Posted by Ember Wednesday in Lent: Missa “Reminíscere”
Collecta at St. Peter ad Vincula. Station at St. Mary Major. The spring Ember Week coincides with the first week of Lent. It was instituted for the purpose of consecrating to God the new season (of Spring), and by fasting and prayer to draw down Heavenly graces on those who on Saturday are to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
The Station on this day was always held at St. Mary Major, the greatest and most illustrious of the Roman churches consecrated to the Mother of God. The Gospel also alludes to Our Lady. The two lessons, the second of which is read as an Epistle, tell of Moses and Elias, who before seeing the glory of the Lord fasted forty days and forty nights.
Moses and Elias fast for forty days and forty nights, because God bids them come near to Him. Man must purify himself, he must unburden himself, in some measure at least, of the body which weighs him down, if he would enter into communication with Him who is the Spirit. And yet the vision of God granted to these two holy personages was very imperfect: they felt that God was near them, but they beheld not His glory. But when the fullness of time came,(1)-{Gal. iv. 4} God manifested Himself in the flesh: and man saw, and heard, and touched Him.(2)-{1 St. John i. 1} We, indeed, are not of the number of those favored ones who lived with Jesus, the Word of life; but in the holy Eucharist He allows us to do more than see Him: He enters into our breasts, He is our food. The humblest member of the Church possesses God more fully than either Moses on Sinai, or Elias on Horeb. We cannot, therefore, be surprised that the Church, in order to fit us for this favor at the Easter solemnity, bids us go through a preparation of forty days, though its severity is not to be compared with the rigid fast which Moses and Elias had to observe as the condition of receiving what God promised them.
The Gospel: We are all called to take the place of the rebellious Jews: let us make ourselves worthy of the fruits of penance as did the men of Ninive, who listened to the voice of Jonas, and the queen of Saba, who came from her country to learn the wisdom of Solomon. We shall share then in the resurrection of Our Savior Jesus Christ, symbolized by the prophet Jonas, who, after remaining three days in the whale’s belly, was vomited out alive.
INTROIT Psalm 24: 6, 3 & 22
Remember, O Lord, Thy bowels of compassion, and Thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world; lest at any time our enemies rule over us: deliver us, O God of Israel, from all our tribulations. (Ps. 24: 1, 2) To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my food, I put my trust; Let me not be ashamed. 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 Remember…
PRAYER
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
Arise. Mercifully hear our prayers, we beseech You, O Lord; and stretch forth the right hand of Your Majesty against all things hostile to us. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
LESSON Exodus 24: 12-18
Lesson from the Book of Exodus. In those days days, the Lord said to Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written that thou mayest teach them. Moses rose up, and his minister Josue; and Moses going up into the mount of God, said to the ancients, Wait ye here till we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you; if any question shall arise, you shall refer it to them. And when Moses was gone up, a cloud covered the mount; and the glory of the Lord dwelt upon Sinai, covering it with a cloud six days: and the seventh day He called him out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain: and he was there forty days and forty nights.
GRADUAL Psalm 24:17-18
Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of distress, O Lord. V. Put an end to my affliction and my suffering, and take away all my sins.
COLLECT
We beseech You, O Lord, look graciously upon the fervor of Your people, who mortify themselves in the flesh through abstinence: that they may be refreshed in spirit by the fruit of these good works. 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.
Second Collect for the Intercession of Thy Saints
Defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all dangers of mind and body; that through the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, together with blessed Joseph, Thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and blessed N. (Here mention the titular saint of the church), and all the saints, mercifully grant us safety and peace; that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom.
Third Collect for the Living and the Dead
O almighty and eternal God, who hast dominion over both the living and the dead, and hast mercy on all whom Thou forekowest shall be Thine by faith and good works : we humbly beseech Thee that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication whether the present world still holds them in the flesh or the world to come has already received them out of the body, may, through the intercession of all Thy saints, obtain of Thy goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins. 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.
LESSON 3 Kings. 19:3-8
In those days, Elias came to Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there, and he went forward one day’s journey into the desert. And when he was there, and sat under a juniper tree, he requested for his soul that he might die, and said, It is enough for me, Lord, take away my soul: for I am no better than my fathers. And he cast himself down, and slept in the shadow of the juniper tree: and behold an angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. He looked, and behold there was at his head a hearth cake, and a vessel of water: and he ate and drank, and fell asleep again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said to him, Arise, eat: for you have yet a great way to go. And he arose, and ate, and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, to the mount of God, Horeb.
TRACT Psalm 24: 17; 18: 1-4
Deliver me from my necessities, O Lord: see my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins. V. To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me. V. For none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded: let all them be confounded that do vain things.
GOSPEL Matthew 12: 38-50
At that time some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Jesus saying: Master, we would see a sign from Thee. Who answering said to them :”An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign : and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights : so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. The men of Ninevah shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas. And behold a greater than Jonas here. The queen of the south shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it : because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon here. And when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith : I will return into my house from whence I came out. And coming he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is made worse than the first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation.” As He was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold His mother and His brethren stood without, seeking to speak to Him. And one said unto Him : Behold Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, seeking Thee. But He answering him that told Him, said: “Who is My mother and who are My brethren? And stretching forth His hands towards His disciples, he said : Behold My mother and My brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of My Father that is in Heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
OFFERTORY Psalm 118: 47-48
I will meditate on Thy commandments, which I have loved exceedingly: and I will lift up my hands to Thy commandments, which I have loved.
SECRET
We offer Thee, O Lord, the sacrifice of reconciliation, both that Thou mayest take pity and pardon our sins, and that Thou mayest direct our wavering hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever. R.Amen.
Second Secret to implore the Intercession of the Saints
Graciously hear us, O God our Savior, and by the virtue of this sacrament protect us from all enemies of soul and body, bestowing on us both grace in this life and glory hereafter.
Third Secret for the Living and the Dead
O God, Who alone knowest the number of the elect to be admitted to the happiness of Heaven, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of all Thy saints, the names of all who have been recommended to our prayers and of all the faithful, may be inscribed in the book of blessed predestination. Protect us, O Lord, who assist at Thy mysteries; that, fixed upon things divine we may serve Thee in both body and mind. 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.
PREFACE of Lent
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, everlasting God: Who by this bodily fast, dost curb our vices, dost lift up our minds and bestow on us strength and rewards; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise:
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY…
COMMUNION Psalm 5: 2,4
Understand my cry: hark to the voice of my prayer, my King, and my God: for to Thee will I pray, O Lord.
POSTCOMMUNION
By the reception of Thy sacrament, O Lord, may we both be cleansed of our secret sins and delivered from the snares of the enemy. 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.
Second Postcommunion to implore the Intercession of the Saints
May the oblation of this divine sacrament cleanse and defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, Thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, blessed N. (here mention the titular saint of the church), and all the saints, purify us from all our sins and deliver us from all adversity.
Third Postcommunion for the Living and the Dead
Let us pray. May the sacraments which we have received purify us, we beseech Thee, O almighty and merciful Lord; and through the intercession of all Thy saints, grant that this Thy sacrament may not be unto us a condemnation, but a salutary intercession for pardon; may it be the washing away of sin, the strength of the weak, a protection against all dangers of the world, and a remission of all the sins of the faithful, whether living or dead. 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.
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Let us pray. Bow down your heads before God.
O Lord, we beseech You, shed light upon our minds by the brightness of Your glory, so that we may see what we must do and have strength to do what is right. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.