ricordia; Domine, gloria thy faithful, were enrolled tibi. under the divine name of thee our God, when thou didst become Man. Glory be to thee, O Lord! for, great is thy mercy. And now, a Hymn to our Lady, the Seat of Wisdom! Let us offer her this beautiful one, taken from the Cluny Missal of 1523. SEQUENCE. Hail Mary! sweet hope of the world! Hail, gentle Queen! Hail, loving Mother! Hail, full of grace! Hail, peerless Virgin ! imaged in the Bush that burned, yet was not burnt. Hail, lovely Rose ! Hail, Jesse's Rod! whose Fruit broke the chains of our misery. Hail, Holy Mother! for whom God set aside all nature's laws, and made thy virginal womb bring forth his Son. Hail, matchless Queen! 'twas thou didst make the long sad world rejoice. Hail, Beacon of Virgins! pouring out thy celestial light on them whom tempests toss. Hail, Virgin! of whom the King of heaven would be born, and suck the food whereon he deigned to live. Hail, Pearl! Hail Heavenly Orb ! Hail, Temple of the Holy Ghost! Oh! how wonderful and how venerable is this Virginity! In it, shone forth a fruitfulness produced by the Holy Paraclete. And she, the Virgin, how holy how peaceful! how kind! how lovely must we deem her! By the gift she gave us, slavery was abolished, the gate of heaven was opened, and liberty brought back again. O Lily of purity! pray for us to thy Son, the Saviour of the humble, That in the awful judgment, he may not sentence us to torments for our sins; But, moved by thy holy prayers, may he cleanse us from the dross of sin, And admit us into mansions of eternal light. Amen! let every Christian say, Amen! DECEMBER 30. SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF OR THE SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. (When the 30th of December does not fall on a Sunday, it is called "the Sixth Day within the "Octave," and the 3rd Mass of Christmas Day is repeated, page 225; excepting only the Epistle and "Gospel, which are taken from the 2nd Mass, pages 214, 215.) This is the only day, within the Christmas Octave, which is not a Saint's Feast. During the Octaves of the Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost, the Church is so absorbed in the respective mysteries, that she puts off everything that could share her attention; whereas, during this of Christmas, there is only one day which does not celebrate the memory of some glorious Saint, and our Infant Jesus is surrounded by a choir of heroes who loved and served him. Thus, the Church, or, more correctly, God-for God is the first author of the Cycle of the Year-shows us how the Incarnate Word, who came to save mankind, desires to give mankind confidence by this his adorable familiarity. We have already shown that the Birth of our Lord took place on a Sunday, the Day on which, in the beginning of the world, God created Light. We shall find, later on, that his Resurrection, also, was on a Sunday. This the first day of creation, and the first of the week, was consecrated, by the old Pagans, to the Sun with us Christians, it is most sacred and holy, on account of the two risings of our divine Sun of Justice-his Birth and his Resurrection. Whilst the solemnity of Easter is always kept on a Sunday, that of Christmas falls, by turns, on each of the days of the week-we have already had this difference explained to us by the Holy Fathers:-but, the mystery of Jesus' Birth is more aptly and strongly expressed, when its anniversary falls on a Sunday. Other years, when the coincidence does not happen, the Faithful will, at least, be led by their Christian instincts, to give especial honour to the Day, within the Octave, which falls on the Sunday. The Church has honoured it with a proper Mass and Office, and we of course insert them. MASS. It was at Midnight, that the Lord delivered his people from bondage, by the Passage of his destroying Angel over the land of the Egyptians: so, also, was it in the still hour of midnight, that Jesus, the Angel of the Great Counsel, came down from his royal throne, bringing mercy to our earth. It is just, that whilst commemorating this second Passage, the Church should sing the praises of her Emmanuel, who comes, clad in his strength and beauty, to take possession of his Kingdom. INTROIT. While all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, thy Almighty Word, O Lord, came down from thy royal throne. Ps. The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Dum medium silentium tenerent omnia, et nox in suo cursu medium iter haberet, omnipotens sermo tuus, Domine, de cœlis, a regalibus sedibus venit. Ps. Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est: indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, Lord is clothed with strength, et præcinxit se. . Gloria and hath girded himself. . Patri. Dum medium. Glory, &c. While all. In the Collect, the Church prays to be directed by that divine rule, which was taught us by our Saviour, the Sun of Justice, who shone upon us in order to enlighten and guide our steps in the path of good works. COLLECT. Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, dirige actus nostros in beneplacito tuo: ut in nomine dilecti Filii tui mereamur bonis operibus abundare. Qui tecum. O Almighty and Eternal God, regulate our actions according to thy divine will: that, in the name of thy beloved Son, we may abound in good works. Who liveth, &c. The Commemorations of the Octaves of Christmas, &c., are given in page 315: that of St. Thomas of Canterbury, in page 352. |