Bach - Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 - Dr. Aaron James, The Toronto Oratory on No Mass for you Sunday

Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying - Fairfield County Children's Choir

 

Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending : Lichfield Cathedral Choir

Alma Redemptoris Mater - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina [á 4; The King's Singers]

O Emmanuel

O EMMANUEL our king and our lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their Saviour:

Come and save us, O Lord our God.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel." Isaiah 7:14

O King

O KING of the nations, and their desire,

the cornerstone making both one:

Come and save the human race,

which you fashioned from clay.

"For a child has been born for us, a son given us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 

"He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Isaiah 2:4  

"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8

O Dayspring

O DAYSPRING, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined." Isaiah 9:2

Advent Carol Service live from Trinity College Chapel - Sunday 1 Decembe...

This is the Record of John

This is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and denied not, and said plainly, 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him, What art thou then? Art thou Elias?  And he said, 'I am not.'  Art thou the prophet?  And he answered, 'No.' Then said they unto him, What art thou? that we may give an answer unto them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? And he said, 'I am the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord.'

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Below are two fine examples of the full version.

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St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople. "On the Presentation of the Mother of God."

From today's Matins from the Fifth Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May the Gospel's holy lection be our safety and protection. Amen.

Reading 7

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 1:26-28

At that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And so on.

Homily by St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople.

On the Presentation of the Mother of God.

O Mary, where shall I find words to praise thee? Maiden undefiled, virgin unstained, exaltation of women, glory of daughters! Holy Maiden Mother, blessed art thou among women, thy glory is in thy guilelessness, and thy name is a name of purity. In thee the curse of Adam is done away, and the debt of Eve paid. Thou art the clean offering of Abel, chosen out of the firstlings profession thereof to be made at of the flock, a pure sacrifice. Thou art the hope of Enoch, that firm hope that he had in God, and was not ashamed. Thou art the grace that was in Enoch in this life, and his transit to a better. Thou art the Holy Ark of Noah, and the bond of reconciliation with God in a new regeneration. Thou art the exceeding glory of the kingdom and Priesthood of Melchisedech. Thou art the unshaken trust of Abraham, and his faith in the promise of children that were to-be. Thou art the renewed oblation and the reasonable burntoffering of Isaac. Thou art the ladder that Jacob saw going up to heaven, and the most noble of all his children throughout the twelve tribes of Israel. According to the flesh thou art the daughter of Judah. Thou art the modesty of Joseph, and the overthrow of the old Egypt, yea, and of the Synagogue of the Jews. O purest! Thou art the book of Moses the Lawgiver, whereon the new covenant is written with the finger of God, for the new Israel, fleeing from the spiritual Egypt, even as the old law was written upon Sinai, for the old Israel, that Israel which was fed in the wilderness upon manna and water from the rock, whereof both were types of Christ, which was yet to come from thy womb, as a bridegroom from his chamber. Thou art Aaron's rod that budded. Thou art David's daughter, all glorious within, clothed in a vesture of gold, wrought about with divers colours.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.

* O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.

R. O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. She whose feast-day we are keeping, Mary, blessed Maid of Maidens, be our Advocate with God. Amen.

Reading 8

Thou art the vision of the Prophets and the fulfilment of those things which they foretold. Thou art the gate whereof Ezekiel spake, when he prophesied, and said, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut xliv. 2. Thou art the Rod of Jesse, whereof Isaiah spake, xi. I, even that Rod whose Flower is Christ, and whose offshoots shall choke out all the seedlings of sin, and fill the earth with plants of grace. Thou art the Covenant foretold by Jeremiah when he said xxxi. 31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers thereby signifying the coming of thy Son, and calling upon all nations to worship Him for their God, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. Thou art the great mountain spoken of by Daniel, the man greatly beloved, wherefrom is cut without man's hands the corner-stone, that is, Christ, which hath smitten in pieces the parti-coloured image of the old serpent. I honour thee as the unpolluted fountain, I proclaim that thou art full of grace, I praise thee as the clean and undefiled tabernacle of God. Verily, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. As by a woman death entered into the world, by a woman came the power to rise again. The serpent gave us to eat deadly fruit, but that fall hath ended in the lifegiving Bread of Immortality. Eve, our first mother, brought forth Cain the first murderer; thou, O Mary, hast brought forth Christ, the first-fruits of life and of the resurrection. Ear hath not heard the like. It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive this new thing. Blessed be the unspeakable depths of the Wisdom of God.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. My soul doth magnify the Lord;

* For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May He that is the Angels' King to that high realm His people bring. Amen.

Reading 9

And now we, the people of God, a holy generation, an acceptable congregation, the nestlings of the dove of peace, children of grace, do with purified minds and unpolluted lips, praise God in the tongues of all nations in this joyful solemnity of the Virgin. This is a noble Feast wherein the Angels keep holiday and men do most fitly offer praise, even a feast wherein we echo with reverence and joy that salutation first spoken by Gabriel. Hail Mary! Hail, thou Paradise of God the Father, whence the knowledge of Him floweth in broad rivers to the ends of the earth! Hail, Dwelling-place of God the Son, whence He came forth clothed in flesh! Hail, mysterious Tabernacle of God the Holy Ghost! Hail, thou that art holier than the Cherubim! Hail, thou that art more glorious than the Seraphim! Hail, thou that art nobler than the heavens! Hail, thou that art brighter than the sun! Hail, thou that art fairer than the moon! Hail, manifold splendour of the stars! Hail, light cloud, dropping the dew of heaven! Hail, holy breeze, clearing the air of the vapours of sin! Hail, royal theme of the Prophets! Hail, sound of the Apostles gone out into all the earth! Hail, most excellent confession of the Martyrs! Hail, just hope of the Patriarchs! Hail, peculiar honour of all the Saints! Hail, source of health to dying creatures! Hail, O Queen, ambassadress of peace! Hail, stainless crown of motherhood! Hail, advocate of all under heaven! Hail, restoration of the whole world! Hail, thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee, even the Lord that is before thee, and from thee, and that is with us. To Him, with the Father, and the most holy and Life-giving Spirit, be ascribed all praise, now and ever, world without end. Amen.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

Advent Hymns I

Lo! he comes with clouds descending

Ember Saturday of Advent - Have you discovered it yet?

Sabbato Quattuor Temporum Adventus: Missa “Veni, et osténde”

Today is Ember Saturday in Advent. It is a day of Fast and Partial Abstinence as we prepare for one week from today the coming of the Lord. Today is a Major Feria, not Privileged Station at St. Peter’s. In the first ages ordinations took place in Rome only in the month of December usually at the tomb of St. Peter. The Pope alone inherits the plenitude of St. Peter’s primacy, and in the Twelfth Century it came to be the rule that the papal consecration alone was carried out at the altar over the tomb of the Apostle. The long Mass contains the traces of the fast which began after supper on Friday and lasted until the dawn of Sunday; in that period there was no Mass on Saturday. St. Gregory shortened the primitive vigil and the Mass assumed the form in which we have it today. The Mass includes the great canticle of the Blessings which, in the earlier rite formed the morning doxology. According to the Pontifical now in use, Tonsure is conferred after the Kyrie Eleison; the ordination of Porters follows the first lesson; of Readers, the second; of Exorcists, the third; of Acolytes, the fourth; of sub-deacons, the fifth. Deaconship is conferred at the end of the Epistle; the priesthood is conferred after the first versicle of the Tract. Christianity came into a world in which events were carefully noted; the oriental religions arose in a primitive world lost in the haze of primitive barbarism. It is for this reason that St. Luke begins the narrative of the Gospel of Jesus with chronological notes concerning the rulers who were then controlling the destinies of Palestine. The Messias assumes the consoling name of Emmanuel, God with us. The Word Himself will soon come to make, His dwellIng-place amongst us and to redeem us, and in order to show by His very name all this merciful plan of salvation, He will be called Emmanuel and Jesus– that is, Savior.

INTROIT Ps 79:4, 2.

Come, O Lord, from Your throne upon the Cherubim; if Your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe. Ps 79:2 O Shepherd of Israel, hearken, O Guide of the flock of Joseph! V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Come, O Lord, from Your throne upon the Cherubim; if Your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.

Collect

Let us pray.

V. Let us kneel.

R. Arise.

O God, You Who see how we are troubled by our evil tendencies, mercifully grant that we may find consolation in Your coming. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. R. Amen

Lesson  Isa 19:20-22

Lesson from the book of Isaias: In those days, they shall cry out to the Lord against their oppressors, and He shall send them a Savior to defend and deliver them. The Lord shall make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day; they shall offer sacrifices and oblations, and fulfill the vows they make to the Lord. Although the Lord shall smite Egypt severely, He shall heal them; they shall turn to the Lord and He shall be won over, and the Lord, our God, shall heal them.

Gradual Ps 18:7, 2.

At one end of the heavens He comes forth, and His course is to their other end. V. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.

Collect

Let us pray.

V. Let us kneel.

R. Arise.

Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who are heavy-laden under the yoke of sin may be delivered from the bondage of old by the long-awaited new birth of Your only-begotten Son. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. R. Amen

Lesson  Isa 35:1-7

Lesson from the book of Isaias: Thus says the Lord: The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Saron; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: ‘Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, He comes with vindication; with divine recompense He comes to save you.’ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water, says the Lord almighty.

Gradual Ps 18:6-7

He has pitched His tent in the sun, and He comes forth like the groom from his bridal chamber. V. At one end of the heavens He comes forth, and His course is to their other end.

Collect

Let us pray.

V. Let us kneel.

R. Arise.

Saddened by the guilt of our deeds, we, Your unworthy servants, beseech You, O Lord, to gladden us by the coming of Your only-begotten Son. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. R. Amen

Lesson Isa 40:9-11

Lesson from the book of Isaias: Thus says the Lord: Go up onto a high mountain, Sion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Juda: ‘Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God, Who rules by His strong arm; here is His reward with Him, His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs, carrying them in His bosom, the Lord, our God.’

Gradual Ps 79:20; 79:3

O Lord God of Hosts, restore us; if Your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.

V. Rouse Your power, O Lord, and come to save us.

Collect

Let us pray.

V. Let us kneel.

R. Arise.

Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that the coming festival of Your Son may bring us healing today and rewards eternal. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

Lesson  Isa. 45:1-8

Lesson from the book of Isaias: Thus says the Lord to His anointed, Cyrus, whose right hand I grasp, subduing nations before him, and disarming kings, opening doors before him and leaving the gates unbarred: I will go before you and level the mountains; bronze doors I will shatter, and iron bars I will snap. I will give you treasures out of the darkness, and riches that have been hidden away, that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name. For the sake of Jacob, My servant, of Israel. My chosen one, I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew Me not. I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides Me. It is I Who arm you, though you know Me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun men may know that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, there is no other; I form the light, and create the darkness, I make well-being and create woe; I, the Lord, do all these things. Let the Just One descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop Him down. Let the earth open and a Savior bud forth; let justice also spring up! I, the Lord, have created this.

Gradual Ps 79:3, 2, 3.

Rouse Your power, O Lord, and come to save us. V. O Shepherd of Israel, hearken, O Guide of the flock of Joseph! From Your throne upon the Cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasse.

Collect

Let us pray.

V. Let us kneel.

R. Arise.

Heed in Your mercy, we beseech You, O Lord, the prayers of Your people, that we, who are justly chastised for our sins, may be consoled by the coming of Your goodness. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. R. Amen

Lesson  Dan. 3:47-51

Lesson from the book of Daniel: In those day, the Angel of the Lord went down into the furnace with Azaria and his companions, drove the fiery flames out of the furnace, and made the inside of the furnace as though a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. And the flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace, and spread out, burning the Chaldeans nearby, the king’s men who were stoking the furnace. And the fire in no way touched them or caused them pain or harm. Then these three in the furnace with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God:

HYMN Dan. 3:52-56

Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. And blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Blessed are You in the temple of Your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Blessed are You on the holy throne of Your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You upon the sceptre of Your divinity, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who look into the depths from Your throne upon the Cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who walk upon the wings of the wind, and on the waves of the sea, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Let all Your Angels and Saints bless You, and praise You and exalt You above all forever. Let the heavens, the earth, the sea and all the things that are in them bless You, and praise You and exalt You above all forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our father, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Collect

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

O God, You Who tempered the flames of fire for the three young men, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not burn us, Your servants. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

EPISTLE 2 Thess. 2:1-8

Lesson from the second letter of St Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians: We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together unto Him, not to be hastily shaken from your right mind, nor terrified, whether by spirit, or by utterance, or by letter attributed to us, as though the day of the Lord were near at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits in the temple of God and gives himself out as if he were God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things? And now you know what restrains him, that he may be revealed in his proper time. For the mystery of iniquity is already at work; provided only that he who is at present restraining it, does still restrain, until he is gotten out of the way. And then the wicked one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and will destroy with the brightness of His coming. R. Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL Ps 79:2-3

O Shepherd of Israel, hearken, O Guide of the flock of Joseph! V. From Your throne upon the Cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasse. V. Rouse Your power, O Lord, and come to save us.

GOSPEL St Luke 3:1-6

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of the district of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaias the prophet. The voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.’

OFFERTORY Zach 9:9

Rejoice heartily, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King shall come to you, a just Savior is He.

The Advent Prose

R/ Drop down, ye heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Be not wroth very sore, O Lord,

neither remember iniquity for ever:

the holy cities are a wilderness,

Sion is a wilderness,

Jerusalem a desolation:

our holy and our beautiful house,

where our fathers praised thee. R/

We have sinned, and are as an unclean thing,

and we all do fade as a leaf:

and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away;

thou hast hid thy face from us:

and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. R/

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord,

and my servant whom I have chosen;

that ye may know me and believe me:

I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Saviour:

and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. R/

Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,

my salvation shall not tarry:

I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions:

Fear not, for I will save thee:

for I am the Lord thy God,

the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer. R/

SECRET

Look with favor, we beseech You, O Lord, upon the offerings here before You, that they may be beneficial for our devotion and for our salvation. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

PREFACE of the Common

It is truly meet and just, and profitable unto salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, through Christ, our Lord. Though whom the angels praise thy majesty, the dominions adore it, the powers are in awe. Which the heavens and the hosts of heaven together with the blessed seraphim joyfully do magnify. And do thou command that it be permitted to us join with them in confessing thee, while we say with lowly praise:

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps 18:6-7

He has rejoiced as a giant to run the way: at one end of the heavens He comes forth, and His course is to their other end.

POSTCOMMUNION

We beseech You, O Lord our God, that the sacrament You have given as the bulwark of our atonement may be made a saving remedy for us in this life and in the life to come. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

Veni, Veni Emmanuel

Conditor Alme Siderum

CREATOR of the stars of night,

Thy people's everlasting light,

Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,

and hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse

should doom to death a universe,

hast found the medicine, full of grace,

to save and heal a ruined race.

Thou camest, the Bridegroom of the Bride,

as drew the world to evening tide,

proceeding from a virgin shrine,

the spotless Victim all divine.

At whose dread Name, majestic now,

all knees must bend, all hearts must bow;

and things celestial Thee shall own,

and things terrestrial Lord alone.

O Thou whose coming is with dread,

to judge and doom the quick and dead,

preserve us, while we dwell below,

from every insult of the foe.

To God the Father, God the Son,

and God the Spirit, Three in One,

laud, honour, might, and glory be

from age to age eternally. Amen.

Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending

Rorate Caeli

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One.                           

1.  Be not angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity: 
     behold the city of the Holy One is become a desert: Sion is
     become a desert: Jerusalem is desolate: the house of thy 
     sanctification and of thy glory, where our fathers praised thee.
     (Refrain)

2.  We have sinned and are become as one that is unclean: and we 
     have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have 
     carried us away: thou hast hidden thy face from us, and hast 
     crushed us in the hold of our iniquity.  (Refrain)

3.  Behold, O Lord, the affliction of thy people, and send forth Him 
     Who is to come: send forth the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from 
     the Rock of the desert, to the mount of daughter Sion: that he 
     may take away the yoke of our captivity.  (Refrain)

4.  Be comforted, be comforted, my people: thy salvation cometh 
     quickly: why art thou consumed with grief: for sorrow hath 
     estranged thee: I will save thee: fear not, for I am the Lord thy 

Drop down Heaven and pour down righteousness

From St. Bernard of Clairvaux:

We know that there are three comings of the Lord. The third lies between the other two. It is invisible, while the other two are visible.

In the first coming he was seen on earth, dwelling among men; he himself testifies that they saw him and hated him. In the final coming all flesh will see the salvation of our God, and they will look on him whom they pierced. The intermediate coming is a hidden one; in it only the elect see the Lord within their own selves, and they are saved. In his first coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he comes in spirit and in power; in the final coming he will be seen in glory and majesty.

In case someone should think that what we say about this middle coming is sheer invention, listen to what our Lord himself ways: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. There is another passage of Scripture which reads: He who fears God will do good, but something further has been said about the one who loves, that is, that he will keep God’s word. Where is God’s word to be kept? Obviously in the heart, as the prophet says: I have hidden your words in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.

Keep God’s word in this way. Let it enter into your very being, let it take possession of your desires and your whole way of life. Feed on goodness, and your soul will delight in its richness. Remember to eat your bread, or your heart will wither away. Fill your soul with richness and strength.

Because this coming lies between the other two, it is like a road on which we travel from the first coming to the last. In the first, Christ was our redemption; in the last, he will appear as our life; in this middle coming, he is our rest and consolation.

If you keep the word of God in this way, it will also keep you. The Son with the Father will come to you. The great Prophet who will build the new Jerusalem will come, the one who makes all things new. This coming will fulfill what is written: As we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, we shall also bear the likeness of the heavenly man. Just as Adam’s sin spread through all mankind and took hold of all, so Christ, who created and redeemed all, will glorify all, once he takes possession of all.

This famous excerpt on the three (3) comings of the Lord Jesus Christ is taken from a sermon by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Sermo 5, In Adventu Domini, 1-3: Opera Omnia, Edit. Cisterc. 4 {1966}, 188-190.

  Drop down dew, ye Heavens, from above,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One.

1. Be not angry, O Lord,

And remember no longer our iniquity.

Behold the city of Thy sanctuary is become a desert. Sion is made a desert.

Jerusalem is desolate,

The house of our holiness and of Thy glory,

Where our fathers praised Thee.

Drop down dew, ye Heavens, from above,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One.

2. See, O Lord, the affliction of Thy people,

And send Him whom Thou hast promised to send.

Send forth the Lamb, the ruler of the earth,

From the rock of the desert

To the mount of the daughter of Sion.

That He Himself may take off the yoke of our captivity.

Drop down dew, ye Heavens, from above,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One.

3. Be comforted, be comforted, my people.

Thy salvation shall speedily come.

Why wilt thou waste away in sadness?

Why hath sorrow seized thee?

I will save thee. Fear not.

For I am the Lord thy God,

The Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer.

Drop down dew, ye Heavens, from above,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One.

Ember Saturday of Advent

A few years ago, I was to assist in Schola for a Rorate Mass scheduled for the Saturday after Gaudete. Both the pastor and myself totally forgot the rest of the calendar and after it was scheduled and promoted, we realised that it could not be done as it fell on the Ember Saturday, a day of higher rank with its own dedicated liturgy. We went ahead with the candle light Mass at 5:30AM but read and chanted the Ember Saturday liturgy. The chants for this Mass are little known but are some of the most beautiful in the Liber. The Graduals are all from Mode II, similar to the Absolve of the Requiem Mass as here. One can thank the composer of this Mass that he had mercy on the singers given the number of chants and the difficulty of different modes for each one. As beautiful as these are, the Hymn, or Canticle of the Three Children comes right out of the reading, similar to how the Sanctus flows from the "dicentes" of the Preface.

The Ember Days have been lost in the new calendar but interestingly, they are in the new Ordinariate Missal. The Embers occur four time per year. Perhaps, this is a recognition by the Church that the reform of Paul VI was in fact, a disaster that we can see corrected in the near future, as far as the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is concerned. When you read below the text of today's liturgy, it should bring home all the more the evil these men did in their destruction of the liturgy. When you sing it as I did a few years ago, you will realise it even more. 

Meanwhile, I shall shun the reformed as often as possible and attend the traditional Roman Rite where one does not have to live a life of liturgical regret for what these malefactors did to our liturgical life; and if you like the Japanese delicacy, tempura, thank the Church for Her ancient liturgy.

What are the Ember days?

The Ember days are true Catholic tradition dating actually dating back to the Apostles, (Pope Leo The Great claims it was instituted by the Apostles).  Pope Callistus (217-222) in the “Liber Pontificalis” has laws ordering all to observe a fast three times a year to counteract the hedonistic and pagan Roman rites praying for:

-a good harvest (June),

-a good vintage (September),

-a good seeding in December.

By the time of Pope Gelasius, (492-496), he already writes about there being four times a years, including Spring.  He also permitted the conferring of priesthood and deaconship on the Saturdays of Ember week.  This practice was mostly celebrated around Rome, from Pope Gelasius’ time, they began to spread throughout the Church.

St. Augustin brought them to England and the Carolingians into Gaul and Germany.  In the eleventh century, Spain adopted them.

It was not until Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085), that these Ember days were prescribed for the whole Catholic Church as days of fast and abstinence.  He placed these “four mini Lents” consisting of three days; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday:

-after St. Lucy’s Feast Dec. 13,

-after Ash Wednesday,

-following Whitsunday, (Pentecost),

-and after Sept. 14, the Exaltation of the Cross.

The purpose of these “mini Lents” were to pray, fast and to thank God for the gifts He gives us through nature.  They follow the four seasons of the year with the beauty and uniqueness of each particular season.   They are here for us to teach us to use, with moderation, what God gives us through nature, and to also share these gifts with the poor.

Traditionally, these are the days on which priests were ordained.

The Ember Saturday Liturgy

INTROIT ¤ Ps. 79. 4, 2

Come, O Lord, and show us Thy face, Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim: and we shall be saved. -- (Ps. 79. 2). Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V.: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Come, O Lord, and show us Thy face, Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim: and we shall be saved.

COLLECT

Priest: Let us pray. Deacon: Let us kneel. Subdeacon: Arise.

O God, who seest that we are afflicted because of our iniquity, mercifully grant that we may be conforted by Thy visitation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

LESSON ¤ Isaias 19. 20-22

Lesson from the Book of the Prophet Isaias.

[God will send a Redeemer and a Defender to deliver our souls.]

In those days they shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressor, and He shall send them a Savior and a defender to deliver them. And the Lord shall be known by Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall worship Him with sacrifices and offerings: and they shall make vows to the Lord and perform them. And the Lord shall stike Egypt with a scourge, and shall heal it: and they shall return to the Lord, and He shall be pacified towards them, and the Lord our God shall heal them.

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 18. 7, 2

His going out is from the end of heaven: and His circuit even to the end thereof. V.: The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declareth the work of His hands.

COLLECT

Priest: Let us pray. Deacon: Let us kneel. Subdeacon: Arise.

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who are bowed down by our old bondage under the yoke of sin, may be freed by the new Birth of Thine only begotten Son, for which we look. Who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

LESSON ¤ Isaias 35. 1, 7

Lesson from the Book of the Prophet Isaias.

[God Himself will come and will save you.]

Thus saith the Lord: The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice and shall flourish like the lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: the glory of Libanius is given to it: the beauty of Carmel, and Saron, they shall see the glory of the Lord and the beauty of our God. Strengthen ye the feeble hands, and confirm the weak knees. Say to the faint hearted: Take courage, and fear not. Behold your God will bring the revenge of recompense: God Himself will come and will save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free: for waters are broken out in the desert, and streams in the wilderness. And that which was dry land shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: saith the Lord almighty.

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 18. 6, 7

He hath set His tabernacle in the sun: and He is as a bridegroom coming out of His bridechamber. V.: His going out is from the end of heaven: and His circuit even to the end thereof.

COLLECT

Priest: Let us pray. Deacon: Let us kneel. Subdeacon: Arise.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, gladden by the coming of Thine only-begotten Son, us Thine unworthy servants, who are made sorrowful by the guilt of our own deeds. Who liveth and reigneth, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

LESSON ¤ Isaias 40. 9-11

Lesson from the Book of the Prophet Isaias.

[Behold your God. The Lord God shall come with strength, and His arm shall rule: behold His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him.]

Thus saith the Lord: Get thee up upon a high mountain, thou that bringest good tidings to Sion: lift up thy voice with strength, thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem: lift it up, fear not. Say to the cities of Juda: Behold your God: behold the Lord God shall come with strength, and His arm shall rule: behold His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather together the lambs with His arm, and shall take them up in His bosom, the Lord our God.

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 79. 20, 3

O Lord God of hosts, convert us: and show Thy face, and we shall be saved. V.: Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come to save us.

COLLECT

Priest: Let us pray. Deacon: Let us kneel. Subdeacon: Arise.

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the coming solemnity of Thy Son, may both bestow upon us healing in this present life and grant to us rewards in the life to come. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

LESSON ¤ Isaias 45. 1-8

Lesson from the Book of the Prophet Isaias.

["Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior."]

Thus saith the Lord to my anointed Cyrus: whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue nations before his face, and to turn the backs of kings, and to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee: and will humble the great ones of the earth: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, adn will burst the bars of iron. And I will give thee hidden treasures and the concealed riches of secret places: that thou mayest know that I am the Lord who call thee by thy name, the God of Israel. For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My elect, I have even called Thee by thy name: I have made a likeness of thee, and thou hast not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else: there is no God besides Me: I girded thee, and thou hast not known Me: that they may know who are from the rising of the sun, and they who are from the west, that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else: I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil: I, the Lord, that do all these things. Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior: and let justice spring up together: I the Lord have created Him.

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 79. 3, 2

Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come to save us. V.: Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep: Thou that sittest upon the Cherubims, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses.

COLLECT

Priest: Let us pray. Deacon: Let us kneel. Subdeacon: Arise.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the prayers of Thy people: that we who are justly afflicted for our sins may be conforted by the visitation of Thy loving kindness. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

LESSON ¤ Daniel 3. 47-51

Lesson from the Book of the Prophet Daniel.

[Azarias and his companions in the fiery furnace: the Angel of the Lord drove forth the flame of fire. With one mouth they praised, glorified and blessed God.]

In those days the Angel of the Lord went down with Azarias and his companions into the furnace: and he drove the flame of the fire out of the furnace, and made the midst of the furnace like the blowing of a wind bringing dew. And the flame mounted up above the furnace nine and forty cubits: and it broke forth, and burnt such of the Chaldeans as it found near the furnace, the king's servants that heated it. And the fire touched them not at all, nor troubled them nor did them any harm. Then these three as with one mouth praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying:

HYMN ¤ Daniel 3. 52-56

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.           

And blessed is the name of Thy glory, which is holy: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.      

Blessed art Thou in the holy temple of Thy glory: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.            

Blessed art Thou on the holy throne of Thy kingdom: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.    

Blessed art Thou upon the sceptre of Thy divinity: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.          

Blessed art Thou that sittest upon the Cherubims, beholding the depths: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.               

Blessed art Thou that walkest upon the wings of the wind, and on the waves of the sea: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.            

Let all Thy Angels and Saints bless Thee: and praise Thee and glorify Thee for ever.         

Let the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the things that are in them, bless Thee: and praise Thee and glorify Thee for ever.    

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, who is worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.            

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. And worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.    

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers: and worthy to be praised and glorified for ever.

COLLECT

O God, who didst deaden the flames of fire for the three children: mercifully grant that the flame of vice may not consume us Thy servants. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

EPISTLE ¤ II Thess. 2. 1-8

Lesson from the second Epistle of blessed Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians.

[Let us prepare for the near approach of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the coming of our Judge.]

Brethren, We beseech you by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together unto Him: that you be not easily moved from your sense, nor be terrified, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by epistle as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God showing himself as if he were God. Remember you not that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity already worketh: only that he who now holdeth do hold, until he be taken out of the way. And then that wicked one shall be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.

TRACT ¤ Ps. 79. 2, 3

Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V.: Thou that sittest upon the Cherubims, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses. V.: Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come and save us.

GOSPEL ¤ Luke 3. 1-6

† Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina, under the high priests Annas and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make straight His paths: every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

OFFERTORY ¤ Zacharias 9. 9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King will come to thee, the holy and Savior.

SECRET

O Lord, we beseech Thee, look down favorably upon these present Sacrifices: that they may profit us both unto devotion and salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

PREFACE

The Common Preface

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them, we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus…

COMMUNION ¤ Ps. 18. 6, 7

He hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way: His going out is from the end of heaven, and His circuit even to the end thereof.

POSTCOMMUNION

We beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that the most holy Mysteries, which Thou hast given us for a safeguard of our renewal, may become our remedy both now and for time to come. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.