Mozarabic Hymn in Lent

 

Mozarabic Hymn in Lent 

 

Christe lumen perpetuum: in Quadragesima: Feria III: Ad Vesperas: Breviarium Gothicum

 

Christe lumen perpetuum,

Astrorum fulgor siderum

Noctem nostram illumina,

Conserva pura pectora.

 

Nullis incedat laqueis,

Nullis gravetur hostibus;

Nec maculentur corpora

Lascivia per soporem.

 

Custodi corda omnium,

Fideliumque maxima

Protectione, propria

Tua, Christe, potentia.

 

Ut gratuletur anima,

Vidisse lucem prosperam

Implesse vota debita,

Reddenda tibi, Trinitas.

 

Deo Patri sit gloria,..

 

O Christ, light perpetual, brightness of the constellation of the stars, illuminate our night, keep our hearts pure. May no snares impend our path, nor enemy oppress; may bodies not be stained, neither lusts as we sleep. Guard the hearts of all men and, O Christ, especially the faithful with the surpassing protection of your great power.  That the soul may be grateful to see such happy light, to fulfill and perform the vows owed to you, O Trinity. 

Amalarius of Metz: On Compline

 

Amalarius of Metz: On Compline

 

Compline (completorium)  is so-called because at that point our daily consumption of food and drink, which are necessarily consumed for the sustenance of the body, together with ordinary speech, is complete (completur). And thus monks, in accordance with Saint Benedict's rule, see to the closing of their mouths and keep them distant from ordinary conversation from the time of this office until they return to work again. And it is not inappropriate that this time of night, in which all things are silent, can be called quietude. Among those who divide the night into seven parts, the first part is called twilight, the second vespers, and the third quietude, which we are now discussing. And I think that it is so-called because, at this moment, all things are quiet.

 

In some sense this office corresponds to that commendation through which man commends himself to God when he leaves this world. Sleep is the image of death. And just as the mind of the dead man is withdrawn from mortal things and given over to forgetfulness of the suffering of this world, so in some sense is the spirit of the sleeping man withdrawn from its usual thoughts and from every temporal occupation.

 

In the four Psalms we commend the four elements of our body to the Lord, as the vesicle makes clear, saying: "Keep me, Lord, the apple of your eye. Protect me under the shadow of your wings." Everyone—even those with tenuous understanding—recognizes how many more external dangers can befall a man when he is asleep than when he is awake

 

Augustine, writing on a verse from the first Psalm that is sung during Compline, explains this: "'In peace in the selfsame I will sleep and I will take rest.' For it is right that such people hope for all manner of mental withdrawal from mortal affairs, and for forgetfulness of the miseries of this world.

 

The second Psalm continues up to the verse in which Christ laid down his spirit on the cross. In that verse, we desire that we be brought into conformity with his sleep — that is, that our members rest while our heart is vigilant.

 

The third Psalm is filled with words of prayers that request the Lord's protection. In Roman usage it is also sung on Good Friday after the reading, where (according to Hosea) our mortification after the example of Christ is revealed, together with our resurrection after two days. Through this Psalm, the author of the Office advises us, in accordance with its words, that our mind should be intent on beseeching God amid all our dangers and difficulties; and thus, because our sleep has some likeness to the sleep of those who have left this world under the Lord's protection, the same Psalm is recited at Compline.

 

In some sense the fourth Psalm also recalls the intention of those who are in difficulty and nevertheless pass from this difficulty to peace, saying: "In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places." Thus Augustine in his treatise on the same Psalm: "For the night is a sorrowful thing, and the day is a joyful thing." And after a little: "Therefore, 'Bless the Lord.' When? At night. When Job blessed him, what a sorrowful night it was! All his possessions were taken away; the sons who had kept them were taken away. What a sorrowful night! But let us see if he does not give his blessing during the night: 'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. As it has pleased the Lord, so was it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord. '"+

 

The vesicle that follows, as we said above, clarifies the full task of the office—namely, a request for the Lord's protection amid the dangers of the night. And the subsequent hymn of Saint Simeon reveals the peace that the soul of the one praying desires—namely, that it may rest without any disturbance from this world. This is what Simeon prayed for when he wished to pass from this life to the other life, and said: "Now dismiss your servant in peace, Lord, according to your word."

From the treatise "Against the Heresies" by St Irenaeus

 

From the treatise "Against the Heresies" by St Irenaeus

Israel was learning reverence for God and perseverance in his service

From the beginning God created man out of his own generosity. He chose the patriarchs to give them salvation. He took his people in hand, teaching them, unteachable as they were, to follow him. He gave them prophets, accustoming man to bear his Spirit and to have communion with God on earth. He who stands in need of no one gave communion with himself to those who need him. Like an architect he outlined the plan of salvation to those who sought to please him. By his own hand he gave food in Egypt to those who did not see him. To those who were restless in the desert he gave a law perfectly suited to them. To those who entered the land of prosperity he gave a worthy inheritance. He killed the fatted calf for those who turned to him as Father, and clothed them with the finest garment. In so many ways he was training the human race to take part in the harmonious song of salvation.

  For this reason John in the book of Revelation says: His voice was as the voice of many waters. The Spirit of God is indeed a multitude of waters, for the Father is rich and great. As the Word passed among all these people he provided help in generous measure for those who were obedient to him, by drawing up a law that was suitable and fitting for every circumstance.

  He established a law for the people governing the construction of the tabernacle and the building of the temple, the choice of Levites, the sacrifices, the offerings, the rites of purification and the rest of what belonged to worship.

  He himself needs none of these things. He is always filled with all that is good. Even before Moses existed he had within himself every fragrance of all that is pleasing. Yet he sought to teach his people, always ready though they were to return to their idols. Through many acts of indulgence he tried to prepare them for perseverance in his service. He kept calling them to what was primary by means of what was secondary, that is, through foreshadowings to the reality, through things of time to the things of eternity, through things of the flesh to the things of the spirit, through earthly things to the heavenly things. As he said to Moses: You will fashion all things according to the pattern that you saw on the mountain.

  For forty days Moses was engaged in remembering the words of God, the heavenly patterns, the spiritual images, the foreshadowings of what was to come. Saint Paul says: They drank from the rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. After speaking of the things that are in the law he continues: All these things happened to them as symbols: they were written to instruct us, on whom the end of the ages has come.

  Through foreshadowings of the future they were learning reverence for God and perseverance in his service. The law was therefore a school of instruction for them, and a prophecy of what was to come.

St. Basil the Great: Homily on Psalm 1: The value of psalmody

 

St. Basil the Great: Homily on Psalm 1: The value of psalmody

 

Everything in the scripture has been divinely inspired, and has its uses. The Holy Spirit has dictated it in such a way that everyone can choose from it, as from a dispensary open to all, the remedy suited to his malady. Great harm, it is written, by its healing touch may yet be assuaged. The Psalter contains in itself whatever is good in all other books. It foretells the future, it recalls facts of history, it gives rules of life, it suggests practical attitudes of mind. Briefly, it is a treasure-house of good doctrine from which all can draw; it gives carefully what will be useful for each individual. It cures all the old wounds of the soul and brings a speedy cure for fresh ones. It heals all that is sick and preserves what is in good health. It suppresses completely, as far as possible, the interior movements which in so many ways, in human life, tyrannize over souls; and it does this in so charming and pleasing a manner as to bring health to the soul. For the Holy Spirit well knows that humanity does not easily tend to virtue, and our eagerness for the pleasurable makes us neglect the right path. Then what does he do? He gives his instructions melodiously, so that, without our knowing it, the teaching of the words will sink into us with the charm and sweetness of the sounds. It is what good doctors often do when they have to give a disagreeable medicine to an invalid without appetite: they smear some honey on the edge of the glass.

 

Psalmody gives tranquility to souls, brings peace by mastering surging thoughts. It calms anger and represses concupiscence. Psalmody strengthens friendship, unites those who are estranged, reconciles those who are angry, for who could consider as an enemy one who united his voice with his in praise of God? Psalmody also gives the greatest of goods, charity: it unites all into one choir. It puts the devils to flight and insures the help of the angels. It is a protection against the fears of night-time, a rest in the work of the day. It strengthens children, adorns the young, consoles the aged and beautifies women. It peoples solitude, it stills agitated assemblies. It is the voice of the Church. It gives splendor to festivals. It gives rise to the sadness which comes from God; from a heart of stone it can draw tears.

 

Psalmody is the occupation of the angels, it is the life of heaven, it is the spiritual sacrifice. It contains true theology: the prophecies of the Incarnation, the threats of judgement, the hope of resurrection, the fear of punishment, the promise of glory, the revelation of mysteries—all these are gathered up in the book of Psalms, a great treasure-house open to all the world.

A commentary of St Augustine on Psalm 140

 

A commentary of St Augustine on Psalm 140

The passion of the whole body of Christ

Lord, I have cried to you, hear me. This is a prayer we can all say. This is not my prayer, but that of the whole Christ. Rather, it is said in the name of his body. When Christ was on earth he prayed in his human nature and prayed to the Father in the name of his body, and when he prayed drops of blood flowed from his whole body. So, it is written in the Gospel: Jesus prayed with earnest prayer, and sweated blood. What is this blood streaming from his whole body but the martyrdom of the whole Church?

  Lord, I have cried to you, hear me; listen to the sound of my prayer, when I call upon you. Did you imagine that crying was over when you said: I have cried to you? You have cried out, but do not as yet feel free from care. If anguish is at an end, crying is at an end; but if the Church, the body of Christ, must suffer anguish until the end of time, it must not say only: I have cried to you, hear me; it must also say: Listen to the sound of my prayer, when I call upon you.

  

Let my prayer rise like incense in your sight; let the raising of my hands be an evening sacrifice.

  

This is generally understood of Christ, the head, as every Christian acknowledges. When day was fading into evening, the Lord laid down his life on the cross, to take it up again; he did not lose his life against his will. Here, too, we are symbolised. What part of him hung on the cross if not the part he had received from us? How could God the Father ever cast off and abandon his only Son, who is indeed one God with him? Yet Christ, nailing our weakness to the cross (where, as the Apostle says: Our old nature was nailed to the cross with him), cried out with the very voice of humanity: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

  

The evening sacrifice is then the passion of the Lord, the cross of the Lord, the oblation of the victim that brings salvation, the holocaust acceptable to God. In his resurrection he made this evening sacrifice a morning sacrifice. Prayer offered in holiness from a faithful heart rises like incense from a holy altar. Nothing is more fragrant than the fragrance of the Lord. May all who believe share in this fragrance.

  

Therefore, our old nature in the words of the Apostle, was nailed to the cross with him, in order, as he says, to destroy our sinful body, so that we may be slaves to sin no longer.

The Canterbury Hymnal: Hymn for Vespers in Lent

 

The Canterbury Hymnal: Hymn for Vespers in Lent

 

Vespers, first and second Sundays in Lent: Gernot B. Wieland, The Canterbury Hymnal

 

YMNUS AD VESPERAM

             

SIC TER QUATERNIS TRAHITUR

horis dies ad vesperum,

occasum sol pronuntians

noctis redire tempora.

 

nos ergo signo domini

tutemus claustra pectorum,

ne serpens ille callidus

intrandi temptet aditum

 

sed armis pudicitie

mens fulta vigil libere

sobrietare comite

hostem repellat inprobum.

 

sed nec ciborum crapula

tandem distentet corpora,

ne vi per sompnum animam

glorificatam pulluat.

 

Gloria tibi, trinitas

 

Thus, in three times four hours day is dragged into evening, the sun announces its setting, the time of night returns. Therefore, let us guard the enclosure of the hearts with the sign of the Lord lest that crafty serpent should try to enter. But let the vigilant mind freely depend on the weapons of modesty and with its companion, sobriety, repel the wicked enemy.  But may the drunkenness of food not bloat our bodies lest by force it should pollute the glory-filled soul. 

St. Thomas Aquinas: Commentary on the Psalms: 10

 

St. Thomas Aquinas: Commentary on the Psalms: 10

 

This psalm can be explained literally of David, or mystically of Christ, or allegorically. Morally it concerns the just man, and heretics, as the Gloss explains.

 

Therefore, David first sets forth his confidence, In the Lord I put my trust: as liberated by God's righteous judgment, weighing sinners down and lifting up the poor.

 

Some people counseled David when he was fleeing so that he would go to a fortified place and indeed to the mountains; or, so that he would hide there as a sparrow would. For (what reason)? Lo, the wicked have bent their bow, etc. This can be explained in two ways. First, so that these words are not David's, but (instead are those) of others: and so, Get thee away, because They (the wicked) have bent their bow. Or, (second), these words are David's, as if he were saying, In the Lord I put my trust:...for they have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows etc. And (with respect to the second of these), he does three things. First, he sets forth their perverse solicitude, second, their perverse intention, at, to shoot, and third, their unjust activity, at, For, they have destroyed the things which thou hast made.

 

(This could can also be said) mystically of Christ. And so, "I, the Christ, In the Lord I put my trust: how, then, do you, the pharisees, say...get thee away...to the mountain, that is, to the observances of the law given on Mount Sinai. Deuteronomy 33:2: The Lord came from Sinai, and from Seir he rose up to us; and unless you do this, Lo, the wicked have bent their bow etc, that is, they have readied themselves to kill you and your disciples; For they have destroyed the things which thou hast made, that is, they have killed.

 

For, lo, the wicked, that is the heretics, Have bent their bow, that is, have drawn (or "turned") sacred scripture towards themselves, just as those who aim a bow: They have prepared their arrows, eloquence full of poison, In the quiver, that is, in memory and knowledge: Jeremiah 5:16: Their quiver is as an open sepulcher. To shoot the upright of heart, that is the just, In the dark, that is, deceitfully: Jeremiah 9:8: Their tongue is a piercing arrow.

 

"These (wicked men) have acted so; but what does the just Lord, seeing this, do in his might?" Jeremiah 33:16: This is the name that they shall call him, The Lord our just one. He answers (his) question, and sets down what the just one does. First, (he sets forth) his judicial power, or the rank of the judge, second, the judge's examination, at, His eyes, and third, the condemnation of those closely examined, at, He that loveth iniquity.

 

If a judge always punishes, he is cruel; if he always pardons, he is remiss. God, however, both pardons and punishes; for that reason, the judgment seat of mercy has a place, and this is the temple.

 

His eyelids examine the sons of men. By eyelids is signified discernment, for just as the eyelids direct the sight of the eye, so too does discernment regulate human wisdom. Sometimes he punishes, other times he spares, sometimes he gives kindnesses, and at other times he bears (these gifts) away.

 

He examines the sons of men, because by these very (examinations), some are made better, while others (are made) worse; or, by the scriptures, some are made better, others worse: for some understand (scriptures) well and are not tired (by the effort), but are engaged busily (by them), while the evil do the contrary.

 

He shows that as much as it is on the part of God, He is not the ruin of wicked (men), but rather (this ruin) is on our part; whence he says, He that loveth iniquity, that is, sin: John 3:20: Every one that doth evil, does iniquity, because sin is iniquity. (Such a person) hates his own soul: Wisdom 16:14: A man through malice hates his own soul.

 

 

But it is asked, how could anyone hate himself?

 

It is to be said that the sinner after a fashion hates himself; but simply (speaking), no one hates himself: Ephesians 5:29: No man ever hates his own flesh.

 

But that the evil hate themselves in a way, and that even the good hates themselves after a fashion, is made clear in this way: Our soul has two faces (so to speak); one turned to God in accordance with reason, the other turned to flesh in accordance with the sensitive nature, which comprehends things in so far as they are bodily. And as everything delights in its proper good, so too does man delight in that which he considers to be his soul. Sinners consider their soul to be that which they principally aspire after. For everything is (identified with) that which is pre-eminent in it, just as a king is his kingdom, or his rule. Therefore, the former having a sensitive nature delight in it; however, the latter, having an intellectual nature, love it. And so, no one hates his soul insofar as it is that which he principally considers. The good, therefore, hate their souls with respect to its sensitive nature, while the evil hate its intellectual aspect.

CLARUM DECUS JEJUNII: The Glory of these Forty Days

 

CLARUM DECUS JEJUNII: The Glory of these Forty Days

 

In Quadragesima ad vesperam ‘Audi benigne conditor’, ad nocturnas ‘Clarum decus ieiuni’, ad matutinis  ‘Jesu quadragenariae’, per quattuor ebdomadas continue. --Ælfric's Letter to the Monks of Eynsham

 

Winchester, Durham, Sarum, York, etc.

 

The hymn is notable in that it sees fasting not as something gloomy but as bright and it gives us many examples of those figures who benefited from abstinence. 

 

 

1. Clarum decus jejunii

Monstratur orbi coelitus,

Quod Christus Auctor omnium

Cibis dicavit abstinens.

 

2. Hoc Moyses carus Deo

Legisque lator factus est,

Hoc Helyam per aera

Curru levavit igneo.

 

3. Hinc Daniel mysteria

Victor leonum viderat,

Per hoc amicus intimus

Sponsi Johannes claruit.

 

4. Hec nos sequi dona, Deus,

Exempla parcimonise,

Tu robur auge mentium

Dans spiritale gaudium.

 

 

The bright glory of fasting is shown the world from heaven, which Christ, the nourisher of the world, when he fasted from food, commanded. By this Moses, dear to God, was made the giver of the law; by this Elijah was raised to the sky in a fiery chariot. By this Daniel, victorious over the lion, beheld mysteries; through this John, the intimate friend of Christ,  glowed bright. Grant us to follow these examples of fasting, O God. Increase the strength of mind and so give spiritual joy.

 

 

Maurice F. Bell

 

The glory of these forty days

We celebrate with songs of praise;

For Christ, by Whom all things were made,

Himself has fasted and has prayed.

 

Alone and fasting Moses saw

The loving God Who gave the law;

And to Elijah, fasting, came

The steeds and chariots of flame.

 

So Daniel trained his mystic sight,

Delivered from the lions’ might;

And John, the Bridegroom’s friend, became

The herald of Messiah’s Name.

 

Then grant us, Lord, like them to be

Full oft in fast and prayer with Thee;

Our spirits strengthen with Thy grace,

And give us joy to see Thy face.

 

O Father, Son, and Spirit blest,

To thee be every prayer addressed,

Who art in threefold Name adored,

From age to age, the only Lord.

Mozarabic Hymns 2: Terce, Sext, None in Lent: Prudentius

 

Mozarabic Hymns 2:  Terce, Sext, None in Lent: Prudentius

 

 

 Feria secunda: Ad tertiam in Quadragesima

 

In the Durham Hymnal this hymn is used at Compline. The collectar specifies it for the 3^rd and 4^th Saturdays and the 3^rd Sunday of Lent. It is taken from Prudentius, Cathemerinon  VII and the Anglo-Saxon version does not have the third stanza, nor the same doxology.

 

O Nazarene, lux Bethlehem, Verbum Patris.

Quem partus alvi Virginalis protulit,

Adesto castis, Christe, parsimoniis,

Festumque nostrum rex serenus adspice,

Jejuniorum dum litamus victimam.

 

 Nil hoc profecto purius mysterio,

Quo fibra cordis expiatur vividi,

Intemperata quo domantur viscera,

Arvina putrem ne resudans crapulam

Obstrangulatae mentis ingenium premat.

 

 Hinc subjugatur luxus, et turpis gula,

Vini atque somni degener socordia,

Libido sordens, inverecundus lepos,

Variaeque pestes languidorum sensuum

Parcam subactae disciplinam sentiunt.

 

 Nam si licenter diffluens potu et cibo,

Jejuna rite membra non coerceant:

Sequitur, frequenti marcida oblectamine,

Scintilla mentis ut tepescat nobilis,

Animusque pigris stertat ut praecordiis.

   Amen. Honor, potestas, etc.

 

 

O man of Nazareth. Light of Bethlehem, the Word of the Father, whom the birth of a virginal womb brought forth, assist us, O Christ, in this season of chaste abstinence and a peaceful king watch over our observance, while we offer up the sacrifice of fasting. Nothing is more cleansing than carrying out this mystery, by which the very fiber of the living heart is cleansed, through which the intemperance within us is conquered, lest unbridled fat and sordid drunkenness be not restrained and oppress the natural capacity of a strangled  mind.  In this way luxury and base gluttony are brought low, degenerate sloth of wine and sleep, filthy lust and foolish wit and the various plagues of sick feelings are subjected and made to feel discipline of restraint. For if drink and food flow freely, the  body is not coerced with proper fasting, it follows that, exhausted by continual amusement, the noble spark of the mind grows tepid and the soul sleeps from the laziness of the  inmost heart. 

 

 

 Feria secunda: Ad sextam in Quadragesima

  

Referre prisci stemma nunc jejunii

Libet, fideli proditum volumine,

Ut diruendae Civitatis incolis

Fulmen benigni mansuefactum Patris

Pie repressis ignibus pepercerit.

 

 

 Gens insolenti praepotens jactantia

Pollebat olim, quam fluentem nequiter

Corrupta vulgo solverat lascivia:

Et inde bruto contumax fastidio,

Cultum superni negligebat Numinis.

 

 Offensa tandem jugis indulgentiae

Censura, justis excitatur motibus,

Dextram perarmat rhomphaeali incendio;

Nimbos crepantes et fragosos turbines

Vibrans, tonantum nube flammarum quatit.

 

 Sed poenitendi dum datur diecula,

Si forte vellent improbam libidinem,

Veteresque nugas, condomare ac frangere,

Suspendit ictum terror exorabilis,

Paulumque dicta substitit sententia.

   Honor, potestas, etc

 

I would now tell the ancient origin of the fast, passed down in that trustworthy book, how the good of the Father softening his thunderbolt, repressing his fire by love, did not attack the inhabitants of a city that deserved to be destroyed. Once a powerful people flourished with insolent pride, in which, opulent and dissolute, their corrupted lasciviousness had caused general dissipation, and so, obstinate in foolish disdain, they disregarded the worship of the heavenly God. After a long indulgence, the divine justice so offended is indignant and armed his hand with a sword of fire. Dark clouds burst out with a crash; Livid and thunderous fires shake the vault of heaven on the head of the guilty. But, they are given a time to repent; He is still free to censure  the course of their shameful debaucheries; They may, if they will, arrest the disorders in which they have grown old; The merciful vengeance deigns to suspend its blows; and for a brief space the sentence already issued was suspended.

 

 

Feria secunda:  Ad nonam in Quadragesima

  

Sed cur vetustae gentis exemplum loquor?

Pridem caducis cum gravatus artubus

Jesus, dicato corde jejunaverit;

Praenuncupatus ore qui prophetico.

Emmanuel est, sive nobiscum Deus?

 

Qui corpus istud molle naturaliter,

Captumque laxo sub voluptatum jugo,

Virtutis arcta lege fecit liberum,

Emancipator servientis plasmatis,

Regnantis ante victor et cupidinis.

 

Inhospitali namque secretus loco,

Quinis diebus octies labentibus,

Nullam ciborum vendicavit gratiam,

Firmans salubri, scilicet, jejunio

Vas appetendis imbecillum gaudiis.

   Honor, potestas. Etc.

 

But what does the example of an ancient people tells us? When Jesus himself, long since  weighted down with a perishable body, fasted with a dedicated heart; he who was long before named by the mouth of  prophecy ‘Emmanuel’, or, ‘God with us’. He, who had a weak body according to nature and yet loosened  from the captivity of the yoke of pleasure,  made free by the strong law of virtue, deliverer of created slaves, victor over the concupiscence which previously ruled them.For hidden in an inhospitable place, in the course of five times eight days, he did not demand the grace of any food, strengthening with a healthy fast the weak vessel for the joys sought.

 

FÉLIX MARÍA AROCENA: Why "Latin" hymns?

 

FÉLIX MARÍA AROCENA

 

 

Why "Latin" hymns?

 

It would be legitimate to ask why Notker de Saint-Gall († 912), for example, and others like him, wrote their hymns in Latin. This question could be answered by saying that the Latin language was not strange to them. They simply learned it because it was the language of their homeland, the Church. It was their only Christian medium of expression, the only one that suited the experiences they tried to express. Notker of Saint-Gall did not versify for an audience, whether this was a Latin or Germanic speaking, but for his Lord. The Scriptures, the hymns of the Church, everything that deeply moved his soul and lifted him above himself, he received in Latin. When he wanted to shout his joy, to express his enthusiasm, when he had to sing something that was beautiful, sublime, there was only Latin. He sang to the Church and to the Church the Mysteries that Christ had entrusted to the Church. Since they were printed in their soul in Latin, in that same language they were to be expressed. In fact, the quality of Latin is a good index of the intellectual level of the high Middle Ages. The ninth - century Latin has no less than that of the sixteenth century humanist quality . Capable of evoking in our minds high and beautiful thoughts, the stanzas of the Latin hymnbook are vehicles of the lyrical voice of the Church that praises, implores, glorifies, moans and enjoys in the presence of the Holy Trinity. This flexible Christian and clear, rhythmic Latin music at Notre Dame was to Notker what the Parthenon was to Horace.

 

SCRIPTA THEOLOGICA / VOL. 44/2012 / pp. 9-44

Dom Hubert van Zeller: THE PRAYER OF PETITION (We Die Standing Up)

 

Dom Hubert van Zeller: THE PRAYER OF PETITION (We Die Standing Up)

 

It is very easy to become snobbish in prayer and look down upon asking God for things. St. Thomas gives the lie to this attitude of mind when he defines prayer as "an activity of the practical intellect chiefly consisting in petition". He is not talking here of contemplation, nor is there any discussion as to what is the highest form that prayer can take. He is merely saying that when you get down to it prayer is asking. And when you think of it—as when you think of most of St. Thomas's startling statements—it must be. Prayer is the human mind looking for something in the direction where it knows that something to be. Even if the soul is only exposing its miseries there is the implied cry for help. And this is asking. If it is expressing sorrow for sin there is the implied cry for pardon. Gratitude and praise are perhaps the most selfless forms of prayer, but even here we are asking God to listen.

 

Another form of snobbishness in prayer is shown in the idea that when asking for things we are necessarily displaying too much activity for the requirements of pure prayer. This is of course sheer rubbish. For one thing the activity of suffering, or delighting, or sneezing, doesn't interfere with pure prayer, so why should praying? For another thing, except in the case of certain supernatural states of prayer, activity of some sort is essential. Read again the definition of St. Thomas quoted above. The same saint, in another place, calls prayer "an activity of the virtue of religion". It is bustle, not activity, that militates against the serenity required for interior prayer, and then only the kind of bustle that is admitted in the will. If all operation were to cease there would be no response to the action of grace, there would be no expression of the virtue of religion. The very word "ex-pression" connotes a going out, a pro-pulsion towards something.

 

Not only is prayer an activity of religion but it is, because it regards God directly, the best act. It is higher than the act of charity towards one's neighbor because it is the expression of one's charity towards Cod. Consequently, any act performed prayerfully—whether related to one of the virtues or not—becomes an act of virtue. Recreations, undertakings, human relationships—not to mention the more obvious things like sufferings, misunderstandings, loneliness and doubt— acquire a sacred character under the cover of prayer. Caussade's illuminating phrase "the sacrament of the present moment" means precisely this. The human will directed towards God, recognizing its dependence upon Cod, intent upon performing all that the perfect service of God involves . . . this, although it be wordless, is the attitude of mind which we associate with perfect prayer. And who would say that petition was not compatible with such a disposition?

 

Unless the place of petition is allowed and even assured in all but the purely passive and extraordinary prayers there is the danger of divorcing prayer from life. The mistake is common enough of thinking that prayer is a thing apart, a sanctifying exercise to be tacked on to everyday existence but in no way related to the course and character of every happening. The function of prayer is not primarily to help in the ordering of our lives. Its primary function is to give glory to Cod. But the more it is part of our lives the better.

 

There is this also to be considered, that where other activities of religion may express one or other of its virtues, prayer —in its most generous form at any rate—expresses them all. To service, to justice, to penance there is in prayer the added and all blessed quality of love. Who ever heard of a love that was too proud to ask?

 

The saints? Did they ask for things from God? Certainly, they did, that is why people asked them for their prayers. That is why we ask them now to pray whenever we want anything. Ah, you will say, but that is different: they may have asked on behalf of others but surely it is unworthy to think of them as asking for what they themselves wanted. Not at all. They asked for what they wanted most, but then what they wanted most was not what we want most: they asked for Cod's will. They hungered for more and more and more of God.

 

And what is more, they got what they wanted. Following their lead and the Gospel injunction we can, in our prayer, do worse than "seek first the Kingdom of God", and we shall find that all these things which we ask for shall be added to us. All these things? Why not, if they are things which are to our soul's health?

 

"Ask of the gods," says Socrates, "only for good things." This is sound enough as far as it goes. Christ goes farther than Socrates. "Ask for anything in my name," says Christ, "and it shall be given to you." Anything. But particularly for the Father's will. Anyway ask.

Prudentius

 

The original plainsong of Divinum mysterium in Piae Cantiones.

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A METHOD OF MENTAL PRAYER by St. Alphonsus Liguori

 

A METHOD OF MENTAL PRAYER

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

It is certain that without the divine assistance we can do nothing good for our souls. God also has declared that graces are granted to those only who ask for them: Ask, and it shall be given you (Matt. 7:7). Seek, and it shall be given you; therefore, as says St. Teresa, he who seeks not does not receive. Hence it is a common opinion of the holy Fathers, with St. Thomas, that without prayer it is impossible to persevere in the grace of God, and to save one’s self. But he who prays is sure of the help of God; we have his word for it, which cannot fail, repeated so often in the sacred Gospels:

All things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you (Mark 11:2).

Every one that asks receives (Luke 11:10).

Amen, amen, I say unto you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you (John 16:23).

God grants everything that we ask him for in the name of Jesus Christ.

 If, then, we wish to he saved, we must pray, and pray with humility and confidence, and above all with perseverance.

 

MANNER OF MAKING MENTAL PRAYER

By St. Alphonsus Liguori

I. In the PREPARATION the following acts may be made: 
My God, I believe that You are here present, and I adore You with all my heart. I deserve at this moment to be burning in hell for my sins; O my God, I am sorry for having offended You; pardon me. Eternal Father, grant me light in this meditation, that I may profit by it.



Then say a Hail Mary to the divine Mother, and a Glory be to the Father, etc., in honor of St. Joseph, of your guardian angel, and of your holy patron.

II. Then read the MEDITATION [such as from the Scripture or other spiritual reading]; yet whilst reading we should stop at those passages in which the soul finds that it is receiving nourishment; and we should try to produce acts of humility, of thanksgiving, especially of contrition and love, of resignation and self-offering. We should say:
 O Lord! Dispose of me as You please; help me to know all that You require of me: I wish to please You in all things. We should especially apply ourselves to making petitions, in asking God to grant us holy perseverance, his love, light, and strength, that we mostly need in order to do his holy will, and to pray always. 


III. The CONCLUSION is made thus: We make the resolution to avoid some particular sin into which we fall the most often. We should finish by saying an Our Father and, a Hail Mary, and never forget, in meditation, to recommend to God the souls in Purgatory, and all poor sinners.

 

METHOD OF MAKING MENTAL PRAYER

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

“We must observe that Saint Alphonsus makes the practice of mental prayer simple, clear, easy, and not less fruitful. Owing to the method which he teaches, this exercise, indispensable to him who wishes to sanctify himself, is really put within the reach of all. He wishes that every one should learn how to meditate. He earnestly recommends that for this purpose special instructions should he given to the people.” Rev. E. Grimm.

“Mental prayer consists of three parts; the preparation, the meditation, and the conclusion. The preparation consists of three acts: one of faith in the presence of God; of humility, with a short act of contrition; and of prayer to be enlightened. saying as follows, for the first: My God; I believe that you art present with me, and I adore you with all the affection of my soul. For the second: O Lord by my sins I deserve to be now in hell. I repent, O Infinite Goodness! with my whole heart, of having offended you. For the third: My God for the love of Jesus and Mary, give me light in this prayer, that I may profit by it. Then say a Hail Mary to the Most Blessed Virgin, that she may obtain light for us; and a Glory be to the Father, to St. Joseph, to your guardian angel, and to your patron saint, for the same end. These acts should be made with attention, but briefly; and then you go on directly to the meditation.

In the meditation you can always make use of some book, at least at the beginning, and stop where you find yourself mostly touched. St. Francis de Sales says that in this we should do as the bees, which settle on a flower as long they find any honey in it, and then pass on to another. It should also be observed, that the fruits to be gained by meditation are three in number: to make affections, to pray, and to make resolutions; and in these consists the profit to be derived from mental prayer. After you have meditated on some eternal truth, and God has spoken to your heart, you must also speak to God; and first, by forming affections, be they acts of faith, of thanksgiving, of humility, or of hope; but above all, repeat the acts of love and contrition. St. Thomas says, that every act of love merits for us the grace of God and paradise:

“Every act of love merits eternal life.” Each act of contrition obtains the same thing. Acts of love are such as these: My God; I love you above all things! I love you with all my heart! I desire to do your will in all things. I rejoice that you are infinitely happy! and the like. For an act of contrition it is enough to say: O Infinite Goodness, I repent of having offended you!

In the second place, you must pray; ask God to enlighten you, to give you humility or other virtues, to grant you a good death and eternal salvation; but above all, his love and holy perseverance. And when the soul is in great aridity, it is sufficient to repeat:

My God, help me! Lord, have mercy on me! My Jesus, have mercy! and if you do nothing but this, your prayer will succeed exceedingly well.

In the third place, before finishing your prayer, you must form a particular resolution; as, for instance, to avoid some occasion of sin, to bear with an annoyance from some person, to correct some fault, and the like.

Finally, in the conclusion, three acts are to be made: in the 1st, we must thank God for the inspirations we have received; in the 2d, we must make a determination to observe the resolutions we have made; in the 3d, we must ask God, for the love of Jesus and Mary, to help us to keep our resolution. The prayer concludes by the recommendation of the souls in purgatory, the prelates of the Church, sinners, and all our relatives and friends, for which we may say an Our Father and a Hail Mary. St. Francis of Sales exhorts us to choose some thought which may have struck us more especially in our prayer, that we may remember it during the rest of the day.”

From St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Preparation for Death, Rev Eugene Grimm Trans., Redemptorist Fathers Brooklyn Publishers (1926) p. 445. Imprimatur +Patrick Cardinal Hayes, 1926.