Victimae paschali

Adeste Fideles

Come, thou long expected Jesus

Immortal, Invisible

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
Comes the powers of hell to vanquish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Lord of All Hopefulness

Thanks Be to You, O Lord

Veni Sancte Spiritus (Pentecost Sequence)

Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Stille Nacht - Silent Night

Fr. Josef Mohr wrote a Christmas poem back in 1816. Two years later, on Christmas Eve, he asked the organist at the parish where he was serving to put the words to music for the midnight Mass that same evening. His friend Franz Gruber came through for him and "Silent Night" was born. The carol grew steadily in popularity and has been sung ever since.

100 years ago this evening, to the consternation of their chains of command, German and British soldiers sang this and other Christmas songs to each other in unofficial, locally-called truces at various points along the front. It was the first Christmas of World War I. [1, 2, 3]

O Clavis David

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 none shutteth, Who shuttest and none openeth: come Thou and bring forth the captive from the prison house who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Creator Alme Siderum

A hymn for vespers during Advent.

Creator alme siderum,	Loving Creator of the stars,
Aeterna lux credentium,	Eternal Light of believers,
Jesu, Redemptor omnium,	O Jesus, Redeemer of all,
Intende votis supplicum.	attend to the prayers of suppliants.
Qui daemonis ne fraudibus	Who, so that no fraud of a demon
Periret orbis, impetu	would destroy the world, impelled
Amoris actus, languidi	by an act of love, for a feeble
Mundi medela factus es.	world became the remedy.
Commune qui mundi nefas	Who, for the common sinfulness of the world
Ut expiares, ad crucem,	to be expiated, went to the cross,
E Virginis sacrario	from the sanctuary of the Virgin
Intacta prodis victima.	untouched, went as a sacrificial victim.
Cujus potestas gloriae	Of Whose glorious power,
Nomenque quum primum sonat,	as soon as the Name sounds,
Et coelites et inferi	both celestial and infernal beings
Tremente curvantur genu.	bend a trembling knee.
Te deprecamur, ultime	Humbly we beseech thee, Last
Magnum diei judicem,	Day's great Judge,
Armis supernae gratiae	by force of arms of heavenly grace,
Defende nos ab hostibus.	defend us from the enemy.
Virtus, honor, laus, gloria,	Virtue, honor, praise, and glory,
Deo Patri cum Filio,	to God the Father with the Son,
Sancto simul Paraclito,	at the same time, the holy Paraclete,
In saeculorum saecula.	for ever and ever.
Amen.	Amen.

Trinity Sunday

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord

Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God of Hosts, eternal King,
by the heavens and earth adored!
Angels and archangels sing,
chanting everlastingly
to the blessèd Trinity.

Since by Thee were all things made,
and in Thee do all things live,
be to Thee all honor paid,
praise to Thee let all things give,
singing everlastingly
to the blessèd Trinity.

Thousands, tens of thousands, stand,
spirits blest, before Thy throne,
speeding thence at Thy command,
and, when Thy behests are done,
singing everlastingly
to the blessèd Trinity.

Cherubim and seraphim
veil their faces with their wings;
eyes of angels are too dim
to behold the King of kings,
while they sing eternally
to the blessèd Trinity.

Thee apostles, prophets thee,
thee the noble martyr band,
praise with solemn jubilee;
thee, the church in every land;
singing everlastingly
to the blessèd Trinity.

Alleluia! Lord, to Thee
Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Three in One and One in Three,
join we with the heavenly host,
singing everlastingly
to the blessèd Trinity.

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The Athanasian Creed

Propers for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity [Day 3]

A Prayer Once Prayed in England

O MERCIFUL God,
let the glorious intercession of Thy saints assist us,
particularly the most blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of Thy only-begotten Son,
and Thy holy Apostles, Peter and Paul,
to whose patronage we humbly recommend this country.
Be mindful of our fathers, Eleutherius, Celestine, and Gregory,
bishops of the Holy City;
of Augustine, Columba, and Aidan,
who delivered to us inviolate the faith of the Holy Roman Church.
Remember our holy martyrs,
who shed their blood for Christ:
especially our first martyr, Saint Alban,
and Thy most glorious bishop, Saint Thomas of Canterbury.
Remember all those holy confessors;
bishops, and kings,
all those holy monks and hermits,
all those holy virgins and widows,
who made this once an island of saints,
illustrious by their glorious merits and virtues.
Let not their memory perish from before Thee, O Lord,
but let their supplication enter daily into Thy sight;
and do Thou, who didst so often spare Thy sinful people
for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
now, also, moved by the prayers of our fathers, reigning with Thee,
have mercy upon us,
save Thy people, and bless Thy inheritance;
and suffer not those souls to perish,
which Thy Son hath redeemed with His own most Precious Blood,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

(I have changed Henry VIII's odd "world without end" to the more literal and understandable "ages of ages". Tradition is a good guide to orthodoxy, but not a perfect guide).

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Today is the third day of the octave of prayer for Christian unity.

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter;

R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

For the return of the Anglicans to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.

Let us pray. Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine apostles, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you;" regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which is according to Thy will, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and ever.

O gracious Father, we humbly beseech thee for Thy holy Catholic Church; that Thou wouldst be pleased to fill it with all truth, in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it it in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, establish it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Him who died and rose again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, The Prince of Peace; Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions. Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord: that as there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Hymn: The Church's one foundation

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity was started in 1908 by the Society of the Atonement at Graymoor, an Episcopalian community located in New York. The following year the Society was received into the Catholic Church. May many more follow them.

Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity [Day 1]

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter [Traditional Roman Calendar]

And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity has as its beginning a feast honoring the authority of the Pope, the Rock on which our Lord built His church. Or it did in the old Calendar; in the new Calendar, the feast has moved to February 22, and we lose the symbolic value of seeking unity first of all under the authority of Peter, chosen by Christ to shepherd His people.

So amid the varied prayers for unity ascending to heaven this day, the prayer of this blog is for the unity of God's holy Church across the ages and a return to the wisdom and beauty of earlier days. Our Church is one Church, not a "pre-Conciliar Church" and a "post-Conciliar Church", but one Church, founded by Christ our Lord to serve Him in faith, hope and charity until the end of time. When we undo the work of past generations, we may unravel more of the fabric of the Faith than we understand. But Christ can heal all wounds. Through His Holy Spirit may we find again many of the good things which we have foolishly set aside.

Hymn: Faith of our Fathers

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ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter;

R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

For the return of the "other sheep" to the One Fold of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray. Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine apostles, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you;" regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which is according to Thy will, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and ever.

O gracious Father, we humbly beseech thee for Thy holy Catholic Church; that Thou wouldst be pleased to fill it with all truth, in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it it in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, establish it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Him who died and rose again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, The Prince of Peace; Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions. Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord: that as there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The entire world thrills with hope

Merry twelfth day of Christmas

Minuit, chrétiens, c'est l'heure solennelle,
Où l'Homme-Dieu descendit jusqu'à nous
Pour effacer la tache originelle
Et de Son Père arrêter le courroux.
Le monde entier tressaille d'espérance
En cette nuit qui lui donne un Sauveur.

Peuple à genoux, attends ta délivrance.
Noël, Noël, voici le Rédempteur,
Noël, Noël, voici le Rédempteur!

De notre foi que la lumière ardente
Nous guide tous au berceau de l'Enfant,
Comme autrefois une étoile brillante
Y conduisit les trois chefs d'Orient,
Le Roi des rois né dans la dépendance
En lui confond toute humaine grandeur

Le Rédempteur a brisé toute entrave:
La terre est libre, et le ciel est ouvert.
Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave,
L'amour unit ceux qu'enchaînait le fer.
Qui Lui dira notre reconnaissance?
C'est pour nous tous qu'Il naît,
Qu'Il souffre et meurt.

Peuple debout! Chante ta délivrance,
Noël, Noël, chantons le Rédempteur,
Noël, Noël, chantons le Rédempteur!


Midnight, Christians, 'tis the solemn hour,
When the Man-God descended upon us
To erase the stain of original sin
And His Father's wrath, to stop.
The entire world thrills with hope
On this night that gives it a Saviour.

Fall on your knees, people, Await your deliverance.
Noel! Noel! Comes the Redeemer,
Noel! Noel! Comes the Redeemer!

By our Faith which the guiding Light
That brings us all to the Child's cradle
As before when a bright star
Brought the Kings of the Orient
The King of Kings borne in a humble stable:
Masters of today, proud of your might
Of your conceit, is what God preaches about.
Bow your head to the Saviour.

The Redeemer has overcome every obstacle:
The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.
He sees a brother where there was only a slave.
Love unites those who surround the fire.
Who will tell Him of our gratitude?
It's for all of us that He is born,
That He suffers and dies.

People stand up! Sing of your deliverance,
Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer,
Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer!

Adeste Fideles

(O come all ye faithful)



Hat tip to Fr. Nicholas Schofield.

Happy tenth day of Christmas.

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus

Argent by the Tiber says:

Come, thou long expected indult -- found this header at Catholic Light and I haven't stopped humming the hymn Come, thou long-expected Jesus all day.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.