sumus, ita nos cor- us, we beseech thee, so

86

Proper Masses

FOR THE

SUNDAYS AND FESTIVALS

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

Advent.

THE Church employs the four weeks that precede Christmas in preparing the faithful for that great solemnity; hence the beginning of the ecclesiastical year is called Advent, from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies the coming, viz., of Jesus Christ. Our first parents, soon after their fall, were comforted with the prediction of this great event, when God assured them that the time would come when "the seed of the woman should crush the head of the serpent." This promise was renewed to Abraham, confirmed to Isaac, determined to the tribe of Judah, fixed in the house of David; and, lastly, the time of its perfect accomplishment was exactly calculated by the prophet Daniel.

But the Church of Christ contents not herself with the bare contemplation of this early and comfortable promise, and the exact accomplishment thereof; she wishes moreover to prepare her chil dren to receive the happy effects of the coming of Jesus Christ in their souls. Hence, for several ages, this holy time was spent in an almost general fast; and the Church still points it out to her children as a time of penance, by reciting in Advent those prayers which are usually said only on Vigils and Fasting days.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Introit.

Ps. xxiv.

AD te levavi animam To thee, O Lord, have

meam. Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam: neque irrideant me inimici mei: ete

I lifted up my soul. In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed; nei

nim universi, qui te expectant, non confundentur. Ps. Vias tuas, Domine, demonstra mihi: et semitas tuas edoce me. V. Gloria Patri, &c. Ad te, &c. to Ps.

ther let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded. Ps. Show, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths. V. Glory, &c. To thee, &c. to Ps.

And thus the Introit is always repeated.

I. COLLECT. Exert, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power, and come; that by thy protection we may be freed from the imminent dangers of our sins, and saved by thy mercy, who livest and reignest, &c. Amen.

II. COLL. Deus qui. O God, who wast pleased that thy Word, when the angel delivered his message, should take flesh in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, give ear to our humble petitions, and grant that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her prayers.

III. COLL. FOR THE CHURCH. Ecclesiæ tuæ. Mercifully hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy church, that all oppositions and errors being removed, she may serve thee with a secure and undisturbed devotion. Through, &c. Amen.

Or following:

COLL. FOR THE POPE. Deus omnium. O God, the pastor and governor of all the faithful, look down in thy mercy on thy servant N. whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church; and grant, we beseech thee, that, both by word and example, he may edify all those that are under his charge, and, with the flock entrusted to him, arrive, at length, at eternal happiness. Through.

EPISTLE. Rom. xiii. 11. 14. Brethren: Know, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL. Ps. xxiv. None of them that wait on thee, O Lord, shall be confounded. V. Show, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths. Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Show us, O Lord, thy mercy, and grant us thy salvation. Alleluia.

GOSPEL. Luke xxi. 25. 33. At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves, men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and Majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption is at hand. And he spoke to them a similitude: See the fig-tree and all the trees: when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh: so you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. CREDO.

OFFERTORY. Ps. xxiv. To thee have I lifted up my soul. In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed, neither let my

enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded.

I. SECRET. Grant, O Lord, that these sacred mysteries may cleanse us by their powerful virtue, and bring us with greater purity to him, who was the author and institutor of them. Through.

II. SECRET. Strengthen, we beseech thee, O Lord, in our souls the mysteries of the true faith; that we who confess him, that was conceived of a Virgin, to be true God and true man, may, by the power of his saving resurrection, deserve to come to eternal joys. Through the same, &c.

III. SECRET. FOR THE CHURCH. Protect us, O Lord, while we assist at thy sacred mysteries, that being employed in acts of religion, we may serve thee both in body and mind. Through.

Instead of the foregoing, may be said the following:

SECRET. FOR THE POPE. Be appeased, O Lord, with the offering we have made, and cease not to protect thy servant N., whom thou hast been pleased to appoint Pastor over thy Church. Through.

COMMUNION. Ps. lxxxiv. The Lord will give goodness; and our earth shall yield her fruit.

I. POSTCOMMUNION. May we receive, O Lord, thy mercy in the midst of thy temple, that with due honour we may prepare for the approaching solemnity of our reparation. Through.

II. P. COMM. Gratiam tuam. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, who by the message of an angel, have known the incarnation of thy Son, the Christ, may by his passion and cross come to the glory of his resurrection. Through.

III. P. COMM. FOR THE CHURCH. Quæsumus. We beseech thee, O almighty God, not to leave exposed to the dangers of human life,