domicilia Mediolani et Placental instituit. Illius operam sanctus Carolus Borromseus, et Paulus de Aretio Cle- Ticus regularis, Cardinales, quibus erat acceptissimus, in pastoralis muneris curis adhibuerunt. Deiparam Virginem singulari amore et cultu prosequebatur. Angelorum colloquio perfrui meruit, quos, cum divinas laudes persolveret, e regione concinentes se audisse testatus est. Denique post heroica virtutum exempla, prophetise quoque dono illustris, quo et secreta cordium, et absentia, et f utura prospexit, annis gravis et laboribus fractus, ad aram celebraturus in verbis illis tertio repetitis : Introibo ad altare Dei, repentino apoplexise morbo correptus est; mox sacramentis rite munitus, placidissime inter suos animam efflavit. Ejus corpus Neapoli in ecclesia sancti Pauli ad hsec usque tempora eo frequentissimo populi concursu colitur, quo fuit elatum. IUum denique insignibus in vita et post mortem miraculis clarum Clemens Undecimus Pontifex Maximus solemni ritu sanctorum catalogo adscripsit.

How sweet and yet places, and founded houses for them in Milan and Piacenza. The Cardinals Charles Borromeo and Paul of Arezzo a Regular Clerk, bore him great affection, and availed themselves of his assistance in the discharge of their pastoral office, file Virgin Mother of God he honoured with a very special love and worship. He was permitted to converse with the Angels ; and affirmed that when saying the Divine Office, he heard them singing with him as if in Choir. At length, after giving heroic examples of virtue, and becoming illustrious for his gift of prophecy, whereby he knew the secrets of hearts, and distant and future events, he was worn out with old age and broken down with labours. As he was at the foot of the Altar about to say Mass, he thrice repeated the words: I will go in to the altar of God, and fell down struck with apoplexy. After being strengthened by the Sacraments of the Church, he peacefully expired in the midst of his brethren. His body was buried at Naples in tne ohurch of St. Paul, and is honoured even to this day by as great a concourse of people as attended the interment. Finally, as he had been illustrious for miracles both in life and after death, he was solemnly enrolled among the Saints by Pope Clement XI.

w strong were the ways of

Eternal Wisdom in thy regard, 0 blessed Andrew, when a slight fault into winch thou wast surprised became the starting-point of thy splendid sanctity ! The mouth that belieth, killeth the soul. Seek not death in the error of your life, neither procure ye destruction by the works of your hands. 1 Thou didst read these words of divine Wisdom and fully understand them. The aim of life then appeared to thee very different, in the light of the vows thou wast inspired to make, ever to turn away from thyself and ever to draw nearer to the Sovereign Good. With holy Church in her Collect, we glorify our Lord for having disposed such admirable ascensions in thy heart. This daily progress led thee on from virtue to virtue, till thou dost now behold the Ood of gods in Sion. Thy heart and thy flesh rejoiced in the living God; thy soul, absorbed in the love of his hallowed courts, fainted at the thought thereof. No wonder it was at the foot of God's altar that thy life failed thee, and thou didst enter on the passage to his blessed home. With what joy thou wast welcomed into the eternal choirs, by those who had been on earth thy angelic associates in the divine praise!

Be not unmindful of the world's homage. Deign to respond to the confidence of Naples and Sicily, whioh commend themselves to thy powerful patronage. Bless the pious family of Eegular Clerks Theatmes, in union with St. Cajetan thy father and theirs. Obtain for us all a share in the blessings so largely bestowed on thee. May the vain pleasures found in the tabernacles of sinners never seduce us; but may we prefer the humility of God's house to all worldly

Emp. If, like thee, we love truth and mercy \ our >rd will give to us, as he gave to thee, grace and glory. Calling to mind the circumstances of thy blessed end, Christians honour thee as a proteotor 1 Wisd. i. 11, 12. against sudden, and unprovided death : be our guar* dian at that last moment ; let the innocence of our life, or at least our repentance, prepare for us a happy exit ; and may we, like thee, breathe out our last sigh in hope and love. 1

Borne invites us to-day to honour with her a group of martyrs, the protectors and the treasure of her great hospital of the Holy Ghost, where they rest under the high altar. The church of St. Augustine, close to the ancient stational church of St. Tryphon, also possesses a portion of the latter's precious remains.

Fac nos, qusesumus Do- Grant us we beseech thee, mine, sanctorum Martyrura 0 Lord, to keep the festival of tuorum Tryphonis, Respicii thy holy martyrs, Tryphon, et Nymphae semper festa se- Eespicius and Nympha ; by ctari: quorum suffragiis pro- whose suffrages may- we ex- tectionis tuae dona sentia- perience the gifts of thy pro- mus. Per Dominum. tection. Through our Lord.

1 Cf. Pa. lxxxiii.

November 11. SAINT MAETIN.

BISHOP AND CONFE8SOR.

Three thousand six hundred and sixty churches dedicated to St. Martin in France alone, 1 and well-nigh as many in the rest of the world, bear witness to the immense popularity of the great thaumaturgus. In the country, on the mountains, and in the depth of forests, trees, rocks, and fountains, objects of superstitious worship to our pagan ancestors, received, ¥ and in many places still retain, the name of him who snatched them from the dominion of the powers of darkness to restore them to the true God. For the vanquished idols, Roman, Oeltio or German, Christ substituted their conqueror, the humble soldier, in the grateful memory of the people. Martin's mission was to complete the destruction of paganism, whioh had been driven from the towns by the martyrs, but remained up to his time master of the vast territories removed from the influence of the cities.

While on the one hand he was honoured with God's favours, on the other he was pursued by hell with implacable hatred. At the very outset he had to encounter Satan, who said to him : " I will beset

1 A li^t arranged according to the dioceses may be seen in the Ap* pendix to Sadit Martin by Lecoy db la Makche,

" thy path at every turn ; " 1 and he kept his word. He has kept it to this very day : oentury after century, he has been working ruin around the glorious tomb, which once attracted the whole world to Tours ; in the sixteenth, he delivered to the flames, by the hands of the Huguenots, the venerable remains of the protector of France : by the nineteenth, he had brought men to such a height of folly, as themselves to destroy, in time of peace, the splendid basilica which was the pride and the riches of their city. The gratitude of Christ, and the rage of Satan, made known by such signs, reveal sufficiently the incomparable labours of the pontiff, apostle, and monk, St. Martin.

A monk indeed he was, both in desire and in reality, to the last day of his life. " From earliest in- " fancy he sighed after the service of God. He became " a oatechumen at the age of ten, and at twelve he " wished to retire to the desert ; all his thoughts « were engaged on monasteries and ohurohes. A " soldier at fifteen years of age, he so lived as even " then to be taken for a monk. 2 After a first trial of " religious life in Italy, he was brought by St Hilary " to this solitude of Ligug£, which, thanks to him, "became the cradle of monastic life in Gaul. To " say the truth, Martin, during the whole course of " his life, felt like a stranger everywhere else, except " at Ligug£. A monk by attraction, he had been " forced to be a soldier, and it needed violence to " make him a Bishop : and even then he never relin- " quished his monastic habits. He responded to the " dignity of a Bishop, says his historian, without de- " dining from the rule and life of a monk. 3 At first " he constructed for himself a cell near his church of

1 Sitlpit. Sever. Vita, vi. 2 Ita ut, jam illo tempore, non miles sed monachus putaretur. Ibid. ii. 3 Ita implebat episcopi dignitatem, ut non tamen propositum monachi virtutemque desereret, Ibid, x.