Liturgical Calendar
The liturgy continues to sing of the risen Christ and exhorts us, in this Rogation week, to unite with her in prayer. Delivered from sin by the efficacy of His blood, we must look into the perfect law of liberty and put it into practice. Let us ask of God, from whom all good things come, that by the merits of the Redeemer we may enter with Him into His Father’s kingdom.
Todays liturgy exalts the justice of God, which is shown fourth by our Lord’s triumph and by the sending of the Holy Ghost.
“The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength in raising Christ from the dead” and in causing Him to go into Heaven on the day of His ascension. It is expedient to us that Jesus should leave the earth, for from heaven He will send to His Church the Spirit of Truth, that best gift which comes from the Father of lights.
The Holy Ghost will unite all heart, will teach them all truth, and will convince Satan and the world of the sin they have committed in delivering Jesus to death and in continuing to persecute Him in His Church.
When the apostles beheld their Lord again, they were filled with the same joy which overflows into the Easter liturgy. As Easter is but a figure of the eternal Pasch, the Church will experience a similar joy when, having with sorrow begotten souls to God, she sees Jesus once more, triumphant in heaven, at the end of time. “He will turn our sorrow into joy, which no man shall take from us.”
To possess that eternal joy, we must live in conformity with our name of Christians and observe the precepts which St. Peter enumerates in the Epistle.
Today is called Good Shepherd Sunday. St. Peter, whom the risen Lord has made chief-pastor of His Church, tells us in the Epistle, that Jesus is the shepherd of our souls.
The Gospel relates the parable of the good shepherd, who protects his sheep from the attacks of the wolf and rescues them from death (Collect). It also foretells that there will be one day only one fold and one shepherd.
Low Sunday, so called perhaps in contrast to the great Easter solemnity is also known as Quasimodo, from the first words of the Introit; also as Dominica in alibis, or originally post albas, i.e. after the deposition of the white garments. The Introit is taken from the Epistle of yesterday. Today’s Epistle speaks of the faith which the neophytes will have to profess.
The Gospel further shows us how Christ, who twice appeared in the Cenacle, dispelled the doubts of Thomas and praised those who, without having seen Him, should yet believe in Him.
The Station is at St. John Lateran, on account of the important baptistry attached to this basilica.
In former times the Church held no special service on this day, but a meeting was held in the course of the afternoon for the last scrutiny of the catechumens, which almost immediately preceded the baptism; several ceremonies that still precede the conferring of baptism, were performed at this gathering.
At night was held the Watch or solemn Vigil of Easter, towards the end of which, before daybreak, the Catechumens plunged in the water of the baptistry were so to speak buried with Jesus; and at the very hour at which Christ rose triumphantly from the sepulcher they were born to the life of grace.
Later the great ceremonies were anticipated, being held first in the evening, and subsequently in the morning of Holy Saturday. They reveal a sudden change from sorrow to joy, and disclose certain anomalies which this notice helps to explain.
The Blessing of the New Fire
The Church, blessing as she does all elements of which she makes use for divine worship, made a practice of blessing every evening the new fire that was to provide the light for the office of Vespers. The liturgy of Holy Saturday maintains this custom. She also introduced later on the blessing of the five grains of incense which are to be fixed in the Paschal candle.
The altars are covered with linen cloths, but the candles are not lighted until the beginning of Mass. Meanwhile fire is struck from a flint outside the church and the coals are kindled. The priest vested in alb and violet stole, with or without a violet cope, accompanied by his ministers with processional cross, holy water, and incense goes outside the church door, if it can be conveniently done, or stands in the entrance of the church, and blesses the new fire.
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"Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you: welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice"
~ St. Benedict of Nursia ~
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