QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY
Mass: Missa "Esto mihi in Deum"
"Thy Faith hath made thee whole"
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY

Missa "Esto mihi in Deum"

PURPLE Vestments

Semi-Double Observation


        The three Sundays preceding Ash Wednesday are called SEPTUAGESIMA, SEXAGESIMA and QUINQUAGESIMA, which mean, respectively, the seventieth, sixtieth, and fiftieth day, that is, before Easter. They are mere names to correspond with the name of Lent (Quadragesima in Latin: fortieth); obviously they do not actually correspond with the period they indicate.

        In the same way that the first three prophecies of Holy Saturday, with their accompanying prayers, are concerned with Adam, Noah and Abraham, so during the Septuagesima season, our attention is called in Missal Breviary to these same patriarchs, known respectively by the Church, as the father of the human race, the father of future generations and the father of those who believe.

        Adam, Noah and Abraham were types of Christ in the paschal mystery, a fact which we have already shown to be true in the case of the first two, in our notes on Septuagesima and Sexagesima Sunday. That it is true of Abraham also, we shall see today.

        In the Ambrosian Liturgy, Passion Sunday was called "Abraham's Sunday" and the "Response of Abraham" was read in the Office for that day; in the Roman Liturgy also, he is still the subject of the Gospel for Passion Sunday. "Abraham your father," says our Lord, "rejoiced that he might see my day, he saw it and was glad... Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am." God had indeed promised Abraham that the Messias should descend from him, and he was overwhelmed with great joy, when by faith he contemplated beforehand the day of the Redeemer's coming. Again, when this was fulfilled, he still contemplated it with a fresh joy in Limbo, where he was waiting with the just men of the Old Law for Jesus to come and deliver them after His Passion. When the three weeks of the Septuagesima Season were added to Lent, Quinquagesima became the Sunday on which the liturgy is devoted to Abraham, so that in the lessons and responses for today the whole history of the Patriarch is described.

        With the desire of forming a people who should be specially His own in the midst of the idolatrous nations of the world (Gradual and Tract), almighty God chose Abraham as its head (see epistle of a C.P. p. 1651) and gave him his name which means Father of many nations. "And He took him from Ur in Chaldee, and kept him from harm in all his wanderings." By faith, St. Paul tells the Hebrews, Abraham, when the call came, "obeyed and went into a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing whither he went." It was by faith, that he obtained the land of Canaan, where he lived more than twenty-five years as a stranger; that in his old age he became the father of Isaac and did not hesitate to offer him in sacrifice at God’s command, although he was his only son in whom lay all his hope that the divine promises concerning a numerous posterity for himself would be fulfilled. "Accounting that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Whereupon also he received him for a parable." Indeed, it was as a type of Christ that Isaac was chosen "to be the most glorious victim of his father," that he carried the bundle of wood on which he was about to be sacrificed, just as our Lord carried the Cross on which he merited glory by His Passion; that his place was taken by a ram caught by its horns in a thicket of brambles, just as, according to the Fathers, Jesus the Lamb of God had His sacred head entangled in the thorns of His Crown; and above all that, being miraculously delivered form death he was in some sense restored to life to proclaim that Christ having been put to death should rise again.

        Thus, by his faith, Abraham, who without hesitation believed in what was to come to pass, contemplated from afar our Lord's triumph on the Cross and rejoiced in it. It was then that God confirmed the promises to him: "Because thou hast bet spared the only-begotten son for my sake, I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore." It was Christ who fulfilled these promises by His Passion. As St. Paul says: “Christ hath redeemed us… (for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree), that the blessing Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus”; that we may receive the promise of the Spirit by faith, that is the Spirit of adoption which has been promised to us. It is for this reason that in the prayer which follows the lesson about Abraham on Holy Saturday, almighty God is addressed as "the supreme Father of all the faithful, who all over the world multipliest the children of Thy promise by diffusing the grace of Thy adoption: and by this Paschal Sacrament makest Thy servant Abraham, according to Thy oath, the father of all the nations".

        In reality it is by baptism with water, which was formerly administered at Easter, and of the Holy Ghost suggesting Pentecost, that having been made children of Abraham we enter upon the inheritance promised to us, that is the Church, the Heavenly Jerusalem, of which the Holy Land was a type. The Church prays on Holy Saturday: "Grant that all the nations of the world may become the children of Abraham, and by holy adoption, multiply the sons of the promise7." We can see from this why today’s station is made at St. Peter's, since the prince of the apostles was chosen by Christ to be the Head of the Church in a still more excellent sense than Abraham, "the father of all them that believe".

        Faith in Christ, dead and risen again, is the subject of the Gospel, that faith by which Abraham merited to become the Father of all nations and which enables us to become his children. We read how Christ foretold His Passion and His victory and how He restored the sight of a blind man, and told him: "Thy faith hath saved thee." On this St. Gregory comments: "This blind man recovered his sight under the very eyes of the apostles so that to have seen deeds wrought by the divine power might strengthen the faith of those who could not yet grasp the message that a heavenly mystery was revealed to the world. Indeed it was necessary, that when later they should see our Lord die in the very way foretold by Him, they should have no doubt at all that He must also rise from the dead".

        In the epistle, in its turn, Abraham's faith is set forth in all its merit, and we are told what our own faith should be like. "So faith also," writes St. James, "if it hath not works, is dead in itself. Wilt thou know that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou, that faith did cooperate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God. Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?"

        A man is not saved by being a son of Abraham according to the flesh but by being Abraham's son by means of a faith like his. So St. Paul writes: "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision (to be a Jew) availeth anything, nor uncircumcision (to be a Gentile), but a new creature10." "Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness."

        If the custom of allowing ourselves a little relaxation of spirit, before undertaking the Lenten penance which binds us all, is of liturgical origin, let us not forget that the Church condemns all excess. To atone therefore, for those sins, that are committed, let us make a solemn adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, beside saying this prayer of reconciliation known as the Forty Hours' prayer12, which was instituted either by S. Anthony-Mary Zaccaria (+1539), or by the Capuchin Father Joseph a Ferno (about 1636), a prayer richly indulgenced by Pope Clement XIII (1765). Every parish priest celebrates Mass for the people of his parish.

        The merit of our good works, like the light which enlightens our minds, will be in proportion to the charity which we possess. Let us therefore, dispose our will to detachment from everything in it that is opposed to divine charity, so that having seen God "through a glass as in a dark manner," by faith, here on earth, we may behold Him "face to face" in Heaven, in all the fullness of our love for Him.

        Sources: Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the Marian Missal , 1945



       

    Because the Liturgical Season of Lent, which officially began with the Septuagesima Sunday and continued last week with Sexagesima Sunday , we have decided to bring you excerpts for this season focusing today on Quinquagesima Sunday which will be followed tomorrow with Monday in Quinquagesima, then Shrove Tuesday and finally Ash Wednesday. The excerpts for this are taken from Volume 4, pages 178-205). We have thus turned to the most traditional and practical Catholic source available, none other than the inspired and motivating words of the esteemed Abbot of Solesmes Dom Prosper Louis Pascal Gueranger, renowned for his masterful work The Liturgical Year, which is often considered the Summa for the Church's Liturgy in History, Mystery and Practice. It is in those areas that we feel it is important to address in order to help readers live as better Catholics in knowing, living, and applying their Faith to the fullest and giving to Christ and His Blessed Mother all that they can. Few capture the essence as this humble but brilliant abbot who is known simply as "the Gardener of the Canticles of Eternity."


   
The Church gives us today another subject for our meditation: it is the vocation of Abraham. When the waters of the deluge had subsided, and mankind had once more peopled the earth, the immorality, which had previously excited God's anger, again grew rife among men. Idolatry, too, into which the antediluvian race had not fallen, now showed itself, and human wickedness seemed thus to have reached the height of its malice. Foreseeing that the nations of the earth would fall into rebellion against Him, God resolved to select one whom should be preserved those sacred truths, of which the Gentiles were to lose sight. This new people were to originate from one man, who would be the father and model of all future believers. This was Abraham. His faith and devotedness merited for him that he should be chosen to be the father of the children of God, and the head of that spiritual family, to which belong all the elect of both the old and the new Testament.

    It is necessary, therefore, that we should know Abraham, our father and our model. This is his grand characteristic: fidelity to God, submissiveness to His commands, abandonment and sacrifice of everything in order to obey His holy will. Such ought to be the prominent virtues of every Christian. Let us, then, study the life of our great patriarch, and learn, the lessons it teaches in Genesis 12.

    Could the Christian have a finer model than this holy patriarch, whose docility and devotedness in following the call of his God are so perfect? We are forced to exclaim, with the holy fathers: 'O true Christian, even before Christ had come on the earth! Was preached! He was an apostolic man before the apostles existed!' God calls him: he leaves all things-his country, his kindred, his father's house-and he goes into an unknown land. God leads him, he is satisfied; he fears no difficulties; he never once looks back. Did the apostles themselves more? But see how grand is his reward! God says to him: 'In thee shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed.' This Chaldean is to give to the world Him that shall bless and it. Death will, it is true, close his eyes ages before the dawning of that day, when one of his race, who is to be born of a Virgin And be united personally with the divine Word, shall redeem all generations, past, present, and to come. But meanwhile, till heaven shall be thrown open to receive this Redeemer and the countless just who have won the crown, Abraham shall be honored, in the limbo of expectation, in a manner becoming his great virtue and merit. It is in his bosom, (1)-{St. Luke xvi: 22} that is, around him, that our first parents (having atoned for their sin by penance), Noah, Moses, David, and all the just, including poor Lazarus, received that rest and happiness, which were a foretaste of, and a preparation for, eternal bliss in Heaven. Thus is Abraham honored; thus does God requite the love and fidelity of them that serve Him.

    When the fullness of time came, the Son of God, who was also Son of Abraham, declared His eternal Father's power, by saying that He was about to raise up a new progeny of Abraham's children from the very stones, that is, from the Gentiles (1)-{St. Matthew iii: 9}. We Christians are this new generation. But are we worthy children of our father? Let us listen to the apostle of the Gentiles: 'By faith, Abraham, when called (by God), obeyed to go out into a place, which he was to receive for an inheritance: And he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith, he abode in the land, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the co-heirs of the same promise; for he looked for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God'(2)-{Heb. Xi. 8-10}.

    If, therefore, we be children of Abraham, we must, as the Church tells us during Septuagesima, look upon ourselves as exiles on the earth, and dwell by hope and desire in that true country of ours, from which we are now banished, but towards which we are each day drawing nigher, if, like Abraham, we are faithful in the various stations allotted us by our Lord. We are commanded to use this world as though we need it not,(3)-{1 Corinthians vii: 31} to have an abiding conviction of our not having here a lasting city (4)-{Hebrews xiii: 14} and of the misery and danger we incur when we forget that death is one day to separate us from every thing we possess in this life.

    How far from being true children of Abraham are those Christians who spend this and the two following days in intemperance and dissipation, because Lent is soon to be upon us! We can easily understand how the simple manners of our Catholic forefathers could keep a leave-taking of the ordinary way of living, which Lent was to interrupt, and reconcile their innocent carnival with Christian gravity; just as we can understand how their rigorous observance of the laws of the Church for Lent would inspire certain festive customs at Easter. Even in our own times, a joyous Shrovetide is not to be altogether reprobated, provided the Christian sentiment of the approaching holy season of Lent be strong enough to check the evil tendency of an innocent custom would be perverted, and the forethought of penance could in no sense be considered as the prompter of our joyous farewell to ease and comforts.

    While admitting all this, we would ask, what right or title have they to share in these Shrovetide rejoicings, whose Lent will pass and find them out of the Church, because they will not have complied with the precept of Easter Communion? And they, too, who claim dispensations from abstinence and fasting during Lent, and, for one reason or another, evade every penitential exercise during the solemn forty days of penance, And will find themselves at Easter as weighed down by the guilt and debt of their sins as they were on Ash Wednesday - what meaning, we would ask, can there possibly be in their feast-making at Shrovetide?

    Oh! That Christians would stand on their guard against such delusions as these, and gain that holy liberty of children of God,(1)-{Romans viii: 21} which consists in not being slaves to flesh and blood, and preserves man from moral degradation! Let them remember that we are now in that holy season, when the Church denies herself her songs of holy joy, in order the more forcibly to remind us that we are living in a Babylon of spiritual danger, and to excite us to regain that genuine Christian spirit, which everything in the world around us is quietly undermining. If the disciples of Christ are necessitated, by the position they hold in society, to take part in the profane amusements of these few days before Lent, let it be with a heart deeply imbued with the maxims of the Gospel. If, for example, they are obliged to listen to the music of theatres and concerts, let them imitate St. Cecilia, who thus sang, in her heart, in the midst of the excitement of worldly harmonies; 'May my heart, O God, be pure, and let me not be confounded!' Above all, let them not countenance certain dances, which the world is so eloquent in defending, because so evidently according to its own spirit; and therefore they who encourage they will be severely judged by Him, who has already pronounced woe upon the world. Lastly, let those who must go, on these days, and mingle in the company of worldlings, be guided by St. Francis of Sales, who advises them to think, from time to time, on such considerations as these: that while all these frivolous, and often dangerous, amusements are going on, there are countless souls being tormented in the fire of hell, on account of the sins they committed on similar occasions; that, at that very hour of the night, there are many holy religious depriving themselves of sleep in order to sing the divine praises and implore God's mercy upon the world, and upon them that are wasting their time in its vanities; that there are thousands in the agonies of death, while all that gaiety is going on; that God and His angels are attentively looking upon this thoughtless group and finally, that life is passing away, and death so much nearer each moment(1)-{Introduction to a Devout Life,' part iii. Chapter xxiii}.

    We grant that, on these three days immediately preceding the penitential season of Lent, some provision was necessary to be made for those countless souls, who seem scarce able to live without some excitement. The Church supplies this want. She gives a substitute for frivolous amusements and dangerous pleasures; and those of her children upon whom faith has not lost its influence, will find, in what she offers them, a feast surpassing all earthly enjoyments, and a means whereby to make amends to God for the insults offered to His divine Majesty during these days of carnival. The Lamb, that taketh away the sins of the world, is exposed upon our altars. Here, on this His throne of mercy, He receives the homage of them who come to adore Him, and acknowledge Him for their King; He accepts the repentance of those who come to tell Him how grieved they are at having ever followed any other master but Him; He offers Himself to His eternal Father for poor sinners, who not only treat His favors with indifference, but seem to have made a resolution to offend Him during these days more than at any other period of the year.

    It was the pious Cardinal Gabriel Paleotti, archbishop of Bologna, who first originated the admirable devotion of the Forty Hours. He was a contemporary of St. Charles Borromeo, and, like him, was eminent for his pastoral ZEAL. His object in this solemn Exposition of the most blessed Sacrament was to offer to the divine Majesty some compensation for the sins of men, and, at the very time when the world was busiest in deserving His anger, to appease it by the sight of His own Son, the Mediator between heaven and earth. St. Charles immediately introduced the devotion into his own diocese and province. This was in the sixteenth century. Later on, that is, in the eighteenth century, Prosper Lambertini was archbishop of Bologna; he zealously continued the pious design of his ancient predecessor, Paleotti, by encouraging his flock to devotion towards the blessed Sacrament during the three days of carnival; and when he was made Pope, under the name of Benedict XIV, he granted many Indulgences to all who, during these days, should visit our Lord in this mystery of His love, and should pray for the pardon of sinners. This favor was, at first, restricted to the faithful of the Papal States; but in the year 1765 it was extended, by Pope Clement XIII, to the universal Church. Thus, the Forty Hours' Devotion has spread throughout the whole world, and become one of the most solemn expressions of Catholic piety. Let us, then, who have the opportunity, profit by it during these last three days of our preparation for Lent. Let us, like Abraham, retire from the distracting dangers of the world, and seek the Lord our God. Let us go apart, for at least one short hour, from the dissipation of earthly enjoyments, and, kneeling in the presence of our Jesus, merit the grace to keep our hearts innocent and detached, whilst sharing in those we cannot avoid.(1)-{The Litanies for the Forty Hours are given at the end of this volume.}

Quinquagesima Sunday

    We will now resume our considerations upon the liturgy of Quinquagesima Sunday. ("Esto mihi in Deum") The passage of the Gospel selected by the Church, is that wherein our Savior foretells to His apostles the sufferings He was to undergo in Jerusalem. This solemn announcement prepares us for Passiontide. We ought to receive it with feeling and grateful hearts, and make it an additional motive for imitating the devoted Abraham, and giving our whole selves to our God. The ancient liturgists tells us that the blind man of Jericho spoken of in this same Gospel is a figure of those poor sinners, who, during these days, are blind to their Christian character, and rush into excesses, which even paganism, would have coveted. The blind man recovered his sight, because he was aware of his wretched state, and desired to be cured and to see. The Church wishes us to have a like desire, and she promises us that it shall be granted.

    The station is in the church of St. Peter, on the Vatican. The choice was suggested, as we learn from the Abbot Rupert's 'Treatise on the Divine Offices,' by the lesson of the Law given to Moses, which was looked upon, by the early Christians of Rome, as a type of St. Peter. The Church having, since that time, substituted the vocation of Abraham for the passage from Exodus (which is now deferred till Lent), the station for this Sunday is still in the basilica of the prince of the apostles, who was prefigured also by Abraham, the father of believers.

    Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the 1 Corinthians xiii: 1-13

    How appropriate for this Sunday is the magnificent eulogy of charity, here given by our apostle! This virtue, which comprises the love both of God and of our neighbor, is the light of our souls. Without charity, we are in darkness, and all our works are profitless. The very power of working miracles cannot give hope of salvation, unless he who does them have charity. Unless we are in charity, the most heroic acts of other virtues are but one snare more for our souls. Let us beseech our Lord to give us this light. But let us not forget that, however richly He may bless us with it here below, the fullness of its brightness is reserved for when we are in heaven; and that the sunniest day we can have in this world, is but darkness when compared with the splendor of our eternal charity. Faith will then give place, for we shall be face to face with all truth; hope will have no object for we shall possess all good; charity alone will continue, and, for this reason, is greater than faith and hope, which must needs accompany her in this present life. This being the glorious destiny reserved for man when redeemed and enlightened by Jesus, is it to be wondered at that we should leave all things, in order to follow such a Master? What should surprise us, and what proves how degraded is our nature by sin, is to see Christians, who have been baptized in this faith and this hope, and have received the first-fruits of this love, indulging during these days, in every sort of worldliness which is only the more dangerous because it is fashionable. It would seem as though they were making it their occupation to extinguish within their souls the last ray of heavenly light, like men that had made a covenant with darkness. If there is charity within our souls, it will make us feel these offences that are committed against our God, and inspire us to pray to Him to have mercy on these poor blind sinners, for they are our brethren.

    Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke xviii: 31-43.

    Jesus tells His apostles, that His bitter Passion is at hand; it is a mark of His confidence in them; but they understand not what He says. They are as yet too carnal-minded to appreciate our Savior's mission; still, they do not abandon Him; they love Him to much to think of separating from Him. Greater by far than this is the blindness of those false Christians, who, during these three days, not only do not think of the God who shed His Blood and died for them, but are striving to efface from their souls every trace of the divine image. Let us adore that sweet mercy, which has drawn us, as it did Abraham, from the midst of a sinful people; and let us, like the blind man of our Gospel, cry out to our Lord, beseeching Him to grant us an increase of His holy light. This was his prayer: Lord! That I may see! God has given us His light; but He gave it us in order to excite within us the desire of seeing more and more clearly. He promised Abraham, that He would show him the place He had destined for him; may He grant us, also, to see the land of the living! But our first prayer must be, that He shows us Himself, as St. Augustine has so beautifully expressed it, that we may love Him, and show us ourselves that we may cease to love ourselves.



          This special feature, provided by John Gregory with the Haydock Commentary found at the bottom of each page of the Douay-Rheims Bible, With the type so small in most bibles, we publish it here in larger type in conjunction with the Epistle and Gospel for the Sunday Mass with the cogent comprehensive Catholic Commentary penned by Father George Leo Haydock on the Douay-Rheims version of the New Testament. The commentary for Quinquagesima Sunday deals with both charity and faith. The epistle focuses on St. Paul's words to the Corinthians that works without charity, true charity rooted in love of God, is empty as "a tinkling cymbal." It was charity that prompted Our Lord to recognize the blind man when the crowd and authorities sought to be uncharitable in preventing him from "disturbing" the Master. But the man's faith drove him to persevere and it was such that touched Jesus to heal Him for he knew the hearts of all men and knew the faith of the blind man who saw better than all the rest in the crowd.


Epistle: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

1 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

    Commentary on Verse 1 A tinkling cymbal. Which may give notice, and be beneficial to others, but not to itself. (Witham) - Without charity, both towards every individual, and especially towards the common body of the Church, none of the aforesaid gifts will be available. (Bristow)
2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

    Commentary on Verse 2-3 These prove that faith without good works, and especially charity for God and our neighbour, cannot avail to eternal life; faith and charity are both essentially necessary. Hence Saint Augustine declares, that where there is not true faith, there cannot be justice; because the just man liveth by faith: and where charity is not, there can be no justice, which if they had, they would never tear in pieces the body of Christ, which is the Church. (De fid. Ad Pet. Chapter 39)

4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;

    Commentary on Verse 4 Charity . . . dealeth not perversely. The Greek word here seems taken from the Latin. Saint John Chrysostom expounds it, is not rash, but acteth prudently and considerately. Others, it is not light or inconstant. Others, it braggeth, or vaunteth not, as in the Protestant translation. (Witham)
5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;
    Commentary on Verse 5 Is not ambitious; which is also the sense of some Greek copies, but in others, and in Saint Chrysostom, it signifies, it is not ashamed of any one. (Witham)
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.

    Commentary on Verse 8 Prophecies and tongues last no longer than this life. - Knowledge shall be destroyed, that is, that imperfect knowledge we have in this world. For now we know only in part, we only see, as it were, through a glass, and imperfectly. - Faith, which is of things that appear not, and hope, which is of things that we enjoy not, will cease in Heaven, but charity, the greater, or greatest even of these three, will remain, and be increased in Heaven. (Witham)
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

    Commentary on Verse 10 Saint Augustine proves from this text, that the saints in Heaven have a more perfect knowledge of what passes here below, than when they sojourned on earth. (De Civit. Dei. Lib. 22 chapter 29)
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.
    Commentary on Verse 11 When I was a child. I, like you, formerly judged of the goodness and excellency of these spiritual gifts by the advantages they procured; but after the Almighty had bestowed upon me His particular light, my opinion was far otherwise. Prophecy, and the gifts of languages are certainly very estimable gifts, yet charity is much more excellent. (Calmet) - It is by charity we approach near to God, that we become His true image. Can we, then, wonder at the magnificent praises, glorious prerogatives, and surprising effects Saint Paul gives to this all necessary virtue?
12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.

13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.


Gospel: St. Luke 18: 31-43

31 At that time, Jesus took unto Him the twelve, and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man.

32 For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon:

33 And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death; and the third day He shall rise again.

34 And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said.

    Commentary on Verse 34 They understood well enough the sense of the words He spoke to them. But they could not understand how they would be reconciled with the idea they had previously conceived of the Messias. They were scandalized in the first place, to think that God should suffer any thing inflicted by man; they were scandalized in the second place, to hear that sufferings and death could lead to victory and empire; and lastly, they were scandalized, (their own feelings taking the alarm) lest they should be forced to imitate their Master in this part which He had chosen for Himself. (Haydock)
35 Now it came to pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the way side, begging.
    Commentary on Verse 35 This blind man is, according to some interpreters, different from the other two whom Jesus Christ cured as He was going out of Jericho. (Bible de Vence) - See Matthew 20: 29 and Mark 10: 46 et dein.
36 And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant.

37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

38 And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.

39 And they that went before, rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out much more: Son of David, have mercy on me.

40 And Jesus standing, commanded him to be brought unto Him. And when he was come near, He asked him,

41 saying, What wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said: Lord, that I may see.

42 And Jesus said to him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath made thee whole.

43 And immediately he saw, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.


Go to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS

INTROIT:    Psalm 30: 3,4
      Esto mihi in Deum protectorem, et in locum refugii, ut salvum me facias : quoniam firmamentum meum, et refugium meum es tu: et propter nomen tuum dux mihi eris, et enutries me. (Ps. 30. 2). In te, Domine, speravit, non confundar in aeternum: in justitia tua libera me, et eripe me. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
      Repeat Esto mihi in Deum...
      Be Thou unto me a God, a Protector, and a place of refuge, to save me; for Thou art my strength and my refuge: and for Thy Name's sake Thou wilt lead me, and nourish me. (Ps. 30. 2). In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded : deliver me in Thy justice, and save me. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
      Repeat Be Thou unto me a God...

      Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS - Note from Septuagesima Sunday to Maundy Thursday there is no Gloria THE MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS

      COLLECT
      Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

      Oremus. Preces nostras, quaesumus, Domine, clementer Exaudi : atque a peccatorum vinculis absolutos, ab omni nos adversitate custodi. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus,
      Per omnia saecula saeculorum.
      R. Amen.

      The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit.

      Let us pray. Do Thou, we beseech Thee, O Lord mercifully hear our prayers, that we being loosed from the bonds of our sins, may by Thee be defended against all adversity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God
      Forever and ever.
      R.Amen.


      EPISTLE:   2 Corinthians 13: 1-13
      Lectio Epistolae beati Pauli Apostoli ad Corinthios. Fratres: Si linguis hominum loquar, et Angelorum, caritatem autem non habeam, factus sum velut aes sonas, aut cymbalum tinniens. Et si habuero prophetetiam, et noverim mysteria omnia et omnes sicentiam : et si habuero omnem fidem ita ut montes transferam, caritatem autem non habuero, Nihil sum. Et si distribuero in cibos papuperumomnes faculates meas, et si tradidero corpus meum, ita ut ardeam, caritatem autem non habuero, Nihil mihi prodest. Caritas patiens est, benigna est : Caritas non aemulatur, non agi perperam, non inflator, non est ambitiosa, non inflator, non est ambitiosa, non quaerit quae sua sunt non irriatur, non cogitate malum, non gaudet super inquitate, cogaudet autem veritati : omnia suffert, omnia credit, omnia seperat, omnia sustinet. Caritas nunquam excdidt :sive linguae cessabunt, sive scientia destruetur. Ex patre enim cognoscimus, et ex parte prophetamus. Cum autem venerit quod perfectum est, evacuabitur quod ex parte est. Cum essem parvulus, Loquebar ut parvulus, sapiebam ut parvulus, cogitabam ut parvulus. Quando autem factus sum vir, evacuavi quae errant parvuli, Videmus nunc per speculum in aenigmate: tunc autem facie ad vadiem. Nunc cognosco ex parte: tunc autem cognoscam sicuit et cognitius sum. Nunc autem manent, fides, spes, caritas, tria haec : major autem horum est caritas.
      Deo Gratias.
      Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians. Brethren: If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge; and if I should have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing; Charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth: beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away; whether prophecies shall be away; whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall pass be destroyed. For we now in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
      Thanks be to God.

      NOTE: From Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday the Tract is said only on Sundays and Feast Days. On Ferias when the Mass of the Sunday is said, the Gradual is said without the Tract or Alleluia.

      GRADUAL    Psalm 76: 15, 16
      Tu es Deus qui facis mirabilia solus : notam fecisti in gentibus virutem tuam. V. Liberasti in brachio tuo populum tuum, filios Israel et Joseph.
      Thou art God that alone doest wonders: Thou has made Thy power known among the nations. V. With Thy arm Thou hast delivered Thy people, the children of Israel and of Joseph.
      TRACT   : Psalm 99: 1, 2
      Jubilate Deo, omnis terra: servite Domino in laetitia. V. Intrate in conspectus ejus, in exsultatione : scitote quod Dominus ipse est Deus. V. Ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos : nos autem populus ejus, et oves pascuae ejus.
      Sing joyfully to God, all the earth : serve ye the Lord with gladness. V. Come in before His presence with exceeding great joy : know ye that the Lord He is God. V. He made us, and not we ourselves : but we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

      GOSPEL:    Luke 18: 31-43
      Dominus vobiscum.
      R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
      Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam.
      R.Gloria tibi, Domine

      In illo tempore : Assumpsit Jesus duodecim, et ait illis :' Ecce ascendimus Jerosolymam, et consummabuntur omnia, quae scripta sunt per Phophetas de Filio hominis. Tradetur enim gentibus, et illudetur, et flagellabitur, et conspuetur : et postquam flagllaverint, occident eum, et territa die resurget.' Et ipsi Nihil horum intellexerunt, et eat verbum istud absconditium ab eis, et non intelligebant quae dicebantur. Factum est autem cum appropinquaret Jericho, caecus quidam sedebit secus viam, mendicans. Et cum audiret turban praetereuntem, interrogabat guid hoc esset. Dixerunt autem ei, quod Jesus Nazarenus transfiret. Et clamavit, dicens : 'Jesu, fili David, Miserere mei.' Et qui praeibant, increpabant eum ut traceret. Ipse vero multo magis clamabat : 'Fili David, Miserere mei.' Stans autem Jesus, jussit illum adduci ad se. Et cum appropinquasset, interrogavit illum, dicens : 'Quid tibi vis faciam?' At ille dixit : 'Domine, ut videam.' Et Jesus dixit illi : 'Respice, fides tua te salvum fecit.' Et confestim vidit, et sequebatur illum magnificans Deum. Et omnis plebs ut vidit, dedit laudem Deo.

      The Lord be with you.
      R. And with thy spirit.
      The continuation of the holy Gospel according to Luke. R. Glory to Thee, O Lord

      At that time Jesus took unto Him the twelve and said to them :' Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall by accomplished which were written by the Prophets concerning the Son of Man. For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon: and after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again.' And they understood none of these things, and the word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said. Now it came to pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying : 'Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.' And they that went before rebuked him, that he cried out much more : 'Son of David, have mercy on me.' And Jesus standing, commanded him to brought unto him. And when he was come near, He asked him, saying : 'What wilt thou that I do to thee?' But he said: 'Lord, that I may see.' And Jesus said to him: 'Receive thy sight, thy faith hath made thee whole.' And immediately he saw and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
      Praise be to Christ

      Go to Father Louis Campbell's SUNDAY SERMON

      Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE CREDO

      OFFERTORY:    Psalm 118: 12-13
      Dominus vobiscum.
      R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

      Benedictus es, Domine, doce me justifications tuas : in labiis meis pronuntavi omnia judicia oris Tui.
      The Lord be with you.
      R. And with thy spirit.

      Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy justifications : with my lips I have pronounced all the judgments of Thy mouth.
      Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE OFFERTORY

      SECRET
      Haec hostia, Domine, quaesumus, emundet nostra delicta : et ad sacrificium celebrandum, subditorum tibi corpora mentesque sanctificer. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filius tuus Dominus noster, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
      May these sacrifices, we beseech Thee, O Lord, cleanse our offenses, and sanctify the bodies and minds of Thy servants for the celebration of this sacrifice. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God. Amen.

      PREFACE   of the Most Holy Trinity
      Dominus vobiscum.
      R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
      Sursum corda.
      R.Habemus ad Dominum.
      Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
      R. Dignum et justum est.

      Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancta, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus. Qui cum unigenito Filio: tuo et Spiritu Sancto, unus es Deus, unus es Dominus: non in uninus singularitate personae, sed in unius Trinitae substantiae. Quo denim de tua Gloria, revelante te, credimus, hoc de Filio tuo, hod de Spiritu Sancto, sine differentia discretionis sentimus. Ut in confessione verare, sempitiernaeque Deitatis, et in personis proprietas, et in essential unitas, et in majestate adoretur aequalitas. Quam laudant Angeli atque Archangeli, Cherubim, quoque ac Seraphim: qui non cessant clamare quotodie, una voce dicentes:
      SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS...
      The Lord be with you.
      R. And with thy spirit.
      Lift up your hearts.
      R.We have lifted them up to the Lord.
      Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
      R. It is meet and just.

      It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, ever-lasting God: Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out with one voice saying:
      HOLY, HOLY, HOLY...

      Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE CANON OF THE MASS
      COMMUNION:   Psalm 77: 29, 30
      Manducaverunt, et saturati sun nimis, et desiderium eorum attulit eis Dominus: non sun fraudati a desiderio suo.
      They did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and the Lord gave them their desire: they were not defrauded of that which they craved.

      POSTCOMMUNION
      Dominus vobiscum.
      R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
      Oremus.
      Quaesumus, Omnipotens Deus ut qui caelestia alimenta percepimus, per haec contra omnia adversa muniamur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Qui vivis et regnas in cum Deo Patri in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, unum Deum.
      Per omnia saecula saeculorum.
      R. Amen.
      The Lord be with you.
      R. And with thy spirit.
      Let us pray.
      We beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who have received this heavenly nourishment may be strengthened by it against all adversities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God
      For ever and ever.
      R. Amen.
      Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS CONCLUSION OF THE HOLY MASS




      QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY