29 FEBRUARY – THURSDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT

Lesson – Jeremias xvii. 5‒10

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord. For he will be like tamarick in the desert, and he will not see when good will come; but he will dwell in dryness in the desert, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed be the man that trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his confidence. And he will be as a tree that is planted by the waters, and spreads out its roots towards moisture; and it will not fear when the heat comes. And the leaf thereof will be green, and in the time of drought it will not be solicitous, neither will it cease at any time to bring forth fruit. The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable; who can know it? I am the Lord that searches the heart, and proves the reins; who gives to everyone according to his way, and according to the fruit of his devices,” says the Lord Almighty.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The Epistle and Gospel for today are intended as instructions on Christian morality. Let us, for a moment, turn away our eyes from the sad spectacle of the plot which is being got up against our Redeemer by His enemies. Let us today think of our own sins, and how to apply a remedy. The Prophet Jeremias here gives us the description of two classes of men: to which class do we belong? There are some men who make flesh their arm; that is to say, they only care for this present life and for created things; and this disposition of mind necessarily leads them to frequent violations of the commandments of their Creator. It was so with us, when we sinned: we lost sight of our last end, and the threefold concupiscence blinded us. Let us lose no time, but return to the Lord our God; a delay might bring on us that curse which our Prophet says overtakes the unrepenting sinner: he will not see good, when good will come. The holy Season of Lent is fast advancing. The choicest graces are being daily offered us; woe to the man whose mind is distracted by the fashion of this wolrd that passes away, (1 Corinthians vii. 31) and takes no thought for eternity and heaven, and, even in this time of grace, is like tamarick, a worthless weed of the desert. Oh! how numerous is this class! and how terrible is their spiritual indifference! Pray for them, O ye faithful children of the Church, pray for them without ceasing. Offer up your penances and your alms-givings for them. Despair not and remember that each year many straying sheep are brought to the fold by such intercession as this.

The Prophet next describes the man that trusts in the Lord: his whole hope is in God, and his whole care is to serve Him and do His blessed will. He is like a beautiful tree that is planted near a stream of water, with its leaf ever-green, and its fruit abundant. I have appointed you, says our Redeemer, that you shou1d go, and should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain (John xv. 16). Let us become this favoured and ever fruitful tree. The Church during this holy time is pouring out on our hearts rich streams of God’s grace. Let us faithfully welcome them. The Lord searches the heart: if he find that our desire to be converted is sincere, what an Easter will not the coming one be to us!

Gospel – Luke xvi. 19‒31

At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, and no-one did give him: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abraham’s bosom. And the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes, when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said: ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.’ And Abraham said to him: ‘Son, remember that you received good things in your lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is fixed a great chaos; so that they who would pass from hence to you, cannot, nor from there come here.’ And he said: ‘Then father, I beseech you that you would send him to my father’s house; for I have five brethren that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torments.’ And Abraham said to him: ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said: ‘No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance.’ And he said to him: ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.’”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The commandments of God cannot be broken with impunity. He that sins will be punished. This is the teaching of today’s Gospel, and after reading it, we exclaim with the Apostle: How fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! What a terrible truth is here told us! A man is in the enjoyment of every comfort and luxury this life can give when suddenly death surprises him, and he is buried in hell! In the midst of those eternal burning, he asks far a drop of water, and that drop is refused him. Other men, who he knew on earth a few hours ago are now in the abode of eternal happiness, and a great chaos separates him from them forever.

Oh what misery to be in despair for endless ages! And yet there are men that live and die without giving so much as one day to think upon hell! Happy, then, are they that fear! for this fear will aid them to lighten that weight of their sins which would drag them into the bottomless pit. Alas! what strange darkness has come upon the mind of man as a consequence of sin! People that are shrewd and prudent and far-sighted in everything that regards their temporal concerns, are mere idiots and fools in every question that regards eternity. Can we imagine anything more frightful than their surprise when they awaken in the next world and find themselves buried in hell!

Observe too, that our Saviour in order to make his instruction more impressive, has not here described the condemnation of one of those whose crimes scandalise the neighbourhood, and make even worldlings look upon him as a sure prey of hell. The history He gives us is that of a man who led a quiet life; he was agreeable in company, and sought after; he was respected, and did honour to the position he held in society. He is not accused of any public scandals; there is no mention made of any atrocious crime; our Saviour simply says of him: he was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. It is true, he was not charitable to the poor man who lay at his gate; but he did not ill-treat him: he allowed him to lie there, and did not even insult his misery.

Why, then, was this rich man condemned to burn eternally in that fire which God created for the wicked? It is because a man who leads a life of luxury and feasting, such as he lived — never thinking of eternity — caring for nothing but this world, which we are told to use as though we used it not (1 Corinthians vii. 31) — with nothing about him of the spirit of the Cross of Christ — such a man as this is already a victim to the triple concupiscence of pride, avarice and luxury. He is their slave and seems determined to continue so, for he never makes an effort to throw off their tyranny. He has yielded himself up to them, and they have worked their work in him the death of the soul. It was not enough that he should not ill-treat the poor man that sat at his gate, he ought to have shown him kindness and charity, for such is God’s commandment. His very dogs had more compassion than he. Therefore, his condemnation and perdition were most just. But had he been told of his duty? Yes, he had the Scriptures. He had Moses and the Prophets. Nay more, he had Jesus and the Church.

Men who are leading a life like him, are now surrounded by the graces of the holy Season of Lent. What excuse will they have, if they so far neglect them, that they do not even give themselves the trouble to think of them? They will have turned their Lent into judgement against themselves, and it will have been but one great step nearer to eternal misery.

28 FEBRUARY – WEDNESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT

Lesson – Esther xiii. 8‒17

In those days Mardochai besought the Lord, and said, “O Lord, Lord, Almighty King, for all things are in your power, and there is none that can resist your will, if you determine to save Israel. You have made heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven. You are Lord of all, and there is none that can resist your majesty. And now, O Lord, O King, O God of Abraham, have mercy on your people, because our enemies resolve to destroy us, and extinguish your inheritance. Despise not your portion, which you have redeemed for yourself out of Egypt. Hear my supplication, and be merciful to thy lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise your name, O Lord, and shut not the mouths of them that sing to you, O Lord our God.”

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

This petition, which Mardochai presents to God, in favour of a whole nation that was doomed to destruction, represents the prayers which the saints of the Old Testament offered for the salvation of the world. The human race was, to a great extent, in the power of Satan, who is figured by Aman. The Almighty King had given sentence against mankind: Ye shall die the death. Who was there, that could induce him to revoke the sentence? Esther made intercession with Assuerus, her lord, and she was heard. Mary presented herself before the throne of the Eternal God: and it is she that, by her Divine Son, crushes the head of the serpent, who was to have tormented us for ever. The sentence, then, is to be annulled; all will live that wish to live. Today, we have the Church praying for her children, who are in the state of sin. She trembles at seeing them in danger of being eternally lost. She intercedes for them, and she uses Mardochai’s prayer. She humbly reminds her Divine Spouse, that he has redeemed them out of Egypt and, by Baptism, has made them His members, His inheritance. She beseeches Him to change their mourning into joy, even into the great Easter joy. She says to him: Oh! shut not the mouths of them that sing to you! It is true, these poor sinners have, in past times, offended their God by word, as well as by deed and thought; but now they speak not but words of humble prayers for mercy, and, when they will have been pardoned, how fervently will they not sing to their divine deliverer, and bless Him in canticles of grateful love!

Gospel – Matthew xx. 17‒28

At that time, Jesus going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart and said to them: “Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles, to be mocked, and to be scourged, and to be crucified, and the third day he will rise again.” Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, adoring and asking something of Him. Who said to her: “What wilt thou?” She said to Him: “Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand, and the other on your left, your kingdom.” And Jesus answering, said: “You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I will drink?” They said to Him: “We can.” He said to them: “Of my chalice, indeed, you will drink; but to sit on my right hand, or left hand, is not mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by my Father.” And the ten hearing it, were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them to him, and said “You know that the princes of the gentiles lord it over them; and they that are the greater, exercise power on them. It will not be so among you, but whoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister; and he that will be first among you, will be your servant. Even as the Son of Man is not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

This is He that gave his own life in order to appease the anger of the Almighty King, and redeem His people from death. It is Jesus, the Son of the new Esther, and the Son of God, who comes forward to humble the pride of Aman, at the very time that this perfidious enemy of ours is making sure of his victory. He goes up to Jerusalem, for it is there that the great battle is to be fought. He foretells His Disciples all that is to happen. He will be delivered up to the chief priests, who will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the Roman Governor and soldiers. He will be mocked, scourged and crucified, but He will rise again on the third day. The Apostles heard this prophecy, for the Gospel says that Jesus took the twelve apart in order to tell them these things. Judas, consequently, was present; so were Peter, James, and John, the three that had witnessed the Transfiguration of their Master on Thabor, and had a clearer knowledge of His Divinity. And yet, all abandoned him. Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him, and the whole flock fled away in fear, when the Shepherd was in the power of His enemies. Not one of them recollected how He had said that on the third day He would rise again; unless it were Judas, who was perhaps encouraged to commit his crime by the reflection, that Jesus would soon triumph over His enemies and be again free. The rest could see no further than the scandal of the Cross; that put an end to all their faith, and they deserted their Master. What a lesson for all future generations of Christians! How very few there are, who look on the Cross, either for themselves or for others, as a sign of God’s special love!

We are men of little faith; we cannot understand the trials God sends to our brethren, and we are often tempted to believe that He has forsaken them, because He sends them the cross. We are men of little love, too; worldly tribulation seems an evil to us, and we think ourselves hardly dealt with at the very time that our God is showing us the greatest mercy. We are like the mother of the sons of Zebedee: we would hold a high and conspicuous place near the Son of God, forgetting that we must first merit it by drinking of the chalice that He drank, that is, the chalice of suffering. We forget, too, that saying of the Apostle: That we may be glorified with Jesus, we must suffer with him! (Romans viii. 17) He, the just by excellence, entered not into His rest by honours and pleasures ― the sinner cannot follow Him, save by treading the path of penance.

27 FEBRUARY – FERIA

On this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Rome, the birthday of the holy martyrs Alexander, Abundius, Antigonus and Fortunatus.

At Alexandria, the passion of St. Julian, martyr. Although he was so afflicted with the gout that he could neither walk nor stand, he was taken before the judge with two servants who carried him in a chair. One of these denied his faith, but the other named Eunus persevered with Julian in confessing Christ. Both were set on camels, led through the whole city, scourged and burned alive in the presence of the people.

In the same city, St. Besas, a soldier, who was denounced to the judge, because he had reproved those who insulted the martyrs just mentioned. As he continued to proclaim his attachment to the faith, he was beheaded.

At Seville in Spain, the birthday of St. Leander, bishop of that city, by whose preaching and labours, with the assistance of King Recared, the nation of the Visigoths was converted from the Arian impiety to the Catholic faith.

At Constantinople, in the time of the emperor Leo, the holy confessors Basil and Procopius, who fought courageously for the worship of holy images.

At Lyons, St. Baldomer, a man of God, whose tomb is made illustrious by frequent miracles.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

27 FEBRUARY – TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT

Lesson – 3 Kings xvii. 8‒16

In those days the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying, “Arise and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians and dwell there, for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed you.” He arose and went to Sarephta, and when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her, “Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying, “Bring me also, I beseech you, a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she answered, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse; behold I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” And Elias said to her, “Fear not, but go and do as you have said; but first make for me of the same meal a little heart cake and bring it to me; and after make for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The pot of meal will not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day on which the Lord will give rain on the face of the earth.’” She went and did according to the word of Elijah, and he ate, and she, and her house. And from that day the pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elijah.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel – Matthew xxiii. 1‒12

At that time, Jesus spoke to the multitudes and his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have sat on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatever they will say to you, observe and do; but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens and lay them on mens’ shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. And all their works they do for to be seen by men, for they make their phylacteries broad and enlarge their fringes. And they love the first places at feasts and the first chairs in the synagogues, and salutations in the market place, and to be called by men Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi; for one is your master, and all you are brethren. And call none your father on earth, for one is your father, who is in heaven; neither be called masters; for one is your master, Christ. He that is the greatest among you will be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he that will humble himself will be exalted.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Saint Jerome:

Was there ever man gentler and kinder than the Lord? The Pharisees tempted Him; their craft was confounded, and, in the words of the Psalmist, “The arrows of babes have pierced them,” (Psalm lxiii. 8) and nevertheless, because of the dignity of their Priesthood and name, He exhorts the people to be subject to them, by doing according to their words, though not according to their works. By the words “Moses’ seat” we are to understand the teaching of the law. Thus also must we mystically take, “Sits in the seat of the scornful,” (Psalm i. 1) and likewise, “overthrew the seats of them that sold doves,” (Matthew xxi. 10) to describe doctrine.

“For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” This is generally directed against all teachers who command things hard, and themselves do not even things easy. But it is to be remarked that the “shoulders,” the “fingers,” and the “binding” of the burdens, have a spiritual interpretation. “But all their works they do for to be seen of men.” Whoever therefore does anything for to be seen of men, the same is, so far, a Scribe and a Pharisee.

“They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi.” Woe to us miserable sinners who have inherited the vices of the Pharisees! When the Lord had given the commandments of the law to Moses He added afterwards: “You will bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they will be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy vi. 8). The sense of these words is: “My Law will be in your hand to order whatever you do, and ever before your eyes that you may meditate therein day and night.” But the Pharisees, by a bad interpretation, were accustomed to write on pieces of parchment the Decalogue of Moses, that is, the Ten Words of the Law, and to tie these pieces of parchment, plaited in a peculiar manner, on their foreheads, so as to make a sort of crown round their heads, which projected in front of their eyes, and always moved before them.

26 FEBRUARY – MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT

 Epistle – Daniel ix. 15‒19

In those days Daniel prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord our God, who has brought forth your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and has made you a name as at this day; we have sinned, we have committed iniquity, O Lord, against all your justice. Let your wrath and indignation be turned away, I beseech you, from your city Jerusalem, and from your holy mountain. For, by reason of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are a reproach to all that are round about us. Now, therefore, our God, hear the supplication of your servant, and his prayers, and show your face on your sanctuary which is desolate, for your own sake. Incline, my God, your ear and hear; open your eyes and see our desolation, and the city on which your name is called; for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before your face, but for the multitude of your tender mercies. Lord, hear; Lord, be appeased; listen, and do; delay not for your own sake, my God; because your name is invoked on your city and on your people, Lord our God.”

Thanks be to God.

Gospel – John viii. 21‒29

At that time Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: “I go, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” The Jews, therefore said: “Will He kill himself, because he said: ‘Where I go, you cannot come?’ And He said to them: “You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I say to you that you will die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am He, you will die in your sin.” They said therefore to Him: “Who are you?” Jesus said to them: “The beginning, who also speak to you. Many things I have to speak, and to judge of you. But He that sent me is true; and the things I have heard of Him, the same I speak in the world.” Now they understood not that He called God His Father. Jesus therefore said to them: “When you will have lifted up the Son of man, then will you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me, these things I speak: and He that sent me is with me, and He has not left me alone: for I do always the things that please Him.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Saint Augustine of Hippo:

The Lord spoke to the Jews, saying: “I go My way”—for, to the Lord Christ, death was a departure to that place from where He had come, and from which He had never departed. “I go My way,” says He, “and you will seek Me"—not from love, but from hatred. Yes, after He had withdrawn Himself from the sight of men, two classes sought Him, even they that loved, and they that hated Him; the one because they longed for His presence, the other because they were fain to hunt Him down. In the Psalms the Lord Himself says by His Prophet: “Refuge failed me, and no man cared for my soul.” (Psalms cxli. 5) And again He says in another Psalm: “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul." (Psalms xxxiv. 5)

Thus does He blame them that seek not, and condemn such as seek. Yes, it is a good thing to seek the soul of Christ, as the disciples sought it; and an evil thing to seek it, as the Jews sought it; the first sought it to possess, the second to destroy it. What then does He bid us know will be the reward of such as seek it evilly in a perverse heart. “You will seek Me, and”—lest you think that you will do well so to seek Me, I tell you that you will die in your sins.” To seek Christ with bad intent, is as much as to die in sin, for it is to hate Him through Whom alone we can be saved.

Whereas men whose hope is in God ought to return good even for evil, those men returned evil for good. The Lord therefore told them beforehand, and, because He knew it, He let them know their coming end, how that they should die in their sins. Then He said further: “Where I go, you cannot come.” This He said in another place (xiii. 33) to His disciples, but He never said to them: “You will die in your sins.” What said He? The same words as to the Jews: “Where I go, you cannot come.” Yet, to the disciples, these words only deferred, they cut not away hope—for they, though for a little while they could not come where He was to go, were yet in the end to go there. Not so they to whom He foretold and said: “You will die in your sins.”

25 FEBRUARY – SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The subject offered to our consideration on this Second Sunday is one of the utmost importance for the holy Season. The Church applies to us the lesson which our Saviour gave to three of His Apostles. Let us endeavour to be more attentive to it than they were.

Jesus was about to pass from Galilee into Judea, that He might go up to Jerusalem and be present at the Feast of the Pasch. It was that last Pasch, which was to begin with the immolation of the figurative lamb, and end with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus would have His disciples know Him. His works had borne testimony to Him, even to those who were, in a manner, strangers to him. But as for His disciples, had they not every reason to be faithful to Him, even to death? Had they not listened to His words which had such power with them that they forced conviction? Had they not experienced His love, which it was impossible to resist? And had they not seen how patiently He had borne with their strange and untoward ways?

Yes, they must have known Him. They had heard one of their company, Peter, declare that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew xvi. 16). Despite this, the trial to which their faith was soon to be put, was to be of such a terrible kind that Jesus would mercifully arm them against temptation by an extraordinary grace. The Cross was to be a scandal and stumbling block (1 Corinthians i. 23) to the Synagogue, and, alas, to more than it. Jesus said to His Apostles at the Last Supper: “All of you will be scandalised in me this night” (Matthew xxvi. 32).

Carnal-minded as they then were, what would they think when they should see Him seized by armed men, handcuffed, hurried from one tribunal to another, and He doing nothing to defend Himself! And when they found that the High Priests and Pharisees, who had till now been so often foiled by the wisdom and miracles of Jesus, had now succeeded in their conspiracy against Him — what a shock to their confidence! But, there was to be something more trying still: the people who but a few days before greeted him so enthusiastically with their hosannas would demand His execution, and He would have to die, between two thieves, on the Cross, amid the insults of His triumphant enemies.

Is it not to be feared that these disciples of His, when they witness His humiliations and sufferings, will lose their courage? They have lived in His company for three years, but when they see that the things He foretold would happen to Him are really fulfilled — will the remembrance of all they have seen and heard keep them loyal to Him? Or will they turn cowards and flee from Him? — Jesus selects three out of the number, who are especially dear to him: Peter, whom He has made the Rock, on which His Church is to be built, and to whom He has promised the Keys of the kingdom of heaven; James, the son of Thunder, who is to be the first Martyr of the Apostolic College; and John, James’s brother, and His own Beloved Disciple. Jesus has resolved to take them aside and show them a glimpse of that glory which until the day fixed for its manifestation He conceals from the eyes of mortals. He therefore leaves the rest of His disciples in the plain near Nazareth and goes in company with the three privileged ones, towards a high hill, called Thabor, which is a continuation of Libanus, and which the Psalmist tells us was to rejoice in the Name of the Lord (Psalm lxxxviii. 13) No sooner has He reached the summit of the mountain than the three Apostles observe a sudden change come over Him: His face shines as the sun, and His humble garments become white as snow. They observe two venerable men approach and speak with Him upon what He was about to suffer in Jerusalem. One is Moses, the lawgiver. The other is Elias, the Prophet, who was taken up from earth on a fiery chariot, without having passed through the gates of death. These two great representatives of the Jewish Religion, the Law and the Prophets, humbly adore Jesus of Nazareth. The three Apostles are not only dazzled by the brightness which comes from their Divine Master, but they are filled with such a rapture of delight, that they cannot bear the thought of leaving the place. Peter proposes to remain there for ever and build three tabernacles, for Jesus, Moses, and Elias. And while they are admiring the glorious sight and gazing on the beauty of their Jesus’s human nature, a bright cloud overshadows them, and a voice is heard speaking to them: it is the voice of the Eternal Father, proclaiming the Divinity of Jesus, and saying: “This is my beloved Son!” This transfiguration of the Son of Man, this manifestation of His glory, lasted but a few moments. His mission was not on Thabor.

It was humiliation and suffering in Jerusalem. He therefore withdrew into Himself the brightness He had allowed to transpire, and when He came to the three Apostles, who, on hearing the voice from the cloud, had fallen on their faces with fear —they could see no one save only Jesus. The bright cloud was gone. Moses and Elias had disappeared. What a favour they have had bestowed on them! Will they remember what they have seen and heard? They have had such a revelation of the Divinity of their dear Master! — is it possible that when the hour of trial comes they will forget it and doubt His being God? And when they see Him suffer and die, be ashamed of Him and deny Him? Alas! the Gospel has told us what happened to them. A short time after this, our Lord celebrated His Last Supper with His disciples. When the Supper was over, He took them to another mount, Mount Olivet, which lies to the east of Jerusalem. Leaving the rest at the entrance of the Garden, He advances with Peter, James, and John, and then says to them: “My soul is sorrowful even unto death: stay here and watch with me.” He then retires some little distance from them and prays to His Eternal Father. The Heart of our Redeemer is weighed down with anguish. When He returns to his three disciples, He is enfeebled by the agony He has suffered, and His garments are saturated with blood. The Apostles are aware that He is sad even unto death, and that the hour is close at hand when He is to be attacked are they keeping watch? Are they ready to defend Him? No: they seem to have forgotten Him. They are fast asleep, for their eyes are heavy (Matthew xxvi. 38). Yet a few moments, and all will have fled from Him, and Peter, the bravest of them all, will be taking his oath that he never knew the man.

After the Resurrection our three Apostles made ample atonement for this cowardly and sinful conduct, and acknowledged the mercy with which Jesus had sought to fortify them against temptation, by showing them his glory on Thabor a few days before His Passion. Let us not wait till we have betrayed Him. Let us at once acknowledge that He is our Lord and our God. We are soon to be keeping the anniversary of His Sacrifice; like the Apostles, we are to see Him humbled by His enemies and bearing, in our stead, the chastisements of Divine Justice. We must not allow our faith to be weakened when we behold the fulfilment of those prophecies of David and Isaias, that the Messias is to be treated as a worm of the earth, (Psalm xxi. 7) and be covered with wounds, so as to become like a leper, the most abject of men, and the Man of sorrows (Isaias liii. 3, 4). We must remember the grand things of Thabor, and the adorations paid Hhim by Moses and Elias, and the bright cloud, and the voice of the Eternal Father. The more we see Him humbled, the more must we proclaim His glory and divinity. We must join our acclamations with those of the Angels and the Four-and-Twenty Elders, whom St. John, (one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration), heard crying out with a loud voice: “The Lamb that is slain, is worthy to receive power and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction!” (Apocalypse v. 12).

The Second Sunday of Lent is called, from the first word of the Introit, Reminiscere; and also Transfiguration Sunday, on account of the Gospel which is read in the Mass.

Epistle – 1 Thessalonians iv. 1‒7

Brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the passion of his lust, like the Gentiles that know not God: and that no man overreach nor circumvent his brother in business; because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified. For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to sanctification, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Here the Apostle shows what manner of life should be followed by Christians, and the Church, by repeating his words, exhorts the faithful to profit of the present season of grace, and regain all the beauty of the image of God, which the grace of Baptism first gave them. A Christian is a vessel of honour, formed and enriched by the hand of God; let him therefore shun whatever would degrade his noble origin and turn him into a vessel of dishonour, fit only to be broken and cast with the unclean into the sink of hell. The Christian religion has so far ennobled man, that even his very body may share in the soul’s sanctity. On the other hand, she teaches us that this sanctity of the soul is impaired, yes altogether effaced, by the loss of the body’s purity. The whole man, therefore, both body and soul, is to be reformed by the practices of this holy Season. Let us purify the soul by the confession of our sins, by compunction of heart, by the love of God. And let us give back its dignity to the body by making it bear the yoke of penance, that so it may be, henceforth, subservient and docile to the soul, and, on the day of the general Resurrection, partake in her endless bliss.

Gospel – Matthew xvii. 1‒9

At that time, Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart. And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as snow. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” As he was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” And the disciples hearing this fell on their faces and were very much afraid. Jesus came and touched them, and said to them, “Arise, and fear not.” And they lifting up their eyes saw no-one but Jesus. As they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, “Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man has risen from the dead.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Thus did Jesus encourage His Apostles when the time of temptation was near. He sought to impress them with His glory that it might keep up theirfaith in that trying time when the outward eye would see nothing in His person but weakness and humiliation. Oh! the loving considerateness of divine grace, which is never wanting, and shows us, in so strong a light, the goodness and the justice of our God! Like the Apostles, we also have sinned. Like them, we have neglected to profit of the help that was sent us from heaven. We have shut our eyes against the light. We have forgotten the fair vision that was granted us, and which made us so fervent and happy — and we fell. We have not, then, been tempted above our strength (1 Corinthians x. 13), and it is indeed our own fault that we committed sin. The three Apostles were exposed to a terrible temptation when they beheld their Divine Master robbed of all His majesty, but how easy for them to resist the temptation by thinking of what they had seen but a few days before? Instead of that, they lost their courage and forgot prayer which would have brought their courage back ; and thus the favoured witnesses of Thabor became cowards and deserters in the Garden of Mount Olivet. There was but one thing left them to do — throw themselves on the loving mercy of their Jesus, as soon as He had triumphed over His enemies; they did so, and His generous Heart pardoned them.

Let us imitate them here too. We have abused the grace of God and rendered it fruitless by our want of correspondence. The fountain of this grace, is not yet dried up. As long as we are in this world we may always draw from this source which comes from the Blood and merits of our Redeemer. It is grace that is now urging us to the amendment of our lives. It is given to us in abundance during the present time, and it is given mainly by the holy exercises of Lent. Let us go up the mountain with Jesus. There we will not be disturbed by the noise of earthly things. Let us there spend our forty days with Moses and Elias who, long before us, sanctified this number by their fasts. Thus, when the Son of Man will have risen from the dead, we will proclaim the favours He has mercifully granted us on Thabor.

We may close our Sunday by reciting the following beautiful prayer taken from the Mozarabic Breviary:

O JESUS, our God, eternal first beginning of light, who willed that your servants should devote the seventh day to sanctification rather than to work, we come seeking how we may find you, but we are prevented by the habitual darkness of our conscience. We make efforts to arise, but we fall back again and are dejected. Therefore, we beseech you, cast not away from your face those who seek you, for you deigned to show yourself to those who did not seek you. Now is the season of the year when we are offering to your holy Name a tithe of our days. And of these days, seven have passed. Grant us your assistance in the path of this fatiguing journey, so that our proffered homage may be without blemish. Sweeten our toil by filling us with an ardent love of your Majesty, and awaken us from the sluggishness of the body by the fervent abundance of your charity. May our life, being thus in you, know no faltering, and our faith find its reward. Amen.

24 FEBRUARY – EMBER SATURDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

This day was called Twelve-Lesson-Saturday, because, formerly, twelve passages from the Holy Scriptures used to be read, as on Holy Saturday. The Mass during which the Ordinations were given was celebrated during the night, so that by the time it was over, the Sunday had begun. Later on the Ordination Mass was said early on the Saturday as we now have it, but, in memory of the ancient practice, the Gospel for Saturday is repeated on the Sunday. The same is observed on the Saturday in the Advent Ember Week because the Ordination Mass of that Season was also anticipated.

Epistle – Deuteronomy xxvi. 12‒19

In those days Moses spoke to the people, saying: “When you have made an end of tithing all your fruits, that they may eat within your gates, and be filled; and you will speak thus in the sight of the Lord your God: ‘I have taken that which was sanctified out of my house, and I have given it to the Levite and to the stranger, and to the fatherless and to the widow, as you have commanded me; I have not transgressed your commandments, nor forgotten your precepts. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all things as you have commanded me. Look from your sanctuary, and your high habitation of heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the land which you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ This day the Lord your God has commanded you to do these commandments and judgements, and to keep and fulfil them with all your heart, and with all your soul. You have chosen the Lord this day to be your God, and to walk in His ways and keep His ceremonies, and precepts, and judgements, and obey His command. And the Lord has chosen you this day to be His peculiar people, as He has spoken to you, and to keep all His commandments; and to make you higher than all nations which He has created, to His own praise, and name, and glory; that you may be a holy people of the Lord your God, as He has spoken.”

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

God here assures us that a nation which is faithful in observing the laws regarding the Divine Service will be blessed above other nations. History is one long illustration of the truth of this promise. Of all the nations which have fallen, there is not one that has not brought the chastisement on itself by its neglect of the Law of God. At times, the Almighty delays to strike, but it is only that the chastisement may be the more evident and produce a more salutary effect upon mankind. When we would know the future of a country, we need only observe how it comports itself with regard to the Laws of the Church. If its own Laws are based on the principles and practices of Christianity, that country is sound, in spite of certain weaknesses here and there: Revolutions may disturb its peace, but it will triumph over all. If the bulk of its people is faithful in the observance of external practices prescribed by the Church; for example, if they observe the Lord’s Day, and the holy Fast of Lent — there is a fund of morality in that country which is sure to draw down on it the blessings of heaven. Irreligious men will scoff at all this and call it superstition, prejudice of weak minds, and out of date for an age of Progress like ours; but if their theories were to rule, and a country, which up to this time had been practically Catholic, were to seek progress by infringing the law of Christian Ritual, it would, in less than a hundred years, find that public and private morality had lost ground, and its own security would be menaced. Man may talk and write as he likes — God wishes to be served and honoured by His people, and it is for Him to prescribe what are to be the forms of this service and adoration. Every injury offered to external worship, which is the great social link, is an injury to the interests of mankind. Even were there not the word of God for it, it is but just that such a consequence should follow.

Gospel – Matthew xvii. 1‒9

At that time, Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart. And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as snow. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” As he was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” And the disciples hearing this fell on their faces and were very much afraid. Jesus came and touched them, and said to them, “Arise, and fear not.” And they lifting up their eyes saw no-one but Jesus. As they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, “Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man has risen from the dead.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

This Gospel, which, as we have already explained, is to be repeated tomorrow, is the one that is read in the Mass of today’s Ordinations, The following is the interpretation given by the ancient liturgists, among whom we may especially mention the learned Abbot Rupert.

The Church would have us think upon the sublime dignity which has been conferred on the newly ordained Priests. They are represented by the three Apostles who were taken by Jesus to the high mountain, and favoured with the sight of His glory. The rest of the disciples were left below; Peter, James and John were the only ones permitted to ascend to Thabor, and they, when the time should come, were to tell their fellow Apostles, and the whole world, how they had seen the glory of their Master, and heard the words of the Father declaring the Divinity of the Son of Man. This voice, says St. Peter, coming down to him from the excellent glory: This in my Beloved Son, in whom I have pleased myself; hear him. And this voice we heard, brought from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mount (2 Peter I. 17, 18).

In like manner, these Priests, who have just been ordained, and for whom you have been offering up your prayers and fast, will enter into the cloud with the Lord. They will offer up the Sacrifice of your salvation in the silence of the sacred Canon. God will descend into their hands, for your sakes, and though they are mortals and sinners, yet will they, each day, be in closest communication with the Divinity.

The forgiveness of your sins, which you are now preparing to receive from your Heavenly Father, is to come to you through their hands; their superhuman power will bring it down from heaven upon your souls. It is thus that God has cured our pride. The Serpent said to us, through our first parents: “Eat of this fruit, and you will be as gods.” We unfortunately believed the tempter, and the fruit of our transgression was death. God took pity on us and resolved to save us, but it was to be by the hands of men that He would save us, and this in order to humble our haughtiness. His own Eternal Son became man, and He left other men after Him, to whom He said: “As the Father has sent me, I also send you” (John xx. 21). Let us, then, show honour to these men who have this very day been raised to so high a dignity. One of the duties imposed on us by our holy religion is respect to the priesthood.

This is Saturday: let us have recourse to Mary, the Refuge of Sinners. Let us put under her maternal protection the humble penances we are now going through, and for this end, we may make use of the following Sequence taken from the Cluny Missal.

Hail Mary, full of grace! Dear Mother of Jesus, and hope of the world!

O Gate of heaven! Temple of God! Haven of the sea, where sinners confidently seek shelter and repose.

You are the worthy Spouse of the Great King, and, by your powerful prayers, you are kind and loving to all.

You are light to the blind, and a sure path to such as are lame.

You are by your loving affection, both Martha and Mary to the needy.

You were the Flower among the thorns; the Flower that, by its rich graces, bloomed to the divine Flower, your Jesus.

You did speak your word, and then conceived the Word; you gave birth to the King of kings, you who were a pure Virgin.

You were ever faithful to this King, your Child; and, using a mother’s privilege, you fed Him at your breast.

Now, you are united with Him, and in reward for your merits, you are made the Queen of heaven and earth.

Then pray for us, O Queen, to Him that is our King, beseeching Him to pardon us poor fallen sinners. Show us your wonted clemency, and, having obtained us the new life of remission of our sins, bring us to the kingdom, there to reign forever. Amen.

23 FEBRUARY – EMBER FRIDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Lesson – Ezechiel xviii. 20‒28

Thus says the Lord God: “The soul that sins, the same will die: the son will not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father will not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon him. But if the wicked does penance for all his sins which he has committed, and keep all my commandments, and does judgement and justice; living he will live, and will not die. I will not remember all his iniquities that he has done; in his justice, which he has wrought, he will live.” “Is it my will that a sinner should die,” says the Lord God, “and not that he should be converted from his ways and live? But if the just man turns himself away from his justice, and does iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man uses to work, will he live? All his justices which he has done, will not be remembered; in the prevarication, by which he has prevaricated, and in his sin, which he has committed, in them he will die. And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse? For when the just turns himself away from his justice, and commits iniquity, he will die in it; in the injustice that he has wrought, he will die. And when the wicked turns himself away from his wickedness which he has wrought, and does judgement and justice, he will save his soul alive. Because he considers and turns away himself from all his iniquities which he has wrought, he will surely live and not die,” says the Lord Almighty.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Let us not forget the ancient discipline of the Church, during Lent. We should frequently be at a loss to understand her Liturgy of this Season, unless we picture her to ourselves as preparing the Public Penitents for a re-participation in the Mysteries. But first they must he reconciled with God whom they have offended. Their soul is dead by sin. Can it be restored to life? Yes, we have God’s word for it.

The Lesson from the Prophet Ezechiel, which the Church began yesterday for the Catechumens, is continued today for the benefit of the Public Penitents. If the wicked does penance for all his sins which he has committed, and keep all my commandments, and does judgement and justice; living he will live, and will not die. But, his iniquities are upon him, and rise up against him, crying to heaven for eternal vengeance! And yet, that God, who knows all things and forgets nothing, assures us, that He will not remember iniquities which have been redeemed by penance. Such is the affection of His fatherly heart that He will forget the outrage offered Him by his son, if this son will but return to his duty.

Thus, then, our Penitents are to be reconciled; and on the Feast of the Resurrection, they will be associated with the just, because God will have forgotten their iniquities; they themselves will be just men. Thus, it is, that the Liturgy, which never changes, brings frequently before us her ancient discipline of public penance. Nowadays sinners are not visibly separated from the faithful; the Church doors are not closed against them; they frequently stand near the holy altar, in the company of the just; and when God’s pardon descends upon them, the faithful are not made cognizant of the grace by any special and solemn rite.

Let us here admire the wonderful mercy of our Heavenly Father, and profit by the indulgent discipline of our holy Mother the Church. The lost sheep may enter the fold at any hour and without any display; let him take advantage of the condescension thus shown him, and never more wander from the Shepherd who thus mercifully receives him. Neither let the just man be puffed up with self-complacency, by preferring himself to the lost sheep: let him rather reflect on those words of today’s Lesson: If the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity... the justices which he has done will not be remembered. Let us, therefore, tremble for ourselves, and have compassion on sinners. One of the great means on which the Church rests her hopes for the reconciliation of sinners is the fervent prayers offered up for them by the faithful during Lent.

Gospel – John v. 1‒15

At that time, there was a festival of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem a pond called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, and of withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And the Angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water, was made whole of whatever infirmity he lay under. And there was a certain man there, that had been eight-and-thirty years under his infirmity. Him, when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, He said to him: “Will you be made whole?” The infirm man answered Him: “Sir, I have no man. when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond; for while I am coming, another goes down before me.” Jesus said to him: “Arise, take up your bed, and walk.” And immediately the man was made whole, and he took up his bed and walked. And it was the Sabbath that day. The Jews therefore said to him that was cured: “It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” He answered them: “He that made me whole, He said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” They asked him, therefore: “Who is that man that said to you, ‘Take up your bed, and walk?’” But he that was healed, knew not who it was, for Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place. Afterwards Jesus found him in the temple, and sad to him: “Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to you.” The man went his way, and told the Jews that it was Jesus that had made him whole.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Let us return to our Penitents of the ancient discipline of the Church. Those of the present day, and we ourselves, can easily make a practical application of the reflections suggested by the Gospel. We have just been told by the Prophet that God is ever ready to pardon a penitent sinner. But how is this pardon to be administered? Who is to pronounce the sentence of absolution? The answer is given in our Gospel. He that had been thirty-eight years under his infirmity is a figure of the inveterate sinner, and yet he is made whole and recovers the use of his limbs. How has the cure been wrought? First of all, the infirm man says to Jesus: “I have no man when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond.” The water would have cured him but, observe, he has need of some man to lead him to the water. This man is the Son of God, and He became Man in order to heal us. As Man He has received power to forgive sins, and, before leaving this earth, He gives that same power to other men and says to them: “Whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them” (John xx. 23). Our Penitents, then, are to be reconciled with God by virtue of this supernatural power, and the infirm man who takes up his bed and walks is a figure of the sinner whose sins have been forgiven him by the Church, by the divine power of the Keys.

In the third century a heretic named Novatian taught that the Church has not the power to forgive sins committed after Baptism. This doctrine was condemned by the Councils and Holy Doctors of the Church, and in order to offer to the faithful some outward expression of the power given to the Son of Man of forgiving sins to such as repent, there was painted on the walls of the places where the Christians used to assemble the infirm man of our Gospel walking with his bed on his shoulders. This consoling symbol is frequently met with in the frescoes which were painted, even in the Age of the Martyrs, in the Roman Catacombs. They show us how the early Christians were taught to understand this passage of the Gospel, which the Church, now so many centuries ago, has assigned to this day.

The water of the Probatica was also a symbol, and here our Gospel conveyed a special instruction to the Catechumens. It was by water that they were to be made whole, and by water endowed with a supernatural virtue. The miraculous pond of Jerusalem could only cure the body, and that at rare intervals, and the favour could only be conferred on a single individual. But now that the Angel of the Great Counsel has come down from heaven and sanctified the waters of the Jordan, the Probatica is everywhere: it is giving health to the souls of men without any limitation either of time or number. Man is the minister of this grace, but it is the Son of God, become the Son of Man, who works by the human minister.

Let us also consider the multitude of sick, who, as the Gospel tells us, were waiting for the moving of the water. They represent the various classes of sinners who are seeking during this holy time to be converted to their God. There are the Sick, or, as the Latin word has it, the Languid; these are the tepid, who never thoroughly give up their evil habits. There are the Blind, these are they whose spiritual eye is dead. There are the Lame, who limp and falter in the path of salvation, and, lastly, there are the Withered, who seem incapable of doing a single good action. All are waiting for the favourable moment. Jesus will soon be with them, and will say to each of them: “Will you be made whole?” Let them answer this question with love and confidence and they will be healed.

O Lord, whose Passion has merited for us the deliverance from our passions, grant that my carnal affections may be quenched by the virtue of your divine Cross, and that I may contemplate your holy Resurrection. Fount of purity, most merciful Saviour, preserve us by the merits of this our Fast.

Behold us here prostrate before you. Disdain not our uplifted hands, O sovereign Lord of the Angels who stretched forth your hands on your Cross for all mankind.

The snares of the enemy have involved me in darkness. Enlighten me, Christ, who, when hanging on the Cross, obscured the sun, and bring to your faithful the rays of pardon. May I walk in the light of your commandments, and, being purified, come to the brightness of your saving Resurrection.

O my Saviour, and Christ, hanging like a vine on the wood of the Cross, you enriched the whole earth with the wine of immortality. Therefore do I cry out to you: I was miserably blinded by the intoxication of sin, but you bestowed on me the sweet refreshment of true compunction. Grant me now the strength that I may fast from sinful pleasures, for you are a good and merciful God.

Wonderful power of your Cross! It was your Cross that made the plant of abstinence to bloom in the Church, after having uprooted the old intemperance of Adam in Eden. From the intemperance came death on mankind, but from the other, the ever pure stream of immortality flowed on the world, for from your side, as from a Fount of Paradise, there streamed your life-giving Blood, mingled with water, and from these have all creatures received life. Therefore do we beseech you, God of Israel, to grant us, in your great mercy, that we may experience the sweet delights of fasting.

22 FEBRUARY – THURSDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Lesson – Ezechiel xviii. 1‒9

In those days, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “What is the meaning that you use among you this parable as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge?’ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “this parable will be no more to you a proverb in Israel. Behold all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sins, the same will die. And if a man be just, and do judgement and justice, and has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and has not defiled his neighbour’s wife, nor come near to a menstruous woman; and has not wronged any man, but has restored the pledge to the debtor, has taken nothing away by violence, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment, has not lent on usury, nor taken any increase, has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and has executed true judgement between man and man, has walked in my commandments, and kept my judgsments, to do according to the truth; he is just, he will surely live,” says the Lord God.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

These words of the Prophet declare to us the wonderful mercy of God towards the Gentiles, who are preparing to pass from darkness to light, by the grace of holy Baptism. The Jews had a favourite proverb: The Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the Children are set on edge: but God assures us, even in the Old Testament, that sins are personal, that is, they belong to him who commits them, and to no one else; so that, the son of a wicked father, if he walk in the path of righteousness, will find mercy and salvation. The Apostles and their disciples preached the Gospel to the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were obedient to the call; they were the children of idolaters, and yet they were seen flocking to the font of regeneration, abjuring the evil ways of their fathers, and becoming the objects of God’s love. The same happened in the conversion of the barbarians of the West; it is happening now in our own times among infidel nations; and many will be the Catechumens who, at the coming Easter, will receive the sacrament of Baptism.

God frequently visits children with temporal punishments, because of the sins of their parents; it is a providence, which acts as a check on men, deterring them from evil out of fear of bringing misery on their families. But in the moral order, each individual is treated according to his own merits or demerits; and as God does not impute to a virtuous son the iniquities of the father, so neither do the virtues of the father cover the son’s iniquity. Philip the Fair was the grandson of St. Louis; and Wulfere, the wicked king of Mercia, was father of the two saints, Wulfhad and Euffin. Similar contrasts are often found in families, for, as the Scripture says: God has left man in the hand of his own counsel... Before man is life and death, good and evil; that which he will choose, will be given to him (Ecclestiastes xv. 14, 18). And yet, such is the mercy of the Lord our God, that, if a man has made a bad choice, but afterwards casts away from himself the evil, and turns to what is good, he will surely live, and his repentance will restore to him what he had forfeited.

Gospel – Matthew xv. 21‒28

At that time, Jesus went from there, and retired into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan who came out of those coasts, crying out, said to Him: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David: my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil.” Who answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying: “Send her away, for she cries after us:” And He answering, said: “I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel.” But she came and adored Him, saying: “Lord, help me.” Who answering, said: “It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs.” But she said: “Yes, Lord; for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus answering, said to her: “O woman, great is your faith: be it done to you as you will:” and her daughter was cured from that hour.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Jesus is in admiration at this woman’s faith; He praises her for it; He would have us imitate her. And yet, she was a Gentile; probably, she had been an idolatress; but maternal love induces her to come to Jesus, and throw herself at His feet. She obtains from Him her daughter’s cure, and, undoubtedly, her own conversion. It is an illustration of the consoling promise we have just been hearing from the Prophet Ezechiel: there are chosen souls in every race, even in that cursed one of Canaan. Our Lord treats this woman with apparent harshness, although He intends to grant her what she asks: He would have her faith gain strength by being tried, and, by the trial, deserve to be rewarded.

Let us pray, during these days of mercy, with persevering confidence. The daughter of this Canaanite woman was troubled by a devil, that is, her body was possessed by an evil spirit. How many are there, every where in the Church, whose souls are a prey to Satan, by their being in the state of mortal sin! Are they conscious of their misery? Do they beg of our Lord to have mercy on them, and deliver them? And if, at first, He defers their pardon, do they humble themselves like this woman of our Gospel, who confesses that she quite deserves this contempt with which Jesus seems to treat her?

Lost sheep of the House of Israel, make good use of this holy season, when your Good Shepherd is so near to you. Before forty days are elapsed, He will be put to death, and the people that will deny Him will not be His. Before forty days are over, we will be celebrating the anniversary of this great sacrifice; and the sinner that will not be converted from the error of his ways, and will not have come to Jesus, as did this humble woman of Canaan — will deserve to be forever rejected. Let us, then, be earnest in the great work of our conversion, and fit ourselves for pardon. Such is the generosity of our Heavenly Father, that if we desire, with all the sincerity of our soul, to be once more His faithful children, he will give us more than the crumbs which fall from His table; He will give us Jesus, the Bread of Life; and what a pledge of reconciliation is that!

21 FEBRUARY – EMBER WEDNESDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The Fast of today is prescribed by a double law: it is Lent, and it is Ember Wednesday. It is the same with the Friday and Saturday of this week. There are two principal objects for the Ember days of this period of the year: the first is, to offer up to God the Season of Spring, and, by fasting and prayer, to draw down His blessing upon it; the second is, to ask Him to enrich with His choicest graces the Priests and Sacred Ministers who are to receive their Ordination on Saturday. Let us, therefore, have a great respect for these three days; and let those who violate, on them, the laws of Fasting or Abstinence, know that they commit a two-fold sin.

Up to the eleventh century, the Ember Days of Spring were kept in the first week of March; and those of Summer, in the second week of June. It was St. Gregory the Seventh who fixed them as we now have them; that is, the Ember Days of Spring in the first week of Lent, and those of Summer in Whitsun Week.

The Epistle of the Mass for all the Ember Wednesdays consists of two Lessons from Sacred Scripture. Today the Church brings before us the two great types of Lent —Moses and Elias —in order to impress us with an idea of the importance of this Forty Days’ Fast, which Christ Himself solemnly consecrated when He observed it, and thus fulfilled, in His own person, what the Law and the Prophets had but prefigured.

First Lesson – Exodus xxiv. 12‒18

In those days, the Lord said to Moses: “Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give you tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua; and Moses going up into the mount of God, said to the ancients: “Wait here till we return to you, you have Aaron and Hur with you: if any question will arise, you will 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.

Second Lesson – 3 Kings xix. 3‒8

In those days, Elias came into Bersabee of Judah, 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.” And he looked, and behold there was at his head a hearth-cake and a vessel of water; and he ate and drank, and he 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 Horeb, the mount of God.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

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, (Galatians iv. 4) God manifested Himself in the flesh; and man saw, and heard, and touched him (1 John i. 1) We indeed, are not of the number of those favoured 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 favour, 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 their receiving what God promised them.

Gospel – Matthew xii. 38‒50

At that time, some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying: “Master we would see a sign from you.” Who answering said to them: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign: and a will 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 will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. The men of Niniveh will rise in judgement with this generation, and will condemn it: because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas. And behold a greater than Jonas here. The queen of the south will rise in judgement with this generation, and will 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 walks through dry places seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says: ‘I will return into my house from where I came out.’ And coming he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. Then he goes, and takes 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 will 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 to Him: “Behold your mother and your brethren stand without, seeking you.” But He answering him that told him, said: “Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?” And stretching forth his hand towards His disciples, He said: “Behold my mother and my brethren.” For whoever will do the will of my Father, that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Our Lord forewarns Israel of the chastisements, which its voluntary blindness and hardness of heart will bring upon it. The men of Israel refuse to believe, unless they see signs and prodigies; they have them in abundance, but will not see them. Such are the unbelievers of the present day. They say, they want proofs of the divine origin of the Catholic Religion. What is History, but a tissue of proof? What are the events of the present age, but testimony of the truth? — and yet, they remain incredulous. They have their own views and prejudices, and they intend to keep to them; how, then, can it be wondered at, that they never embrace the true Faith? Infidels, who have not had the like opportunities, will rise in judgement with such a generation and condemn it for its resistance to grace. Let us Catholics remember, that amidst the great religious movement which is now going on, it is our duty to be not only most firm in our faith, but also most zealous in the observance of the Laws of the Church, such, for example, as Lent. The apostolate of example will produce its fruits; and if a mere handful of Christians was, to the Roman Empire, like that leaven of which our Saviour speaks, and which leavened the whole mass — what results may we not expect in a country like our own (which has retained so much catholic practice and doctrine) — if the Catholics themselves were but zealous in the exercise of their duties?

20 FEBRUARY – TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Epistle – Isaias lv. 6‒11

In those days, Isaias the prophet spoke, saying: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he is bountiful, to forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts. And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more there, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So will my word be, which will go forth from my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will do whatever I please, and will prosper in the things for which I sent it,” says the Lord Almighty.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The Prophet, speaking to us in God’s name, assures us, that, if we sincerely desire our conversion, we will find mercy. The infinite distance which lies between the sovereign holiness of God and the soul that is defiled by sin is no obstacle to the reconciliation between the creature and the Creator. The goodness of God is omnipotent; it can create a clean heart (Psalm l. 12) in him that repents, and, where sin abounded, it can make grace abound more than ever sin abounded (Romans v. 20) The Lord of pardon will come down from Heaven; like plentiful rain on parched land, and that land will yield a rich harvest. But, let the sinner give ear to the rest of the prophecy. Is man at liberty to accept or refuse this word that comes from heaven? May be, for the present, neglect it, in the hope that be will give it a welcome later on, when his life is at its close? No; God says to us by the Prophet: Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found; call on Him, while He is near. We cannot, therefore, find the Lord just when it suits our fickle humour; His nearness to us is not always the same. Let us take heed; God has His times; the time for mercy may be followed by the time for justice. Jonas went through the streets of the proud city, and cried out: Yet forty days, and Niniveh will be destroyed (Jonas iii. 4). Niniveh did not allow the forty days to pass without returning to the Lord; she put on sackcloth and ashes, she fasted, and she was spared. Let us imitate the earnest repentance of this guilty city; let us not set Divine Justice at defiance by refusing to do penance, or by doing it negligently. This Lent is, perhaps, the last God‒s mercy will grant us. If we put off our conversion, God may refuse us another such opportunity. Let us meditate on these words of the Apostle, which repeat the truth told us in today’s Epistle: The earth that drinks in the rain which comes often upon it, and brings forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is tilled, receives blessing from God; but that which brings forth thorns and briers is reprobate, and very near unto a curse, whose end is to be burnt (Hebrews vi. 7, 8).

Gospel – Matthew xxi. 10‒17

At that time: When He was come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying: “Who is this?” And the people said: “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee.” And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the chairs of them that sold doves. And He said to them: “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.” And there came to Him the blind and the lame in the temple; and He healed them. And the chief priests and scribes, seeing the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David” were moved with indignation. And said to Him: “Hear you what these say?” And Jesus said to them: “Yes, have you never read: Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings you have perfected praise?”And leaving them, he went out of the city into Bethany, and remained there.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Our Forty Days have scarcely begun, and we find the implacable enemies of Jesus showing their hatred against Him: that hatred will soon work His death. But how is this? Have they not been witnesses of His wonderful works? True, but pride and jealousy have made them lose their senses. These faithless guardians of God’s Temple have seen Jesus exercise His authority in the holy place, and they opened not their lips; they were astonished at what He did, and they feared Him. They did not even protest when He called the Temple His house, for they were awed by His great virtue and superhuman power. But, these first impressions having subsided, their bold impiety returns. They hear the little children greeting our Saviour with Hosanna, and they are indignant. They affect to be shocked at this honour which is paid to the Son of David, who went about everywhere doing good. These doctors of the Law are blinded by passion, and can neither understand the prophecies, nor their fulfilment. It is the verification of the words of Isaias, which we have just been reading in the Epistle: they would not seek the Lord, while He was near them, and now that they are even speaking with Him, they do not recognise Him for their Messiah. Little children know him and bless Him; the sages of Israel see in Him but an enemy of God, and a Blasphemer! Let us, at least, profit by the visit He is now granting us; lest He should treat us, as He did the Chief Priests and Scribes, and leave us. He withdrew His presence from them, He went out of the city, and returned to Bethany, which was near Jerusalem. It was there that Lazarus was living with his two sisters, Martha and Mary Magdalene. Mary, the Mother of Jesus had, also, retired there, awaiting the terrible event. St. Jerome observes here, that the word Bethania signifies the Rouse of Obedience: this, says the holy Doctor, should remind us, that our Saviour withdraws from them who are rebels to His grace, and that he loves to be with them that are obedient. Let us learn the lesson well and, during these days of salvation, let us show, by our obedience to the Church and our submission to the guide of our conscience, that we are thoroughly convinced of this truth — that there is no salvation for us, except in humility and simplicity of heart.

19 FEBRUARY – MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Each feria of Lent has a proper Mass, whereas in Advent the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the Lenten Liturgy is a powerful means for our entering into the Church’s spirit, since she hereby brings before us, under so many forms, the sentiments suited to this holy time.

Epistle – Ezechiel xxxiv. 10‒16

Thus says the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visits his flock in the day when he will be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered; so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land. I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures will be in the high mountains of Israel: there will they rest on the green grass and be fed in fat pastures on the mountains of Israel. I will feed my sheep; and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and that which was driven away I will bring again; and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve; and I will feed them in judgement, says the Lord Almighty.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Our Lord here shows Himself to us as a Shepherd full of love for His Sheep. Such, indeed, He truly is to men, during this Season of mercy. A portion of His flock had gone astray, and was wandering to and fro amid the darkness of this world; but Jesus did not forget them. He went in search of them, that He might gather them together. He sought them through lonely deserts, and rocky places, and brambles. He now speaks to them through His Church, and invites them to return. He sweetly encourages them, for perhaps they might fear and be ashamed to appear before Him, after so many sins. He promises them, that if they will but return to him, they will be fed on the richest pastures, near the river bank, and on the mountains of Israel. They are covered with wounds, but He will bind them up; they are weak, but He will strengthen them. He will once more give them fellowship with the faithful ones who never left Him, and He Himself will dwell with them for ever. Let the sinner, then, yield to this tender love; let him not refuse to make the efforts required for his conversion. If these efforts of penance seem painful to nature, let him recall to mind those happy days, when he was in grace, and in the fold of his Good Shepherd. He may be so again. The gate of the fold is open; and thousands, who, like himself, had gone astray, are going in with joy and confidence. Let him follow them, and remember how his Jesus has said: There will be joy in heaven upon one sinner that does penance, more than upon ninety-nine who need not penance (Luke xv. 7).

Gospel – Matthew xxv. 31‒46

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: “When the Son of man will come in His majesty, and all the Angels with Him, then will he sit on the seat of His majesty. And all nations will be gathered together before him, and He will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left. Then will the King say to them that will be on His right hand: ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.’ Then will the just answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you? Thirsty, and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and took you in? Or naked, and clothed you? Or when did we see you sick or in prison, and came to you?’ And the King answering, will say to them: ‘Amen, I say to you, as long as you have done it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.’ Then will He say to them also that will be on His left hand: ‘Depart from, me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you? Then He will answer them, saying: ‘Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.’ And these will go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.”

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

We have just been listening to a Prophet of the Old Testament, inviting us to return to the Good Shepherd — Our Lord there put forth every argument, which love could devise, to persuade His lost sheep to return to Him: and here, on the very same day that the Church speaks to us of our God as being a gentle and compassionate Shepherd, she describes Him as an inflexible Judge. This loving Jesus, this charitable Physician of our souls, is seated on his dread tribunal, and cries out in His anger: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire! And where has the Church found this awful description? In the Gospel, that is, in the very Law of Love.— But, if we read our passage attentively, we will find, that He who pronounces this terrible anathema, is the same God, whom the Prophet has been just portraying as a Shepherd full of mercy, patience, and zeal for His Sheep. Observe how He is still a Shepherd, even on his judgement-seat: He separates the sheep from the goats; He sets the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left; the idea, the comparison of a Flock is still kept up. The Son of God will exercise His office of Shepherd even to the Last Day: only, then, time will be at an end, and eternity will have begun; the reign of Justice, too, will have succeeded the reign of Mercy, for it will be Justice, that will reward the good with the promised recompense, and that will punish impenitent sinners with eternal torments. How can the Christian, who believes that we are all to stand before this tribunal, refuse the invitation of the Church, who now presses him to make satisfaction for his sins? How can he hesitate to go through those easy penances, with which the Divine Mercy now deigns to be satisfied? Truly, man is his own worst enemy, if he can disregard these words of Jesus, who now is his Saviour, and then will be his Judge: Unless you do penance, you will all perish.