“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
It is not often comment on my commentators, but I am going to
make an exception.
Yesterday, I wrote a short post that included the prayer
from First Vespers of today, Sunday in Albis. It is also the same prayer from
this morning Matins and Lauds.
Grant, we beseech, O Almighty God, that we for whom the
Feast of the Passover hath now drawn to an end, may in our life and manner ever
keep new the healthful influence of the same. 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.
A reader left the following absurd comment:
I didn't know you celebrated Passover. I celebrated
Easter--the institution of the holy Eucharist, the Priesthood, and the passion,
death & resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I will be celebrating for 40
days more culminating in the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost. Then Trinity
Sunday.
In the Fourth Reading from this morning’s Matins, according to
the Divino Affaltu of St. Pius X, which has existed from antiquity in the
Divine Office. We read from the Fourth Reading from the Sermon of St. Augustine
of Hippo:
1st Sermon for the Octave of the Passover, being the 157th
for the Seasons. The Feast of this day is the end of the Paschal solemnity,
and therefore it is today that the Newly-Baptized put off their white garments
: but, though they lay aside the outward mark of washing in their raiment, the
mark of that washing in their souls remaineth to eternity. Now are the days of
the Pass-over, that is, of God's Passing-over our iniquity by His pardon and
remission; and therefore our first duty is so to sanctify the mirth of these
holy days, that our bodily recreation may be taken without defilement to our
spiritual cleanness. Let us strive that our relaxation may be sober and our
freedom holy, holding ourselves carefully aloof from anything like excess,
drunkenness or lechery. Let us try so to keep in our souls their Lenten
cleansing, that if our Fasting hath left us aught yet unwon, we may still be
able to seek it.
Moreover, for the Holy Mass for Sabbato in Albis or the “Sabbath”
or Saturday Mass of preceding Domenica in Albis, according to the Roman Missal of 1570/1962, we read in the Collect:
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we who have
kept worshipfully the Passover holidays, may at last worthily pass from keeping
Feasts unto thee here to the everlasting jubilation hereafter. 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.
The Catholic Encyclopedia under the word, Paschal tell us:
That the Paschal Lamb prefigured symbolically Christ,
"the Lamb of God", who redeemed the world by the shedding of His
blood, and particularly the Eucharistic banquet, or new Passover, has always
remained the constant belief of Christian tradition.
Further, St. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 5:7: "... For Christ our
pasch is sacrificed."
Pasch is a derivative of the Hebrew, Pesach which is
translated in English as “Passover.”
Friend, the next time you wish to lambaste and deride me, at
least get your facts right first.
Lent, our Holy Triduum and the Octave of Easter, is now passed. While we are still in Eastertide, the prayer at Vespers this evening recalls the end of our Feast of Passover.
Grant, we beseech, O Almighty God, that we for whom the Feast of the Passover hath now drawn to an end, may in our life and manner ever keep new the healthful influence of the same. 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.
How ancient is that prayer? How beautiful a reminder that Our Lord Jesus Christ was the true Pesach, the true Passover Lamb. Now, we turn our thoughts and attention back to the continuing crisis in Holy Mother Church. a crisis that is not lessening but becoming more and more embedded. As we have just passed the recollection of the sufferings of Our Lord culminating in his passion and death, now also that the Church must follow the same path. We are now in the Garden of Gethsemane and soon, very soon, we will take up our cross and walk our own roads of sorrow leading to our crucifixion. Yes, it is coming. But know also, that those who have lead the Church to this point will be confounded; and, just as with the traitor Judas, it would have been better for these not to have been born.
Father Liam Gavigan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto, died on Easter Sunday afternoon. His Solemn Requiem Mass, in the proper Rite of the Catholic Church, is today in Toronto at St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church. He died on Easter Sunday, there must be a message in that. When the history of the restoration of the traditional Mass in Canada is written, Father Gavigan's name will be there with the greats who persevered and suffered. He is a hero and one of a "trinity" of priests, the late Father Mole in Ottawa who began the community that is now the FSSP parish and Father Normandin in Montreal, again where the FSSP now reside and serve. The same, for a short-time, was the case in Toronto. There was at time when these were the only priests in Canada offering the traditional Mass. They even pre-dated the Society of St. Pius X. Father Gavigan began offering the traditional rite in possession of a celebret from Rome which outranked the Ordinary's indult authority. He began on Friday nights at Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Toronto and eventually on Sundays at St. Edward's parish. Later, the Mass moved to St. Theresa Shrine where the FSSP's short-lived Toronto apostolate took over the Sunday Mass. Father Gavigan, who also started the community at St. Patrick's in Schomberg continued there and then a new one, now sadly purged by its Provincial, at the Carmel of the Infant Jesus in Zephyr. After the Fraternity left Toronto, Father Gavigan at the age of 77 offered three Masses on Sunday between 9AM and 1PM beginning in Schomberg, 40 miles to Zephyr and another 30 to St. Theresa in Scarborough. A true missionary. A crazy driver! Whilst the norm was the Irish Low Mass, we coaxed out of him (as I was Schola Master at the FSSP) the Sung Mass. What an amazing voice he had, so hidden for so many years. The last Mass that I had the pleasure of assisting at with him, was a Requiem for Father Kenneth Walker, the murdered FSSP priest in Arizona. He sung a beautiful Requiem and we worked before Mass to find the right Latin for Kenneth for Collect and prayers. When we organised the Pontifical Mass for the occasion of the late Msgr. Vincent Foy's 75th anniversary of priestly ordination with the Cardinal present, I said, "Father, did you ever think you would see this?" and he responded, "No, David, not in a million years." I then thanked him for "keeping the candle burning," to which he replied, "No David, I kept the pot boiling." It was as if one had entered the set of Going My Way to hear Barry Fitzgerald's Irish lilt, all that was missing was Too-Ra-Loo. Father Gavigan was a great confessor, He spoke often of Hell and it even got a few complaints directed to the Chancery. The only time I ever went to him, he said to me, "Do you know you can go to Hell for that?" to which I replied, "Yes Father, that is why I'm here," to which he retorted, "I want a decat of the rosary, now, and one every morning on your knees when your feet hit the floor until your next confession!" Well, that was the last time I went to him, but his penance seemed to be efficacious. Father Liam Gavigan had one purpose in life. To offer the Holy Sacrifice in the "better way" as he called it and to save his soul and everyones with whom he came into contact. God rest you Father, and may the LORD have already said to you:
"Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Updated April 18, 2017: 6:03 A.M. A short time after the visit of Mayor John Tory to St. John the Evangelist Church, Marc Porlier, the suspect in the case caught on video (allegedly) committing the arson attack against the Church, was arrested. The parish, one of the oldest in the Archdiocese of Toronto dating back to the 1850's, is where this writer was Cantor for nine years. Yesterday, a faithful reader, and a priest to boot, sent me a note with a link to a video on Vimeo. It was a professionally produced video made six years ago called, "The Gospel According to Marc," wherein Porlier vents his disdain for the Roman Catholic faith in which he was "brainwashed," and mocks God, even to the point of dressing up as an old man in white to equate himself with him. Porlier also dresses as the Devil in his long diatribe on the evils of organised religion, Roman Catholicism in particular. His search for the truth lead him to eastern philosophy, mysticism and Deepak Chopra. Poirlier reveals himself as a pathetic figure, poorly catechized and ignorant of the real faith and the real Truth, he seems to be looking for. He speaks of peace, yet, allegedly, burns churches. Poirlier was a child at the parish, though he does not reveal this in the "documentary," but that he was "brainwashed" up to the age of 15. Two weeks ago, he showed up at Mass for the first time. He introduced himself to the Pastor after Mass and was not seen again. Did Poirlier come to the Church to plot his alleged crime?
Prayers are needed for Marc and his family. Poor soul, may he now find the peace and truth he so desperately seems to be seeking; and may St. John the Evangelist and the Holy Souls buried under the cement floor of the basement and the once parking lot of the church intercede for him.
Toronto Church Fire-Bombed on Easter Sunday morning St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, in Toronto's old Weston community was fire bombed early Easter Sunday morning. The parish is one of the oldest in Toronto, established over 160 years ago. In the dawn hours, an incendiary device was used through a broken window causing a fire. All Masses for Easter Sunday were cancelled. There were no injuries. Police and Fire are investigating. The suspect has not yet been identified. This is the parish where this writer volunteered for nine years as Cantor. Police have released the photo of the "suspect" from the Church's newly installed, sophisticated video security system. UPDATED at 8:29 P.M. Police are searching for 43-year-old Marc Porlier, of no fixed address, known to frequent both the Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue, and Weston Road and Jane Street areas. Porlier has a history with police, Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu told CBC Toronto. If seen, members of the public are asked not to approach him.
Benediction. May the Gospel's holy lection be our safety and protection. Amen.
Reading 1
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Mark
Mark 16:1-7
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus. And what follows. Homily of St. Gregory, Pope
Homilia 21. in Evangelia.
Dearly beloved brethren, ye have heard the deed of the holy women which had followed the Lord; how that they brought sweet spices to His sepulchre, and, now that He was dead, having loved Him while He was yet alive, they followed Him with careful tenderness still. But the deed of these holy women doth point to somewhat which must needs be done in the holy Church. And it behoveth us well to give ear to what they did, that we may afterward consider with ourselves what we must do likewise after their example. We also, who believe in Him That was dead, do come to His sepulchre bearing sweet spices, when we seek the Lord with the savour of good living, and the fragrant report of good works. Those women, when they brought their spices, saw a vision of Angels, and, in sooth, those souls whose godly desires do move them to seek the Lord with the savour of good lives, do see the countrymen of our Fatherland which is above.
V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Thanks be to God.
R. The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it, and said unto the women:
* Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Him That was crucified: He is risen already. Come, see the place where the Lord was laid, alleluia.
V. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted; and he saith unto them:
R. Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Him That was crucified: He is risen already; come, see the place where the Lord was laid, alleluia.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone and sat upon it, and said unto the women: Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Him That was crucified: He is risen already: Come, see the place where the Lord was laid, alleluia.
It behoveth us to mark what this meaneth, that they saw the Angel sitting on the right side. For what signifieth the left, but this life which now is? or the right, but life everlasting? Whence also it is written in the Song of Songs ii. 6: His left hand is under my head, and His right hand doth embrace me. Since, therefore, our Redeemer had passed from the corruption of this life which now is, the Angel which told that His undying life was come, sat, as became him, on the right side. They saw him clothed in a white garment, for he was herald of the joy of this our great solemnity, and the glistering whiteness of his raiment told of the brightness of this holy Festival of ours. Of ours, said I? or of his? But if we will speak the truth, we must acknowledge that it is both his and ours. The Again-rising of our Redeemer is a Festival of gladness for us, for us it biddeth know that we shall not die for ever; and for Angels also it is a festival of gladness, for it biddeth them know that we are called to fulfill their number in heaven.
V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Thanks be to God.
R. When the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices,
* That they might come and anoint Jesus, alleluia, alleluia.
V. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun.
R. That they might come and anoint Jesus, alleluia, alleluia.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. That they might come and anoint Jesus, alleluia, alleluia.
See this glad Festival then, which is both his and ours, the Angel appeared in white raiment. For as the Lord, rising again from the dead, leadeth us unto the mansions above, He repaireth the breaches of the heavenly Fatherland. But what meaneth this, that the Angel said unto the women which came to the sepulchre: Fear not? Is it not as though he had said openly: Let them fear which love not the coming of the heavenly countrymen; let them be afraid who are so laden by fleshly lusts, that they have lost all hope ever to be joined to their company. But as for you, why fear ye, who, when ye see us, see but your fellow countrymen? Hence also Matthew, writing of the guise of the Angel, saith xxviii. 3: His countenance was like lightning, and His raiment white as snow. The lightning speaketh of fear and great dread, the snow of the soft brilliancy of rejoicing.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed:
because his commiserations have not failed.
23 Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy
faithfulness.
24 Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore
will I wait for him.
25 Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the
soul that seeketh him.
26 Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation
of God.
27 Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke
from his youth.
28 Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because
he hath taken it up upon himself.
29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there
may be hope.
30 Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he
shall be filled with reproaches.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto the Lord thy God.
R. He hath been brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and
while he was evil entreated he opened not his mouth: he was delivered up to
death
* That he might quicken his people.
V. He hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was
numbered with the transgressors.
R. That he might quicken his people.
Lam 4:1-8
1 Aleph. How is the gold become dim, the finest colour is
changed, the stones of the sanctuary are scattered in the top of every street?
2 Beth. The noble sons of Sion, and they that were clothed
with the best gold: how are they esteemed as earthen vessels, the work of the
potter's hands?
3 Ghimel. Even the sea monsters have drawn out the breast,
they have given suck to their young: the daughter of my people is cruel, like
the ostrich in the desert.
4 Daleth. The tongue of the sucking child hath stuck to the
roof of his mouth for thirst: the little ones have asked for bread, and there
was none to break it unto them.
5 He. They that were fed delicately have died in the
streets; they that were brought up in scarlet have embraced the dung.
6 Vau. And the iniquity of the daughter of my people is made
greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and hands took
nothing in her.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto the Lord thy God.
R. Arise, O Jerusalem, and put off thy garments of
rejoicing: cover thee with sackcloth and ashes
* For the Saviour of Israel hath been slain in the midst of
thee.
V. Let thy tears run down like a river day and night, and
let not the apple of thine eye cease.
R. For the Saviour of Israel hath been slain in the midst of
thee.
Lam 5:1-11
1 Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider and
behold our reproach.
2 Our inheritance is turned to aliens: our houses to
strangers.
3 We are become orphans without a father: our mothers are as
widows.
4 We have drunk our water for money: we have bought our
wood.
5 We were dragged by the necks, we were weary and no rest
was given us.
6 We have given our hand to Egypt, and to the Assyrians,
that we might be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not: and we have borne
their iniquities.
8 Servants have ruled over us: there was none to redeem us
out of their hand.
9 We fetched our bread at the peril of our lives, because of
the sword in the desert.
10 Our skin was burnt as an oven, by reason of the violence
of the famine.
11 They oppressed the women in Sion, and the virgins in the
cities of Juda.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto the Lord thy God.
R. O my people! lament, like a virgin girded with sack-cloth
for the husband of her youth, howl, ye shepherds, in sack-cloth and ashes
* For the day of the Lord is at hand, and it is great and
very terrible.
V. Gird yourselves, ye Priests, and howl, ye ministers of
the altar: cast up ashes upon you.
R. For the day of the Lord is at hand, and it is great and
very terrible.
R. O my people! lament, like a virgin, girded with
sack-cloth for the husband of her youth, howl, ye shepherds, in sack-cloth and
ashes * For the day of the Lord is at hand, and it is great and very terrible.
As this post appears at 7:00 P.M EST. our Schola has begun the singing of this Introit.
If we do not glory in Christ and His cross, then in what do we glory? In what do we put our faith and trust? Do we put it in global organisations who promote the opposite of Catholic belief, from population control, abortion and environmental-fascism? Do we glory in the powerful and rich celebrities who use their money to gain access, even in the Church? Do we glory in prelates and popes who have failed to hold fast to tradition and who dismiss doctrine for some pastoral expediency that is not of Christ but is of the world? Do we glory in putting "our trust in princes" when the Psalmist tells us no to? Do we go dare contradict the Apostle of Rome, Paul, who challenges us to put away the things of a child and to glory only in the "cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?" When will the Catholic faithful rise up and stand for Christ rather than go along with those men who seek the praise of the world? At the end of the Holy Thursday Sacrifice of the Mass and procession, the Altar is stripped. The priests dressed in albs strip the altar as Christ was stripped, the Schola chants Deus, Deus meus. And I dare say that most people tonight, even Catholics, are in bars celebrating an early long weekend while Christ is stripped and longs for us to visit him. Una hora.
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.
