Text is from “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 12.
Time After Pentecost.
Book III.
Saint John the Baptist, placed on the confines of the two Testaments, closes The Prophetic Age, The Reign of Hope, and opens The Era of Faith., which possesses the long-expected God, though, as yet, without beholding Him in His Divinity.
Thus, even before The Octave is ended, wherein we pay our homage to the son of Zachary, The Confession of The Apostles is added to The Precursor's testimony to The Word, The Light.
Tomorrow, all Heaven will re-echo with the Solemn protestation first heard at Cæsarea Philippi: “Thou art Christ, The Son of The Living God”; and Simon Bar-Jona, because of this oracle uttered by him, will be The Chosen Rock, supporting The Divine Structure, The Church.
Tomorrow, he will die, sealing his glorious declaration with his blood; but, he will live on, in the person of each Roman Pontiff, that he may thus guard this precious testimony in all its integrity, even to the day when Faith will give place to The Eternal Vision.
Coupled with Peter in all his labours, The Doctor of The Gentiles shares his triumph this day; and Rome, more indebted to these two Princes than to all her stout warriors of old, who laid the World prostrate at her feet, beholds their double victory which fixes for ever upon her noble brow the diadem of Spiritual Royalty.
Let us, then, recollect ourselves, preparing our hearts in union with Holy Mother Church, by faithfully observing this Vigil. When the obligation of thus keeping up certain days of preparation previous to the festivals is strictly maintained by a people, it is a sign that Faith is still living amongst them; it proves that they understand the greatness of that which The Holy Liturgy proposes to their homage.
Christians in The West, we who make the glory of Saint Peter and Saint Paul our boast, let us remember the Lent in honour of The Apostles begun by Greek schismatics on the close of The Paschal Solemnities, and continued up to this day.
The contrast between them and ourselves will be of a nature to stir up our fervour, and to control those tendencies wherein softness and ingratitude hold too large a share. If certain concessions have, for grave reasons, been reluctantly made by The Church, so that The Fast of this Vigil is no longer observed, let us see therein a double motive for holding fast to her precious Tradition.
Let us make up by fervour, thanksgiving, and love, for the severity lacking in our observance, which is yet still maintained by so many Churches notwithstanding their schismatical separation from Rome.
The recital of the following beautiful formulas will help to inspire us with the spirit of The Feast. The first is taken from The Gothic-Gallic Missal: It is The Benediction which, according to the ancient rite used in France, was given to the people before the Communion on The Feast of The Apostles. The Prayers which follow it are from The Leonine Sacramentary.
THE BENEDICTION.
Deus, qui membris Ecclesiæ, velut gemellum lumen quo caveantur tenebræ, fecisti Petri lacrymas, Pauli litteras, coruscare.
Amen.
Hanc plebem placitus inspice: Qui cœlos facis aperire Petro in clave, Paulo in dogmate.
Amen.
Ut præviantibus ducibus, illic grex possit accedere, quo pervenerunt pariter tam ille Pastor suspendio, quam iste Doctor per gladium in congresso.
Per Dominum nostrum . . .
O God, Who to keep the members of Thy Church from darkness, hast made to shine forth, like twin fountains of light, the tears of Peter and the writings of Paul.
Amen.
In Thy clemency, look upon Thy people, O Thou Who givest the Heavens to be opened, by Peter with the key, and by Paul with the sword.
Amen.
So that the leaders going first, thither may the flock at length come, whither have already arrived by one same step, both the Pastor by the gibbet, and the Teacher by the sword.
Through Our Lord . . .
PRAYERS.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui ineffabili sacramento jus apostolici principatus in Romani nominis arce posuisti, unde se evangelica veritas per tota mundi regna diffunderet: Præsta, ut quod in orbem terrarum eorum prædicatione manavit, christianæ devotionis sequatur universitas.
Præsta quæsumus Ecclesiæ tuæ, Domine, de tantis digne gaudere principibus, et illam sequi pia devotione doctrinam, qua delectos tibi greges sacris mysteriis imbuerunt.
Per Dominum . . .
O Almighty and Eternal God, Who, by an ineffable Mystery hast fixed the right of Apostolic Princedom on the proud summit of the name of Rome, whence evangelic truth may diffuse itself through all the Earth: Grant that what by their preaching hath percolated through the whole World all may follow with Christian devotedness.
Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, O Lord, both worthily to rejoice at having such great Princes, and to follow with loving devotion that teaching of theirs, whereby Thy chosen flocks have been initiated into The Sacred Mysteries.
Through Our Lord . . .
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