The Second Mass, or Mass of the Aurora
The Office of Lauds is finished: the Canticles of joy are ended, wherewith the Church thanks the Eternal Father for his having made to rise upon us the divine Sun of Justice. It is time to offer up the second Sacrifice, or, as it is called, the Mass of the Aurora. In the first, the Church celebrated the temporal Birth of the Word according to the flesh. In this, she is going to honor the second Birth of the same Son of God;—a Birth full of grace and mercy;—that which is accomplished in the heart of the faithful Christian.
See, then, how, at this very hour, Shepherds are told by the Angels to go to Bethlehem, and how they hasten thither. With great eagerness they enter the Stable, which is scarcely large enough to hold them. Obedient to the warning received from heaven, they are come to see the Savior, who, they have been told, has been born unto them. They find all things just as the Angels had said. Who could tell the joy of their hearts, and the simplicity of their faith? They are not surprised to find, in the midst of poverty greater even than their own, Him whose Birth has made the very Angels exult. They find no difficulty in acknowledging the wonderful mystery; they adore, they love, the Babe that lies there before them. They are at once Christians, and the Christian Church begins in them; the mystery of a God humbled for man, finds faith in these humble souls. Herod will plot the death of this Babe; the Synagogue will rage; the Scribes and Doctors will league together against the Lord and his Christ; they will put this Savior of Israel to death;—but, the faith of the Shepherds will not be shaken, and will find imitators in the wise and powerful ones of this world, who will come, at last, and bow down their reason to the Crib and the Cross.
What is it that has come over these poor Shepherds? Christ has been born in their hearts; he dwells in them by faith and love. They are our Fathers in the Church. They are our Models. Let us imitate them, and invite the Divine Infant to come into our souls, which we will so prepare for him, as that he may find nothing to prevent his entering. It is for our sakes, also, that the Angels speak; it is to us, also, that they tell the glad tidings; for, the Mystery, that has this Night been accomplished, is too grand to have the pastoral slopes of Bethlehem for its limits.—In order to honor the silent coming of the Savior into the souls of men, the Priest is preparing to go to the altar, and a second time offer the spotless Lamb to the Father, who hath sent him.
As the Shepherds fixed their eyes on the Crib, so let ours be on the Altar, where we are soon to behold the same Jesus, hidden under appearances, that are humbler even than the swathing-bands. These rustic swains enter into the Cave, not yet knowing Him, whom they are going to see; but their hearts are quite ready for the revelation. Suddenly, they see the Infant; and as they gaze upon him in speechless wondering, Jesus looks at them from his Crib, and smiles upon them:—they are changed men, full of light, and the Sun of Justice has made Day in their souls. It is to be the same with us: the words of the Prince of the Apostles are to be verified in us: the Light, that shineth in a dark place, has been our one desire and attention—now the Day will dawn, and the Day-Star arise in our hearts.1
This long longed-for Aurora has come! The divine Orient has risen upon us, to set now no more; for, we are firmly resolved to keep from the night of sin, which his grace has destroyed. His mercy has made us to be children of light and children of the day.2 There must be no more sleep of death for us. We must watch in ceaseless vigilance, remembering how the Shepherds were keeping their watch, when the Angel came to speak to them, and Heaven opened over their heads. All the Chants of this Mass of the Aurora speak to us of the brightness of the Sun of Justice; they must be sweet to us, as is to captives, long buried in the cold darkness of their dungeon, the ray of that morning, which is to set them free. See, Christians, how this God of Light shines upon us from his Crib! The face of his Mother is lit up with the immense brightness, on which she looks with all the fixedness of her contemplating love; and Joseph, too, has the shining vivid on his features, which makes them more beautiful and venerable than we have ever seen them. Passing by the ungrateful Bethlehem, which deserves to be left in darkness—this same divine Light breaks upon the whole world beyond the Cave, and gradually enkindles within millions of hearts, a burning love for this glorious Sun of Justice, who delivers man from the labyrinth of his errors and passions, showing him, and giving him, the sublime end for which he was created.
In the very midst of her celebration of this mystery of the Birth of Jesus, the Church offers us another object of admiration and joy:—it is one of her own children. Whilst solemnizing the divine Mystery of today’s Feast, she commemorates, in this the second Mass, one of those glorious heroines, who preserved the Light of Christ within their souls, in spite of all the attacks made to rob them of it. Her name is Anastasia. This holy Widow of Rome suffered martyrdom under the persecution of Dioclesian, and had the privilege of being thus born to eternal life, on the Birth-Day of that Jesus, for whom she suffered death.
She had been married to a Pagan of the name of Publius; himself also a Roman; who, being irritated against her on account of her great charities to the Christians, treated her with every sort of cruelty. She endured all with admirable patience; and when this heavy trial was removed from her by the death of her husband, she devoted herself to visiting and solacing the holy Confessors, who had been cast into the prisons of Rome, for the Faith. Being, at length, apprehended as a Christian, she was tied to a stake and burnt to death. Her Church, in Rome, which is built on the site where formerly stood her house, is the Station for this Second Mass. The Sovereign Pontiffs used formerly to say it here, and the ancient custom was observed, in our own times, by Pope Leo 12th.
How admirable is this delicate considerateness of our holy Mother the Church! Wishing to associate one of her Saints with the glory of this present Solemnity, on which the Virginity of Mary receives its triumphant recompense—it is a holy Widow, that is chosen for this signal honor; that it might hereby be shown, how the Married State, though inferior in merit and holiness to the State of Virginity, is not excluded from the blessings, which the Birth of the Son of Mary merited for the world. There was a Virgin, St. Eugenia, that might so well have been selected; for, she suffered a glorious martyrdom, under Galerian, on this same feast, and in the same City, as did the wife of Publius: but no—the preference is given to Anastasia, the Widow. This choice of the Church—which is dictated by her heavenly wisdom, and by the love she has for all her children—forcibly reminds us of a beautiful passage in one of St. Augustine’s Sermons for Christmas Day:
“Exult, O ye Virgins of Christ! for the Mother of Christ is your companion. You could not be his Mother; but, for his sake, you would be Virgins: He that is not born of you, is born to you. And yet, you remember his words: Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, is my brother, and sister, and mother.3 Now, have you not done the will of his Father?
“Exult, O ye Widows of Christ! for ye have vowed a holy continency to Him, that made Virginity fruitful. And thou, too, O nuptial chastity! you, I mean, that are faithful in the married state, you also may exult; for what you lose in the body, you do not lose in your hearts. * * Let your soul be virginal by its faith, for it is by her Faith that the Church is a Virgin. * * Jesus is Truth, and Peace, and Justice; conceive him by your faith, give him birth by your good works; in order that what the womb of Mary did in the Flesh of Jesus, your heart may do in the law of Jesus. Believe me, you yourselves are children of virginity, for are you not the members of Christ? Mary is Mother of Jesus, who is our Head; and the Church is the mother of you who are his Members. Yes, the Church is, like Mary, both Mother and Virgin: she is Mother, by her tender charity; and Virgin, by the purity of her faith and holiness.”4
But, the Holy Sacrifice is about to commence. The Introit tells us of the Birth of Jesus our Sun of Justice. The brightness of his first rising, is the presage of his mid-day splendor. Strength and Beauty are his. He is armed for victory, and his name is Prince of Peace.
Introit
A light shall shine upon us, this day; because the Lord is born for us: and his name shall be the Wonderful One, God, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come; of whose reign there shall be no end.
Lux fulgebit hodie super nos; quia natus est nobis Dominus: et vocabitur Admirabilis, Deus, Princeps pacis, Pater futuri sæculi; cujus regni non erit finis.
Ps. The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself. ℣. Glory, &c. A light.
Ps. Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est: indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, et præcinxit se. ℣. Gloria Patri. Lux fulgebit.
The prayer of the Church, in this the Mass of the Aurora, is the begging of God to pour upon our souls the rays of the Sun of Justice, that so we may become fruitful in works of Light, and be no more the slaves of darkness.
Collect
Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that as we are enlightened by the new light of thy Word become flesh, we may show, in our actions, the effects of that faith, which shineth in our minds. Through the same, &c.
Da nobis, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui nova incarnati Verbi tui luce perfundimur, hoc in nostro resplendeat opere, quod per fidem fulget in mente. Per eumdem.
Commemoration of St. Anastasia.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that as we celebrate the solemnity of blessed Anastasia, thy Martyr, we may be sensible of the effects of her prayers to thee in our behalf. Through, &c.
Da, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui beatæ Anastasiæ, Martyris tuæ, solemnia colimus, ejus apud te patrocinia sentiamus. Per Dominum.
Epistle
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to Titus.
Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Titum.
Ch. III.
Cap. III.
Most dearly beloved: the goodness and kindness of God our Savior appeared: not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Ghost, whom he hath poured forth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Savior: that being justified by his grace, we may be heirs according to hope of life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Charissime: apparuit benignitas et humanitas Salvatoris nostri Dei: non ex operibus justitiæ, quæ fecimus nos; sed secundum suam misericordiam salvos nos fecit per lavacrum regenerationis, et renovationis Spiritus Sancti, quem effudit in nos abunde per Jesum Christum Salvatorem nostrum: ut justificati gratia ipsius, hæredes simus secundum spem vitæ æternæ, in Christo Jesu Domino nostro.
This Sun which has appeared on our earth, is God our Savior, full of tenderest mercy. We were far off from God, and were sitting in the shades of death—the rays of the divine Light had to reach down to us in the deep abyss of our sins; and now, praise be to this Infinite Mercy! we are set free, and, with our freedom, have received regeneration, justification, and heirship to eternal life. Who shall henceforth separate us from the love of this Infant Jesus? Is it possible, that we ourselves can ever frustrate the designs of that love, by rendering all that it has done for us useless, and becoming once more the slaves of darkness and death? May God forbid it! and grant us grace to maintain our hope of everlasting life, which the Mystery of our Redemption has purchased for us.
Gradual
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: the Lord is our God, and he hath shone upon us.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini: Deus Dominus, et illuxit nobis.
℣. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes.
℣. A Domino factum est istud, et est mirabile in oculis nostris.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself with might. Alleluia.
℣. Dominus regnavit, decorem induit: induit Dominus fortitudinem, et præcinxit se virtute. Alleluia.
Gospel
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam.
Ch. II.
Cap. II.
At that time: The Shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word, that has come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us. And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in a manger. And seeing, they understood of the word, that had been spoken to them, concerning this Child. And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the Shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the Shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
In illo tempore: Pastores loquebantur ad invicem: Transeamus usque Bethlehem, et videamus hoc verbum quod factum est, quod Dominus ostendit nobis. Et venerunt festinantes; et invenerunt Mariam et Joseph, et infantem positum in præsepio. Videntes autem cognoverunt de verbo quod dictum erat illis de puero hoc. Et omnes qui audierunt, mirati sunt, et de his quæ dicta erant a pastoribus ad ipsos. Maria autem conservabat omnia verba hæc, conferens in corde suo. Et reversi sunt pastores glorificantes et laudantes Deum in omnibus quæ audierant et viderant, sicut dictum est ad illos.
Let us imitate the earnestness of the Shepherds in their hastening to Jesus. No sooner do they hear the Angel’s words, than they start for the holy Stable in Bethlehem. Once in the presence of the Divine Infant, they know him by the sign that had been given them by the Angel; and Jesus is born in their souls by his grace. These happy men delight, now, in their poverty, for they find that He, too, is poor. They feel that they are united to him for ever, and their whole lives shall testify to the change that this December Night has worked in them. They do not keep the great event to themselves; they tell every one about the Babe of Bethlehem, they become his Apostles, and their burning words fill their listeners with astonishment. Like them, let us glorify the great God, who, not satisfied with calling us to the admirable Light, has set it in the very center of our hearts, by uniting us to himself. Let us often think of the Mysteries of this glorious Night, after the example of Mary, who keeps unceasingly in her most pure Heart the wonderful things that God has been accomplishing by her and in her.
During the Offertory of the sacred gifts, the Church extols the power of our Emmanuel, who, that he might reform this fallen world, humbled himself so far, as to have a few poor Shepherds for his courtiers, He whose Throne and Divinity are from eternity.
Offertory
God hath established the world, which shall not be moved: thy throne, O God, is prepared from of old; thou art from everlasting.
Deus firmavit orbem terræ, qui non commovebitur: parata sedes tua, Deus, ex tunc; a sæculo tu es.
Secret
May the offerings, O Lord, we make, be agreeable to the mystery of this day’s Birth, and always pour forth peace upon us: that as He, who, though born Man, showed himself also God, so may this earthly substance give us that which is divine. Through the same, &c.
Munera nostra, quæsumus, Domine, Nativitatis hodiernæ mysteriis apta proveniant, et pacem nobis semper infundant: ut, sicut homo genitus idem refulsit et Deus; sic nobis hæc terrena substantia conferat quod divinum est. Per eumdem.
Commemoration of St. Anastasia.
Graciously receive, O Lord, we beseech thee, our offerings, and grant, by the merits of blessed Anastasia, thy Martyr, that they may avail to our salvation. Through, &c.
Accipe, quæsumus, Domine, munera dignanter oblata: et beatæ Anastasiæ, martyris tuæ, suffragantibus meritis, ad nostræ salutis auxilium provenire concede. Per Dominum.
After both Priest and people have communicated, the holy Church, all illumined with the sweet Light of her Spouse, to whom she has just been united, applies to herself the words, which the Prophet Zachary formerly addressed to her, when he announced the coming of the King, her Savior.
Communion
Rejoice, O daughter of Sion; shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold! thy King will come to thee, the Holy One, and the Savior of the world.
Exsulta, filia Sion; lauda, filia Jerusalem: ecce Rex tuus venit Sanctus, et Salvator mundi.
Postcommunion
May we, O Lord, always receive new Light from this Sacrament, which reneweth to us the memory of that wonderful Birth, which destroyed the old man. Through the same, &c.
Hujus nos, Domine, sacramenti semper novitas natalis instauret: cujus nativitas singularis humanam repulit vetustatem. Per eumdem Dominum.
Commemoration of St. Anastasia.
Thou hast fed, O Lord, thy family with these sacred oblations; ever, therefore, comfort us with her intercession, whose feast we celebrate. Through, &c.
Satiasti, Domine, familiam tuam muneribus sacris: ejus, quæsumus, interventione nos refove, cujus solemnia celebramus. Per Dominum.
The Mass of the Aurora ended, and the Birth of Grace having been honored by this second immolation of the divine Immortal Victim—the Faithful retire from the Church, that they may refresh themselves by sleep, and so, be in readiness for the Third Mass.
Mary and Joseph are in the Stable of Bethlehem, watching near the Crib. The light which reflects from the new-born Babe, and which surpasses the brightness of the sun that is just rising, fills the Cave and shines on the rocks outside; but, now that the Shepherds are gone, and the Angels are singing elsewhere, there is silence in the sacred grotto. As we lie down to take our rest, let us think upon the Divine Infant, and how he passes this his first night, in his humble Crib. That he may conform to the necessities of our human nature, which he has assumed, he closes his tender eye-lids, and sleep comes, because he so wills it, and lulls his senses to rest:—but, even while asleep, his heart watcheth,5 offering itself unceasingly for us. At times, he smiles on his Mother, who keeps her eyes fixed on him, loving him as She alone can love; he prays to his Eternal Father, and implores pardon for guilty man; he expiates for our pride by his own humiliations; he shows himself to us as the model of the infancy we must now begin to practice. Let us ask him to give us of the merit which attaches to this his sleep; that so, after having slept in peace, we may wake in his grace, and walk on, strenuously, in the path we have now entered.
Christmas Morning
Before Mass
The merry-pealing Bells have wakened us up, echoing to us the sweet burden of our Matin-Song, and inviting us to come once more and adore our Jesus, and assist at the Mass of the Day, which we call the Third Mass: Christ is born unto us; come! let us adore!
The sun is shining in the east—not, indeed, as he will in his summer’s pride;—still, brightly enough to tell us, that his triumph over winter has begun. Now, we say, the day will grow longer! Under this emblem, let us see and adore our Sun of Justice, Jesus, our sweet Savior, who has also begun, today, to run his triumphant course!6
Until the hour of Mass comes, let us keep up in our souls the spirit of this glorious Festival, by reading the following selections from the ancient Liturgies. They are full of joy and tender devotion, and tell us, of the triumph of Light, of the loveliness of the new-born Babe, and of the glory of the Virgin-Mother.
We will begin with these stanzas of Prudentius, the prince of Christian Poets: they are taken from his Hymn, which is thus headed: The Eighth of the Kalends of January: (VIII. Kal. Januarias.)
Hymn
Why is it, that the Sun, which rises today, leaves his narrow path? Is it not, that Jesus is born on our earth, Jesus, who comes to widen for us the way of Light?
Sol jam recurrens deserit?
Christusne terris nascitur
Qui lucis auget tramitem?
Ah! how speedily did the rapid Day turn his sweet face from us! how, each time, shorter was his stay, preparing us for total night!
Festina volvebat dies!
Quam pene subductam facem
Sensim recisa extinxerat!
But now, let the heavens wear brighter looks, and the glad earth be happy, for, the Sun begins, once more, to mount the longer path.
Gratetur et gaudens humus;
Scandit gradatim denuo
Jubar priores lineas.
Dear Infant Jesus! all things, however hard and senseless, feel that thou art born: the very stones relent, and verdure comes from rocks.
Sensere dura, et barbara,
Victusque saxorum rigor
Obduxit herbam cotibus.
The flinty mountain-side drips now with honey; the oak’s stiff trunk now sweats its sappy tears; and balsam oozes now from humblest shrub.
Jam stillat ilex arido
Sudans amomum stipite;
Jam sunt myricis balsama.
How holy is thy cradle-crib, O King eternal! How sacred ever to mankind! Nay, the very Ox and Ass stand over it as theirs!
Æterne Rex, cunabula,
Populisque per seclum sacra,
Mutis et ipsis credita.
Now let us listen to the several Churches, beginning with those of the East, as being nearest to the country where the great Event took place. First, comes the Church of Syria; her Chanter is St. Ephraim; and he begins his song thus:
The Son of God is born—Light has shone forth, darkness has fled from the earth, and the world is enlightened; let it praise the New-Born Babe, that gave it light.
Nato Filio, lumen affulsit, et ex mundo tenebræ fugatæ, illuminatusque est orbis; laudes ergo referat Nato, qui illum illuminavit.
He has risen from the Virgin’s womb; the shades of night have seen him and fled: the darkness of error has been scattered; let the whole earth sing praise to Him, by whom it has been illumined.
Ortus est ex utero Virginis, eoque viso defecerunt umbræ: et tenebræ erroris ab eo expulsæ; orbisque totus illustratus; laudes ergo illi referat.
The Church of Armenia thus sings to our Emmanuel, during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:
A fresh flower has, this day, sprung up from the Root of Jesse: and a daughter of David has given birth to the Son of God.
Novus flos hodie oritur ex radice Jesse, et filia David parit Filium Dei.
A multitude of Angels and the Heavenly Host, coming down from heaven with the Only Begotten King, sang and said: This is the Son of God! Let us all exclaim: Ye heavens exult, and ye foundations of the world be glad! for, the Eternal God has appeared upon the earth, and has conversed with men, that he may save our souls!
Multitudo Angelorum et militiæ cœlestis, descendentes de cœlis cum unigenito rege cantabant et dicebant: Hic est Filius Dei. Omnes dicamus: exsultate cœli, et lætamini fundamenta mundi, quia Deus æternus in terris apparuit, et cum hominibus conversatus est, ut salvet animas nostras.
The Greek Church thus cries out in her beautiful language:
Come! let us rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the mystery of this day. The wall of division is destroyed; the fiery sword is sheathed, and the Angel no longer keeps us from the Tree of Life. I, yea I, that was driven, by the sin of disobedience, from the Paradise of delights, may now enter and feast. The unchangeable Image of the Father, the type of his eternity, assumes the form of a servant, and is born of a Virgin-Mother; yet, he suffers not any change: for, that which he was, he continues to be—the true God; but that which he was not, he now becomes, being made Man for love of man. Let us cry out to him: O thou, that art born of the Virgin! have mercy on us.
Venite, exsultemus Domino, hodiernum celebrantes mysterium. Murus dirutus est medius; avertitur flammeus gladius, Cherubim a ligno vitæ recedit. Et ego paradisum deliciarum participo, a quo per inobedientiam expulsus fueram. Incommutabilis imago Patris, typus ejus æternitatis, formam servi accipit, ex nuptinescia matre progrediens, nullam passus commutationem: quod enim erat permansit, Deus cum esset verus; quod autem non erat præteraccipit, homo factus per philanthropiam. Illi clamemus: Qui natus es de Virgine, miserere nobis.
The holy Roman Church, by the mouth of St. Leo, in his Sacramentary, thus celebrates the mystery of the divine Light:
It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should give thanks to thee, O Eternal God: because, this day, has risen the true light of our Savior, whereby all things are made clear to our intellect and sight: that thus, by his own brightness, he might not only direct us in this our present life, but bring us to the very vision of thy divine Majesty.
Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare: nos tibi gratias agere, æterne Deus, quia nostri Salvatoris hodie lux vera processit, quæ clara nobis omnia et intellectu manifestavit et visu. Quibus non solum præsentem vitam suo splendore dirigeret, sed ad ipsam nos majestatis immensæ gloriam perduceret intuendam.
The same Church of Rome, in the Sacramentary of St. Gelasius, makes the following prayer to the heavenly Father, who sent his Son to redeem us:
O Almighty and everlasting God, who hast consecrated this day by the Incarnation of thy Word, and the Delivery of the Blessed Virgin; grant to thy people, upon this joyous solemnity, that they who have been redeemed by thy grace, may also be made thy children by adoption.
Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, qui hunc diem per incarnationem Verbi tui, et per partum beatæ Virginis consecrasti; da populis tuis in hac celebritate lætitiæ, ut et qui tua gratia sunt redempti, tua adoptione sint filii.
And, again, the same Church thus invokes upon her children the Light of Christ: she uses the words of the Sacramentary of St. Gregory the Great:
Grant unto us, O Almighty God! that the Savior—whom thou sendest for the world’s salvation on this day’s solemnity, whereon the heavens are renewed in light—may ever rise in our hearts and renew them.
Concede nobis, omnipotens Deus, ut salutare tuum, nova cœlorum luce mirabile, quod ad salutem mundi hodierna festivitate processit, nostris semper innovandis cordibus oriatur.
The Church of Milan, in its Ambrosian Liturgy, also celebrates the new Light and the joys of the Virgin-Mother:
When our Lord came, he dispelled all the darkness of night; and where had been no light, there was made brightness, and the day appeared.
Adveniens Dominus, abstulit omnem caliginem noctis; et, ubi non erat lumen, facta est claritas, et apparuit dies.
Rejoice and be glad, O Mary, thou joy of Angels! Rejoice, O thou Virgin of the Lord, and joy of the prophets! Rejoice, thou Blessed one, the Lord is with thee. Rejoice, thou that didst receive, at the Angel’s announcing, Him who is the joy of the world. Rejoice, thou that didst give birth to thy Creator and Lord. Rejoice, in that thou wast worthy to be made the Mother of Christ.
Gaude, et lætare, exsultatio Angelorum. Gaude, Domini Virgo, prophetarum gaudium. Gaudeas, benedicta, Dominus tecum est. Gaude, quæ per Angelum gaudium mundi suscepisti. Gaude, quæ genuisti factorem et Dominum. Gaudeas, quia digna es esse Mater Christi.
The ancient Church of Gaul expresses its gladness by these joyous Antiphons, and which were adopted, for several ages, by the Church of Rome:
The purest of Virgins gave us our God, who was this day born of her, clothed in the flesh of a Babe, and she was found worthy to feed him at her Breast: let us all adore Christ, who came to save us.
Hodie intacta Virgo Deum nobis genuit, teneris indutum membris, quem lactare meruit; omnes Christum adoremus qui venit salvare nos.
Ye faithful people, let us all rejoice, for our Savior is born in our world: this Day, there has been born the Son of the great Mother, and she yet a pure Virgin.
Gaudeamus omnes fideles, Salvator noster natus est in mundo: hodie processit Proles magnifici germinis, et perseverat pudor virginitatis.
O Queen of the world, and Daughter of a kingly race! Christ has risen from thy womb, as a Bridegroom coming from the bride-chamber: He that rules the stars, lies in a Crib.
O mundi Domina, regio ex semine orta, ex tuo jam Christus processit alvo, tanquam sponsus de thalamo: hic jacet in præsepio qui et sidera regit.
The Gothic Church of Spain unites her voice with that of all these others, and, in her Mozarabic Breviary, thus hails the rising of the Divine Sun:
Today, has risen the Light of the world: today, has shone forth the earth’s salvation: today, the Savior of Israel has come down from the heavenly country, that he may set free all the slaves, whom the old enemy and robber had enslaved by the sin of our first Parent; that he might, also, restore, by his preventing grace, light to the blind of heart, and hearing to the deaf. For the benefits of this so great a mystery, let the mountains and hills leap with joy, and the very elements of the world be exceeding glad, on this day, and sing sweet melody. Therefore, let us, in humblest prayer, suppliantly beseech our most merciful Redeemer; that we, who are beset by the darkness of our sins, may, by this our hearts’ acclamation, be speedily delivered; that, he appearing among us, the brightness of his glory may more joyously and abundantly gleam in our souls, and the happiness of salvation gladden them with never-ending sweetness.
Hodie lumen mundi prodiit: hodie salus ævi emicuit: hodie Salvator Israel de climate cœli descendit, ut eruat omnes captivos, quos antiquus hostis prædo per primi hominis delictum captivaverat: et ut cæcis mentibus lumen, surdis auditum, gratia præveniente, restitueret: ob istius tanti mysterii beneficia montes et colles tripudiant, ipsaque mundi elementa ineffabili gaudio ista in die melos decantant: ob hoc gemebunda prece pii Redemptoris clementiam suppliciter exoramus; ut nos, qui in tenebris peccatorum nostrorum involvimur, per cordis acclamationem protinus expiemur, ut illo in nobis apparente, et splendor gloriæ jucundius, ac multiplicius nostris in præcordiis vigeat, et salutis gaudia sine fine dulcescant.
Let us end this our stroll among the ancient Liturgies, by culling a flower from Erin. The Church of Ireland, in the seventh century, used to sing this Antiphon on Christmas Day, which we have taken from the Banchor Antiphonary, published by Muratori. Here, again, we find the idea so often alluded to:—the triumph of the Sun’s light, which begins today, considered as the image of Jesus’ Birth.
From this Day, night decreases, day increases, darkness is shaken, light grows longer, and the loss of night shall make the gain of day.
Ab hodierno die nox minuitur, dies crescit, concutiuntur tenebræ, lumen augetur, et in lucro lucis nocturna dispendia transferentur.
And now, Christians, let us to the House of our God, and prepare for our third Sacrifice.