Sunday Weeks I & II: Vespers II: St. Gregory the Great ?

The five hymns, probably composed by the same author, are taken from the first five days of Creation in Genesis. This, the first, refers to the creation of light.

Lucis creátor óptime,

lucem diérum próferens,

primórdiis lucis novæ

mundi parans oríginem;

Qui mane iunctum vésperi

diem vocári prǽcipis:

tætrum chaos illábitur;

audi preces cum flétibus.

Ne mens graváta crímine

vitæ sit exsul múnere,

dum nil perénne cógitat

seséque culpis ílligat.

Cælórum pulset íntimum,

vitále tollat prǽmium;

vitémus omne nóxium,

purgémus omne péssimum.

W&H: 1.2 lucem dierum, etc.: See Gen 1:3: "And God said, 'Be light made.' And light was made. " 2.2       diem vocari: Gen 1:5: "And [God} called the light day." 2.3 taetrum chaos: When "the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen 1:2). Chaos is found in both secular and Christian poets as an image of night. Just as at the Creation darkness followed God's creation of the day, so darkness has fallen when this hymn is sung at Vespers. Its plea is that the darkness of sin may not shroud the hearts of the singers. 4.1 pulset: The subject is mens in the previous stanza. Compare Mt 7-7: "Knock, and it shall be opened to you."

Great Creator of light, providing the light of day and fashioning the first beginnings of new light at the beginning of the world; You who bid morning joined to evening to be called day: now dark disorder falls upon us: hear our prayers with tears. Let not our minds heavy with sin be deprived of the rewards of life and bind ourselves to sin with no thought for things eternal. May our soul knock at the door of heaven, carry away the prize of life; let us shun everything harmful, let us purge all that is evil.

Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sermon by S. Bernard, Abbot: Sermon for Sun. within Octave of the Assumption.

PRIEVOUSLY did one man and one woman harm us, but, thanks be to God, in spite of that, all things are restored through one man and one woman, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude. But not as the offence, so is the free gift; the greatness of the blessing outweighs the condemnation. Our Maker, in his great wisdom and loving-kindness, did not break what was bruised, but made it far better than it was before; he made a new Adam for us out of the old, and changed Eve into Mary.

Common of Many Martyrs

The Office of Readings: 6^th Century

W&H: This hymn point(s) to the contrast between the heroism of martyrs of the past and the deficiencies of the confessors of the present, who acknowledge their sins and plead for pardon for them.

Rex glorióse mártyrum, (1)

coróna confiténtium,

qui respuéntes térrea

perdúcis ad cæléstia,

Aurem benígnam prótinus

appóne nostris vócibus;

tropæa sacra pángimus, (2)

ignósce quod delíquimus.

Tu vincis in martýribus

parcéndo confessóribus; (3)

tu vince nostra crímina

donándo indulgéntiam.

(1)  martyrum . . . confitentium: In this stanza martyrs of the past are grouped with confessors of the present (both are witnesses to the faith), as the tense of perducis in line 4 indicates.

(2)  tropaea sacra: The "sacred trophies" are the butchered bodies of the martyrs. Just as Christ's body was a trophy commemorating his victory over Satan and death so the bodies of those who died to witness to him are a further mark of that victory.

(3)  parcendo confitentibus: This line is better taken with what follows than with what precedes. Those who sing this hymn emulate the martyrs by confessing Christ, but without manifesting a similar heroism.

O glorious King of martyrs, Crown of those who praise you, those who repudiate earthly things you lead to the things of heaven. Quickly in your generosity lend your ear to our voices; we sing of holy triumphs, forgive us the sins we have done. You are victorious in the martyrs by sparing those who confess you; triumph over our offenses by granting pardon.

Lauds: 10^th Century: attributed to St. Ambrose

W&H: Citation by Maximus of Turin (Serm. 66) indicates that this hymn goes back to the time of Ambrose. Bede, De arte metrica 11, cautiously attributes it to "the Ambrosians." Thus the possible attribution to Ambrose himself must rest on correspondences with his prose works. Doubts have been raised against his authorship on the grounds of allegedly non-Ambrosian metrical features, but as Fontaine demonstrates, these are not decisive. However, the impersonal treatment, without mention of specific martyrs, is not characteristic of other hymns of Ambrose, and lends itself to easier imitation, so that the ascription must remain doubtful. The current version eliminates some of the more gruesome lines: e.g.  armata . . . ungulis manus: 'The hand of the maddened torturer, armed with claws:  “The ungula, a metal claw, tore the flesh”.

Ætérna Christi múnera (1)

et mártyrum victórias,

laudes feréntes débitas,

lætis canámus méntibus.

Ecclesiárum príncipes, (2)

belli triumpháles duces,

cæléstis aulæ mílites

et vera mundi lúmina.

Terróre victo sæculi

pœnísque spretis córporis,

mortis sacræ compéndio (3)

lucem beátam póssident.

Tortóris insáni manu

sanguis sacrátus fúnditur,

sed pérmanent immóbiles

vitæ perénnis grátia. (4)

Devóta sanctórum fides,

invícta spes credéntium,

perfécta Christi caritas (5)

mundi triúmphat príncipem. (6)

In his patérna glória,

in his volúntas Spíritus,

exsúltat in his Fílius,

cælum replétur gáudio.

Te nunc, Redémptor, quæsumus,

ut mártyrum consórtio

iungas precántes sérvulos

in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.

(1)  Aeterna . , . munera: The gifts are the martyrs themselves. The phrase here means "gifts bestowed by Christ" in the spirit of Ephesians 4:8, 11

(2) Ecclesiarum Principes: Not necessarily bishops, but martyrs who led by example.  communities.

(3)       compendio: In the sense of "shortcut: martyrdom is the "shortcut" to salvation.

(4) gratia: "for the sake of" rather than (literally) "by the grace of".

(5) perfecta Christi caritas: "The perfect love of Christ for them";

(6) mundi . . . principem: Satan as lord of the world is a persistent theme in John's Gospel. See 12:31, 14:30, 16:11.

(7) paterna gloria . . . voluntas Spiritus: At Hbr 1:3, Christ is the splendor gloriae of the Father; here the martyrs are allotted this distinction. At 1 Cor 12:11 the Spirit bestows his gifts on individuals "prout vult" (as he will).

 The eternal gifts of Christ and victories of the martyrs, bringing the praise we owe, let us sing with joyful minds.  Princes of the churches, triumphant commanders in the war, soldiers of the court of heaven and true lights of the world.  Conquering over the fear of the world, spurning the punishments of the body, profiting from a holy death, they possess the blessed light. By the hand of the mad executioner holy blood was spilled, but they remained unmoved through the grace of eternal life. The devoted faith of the saints, the invincible hope of those who believe, the charity of Christ perfected triumphs over the prince of this world. In them the Father’s glory, in them the will of the Spirit, in them the Son endlessly rejoices, and heaven is filled with joy. To you now, O Redeemer, we beseech you that the company of martyrs might be joined to your servants as we pray through eternal ages. Amen.

Vespers: Rabanus Maurus

Magentius Rabanus Maurus is the commanding figure among the ecclesiastics of his age, a great Churchman and the first German theologian….In a world of change, it appeared to him that the written word alone had a chance of survival, and that knowledge had an abiding value not subect to vanity….His pupil Rudolf at any rate was admirer of Raban’s verses for he describes him as ‘sui temporis poetarum nulli secundus’” F.J.E. Rabus;  Milfull says the hymn is conceived along  the lines of Aeterne Christi Munera: praise, victory of martyrs, bravery in punishment, hope.

Sanctórum méritis ínclita gáudia

pangámus, sócii, géstaque fórtia;

nam gliscit ánimus prómere cántibus

  victórum genus óptimum.

Hi sunt quos rétinens mundus inhórruit,

ipsum nam stérili flore peráridum

sprevére pénitus teque secúti sunt,

  rex, Christe, bone cælitum.

Hi pro te fúrias sævaque sústinent;

non murmur résonat, non querimónia,

sed corde tácito mens bene cónscia

  consérvat patiéntiam.

Quæ vox, quæ póterit lingua retéxere

quæ tu martýribus múnera præparas?

Rubri nam flúido sánguine láureis

  ditántur bene fúlgidis.

Te, trina Déitas únaque, póscimus,

ut culpas ábluas, nóxia súbtrahas,

des pacem fámulis, nos quoque glóriam

 per cuncta tibi sæcula. Amen.

May we sing of the great happiness of the merits of the saints, O friends, and of their brave deeds; for the soul is raised up when we proclaim in song this model of the greatest victory. These are those whom the world rejected and abhorred, for they wholly despised the dry soil of the world with its sterile flower, and followed you, O Christ the good King of the citizens of heaven. These are those who for your sake  endured anger and savage punishments but they did not grumble  or sound a complaint,  but with a quiet heart and a good conscience persevered in patience. What voice, what tongue can tell, Christ, the gifts you have prepared for the martyrs.  for the flow of red blood is well enriched with glimmering laurels. We pray you, O Godhead three and one, that you wash away our faults, lead us away from all that is dangerous, grant peace to your servants,  and also that we give glory to you through all ages. Amen.

Hymn: St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

The Liturgica Horarum relies on the Common of a Virgin Martyr for the hymns of this memorial. However, this hymn is attributed to St. Damasus, Pope, and was found in the Ambrosian Liturgy.

Martyris ecce dies Agathae

Virginis emicat eximiae,

Christus eam sibi qua sociat,

Et diadema duplex decorat.

Stirpe decens, elegans specie,

Sed magis actibus atque fide,

Terrea prospera nil reputans,

Jussa Dei sibi corde ligans;

Fortior haec trucibusque viris,

Exposuit sua membra flagris.

Pectore quam fuerit valido,

Torta mamilla docet patulo.

Deliciae cui carcer erat;

Pastor ovem Petrus hanc recreat.

Laetior inde, magisque flagrans,

Cuncta flagella cucurrit ovans.

Ethnica turba, rogem fugiens,

Hujus et ipsa meretur opem;

Quos fidei titulus decorat,

His Venerem magis ipsa premat.

Jam renitens, quasi sponsa, polo,

Pro misero rogita Damaso.

Sic sua festa coli faciat,

Se celebrantibus ut faveat.

Gloria cum Patre sit Genito,

Spirituique proinde sacro,

Qui Deus unus et omnipotens

Hanc nostri faciat memorem. Amen.

Lo! is come the bright festal day of the glorious Martyr and Virgin Agatha, when Christ took her to himself, and a double crown wreathed her brow.

Though noble by birth and blessed with beauty, her grandest riches were her deeds and her faith. Earthly prosperity was nothing in her eyes, but her whole heart was on the precepts of her God.

Her bravery tired out the men that tortured her; she flinched not as they lashed her limbs; and her wounded breast reveals a dauntless heart.

Her prison was her paradise, where the Pastor Peter heals his bleeding lamb; and thence once more she runs to suffer, gladder and braver at every wound.

A Pagan city, once in flames, was saved by Agatha’s prayer.

The same can check, in Christina hears, the threatening fire of lust.

Now that though are in Heaven, clad as a bride of Christ, intercede with him for us miserable sinners, that He may us so to spend thy Feast, that our celebration may draw down His Grace.

Glory be to the Son, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost. May the One Almighty God grant that this his Saint be mindful of us. Amen

Translation From Gueranger, Liturgical Year, Vol. 4 pg. 248

rationábili diligámus afféctu.

Concéde nobis, Dómine Deus noster, ut te tota mente venerémur et omnes hómines rationábili diligámus afféctu.(Veronese Sacramentary)

Lord our God,

  make us love you above all things,

and all our fellow-men

  with a love that is worthy of you.

The translation of the collect for this Sunday is not completely wrong but there are some rather important features missing from the translation. First, the translation of mens, mentis  is in modern translations almost never rendered by the most obvious English word ‘mind’. It is true that mens can sometimes be best translated as ‘soul’. But often this translation ignores the context. (I suspect that ‘mind’ is considered to be a ‘harsher’ word than ‘soul’. We speak of a dear soul but not of a dear mind.)  The latest English translation simply drops mens altogether and supplies a mental conclusion instead: “make us love you above all things’. But the second part of the result clause continues to speak of mental activity: rationabili affectu. The English translation speaks of the consequence rather than the thing itself: ‘a love that is worthy of you’. The love of ‘our fellow-men’ is of course necessarily emotional (affect)  but this is the very reason it must be governed by reason (rationábili.) The collect asks us to think: to use our minds to determine what is the proper love of God, on the one hand, and the proper love of men on the other. More than ever modern folks need to be told to think.

IN PRÆSENTATIONE DOMINI

From the Golden Legend

Hanc in honore pio

Candelam porto Mariae.

Accipe per ceram

Carnem de Virgine veram,

Per lumen numen

Majestatis que cacumen.

Lychnus est anima

Carne latens praeopima.

This candle I carry in honor of holy Mary.

Take the wax for the true body born of the Virgin.

Take the light for God and his supreme majesty.

Take the wick for the soul concealed in the fat flesh.

Ad Officium lectionis & Ad Vesperas: Paulinus II aquileiensis?

Quod chorus vatum venerándus olim

Spíritu Sancto cécinit replétus,

in Dei factum genetríce constat

  esse María.

Hæc Deum cæli Dominúmque terræ

virgo concépit peperítque virgo,

atque post partum méruit manére

  invioláta.

Quem senex iustus Símeon in ulnis

in domo sumpsit Dómini, gavísus

ob quod optátum próprio vidéret

  lúmine Christum.

Tu libens votis, pétimus, precántum,

regis ætérni génetrix, favéto,

clara quæ fundis Géniti benígni

  múnera lucis.

Christe, qui lumen Patris es supérni,

qui Patris nobis réseras profúnda,

nos fac ætérnæ tibi ferre laudes

  lucis in aula. Amen.

What once the worshipful choir of the prophets sang filled with the Holy Spirit, is accomplished in Mary the Mother of God. A Virgin conceived and a Virgin gave birth to the God of heaven and the Lord of earth and she was deemed worthy to remain inviolate after birth.  The righteous old man took the Child into his arms and entered the Lord’s house, joyously he saw with his own eyes the Christ he had desired to see. We ask you, O Mother of the eternal King, honor our petitions, you who pour out the shining gifts of your kind Son. O Christ, who are the light of your heavenly Father, who open to us the depths of the Father, grant that we may offer you endless praise in the courts of light. Amen.

Ad Laudes matutinas: Petrus Abelardus

Adórna, Sion, thálamum,

quæ præstoláris Dóminum;

sponsum et sponsam súscipe

vigil fídei lúmine.

Beáte senex, própera,

promíssa comple gáudia

et revelándum géntibus

revéla lumen ómnibus.

Paréntes Christum déferunt,

in templo templum ófferunt;

legi parére vóluit

qui legi nihil débuit.

Offer, beáta, párvulum,

tuum et Patris únicum;

offer per quem offérimur,

prétium quo redímimur.

Procéde, virgo régia,

profer Natum cum hóstia;

monet omnes ad gáudium

qui venit salus ómnium.

Iesu, tibi sit glória,

qui te revélas géntibus,

cum Patre et almo Spíritu,

in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.

Adorn, O Sion, the wedding chamber, you who await the Lord: receive the groom and the bride, watch by the lamp of faith. Blessed elder, make haste, fulfill the joy promised you, reveal the light to enlighten all the gentiles.  The parents bring Christ to offer the temple in the temple; he, who has no debt to the law, desires to obey the law. Offer, O blessed Lady, your Child and the father’s Only-begotten; offer him through whom we are offered the price which redeems us. Ride on, O royal Virgin, offer your Son with the required sacrifice; He, who comes as the salvation of all, admonishes all men to rejoice. O Jesus, to you be glory, you who revealed yourself to the Gentiles, with the Father and loving Spirit for eternal ages. Amen.