The Seven Penitential Psalms. Part Three.

Roman Text is taken from The Liturgical Year, by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Volume 4. Septuagesima.

Bold Italic Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

English: Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Deutsch: Hl. Augustinus in betrachtendem Gebet.

Four of the Penitential Psalms
were well known to Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510).

Date: Circa 1480.

Current location: Florence, Italy.

Notes: Deutsch: Auftraggeber: wahrscheinlich aus der Familie der Vespucci (Wappen).

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1].

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Penitential Psalms, or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th-Century A.D., are Psalms 6, 32, 38, 50, 102, 130, and 143 (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142 in the Septuagint numbering).

Note: The Septuagint numbering system has been used throughout this Series of Articles.

Psalm 6.      Domine ne in furore tuo (Pro octava).
Psalm 31.    Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates.
Psalm 37.    Domine ne in furore tuo (In rememorationem de sabbato).
Psalm 50.    Miserere mei Deus.
Psalm 101.  Domine exaudi orationem meam et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Psalm 129.  De profundis clamavi.
Psalm 142.  Domine exaudi orationem meam auribus percipe obsecrationem meam.

A Setting by Lassus of Psalm 129,
"De profundis clamavi ad te Domine", 

("Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord").

Psalm 129 is one of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Available on YouTube on
http://youtu.be/luLLO3c3LlE.

THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS.

Part Three.

The royal Prophet feels the consequences left in him by past sins, and he begs God to have pity on him.

Psalm 37. Domine ne in furore tuo (In rememorationem de sabbato).

Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me:

* neque in ira tua corripias me.

Quoniam sagittae tuae infixae sunt mihi:

* et confirmasti super me manum tuam.

Non est sanitas in carne mea a facie irae tuae:

* non est pax ossibus meis a facie peccatorum meorum.

Quoniam iniquitates meae supergressae sunt caput meum:

* et sicut onus grave gravatae sunt super me.

Putruerunt, et corruptae sunt cicatrices meae,

* a facie insipientiae meae.

Miser factus sum, et curvatus sum usque in finem:

* tota die contristatus ingrediebar.

Quoniam lumbi mei impleti sunt illusionibus:

* et non est sanitas in carne mea.

Afflictus sum et humiliatus sum nimis:
* rugiebam a gemitu cordis mei.

Domine, ante te omne desiderium meum:

* et gemitus meus a te non est absconditus.

Cor meum conturbatum est, dereliquit me virtus mea:

* et lumen oculorum meorum, et ipsum non est mecum.

Amici mei et proximi mei:
* adversum me appropinquaverunt et steterunt.

Et qui juxta me erant, de longe steterunt:
* et vim faciebant qui quaerebant animam meam.

Et qui inquirebant mala mihi, locuti sunt vanitates:

* et dolos tota die meditabantur.

Ego autem tanquam surdus non audiebam:

* et sicut mutus non aperiens os suum.

Et factus sum sicut homo non audiens:

* et non habens in ore suo redargutiones.

Quoniam in te, Domine, speravi:

* tu exaudies me, Domine Deus meus.

Quia dixi: Nequando supergaudeant mihi inimici mei:

* et dum commonventur pedes mei, super me magna locuti sunt.

Quoniam ego in flagella paratus sum:

* et dolor meus in conspectu meo semper.

Quoniam iniquitatem meam annuntiabo:

* et cogitabo pro peccato meo.

Inimici autem mei vivunt, et confirmati sunt super me:

* et multiplicati sunt qui oderunt me inique.

Quit retribuunt mala pro bonis, detrahebant mihi:

* quoniam sequebar bonitatem.

Ne derelinquas me, Domine Deus meus:

* ne discesseris a me.

Intende in adjutorium meum:

* Domine, Deus salutis meae.

Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Thy indignation:

Nor chastise me in Thy wrath.

For Thine arrows are fastened in me:

And Thy hand hath been strong upon me.

There is no health in my flesh, because of Thy wrath:

There is no peace in my bones, because of my sins.

For my iniquities are gone over my head:

And as a heavy burden, are become heavy upon me.

My sores are putrefied and corrupted:

Because of my foolishness.

I am become miserable and am bowed down even to the end:

I walked sorrowful all the day long.

For my loins are filled with illusions:

And there is no health in my flesh.

I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly:

I roared with the groaning of my heart.

O Lord, all my desire is before Thee:

And my groaning is not hidden from Thee.

My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me:

And the light of mine eyes itself is not with me.

My friends and my neighbours have drawn near:

And stood against me.

And they that were near me, stood afar off:

And they that sought my Soul, used violence.

And they that sought evils to me, spoke vain things:

And studied deceits all the day long.

But I as a deaf man heard not:

And as a dumb man not opening his mouth.

And I became as a man that heareth not:

And that hath no reproofs in his mouth.

For in Thee, O Lord, have I hoped:

Thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.

For I said: Lest at any time mine enemies rejoice over me:

And while my feet are moved, they speak great things against me.

For I am ready for scourges:

And my sorrow is continually before me.

For I will declare my iniquity:

And I will think for my sin.

But mine enemies live, and are stronger than I:

And they that hate me wrongfully, are multiplied.

They that render evil for good have detracted me:

Because I followed goodness.

Forsake me not, O Lord my God:

Do not Thou depart from me.

Attend unto my help, O Lord:

The God of my salvation.

The Seven Penitential Psalms are expressive of sorrow for sin. Four were known as 'Penitential Psalms' by Saint Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th-Century. Psalm 50 (Miserere) was recited at the close of daily Morning Service in the Primitive Church.

Translations of the Penitential Psalms were undertaken by some of the greatest poets in Renaissance England, including Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Sir Philip Sidney. Before the Suppression of the Minor Orders and Tonsure, in 1972, by Pope Paul VI, the Seven Penitential Psalms were assigned to new Clerics after having been Tonsured.

Orlande de Lassus'

"Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales".

This is a Setting of Psalm 6, "Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me",

("O Lord, do not reprove me in Thy wrath, nor in Thy anger chastise me").

Psalm 6 is the first of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Available on YouTube on

http://youtu.be/-0cILFy2sW4.

Perhaps the most famous musical setting of all the Seven Penitential Psalms is by Orlande de Lassus, with his Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales of 1584. There are also fine settings by Andrea Gabrieli and by Giovanni Croce. The Croce pieces are unique in being settings of Italian sonnet-form translations of the Psalms by Francesco Bembo. These were widely distributed. They were translated into English and published in London as Musica Sacra and were even translated (back) into Latin and published in Nürnberg as Septem Psalmi poenitentiales.

William Byrd set all Seven Psalms in English versions for three voices in his Songs of Sundrie Natures (1589). Settings of individual Penitential Psalms have been written by many composers. Well-known settings of the Miserere (Psalm 50) include those by Gregorio Allegri and Josquin des Prez. Settings of the De profundis (Psalm 129) include two in the Renaissance era by Josquin.


PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Peter's. Passion Sunday.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.
Semi-Double.

Privilege of the First Class.
Violet Vestments.

English: St. Peter's Basilica, seen from the River Tiber.
The iconic dome dominates the skyline of Rome.
Christianity became the dominant religion of Western Civilisation
when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity.

Magyar: Vatikánváros látképe.

Italiano: Veduta del Vaticano dal Tevere.

한국어: 테베레 강 방향의 성 베드로 대성전. 로마의 
지평선을 압도하는 전통적인 돔 양식이다.

Kiswahili: Vatikani ikitazamwa kutoka mto Tiber.

中文: 从台伯河遥望梵蒂冈.

Photo: January 2005.

Source: Flickr

Author: Sébastien Bertrand from Paris, France.

Reviewer: Andre Engels

(Wikimedia Commons)

Artist: Giovanni Paolo Panini (1692–1765).

Title: Interior of Saint Peter's Basilica.

Date: 1731.

Current location: Saint Louis Art Museum, 
Missouri, United States of America.

Source/Photographer: Saint Louis Art Museum official site.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"We are not unaware", says Saint Leo, "that, among all Christian celebrations, the Paschal mystery holds the first place. Our manner of living throughout the whole year, by reforming our ways, ought to give us the dispositions for keeping it worthily and in a fitting manner. These present days, which we know to be close to that most sublime Sacrament of Divine Mercy, require devotion in a yet higher degree" (Second Nocturn).

The mystery, of which Saint Leo speaks, is Our Redeemer's Passion, whose anniversary is close at hand. Priest and Mediator of the New Testament, Jesus will soon ascend His Cross, and the blood, which He will shed, He will offer to His Father, entering into the Holies which is Heaven itself (Epistle).

The Church sings: "All hail, thou Mystery adored ! Hail, Cross !, on which the Life Himself died, and by death our life restored ! " (Hymn of Vespers). The Eucharist is the memorial of this boundless love of a God for men for, when instituting it, Our Lord said: "This is My Body, which shall be delivered for you; this Chalice is the new Testament in My Blood. Do this . . . in commemoration of Me " (Communion).

What is the response of Man to all these Divine Favours ? "His own received Him not," says Saint John, speaking of the welcome which the Jews gave Jesus. "For good, they rendered Him evil, and prepared for Him nothing but insults." "You", Our Lord told them, "dishonour Me," and, in fact, the Gospel shows us the ever-growing hatred of the Sanhedrin.

English: Sangallo's design for Saint Peter's Basilica.

Italiano: Progetto di Antonio da Sangallo per San Pietro in Vaticano.

Date: 2007-06-30 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from it.wikipedia; transferred to Commons 

by User:Pil56 using CommonsHelper.

Author: Original uploader was Etienne (Li) at it.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

Abraham, the father of God's people, firmly believed the Divine Promises, which heralded the future Messias, and, in Limbo, his Soul, which, as believing was beyond the reach of eternal death, rejoiced to see these promises fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

But the Jews, who ought to have recognised in Jesus the Son of God greater than Abraham and the Prophets, because eternal, misunderstood the meaning of His words, insulted Him by treating Him as a blasphemer and "possessed", and tried to stone Him (Gospel). And God tells Him, in the person of Jeremias, "Be not afraid at their presence: For I am with Thee, to deliver Thee, saith the Lord. . . For, behold, I have made Thee this day a fortified city and a pillar of iron and a wall of brass, over all the land, to the kings of Juda, to the princes thereof and to the priests and to the people of the land. And they shall fight against Thee and shall not prevail: For I am with Thee, saith the Lord, to deliver Thee" (First Nocturn).

"I seek not my own glory", says Jesus, "there is one that seeketh and judgeth" (Gospel). And, by the mouth of the Psalmist, He goes on: "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man." This "lying" people Our Lord declares to be the Jews. The Psalmist continues: "Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies. . .from the unjust man Thou wilt deliver me" (Gradual).

Deutsch: Murcianodom in Rom, gesehen vom Dach
der Engelsburg, auch Tartarugadom genannt.

English: Saint Peter's Basilica.
Seen from the roof of Castel Sant'Angelo.

Photo: September 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Wolfgang Stuck.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"The Lord, who is just, will cut the necks of sinners" (Tract). God will not permit men to lay their hands on Jesus until His hour is come (Gospel), and when that hour of sacrifice came, He snatched His son from the hands of evil men by raising Him from the dead. This death and resurrection had been foretold by the Prophets and typified in Isaac when, on the point of being sacrificed at God's command, by Abraham his father, he was restored to life by Almighty God, his place being taken by a ram, who became a type of the Lamb of God, offered in man's stead.

Thus, Our Lord, in His first coming, was to be humbled and made to suffer; not until later will He appear in all His power. But the Jews, blinded by their passions, could appreciate only one kind of coming, a coming in triumph, and so, scandalised by the Cross of Christ, they rejected Him. In their turn, Almighty God rejected them, while graciously receiving those who put their trust in the redemption of Jesus Christ, uniting their sufferings to His.

"Rightly, and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost," says Saint Leo, "did the holy Apostles institute these days of more rigorous Fasting, so that, by a common sharing in the Cross of Christ, even we ourselves may do something towards uniting ourselves with the work that He has accomplished for us. As Saint Paul says: "If we suffer with Him, we also shall be glorified with Him." Where we find Our Lord's sufferings being shared, there can we look on the attainment of the happiness promised by Him as a thing safe and assured."

Crepuscular rays are regularly seen
in Saint Peter's Basilica at certain times each day.

Photo: 6 October 2008 (original upload date)

2 July 2008 (according to EXIF data).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia by SreeBot.

Author: Jraytram at en.wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Today's Lenten Station is in the Basilica of Saint Peter, raised on the site of Nero's Circus, where the Prince of the Apostles died, like his Divine Master, on a Cross.

In recalling Our Lord's Passion, the anniversary of which draws near, let us remember that, if we are to experience its saving effects, we must, like the Master, know how to suffer persecution for justice sake. And when, as members of God's family, we are persecuted with and like Our Lord, let us ask of God, that we may be "governed in body" and "kept in mind".

MASS

Until Maundy Thursday, in Masses of the Season, the Psalm "Judica" is omitted, as well as the "Gloria Patri", after the Introit and the Lavabo.

 

The Dome of
Saint Peter's Basilica.

Photo: October 2006.

Source: Made by Pasztilla.

Author: Attila Terbócs.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano, and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late-Renaissance Church, located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian Church in the world.

While it is neither the official Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Church, nor the Cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, Saint Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all Churches of Christendom".

In Roman Catholic tradition, the Basilica is the burial site of its namesake, Saint Peter, who was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and the first Bishop of Rome, and, therefore, first in the line of the Papal Succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the Altar of the Basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at Saint Peter's since the Early-Christian period. There has been a Church on this site since the 4th-Century A.D. Construction of the present Basilica, over the old Constantinian Basilica, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.

Saint Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its Liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the Papacy, with the Counter-Reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a Cathedral, as it is not the Seat of a Bishop. It is properly termed a Papal Basilica. The Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran is the Cathedral Church of Rome.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Nicholas In Prison (San Nicola In Carcere). Saturday Of The Fourth Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text is taken from http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/San_Nicola_in_Carcere

Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.
Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Prison
(San Nicola in Carcere),
Rome, Italy.

Català: San Nicola in Carcere és una església a Roma, Italia.

Italiano: San Nicola in Carcere è una chiesa di Roma. 

Español: San Nicola in Carcere es una iglesia en Roma, Italia.

Deutsch: San Nicola in Carcere ist eine Kirche in Rom. 

Photo: March 2012. 

Source: Own work. 

Author: sailko. 

(Wikimedia Commons) 

The Station is at a Church built on the ruins of three pagan temples and consecrated to Saint Nicholas. It is called "in Carcere" because, in former times, it had a dungeon.

Here are venerated the remains of the holy Martyrs: Mark; Marcellinus; Faustinus; Simplicius; Beatrice. The remains are contained in an ancient urn, placed under the High Altar. The interior, in the form of a Basilica, is very harmonious.

Interior of San Nicola in Carcere.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/ROMA/CHIESE/
FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_carcere003.htm

Interior of San Nicola in Carcere.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/roma/CHIESE/
FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_in_carcere007.htm

However, before the 8th-Century, the Lenten Station was kept at Saint Laurence "in Lucina"; this is why so many allusions to "light" are made in this Mass. Water is also often mentioned; it reminds the Catechumens of the water of Baptism for which they are longing; besides, it alludes also to the fact that the Stational Procession, coming from the Church of Sant'Angelo "Piscium Venditor" (at Castel Sant'Angelo) had to walk along the Tiber.

A side-view of the 
Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere.

Photo: August 2007.

Source: San Nicola in Carcere

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Cristian Martinez 
from Mexico City, Mexico.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Isaias, from whom the Introit and the Epistle of the Mass are taken, sees hastening from all sides the Catechumens and public penitents who are waiting with holy impatience for the Easter Feast, when, at last, their Souls may quench their thirst in the Springs of Grace through the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance.

They were in darkness and Jesus gives them light (Epistle), for He tells us, in the Gospel, that He is the Light of the World and that he who follows Him walketh not in darkness, but in the light of life. Let us also, by Penance, cast out sin from our hearts, and let us ask Christ to fill them with the light of His Grace.

Church of Saint Nicholas in Prison
(San Nicola in Carcere),
Rome, Italy.

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

San Nicola in Carcere, Rome, is a Church dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the Patron Saint of Sailors and of Children, and the remote cause of the phenomenon of Santa Claus. It is a Minor Basilica and a Titular Church, and is also the Regional Church for those people from Puglia and Lucania living in Rome. However, it is no longer a Parish Church. The address is Via del Teatro di Marcello 46 in the rione Ripa, just north of the Bocca del Verità.

The left Aisle of 
San Nicola in Carcere,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/roma/CHIESE/
FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_in_carcere009.htm

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Church is that it incorporates the remains of three temples of the Republican era (2nd-Century BC), which used to stand in a row, side by side in the ancient Forum Holitorium, with their entrances facing East. It is difficult to determine from the extant sources which temple was dedicated to which divinity, but the consensus is as follows.

The Northernmost was dedicated to Janus, and had two rows of six Ionic Columns of peperino at the entrance and eight down each side. Two survive to the North, and seven to the South, embedded with their Architrave in the Church's North wall. Well-preserved parts of the Podium also survive in the Crypt.

Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Prison
(San Nicola in Carcere),
Rome, Italy.

The two Columns, standing on the left
of the picture, are "peperino Columns".

Photo: July 2008.

Source: Own Work.

Author: Jensens.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The site of the middle temple is occupied by the Church; the temple was dedicated to Juno Sospita and was in the Ionic style. Three Columns survive, embedded in the façade (out of six), and other remains exist in the Crypt and also at the end of the left Aisle.

The Southern, much smaller, temple was dedicated to Spes ("Hope" personified as a goddess). It was in the Doric style, with six Columns at the entrance and eleven down each side. Seven Columns of the North side are embedded in the South wall of the Church.

There used to be a fourth temple, just to the North, the Temple of Pietas, built by Manius Acilius Glabrio, who was Consul in 191 B.C., but this was demolished for the construction of the Theatre of Marcellus.

English: San Nicola in Carcere,

with old Roman relics attached.

German: San Nicola in Carcere (Rom)

mit altrömischen Relikten.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

How the three temples became a Church is completely obscure. A surmise is that the middle temple was converted into a Church in the 6th-Century, but there is no documentary evidence at all. The name "Carcere", meaning "prison", is also puzzling. There is a reference in Pliny, which reads "...Templo Pietatis exstructo in illius carceris sede ubi nunc Marcelli theatro est" ("The Temple of Piety was built on the site of the prison where the Theatre of Marcellus now is"), but, if this is the same prison, it requires a memory of it to have persisted for at least seven hundred years.

The High Altar,
Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/roma/CHIESE/
FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_in_carcere011.htm

Alternatively, one of the temples could have been used as a prison during periods of civic disorder during the Early-Dark Ages, such as the sacking of the City by barbarians in the 5th-Century, or the Gothic Wars in the 6th-Century. Citizens may have been imprisoned in order to extort ransoms. However, these theories again have no documentary evidence. The puzzle of the name caused people in the Middle Ages to mistake the Church for the site of the Mamertine Prison.

The first certain reference is from 1128 A.D., attested by a plaque in the Church recalling its rebuilding and consecration. The inscription is not easy to read, and the Diocese has the year as 1088 A.D. The dedication to Saint Nicholas was perhaps as a result of the Greek population, then living in the area, as the Saint has always been popular in the Byzantine Rite. However, he has long been popular in the West, as well, and his Shrine is at Bari (which is why this is the Puglian Regional Church).

 

Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: July 2006.

Source: Flickr

Author: Patrick Denker

Reviewer: Mac9.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 11th-Century, the Church was known as San Nicola Petrus Leonis, referring to the convert Jewish Pierleoni family, who rebuilt the nearby Theatre of Marcellus as a fortress. (They became famous Roman patricians in the Middle Ages.) It was remodelled in 1599, when the present Mannerist façade was added, and restored in the 19th-Century on the orders of Pope Pius IX.

In the 20th century, the edifice almost succumbed to the nationalist passion for excavating and exposing the surviving architectural remains of the Roman Empire. The surrounding buildings, many of them Mediaeval, were demolished, leaving the Church isolated. When Mussolini 's grandiose Via del Mare road scheme was executed, the present wide road was pushed through at a much lower level than the original street and hence the Church is now only accessible in front by steps.

An engraving by Vasi shows the streetscape before all this destruction (see the "Romeartlover" external link at "Romeartlover" web-page with Vasi engraving "Roma Sotteranea" web-page). A further unfortunate result was that the surrounding area was depopulated (few people live around here, even now), and this left the ancient Parish unviable. It was suppressed in 1931, and the Church made dependent on Santa Maria in Campitelli.

Te Deum. Hymn of Praise And Thanksgiving.

Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

When was the last time you heard the Te Deum sung in your Church ?

Why not ask your Parish Priest or Pastor to arrange it ?

The Te Deum Window,

by Christopher Whall,

Church of Saint Mary the Virgin,

Ware, Hertfordshire,

England.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/

barkingtigs/3263493149/.

Author: Barking Tigs.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Saint Ambrose.

One of the traditionally-ascribed authors of the 

Te Deum, together with Saint Augustine.

Deutsch: hl. Ambrosius.

Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664).

Date: 1626-1627.

Current location: Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, Seville, Spain.

Note: Deutsch: Urspr. für den Konvent San Pablo in Sevilla, Auftraggeber:
Prior Diego de Bordas. Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project:
10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002.

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1].

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Te Deum (also known as "The Ambrosian Hymn" or "A Song of the Church") is an Early-Christian Hymn of Praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, "Te Deum laudamus", rendered as "Thee, O God, we praise".

The Hymn remains in regular use in the Catholic Church, in the Office of Readings, found in the Liturgy of the Hours, and in thanksgiving to God for a special Blessing, such as the Election of a Pope, the Consecration of a Bishop, the Canonisation of a Saint, a Religious Profession, the publication of a Treaty of Peace, a Royal Coronation, etc. It is sung either after Mass or the Divine Office, or as a separate Religious Ceremony. The Hymn also remains in use in the Anglican Communion and some Lutheran Churches in similar settings.

In the Traditional Office, the Te Deum is sung at the end of Matins, on all days when the Gloria is said at Mass; those days are all Sundays, outside Advent, Septuagesima, Lent, and Passiontide; on all Feasts (except the Triduum) and on all Ferias during Eastertide.

A Plenary Indulgence is granted, under the usual conditions, to those who recite it in public on New Year's Eve.

Te Deum.

Sung by the Benedictine Monks of the 

Abbey of Saint Maurice and Saint Maur, 

Clervaux. Luxembourg.

The Te Deum is attributed to two Fathers and Doctors of the Church, 

Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine, and is one the most majestic 

Chants in the Liturgy of the Church. 

It is sung in Traditional Seminaries and Monastic Houses at the Divine Office and
for Double Feasts of the First Class, The Nativity, Easter, Corpus Christi, Epiphany,
Pentecost and those which have an Octave.
The Solemn Te Deum is sung on all occasions of public Church rejoicing.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/sqwV9l-U8ds.

Authorship is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter's Baptism by the former in 387 A.D. It has also been ascribed to Saint Hilary, but Catholic-Forum.com says "it is now accredited to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana (4th-Century)".

The Petitions at the end of the Hymn (beginning "Salvum fac populum tuum") are a selection of Verses from the Book of Psalms, appended subsequently to the original Hymn.

The Hymn follows the outline of the Apostles' Creed, mixing a poetic vision of the Heavenly Liturgy with its declaration of Faith. Calling on the name of God, immediately, the Hymn proceeds to name all those who praise and venerate God; from the hierarchy of Heavenly Creatures, to those Christian Faithful already in Heaven, to the Church spread throughout the world.

The Hymn then returns to its Credal formula, naming Christ and recalling His Birth, Suffering and Death, His Resurrection and Glorification. At this point, the Hymn turns to the subjects declaiming the praise, both the Universal Church and the singer, in particular, asking for mercy on past sins, protection from future sin, and the hoped-for reunification with The Elect.

Te Deum Laudamus:

te Dominum confitemur.

Te aeternum Patrem

omnis terra veneratur.

Tibi omnes Angeli;

tibi caeli et universae Potestates;

Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim

incessabili voce proclamant:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,

Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra

maiestatis gloriae tuae.

Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,

Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,

Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.

Te per orbem terrarum 

sancta confitetur Ecclesia,

Patrem immensae maiestatis:

Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;

Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.

Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.

Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.

Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,

non horruisti Virginis uterum.

Tu, devicto mortis aculeo,

aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.

Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.

Iudex crederis esse venturus.

Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni:

quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.

Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.

[added later, 

mainly from Psalm Verses:]

Salvum fac populum tuum,

Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae.

Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.

Per singulos dies benedicimus te;

Et laudamus Nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.

Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.

Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.

Fiat misericordia tua, 

Domine, super nos, 

quemadmodum speravimus in te.

In te, Domine, speravi:

non confundar in aeternum.

Translation from The Book of Common Prayer.

We praise thee, O God :

we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee :

the Father everlasting.

To thee all Angels cry aloud :

the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.

To thee Cherubim and Seraphim :

continually do cry,

Holy, Holy, Holy :

Lord God of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty :

of thy glory.

The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.

The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.

The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world :

doth acknowledge thee;

The Father : of an infinite Majesty;

Thine honourable, true : and only Son;

Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.

Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.

Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.

When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man :

thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.

When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death :

thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.

We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.

We therefore pray thee, help thy servants :

whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.

Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.

[added later, mainly from Psalm verses:]

O Lord, save thy people :

and bless thine heritage.

Govern them : and lift them up for ever.

Day by day : we magnify thee;

And we worship thy Name : ever world without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin.

O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us.

O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us :

as our trust is in thee.

O Lord, in thee have I trusted :

let me never be confounded.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Eusebius. Friday Of The Fourth Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome.

Français: Eglise de Sant'Eusebio all'Esquillino
sur la via Napoleone III à Rome.

Photo: April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Lenten Station is at the Sanctuary erected on the site of the house where Saint Eusebius, an ardent defender of the faith against Arius, died a Martyr. In the 5th-Century, it was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome. This Sanctuary may have been chosen in which to read the Epistle and Gospel relating to resurrections, since it is situated near the great cemetery of the Esquiline.

As in the Mass of yesterday, the Epistle and Gospel tell us of a double resurrection, an image of that which was to operate in the Souls of Catechumens and public penitents at the Easter Festival, and in the Souls of sinners during the Season of Lent.

The Glory of Saint Eusebius.

Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779).

Date: 1757.

Current location: Chiesa di Sant'Eusebio, 
Rome (Church of Saint Eusebius, Rome).

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Both the widow of Sarepta, who went to Eliseus, and the mother who had recourse to Elias, represent the Gentiles, as they were both of heathen race. Our Souls have, through the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance, shared in the resurrection of Him who is "the life" (Gospel).

English: The High Altar,
Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome.

Italiano: Roma, sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino: 
altar maggiore.

Photo: October 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the same way, the bodily death of the son of the widow of Naim, and that of Lazarus  represent the spiritual death of our Souls caused by grievous sin. Penance restores them to life and brings them under the supernatural influence of Him who is "the resurrection" (Gospel).

By Prayer and Penance, let us provide for our spiritual interests (Collect).

English: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino Church at Rome, Italy.

Deutsch: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino, Kirche in Rom, Italien.

Italiano: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino, chiesa a Roma, Italia.

Français: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino, église à Rome, Italie.

Photo: November 2010.

Source: Own work.

Original Image: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sant%27Eusebio_interno_01_(Claudius_Ziehr).jpg

Uniform Resource Identifier http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/legalcode

Author: © Claudius Ziehr.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Sant'Eusebio is a Basilica Church in Rome, devoted to Saint Eusebius of Rome, a 4th-Century Martyr, and built in the Monti rione, district of Rome.

The Church is first mentioned in 474 A.D., by an inscription in the Catacombs of Saints Marcellino e Pietro ad duas Lauros, and recorded as the "Titulus Eusebii" in the Acts of the 499 A.D. Synod. It was consecrated "in honorem beatorum Eusebii et Vincentii" by Pope Gregory IX, after the restoration of 1238. The Romanesque style, dating back to this restoration, survived the restorations of the 17th-, 18th- and 20th-Centuries. The Titulus S. Eusebii is held by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston in Texas, USA.

The interior is separated into a Nave with two flanking Aisles. The present design dates to 1600 by Onorio Longhi, who restored the Presbytery, High Altar, and Choir. The Ceiling fresco is a neoclassical masterpiece of Anton Raphael Mengs, depicting the Glory of Sant’Eusebio (1757). Other paintings in the Church are attributed to Giuseppe Passeri (central Nave window), Andreas Ruthart (Choir), Baldassarre Croce (Jesus, Mary, and Saints near the High Altar), Cesare Rossetti (Crucifix at the High Altar, facing Choir), Pompeo Bastoni (Madonna and Bambino near High Altar) and Francesco Solimena.

The High Altar. Basilica Of The Fourteen Holy Helpers. Bad Staffelstein, Bamberg, Germany.

Deutsch: Hochaltar.

Die Basilika Vierzehnheiligen

bei Bad Staffelstein im Landkreis Lichtenfels

ist eine Wallfahrtskirchen in Oberfranken.

English: The High Altar.

Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers,

Bad Staffelstein, near Bamberg,

Bavaria, Germany.

Photo: 16 April 2009.

Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)