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DIRECTIONS FOR SEEING THE CEREMONIES 3

DIRECTIONS

FOR SEEING THE CEREMONIES

ON THE CEREMONIES OF THE MASS

Gradually various prayers and ceremonies were added to the sacred words pronounced by Christ, as the Apology of St. Justin, the writings of St. Cyprian, the catechetical discourses of St. Cyril of Jerusalem and other early works prove. The Apostles themselves had added the Lord's prayer. The liturgy however during the first four centuries, as Le Brun maintains, or, according to Muratori followed by Palmer, the first three centuries, was not written, but was preserved by oral tradition, according to the received practice of the early church, which, unwilling to give what is holy to dogs, or to cast pearls before swine concealed from all persons, except the faithful, the mysteries of faith. It would seem from St. Justin's apology, that much was left to the particular devotion of the bishop or priest who offered mass, and hence we might expect not to find in the earliest liturgies great uniformity, except in essentials and general outline. Yet Le Brun has endeavoured to restore, from the early Christian writers, the liturgy used in the first four centuries: and it contains the most important prayers and ceremonies of the mass in its more modern form.

The language of our liturgy has descended to us as a precious legacy from the time when Peter and Paul preached in Rome. It would be incongruous that our ancient hierarchy robed in ancient vestments should perform our ancient liturgy in a moderne language. As in all parts of the globe there are members of the Catholic church, she has wisely preserved in her liturgy a language common to all countries, the language too of majesty, civilisation and science, as De Maistre observes. Like her divine founder she is the same yesterday and to-day: like the rock, on which she is built, she is proof against the winds and waves; she is unchanged and unaffected by the wayward caprices of fashion. Translations of her liturgy are published for the use of those who are unacquainted with Latin so that they may either join in reciting the prayers of the church, or say others which their own devotion may suggest.

Incense is used, as is customary at high masses, before the introit, at the Gospel, after the offertory and during the elevation. Before the introit the crucifix, the altar, the celebrant and the Pope are successively incensed. Before the deacon sings the gospel he incenses the book; and after it the Pope is once more incensed by the first cardinal priest. After the offertory, besides the bread and wine, the crucifix, the altar, the celebrant and the Pope, the Cardinals and the first in rank among the prelates and other personages are incensed by the deacon. At the elevation the blessed Sacrament alone is incensed.

ON THE CEREMONIES OF PALM-SUNDAY

The sufferings and death of Jesus Christ are the mysteries which the catholic church commemorates during holy week. "On these days" says S. John Chrysostom "was the tyranny of the devil overthrown, sin and its curse were taken away, heaven was opened and made accessible". It was then becoming that christians should consecrate these days of mercy, of grace and salvation to exercises of penance, devotion, and thanksgiving. The imposing liturgy of the Roman church is at this season more than usually solemn; and it is our task to describe, and endeavour to trace to their origin, its varied ceremonies.

Pope Julius II returning to Rome after the siege of Mirandola distributed palms to the Roman court at S. Maria del Popolo; and then rode in triumphal procession to the Vatican passing under seven arches adorned with representations of his extraordinary and heroic deeds.

If we now look back for a moment to the triumphs of the pagan emperors, well may we bless God for the change which the religion of Christ has wrought in this city. After they had let loose war, and famine, and pestilence, to prey upon hapless nations, they ascended the Capitol to offer incense with polluted hands to their profane gods; and meantime the groans of the dying and unpitied princes, whom they had reserved to decorate their triumph, ascended from the scala Gemonia to call down the vengeance of heaven upon their oppressors. But while the pacific and holy vicar of Christ returns in triumph to his capital, the lips of babes and sucklings sing his praises, as they did those of his Divine Master, and he implores heaven to shower down benedictions on his enemies as well as his beloved children.

Some palms are arranged on the altar. The Pope's chief Sacristan, who is a bishop chosen from the Augustinian order bears one, and kneels on the steps of the throne between the deacon and subdeacon, who bear two larger palms. His Holiness reads the usual prayers over the palms, sprinkles them with holy water, and incenses them three times.

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE, AND THE OFFICE OF TENEBRAE IN PARTICULAR.

In subsequent times the Hours of prayer were gradually developed from the three, or the four seasons above enumerated, to seven, viz. by the addition of Prime , Vespers , and Compline ; according to the words of the Psalm, "Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous judgment. Other pious and instructive reasons existed, or have since been perceived for this number". Thus far our Protestant author, with whose remarks we are too well pleased to go out of our way to dispute with him the truth of some other portions of his tract, which are objectionable.

That the early Christians continued after the time of the apostles to observe the hours of prayer above enumerated is proved by Martene who has collected many decisive passages from the Greek and Latin Fathers. We shall content ourselves with one taken from a work on prayer by S. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage in the third century. Having mentioned Daniel's practice of praying three times a day, he observes, that it is manifest that there was something mysterious or symbolical in the ancient practice. "For the holy Ghost descended on the disciples at the third hour; at the sixth hour Peter going to the house-top was instructed by God to admit all to the grace of salvation; and the Lord, who was crucified at the sixth hour, washed away our sins with his blood at the ninth hour, and completed the victory by his passion. For us however, besides the hours anciently observed, the times and also the symbols of prayer have increased. For we must pray in the morning, to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord; also when the sun recedes and the day ceases; for Christ is the true sun and the true day, and when we pray that the light of Christ may again come upon us, we pray that his coming may impart to us the grace of eternal light: and let us who are always in Christ, that is, in the light, not cease from prayer at night". See also Dr. Cave's Primitive Christianity Part. 1, c. 9.

Lamps and candelabra were presented to the sanctuary by the faithful during the first ages of persecution; and in more tranquil times to the basilicas by Constantine and others who erected or dedicated them. They were lighted, as S. Jerome observes, in the day time "not to drive away darkness, but as a sign of joy": and therefore the custom of gradually extinguishing them at the office of Tenebrae we may justly consider with Amalarius as a sign of mourning, or of the sympathy of the church with her divine and suffering Spouse. The precise number of lights is determined by that of the psalms, which is the same as at ordinary matins of three nocturns.

On Wednesday-afternoon, the Cardinal great Penitentiary goes in state to S. Mary Major's, where the minor Penitentiaries are Dominicans. For an account of this custom see the preceding chapter. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, Christians may be edified at the Trinit? dei Pellegrini by the sight of Cardinals, princes, prelates and others, washing in good earnest, and afterwards kissing the feet of poor pilgrims, while they recite with them the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, and other beautiful prayers, such as;

ON THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY THURSDAY

During the last three days of holy-week the church celebrates the funeral obsequies of her Divine Spouse: and hence there are numerous signs of mourning in her temples, in her liturgy, and in the dress of her ministers. On thursday however, a passing gleam of heavenly light irradiates the solemn gloom in which she is enveloped: for on this day Jesus Christ, having loved his own even unto the end, instituted the holy sacrament, the staff of our pilgrimage, our solace in affliction, our strength in temptation, the source of all virtue, and the pledge of everlasting life. Accordingly the liturgy of holy-thursday bears the impress both of sorrow and of gladness: it is not unlike a fitful day of April in our northern climes, when the sun now bursts from the clouds which had concealed his brilliancy, and now once more the sky is shrouded in murky gloom--an apt emblem this of the over-changing state of man, who at one moment quaffs the inebriating cup of earthly joys, and yet a little, and it is dashed from his grasp; and sickness, sorrow and death are his portion.

Anciently three masses used to be celebrated at Rome on this day, as is evident from the sacramentary of pope Gelasius; and at all the three the Pope himself officiated. At the first the public penitents were absolved: at the second the oils were blessed; the last was intended to commemorate the institution of the blessed Sacrament. Public penance gradually declined in the western church after the seventh century; and the three masses are now reduced to one. That of the Sixtine chapel, at which the Pope assists, differs very little from ordinary Masses celebrated there, and the concourse of persons is generally very great.

Pouget proves that the blessing of the oils originates in apostolic tradition, as St. Basil cited above observes. He proves also that since the fifth and sixth centuries the bishop and priests used to breathe three times over the chrism and oil of catechumens, and to salute them with the words "Ave sanctum chrisma: ave sanctum oleum". Our Saviour breathed on His apostles, when He said 'Receive ye the holy Ghost': and hence his ministers breathe over the chrism, by which the Holy Ghost is conferred in confirmation, and over the oil of catechumens, which is used in other sacred rites. Respect is paid to them, because they are employed in God's service, and hence it is a relative respect directed to Him. An ardent soul will never hesitate to address inanimate objects; in fact some of the finest passages of ancient and modern oratory are apostrophes of this nature. S. Andrew is said to have saluted the cross, on which he suffered, S. Paula the birth-place of our divine Lord; and theirs were words of love of God, and not of idolatry.

Two objects are obtained by this custom; 1st. the blessed sacrament is solemnly preserved for the adoration of the faithful on this anniversary of its institution, as well as for the priest's communion on good friday; 2nd. the burial of our divine Saviour is represented: this is anticipated, in order that the principal altar may be striped, in sign of mourning, and as He was stripped before His crucifixion.

From the most remote antiquity, it was customary among the Hebrews and other nations, that the feet of strangers and guests should be washed before they reclined at table, as they had often travelled on foot. Thus the angels entertained by Abraham and Lot , were supplied with water to wash their feet: Abraham's servants in the house of Laban, and the brothers of Joseph, when received by him, washed their feet. . In these cases however the guest washed his own feet; and hence the condescension of our Divine Lord was an act not of hospitality or charity alone, but also of profound humility; and accordingly he put on a towel or apron, like an ordinary slave, as Ferrari observes . Most interpreters are of opinion, that Christ washed the feet of His disciples towards the close of the ordinary supper, and shortly before He instituted the holy Sacrament; in order to signify the purity with which it should be received. His example was imitated by His disciples, and accordingly S. Paul speaks of widows who "have washed the saints' feet," as Magdalen had washed those of our Lord.

In the afternoon, at the office of Tenebrae, among other signs of mourning, the cross is veiled in black, and the candles are of yellow wax: the Pope's throne is stripped of its usual ornaments, and is without a canopy: the cardinals' and prelates' benches also are without carpets. The Cardinal Penitentiary goes to S. Peter's, where the minor Penitentiaries are Conventuals of S. Francis. We have spoken on these subjects in the preceding chapters. We may here recapitulate the principal ceremonies of the day, as Morcelli has done in his Calendar. The oils are blessed in S. Peter's; the Pope assists at mass in the Sixtine chapel, carries the B. Sacrament to the Pauline chapel, gives His solemn benediction from S. Peter's, washes the feet of thirteen priests and serves them at table. In the afternoon Tenebrae in the Sixtine chapel; and the Cardinal great Penitentiary goes to S Peter's.

Two great virtues are embodied in the ceremonies of this day, and impart to them their life and loveliness: they are the essential and characteristic virtues of Christians, by the practice of which they imitate their divine Master and model, and come at last to be united to Him in heaven. Christ was moved by charity to institute the Holy Sacrament, and by humility to wash His disciples feet. Let us then learn of him because He was meek and humble of heart, and let us love one another, because Christ hath first loved us, and commands us to love one another.

ON THE CEREMONIES OF GOOD-FRIDAY

Christ, says S. Paul, died for all men, and when suffering on the cross, He prayed even for his relentless persecutors: on the anniversary then of his death it is fit that His church should pray for all men, that all may be saved by the application of His merits to their souls. The Card. Celebrant commences the beautiful, charitable, and ancient prayers of this day with the words, Let us pray, dearly beloved, for the holy church of God etc. The deacon then kneeling says Let us bend our knees, and the subdeacon answers, Stand up, as it was customary to pray standing. This form is repeated before each prayer, except that which is offered for the Jews: for their soldiers, bowing the knee before our Lord, mocked him saying in derision, Hail king of the Jews. Prayers follow for the Pope, for all the clergy, and holy people of God and catechumens who are to receive baptism on the day following. Having prayed for all members of the church, we then pray for heretics and schismatics, that God may deign to "deliver them from all errors, and bring them back to their holy mother the catholic and apostolic church"; and these petitions are followed by others for the conversion of Jews and Pagans.

When these prayers are ended the officiating Cardinal takes off his chasuble, and going to the epistle-side of the altar receives from the deacon the crucifix covered with a black veil. Then turning towards the people, and uncovering the upper part of the crucifix, he sings, Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world; in singing which words he is joined by two tenor-voices from the choir. The choir answers, Come, let us adore. The Pope and all others kneel, except the Cardinal celebrant, who advances nearer to the middle of the altar, and uncovers the right arm of the crucifix, and repeats the same words in a higher tone, and again in a still higher tone before the middle of the altar, where he uncovers the whole cross. The choir answers as before, and all except the celebrant kneel each time the words are repeated. The Cardinal then places the crucifix on a rich cushion lying on the steps of the altar.

Catholics are bound to believe with divine faith only those doctrines, which the church defines to be doctrines taught by God; and hence with regard to particular images or relics or miracles, concerning which Christ has taught nothing, they believe them to be genuine or reject them, according to the evidence which accompanies them. We shall therefore briefly examine what evidence there is in favour of the relics in question.

ON THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY-SATURDAY

I remarked in the last chapter, that anciently mass was not said either on good-friday, or holy-saturday, and I quoted Pope Innocent I, who assigns as a reason the example of the Apostles, who spent those days in mourning for their Master. It was formerly customary to celebrate mass on the night of Easter-eve or holy Saturday. Hence when Tertullian, the oldest Latin Christian writer, endeavoured to dissuade his wife from ever marrying a pagan, in case of his own death, among other arguments he used the following; "Who will tranquilly wait for you, when you are spending the night at the paschal solemnities?" S. Jerome also says, that according to apostolic tradition, the people did not leave the church on Easter-eve before midnight. This custom continued for many ages; but Hugh of S. Victor in the twelfth century says, that in his time, in order to avoid weakness arising from long fasting, the hour anciently observed was anticipated. The service, which is now performed before noon on holy Saturday, was formerly assigned to the night of Easter-eve: and this anticipation accounts for the occasional mention of night, which it contains, as well as for the early celebration of Christ's resurrection.

The ceremonies of holy saturday-morning may be arranged under three heads: 1st. the blessing of the fire and of the paschal candle: 2nd. the preparation for, and ceremonies of, baptism: 3rd. the litany and mass. All three allude, as we shall see, to the resurrection of Christ, which is the great object of our devotion on this day. In Rome two sanctuaries are the great centres of attraction in the morning, viz. S. John Lateran's on account of the baptism of adults, and the Sixtine chapel, where the service is always beautiful, and particularly on this day. We shall first give an account of the ceremonies observed in the latter, and shall then describe the additional interesting rites of S. John Lateran's.

to whom, with all the readiness of the bucolic shepherds, whom this classic soil even now produces, Card. Sorbelloni, the Pope's cousin, replied:

Baini Mem. Stor. T. 1.

The ceremonies of holy-week are performed at S. John Lateran's by the chapter of that protobasilica, and resemble for the most part those which we have already described. On holy-saturday however, in addition to the rites before mentioned, the font of the baptistery is blessed by the Card. Vicar, baptism is solemnly administered there to adults, the newly-baptised are confirmed in the church, ordination is conferred during mass upon candidates, for the priesthood. We shall treat briefly of these various ceremonies.

The Caeremoniale Episcoporum prescribes that infants, except in danger of death, should not be baptised during the eight preceding days, that they may be reserved for holy-Saturday. The beginning of the baptismal service and the exorcisms are performed privately in the sacristy by the parish-priest, while the prophecies are read in church. After the font has been blessed, the catechumens wearing a long white dress, and accompanied by their respective godfathers and godmothers, approach the font, and in turn ascend. In answer to the questions of the Cardinal having renounced Satan and all his works and pomps, they profess their belief in the articles of Christian faith, and their desire of baptism: then assisted by their sponsors they are baptised by infusion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; they are anointed with chrism, receive a white garment, with a charge to bear it unspotted before the tribunal of Christ, and in fine a lighted taper, that "when the Lord shall come to the nuptials, they may meet him in the heavenly court unto life everlasting".

The litanies are sung, while the procession returns to the church, where the newly-baptised are confirmed in a side-chapel, and exhorted to perseverance in virtue, by the Cardinal; the litanies are then continued, but cease while all kneeling venerate the heads of SS. Peter and Paul shewn from above the high altar; the procession afterwards returns to the tribune, where the mass of the day is sung, and orders are conferred by the Cardinal-Vicar.

PECULIAR CEREMONIES OF HOLY-WEEK AT JERUSALEM

Having spoken of the blessing of the paschal candle at Rome, we may for a few moments turn our thoughts towards a city still more ancient, and trodden by holier and more exalted beings than even the apostles and martyrs of the eternal city. The justly-celebrated traveller John Thevenot in his Voyage du Levant describes the ceremonies of holyweek performed at Jerusalem; the distribution of palms, the washing of the feet on Maunday-Thursday at the door of the holy Sepulchre; and the procession to the holy places or stations performed by the Catholic Christians. Concerning this the eloquent Pere Abb? de Geramb, in his interesting Pelerinage at Jerusalem in 1832, informs us that "by means of a figure in relief of the natural size, whose head, arms, and feet are flexible, the religious represent the crucifixion, the descent from the cross, and the burial of Jesus Christ, in such manner as to render all the principal circumstances apparent to the senses and striking".

The distinguished missionary and pilgrim D. Casto Gonzalez recounts other disorders of the Greeks during Holy Week, and profanations of the most holy sanctuaries of Palestine. In the year 1833 he exposed, but not without great risk, the fraud of the "holy fire". On the holy-Saturday of the Greeks the officiating Bishop accompanied by an Armenian and a Coptic Bishop and their respective clergy had already walked thrice round the holy Sepulchre, when the missionary ignited a match with phosphorus, and holding it up exclaimed "Look, the heavenly fire has fallen into my hands": he then extinguished it and lighted it again several times to the great astonishment of the assembled multitude. He was protected by the Turks from the dangers which surrounded him. So manifest was the fraud of the pretended "holy fire" that even the schismatical Armenian patriarch issued a circular letter forbidding his spiritual subjects to be present at the disgraceful exhibition.

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