Catholicism, Catholicism, Return unto the Lord, thy God

The Office of Matins and Lauds this morning, according to the Divine Office prior to the debased modernist Liturgy of the Hours, is what is known as "Tenebrae." While it is now (since 1955), read or sung at the normal times of early morning, it was prior anticipated. Therefore, Matins and Lauds of Holy Thursday occurred on Wednesday night, after Vespers, and so on. The word "tenebrae" is from the Latin for shadows. A hearse, a candelabra, was placed in the centre of the sanctuary, The candles were extinguished one by one after each psalm and reading until only one remained, the Christ Candle which was then removed to a place behind the altar where only shadows were cast, from it. The choir would then bang their feet or pound their stalls in a great noise signifying the chaos of the universe at the betrayal and death of the Lord.

At the top right is a tab link to the "Divine Office," where I encourage you to go and and explore. 

The Readings today are profound. They are indeed also prophetic. Not only for the days of evil which came upon Our Blessed Lord, but as one reads and prays them, one realizes that they are speaking to us, today. The very conditions of the Church today echo the Prophet Jeremias' Lamentations, St. Augustine's Treatise defines the traitors of then and now and St. Paul's Letter makes clear the condemnations that are now dismissed as meaningless. 

Reading 1

Lesson from the book of Lamentations

Lam 1:1-5

1 Aleph. How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people! how is the mistress of the Gentiles become as a widow: the princes of provinces made tributary!

2 Beth. Weeping she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: there is none to comfort her among all them that were dear to her: all her friends have despised her, and are become her enemies.

3 Ghimel. Juda hath removed her dwelling place because of her affliction, and the greatness of her bondage: she hath dwelt among the nations, and she hath found no rest: all her persecutors have taken her in the midst of straits.

4 Daleth. The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast: all her gates are broken down: her priests sigh: her virgins are in affliction, and she is oppressed with bitterness.

5 He. Her adversaries are become her lords, her enemies are enriched: because the Lord hath spoken against her for the multitude of her iniquities: her children are led into captivity: before the face of the oppressor.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord thy God.

R. At the Mount of Olives He prayed unto the Father: O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me!

* The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

V. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.

R. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Reading 2

Lam 1:6-9

6 Vau. And from the daughter of Sion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like rams that find no pastures: and they are gone away without strength before the face of the pursuer.

7 Zain. Jerusalem hath remembered the days of her affliction, and prevarication of all her desirable things which she had from the days of old, when her people fell in the enemy's hand, and there was no helper: the enemies have seen her, and have mocked at her sabbaths.

8 Heth. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned, therefore is she become unstable: all that honoured her have despised her, because they have seen her shame: but she sighed and turned backward.

9 Teth. Her filthiness is on her feet, and she hath not remembered her end: she is wonderfully cast down, not having a comforter: behold, O Lord, my affliction, because the enemy is lifted up.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord thy God.

R. My Soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me

* Yet a little while, and ye shall see the multitude close Me in. Ye shall flee; and I will go to be offered a sacrifice for you.

V. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

R. Ye shall flee; and I will go to be offered a sacrifice for you.

Reading 3

Lam 1:10-14

10 Jod. The enemy hath put out his hand to all her desirable things: for she hath seen the Gentiles enter into her sanctuary, of whom thou gavest commandment that they should not enter into thy church.

11 Caph. All her people sigh, they seek bread: they have given all their precious things for food to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and consider, for I am become vile.

12 Lamed. O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow: for he hath made a vintage of me, as the Lord spoke in the day of his fierce anger.

13 Mem. From above he hath sent fire into my bones, and hath chastised me: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate, wasted with sorrow all the day long.

14 Nun. The yoke of my iniquities hath watched: they are folded together in his hand, and put upon my neck: my strength is weakened: the Lord hath delivered me into a hand out of which I am not able to rise.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord thy God.

R. Behold, when we shall see Him, He hath no form nor comeliness: there is no beauty in Him: this is He Which hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; but He was wounded for our transgressions

* And with His stripes we are healed.

V. Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

R. And with His stripes we are healed.

R. Behold, when we shall see Him, He hath no form nor comeliness: there is no beauty in Him; this is He Which hath borne our sins and carried our sorrows: but He was wounded for our transgressions, and with His stripes we are healed.

Reading 4

From the Treatise of St. Augustine, Bishop (of Hippo) Upon the Psalms

On Psalm liv. 1.

Give ear to my prayer, O God, and despise not my supplication: attend unto me and hear me. These are the words of a man travailing, anxious, and troubled. He prayeth in the midst of much suffering, longing to be rid of his affliction. Our part is to see what that his affliction was, and when he hath told us, to acknowledge that we also suffer therefrom; that so, partaking in his trouble, we may take part also in his exercise, and am troubled. Wherein mourned he? Wherein was he troubled? He saith: In my exercise. In the next words he giveth us to know that his affliction was the oppression of the wicked, because of the voice of the enemy, and because of the oppression of the wicked, and this suffering which came upon him at the hands of wicked men, he hath called his exercise. Think not that wicked men are in this world for nothing, or that God doth no good with them. Every wicked man liveth, either to repent, or to exercise the righteous.

R. Mine own friend hath betrayed Me by the sign of a kiss: Whomsoever I shall kiss, That Same is He; hold Him fast. This was the traitorous sign which he gave, even he who murdered with a kiss.

* Woe unto that man! He cast down the price of blood, and went, and hanged himself.

V. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.

R. Woe unto that man! He cast down the price of blood, and went, and hanged himself.

Reading 5

Would to God that they which now exercise us were converted and exercised with us! Yet, while they are as they are, and exercise us, we will not hate them: for we know not of any one of them whether he will endure to the end in his sin. Yea, oftentimes, when thou deemest that thou hatest thine enemy, he whom thou hatest is thy brother, and thou knowest it not. The Holy Scriptures show us that the devil and his angels are already damned unto everlasting fire, and therefore of their repentance it behoveth us to despair; but of theirs only. These are they against whom we wrestle within; to the which wrestling the Apostle stirreth us up where he saith: We wrestle not against flesh and blood, (that is, not against men whom we see,) but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Eph. vi. 12. He saith not the rulers of this world, lest perchance thou shouldest deem that devils are the lords of heaven and earth; what he doth say is, rulers of the darkness of this world, of that world which they love who love the world, of that world wherein the ungodly and unrighteous do prosper, of that world, in fine, of which the Gospel saith: And the world knew Him not.

R. The vile trader Judas came to the Lord to kiss Him, and He, as a guileless Lamb, refused not a kiss to Judas,

* Who, for a certain number of pence, betrayed Christ to the Jews.

V. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.

R. Who, for a certain number of pence, betrayed Christ to the Jews.

  

Reading 6

We have seen iniquity and strife in the city. v. 10. Behold, the glory of the Cross. That Cross which was the object of the insults of God's enemies, is established now above the brows of kings. The end hath shown the measure of its power: it hath conquered the world, not by the sword, but by its wood. The enemies of God thought the Cross a meet object of insult and ridicule, yea, they stood before it, wagging their heads and saying: If He be the Son of God, let Him come down from the Cross! Matth. xxvii. 39, 40. And He stretched forth His Hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. Rom. x. 21. If he is just which liveth by faith, Rom. i. 17; Hab. ii. 4, he is unjust that hath not faith. Therefore where is written iniquity we may understand unbelief. The Lord therefore saith that He saw iniquity and strife in the city, and that He stretched forth His Hands unto that disobedient and gainsaying people, and, disobedient and gainsaying as they were, He was hungry for their salvation, and said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Luke xxiii. 34.

R. One of My disciples shall betray Me this night. Woe unto that man by whom I am betrayed!

* It had been good for that man if he had not been born.

V. He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me into the hands of sinners.

R. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.

R. One of My disciples shall betray Me this night. Woe unto that man by whom I am betrayed. * It had been good for that man if he had not been born.

Reading 7

From the first letter of blessed Apostle Paul to Corinthians

1 Cor 11:17-22

17 Now this I ordain: not praising you, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse.

18 For first of all I hear that when you come together in the church, there are schisms among you; and in part I believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies: that they also, who are approved, may be made manifest among you.

20 When you come therefore together into one place, it is not now to eat the Lord's supper.

21 For every one taketh before his own supper to eat. And one indeed is hungry and another is drunk.

22 What, have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise ye the church of God; and put them to shame that have not? What shall I say to you? Do I praise you? In this I praise you not.

R. I was like a gentle lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and I knew not that mine enemies had devised devices against me, saying:

* Come, let us put (poison of a deadly) tree into his bread, and let us cut him off from the land of the living.

V. All they that hate me devised my hurt against me: they plotted together to do me evil, saying:

R. Come, let us put (poison of a deadly) tree into his bread, and let us cut him off from the land of the living.

Reading 8

1 Cor 11:23-26

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread.

24 And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me.

25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me.

26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until he come.

R. Could ye not watch with Me one hour, ye that called one on the other to die for Me?

* Or see ye not Judas, how that he sleepeth not, but maketh haste to betray Me to the Jews?

V. Why sleep ye? Rise, and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

R. Or see ye not Judas, how that he sleepeth not, but maketh haste to betray Me to the Jews?

Reading 9

1 Cor 11:27-34

27 Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgement to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

30 Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.

31 But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

34 If any man be hungry, let him eat at home; that you come not together unto judgement. And the rest I will set in order, when I come.

R. The elders of the people consulted

* That they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill Him they came out, as against a thief, with swords and staves.

V. The chief Priests and the Pharisees gathered a council.

R. That they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill Him: they came out, as against a thief, with swords and staves.

R. The elders of the people consulted * That they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill Him: they came out, as against a thief, with swords and staves.