The Octave of Saint Thomas
Archbishop of Canterbury, and Martyr.
The Catholic Church in England celebrates, today, the Octave of St. Thomas of Canterbury. It is but fitting, that the Country, which was beautified with the blood of the illustrious Martyr, should honor his memory with an especial fervor, and keep up his Feast during the joyful Octaves of Stephen, of John the Beloved Disciple, and of the Innocents of Bethlehem.
We have seen, on the Feast itself, how the Catholic world gave expression, through the sacred Liturgy, to its love of our great Martyr. In the Ages of Faith, a victory gained by the Church was considered as a victory for the whole human race. It is impossible for us to write the Lives of the Saints in our Liturgical Year, which is crowded enough as it is;—and hence we cannot enter, with anything like detail, into the actions of this the Martyr for the Liberty of the Church. But we cannot withhold from our readers the following eloquent proof of the affection and esteem in which St. Thomas was held by those who had been eye-witnesses of his sublime virtues. It is a Letter written by Peter of Blois, Archdeacon of Bath, to the Canons of Beauvoir, a few days after the Martyrdom of the Saint, whose blood was still on the pavement of the Metropolitan Church of Canterbury. Let us notice, as we read it, the self-possessed and meek enthusiasm, with which even the grandest victories of the Church inspire her children.
“The Shepherd of our souls is dead, and my first impulse is to mourn with you over this death. Yet Death I may not call it, for the death wherewith our Lord has honored his Saint is rather a sleep than a death. It has been the harboring him into rest. It has been to him the gate of life, and the admission into the delights of the heavenly country, into the power of the Lord, into the abyss of eternal light. Having to set out on a long journey, he has taken with him all he needed, and will return on the day of the full moon;1 for his soul, full of merit, has left the body, in order to return to its ancient dwelling in the general and complete resurrection. Jealous and crafty Death came to scrutinize this treasury of merit, suspecting something to be there which he could claim. But, Thomas was too circumspect and prudent, and never permitted his true life to be tampered with. He had long desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ;2 and, at the close of his life, was pining to take his departure from the body of this death. He has now thrown a handful of dust into Death’s face, as a tribute which he owed to the old enemy: and the false report has gone abroad, and people are telling each other, that an evil beast hath devoured our Joseph.3 The coat, of which he has been stripped, has given rise to this false news of his death; for Joseph lives, and rules through the whole land of Egypt. His blessed soul, unburdened of its corruptible garments, and freed from the dust of this present life, has taken her flight to heaven.
“Yes, he of whom the world was not worthy, has been called away to heaven. This light is not put out; it is but shaken by a passing wind, that it may shine all the brighter, and may, no longer kept under a bushel, give light to all that are in the house. He hath seemed in the eyes of the unwise to have died;4 but his life hath been hid with Christ in God.5 It has seemed as though Death had conquered and swallowed him up; whereas, in reality, Death is swallowed up in victory.6 Thou hast given him, O Lord, his heart’s desire,7 for he had long served thee, and, because of the words of thy lips, had kept hard ways.8 From earliest youth, his conduct was such as to be worthy of one advanced in years, and he restrained the rebellions of the flesh, by watching, fasting, disciplines, hair shirt, and perpetual continency. The Lord chose him for his Priest, that he might be to the people a guide, and teacher; a mirror of life, a model of penance, and an example of holiness. The God of wisdom gave him eloquence of speech, and abundantly infused into him the spirit of wisdom and understanding, making him the most learned of the learned, the wisest of the wise, excellent even among the best, and superior even among the greatest men. He was a herald of the divine word, a trumpet of the Gospel, a friend of the Bridegroom, the support of the Clergy, an eye to the blind, a foot to the lame,9 the salt of the earth, the light of his country, a minister of the Most High, a vicar of Christ, a Christ of the Lord.
“He was upright in his judgment, energetic in administration, discreet in his orders, modest in his speech, circumspect in his advice, most abstemious in his food, gentle in temper, an angel in human flesh, meek amidst injuries, humble in prosperity, most courageous in adversity, prodigal in almsgiving, and was ever exercising some work of mercy. He was the glory of Religious, the favorite of the people, the terror of Princes, the god of Pharaoh.10 If some men, when exalted to the supreme dignity of the Episcopacy, begin at once to be carnal-minded, and shun every bodily suffering as the greatest evil, and desire to enjoy as long a life as possible—it was not so with our Pastor. On the very first day of his promotion, he longed, but more ardently than can be told, for the end of life, or, more correctly, he thirsted to begin the life of eternity. For this purpose, he looked on himself and comported himself as a pilgrim, and drank of the torrent in the Way;11 therefore is his name glorified in the heavenly Country. Thus it is, that our Brethren, the Monks of the Cathedral Church, are become as orphans, without their Father.”
The sixteenth century brought an unexpected addition to the glory of our Saint. The enemy of God and man, Henry 8th, hated the very name of the Martyr, that had died for the Liberty of the Church. There was an honor, which such a Tyrant could still add to St. Thomas’ glorious name:—he could insult the Shrine, where, for four hundred years, the Saint had received the homage of the entire Catholic world. The venerable Relics of the Martyr were dragged from beneath the Altar: an absurd action was brought against Thomas, formerly Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was found guilty of high treason! His Relics were put upon a pile; and in this second Martyrdom, the fire destroyed the last remains of the holy man, whose intercession drew down upon England the protection and blessings of heaven. After all, how could a country, that was on the eve of its great apostasy from the True Faith, be expected to appreciate the rich treasure of such Relics? Besides, the See of Canterbury was defiled. Cranmer sat on the Chair, which had been that of an Augustine, a Dunstan, a Lanfranc, an Anselm, and a Thomas à Becket. If our holy Martyr and Archbishop had looked through the then existing generation of his Brethren, he would, indeed, have found one, who followed his example and died a Martyr—John Fisher:—but he was the only one; and his sacrifice, glorious as it was, had not power to save his country. The Liberty of the Church had long before then been destroyed;—Faith was sure to die out.
The Mass and Vespers are as on the Feast, December 29. Saint Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Martyr.
We here insert the third Sequence written by Adam of Saint-Victor in honor of the glorious Primate of the Isle of Saints.
Sequence
Our Eliseus turns the bitter waters into sweet, by putting into them a new vase of salt; and by the seasoning of fresh meal, removed the bitterness from the pot of poisonous herbs;
Novi salis nova dulcedine,
Ollam plenam lethali gramine
Novi farris sanat pinguedine
Elisæus;
He is slain, as a sheep that dies to save the flock, or as a child that is sacrificed, that the mother may be spared. He rises as a new Sun in a night-covered world, promising a long year of Jubilee.
Et pro matre proles occiditur;
In obscuris sol novus oritur
In quo serus annus promittitur
Jubileus.
In these our days, by a wicked plot, a new Abel has been sacrificed by a wicked Cain, a new Jacob by a cruel Esau, and a new Joseph by envious brethren.
Novum Jacob Seïr sævitia,
Novum Joseph fratrum invidia,
Intercepit fraude nefaria,
His diebus.
Children have risen up against their Father, harrowing the bosom of their Mother. A new chaos seems to have enveloped all things on earth; how else could the Pontiff Thomas have met with death?
Non materno parcentes uberi;
Thomas præsul dum datur funeri,
Novum chaos videtur ingeri
Mundi rebus.
But Abel falls in glory, Jacob is safe in Mesopotamia, Joseph rules in the court of the king, and our Martyr, Thomas, wears a crown in the palace of heaven.
Jacob servat Mesopotamia,
Joseph regnat in aula regia,
Thomas noster in cœli curia
Coronatur.
’Tis merry England now once more, and Dover’s cliffs are shores of a new Bethel, and of a land where is a pool of ever and many-healing waters.
Bethel novus fit Dorovernia,
Fit piscina propitiaria,
In qua jugis et multifaria
Salus datur.
The Jordan river flows through England’s vales, and who could tell how many Naamans there receive their cure? The spring of Siloë has sent her stream to Albion, and heaven’s manna falls where once it was not known.
Fit Naaman alter et tertius,
Derivatur Siloe longius,
Cœlum pluit manna profusius
Quam solebat.
A long summer smiles on the fair island. The barren Anna is blessed with a noble Son. But, oh! shame above that of old! a Herod’s sword has slain the new Prophet.
Magnus Annæ donatur filius.
Novum vatem Herodis gladius
Trucidavit inverecundius
Quam decebat.
How great is the reward of the martyred Saint! Life, salvation, and celestial light, are bestowed on him, for his holy deeds, and for the courage of his upright mind.
Sancto namque, pro sanctimonia,
Pro sinceræ mentis constantia,
Vita, salus, et lux ætherea
Condonatur.
And now, from heaven, he works so many miracles! He heals leprosy, he puts devils to flight, he gives sight to the blind, he makes the lame walk, he gives speech to the dumb, he obtains a cure for every sickness.
Lepram curat, fugat Dæmonia;
Cæcis visum, claudis vestigia,
Verba mutis, ægris remedia
Imprecatur.
A son of Belial, who had poured out blasphemies against the Saint, was struck blind; and, whereas he desisted not from his mad fury, he met with a wretched death.
Quas in Sanctum arsit injurias;
Visu dempto, tristes exsequias,
Maturando nefandas furias,
Terminavit.
A man who had great devotion to the Saint, had, through a false zeal, lost his sight: he recovered it immediately, on praying to the Saint, and went his way singing joyfully his praises to God.
Zelo pravo sustractus lumini,
Sed mox datus visus acumini,
Laudes lætus divino nomini
Decantavit.
Crosses, made by an Angel’s hand, are often known to have a heavenly power, by the powerful prayer of the loving Pastor. The dust from round his sepulcher is known to heal paralysis.
Pii Patris prece benefica,
Crebro pollent virtute cœlica;
Far fit humi, quod paralytica
Membra sanat.
Two lamps had been presented to his Shrine, as a votive offering; they were lit by a light from heaven. A man who had attempted to profane the holy spot, was found out by the breaking of a vase.
Accenduntur cœlesti lumine;
Declaratur in vasis fragmine
Locum sanctum fraudis molimine
Qui profanat.
A boy had kicked his mother, and repenting of his deed, had maimed himself. No sooner has he begged the prayers of the Saint, than, oh! wonderful miracle! he recovers the use of both his feet.
Pœnitendo calcem absciderat;
Mox, ut opem Sancti petierat,
Bipedalem gressum meruerat,
Res stupenda!
O Thomas! thou skillful pilot in the mystic Bark! let thy prayers give worth to our praises and hymns, that they be pleasing to the King, our God; and, by thy powerful intercession, commend us to the same!
Nostra, Thoma, laudes et cantica
Summo Regi prece gratifica
Et eidem prece magnifica
Nos commenda.
Amen.
Amen.
Our readers will not regret our giving insertion to the following beautiful Prose, taken from the ancient Missals of Liege.
Prose
Rejoice, O Canterbury! adorned with thy late Martyr, Thomas, as Rome is with her Peter.
Sicut suo Petro Roma,
Gaude Cantuaria!
Nay, let the whole Church Militant be devout to thy Saint, and pay him the holy tribute of her praise.
Pia laudum solvens vota,
Militans Ecclesia.
This is the Pontiff, who draws on himself the anger of England’s king, because he defends the law of God.
Legem Dei, promeretur
Iram regis Angliæ.
For which reason he is sent into banishment, and crossing the sea, seeks protection from the King of France.
Et transcurso mari, credit
Sese regi Franciæ.
The king receives him gladly, as he well-deserved; and visits the Pontiff, devoutly and affectionately, as he would a father.
Tam devote quam benigne,
Sicut patrem visitat.
In France, Thomas, like a young novice, serves the King of kings with wonderful fervor.
Thomas, in fervore miro,
Regi regum militat.
At length, when peace was restored, though it was but the crafty show of peace, he returns to his country.
Pace dolis palliata,
Regressus ad propria.
He asserts the Church’s right, and serves his God; wherefore, the king, his artful enemy, grows mad with rage and wantons in his wrath.
Inde sævit et protervit,
Hostis arte varia.
Now like a cunning fox, and now like a savage tigress, he tries each door, each scheme:
Nunc ut tygris virulenta,
Tentat omnes aditus.
At one time, threats; at another, flattery; but Thomas is nothing moved, unflinching as at first.
Ille nihil emollitur,
Idem manens penitus.
The king finding that the champion of the truth was not to be moved, and that his resolve was inflexible;
Virum assertorem veri,
Nec frangi propositum;
He turns all men against the Pastor, and whispers murder to a minion troop.
Cohortatur ad cruorem
Cohortem satellitum.
The parricides have understood the king; crafty and faithless, they enter the Church, that they may make away with the Champion of Liberty, and usurp his throne.
Tam in fraude quam in fide,
Libertatis ut Patronum
Tollant et usurpent thronum,
Ruunt in Ecclesia.
The Pontiff was at prayer in the sanctuary; he comes forth, heeding not the enemy. The serenity of his soul is ruffled not with fear of the raging troop; he goes to meet them.
Palam prodit, hoste spreto;
Nec turbat quies mentis
Turbæ metu sævientis,
Sed procedit obviam.
The head of that saintly Priest, which had been fondly caressed on a mother’s breast,
Exoptatum mille votis
Suæ matris gremio,
Ferrum bibit, cruor manat,
Et ibidem cœcos sanat
In tumultu medio.
Now feels the edge of deadly steel; the blood gushes forth; and there, in the midst of all the disorder, gives sight to a blind man.
Per se satis eloquuntur,
Ubique miracula?
But, why need we tell what his miracles so eloquently proclaim throughout the world?
Desperatis salus redit,
Fugit lepræ macula.
Devils are put to flight, death yields up her victims, health is restored to them that had lost all hope, and lepers are cleansed.
Motus nostræ carnis doma
Precum efficacia.
O thou gem of the Priesthood! O glorious Pontiff Thomas! thy prayers are ne’er refused—oh! calm the rebellion of our flesh.
Radicati, vera vitæ
Capiamus præmia.
That being rooted in Christ, the true Vine, we may receive the solid rewards of eternal life. Amen.
Amen.
Thy Feast ends today, and we come before thee to pay thee a last tribute of our devotion, O glorious Champion of the Liberty of the Church! who standest near the Crib of our Emmanuel, as the representative of the combats he would have to fight in the future of his Church. The whole of Christendom implores thine intercession; but England claims thy special protection. Thou art one of her grandest glories, and neither heresy, which has laid waste the land, nor impiety, which has covered her with sacrilege, have made her forgetful of her great Martyr of Canterbury. She is now in the first years of a new period, which is fraught with promise of a bright future—and thy dear name is honored with a love, which is worthy of the devotion shown thee in times now long passed away. Churches are being built in thy honor, on that very soil, where it was once made obligatory by law to hate thee. Each year is adding to the number of the members of the true Church; and they, whose conversion thus gladdens the Angels of God, are men, whose early training taught them to look on contempt for Thomas à Becket as a sign of patriotism and refinement. Each year, as thy Feast comes round, the day is kept with greater solemnity; thy merits are better understood, and the increase of faith sets men’s hearts on thanking their God for having given thee to his Church as the type of a Bishop.
Bless, then, O holy Pontiff! this flock of thine own land, which is so fast increasing. Pray for them who are still wavering, that they may have light to see the light granted them by God. Three centuries of error and revolt!—oh! terrible but just chastisement of our dearest country! Pray that it may be taken away from her, and show, by thy loving intercession, that thou art still the good Shepherd and the affectionate Father.
At the bidding of the successor of Eleutherius and Gregory the Great, the Episcopal Hierarchy has reappeared in this beautiful Isle of ours, where thou wast once the Primate, vested with the sacred Pallium. Oh! protect the Bishops who are now so zealously governing the vineyard over which thou didst once preside, and for which thou didst shed thy blood. Ask our Lord to increase the number of his Priests; for the harvest is great, and the laborers are few. May they be endued, by the Master of the Vineyard, with the spirit of patience and courage; may they be powerful in word and work, and may their name, as thine is, be held in blessing by future generations!
The Vigil of the Epiphany
The Same Day. With a Commemoration of Saint Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr.
The Feast of Christmas is over; the five Octaves are closed; and we are on the Eve of the Solemnity of our Lord’s Epiphany. We must spend this fifth of January in preparing ourselves for the Manifestation which Jesus, the Angel of the Great Counsel, is about to make to us of his glory. A few more hours, and the Star will stand still in the heavens, and the Magi will be seeking for admission into the stable at Bethlehem.
This Vigil is not like that of Christmas, a day of penance. The Child, whose coming we were then awaiting, in the fervor of our humble desires, is now among us, preparing to bestow fresh favors upon us. This eve of tomorrow’s Solemnity is a day of joy, like those that have preceded it; and therefore, we do not fast, nor does the Church put on the vestments of mourning, even in those churches where the Octave Day of St. Thomas of Canterbury is not observed. If the Office of the Vigil be the one of today, the color used is White. This is the Twelfth day since the Birth of our Emmanuel.
If the Vigil of the Epiphany fall on a Sunday, it shares, with Christmas Eve, the privilege of not being anticipated, as all other Vigils are, on the Saturday: it is kept on the Sunday, has all the privileges of a Sunday, and the Mass is that of the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas Day. Let us, therefore, celebrate this Vigil in great joy of heart, and prepare our souls for tomorrow’s graces.
The Greek Church keeps this a fasting-day, in memory of the preparation for Baptism, which used formerly to be administered, especially in the East, on the night preceding the feast of the Epiphany. She still solemnly blesses the Water on this Feast. We will, in our next volume, speak of this ceremony, of which some vestiges still remain in the Western Church.
The holy Church of Rome commemorates today the holy Pope and Martyr, St. Telesphorus. This Pontiff began his reign in the year 127; and among his decrees, we find that of his prescribing the holy sacrifice of the Mass to be offered up on Christmas Night, in order to honor the hour when our Savior was born: he also ordered that the Angelic Hymn Gloria in excelsis should be said, on most days, at the beginning of Mass. This devotion of the holy Pope towards the great Mystery which we are now celebrating, renders his commemoration at this season of the year doubly dear to us. Telesphorus suffered a glorious martyrdom, as St. Irenæus expresses it, and was crowned with eternal glory in the year 138.
Mass
The Mass of the Vigil of the Epiphany is that of the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, except the Commemoration of St. Telesphorus and the Gospel.
Introit
Dum medium silentium, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Collect
Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Commemoration of St. Telesphorus.
Let us pray.
Oremus.
O God, who by the yearly solemnity of blessed Telesphorus, thy Martyr and Bishop, rejoicest the hearts of the faithful; mercifully grant that we who celebrate his martyrdom may enjoy his protection.
Deus qui nos beati Telesphori, Martyris tui atque Pontificis, annua solemnitate lætificas: concede propitius; ut cujus natalitia colimus, de ejusdem etiam protectione gaudeamus.
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin.
Deus, qui salutis æternæ, January 1. The Circumcision of Our Lord.
Epistle
Fratres, quanto tempore, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Gradual
Speciosus forma, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Gospel
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthæum.
Ch. II.
Cap. II.
When Herod was dead, behold an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, saying: Arise and take the Child and his Mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the life of the Child. Who arose, and took the Child and his Mother, and came into the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee. And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene.
In illo tempore: defuncto Herode, ecce Angelus Domini apparuit in somnis Joseph, in Ægypto, dicens: Surge, et accipe Puerum et Matrem ejus, et vade in terram Israel; defuncti sunt enim qui quærebant animam Pueri. Qui consurgens accepit Puerum et Matrem ejus, et venit in terram Israel. Audiens autem quod Archelaus regnaret in Judæa pro Herode patre suo, timuit illo ire: et admonitus in somnis, secessit in partes Galilææ. Et veniens habitavit in civitate quæ vocatur Nazareth: ut adimpleretur quod dictum est per Prophetas: quoniam Nazaræus vocabitur.
Offertory
Deus firmavit, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Secret
Concede, quæsumus, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Commemoration of St. Telesphorus.
Sanctify, O Lord, the offerings consecrated to thee: and being appeased thereby, mercifully look upon us, by the intercession of blessed Telesphorus, thy Martyr and Bishop.
Munera tibi, Domine, dicata sanctifica: et, intercedente beato Telesphoro, Martyre tuo atque Pontifice, per eadem nos placatus intende.
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin.
Muneribus nostris, January 1. The Circumcision of Our Lord.
Communion
Tolle puerum, December 30. The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.
Commemoration of St. Telesphorus.
Let us pray.
Oremus.
Being refreshed by the participation of thy sacred gift, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that, by the intercession of blessed Telesphorus, thy Martyr and Bishop, we may feel the effect of the worship we celebrate.
Refecti participatione muneris sacri, quæsumus, Domine Deus noster, ut cujus exsequimur cultum, intercedente beato Telesphoro, Martyre tuo atque Pontifice, sentiamus effectum.
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin.
Hæc nos communio, January 1. The Circumcision of Our Lord.
The last words of our Advent were those of the Spouse, recorded in the prophecy of the Beloved Disciple: Come, Lord Jesus, come!12 We will close this first part of our Christmas with those words of the Prophet Isaias, which the Church has so often spoken to us: unto us a Child is born!13 The heavens have dropped down their Dew, the clouds have rained down the Just One, the earth has yielded its Savior, The Word is made flesh, the Virgin has brought forth her sweet Fruit—our Emmanuel, that is, God with us. The Sun of Justice now shines upon us; darkness has fled; in heaven there is Glory to God; on earth, there is Peace to men. All these blessings have been brought to us by the humble yet glorious Birth of this Child. Let us adore him in his Crib; let us love him for all his love of us; and let us prepare the gifts we intend to present to him, with the Magi, on tomorrow’s Feast. The joy of the Church is as great as ever; the Angels are adoring in their wondering admiration; all nature thrills with delight:—Unto us is born a little Child!