La 1, 1-5

Whom when He had em-
braced, He saith to them :-

9. The Sacred Face. They blindfolded Him, Lu 22, 64 Whosoever shall receive one and smote His Face. And such child as this in My they asked Him, saying: Name, receiveth Me. Prophesy, who is it that struck Thee?

33.-LESSONS READ IN HOLY WEEK.

It came to pass, after Israel was carried into captivity, and Jerusalem was desolate, that Jeremias the Prophet sat weeping, and mourned with this lamentation over Jerusalem; and with a sorrowful mind, sighing and moaning, he said:

HOLY THURSDAY.

I.

tion, and she is oppressed
with bitterness.

He. Her adversaries are Aleph. How doth the City become her lords, her enemies sit solitary that was full of are enriched: because the people! how is the Mistress Lord hath spoken against of the Gentiles become as her for the multitude of her a widow: the Princes of pro- iniquities: her Children are vinces made tributary? led into captivity, before the Beth. Weeping she hath face of the oppressor.

wept in the night, and her

tears are on her cheeks:

II.

there is none to comfort her Vau. From the daughter La 1, 6-9
among all them that were of Sion all her beauty is de-
dear to her all her friends parted; her princes are
have despised her, and are become like rams that find
become her enemies.
no pastures: and they are

Ghimel. Juda hath re-gone away without strength
moved her Dwelling-place before the face of the pur-
because of her affliction, and suer.

the greatness of her bondage: Zain. Jerusalem hath re-
she hath dwelt among the membered the days of her
nations, and she hath found affliction, and prevarication
no rest all her persecutors of all her desirable things
have taken her in the midst which she had from the days
of straits.

of old, when her people fell
Daleth. The ways of Sion in the enemy's hand, and
mourn, because there are there was no helper: the
none that come to the enemies have seen her, and
Solemn Feast: all her gates have mocked at her Sabbaths.
are broken down : her Priests Heth. Jerusalem hath
sigh: her virgins are in afflic-grievously sinned, therefore

K

hath she become unstable: into a hand, out of which I
all that honoured her have am not able to rise.
despised her, because they
have seen her shame: but
she sighed and turned back-
ward.

GOOD FRIDAY.

IV.

Heth. The Lord hath pur- La 2, 8-N Teth. Her filthiness is on posed to destroy the wall of her feet, and she hath not the daughter of Sion: He remembered her end: she is hath stretched out His line, wonderfully cast down, not and hath not withdrawn His having a comforter: behold, hand from destroying: and O Lord, my affliction, because the bulwark hath mourned, the enemy is lifted up. and the wall hath been destroyed together.

III.

Teth. Her gates are sunk a1,10-14 Jod. The enemy hath put into the ground: He hath

out his hand to all her desir

able things: for she hath destroyed, and broken her
bars: her king and her
seen the Gentiles enter into
her Sanctuary, of whom tiles: the Law is no more,
princes are among the Gen-
Thou gavest commandment
that they should not enter
into Thy Church.

and her Prophets have found
no vision from the Lord.

Jod. The ancients of the

Caph. All her people sigh, daughter of Sion sit upon they seek bread: they have the ground, they have held given all their precious their peace: they have

things for food to relieve the
soul: see, O Lord, and con-
sider, for I am become vile.

sprinkled their heads with
dust, they are girded with
haircloth, the virgins of Jeru-
salem hang down their heads
to the ground.

with weeping, my bowels are
Caph. My eyes have failed

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 troubled: my liver is poured
out upon the earth, for the
destruction of the daughter
of my people, when the chil-
fainted away in the streets
dren, and the sucklings,
of the City.

fierce anger.

V.

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 Lamed. They said to their La 2, 12day long. mothers: Where is corn and Nun. The yoke of my ini- wine? when they fainted quities hath watched: they away as the wounded in the are folded together in His streets of the City: when hand, and put upon my neck: they breathed out their souls my strength is weakened in the bosoms of their the Lord hath delivered me mothers.

15

13, 1-9

cry and entreat, He hath shut
out my prayer.

Mem. To what shall I com-
pare thee? or to what shall
I liken thee, O daughter of
Ghimel. He hath shut up
Jerusalem? to what shall I my ways with square stones,
equal thee, that I may com- He hath turned my paths
fort thee, O virgin daughter upside down.

of Sion? for great as the

sea is thy destruction: who
shall heal thee?

HOLY SATURDAY.

VII.

Heth. The mercies of the

Nun. Thy prophets have
seen false and foolish things
for thee: and they have not Lord that we are not con-
laid open thy iniquity, to sumed: because His commis-
excite thee to penance: but erations have not failed.
they have seen for thee false Heth. They are new every
revelations and banishments. morning, great is Thy faith-
Samech. All they that fulness.
passed by the way have

Heth. The Lord is my por-
clapped their hands at thee: tion, said my soul: therefore
they have hissed, and wagged will I wait for Him.

their heads at the daughter Teth. The Lord is good to
of Jerusalem, saying: Is this them that hope in Him, to
the City of perfect beauty, the soul that seeketh Him.
the joy of all the earth?

VI.

Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of His indignation.

Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.

Aleph. Only against me He hath turned, and turned again His hand all the day. Beth. My skin and my flesh He hath made old, He hath broken my bones.

Teth. It is good to wait in silence for the salvation of

God.

Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.

Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.

Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Jod. He shall give his
cheek to him that striketh
Beth. He hath built round him, he shall be filled with
about me,
and He hath com- reproaches.
passed me with gall, and
labour.

VIII.

La 3, 22

30

Beth. He hath set me in
dark places as those that are become dim, the finest colour
is changed, the stones of the

Aleph. How is the gold La 4, 1-6

dead for ever.

Ghimel. He hath built Sanctuary are scattered in
against me round about, that the top of every street?
I may not get out: He hath
made my fetters heavy.

Beth. The noble sons of
Sion, and they that were

Ghimel. Yea, and when I clothed with the best gold:

La 5, 1-11

Ps 17, 1

how are they esteemed as and behold our reproach.
earthen vessels, the work of Our Inheritance is turned
the potter's hands?
to aliens: our houses to

Ghimel. Even the sea-mon- strangers.
sters have drawn out the We are become orphans
breast, they have given suck without a father: our mothers
to their young: the daughter are as widows.
of My people is cruel, like
the ostrich in the desert.

Daleth. The tongue of the suckling child hath stuck to

We have drunk our water for money: we have bought our wood.

We were dragged by the
the roof of his mouth for necks, we were weary and no
thirst: the little ones have rest was given us.

asked for bread, and there We have given our hand
was none to break it unto to Egypt, and to the Assyri-
them.

ans, that we might be satis-
fed fied with bread.

He. They that were
delicately have died in the Our fathers have sinned,
streets : they that were and are not: and we have
brought up in scarlet have borne their iniquities.
Servants have ruled over
Vau. And the iniquity of us: there was none to redeem
the daughter of My people us out of their hand.

embraced the dung.

is made greater than the sin We fetched our bread at
of Sodom, which was over- the peril of our lives, be-
thrown in a moment, and cause of the sword in the
hands took nothing in her. desert.

IX.

THE PRAYER OF ST. JERE-
MIAS THE PROPHET.

Our skin was burnt as an oven, by reason of the violence of the famine.

They oppressed the women

Remember, O Lord, what in Sion, and the virgins in is come upon us: consider the cities of Juda.

34.-EJACULATIONS IN HIS PRAISE AND LOVE.

I love Thee, O Lord my Lord God Almighty, Who Strength. art, and Who wast, and Who Ps 72, 25- What have I in Heaven? art to come: because Thou and besides Thee what do I hast taken to Thee Thy desire upon earth?-For Thee great power, and Thou hast my flesh and my heart hath reigned.

26

Jn 21, 17

Ap 11, 17

fainted away. Thou art the Great and wonderful are Ap 15,3-
God of my heart, and the Thy works, O Lord God
God that is my Portion for Almighty; just and true are

ever.

Lord, Thou knowest all things: Thou knowest that I love Thee.

We give Thee thanks, O

Thy ways, O King of Ages.
-Who shall not fear Thee,
O Lord, and magnify Thy
Name? For Thou only art
Holy: for all nations shall

Ap 4, 11

Da 2, 23

Ps 145, 1

come and shall adore in Thy
sight, because Thy judgments
are manifest.

sheep of Thy pasture, will
give thanks to Thee for ever.
We will show forth Thy
praise unto generation and

Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory generation. and honour and power: be- I will praise Thee, O Lord Ps 85, 12 cause Thou hast created all my God, with my whole things, and for Thy will they heart, and I will glorify Thy

I will praise Thee for ever, Ps 51, 11

Ps 62, 2

were and have been created. Name for ever. To Thee, O God of our fathers, I give thanks, and I because Thou hast done it. praise Thee: because Thou O God, my God, to Thee hast given me wisdom and do I watch at break of day. strength. For Thee my soul hath Praise the Lord, O my thirsted: for Thee my flesh, soul in my life I will praise O how many ways! the Lord, I will sing to my In the daytime the Lord Ps 41, 9God as long as I shall be. hath commanded His mercy; Ps 144,1-2 I will extol Thee, O God and a canticle to Him in the my King; and I will bless Thy Name for ever, yea for ever and ever.-Every day I will bless Thee, and I will praise Thy Name for ever, yea for ever and ever.

Ps 78, 13 We Thy people, and the

night.

With me is prayer to the God of my life;-I will say to God: Thou art my Support.

10

47

My soul doth magnify the Lu 1, 46Lord, and my spirit had rerejoiced in God my Saviour.

PART V.

ON MARY THE VIRGIN-MOTHER OF JESUS;
ST. JOSEPH, HIS FOSTER-FATHER;

AND ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, HIS PRECURSOR.
THE texts which refer to Mary the Sinless may now
appropriately be quoted. For after Jesus comes Mary.
The distance between them is indeed infinite, for Jesus
is God, and Mary is but the creature of His Hands. Yet
Mary comes nearest to Jesus, and is therefore First of
creatures in the orders of grace and of glory. "The
nearer a thing approaches to its principle," says S.
Thomas, "the more does it partake of the effect

* Sum. Theol., 3tia, pars q. 27, a. 5.

แ