Sermons & Letters 188 part 2/15

Who, that in every place of Thy dominion Thou mightest magnify the power of blessed Peter the Apostle, dost grant him to be present not only where his venerable relics repose, but wherever his precious reverence has been invoked; mayest Thou now also show it to continue, that 'his sound may go forth into all the earth,' and his saving words run through the whole world. Through, etc. We bless, O Lord, Thy mercies, who dost suffer us to be unceasingly cherished by the commemoration of Thy blessed Apostle Peter, humbly entreating that we may feel the patronage of him whose solemnities we keep. Through, etc. Likewise another. If Thou wilt, Thou canst make clean, O Lord; and the pardon which the voice of our iniquity cannot obtain, grant us by the prayers of Thy saints. Through, etc.

As suppliants, O Lord, we ask Thee that, although our offenses hinder us, yet through the remembrance of Thy martyrs our offering may not be unacceptable. Through, etc. It is truly meet. With prostrate heart imploring that, although our misdeeds are so great that even with the innumerable intercessions of the saints we labor under them, Thou nevertheless in Thy boundless mercy wouldst grant that our crimes may not prevail more than the abundant satisfaction of the just on our behalf. Through, etc. Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we, who, weighed down by immense errors, have no confidence of conscience, may be aided by the blessed supplication of Thy martyrs. Through, etc.

Likewise another. May the manifold patronage of the saints profit us by their merits, O Lord, and may the prayer of the blessed, poured out for us in such number, dissolve our injustices. Through, etc. Despise not, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gifts presented for our excesses, but rather, through the intercession of Thy saints, turn Thyself to indulgence toward Thy suppliants. Through, etc. It is truly meet. For Thou, O Lord, dost discern Thy people; and when a multitude gathers for the feasts of the martyrs, Thou knowest who are truly of the number of Thy faithful; and therefore let no portion of the devil remain in any, that he who desires to be counted in the lot of the saints may be so counted. Through, etc.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to Thy holy martyrs, that they may bestow on us the help of their intercession, and that we may escape Thy wrath, which we have merited by our depravities. Through, etc. Likewise another. Let us not be overwhelmed, O Lord, we beseech Thee, though by the immense masses of our sins—we who entreat Thee with Thy saints interceding—that, offended by our evils, Thou reject not these present Victims, but by the power of the sacrament make us pleasing to Thee. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Humbly entreating that it may be granted us, that as Thy saints overcame the world by Thy power, so they may ask that we be freed from worldly errors. Through, etc.

Since our own voices, O Lord, do not deserve to be heard, may the intervention of Thy saints, we beseech Thee, be accepted on our behalf. Through, etc. Likewise another. Graciously admit our prayers, O Lord, and that we may serve at Thine altars worthily, guard us by the intercession of Thy saints. Through, etc. Grant us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, to serve Thy gifts with a free mind, that, Thy grace purifying us, we may be amended by the very mysteries in which we minister. Through, etc. It is truly meet. For unto Thee, O Lord, this sacred festival is kept, unto Thee this hallowed day is celebrated, which the blood of Thy blessed martyrs, poured out in testimony of Thy truth, has marked with the magnificent honor of Thy name. Through, etc.

Almighty and everlasting God, who, providing for our frailty, dost console us by the constant celebration of the saints: grant us, being set under such patrons, both to be fortified with perpetual security and to rejoice in saving progress. Through, etc. May our offerings be acceptable to Thee, O Lord, which are both established by Thy precepts and commended by the glorious festival of Thy saints. Through, etc. It is truly meet. For we marvel, O Lord, at Thy powers and Thy victories, as often as we celebrate in Thy Church the solemnities of these days, which the illustrious palms of Thy confessors and martyrs have consecrated for the faithful peoples unto perpetual memory and holy gladness. Through, etc.

We beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that the divine mysteries which we frequent in commemoration of Thy saints we may follow both in deed and in understanding. Through, etc. Be present, O Lord, to Thy people entreating Thee with the patronage of the saints, that what it does not presume upon by its own confidence it may obtain by the merits of its intercessors. Through, etc. Likewise another. Almighty and everlasting God, who dost consider us not fit to entreat Thy majesty as is meet, grant that Thy holy martyrs, whom Thou canst worthily hear, may intercede for our sins. Through, etc. Aid us, O Lord, by the prayer of Thy saints, that we may feel the help of those whose feasts we keep. Through, etc.

May the appointed safeguards of the holy martyrs commend the oblation of Thy household, O Lord, and, that it may be pleasing to Thee, may it be offered through the supplications of those who please Thee. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Who, not only paying the debt of the ancient death—by which He Himself was not bound—repaid it on behalf of the debtors, but also conferred upon His martyrs that what human nature had incurred by acting against the will of its Creator, and had been bound by a fixed law to pay, while they willingly took it upon themselves for the testimony of the Creator, might become for them justice out of guilt, and the penalty might pass over into glory. Through, etc. Likewise another.

May the votive sacrifices of Thy people be pleasing to Thee, O Lord, and what our frailty cannot obtain, may the supplication of those for whose glory they are offered obtain. Through, etc. May the satisfaction of Thy saints accompany, on our behalf, the gifts dedicated to Thy name, O Lord; that our offenses may be relaxed through them who are worthy in Thy sight. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Who, in order to win a greater triumph over the enemy of the human race, besides that singular glory whereby he was cast down in unspeakable ways by the power of the Lord, brought it to pass that he should be overcome even by the holy martyrs; and that in His members too the victory might follow which went before in the Head. Through, etc. Likewise another. Hear, O Lord, our prayers;

and that the gifts which we offer before the eyes of Thy majesty may be worthy, grant us the help of Thy saints. Through, etc. It is truly meet. For it is of Thy work, O Lord, and of Thy power, that the enemy of human nature should be made subject—not only through Thy Son our Lord, but also through Thy holy martyrs—to the nature that was once his debtor, and be made subject to that which had been subject to him. And therefore with the angels, etc. Likewise another. We beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that our sins may not weigh us down before Thy justice, which the unconquered compassion of Thy mercy overcomes; nor suffer us, though burdened by errors however innumerable, to be overwhelmed—we whom Thou hast willed to be aided by so great intercessions of Thy saints. Through, etc.

Look graciously, O Lord, upon these gifts which we both present in commemoration of Thy saints and offer up for our offenses. Through, etc. It is truly meet. For in Thy blessed martyrs there fought against the profanity of the world the glorious confession of Thy faith; against the irrational savagery of persecutors, a wise and holy patience; against temporal allurements, the hope of heavenly rewards; against the love of this present life, the eternity of the salvation to come; and in all things, with Thy right hand contending in them, they overcame the devices of the raging devil. Through, etc. Likewise another. Make our oblations, we beseech Thee, O Lord, pleasing to Thee by Thy own gracious favor:

for there is nothing in us that can appease Thee, unless, with the saints interceding, Thou goest before us with Thy propitiation. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Recounting the praises of the venerable martyrs: for it is of Thy work, O Lord, and of Thy power, etc. Quickened both by the birthdays of the saints, O Lord, and by the gift of the sacrament, we beseech Thee that the good things by which we are now cherished through Thy grace we may enjoy eternally. Through, etc. May Thy propitiation, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be present to Thy suppliant people; that what, by Thy inspiration, it faithfully seeks, it may receive by Thy swift bounty. Through, etc. Be present, O Lord, to our supplications;

that, even as we trust that the Savior of the human race is seated with Thee in Thy majesty, so we may perceive Him to remain with us, as Thou hast promised, until the consummation of the age. Through, etc. Almighty and everlasting God, grant us by the gift of this day's festival that the intent of Thy children may be directed thither, where in Thine Only-begotten our nature is with Thee. Through, etc. Hear us, O merciful God, and grant our minds to be lifted up thither whither our Redeemer ascended, that at the second coming of the Mediator we may receive by manifest gift what we now dare to hope as promised. Through, etc. Grant us, almighty and merciful God, that what we have received in the celebration of these visible mysteries we may attain by their invisible effect. Through, etc.

Grant us, O Lord, not to relish earthly things but to love the heavenly, and, set among things that pass away, even now to cling to those that abide. Through, etc. Hear us, O God our Savior, for through these most holy mysteries we trust that there shall be wrought in the body of the whole Church what went before in her Head, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. It is truly meet. Who, after His resurrection glorious to all ages, appeared manifest to His disciples, visible to sight and palpable to touch, even unto the fortieth day; and while they beheld Him was lifted up into heaven: the primitive members of the Church profiting by these delays, that what they had believed might become the more certain, and that they might more fully learn what they were to teach. Through, etc.

It is truly meet. For with just exultation we must rejoice amid the joys of this day's festival, because the Ascension into the heavens of the Mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, is no departure from our lowliness; since He is both in that glory which He ever had with Thee, and in that nature which He made His own from us: and thus He vouchsafed to exist as man, that He might grant us to be partakers of His divinity. Therefore, etc. It is truly meet. For, while the angels and the princes of angels marveled, the King of glory and Lord of hosts placed at Thy right hand with Himself the firstfruits of the blessed resurrection, offered upon the throne of Thy majesty. And therefore, etc.

In communion with, and celebrating the most sacred day of the Ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ, and venerating also the memory, etc. Likewise another. It is truly meet. And humbly to entreat Thee, that Thou wouldst grant to our minds by Thy inspiration to be lifted up thither whither our Redeemer ascended, that at the second coming of the Mediator we may receive by manifest gift what we now dare to hope as promised, through this same Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom the angels praise Thee, etc. Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the intent of our mind may ever aim thither whither the glorious Author of this day's solemnity has entered, and that whither it presses on by faith, it may arrive by its manner of life. Through, etc. Likewise another.

Look, O God, upon the exaltation of our estate, and, cleansed by Thy gracious favor, may we be fitted for the sacraments of Thy great mercy. Through, etc. It is truly meet. That Thou wouldst graciously pour into our senses this grace, lest by clinging to earthly affections we lift not our eyes to the heavenly; lest, occupied with base pleasures, we be unable to raise our minds thither whither our Savior ascended; lest, following the devil's footsteps, we withdraw from the fellowship of Christ: for none can delight in the loftiness of the supreme and true King, save he who has trampled underfoot the destroyed and pestilent laws of the Tyrant. Through, etc. Likewise another. Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the members of Thy faithful may follow thither whither our Head and Beginning has gone before. Through, etc.

It is truly meet. On this day, whereon Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, having consummated the end of the divine mystery, unfolded the gift of the ancient dispensation; namely, that He might both crush the devil, the enemy of the heavenly work, through the man whom he had subjugated, and lead back human nature to the gifts on high. Through, etc. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that the affection of our Christian devotion may tend thither where our nature is with Thee. Through, etc. In communion with, and celebrating the most sacred day whereon our Lord, Thy only-begotten Son, placed the man of our nature, united to Himself, at the right hand of Thy glory; and venerating also the memory, etc.

O God, who, if Thou shouldst render what we deserve, we should fail before we could endure the merited punishments: we beseech Thee, being appeased, absolve our errors, and, that we may be able to turn to Thy commandments, forestall us with abundant propitiation. Through, etc. O clement, almighty, and merciful God, turn away the hardness of our heart, whereby we dread the multiplied stripes, yet perceive not the gifts conferred through mysteries so great; and grant us by Thy inspiration both to beg pardon for our sins and to render thanks for our salvation. Through, etc. O Lord our God, from whom is the first cause of mercy, whereby we may fear and love Thy name: pour it in mercy into our hearts, that, rejecting the things that displease Thee, we may be made subject to Thee with sincere will.

Through, etc. Spare, O Lord, spare them that sin; and that we may be able to come to Thy propitiation, grant us the Spirit of amendment. Through, etc. Likewise another. Almighty and everlasting God, who didst will the paschal sacrament to be contained within the mystery of fifty days, grant that the dispersion of the nations, made by the division of tongues, may be gathered by a heavenly gift into one confession of Thy name. Through, etc. As suppliants we entreat Thy clemency, O Lord, that Thou, who dost ever go before our evil deserts by showing mercy, wouldst make our deeds pleasing to Thee, our sin being expiated by pious works and wholesome fasts. Through, etc.

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the dignity of the human condition, wounded by excess, may be restored by the practice of medicinal abstinence. Through, etc. Grant, O merciful God, that we, who by violating the divine precepts fell from the happiness of paradise, may return to the access of eternal blessedness through the keeping of Thy commandments. Through, etc. Be present, O Lord, to Thy faithful, be present to Thy suppliants: and forsake not with earthly helps those whom Thou makest partakers of heavenly things. Through, etc. May the working of the sacred gift cleanse and cherish us, O Lord, and unite us to everlasting gifts. Through, etc. It is truly meet.

Who, that the human condition may be restored to that for which it was made, dost fittingly assign to each its own in one and the same man. The body is nourished by food, the soul is fattened by fasts; unless the limbs be sustained by suitable foods they do not serve, and without continence the rule of the mind does not thrive. In this diversity of substance Thou so governest us by Thy control that—since without those things by which either is refreshed neither can subsist—Thou dost bid them to be taken in that measure whereby both may be quickened: so that at once nourishment be not lacking to the flesh, whereby it may subsist, and observance be present, whereby the mind may be strong. Through, etc. By the heavenly mysteries, O Lord, may our vile things be purged, that we may ever be fitted for Thy gifts. Through, etc.

Look, O Lord, being appeased, upon Thy suppliant people, and accompany with more abundant clemency those who trust in Thy mercy; that, since without Thee it cannot stand at all, it may be governed by Thy temporal benefits so as to advance unto the eternal. Through, etc. Grant us, ineffable and merciful God, that the adoption which the Holy Spirit has called into this very thing may have nothing earthly in its love, nothing divergent in its confession. Through, etc. Graciously sanctify these gifts, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and, the oblation of the spiritual Victim being accepted, make us ourselves an eternal offering to Thee. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Who, ascending above all the heavens and seated at Thy right hand, poured out the promised Holy Spirit upon the sons of adoption:

wherefore, rejoicing amid Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, we offer Thee sacrifices of praise, etc. This oblation, therefore, which we offer to Thee for those whom Thou hast vouchsafed to regenerate of water and the Holy Spirit, granting them the remission of all sins, we beseech Thee, being appeased, to accept, and to command their names to be written in the book of the living. Through, etc. In communion with, and celebrating the most sacred day of Pentecost, whereon the Holy Spirit filled the apostles and the people of believers with the presence of His majesty; and venerating also the memory, etc. Bless, O Lord, these Thy creatures also, of honey and of milk;

And give Thy servants to drink from this fountain of the water of everlasting life, which is the Spirit of truth, and nourish them with this milk and honey, even as Thou didst promise to our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that Thou wouldst bring them into the land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey. Join, therefore, Thy servants, O Lord, to the Holy Spirit, as this honey and milk are joined together, whereby is signified the uniting of the heavenly and the earthly substance in Christ Jesus our Lord. Through whom all these things, etc. II. Likewise another. — Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, through the grace of the Holy Spirit the new discipline of the spiritual observance of Thy Paraclete, that our minds, cleansed by the sacred fast, may be rendered more fit for all His gifts. Through, etc.

Grant us, O Lord, to begin with holy fasts the defenses of Christian warfare, that being about to fight against spiritual wickedness, we may be fortified by the aids of self-restraint. Through, etc. O God, by whose mysteries we are cleansed and fed, grant that we may so celebrate the same in time that we may find in them things eternal. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Who, after that ineffably established fellowship of the divine and human nature, forewarned that the children of the Bridegroom could not fast until His departure; lest He should burden the untried souls of little ones, who were yet to be imbued with heavenly instructions, with sterner disciplines, but reserved the greater exercises for those making progress; upon whom, sufficiently instructed by the more abundant gift of the Holy Spirit, He bestowed the first-fruits of the fast that was to follow;

So that, whereas after the creation of the first man concupiscence ministered the beginning of sin, after the restoration of the human race self-restraint might become the origin of the virtues. Through, etc. Almighty and everlasting God, who hast completed the mystery of the paschal solemnity by the fullness of this day's mystery, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who are made children of Thy adoption may deserve to obtain the peace which our Lord Jesus Christ, coming to Thee, bequeathed. Through, etc. Grant to Thy Church, O merciful God, that gathered together by the Holy Spirit, it may in no wise be troubled by the assault of the enemy. Through, etc. Look mercifully, we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon the offerings of Thy people; and that they may be rendered acceptable to Thee, may the saving coming of the Holy Spirit cleanse our consciences. Through, etc.

It is truly meet. On the day of this present solemnity, whereon Thou dost perfect the human substance, from its manifold superstition, made one by the spirit of true religion. Through, etc. Be present, O Lord, we beseech Thee, to Thy people, and defend from the fury of enemies those whom Thou hast imbued with heavenly mysteries. Through, etc. Be present, O Lord, to our prayers, that the adoption whereby into that same, etc. Be favorable, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and sanctify these gifts, etc. It is truly meet. May this our confession, O Father of glory, be ever acceptable to Thee, sent forth from the hearts of the children of promise: for we prove that nothing more sublime was granted to the beginnings of Thy Church than that the tongues of all believers should proclaim the heralding of Thy Gospel;

That both that sentence, which the building of the proud Tower once deserved, might be dissolved, and the diversity of tongues might make no difficulty for the ecclesiastical edifying, but rather increase its unity. Through, etc. Hear, O Lord, our prayers; and as Thou hast dispelled the profane mists of the world by the light of the Holy Spirit, so vanquish the enemies of the Roman name and the foes of the Catholic profession. Through, etc. O God, who, by destroying the perfidy of the ancient waster through the power of Thy Son and of the Holy Spirit, hast given us victory over captivity: grant, we beseech Thee, that those who strive to assail us may be crushed by the right hand of Thy power. Through, etc. Receive, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift offered;

And work worthily, that what we perform in mysteries we may celebrate with holy effects. Through, etc. It is truly meet. Humbly beseeching Thy clemency, that as Thou hast opened to us the entrance of eternal security by the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, so Thou wouldst also grant the tranquillity of this present life, whereby the quiet devotion of one who partakes of so great a gift may advance, and negligence and instilled terror may be turned to the increase of faith. Through, etc. II. Likewise another. — May the oblation of the present gift purify us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that it may render us worthy of sacred participation. Through, etc. May the Holy Spirit prepare our minds, we beseech Thee, O Lord, for the divine sacraments, for He Himself is the remission of all sins.

Through, etc. Communicating and keeping the most sacred day of Pentecost, whereon the apostles and the disciples of the apostles received the spiritual gifts of all the graces; but also venerating the memory, etc. May the power of the Holy Spirit be present to us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, which may both mercifully cleanse our hearts and guard them from all enemies. Through, etc. Be present, O Lord, to Thy suppliants, that we may celebrate with devout service this solemn fast, which was wholesomely instituted for the healing of souls and bodies. Through, etc. Grant, O Lord our God, that we may overcome by purity of mind against all the ragings of the impious, and that those who, trusting in their own strength, strive to afflict us, may be subdued to us as we fast. Through, etc.

We offer to Thee, O Lord, the things which Thou hast given to be dedicated to Thy name, humbly beseeching that, as Thou makest the same to be for us a sacrament, so Thou wouldst grant it to become an everlasting remedy. Through, etc. It is truly meet. For after those days of joy which we have spent in honor of the Lord rising from the dead and ascending into the heavens, and after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, these holy fasts have been necessarily provided for us; that, for those living in pure conversation, the things divinely bestowed upon the Church may endure. Through, etc. Refreshed by the participation of the sacred gift, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that we may feel the effect of that whose worship we perform. Through, etc.

Be present, O Lord, to Thy peoples who trust in Thy protection, and who humbly bow themselves to Thy right hand; preserve them by perpetual defense. Through, etc. May they receive, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the help of this present life, and find grace everlasting. Through, etc. O God of the heavenly powers, who grantest us to keep the yearly solemnities of blessed John the Baptist, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may both celebrate the same in security amid those who fall, and, by the merit of his patronage, may fully receive the increase of security. Through, etc. To offer our gifts, O Lord, we joyfully run together, humbly imploring that, revering the glory of the Herald, we may obtain the grace of Him who was heralded. Through, etc. It is truly meet.

Keeping the solemn fast whereby we anticipate the birthday of blessed John the Baptist: whose father, doubting the messenger of the Word of God concerning the one to be born, was deprived of the office of speech, and at the birth of the same recovered his speech; who, while the angel was promising and he did not believe, was struck dumb; but at the coming forth of the magnificent herald both regained his voice and became a prophet; and whose mother, likewise barren and by age not only fruitful in childbearing, but also, that she might receive the fruit of blessed Mary with a sure voice of benediction, was filled with the Divine Spirit; and John himself, begotten as it were a scarcely-born champion of heaven, admonished that the way be prepared for the Lord; and, conceived and brought forth in the last and uttermost age of his parents, foretold the Redeemer to be born in the latter times.

Through, etc. May the patronage of Thy saints, O Lord, bestowed upon us, not forsake us, but by their prayers and merits protect our frailty. Through, etc. Almighty and merciful God, who by Thy providence didst destine blessed John the Baptist to prepare a perfect people for Christ the Lord: grant, we beseech Thee, that Thy family, by the intercession of this Herald, may be stripped of all sins, and may find their way to Him whom he foretold. Through, etc. II. Likewise another. — Almighty and everlasting God, give to our hearts that uprightness of Thy paths which the voice of blessed John the Baptist, crying in the wilderness, taught. Through, etc.

With Thy gifts, O Lord, we heap Thy altars, celebrating with due honor the nativity of him who both sang that the Savior of the world would come, and showed Him present. Through, etc. It is truly meet. On the day of this present festivity, whereon that blessed John the Baptist was born, not yet beholding earthly things, yet already revealing heavenly ones; a preacher of the eternal Light, before he perceived the temporal light; a witness of the truth, before he was seen; and a prophet before he was born; hidden in his mother's womb, and with foreknowing exultation announcing the Only-begotten of God; and, though not yet born, already the forerunner of Thy Christ. Nor is it any wonder if, once begotten, he pointed out Thy Son, O Lord, whom while yet enclosed in the womb he had recognized;

And deservedly among those born of women none was found like him, because it was granted to no man at all to be an executor of the Godhead before he drew the life of the human condition; and it was sufficiently confirmed how wonderful was the One heralded, of whom so illustrious a Herald appeared; and fittingly, for the ministry of the laver which he bore, he offered his service, consecrating the mystery of the perfect baptism, and for the conferring of remission of sins upon mortals, he rendered his due servitude to Him whom he had declared to have come to take away the sin of the world. Wherefore with the angels, etc. May the illustrious prayer of blessed John the Baptist accompany us, O Lord; and may he ask that He whom he foretold to come may be appeased and favor us. Through, etc.