Impressionis Stigmatum S. Francisci ~ Duplex

Today is the feast of the Impression of the Sacred Stigmata of St. Francis, C, under the 1954 (double) rubrics.

Mass: Proper Mass. White. Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Omit Credo. Common Preface. Ite. No commemorations.

Office: Ordinary office. White. Proper strophe in hymn at Matins. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1st nocturn = proper with proper responsories, proper VIII responsory). Psalms and antiphons of the feria. All else form the common of a confessor not a bishop. At Lauds, proper strophe in hymn. Proper collect. No commemorations at Lauds. Omit suffrage. 

℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, when the love of many was waxing cold, didst manifest once more the holy marks of thine own Suffering in the flesh of thy most blessed servant Francis, to the end that our hearts might kindle again with the fire of the love of thyself, be Thou entreated for thy servant's sake, and grant to his and our prayers that we may effectually carry thy Cross and bring forth fruits meet for repentance.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

Ss. Cornelii Papæ et Cypriani Episcopi, Martyrum

                                                                                                                                                                    Art: Paolo Veronese, Meal at the house of Simon the Pharisee

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 21:9-19
At that time, Jesus said unto His disciples: When ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. And so on.

Homily by Pope St Gregory the Great.
35th on the Gospels.
Our Lord and Redeemer willeth us to know what shall be the signs that the end of the world is at hand, to the end that ye may be the less terrified, when that cometh whereof ye have already had warning. Darts strike less which are seen coming: and the plagues of the earth will be to us more bearable, if we are harnessed against them with the shield of foreknowledge. Behold, how He saith When ye shall hear of wars and commotions be not terrified for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. It behoveth us to ponder these words of our Redeemer, wherein He warneth us of suffering, from without, and from within. Wars are the work of a foreign enemy, commotions of the citizens. Therefore, that He may let us know that we shall be troubled from within and from without, He showeth that our wrestling shall be in part against strangers, and in part against our brethren.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the feast of the blessed Martyrs and Bishops, Cornelius and Cyprian, protect us, O Lord, we beseech You, and may their holy prayer recommend us to You.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Let us pray.
For Sts. Euphemia, Lucy and Geminianus
O Lord, grant that our prayers may bear fruit in joy, that we who each year devoutly honor the death of the Martyrs, Euphemia, Lucy and Geminianus, may also follow them by steadfastness in faith.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

The Seven Dolors or Sorrows of Mary:

1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50) 
4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
7. The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)

From the Holy Gospel according to John
John 19:25-27
At that time: There stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother, and His Mother's sister, Mary (the wife) of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. And so on.

Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
On Virgins, 7.
There stood by the Cross His Mother. Men had forsaken Him, but she stood there fearless. Behold how the Mother of Jesus could break through her shrinking modesty, but could not belie her heart. With the eyes of a mother's love she gazed upon the Wounds of her Son, those Wounds through Which she knew that redemption for all mankind was flowing. The Mother, who feared not the executioners, was able to endure the sight of their work. Her Son was hanging upon the Cross, and she braved His tormentors.

From the same 25th Epistle to the Church of Vercelli.
Mary, the Mother of the Lord, stood by the Cross of her Son. My only informant of this fact is the holy Evangelist John. Others have written that when the Lord suffered, the earth quaked, the heavens were veiled in darkness, the sun was hidden, and the thief received, after a good confession, the promise of Paradise. John hath taught us what the others have not taught us. Upon the Cross He called her Mother. It is reckoned (by John) a greater thing that in the moment of triumph over agony, He should have discharged the watchful duty of a Son to His Mother, than that He should have made gift of the kingdom of heaven. For if it be a sacred thing to have forgiven the thief, this so great kindness of the Son to the Mother is to be worshipped as the outcome of a tenderer and more touching love.

Behold, saith the Lord, thy son: Behold thy Mother! Christ bore witness from the Cross, and divided the offices of his tender love between his Mother and his disciple. Thus doth the Lord give us a testament, not only of his love for souls, but also of his natural affection. Moreover, the testimony which John doth give us concerning this same testament, is a worthy testimony to the original Testator himself. It is a good testament, not of earthly riches, but of eternal life, written not in ink, but in the Spirit of the living God, who speaketh of such testimony in the Psalms, saying: My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
O God, at Whose suffering the prophecy of Simeon was fulfilled, and a sword of sorrow pierced through the gentle soul of the glorious Virgin and Mother Mary, mercifully grant that we who speak worshipfully of her woes, may obtain the saving purchase of thy suffering.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

In Exaltatione Sanctæ Crucis ~ Duplex majus

Tempora: Sabbato infra Hebdomadam XVI post Octavam Pentecostes II. Septembris

Adam Elsheimer, ‘Glorification of the Cross’, ca. 1600 (photo: Register Files)

Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross under the 1954 (double major) and 1962 (II class; raised to the II class in 1960 following the 1960 suppression of the May 3 feast of the Finding of the True Cross) rubrics.

Mass: Proper Mass. Red. Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Credo. Preface of the Holy Cross. Ite. No commemorations.

Office: Under 1954, festal office. Red. Invitatory Christum Regem. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1st nocturn = proper). Te Deum. Proper psalms and antiphons at Matins. At Lauds and the hours, psalms of Sunday (Prime = 53, 118.1, 118.2) with proper antiphons. All else from the proper. Proper Magnificat antiphon. Proper collect. No commemorations at Lauds. Omit suffrage.

Under 1962, semi-festal office. Red. Matins and Lauds as above. At Prime and the hours, psalms and antiphons of the feria. All else from the proper.

Feria Sexta infra Hebdomadam XVI post Octavam Pentecostes

II. Septembris ~ Ferial

Today is a feria under the 1954 (simple) and 1962 (IV class) rubrics.

Mass: Of the preceding Sunday. Green. Omit Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Omit Credo. Common Preface. Benedicamus (1954)/Ite (1962). Under 1954, 2nd prayer A cunctis for the intercession of the saints. 3rd prayer at the choice of the celebrant. No additional prayers under 1962.

Private (low) votive Masses/daily Requiems are prohibited today under the 1954 rubrics; the Mass of the feria (resumed 16th Sunday after Pentecost) is obligatory today, as the Sunday Mass and Office this week were supplanted by the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. Under 1962, votive Masses/daily Requiems are permitted today without restriction. 

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May Your grace, we beseech You, O Lord, ever go before us and follow us, and may it make us ever intent upon good works.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

S. Nominis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis ~ Duplex majus

Today is the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary (formerly assigned to the Sunday within the octave of the Nativity of Our Lady prior to the reforms of Pius X) under the 1954 (double major) and 1962 (III class) rubrics.

Mass: Proper Mass. White. Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Credo (1954 only). Preface of Our Lady (et te in Festivitate). Ite. No commemorations.

Office: Under 1954, festal office. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1st nocturn = proper). Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons at Matins from the common of Our Lady. At Lauds and the hours, psalms of Sunday (Prime = 53, 118.1, 118.2) with antiphons from the common of Our Lady. All else from the common. Proper collect. No commemorations at Lauds. Omit suffrage. At Prime, V = Qui natus es.

From the Sermons of St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux.
Second Homily on Luke i. 26
It is said: And the virgin's name was Mary. Let us speak a few words upon this name, which signifieth, being interpreted, Star of the Sea, and suiteth very well the Maiden Mother, who may very meetly be likened unto a star. A star giveth forth her rays without any harm to herself, and the Virgin brought forth her Son without any hurt to her virginity. The light of a star taketh nothing away from the star itself, and the birth of her offspring took nothing away from the Virginity of Mary. She is that noble star which was to come out of Jacob, Num. xxiv. 17, whose brightness still sheddeth lustre upon all the earth, whose rays are most brilliant in heaven, and shine even unto hell, lighting up earth midway, and warming souls rather than bodies, fostering good and scaring away evil. She, I say, is a clear and shining star, twinkling with excellencies, and resplendent with example, needfully set to look down upon the surface of this great and wide sea.

Thou, whosoever thou art, that knowest thyself to be here not so much walking upon firm ground, as battered to and fro by the gales and storms of this life's ocean, if thou wouldest not be overwhelmed by the tempest, keep thine eyes fixed upon this star's clear shining. If the hurricanes of temptation rise against thee, or thou art running upon the rocks of trouble, look to the star, call on Mary. If the waves of pride, or ambition, or slander, or envy toss thee, look to the star, call on Mary. If the billows of anger or avarice, or the enticements of the flesh beat against thy soul's bark, look to Mary. If the enormity of thy sins trouble thee, if the foulness of thy conscience confound thee, if the dread of judgment appall thee, if thou begin to slip into the deep of despondency, into the pit of despair, think of Mary.

In danger, in difficulty, or in doubt, think on Mary, call on Mary. Let her not be away from thy mouth or from thine heart, and that thou mayest not lack the succour of her prayers, turn not aside from the example of her conversation. If thou follow her, thou wilt never go astray. If thou pray to her, thou wilt never have need to despair. If thou keep her in mind, thou wilt never wander. If she hold thee, thou wilt never fall. If she lead thee, thou wilt never be weary. If she help thee, thou wilt reach home safe at the last and so thou wilt prove in thyself how meetly it is said And the virgin's name was Mary.

 V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that through the protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, Your faithful people who delight in her name may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from all evils on earth and be found worthy to attain everlasting happiness in heaven.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Ss. Proti et Hyacinthi Martyrum ~ Simplex

Today is the feast of Ss. Protus and Hyacinth, Mm, under the 1954 (simple) rubrics.

Mass: Salus autem of several martyrs outside Paschaltide with proper orations. Red. Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Omit Credo. Common Preface. Ite. 2nd prayer A cunctis for the intercession of the saints. 3rd prayer at the choice of the celebrant.

Votive Masses/daily Requiems are permitted today without restriction under the 1954 rubrics.

Office: Ordinary office. Red. Matins of 1 nocturn of 3 lessons (III = short hagiography). Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons of the feria. All else from the common of several martyrs outside Paschaltide. Proper collect. No commemorations at Lauds. Suffrage of the saints. 

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the precious witness of Your blessed Martyrs, Protus and Hyacinth, comfort us, O Lord, and may their kind intercession continually protect us.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.