ZEPHYRINUS.

Sunday 21 December 2014

The Great O Antiphons. 21 December.

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

English: Madonna and Child with two Angels.
Deutsch: Madonna und zwei Engel
Italiano: Madonna con due angeli.
Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510).
Date: 1468 - 1469.
Current location: Galleria Nazionale di Capodimonte.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.

DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.

Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)

O Oriens.
The Great O Antiphon
for 21 December.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/1BsZH7e27Dg.

21 December: Psalm cvi. 10.

O Oriens,

splendor lucis aeternae,

et sol justitiae;

veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris,

et umbra mortis.

O Dawn of the East,

brightness of the light eternal,

and Sun of Justice;

come and enlighten them that sit in darkness,

and in the shadow of death.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."

Fourth Sunday Of Advent.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

Illustrations, unless otherwise stated, from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
(from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 1952 Edition), who reproduce them
with the kind permission of ST. BONAVENTURE PRESS

Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Station at The Church of The Twelve Apostles.

Indulgence of 15 years and 15 Quarantines.

Privileged Sunday of the Second-Class.

Semi-Double.

Violet Vestments.

John, preaching the Baptism of Penance.

Like the whole Liturgy of this Season, the purpose of The Mass for The Fourth Sunday of Advent is to prepare us for the twofold Coming of Christ: His Coming in Mercy at Christmas; and in Justice at the end of the world.

Allusion is made to the First Coming in the Introit; while the Collect, Gradual, and Alleluia, can be applied to either of the two.

In this Mass, we meet once again with the three great figures that are before the mind of The Church throughout Advent: Isaias; Saint John the Baptist; and Our Lady. The Prophet Isaias foretells, of Saint John the Baptist, that he will be: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of The Lord, make straight His paths . . . and all flesh shall see the Salvation of God."

English: Basilica of The Twelve Holy Apostles.

View from the Vittoriano, Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Santi XII Apostoli.

Latin: SS. XII Apostolorum.

Photo: 3 December 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Pippo-b.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church of The Twelve Holy Apostles (Italian: Santi Dodici Apostoli, Latin: SS. XII Apostolorum) is a 6th-Century Roman Catholic Parish and Titular Church and Minor Basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to Saint James and Saint Philip and, later, to all Apostles.
Today, the Basilica is under the care of the Conventual Franciscans, whose headquarters,
in Rome , are in the adjacent building.

The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus XII Apostolorum is Angelo Scola.
Among the previous Cardinal Priests are Pope Clement XIV, whose tomb, by Canova, is in the Basilica, and Henry Benedict Stuart.

And "the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the Baptism of Penance for the remission of sins" (Gospel).

"John," Saint Gregory explains, "told those who hurried in crowds to be Baptised: "Ye brood of vipers, who hath told you to flee from the wrath to come ?" Now the wrath to come is the final chastisement, which the sinner will not be able to escape, unless he have recourse now to the lamentations of Penance.

The friend of the Bridegroom warns us to bring forth, not fruits merely of Penance, but worthy fruits. These words are a call to each man's conscience, bidding him to lay up, by means of Penance, a treasure of good works, the greater in proportions to the ravage of sin which caused it (Third Nocturn).

The Baroque Ceiling of The Basilica of Santi Apostoli, Rome, Italy.

Photo: 15 August 2005.

Source: http://flickr.com/photos/antmoose/34649457/.

Author: Anthony Majanlahti.

(Wikimedia Commons)

And Saint Leo says: "God Himself teaches us by the Prophet Isaias: I will lead the blind in a way that they know not, and I will turn the darkness before them into light and I will not forsake them."

The Apostle, Saint John, makes clear to us, the way in which this Mystery is fulfilled, when he says: "And we know that The Son of God is Come. And He hath given us understanding, that we may know The True God and may be in His True Son" (Second Nocturn).

The Liturgy continues: Because of the great love that God has manifested towards us, He has sent on Earth His only-begotten Son to be born of The Virgin Mary. Also, in the Communion sentence, the Church recalls to us the Prophecy of Isaias: "Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son: And His Name shall be called Emmanuel."

And, again, in the Offertory, she combines, in a single salutation, the words addressed to Our Lady by the Archangel and by Saint Elizabeth. Saint Gregory writes: "Gabriel, whose name means "Strength of God", is sent to Mary, since he comes to announce The Messias, Whose Will it is, to appear in humiliation and abasement, in order to subdue all the Powers of the Air.

"It was fitting that He should be heralded by Gabriel, the "Strength of God"; He, Who was to come as The Lord of Might, The All-Powerful and Unconquerable in battle, to crush the Powers of the Air in universal defeat" (Sermon 35).

In the Collect, just as we are reminded of the display of Our Lord's "Great Might", which will take place at the time of His Second Coming, when, as Supreme Judge, He will come in the splendour of His Divine Majesty to render to each according to his works, so we find an allusion to this same Great Power manifested in His First Coming. It was as one clothed in His weak and mortal human nature that Our Lord put the Devil to flight.

As we think of Our Lord as nigh at hand, in one or other of His "Comings", let us say, with The Church: "Come, Lord Jesus, and tarry not."

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

Saturday 20 December 2014

The Great O Antiphons. 20 December.

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

English: Workshop of the Della Robbia (early 16th-Century)

Madonna with Child, the Holy Spirit and two cherubims, enamelled terracotta.

Français: Atelier des Della Robbia (début du XVIe siècle.

Vierge à l'Enfant avec le Saint Esprit et deux chérubins, terre cuite émaillée.

Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

Accession Number: Campana 32.

Source/Photographer: Jastrow (2006).

(Wikimedia Commons)

O Clavis David,
The Great O Antiphon
for 20 December.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/fDg29sswhgQ.

20 December: Isaias xxii. 22; Apocalypse iii. 7; Luke i. 79.

O Clavis David,

et sceptrum domus Israel;

qui aperis, et nemo claudit,

claudis, et nemo aperit:

veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris,

sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David,

and Sceptre of the House of Israel,

who openest and no man shutteth,

who shuttest and no man openeth;

come and bring forth from his prison-house,

the captive that sitteth in darkness and

in the shadow of death.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."

Friday 19 December 2014

"Hold Firmly To The Traditions, Just As I Delivered Them To You."

Fr. Ray Blake has put up a most wonderful Post on FR RAY BLAKE'S BLOG

which beautifully depicts the Liturgy as many of the Faithful remember (and long for, still).

The Post is entitled "1 Corinthians 11:2". [Editor: Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians.]

Zephyrinus urges all Readers to pop over and see how Liturgy should be celebrated, with Profundity and Solemnity, when Adoring and Worshipping God.

No Liturgical Dances. No Dancing Nuns. No Clowns.

Pictures From Before The Revolution.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/JNbF1J6XSXc.

Parce Mihi Domine. Spare Me, O Lord, For My Days Are Nothing.

Herewith, two versions of Parce Mihi Domine (Spare Me, O Lord) [from The Book of Job 7:16-21].

The first version includes the accompaniment by the Norwegian saxophonist, Jan Garbarek. The second version does not.

See which one you prefer.

Parce Mihi Domine

(Cristóbal de Morales, 1500-1553),

by Jan Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/qfodIWqR0II.

Scroll of The Book of Job, in Hebrew.

Photo: 28 October 2009.

Source: Photographed at a Museum.

Author: Pete unseth.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Parce Mihi Domine

(Cristóbal de Morales,
1500-1553),

by The Hilliard Ensemble.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/Uk1YMS2M0L4.

Parce Mihi Domine (Latin) (Job 7:16-21).

Parce mihi Domine, nihil enim sunt dies mei.
Quid est homo, quia magnificas eum?
Aut quid apponis erga eum cor tuum?
Visitas cum diluculo, et subito probas illum.
Usquequo non parcis michi, nec dimittas me, ut glutiam salivam meam?
Peccavi. Quid faciam tibi, o custos hominum?
Quare posuisti me contrarium tibi, et factus sum michimet ipsi gravis?
Cur non tollis peccatum meum, et quare non aufers iniquitatem meam?
Ecce nunc in pulvere dormio; et si mane me quesieris, non subsistam.

Parce Mihi Domine (English) (Job 7:16-21).
Spare me, O Lord, for my days are nothing.
What is man, that thou dost make so much of him, and that
thou dost set thy mind upon him,
dost visit him every morning, and test him every moment?
How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow my spittle?
If I sin, what do I do to thee, thou watcher of men? Why hast thou made me thy mark? Why have I become a burden to thee?
Why dost thou not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth; thou wilt seek me, but I shall not be.

Parce Mihi Domine (Español) (Job 7:16-21).

Perdóname Señor, porque mis días son un soplo.
¿Qué es el hombre para que le des tanta importancia,
para que pongas en él tu atención,
para que cada mañana lo inspecciones y sin cesar lo pongas a prueba?
¿Hasta cuándo seguirás vigilándome sin darme tregua ni para tragar saliva?
¿Qué daño te hizo mi pecado, guardián de los hombres?
¿Por qué me has convertido en blanco de tus flechas? ¿Por qué he de ser una carga para ti?
¿Por qué no olvidas mi pecado ni pasas por alto mi culpa?
Mira que bien pronto yaceré en la tierra y no me hallarás, aunque me busques.

The Great O Antiphons. 19 December.

Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

Madonna and Child,

by Michelangelo

(1501-1504).

Brügge Cathedral,

"Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk", Belgium.

Photo: 7 February 2005.

Author: Elke Wetzig (elya).

(Wikimedia Commons)

O Radix Jesse.

The Great O Antiphon

for 19 December.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/VFE7B-DZ8_w.

19 December: Isaias xi. 10.

O Radix Jesse,

qui stas in signum populorum,

super quem continebunt reges os suum,

quem Gentes deprecabuntur:

veni ad liberandum nos,

jam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse,

who standest for an ensign of the people,

before whom kings shall keep silence,

and unto whom the Gentiles shall make their supplication:

come to deliver us,

and tarry not.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."