“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.” ― St. Antony the Great
From the Sermons of St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem.
Who and what was the blessed and glorious Mary, always a
Virgin, hath been revealed by God by the message of an Angel, in these words:
Hail, thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among
women. It was fitting that a fullness of grace should be poured into that
Virgin who hath given to God glory and to man a Saviour, who hath brought peace
to earth, who hath given faith to the Gentiles, who hath killed sin, who hath
given law to life, who hath made the crooked ways straight. Verily, she is full
of grace. To others grace cometh measure by measure; in Mary grace dwelleth at
once in all fullness. Verily, she is full of grace. We believe that the holy
Fathers and Prophets had grace; but they were not full of grace. But into Mary
came a fullness of all the grace, which is in Christ, albeit otherwise than as
it is in Him. Therefore, is it said: Blessed art thou among women, that is,
Blessed art thou above all women. The fulness of blessing in Mary utterly
neutralized in her any effects of the curse of Eve. In her praise Solomon
writeth in the Song of Songs, ii. 10,: Rise up, my dove, my fair one, for the
winter is past, the rain is over and gone. And again: Come from Lebanon, my
Spouse, come, thou shalt be crowned. ~iv. 8.
Not unjustly then is she bidden to come from Lebanon, for
Lebanon is so named on account of its stainless and glistening whiteness. The
earthly Lebanon is white with snow, but the lonely heights of Mary's holiness
are white with purity and grace, brilliantly fair, whiter far than snow,
sparkling with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, she is undefiled like a dove, all
clean, all upright, full of grace and truth. She is full of mercy, and of the
righteousness that hath looked down from heaven and therefore is she without
stain because in her hath never been any corruption. She hath compassed a man
in her womb, saith holy Jeremiah, but she conceived not by the will of fallen
man. The Lord, saith the Prophet, hath created a new thing in the earth; a
woman shall compass a man. xxxi. 22. Verily, it is a new thing. Verily, it was
a new work of power, greater than all other works, when God, Whom the world
cannot bear, and Whom no man shall see and live, entered the lodging of her
womb, breaking not the blissful cloister of her virgin flesh. And in her body,
He was borne, the Infinite enclosed within her womb. And from her womb He came
forth, so that it was fulfilled which was spoken of the Prophet Ezekiel,
saying: 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. Hence also in the Song of Songs it is said of her
iv. 12,: A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a
fountain sealed, thy perfumes are a garden of delights. Verily a garden of
delights, filled with the perfumes of all flowers, rich with the sweet savour
of grace. And the most holy Virgin herself is a garden enclosed, whereinto sin
and Satan have never entered to sully the blossoms, a fountain sealed, sealed
with the seal of the Trinity.
This writer has never professed to be an expert on prophecy, Catholic mystics or apparitions. In fact, I find much of it to be near idolatrous. Take for example the idea of "refuges." Is this not Darbyist Rapture heresy? When the "born-again" are not taken up to the sky by magic and are left here with the rest of us to endure the Tribulation, what will remain of their faith? When the magic private revelation and Medjugorge angels do not appear to lead us to some rural paradise, what remains of the faith of those not lead, but who supposedly lived, at least in their minds, a proper Catholic life? To many, private revelation has become idolatry. We are to observe and note the seasons but not follow every Gnostic which comes along.
So it is with Fatima. Since today's prayer actually mentions Russia, will the Fatimites say it was done properly? If nothing suddenly miraculous happens and the situation worsens will they say, it was not done properly and start all over again? Some argue it won't "take" because Bergoglio is not the Pope.
Not being so gifted to receive messages directly or having had an angel appear unto me, sorry if I just don't buy any of this anymore. I will remain just a simple Catholic accepting that I am not gifted with being a Gnostic. As for me and my house, we will just carry on going to Mass and the Sacraments, trying to pray more and being faithful. I'll leave idolatry up to those special Gnostics and their own version of mass formation psychosis.
I wrote a week ago of the wisdom of Holy Gamaliel. I will stand by his advice.
In the meantime, for Our Lady on Her day, the greatest of all the settings:
Oh sweet Mother of Jesus, O Theotokos, Queen of Heaven and Earth of Saints and we sinners. On this glorious day, pray for us in this time of trial and be with us. Amen
THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
COMMEMORATION
OF SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
DOUBLE,
FIRST CLASS / WHITE
From
all eternity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit chose Mary to be the Mother of the
Word Incarnate. It was unthinkable that she be defiled by sin, in any way or
for the least second of time. Therefore, in the instant of creating Mary's
person, the Trinity made her immaculate. This grace, like every other grace
granted since the fall of Adam, was given her through the merits of Christ. She
was truly saved, redeemed, not from an evil already present, but from an evil
that threatened.
INTROIT
Isa. 61:10
I
will rejoice greatly in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God, for He
has clothed me with the garment of salvation and covered me with the robe of
justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels.
Ps.
29:2. I will extol You, O Lord, for You have upheld me, and have not let my
enemies rejoice over me.
V.
Glory be . . .
COLLECT
O
God, by foreseen merits of the death of Christ, You shielded Mary from all
stain of sin and preserved the Virgin Mother immaculate at her conception so
that she might be a fitting dwelling place for Your Son. Cleanse us from sin
through her intercession so that we also may come to You untainted by sin.
Through Our Lord . . .
Commemoration
of the 2nd Sunday of Advent
O
Lord, stir up our hearts to accept the message of Your only-begotten Son, so
that, through His coming on earth, we may serve Him always with a pure
intention; who lives and rules with You . . .
EPISTLEProv. 8:22-35
The
Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made any thing from
the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was
made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived, neither had the
fountains of waters as yet sprung out. The mountains, with their huge bulk, had
not as yet been established: before the hills, I was brought forth: He had not
yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world.
When
he prepared the heavens, I was present: when with a certain law, and compass,
he enclosed the depths: When he established the sky above, and poised the
fountains of waters: When he compassed the sea with its bounds, and set a law
to the waters that they should not pass their limits: when he balanced the
foundations of the earth; I was with him forming all things: and was delighted
every day, playing before him at all times; Playing in the world: and my
delights were to be with the children of men.
Now,
therefore, ye children, hear me: blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors.
He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.
GRADUALJudith 13:23; 15:10
By
the Lord the Most High God you are blessed, O Virgin Mary, above all women upon
earth. V.
You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honor of
our people.
Alleluia,
alleluia! V.Cant. 4:7
You
are all fair, O Mary, and there is in you no stain of original sin.
Alleluia!
GOSPELLuke 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 the angel being come in, said unto
her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women."
OFFERTORY
ANTIPHONLuke 1:28
Hail,
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.
Alleluia!
SECRET
Accept
this saving host, O Lord, which we offer you on the feast of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We firmly believe that she was shielded
from all stain of sin by Your prevenient grace; may we be freed from all our
faults through her holy intercession. Through Our Lord . . .
Commemoration
of the 2nd Sunday of Advent
O
Lord, let our humble offering of these prayers and sacrifices appease You for
our sins. We have no merits of our own to depend on; so assist us with Your
aid. Through Our Lord . . .
COMMUNION
ANTIPHON
Glorious
things are said of you, O Mary, for He who is mighty has done great things for
you.
POSTCOMMUNION
O
Lord our God, may the Sacrament that we have received heal in us the wounds of
that sin from which blessed Mary alone was preserved by her Immaculate
Conception. Through Our Lord . . .
Commemoration
of the 2nd Sunday of Advent
We
have just been nourished with Your Body and Blood, O Lord. Teach us through
this Sacramental rite to despise the things of earth and to yearn for the
things of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .
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.
In the liturgical cycle of the Roman liturgy before the destruction which began in 1955, this time now after December 8 was known as the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. You can follow this link, http://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl# which is also on a tab above to find out more about today and the different versions of the Divine Office, not including the new deformed and debased, Liturgy of the Hours wherein Pope Montini even had the temerity to write, "In this new arrangement of the psalms a few of the psalms
and verses that are somewhat harsh in tone have been omitted, especially
because of the difficulties anticipated from their use in vernacular
celebration." Because Pope Giovanni Battisti Montini knew better than the King David, the Prophet and God himself. Leaving you to research as you will, I do wish to post the Readings of the Third Nocturne from St. Bernard of Clariveaux on Mary as the new Eve. May they enrich your day.
Reading 7
From the Holy Gospel
according to Luke
Luke 1:26-28
In 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. Bernard,
Abbot of Clairvaux.
2nd on this text.
Rejoice, father Adam,
and yet more thou mother Eve, ye that are the source of all, and the ruin of
all, and the unhappy cause of their ruin before ye gave them birth. Be
comforted both in your daughter, and such a daughter; but chiefly thou, O
woman, of whom the first evil came, and who hast cast thy slur upon all women.
The time is come for the slur to be taken away, and for the man to have nothing
to say against the woman. At the first, when he unwisely began to make excuse,
he scrupled not to throw the blame upon her, saying, The woman whom Thou gavest
to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Wherefore, O Eve, betake
thyself to Mary Mother, betake thyself to thy daughter let the daughter answer
for the mother let her take away her mother's reproach; let her make up to her
father for her mother's fault for if man be fallen by means of woman, it is by
means of woman that he is raised up again.
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
What didst thou say, O
Adam? The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat. These are wrathful words, by the which thou dost rather magnify than
diminish thine offence. Nevertheless, Wisdom hath defeated thy malice. God
asked thee that He might find in thee an occasion of pardon, but, in that He
found it not, He hath sought and found it in the Treasure of His Own mercy. One
woman answereth for another; the wise for the foolish; the lowly for the proud;
for her that gave thee of the tree of death, another that giveth thee to taste
of the tree of life; for her that brought thee the bitter food of sin, another
that giveth thee of the sweet fruits of righteousness. Wherefore accuse the
woman no more, but speak in thanksgiving, and say, Lord, the woman whom Thou
hast given me, she hath given me of the tree of life, and I have eaten; and it
is in my mouth sweeter than honey, for thereby hast Thou quickened me. (Ps.
cxviii. 103, 93.) Behold, it was for this that the angel Gabriel was sent to
the Virgin, to the most worshipful of women, a woman more wonderful than all
women, the restorer of them that went before, and the quickener of them that
come after her.
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
Has it not of this thy
daughter, O Adam, that God spake when He said unto the serpent, I will put
enmity between thee and the woman And if thou wilt still doubt that He speaketh
of Mary, hear what followeth She shall bruise thy head. Who won this conquest
but Mary? She brought to nought the whole wiles of Satan, whether for the
pollution of her body or the injury of her soul. Was it not of her that Solomon
spake, where he saith, Who shall find a virtuous woman? (Prov. xxxi. 10.) The
wise man knew the weaknesses of women, how frail they are in body, and how
changeable in mind. But he had read that God had promised that the enemy, who had
prevailed by means of a woman, was by a woman to be overthrown, and he
believed. But he wondered greatly, and said, Who shall find a virtuous woman?
that is to say If our salvation, and the bringing back of that which is lost,
and the final triumph over the enemy, is in the hand of a woman, it must needs
be that a virtuous woman be found, meet to work in that matter
Isabella Leonarda, the name chosen by or perhaps forIsabella Calegari, when she became an Ursaline nun, is a remarkable figure in
the history of Western music. It was not at all unheard of for women to compose
music in times gone by, but in virtually all such instances, the music written
is vocal: sacred motets -- such as we might expect nuns (for most woman
composers in earlier times were nuns) to produce -- and/or secular madrigals.
It is indeed unusual to find a seventeenth-century Italian woman like Leonarda
putting together textless instrumental music in the new Italian Baroque
fashion.
Calegari, the daughter of a seventeenth century Italian
aristocrat, was born in the city of Novara in 1620. As was still common in her
day, most of the sons and daughters of the family were sent into church
service, leaving only the eldest son to look after family matters. At age 16,
then, Isabella entered the convent of Santa Orsala (Ursala), henceforth to be
known as Leonarda. It is possible, though not proven, that Gasparo Casati,
master of music at the Novara Cathedral, was her teacher in music. At any rate,
in 1620, Casati organized the first publication of music written by her, in a
volume otherwise devoted to his own music. She composed throughout her life and
from the 1670s on, her music was regularly published, to a total of 20 volumes.
She was, in addition, a very successful nun, eventually rising to the rank of
Mother Superior for her convent and then becoming a Regional Counselor for the
Ursalines. She died a few years into the new century, mostly likely in 1704.
Hail, O
Queen of Heaven enthroned.
Hail, by
angels mistress owned.
Root of
Jesse, Gate of Morn
Whence the
world's true light was born:
Glorious
Virgin, Joy to thee,
Loveliest
whom in heaven they see;
Fairest
thou, where all are fair,
Plead with
Christ our souls to spare.
V. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thine enemies.
Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully to assist our infirmity: that like as we do now commemorate Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, Mother of God; so by the help of her intercession we may die to our former sins and rise again to newness of life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sorry, Stan, you're stating heresy. You see, here is the thing. You are to preoccupied with sex to imagine that it is possible to love a celibate and chaste life. It reveals your own issues. What you also fail to grasp, is what is explained about the language of the Bible as discussed below. Further, you do not recall the words of St. John about all the libraries of the world could not hold all the books if everything was written down. What we know about the Angel's visit to Joseph is what we are told but what we don't know is what else he was told that was not recorded. I happen to believe that he was told much more so that he knew fully what his role and responsibility to the Christ Child and His Mother were. Joseph knew that the Womb of Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant. He knew that it was the true Holy of Holies. As in the Temple, he could not enter into the Holy of Holies. Nor did he enter or put his seed into that which was Mary's. We also recall the words of God to Moses in the Burning Bush, "take off your sandals for you walk on holy ground." Simple.
Homily by St. Germain, Patriarch of Constantinople.
On the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, holier than the Saints, higher than the heavens, more glorious than the Cherubim, more honourable than the Seraphim, and the most worshipful thing that the hands of God have made. Hail, O dove, bearing in thy beak the olive-branch of peace that telleth us of salvation from the spiritual flood, Gen. viii. 10, n, dove, blessed omen of a safe harbour, whose wings are of silver, and thy feathers of gold, shining in the bright beams of the Most Holy and Light-giving Spirit. Ps. lxvii. 14. Hail, thou living garden of Eden, planted towards the East by the right hand of the Most Merciful and Mighty God, wherein do grow to His glory rich lilies and unfading roses, for the healing of them that have drunk in death from the blighting and pestilential breezes of the bitter West, Gen. ii. 8, 9; Eden, wherein hath sprung that Tree of life, Whereof if any man eat he shall live for ever. Gen. ii. 9; iii. 22. John vi. 52. Hail, stately Palace of the King, most holy, stainless, purest, House of the Most High God, adorned with His Royal splendour, open to all, filled with Kingly dainties; Palace wherein is that spiritual bridal chamber, not made with hands, nor hung with divers colours, in the which the Eternal Word, when He would raise up fallen man, wedded flesh unto Himself, that He might reconcile unto the Father them who had cast themselves away.
Hail, O rich and shady Mountain of God, whereon pastured the True Lamb, Who hath taken away our sins and infirmities, Hab. iii. 3; Isa. liii. 4; John i. 29, mountain, whereout hath been cut without hands that Stone which hath smitten the altars of the idols, and become the head-stone of the corner, marvellous in our eyes. Dan. ii. 34; Ps. cxvii. 22, 23. Hail, thou holy Throne of God, thou divinest store-house, thou temple of glory, thou bright crown, thou chosen treasure, thou mercy-seat for the whole world, thou heaven declaring the glory of God. Ps. xviii. 2. Hail, thou vessel of pure gold, made to hold the manna that came down from heaven, the sweet food of our souls, even Christ. Ex. xvi.33; Heb. ix. 4; John vi. 49-51. Hail, O purest Virgin, most praiseworthy and most worshipful, hallowed treasury for the wants of all creatures; thou art the untitled earth, the unploughed field; thou art the vine full of flowers, the well overflowing with waters, Maiden and Mother; thou art the Mother that knew not a man, the hidden treasure of guilelessness, and the clear, bright star of holiness; by thy most acceptable prayers, strong from thy motherly mouth, obtain for all estates of men in the Church that they may continually tend unto Him Who is the Lord, and God, and Maker of thee, and of them, and of all, but of thee the Son also, conceived without man's intervention; obtain this, O Mother, pilot them to the harbour of peace.
Be it thine to clothe God's priests with righteousness, and to make them shout aloud for joy Ps. cxxxi. 9, 16, in approved and stainless, and upright and glorious faith. thine be it to guide in peace the sceptres of orthodox princes, even of princes who put their trust in thee to be the crown of their Majesty, and the Royal Robe of their greatness, and the firm foundation of their dominion, more than in purple, or fine gold, or pearls, or precious stones; thine be it to put under their feet the unfaithful nations, nations that blaspheme thee, and the God That was born of thee; thine be it to keep in meek obedience the people that are under them, according to the commandment of God. Behold, this is thine own city, which hath thee for her towers and her foundations, crown her with victory, gird the house of God with strength, keep undefiled the loveliness of His tabernacles, as for them that praise thy name, be thou their deliverer from strife and bitterness of spirit. Free thou the prisoner, protect the wanderer, and if there be any that hath no refuge, be thou to him a consolation. Stretch forth thine hand and help the whole earth so shall we year by year keep this and all thy feasts, and at last be found with thee in Christ Jesus, Who is Lord of all, and verily our God. To Him, with the Holy Father, Who is the Fountain of Life, and the coeternal Spirit, Three Persons and One Substance, even as there is one Kingdom, be glory and strength, now and for ever. Amen.
