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GOSPEL.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthæum.

Cap. XVII.

In illo tempore: Assumpsit Jesus Petrum, et Jacobum, et Joannem fratrem ejus, et duxit illos in montem excelsum seorsum: et transfiguratus est ante eos. Et resplenduit facies ejus sicut sol, vestimenta autem ejus facta sunt alba sicut nix. Et ecce apparuerunt illis Moyses et Elias cum eo loquentes. Respondens autem Petrus dixit ad Jesum: Domine, bonum est nos hic esse: si vis, faciamus hic tria tabernacula, tibi unum, Moysi unum, et Eliæ unum, Adhuc eo loquente, ecce nubes lucida obumbravit eos. Et ecce vox de nube, dicens: Hic est Filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui: ipsum audite. Et audientes discipuli, ceciderunt in faciem suam, et timuerunt valde. Et accessit Jesus, et tetigit eos, dixitque eis Surgite et nolite timere. Levantes autem oculos suos, neminem viderunt nisi solum Jesum. Et descendentibus illis de monte, præcepit eis Jesus, dicens: Nemini dixeritis visionem, donec Filius hominis a mortuis resurgat.

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Ch. XVII.

At that time: Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart and he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun : and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was

yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said to them: Arise and be not afraid. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man shall be risen from the dead.

This Gospel, which, as we have already explained, is to be repeated to-morrow, is the one that is read in the Mass of to-day'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 upon 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 is my Beloved Son, in whom I have pleased myself; hear ye him. And this voice we heard, brought from heaven, when we were with him on the holy Mount.1 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 shall 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

1 II. St. Peter, i. 17, 18.

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 hath sent Me, I also send you.1 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.

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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.

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Thou art light to the blind, and a sure path to such as are lame. Thou art by thy loving affection, both Martha and Mary to the needy.

Flower

Thou wast the among the thorns; the Flower that, by its rich graces, bloomed to the divine Flower, thy Jesus.

Thou didst speak thy word, and then conceivedst the Word; thou didst give birth to the King of kings, thou that wast a pure Virgin.

Thou wast ever faithful to this King, thy Child; and, using a mother's privilege, thou didst feed him at thy breast.

Now, thou art united with him, and in reward for thy merits, thou art 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 thy wonted clemency, and, having obtained us the new life of remission of our sins, bring us to the kingdom, there to reign for ever. Amen.

Cæcis lumen, Claudis via, Nudis Martha et Maria, Mentis desiderio.

Inter spinas flos fuisti; Sic flos flori patuisti, Pietatis gratia.

Verbum verbo concepisti, Regem regum peperisti, Virgo viri nescia.

Regi nato adhæsisti, Quem lactasti et pavisti, More matris debito.

Quæ conjuncta nunc eidem, Et Regina facta pridem, Operum pro merito. Reis ergo fac, Regina, Apud Regem ut ruina Relaxentur debita.

Et regnare fac renatos, A reatu expurgatos, Pietate solita.

Amen.

THE

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT.

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 taketh 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.1 Notwithstanding this, the trial to which their faith was soon to be put, was to be of such a terrible

1 St. Matth. xvi. 16.

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