Liturgical Texts: August 2007 Archives

Collect

O God, by whose grace
Saint Joseph of Arimathea
was emboldened to ask
for the sacred Body of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that together with Saint Nicodemus
he might prepare it for burial and lay it in his own tomb,
give us such an increase of faith and courage
that we may not fear to bear reproach for the sake of Christ,
but rather may serve Him with sincere devotion
all the days of our life.
Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.

Collect at the General Intercessions

O God,
who did leave us traces of your sufferings
on the holy Shroud in which your sacred Body,
taken from the cross, was wrapped by Joseph,
mercifully grant that, by your death and burial,
we may be brought to the glory of your resurrection.
Who live and reign forever and ever.

Collect

Almighty God, who made Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso
a good shepherd,
to build up with exemplary virtue
the flock entrusted to him;
grant that we may follow his teachings
and walk without wavering
under the guidance of the Gospel
until, at length, we come to contemplate you
in your eternal Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.

Collect at the General Intercessions

O God by whose grace
Blessed Ildefonso Schuster
served at your altars
in perfect recollection and quietness of heart,
radiating peace even in the midst of war,
grant, we beseech you, through his intercession,
that we may prefer nothing to the praise of your majesty
and never despair of your mercy.
Through Christ our Lord.

At First Vespers

Holy Father Saint Augustine,
Hearken to thy children's cry;
Plea for us as now thou standest
Near the throne of God on high:
Guide thy flock, O loving Shepherd,
Who to us in Christ art nigh.

Holy poverty's true lover,
All Christ's poor ones hymn thy praise,
Truth's own champion and defender,
Loved by all who seek her ways;
Scripture's God-enlightened teacher,
All her wealth thy pen displays.

Lighting depths obscure and hidden,
Thou dost break us heavenly bread
From the doctrine of our Saviour,
From the gracious words He said;
With the Psalms life-giving nectar
All who learn of thee are fed.

For the white-robed canon's choir
Laws of wisdom thou didst frame:
Those who love thy words and keep them,
Thy sure patronage may claim;
Safe, they tread the ways of Sion,
Calling on thy worthy name.

Glory to the King of Ages;
Praise and triumph to his reign;
Joining with the choir of Angels,
Let us sound our answering strain;
E'en now, 'neath our Patron's banner,
Citizens of heaven's domain. Amen.

Magnificat I

Strive to enter by the narrow door,
for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter,
and shall not be able (Lk 13:24).

Benedictus

Many shall come from the east and the west,
and shall sit at table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 8:12).

Magnificat II

Behold, they are last that shall be first;
and they are first that shall be last, says the Lord (Lk 13:30).

This morning at the Monastery of the Glorious Cross we had the Blessing of Herbs and Flowers to mark the Octave Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Christians of both East and West have, from very early times, blessed herbs and fruit on the Feast of the Assumption. Thus blessed, these creatures become sacramentals of the Church and portents of divine protection from dangers to soul and body. In some places the herbs were placed on the altar, and even beneath the altar linens, so that from this proximity to the Most Holy Eucharist they might receive a special hallowing, beyond that conferred by the blessing prayers of the Church.

The prayers of the rite suggest that this custom of the Church hearkens back to the ancient customs ordained by God through Moses. According to Christian tradition, when the Apostles accompanied Saint Thomas, who had been absent at the time of the Blessed Virgin's death, to her tomb, upon opening it they discovered that her body was not there. Instead, they found the tomb filled with fragrant herbs and flowers. Blessed herbs recall the lingering fragrance of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church.

I regret that I was not able to take photos of the rite of blessing. Sister Elfriede had prepared a table covered with a white linen cloth. I brought my own basket containing spearmint, lavender, oregano, sage, thyme, and black-eyed susans. We used the rite given by my boyhood mentor, Father Philip T. Weller, in his magnificent Roman Ritual. Father Weller's three volume edition of the Roman Ritual was recently reprinted and is now available from Preserving Christian Publications.

August 20th is the feast of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church. Cistercians keep it as a solemnity. This particular depiction of the "amplexus" or embrace of Saint Bernard by the Crucified Jesus is found in the Cistercian Church of San Bernardo Alle Terme in Rome.

Preface of the Mass of Saint Bernard

Truly it is right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

Christ is the Word
whom Saint Bernard held in the silence of his heart;
Christ is the Bridegroom
whom he desired with all the ardour of his soul;
Christ is the Son of the Virgin Mary
whose sweetness was his comfort and delight.

In the holy abbot Bernard you have given your Church
a teacher in the school of charity,
a prophet burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit,
a poet to sing the praises of the Virgin Mother,
a servant of unity and peace.

Even today, his words fill us with wonder,
inflame us with longing for the wedding of the Lamb,
and inspire us to sing your praise with joy.

Therefore, with the angels and the great company of saints,
we exalt your glory forever.

Note: The Magnificat Antiphon at First Vespers of the 20th Sunday of the Year C is the same one given for the Magnificat at First Vespers of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Magnificat I

I am come to cast fire on the earth:
and what will I, but that it be kindled (Lk 12:49).

Benedictus

I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized:
and how I am constrained until it be accomplished (Lk 12:50).

Magnificat II

Do you think that I am come to give peace on earth?
I tell you, no; but separation (Lk 12: 51).

Collect

God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
who led your martyr Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
to the knowledge of your crucified Son
in her imitation of him even unto death,
grant, by her intercession,
that all people may know the Saviour Christ
and, through him, come to the vision of you in eternity.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

or

Lord God of our fathers,
who brought Saint Teresa Benedicta
to the fullness of the science of the Cross
at the hour of her martyrdom,
fill us with that same knowledge
and, through her intercession,
allow us always to seek after you, the Supreme Truth,
and to remain faithful until death
to the covenant of love, ratified in the Blood of your Son
for the salvation of all men and women.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

The tradition of the Roman Church marks today’s feast of the martyrs Pope Saint Sixtus and his four deacon companions by blessing the first grapes of the harvest. This is a sign that, with the feast of the Transfiguration, the Church has entered into a time of fullness, a time that looks for completion.

At the Monastery of the Glorious Cross in Branford, Connecticut, the faithful will bring grapes to Mass tomorrow. These will be arranged on a table on the edge of the sanctuary. At the end of Mass, the grapes will be blessed, using the form given in the Roman Ritual:

BLESSING OF GRAPES

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

Bless, we beseech you, O Lord, this fresh fruit of the vine,
which You have graciously brought to full ripeness
with the dew of heaven, abundant rain, and calm and fair weather.
You have given them for our use;
grant that we may receive them with thanksgiving
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the True Vine,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
R. Amen.

(And they are sprinkled with holy water.)