The Blessing Of The Candles On The Feast Of The Purification Of Mary. 2 February.

This Article was initiated by reading the excellent Blog,
TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS

Text is from “The Liturgical Year”,
by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.,
unless stated otherwise.

English: The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

Français: La présentation de Jésus au Temple.

Artist: James Tissot (1836–1902).

Date: Between 1886 and 1894.

Current location: Brooklyn Museum,

New York, United States of America.

Credit line: Purchased by public subscription.

Source/Photographer: Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum;

Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2006, 00.159.27_PS1.jpg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

“We Must Hold As A Principle Of Our Spiritual Life, That The Mysteries Brought Before Us, Feast After Feast, Are Intended To Work In Us The Destruction Of The Old, And The Creation Of

The New, Man.” - Dom Guéranger — “The Liturgical Year”.

THE BLESSING OF THE CANDLES.

The Blessing before The Mass: “That as these candles, by their visible light,

dispel the darkness of the night, so our hearts, burning with invisible fire,

and enlightened by The Grace of The Holy Ghost, may be delivered from

all blindness of sin; that the eye of our Soul being purified, we may discern

those things that are pleasing to Thee, and beneficial to our Souls.”

Illustration and Caption from TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS

After Terce, follows The Blessing of The Candles, which is one of the three principal Blessings observed by The Church during the year; the other two are those of The Ashes and of The Palms. The signification of this Ceremony bears so essential a connection with The Mystery of Our Lady's Purification, that, if Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima Sunday fall on 2 February, The Feast is deferred to 3 February; but The Blessing of The Candles, and The Procession which follows it, always take place on this precise day.

In order to give uniformity to the three great Blessings of the year, The Church prescribes, for that of the Candles, the same colour for the Vestments of the Sacred Ministers as is used in the two other Blessings, of The Ashes and of The Palms — namely, Purple.

Thus, this Solemn function, which is inseparable from the day on which Our Lady's Purification took place, may be gone through every year on 2 February, without changing the colour prescribed for the three Sundays just mentioned.

English: Three Red Candles at Christmas-Tide.

Deutsch: Drei brennende rote Kerzen in der Weihnachtszeit.

Photo: 25 December 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: 4028mdk09.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It is exceedingly difficult to say what was the origin of this Ceremony. Baronius, Thomassin, and others, are of the opinion that it was instituted towards the close of the 5th-Century A.D., by Pope Saint Gelasius, in order to give a Christian meaning to certain vestiges still retained by the Romans of the old Lupercalia.

Saint Gelasius certainly did abolish the last vestiges of the feast of the Lupercalia, which, in earlier times, the pagans used to celebrate in the month of February. Pope Innocent III, in one of his Sermons for The Feast of the Purification, attributes the institution of this Ceremony of Candlemas to the wisdom of the Roman Pontiffs, who turned, into the present Religious Rite, the remnants of an ancient pagan custom, which had not quite died out among the Christians.

The old pagans, he says, used to carry lighted torches in memory of those which the fable gives to Ceres, when she went to the top of Mount Etna in search of her daughter, Proserpine. But, against this, we have to object that, on the pagan Calendar of the Romans, there is no mention of any feast in honour of Ceres for the month of February.

We, therefore, prefer adopting the opinion of Dom Hugh Menard, Rocca, Henschenius, and Pope Benedict XIV: That an ancient feast, which was kept in February, and was called the Amburbalia, during which the pagans used to go through the City with lighted torches in their hands, gave occasion to the Sovereign Pontiffs to substitute, in its place, a Christian Ceremony, which they attached to the Feast of that Sacred Mystery, in which Jesus, The Light of The World, was presented in the Temple by His Virgin-Mother.

The Mystery of today's Ceremony has frequently been explained by Liturgists, dating from the 7th-Century A.D. According to Saint Ivo of Chartres [in his Second Sermon on The Purification], the wax, which is formed from the juice of the flowers, by the bee, always considered as the emblem of virginity, signifies The Virginal Flesh of The Divine Infant, Who, diminished not, either by His Conception or His Birth, The Spotless Purity of His Blessed Mother.

The same Holy Bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus, Who came to enlighten our darkness. Saint Anselm [Commentary on Saint Luke], Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on the same Mystery, bids us consider the three things in the Blest Candle: The wax; the wick; and the flame. The wax, he says, which is the production of the virginal bee, is The Flesh of Our Lord; the wick, which is within, is His Soul; the flame, which burns on the top, is His Divinity.

Formerly, The Faithful looked upon it as an honour to be permitted to bring their wax tapers to the Church, on this Feast of the Purification, that they might be Blessed, together with those which were to be borne in the Procession by the Priests and Sacred Ministers; and the same custom is still observed in some Congregations. It would be well if Pastors were to encourage this practice, retaining it where it exists, or establishing it where it is not known.

[Editor: The following paragraph, written by Abbot Guéranger in the Late-19th-Century, can readily be applied to today's situation, whereby many Catholic Practices, Rites and Traditions are under attack from several quarters.]

There has been such a systematic effort to destroy, or at least to impoverish, the Exterior Rites and Practices of Religion, that we find, throughout the World, thousands of Christians who have been insensibly made strangers to those admirable sentiments of Faith, which The Church alone, in her Liturgy, can give to The Body of The Faithful.

Thus, we shall be telling many what they have never heard before, when we inform them that The Church Blesses the Candles, not only to be carried in the Procession, which forms part of the ceremony on 2 February, but also for the use of The Faithful, inasmuch as they draw, upon such as use them with respect, whether on sea or on land, as the Church says in the Prayer, special Blessings from Heaven.

These Blest Candles ought also to be lit near the bed of the dying Christian, as a symbol of the immortality merited for us by Christ, and of the protection of Our Blessed Lady.

As soon as all is prepared, the Priest goes up to the Altar, and thus begins The Blessing of The Candles. The Prayers having been said, the Celebrant sprinkles the Candles with Holy Water, saying The Asperges in secret, and then Incenses them; after which, he distributes them to both Clergy and Laity [in receiving the Candle, The Faithful should kiss first the Candle and then the Priest's hand].

During the distribution, The Church, filled with emotion at the sight of these Sacred Symbols, which remind her of Jesus, shares in the joyous transports of the aged Simeon, who, whilst holding The Child in his arms, confessed Him to be The Light of the Gentiles. She chants his sweet Canticle, separating each verse by an Antiphon, which is formed out of the last words of Simeon.

Antiphon.

Lumen ad revelationem gentium,
et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.

A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles,

and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Canticle of Simeon.

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine: *

secundum verbum tuum in pace . . .

THE PROCESSION.

Filled with Holy Joy, radiant with the mystic light, excited, like the venerable Simeon, by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, the Church goes forth to meet her Emmanuel. It is this meeting which the Greek Church calls the Hypapante, under which name she also designates The Feast on 2 February. The Church would imitate that wondrous Procession, which was formed in the Temple of Jerusalem on The Day of Mary's Purification. Let us listen to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

"On this day, The Virgin-Mother brings The Lord of the Temple into the Temple of The Lord; Saint Joseph presents to The Lord a Son, Who is not his own, but The Beloved Son of that Lord, Himself, and in Whom He is well pleased; Simeon, The Just Man, confesses Him for Whom he had been so long waiting; Anna, too, the widow, confesses Him.

"The Procession of this Solemnity was first made by these four persons [Editor: Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna], which afterwards was to be made, to the joy of the whole Earth, in every place and by every Nation. Let us not be surprised at its then being so little; for He they carried was little ! Besides, all who were in it were Just, and Saints, and perfect — there was not a single sinner." [First Sermon On The Purification.]

And yet let us join The Holy Procession. Let us go to meet Jesus, The Spouse of our Souls, as did The Wise Virgins, carrying in our hands lamps burning with the flame of Charity. Let us remember the command given us by Our Lord: "Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands: And you yourselves like to men who wait for their Lord [Saint Luke xii 35, 36]. Guided by Faith, and enlightened by Charity, we shall meet and know Him, and He will give Himself to us.

The Holy Church opens her Chants in this Procession with the following Antiphon, which is found, word for word, in The Greek Liturgy of this same Feast.

Antiphon.

Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion,

et suscipe Regem Christum . . .

Adorn thy bride-chamber, O Sion,
and receive Christ, thy King . . .

After the Procession, the Celebrant and his Ministers put off their Purple Vestments, and vest in White for The Mass of The Purification. But, if it be any of the three Sundays, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima, The Mass of The Feast is deferred till the morrow, as has already been explained.

THE MASS.

In the Introit, The Church sings the glory of Jerusalem's Temple, that was this day visited by Emmanuel. Great is The Lord in The City of David, great is He on His Mount of Sion. Simeon, the representative of the whole human race, receives into his arms Him that is The Mercy sent us by God.

In the Collect, The Church Prays that her children may be presented, as Jesus was, to The Eternal Father; but, in order that they may meet with a favourable reception, she asks Him to give them purity of heart.

All The Mysteries of The Man-God have for their object, the purifying of our hearts. He sends His Angel, that is, His Precursor, before His Face, that he may prepare His way; and we have heard this Holy Prophet crying out to us, in the wilderness: Be humbled, O ye hills ! and ye valleys, be ye filled up ! At length, He that is The Angel of The Testament comes in person to seal the alliance with us.

He comes to His Temple, and this temple is our heart. But He is like a refining fire, that takes away the dross of metals. He wishes to renew us, by purifying us; that thus we may be worthy to be offered to Him, and with Him, by a perfect Sacrifice. We must, therefore, take care, and not be satisfied with admiring these sublime Mysteries.

WE MUST HOLD AS A PRINCIPLE OF OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE, THAT THE MYSTERIES BROUGHT BEFORE US, FEAST AFTER FEAST, ARE INTENDED TO WORK IN US THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD, AND THE CREATION OF THE NEW MAN.

We have been spending Christmas; we ought to have been born together with Jesus; this new Birth is now at its fortieth day. On 2 February, we must be offered by Mary, who is also our Mother, to The Divine Majesty, as Jesus was. The moment is come for our offering, for it is the hour of The Great Sacrifice; let us redouble the fervour of our preparation.

The following Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

The Purification Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 2 February.

Double of The Second-Class.

Violet Vestments for The Blessing of The Candles.

White Vestments for The Mass of The Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

“The Presentation Of Christ In The Temple”.

Artist: Hans Holbein the Elder (1465–1524).

Date: 1500-1501.

Current location: Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.

DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.

Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

With The Feast of The Purification, ends The Sanctoral Cycle of The Season After Epiphany. It is one of the oldest Feasts of Our Lady and, in Rome in the 7th-Century A.D., it ranked after The Assumption.

The Feast is kept on 2 February, because Mary, wishing to obey the Mosaic Law,

had to go to Jerusalem forty days after The Birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ

(25 December-2 February) to offer the prescribed sacrifice [Editor: The Church has instituted for Christian Mothers the fine Ceremony of "Churching"], Mothers were to offer a lamb, or, if their means did not allow, "two doves or two young pigeons".

The Blessed Virgin took with her to Jerusalem the Infant Jesus, and The Candlemas (Candlemass) Procession recalls the journey of Mary and Joseph ascending to the Temple to present "The Angel of The Covenant" (Epistle, Introit) as Malachy had prophesied.

"The wax of the Candles signifies the Virginal Flesh of The Divine Infant," says Saint Anselm, "the wick figures His Soul and the flame His Divinity."

The Purification to which the Mother of The Saviour was not obliged to conform, as her Motherhood was beyond ordinary laws, is not placed in the foreground by The Liturgy, and The Presentation of Jesus is the principal object of this Feast.

If this Solemnity is considered as belonging to The Season of Christmas, Jesus will be seen manifested by Simeon as The God Who "shall illumine the Gentiles with His Light and He shall be The Glory of the people of Israel" (Gospel); and if, as belonging to The Season of Epiphany, we shall adore Jesus in the accomplishment of this prophecy, either at The Marriage Feast at Cana, where He commences to "manifest His Glory" (Gospel of Second Sunday), or in the midst of the multitude, when He spreads the Light of His Doctrine (Gospel of The Fifth and Sixth Sundays).

We may read the Fourth Prayer of The Blessing of Candles in order to understand the symbolism of the Lamp of the Sanctuary and the Candles Blessed on this day, and to know the right use to be made of them by the bed of the dying, during storms and in the perils to which may be exposed "our bodies and Souls on land and on the waters" (First Prayer of The Blessing of Candles).

If The Feast of The Purification falls on a Privileged Sunday, it is Transferred to the following day; nevertheless, The Blessing of The Candles takes place before The Sunday Mass.

Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Mass: Suscépimus, Deus.
Gloria: Is said.
Credo: Is said.
Preface: Of Christmas.

The Purification Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day, Today, 2 February.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

The Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 2 February.

Double of The Second-Class.

White Vestments.

Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.

With The Feast of The Purification, ends The Sanctoral Cycle of The Season after Epiphany. It is one of the oldest Feasts of Our Lady and, in Rome in the 7th-Century A.D., it ranked only after The Assumption in importance. The Feast is kept on 2 February, because Mary, wishing to obey The Mosaic Law, had to go to Jerusalem forty days after The Birth of Jesus (25 December - 2 February) to offer the prescribed sacrifice [The Church has instituted for Christian mothers the fine Ceremony of "Churching".]. Mothers were to offer a lamb, or, if their means did not allow, "two doves or two young pigeons".

The Blessed Virgin Mary took with her to Jerusalem The Infant Jesus, and The Candlemas Procession recalls the journey of Mary and Joseph ascending to the temple to present "The Angel of The Covenant" (Epistle, Introit) as Malachy had Prophesied.

"The wax of the candles signifies The Virginal Flesh of The Divine Infant," says Saint Anselm, "the wick figures His Soul and the flame His Divinity."

The Purification to which The Mother of The Saviour was not obliged to conform, as her Motherhood was beyond ordinary laws, is not placed in the foreground of The Liturgy and The Presentation of Jesus is the principal object of this Feast.

If this Solemnity is considered as belonging to The Season of Christmas, Jesus will be seen manifested by Simeon as The God Who "shall illumine the Gentiles with His Light and shall be The Glory of the people of Israel" (Gospel); and if, as belonging to The Season after Epiphany, we shall Adore Jesus in the accomplishment of this Prophecy, either at The Marriage Feast at Cana, where He commences to "manifest His Glory" (Gospel of The Second Sunday after Epiphany), or in the midst of the multitude, when He spreads The Light of His Doctrine (Gospel of The Fifth and Sixth Sundays after Epiphany).

We may read The Fourth Prayer of The Blessing of Candles in order to understand the symbolism of The Lamp of the Sanctuary and the Candles Blessed on this day, and to know the right use to be made of them by the bed of the dying, during storms, and in the perils to which may be exposed "our bodies and Souls on land and on the waters" (First Prayer of The Blessing of Candles).

If The Feast of The Purification falls on a Privileged Sunday, it is Transferred to the following day; nevertheless, The Blessing of The Candles takes place before The Sunday Mass.

Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Mass: Suscépimus, Deus.
Gloria: Is said.
Credo: Is said.
Preface: Of Christmas.

The Blessed Candles should be held lighted in the hand during the Gospel and also from the Sanctus to the Communion.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf And Jessye Norman Sing “Four Last Songs”: (Frühling; September; Beim Schlafengehen; Im Abendrot). Composer: Richard Strauss.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings “Four Last Songs”

(Frühling, September, Beim Schlafengehen, Im Abendrot).

Composer: Richard Strauss.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

AND,

for comparison,

Jessye Norman sings the same.

Jessye Norman Sings “Four Last Songs”:

(Frühling; September; Beim Schlafengehen; Im Abendrot).

Composer: Richard Strauss.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Saint Ignatius Of Antioch. Bishop And Martyr. Feast Day 1 February.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Ignatius.
   Bishop and Martyr.
   Feast Day 1 February.

Double.

Red Vestments.

English: The Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist, Italy. Painting of

Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who suffered Martyrdom by being mauled by Lions.

Italiano: Agna, chiesa parrocchiale di San Giovanni Battista: interno

 dipinto raffigurante Sant'Ignazio di Antiochia sbranato dai leoni.

Date: 11 August 2015.

Source: Own work.

Author: Threecharlie

(Wikimedia Commons)

The affirmation of The Divinity of Jesus, founded on the wisdom of His Words and the Miracles of His Life, is the object aimed at in The Season after Epiphany, which ends tomorrow. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (not to be confused with Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556. Feast Day 31 July)), illustrious for his teaching, corroborates these different testimonies by his Martyrdom, one of the most glorious in history.

This Third Successor of Saint Peter at Antioch (Gradual) was condemned to the wild beasts during the Persecution of Emperor Trajan and sent in chains to Rome. The Introit and Epistle sum up the sentiments of his heart. "Let fire, Cross, beasts, and all the torments of the devil come upon me, so long as I enjoy Jesus Christ."

"The grain of wheat must die in order to bring forth much fruit" (Gospel). And Saint Ignatius, on hearing the roaring of the Lions, exclaimed "I am the wheat of Jesus Christ: May I be ground by the fangs of wild beasts and become a bread agreeable to my Lord Jesus Christ" (Communion).

He was Martyred at Rome between 110 A.D., and 118 A.D. His name is mentioned in The Canon of The Mass (Second List).

Let us, like this Saint, die to the World, and to ourselves, as a testimony that it is Jesus Who lives in us (Alleluia).

Mass: Mihi autem.

Amalarius Of Metz (Circa 780 A.D. - 850 A.D.). Ninth-Century A.D. Liturgist And Partisan Of King Louis The Pious.

Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless otherwise stated.

English: Flower garden in Thionville, France.

The Synod of Thionville (German: Diedenhofen) was held in 835 A.D.,

and Amalarius replaced Agobard at this Synod.

Lëtzebuergesch: Zu Diddenuewen.

Date: 10 October 2005 (original upload date).

Source: Own work. Transferred from lb.wikipedia

Author: Johnny Chicago at lb.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

Amalarius of Metz (circa 780 A.D. - 850 A.D.), also known as Amalarius Symphosius or Amalarius Fortunatus, was a Liturgist and partisan of King Louis the Pious throughout his tumultuous reign.

In 831 A.D., Amalarius travelled to Rome to meet Pope Gregory IV and arrange a new Frankish Liturgy. In 835 A.D., he replaced Agobard at The Synod of Diedenhofen (Thionville). During Agobard's exile (circa 834 A.D.) he was responsible for administering The Diocese of Lyon. He implemented Liturgical reforms.

He wrote extensively on The Mass, including The Liber Officialis, and was involved in the great Mediæval debates regarding Predestination.

We must rely on his enemy, Florus of Lyon, for an account of Amalarius' condemnation on the accusation of Heresy, at Quierzy, 838 A.D., which banned some of his works. Nevertheless, his writings form a good portion of our current documentation of the 9th-Century Liturgies of The Western Church.

While the exact date of his death is not known, it is believed that it happened around 850 A.D. in Metz.

English: Printed Antiphonary (circa 1700).

It is open at Vespers of Easter Sunday.

(Musée de l'Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris).

Amalarius of Metz, a great Liturgist, tried to introduce his new Antiphonary

when he governed the Diocese of Lyons, but met with strong opposition

from the Deacon, Florus.

Français: F. Montacier / Antiphonaire de la Charité / Musée de l'Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris / Hôtel de Miramion (Paris, France). Recueil de chants liturgiques, 18e siècle (env. 1700), parchemin.

Date: 9 September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: ignis

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is taken from THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA
(dated 1907).

A Liturgical writer, born at Metz, in the last quarter of the 8th-Century A.D.; died about 850 A.D. He was formerly considered a different personage from Amalarius of Trèves (Trier), but, of late, owing to the researches of Dom Morin, the opinion seems to prevail that, about 811 A.D., Amalarius of Metz became Bishop of Trèves, which Diocese he relinquished after two years to act as Envoy to Constantinople. Hence, he is regarded as author of the works once attributed to Amalarius of Trèves.

He was for some time a disciple of Alcuin. After returning to France from Constantinople, he would appear to have assisted at important Synods at Aix-la-Chapelle and Paris. Later, he was sent by Louis le Débonnaire as Ambassador to Pope Gregory IV, at Rome, this being probably his second visit to The Eternal City. Later, he governed The Diocese of Lyons during the exile of Agobard, and there tried to introduce his new Antiphonary, but met with strong opposition from the Deacon, Florus.

When Agobard was restored to his See, both he and Florus attacked the writings of Amalarius and succeeded in having him censured at a Synod, held at Kiersy in 838 A.D., for his opinion concerning the signification of the parts of The Divided Host at Mass. Finally, Amalarius was involved in the Theological controversies on Predestination, raised by Gottschalk.

The date of his death has not been determined with certainty, but it must have been shortly after the year 850 A.D. The works of Amalarius treat chiefly of Liturgical subjects. His most important, and also his long, Treatises, are entitled "De ecclesiasticis officiis" and "De ordine antiphonarii." The former is divided into four books, in which, without observing a strict, logical order, he treats of The Mass, The Office, different Benedictions, Ordinations, Vestments, etc., giving an explanation of the various Formularies and Ceremonies, rather than a scientific exposition of The Liturgy.

The first book explains The Liturgical Seasons and Feasts, from Septuagesima to Pentecost, and especially The Ceremonies of Holy Week. The second book treats of the times for conferring Holy Orders, of the different Orders in The Church and of The Liturgical Vestments. The third book contains a few Preliminary Chapters on Bells, The Choir, etc., a Treatise on the different parts of The Mass, Celebrated Pontifically, according to The Roman Rite, and some Chapters on special subjects, e.g. Advent, The Mass for The Dead, etc.

The fourth book deals principally with The Divine Office, explaining its integral parts and The Offices peculiar to certain Liturgical Seasons or Feast Days, but it contains a few Supplementary Chapters on Obsequies for The Dead and subjects already treated.

In the "De ordine antiphonarii", he explains the arrangement of The Divine Office and the variations for the different Feasts, and considers, in particular, the origin and meaning of The Antiphons and Responses; indeed, in this World, he would seem a commentator on his own Antiphonary compiled from The Antiphonaries of Rome and Metz, and a defender of his method of composition.

His "Eclogæ de officio missæ" contains a description of The Pontifical Mass, according to The Roman Rite, and a mystical explanation of the different parts of The Mass. Several Letters of Amalarius, dealing with Liturgical subjects, have also been preserved. Dom Morin denies the authenticity of The Letter of Amalarius in response to certain questions of Charlemagne concerning Baptism, as well as the "Forma institutionis canonicorum et sanctimonialium,", which is a collection of rules taken from The Decrees of Councils and Works of The Fathers, for Clerics and Nuns living in Community. Unfortunately, his Antiphonary, and also his "Embolis", have not been preserved.

Amalarius seems to have had a strong liking for Liturgical Studies, a liking which was stimulated and fostered by his master, Alcuin. His travels to The East gave him considerable information concerning The Oriental Rites, but his stay in Rome appears to have imbued him with a deep love for The Roman Liturgy and to have greatly influenced his Liturgical Work. There, he made a special Study of Rubrics and Roman Customs; he inquired diligently of Theodore, the Arch-Priest of the Basilica of Saint Peter, concerning the Formularies and Ceremonies in use in Rome, and even sought to obtain Copies of The Liturgical books to take to France.

Living at this time when The Liturgy was changing, when the fusion of The Roman Use and Gallican Use was taking place, he exercised a remarkable influence in introducing the present composite Liturgy, which has finally supplanted the ancient Roman Rite.

He sought to carry out the desire of The Emperor to introduce The Roman Liturgy in order to obtain uniformity, but, at the same time, like Alcuin and other Liturgists of his age, he combined with The Roman Rite whatever he deemed worth preserving in The Gallican Rite, as may be easily seen in his commentary on his own Antiphonary.

The chief merit of his Works consists of the fact that they have preserved much accurate and valuable information on the state of The Liturgy at the beginning of The 9th-Century A.D., so that a comparison may easily be made between it and the present Liturgy, to determine what changes have occurred and to trace the development that has taken place.

The most serious defect in his writings is an excessive mysticism, which led him to seek far-fetched, and even absurd, symbolical origins and meanings for Liturgical Formulas and Ceremonies, but the fault may be in a measure excused, since it was common to all Liturgical writers of that time. He may also have used more liberty in composing, changing, and transposing Liturgical Texts than Ecclesiastical authority in later ages would permit, when the necessity of unity in The Liturgy was more imperatively felt.

In spite of these faults, he exercised great influence on the development of the present Roman Liturgy, and his Works are very useful for the study of the history of The Latin Liturgies.

Saint John Bosco (1815 - 1888). Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 31 January.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint John Bosco.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 31 January.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Saint John Bosco.

Română: Don Bosco la Torino în 1880 (fotografie originală).

Date: 1880.

Source: Unknown.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint John Bosco was born on 16 August 1815 at Becchi, Piedmont, Italy. Even in early youth he had a great influence on children; and, while still a young shepherd, his future mission was revealed to him in a vision of thousands of lambs and sheep gathered round him.

He was brought up by a Saintly mother, Margaret Bosco, and, later, under the care of the Parish Priest of Castelnuovo, near Asti. He afterwards entered the Seminary of Chieri. After his Ordination, he settled down in Turin, where he was "all to all" (Breviary) and "through his confidence in God" (Breviary) achieved great works in spite of the most fierce opposition.

His wish to help young boys and girls, especially of the poorer classes, led him to Found, in 1852, The Congregation of The Salesian Fathers, and, in 1872, that of The Daughters of Our Lady, Help of Christians (Collect).

Don Bosco.

Date: 1865-1868.

Source: Turin.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Full of zeal for Souls and for the Propagation of The Faith (Martyrology), he established the foreign missions. Comparing him to Abraham, The Church sings: "Against hope, he believed in hope, that he may be made father of many Nations, according to that which was said to him" (Communion).

Dom Bosco guided young people as their "father and master" (Collect) with such wisdom and prudence that The Church compares him to Solomon: "His heart was as large as the sand that is on the sea-shore" (Introit), "a golden heart like that of a mother, for the poorest among the poor" (Pope Pius XI).

Like Saint Francis of Sales, whose name Saint John Bosco gave to his Order [Editor: The Salesians], he did everything in a Spirit of Divine Charity, forgetting himself and working for The Glory of God and the salvation of Souls (Introit, Collect, Alleluia, Offertory, Secret).

In the same way as this great Doctor of The Church [Editor: Saint Francis de Sales], Saint John Bosco was inspired by the doctrine of Saint Paul (Epistle) and by the example of Christ, Who was meek and humble of heart; he practised and preached Holy Joy, kindness, thanksgiving (Epistle, Postcommunion), goodness, meekness, and humility (Gospel).

In difficult circumstances, he defended the interests of The Church and often "helped the Roman Pontiff" (Breviary) by his influence on Sectarian Statesmen. Thanks to him, the effects of Anti-Religious laws in Italy were often mitigated.

This Holy Man died in 1888, when 73 years of age. He was Canonised by Pope Pius XI on Easter Sunday 1934, and his Feast extended to The Universal Church in 1936.

His Religious Family is carrying on his work, so that, on 3 December 1933, Pope Pius XI could describe it as numbering: 19,000 Religious; 1,430 Houses of Education; eighty Religious Provinces; Thousands of Churches, Chapels, Boarding Schools and Boys' Clubs; seventeen Territories in The Mission Field; hundreds of thousands of pupils, and about a million Old Pupils; about as many Co-operators, who, after his own expression, "lengthen his arm".

In Heaven, Saint John Bosco Prays for them and for those who have recourse to his intercession (Postcommunion).

Mass: Dedit illi.

The following Text and Illustrations are from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia, unless otherwise stated.

John Bosco (Italian: Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; 1815 – 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Roman Catholic Priest of The Latin Church, educator and writer of the 19th-Century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the effects of industrialisation and urbanisation, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth.

He developed teaching methods based on love, rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System. A follower of the Spirituality and Philosophy of Saint Francis de Sales, John Bosco dedicated his works to him, when he founded The Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin.

Saint John Bosco Parish Church, Makati City, Philippines.

Photo: 18 May 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ramon FVelasquez

(Wikimedia Commons)

Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he Founded The Institute of The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, a Religious Congregation of Nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls.

In 1876, John Bosco Founded a Movement of Laity, The Association of Salesian Co-operators, with the same Educational Mission to The Poor. In 1875, he began to publish The Salesian Bulletin. The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in fifty different editions and thirty languages.

Saint John Bosco established a network of Organisations and Centres to carry on his work. Following his posthumous Beatification, in 1929, he was Canonised as a Saint in The Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

Saint Martina. Virgin And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 30 January.

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless otherwise stated.

Madonna and Child

with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes.

Artist: El Greco (1541–1614).

Date: 1597-1599.

Current location: National Gallery of Art,

Washington, D.C., United States of America.

Source: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

Martina of Rome was a Roman Martyr, under Emperor Alexander Severus. She is a Patron Saint of Rome.

She was Martyred in 226 A.D., according to some authorities, more probably in 228 A.D., under the Pontificate of Pope Urban I, according to others. The daughter of an ex-Consul, and orphaned at an early age, she so openly testified to her Christian Faith that she could not escape the Persecutions under Alexander Severus. Arrested and commanded to return to idolatry, she refused, whereupon she was subjected to various tortures and was finally beheaded.

The Relics of Martina were discovered on 25 October 1634, by the painter Pietro da Cortona, in a Crypt of Santi Luca e Martina, situated near The Mamertine Prison and Dedicated to the Saint.[1]

Pope Urban VIII, who occupied The Holy See at that time, had the Church repaired and, it would seem, composed the Hymns which are sung at her Office.

Her Feast Day is 30 January.

The Church of Santi Luca e Martina, Rome.

Photo: March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Panairjdde (FlagUploader).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Church of Santi Luca e Martina, Rome.

Architect: Pietro da Cortona

Italiano: Chiesa dei Santi Luca e Martina, Roma. Interno.

Architetto: Pietro da Cortona

This File: 12 February 2006.

User: Torvindus

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Martina.
   Virgin and Martyr.
   Feast Day 30 January.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

The Sanctoral Cycle makes us honour today a Virgin, who, by her constancy in the midst of the most atrocious torments, bore witness before all (Introit) to The Divinity of Christ, her Spouse (Gospel). "I am a Christian," she declares to her executioners, "and I confess Jesus Christ."

The Epistle puts on her lips the words of Wisdom: "Lord, my Saviour, Thou hast become my help and protector." And she, herself, said, in the midst of her sufferings: "I love my Lord Jesus Christ, Who strengthens me."

Saint Martina was beheaded in 228 A.D., and joined in Heaven The Train of Virgins who surround The Divine King (Alleluia). Her Remains rest in a former temple of Mars, transformed into a Church, which bears the name of this Virgin, whose name recalls that of the god of war.

Let us arm ourselves, to defend The Divinity of Jesus, with love of Purity.

Mass: Loquébar.

The following Text is from

"The Liturgical Year", by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Volume 3.
Christmas - Book II.

Available from ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Saint Martina.
   Virgin and Martyr.
   Feast Day 30 January.

A Fourth Roman Virgin, wearing on her brow a Martyr's Crown, comes today to share the honours given to Saints Agnes, Emerentiana, and Prisca, and offer her Palm to The Lamb.

Her name is Martina, which the pagans were wont to give to their daughters in honour of their god of war [Editor: Mars was the pagans' god of war]. Her Sacred Relics repose at the foot of The Capitoline Hill, in the ancient Temple of Mars, which has now become the beautiful Church of Saint Martina.

The Holy ambition to render herself worthy of Him, Whom she had chosen as her Divine Spouse, gave her courage to suffer torments and death for His sake; so that, of her, as of the rest of The Martyrs, we may say those words of The Liturgy: "She washed her robes in The Blood of The Lamb".

Our Emmanuel is The Mighty God (Isaiah ix 6), The Lord that is mighty in war (Psalm xxiii 8), not, like the Mars of the pagans, needing the Sword to win his battles. He vanquishes His enemies by meekness, patience, and innocence, as in the Martyrdom of today's Saint, whose victory was grander than was ever won by Rome's boasted warriors.

This illustrious Virgin, who is one of the Patrons of The City of Rome, is honoured by having her praises sung by one of the Popes. It was Pope Urban VIII who wrote the Hymns which are recited on her Feast Day, and which we subjoin to The Lessons which recount the glorious combats of our Saint.