THE OLD CATHOLIC MISSION IN SUSSEX

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From the Oratory of St Cuthman, Brighton according to the ceremonial of the pre'55 Roman Rite

Today the Church identifies with the buried Jesus. The Eucharist is not celebrated during the day, nor is it reserved in the tabernacle. Today reminds us that we really die when we follow Jesus to the cross. Today is a reminder of the cost of the cross. When my daily cross gets too heavy for me and I'm tempted to run away from following Jesus, it helps me to reflect on the Calvary garden (Jn 19:41) where Jesus was buried:

* If I get rid of my daily cross, I won't make it to Calvary. I'll never realize that Calvary isn't just a place of agony, but in that garden is also a place of refreshment (Jn 19:41). So I don't want to miss out on Calvary's garden, just like Adam and Eve turned their backs on God, and lost their intimate place in the garden with God (Gn 3:23).

* If I keep carrying my cross all the way to Calvary, I'll see the garden and get to rest in it beside Jesus' tomb. Like Mary Magdalene, I will stay at Calvary beside His tomb until I see the Gardener, the risen Jesus (Jn 20:15).

* The Calvary garden is the fulfillment of the garden of Eden. In Eden, man and woman had perfect intimacy with God, and everything was provided. In Jesus, everything surpasses all that Eden was ever intended to be. If we can make it through Calvary day after day with our daily cross, there's joy, intimacy with God, and refreshment that those who avoid Calvary miss out on.

Die to yourself. Take up your daily cross (Lk 9:23). Follow in Jesus' footsteps to Calvary. Be buried with Jesus (Rm 6:3-4).

Good Friday Morning

The sun has risen upon Jerusalem. But the priests and scribes have not waited all this time without venting their rage upon Jesus. Annas, who was the first to receive the divine Captive, has had Him taken to his son-in-law Caiphas, the high priest. Here He is put through a series of insulting questions, which disdaining to answer, He receives a blow from one of the high priest's servants. False witnesses had already been prepared: they now come forward, and depose their lies against Him Who is the very Truth: but their testimony is contradictory. Then Caiphas, seeing that this plan for convicting Jesus of blasphemy is only serving to expose his accomplices, turns to another. He asks Him a question, which will oblige our Lord to make an answer; and in this answer he, Caiphas, will discover blasphemy, and blasphemy will bring Jesus under the power of the Synagogue. This is the question: 'I adjure Thee, by the living God, that Thou tell us, if Thou e the Christ the Son of God! (1)- {St. Matt. xxvi. 63} Our Savior, in order to teach us that we should show respect to those who are in authority, breaks the silence He has hitherto observed, and answers: 'Thou hast said it: I am: and hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of Heaven.(2)-{St, Matt. xxvi. 65,66} Hereupon, the impious pontiff rises, rends his garments, and exclaims: 'He hath blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? Behold! Now ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?' The whole place resounds with the cry: 'He is guilty of death!'(3_--{Ibid. 64-St. Mark xiv. 62}...

But there is something far more trying than all this to the heart of Jesus, and it is happening at this very time. Peter has made his way as far as the court of the high priest's palace. The apostle trembles for his life; he denies his Master, and affirms with an oath that he does not even know Him. What a sad example is here of the punishment of presumption! But Jesus has mercy on His apostle. Jesus casts upon him a look of reproach and pardon; Peter immediately goes forth, and weeps bitterly. From this hour forward he can do nothing but lament his sin; and it is only on Easter morning, when Jesus shall appear to him after His Resurrection, that he will admit any consolation to his afflicted heart. Let us make him our model, now that we are spending these hours, with our holy mother the Church, in contemplating the Passion of Jesus. Peter withdraws, because he fears his own weakness; let us remain to the end, for what have we to fear? May our Jesus give us one of those looks, which can change the hardest and worst of hearts!

The rumor of Jesus' having been seized during the night, and that He is on the point of being led before the Roman governor, rapidly spreads through the city, and reaches Judas' ears. This wretched man had a passion for money, but there was nothing to make him desire the death of his divine Master. He knew Jesus' supernatural power. He perhaps flattered himself that He, Who could command nature and the elements, would easily escape from the hands of His enemies. But now when he sees that He does not escape from His enemies, and that He is to be condemned to death, he runs to the temple, and gives back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests. Is it that he is converted, and is about to ask his Master to pardon him? Alas, no! Despair has possession of him, and he puts an end to his existence. The recollection of all the merciful solicitations made to him, yesterday, by Jesus, both during the last Supper, and in the garden, gives him no confidence; it only serves to increase his despair. Surely, he well knew what a merciful Savior he had to deal with! And yet, he despairs, and this at the very time, when the Blood, which washes away the sins of the world, is about to be shed! He is lost, because he despaired.

...Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, happens to be in Jerusalem at this time. Jesus is his subject He must be sent to him. Thus Pilate will get rid of a troublesome case, and this act of courteous deference will re-establish a good understanding between himself and Herod...

...Herod, the murderer of John the Baptist, insults Him, and ordering Him to be clothed in a white garment, as a fool, he sends Him back to Pilate...Another plan for ridding himself of this troublesome case now strikes the Roman governor. At the feast of the Pasch, he had the power of granting pardon to any one criminal the people may select. They are assembled together at the court-gates. He feels sure that their choice will fall upon Jesus, for it is but a few days ago tat they led Him in triumph through the city: besides, he intends to make the alternative one who is an object of execration to the whole people; he is a murderer, and his name Barabbas...

...Pilate's cowardly subterfuge has failed, and left him in a more difficult position than he was before. His putting the innocent on a level with a murderer was in itself a gross injustice; and yet, he has not gone far enough for a people that is blind with passion. Neither does his promise to chastise Jesus satisfy them: they want more than His Blood; they insist on His death...

Jesus is made over to the soldiers to be scourged. They rudely strip Him of His garments, and tie Him to the pillar which is kept for this kind of torture. Fiercely do they strike Him; the Blood flows down His sacred Body. Let us adore this the second bloodshedding of our Jesus, whereby He expiates the sins we and the whole world have committed by the flesh. This scourging is by the hands of Gentiles: the Jews delivered Him up to be punished, and the Romans were the executioners; thus have we all had our share in the awful deicide.

At last the soldiers are tired; they loose their Victim; but it is not out of anything like pity. Their cruelty is going to rest, and their rest is derision. Jesus has been called King of the Jews; a king, say they, must have a crown! Accordingly, they make one for the Son of David! It is of thorns. They press it violently upon His head, and this is the third bloodshedding of our Redeemer...

Here, the Christian prostrates himself before his Savior, and says to Him with a heart full of compassion and veneration: 'Yes! My Jesus! Thou art King of the Jews! Thou art the Son of David, and therefore our Messias and Redeemer! Israel, that hath so lately proclaimed Thee King, now unkings Thee; the Gentiles scoff at Thy royalty, making it a subject for keener insult; but reign Thou must, and over both Jews and Gentiles: over the Jews, by Thy justice, for they are soon to feel the scepter of Thy revenge; over the Gentiles, by Thy mercy, for Thine apostles are soon to lead them to Thy feet. Receive, dearest King! our homage and submission! Reign now and for ever over our hearts, yea, over our whole being.'

    ...To teach us that the flesh must be brought into subjection to the spirit, Jesus' Flesh was torn by the scourges; to teach us that pride must give way to humility, the only crown that Jesus wears is made of thorns. 'Behold the Man!' the triumph of the spirit over the flesh, the triumph of humility over pride.

...But the people vociferate a threat which alarms him: (Pilate) 'If thou release this Man, thou art not Caesar's friend; for whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar.' ...Pilate says to them: 'Shall I crucify your King?' This time the chief priests answer: 'We have no king but Caesar.'(2)-{St. John xix} When the very ministers of God can talk thus, religion is at an end. No king but Caesar! Then, the scepter is taken from Juda, and Jerusalem is cast off, and the Messias is come!

Having thus defiled his soul with the most heinous of crimes, Pilate washes his hands before the people, and says to them: 'I am innocent of the Blood of this just Man; look ye to it!' They answer him with this terrible self-imprecation: 'His Blood be upon us and upon our children!(2)-{St. Matt. xxvii. 24, 35} The mark of patricide here fastens on this ungrateful and sacrilegious people; Cain-like, they shall wander fugitives on the earth. Eighteen hundred years have passed since then; slaver, misery, and contempt, have bee their portion; but he mark is still upon them. Let us Gentiles - upon whom the Blood of Jesus has fallen as the dew of Heaven's mercy - return fervent thanks to the goodness of our heavenly Father, who hath so loved the world, as to give it His only-begotten Son.(3)-{St. John iii 16}

Here commences 'the way of the cross': the house of Pilate, where our Jesus receives the sentence of death, is the first station. Our Redeemer is consigned, by the governor's order, into the hands of the Jews. The soldiers seize Him, and drag Him from the court. They strip Him of the scarlet cloak and bid Him clothe Himself with His own garments as before the scourging. The cross is ready and they put it on His wounded shoulders. The place where the new Isaac loads Himself with the wood of His sacrifice, is the second station. To Calvary! - this is the word of command, and it is obeyed : soldiers, executioners, priests, scribes, people - these form the procession. Jesus moves slowly on; but after a few paces, exhausted by the loss of Blood and by His sufferings, He falls under the weight of His cross. It is the first fall, and marks the third station.

He falls, not so much by the weight of His cross, as by that of our sins! The soldiers roughly lay their hands on Him, and force Him up again. Scarcely has he resumed His steps, then He is met by His afflicted Mother. The 'valiant woman', whose love is stronger than death, was not to be absent at such an hour as this. She must see her Son, follow Him, keep close to Him, even to His last breath. No tongue can tell the poignancy of her grief. The anxiety she has endured during the last few days has exhausted her strength. All the sufferings of Jesus have been made known to her by a divine revelation; she has shared each one of them with Him. But now she cannot endure to be absent, and makes her way through the crowd. The sacrifice is nigh its consummation; no human power could keep such a Mother from her Jesus. The faithful Magdalene is by her side, bathed in tears; John, Mary the mother of James the Less, and Salome the mother of John, are also with her: they weep for their divine Master, she for her Son. Jesus sees her,cannot comfort her, for all this is but the beginning of what He is to endure. Oh! what an additional suffering was this for His loving Heart, to see His Mother agonizing with sorrow! The executioners observe the Mother of their Victim, but it would be too much mercy in them to allow her to speak to Him; she may follow, if she please, with the crowd; it is more than she could have expected, to be allowed this meeting, which we venerate as the fourth station of the way of the cross.

But from this to the last there is a long distance, for there is a law that all criminals are to be executed outside the city walls. The Jews are afraid of Jesus' expiring before reaching the place of sacrilege. Just at this time, they behold a man coming from the country, by name Simon of Cyrene; they order him to help Jesus to carry His cross. It is out of a motive of cruelty to our Lord, but it gives Simon the honor of sharing with Him the fatigue of bearing the instrument of the world's salvation. The spot where this happens is the fifth station.

A little farther on, an incident occurs which strikes the executioners themselves with astonishment. A woman makes her way through the crowd, and setting the soldiers at defiance, comes close up to Jesus, with blood, sweat, and spittle. She loves Jesus, and cares not what may happen to her, so she can offer Him this slight comfort. Her love receives its reward: she finds her veil miraculously impressed with the likeness of Jesus' Face. This courageous act of Veronica marks the sixth station of the way of the cross.

Jesus grows weaker at each step: He falls a second time: it is the seventh station. Again do the soldiers violently raise Him up, and push Him along the road. It is easy to follow in His footsteps, for a streak of Blood shows where He has passed. A group of women is following close behind the soldiers; they heed not the insults heaped upon them; their compassion makes them brave. But the last brutal passion makes them brave. But the last brutal treatment shown to Jesus is more than they can bear in silence; they utter a cry of pitiful lamentation. Our Savior is pleased with these women, who, in spite of the weakness of their sex, are showing more courage than all the men of Jerusalem put together. He affectionately turns towards them, and tells them what a terrible chastisement is to follow the crime they are now witnessing. The chief priests and scribes recognize the dignity of the Prophet that had so often spoken to them: they listen with indignation; and at this the eighth station of the great way, they hear these words, "Daughters of Jerusalem! weep not over Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us! And to the hills: Cover us!" (1) {St. Luke xxiii. 28-30}

At last, they reach the foot of the hill. Calvary is steep; but it is the place of Jesus' Sacrifice. He begins the ascent, but falls a third time: the hallowed spot is counted as the ninth station. A third time the soldiers force Jesus to rise and continue His painful journey to the summit of the hill, which is to serve as the altar for the holocaust that is to surpass all others in holiness and power. The executioners seize the cross and lay it upon the ground, preparatory to nailing the divine Victim to it. According to a custom practiced both by the Romans and the Jews, a cup containing wine and myrrh is offered to Jesus. This drink, which had the bitterness of gall, was given as a narcotic, in order to deaden, in some degree, the feeling of the criminal, and lesson his pain. Jesus raises to His lips the cup, which is proffered to Him rather from custom than from any idea of kindness; but He drinks not its contents, for He wishes to feel the full intensity of the suffering He accepts for our sake. Then the executioners, having violently stripped Him of His garments, which had fastened to His wounds, lead Him to the cross. The place where He was thus stripped of His garments, and where the cup of bitter drink was presented to Him, is venerated as the tenth station of the way of the cross. The first nine, from Pilate's hall to the foot of Calvary, are still to be seen in the streets of Jerusalem; but the tenth and the remaining four are in the interior of the church of Holy Sepulchre, whose spacious walls enclose the spot where the last mysteries of the Passion were accomplished.

But we must here interrupt our hisotry: we have already anticipated the hours of this great Friday and we shall have to return, later on, to the hill of Calvary. It is time to assist at the service of our holy mother the Church, in which she celebrates the Death of her divine Spouse. We must not wait for the usual summons of the bells; they are silent; we must listen to the call of our faith and devotion. Let us, then, repair to the house of God.

• Mass of the Catechumens

The Veneration of the Cross

...Filled with holy indignation at the humiliations heaped upon her Jesus, she invites us to a solemn act of reparation: it is to consist in venerating that cross which our divine Lord has borne to the summit of Calvary, and to which He is to be fastened with nails. The cross is a stumbling-block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles ;( 1)-{1 Cor. i. 23} but to us Christians it is the trophy of Jesus' victory and the instrument of the world's redemption. It is worthy of our deepest veneration, because of the honor conferred upon it by the Son of God: He consecrated it by His own Blood, He worked our salvation by its means. No time could be more appropriate than this for honoring it with the humble tribute of our veneration.

...There is also another teaching embodied in this ceremony of holy Church. By this gradual unveiling of the cross, she would express to us the contrast of the Jewish and the Christian view. The one finds nothing in Christ crucified but shame and ignominy: the other discovers in Him the power and the wisdom of God.(1)-{1 Cor. i. 24} Honor, then, and veneration to His cross, now that the veil is removed by faith! Unveiled let it be upon our altar, for He that died upon it is soon to triumph by a glorious Resurrection! Yes, let every crucifix in our church be unveiled, and every altar beam once more with the vision of the glorious standard!

ut the Church is not satisfied with showing her children the cross that has saved them; she would have them approach, and kiss it. The priest leads the way. He has already taken off his chasuble; he now takes off his shoes also, and then advances towards the place where he has put the crucifix. He makes three genuflections at intervals, and finally kisses the cross. The deacon and subdeacon follow him, then the clergy, and lastly the people. 

...Towards the end of the veneration of the cross, the candles are lighted, and the deacon spreads a corporal upon the altar, for the Blessed Sacrament is to be placed there. As soon as the faithful have finished their adoration, the priest takes the cross and replaces it over the altar. 

• Adoration of the Cross

Mass of the Presanctified

So vividly is the Church impressed with the remembrance of the great Sacrifice offered today on Calvary, that she refrains from renewing on her altars the immolation of the divine Victim; she contents herself with partaking of the sacred mystery by Communion. Formerly the clergy and laity were also permitted to the priest shall receive. After the priest has resumed his chasuble, the clergy go in procession to the altar, where the consecrated Host has been reserved since yesterday's Mass. The deacon takes the chalice which contains it, and places it on the altar. The priest, having offered the homage of his adoration to our Redeemer, takes into his hands the chalice wherein He is inclosed whom heaven and earth cannot contain. The clergy, with lighted tapers in their hands, return to the high altar, and sing, during the procession, the hymn of the cross.

As soon as the priest has reached the altar, the deacon receives the sacred Host upon a paten, and pours wine and water into the chalice. Let us reverently fix our eyes upon the altar. The priest censes the offerings and the altar, as usual; but, to express the grief which now fills the soul of the Church, he himself is not thurified. 

But before receiving the sacred Host in Holy Communion, the priest invites us to adore it. Taking, then, in his right hand, the adorable Body of our Redeemer, he raises it on high, as Jesus was raised up on the cross. The faithful, who are kneeling during this part of the Service, bow down in profound adoration before their crucified Lord.

The priest then divides the Host into three parts, one of which he puts into the chalice, that thus he may sanctify the wine and water which he is to take after having communicated. The wine is not changed into the Blood of Jesus by contact with the consecrated particle; but it thereby receives a very special benediction, similar to that which attached to the garments worn by our Savior.

After this, the celebrant recites, in secret, the last of the three prayers which precede the Communion...

Thus terminates the Mass of the Presanctified. The priest, with the sacred ministers, makes a genuflection at the foot of the altar to the cross, and retires to the sacristy. The choir immediately begins Vespers, which are simply recited.

• Mass of the Presanctified

Good Friday Afternoon

The tree of our salvation, as it falls into the hole prepared for it, strikes against a tomb; it is that of our first parent. The Blood of the Redeemer flows down the cross and falls upon a skull: it is the skull of Adam, whose sin has called for this great expiation. In His mercy, the Son of God wills that the instrument wherewith He has gained pardon for the guilty world should rest amidst the very bones of him that first caused its guilt. Thus is satan confounded: the creation is not, as he has hitherto thought, turned by his artifice to the shame of its Creator. The hill on which is raised the standard of our salvation, is called Calvary, which signifies a skull. Here, according to the tradition of the Jews, was buried our first parent, the first sinner. Among the holy fathers of the early ages, who have handed down this interesting tradition to us, we may cite St. Basil, St. Ambrose, Saint John Chrysostom, St. Epiphanius, St. Jerome. Origen, too, who had such opportunities of knowing the Jewish traditions, mentions this among the number...

Never had God conferred on His creatures a blessing compared to this; and yet, never did man so boldly insult his God! Let us Christians, who adore Him whom the Jews blaspheme, offer Him, at this moment, the reparation He so infinitely deserves. These impious men cite His own words, and turn them against Him: let us reverently remind our Jesus of an expression He once deigned to use, which should fill us with hope: 'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself.' (4)-{St. John xii. 32}...

The silence is again broken: Jesus speaks His third word, and it is to His Mother; but He does not call her by that dear name, for it would redouble her pain: 'Woman!' He says, 'behold thy son!' Then looking upon John, He says to him: 'Son! Behold thy Mother!' (2)-{St. John xix 26, 27} What an exchange was here for Mary! But oh! what a blessing it brought upon John, and through him to all mankind: the Mother of God was made our Mother. (page 509)

The moment has at length come, when Jesus is to yield up His Soul to His Father. He has fulfilled every single prophecy that had been foretold of Him, even that of His receiving vinegar when parched with thirst. He therefore speaks this His sixth with word: 'It is consummated!' (3)-{St. John xix. 28} He has, then, but to die; His death is to put the finishing stroke to our redemption, as the prophet assures us. But He must die as God. This Man, worn out by suffering, exhausted by His three hours' agony, whose few words were scarce audible to them that stood round His cross, now utters a loud cry, which is heard at a great distance, And fills the centurion, who commands the guard, with fear and astonishment: "Father! Into Thy hands I commend My Spirit!' (1)- (St. Luke xxiii 46} This is His seventh and last word; after which He bows down His head and dies

...But it is in hell itself that the death of Jesus is most felt. Satan now sees who He is, against whom he has excited all this persecution. He sees that the Blood, which he has caused to be shed, has saved mankind and opened the gates of Heaven. This Jesus, whom he dared to tempt in the desert, he now recognizes as the Son of God, whose precious Blood has purchased for men a redemption that was refused to the rebel angels!

...Like those Jews who saw Thee expire and returned to Jerusalem striking their breasts, we, also, confess that our sins have caused Thy death. Thou hast loved us as none but a God could love. Henceforth, we must be Thine, and serve Thee, as creatures redeemed at the infinite price of Thy Blood. Thou art our God; we are Thy people. Accept, we beseech Thee, our most loving thanks for this final proof of Thy goodness towards us. Thy holy Church now silently invites us to celebrate Thy praise. We leave Calvary for a time; but will soon return thither, to assist at Thy holy burial. Mary, Thy Mother, remains immovable at the foot of Thy cross. Magdalene clings to Thy feet. John and the holy women stand around Thee. Once more, dearest Jesus! We adore Thy sacred Body, Thy precious Blood, and Thy holy cross, that have brought us salvation.

• Vespers for Good Friday

Good Friday Evening - the Office of Tenebrae

They [Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus] lose no time in doing so [taking down the Body of Jesus], for the sun is near to setting, and then begins the Sabbath. Within a few yards from where stands the cross, at the foot of the hillock which forms the summit of Calvary, there is a garden, and in this garden a sepulcher cut into the rock. No one has yet been buried in this tomb. It is to be Jesus' sepulcher Hither Joseph and Nicodemus carry the sacred Body: they lay it upon a slab of stone, near to the sepulcher. It is here that Mary receives into her arms the Body of her Jesus: she kisses each wound, and bathes it with her tears. John, Magdalene, and all that are present, compassionate the holy Mother. She resigns it into the hands of the two disciples, for they have but a few moments left. Upon this slab which, even to this day, is called the stone of the anointing, and designates the thirteenth station of the way of the cross, Joseph unfolds a piece of fine linen,(1)-{St. Mark xv. 46} and Nicodemus, whose servants have brought a hundred pound weight of myrrh and aloes,(2)-{St. John xix. 39} makes every arrangement for the embalming. They reverently wash the Body, for it is covered with Blood; they removed the crown of thorns from he Head; and after embalming it with their perfumes, they wrap it in the winding-sheet. Mary gives a last embrace to the remains of her Jesus, who is now hidden under these swathing bands of the tomb.

...Death, which is the consequence of sin, has extended its dominion over Thee, for Thou didst submit Thyself to the sentence pronounced against Thee, and wouldst become like to us even to the humiliation of the tomb. It was Thy love for us, that led to all this! What return can we make Thee? The holy angels stand around Thy Body, thus lying in its rocky grave. They are lost inn amazement at Thy having loved, to such an excess as this, Thy poor ungrateful creature, man. Thou hadst made them, as well as us, out of nothing, and they loved Thee with all the intensity of their mighty spirits; but the sight of Thy tomb reveals to them a fresh abyss of Thine infinite goodness: Thou hast suffered death, not for their fallen fellow-angels, but for us men, who are so inferior to the angels! Oh! what a bond of love between us and Thee must result from this sacrifice of Thy life for us! Thou hast died, O Jesus, for us: we must, henceforth, live for Thee. We promise it upon this tomb, which alas! Is the handiwork of our sins. We, too, wish to die to sin, and live to grace. For the time to come, we will follow Thy precepts and Thine examples; we will avoid sin, which has made us accomplices in Thy Passion and Death. We will courageously bear, in union with Thine own, the crosses of this life: they are indeed light compared with Thine, but our weakness makes them heavy. And our death, too: when that moment comes for us to undergo that sentence which even Thou didst submit to, we will accept it with resignation. Terrible as that last hour is to nature, our faith tells us that Thy death has merited for it graces rich enough to make it sweet. Thy death, dearest Jesus! Has made our death become but a passing into life; and as we now leave Thy holy sepulcher with the certain hope of speedily seeing Thee glorious in Thy Resurrection; so, when our body descends into the tomb, our soul shall confidently mount up to Thee, and there blissfully await the day of the resurrection of the flesh made pure by the humiliation of the grave.

The Station today is at St. John Lateran (see here). Maundy Thursday is devoted to the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. On this day the bishop blesses the Holy Oils; thus is made clear that the sacraments have their source in Christ and derive their fruitfulness from the paschal mystery of salvation.

The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday is full of memories of the Redemption. It provided formerly for the celebration of three Masses : the first for the reconciliation of public Penitents, the second for the consecration of the holy oils, and the third for a special commemoration of the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. This last Mass is the only one that has been preserved, and at it the Bishop, attended by twelve Priests, seven Deacons and seven Subdeacons, blesses the holy oils in his Cathedral church.

Sinners who had undergone a course of penance were granted on this day "the abundant remission of their sins", "which were washed away in the blood of Jesus". Dying with Christ, they were "cleansed of all their sins, and clad in the nuptial robe they were admitted once more to the banquet of the Most Holy Supper."

This blessing took place with a view to the baptism and confirmation of the catechumens during Easter night. The bishop exorcised the oil, praying God "to instill into it the power of the Holy Ghost", so that "the diving gifts might descend on those who were about to be anointed".

Before the prayer Per quem haec omnia there used to be a form of blessing of the good things of the earth, with mention of their different kinds (fruits, milk, honey, oil, etc.) of which we still find examples in the Leonine Sacramentary. Of this form there remains nothing in the Canon of the Mass except the conclusion, which on Holy Thursday retains its natural meaning, since it immediately follows the blessing of the holy oils.

The oil of the sick, which is the matter of the Sacrament of Confirmation, is the noblest of the holy oils, and the blessing of it takes place with greater pomp after the clergy have communicated. It is used for the consecration of bishops, in the rite of baptism, in the consecration of churches altars and chalices, and in the baptism or blessing of bells.

The third holy oil, which is blessed immediately after, is that of the catechumens. It is used to anoint the breast and between the shoulders of the person to be baptized, for the blessing of baptismal fonts on Holy Saturday and on the Vigil of Pentecost, at the ordination of priests, at the consecration of altars, and for the coronation of kings and queens. "Oil," says St. Augustine, "signifies something great." Through the ages and in many a land it has always played a mystical and religious part. Soothing and restoring by its very nature, it symbolizes the healing wrought by the Holy Ghost (Extreme Unction); a source of light, it denotes the graces of the Holy Ghost which enlighten the heart; flowing and penetrating it represents the infusion of the Holy Spirit into souls (Baptism, Confirmation); softening in its effects, it shows forth the action of the Holy Ghost, who bends our rebellious wills and arms us against the enemies of our salvation. The Holy Ghost is especially represented by the olive oil, according to the Blessings of Oil and of Palms, because the dove, a symbol of the Holy Ghost carried an olive ranch in her beak; because the olive branches cast by the Jews in our Lord's path foreshadowed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which was to be given to the Apostles at Pentecost. The balm which is added to the oil to make the sacred Chrism signifies by its sweet perfume the good odor of all Christians virtues. Also it preserves from corruption; another respect in which it is a symbol of supernatural grace that protects us from the contagion of sin (Catechism of the Council of Trent).

The Church, which commemorates throughout the year in the Holy Eucharist all the mysteries of our Lord's life, today lays special stress on the institution of that Sacrament and of the Priesthood. This Mass carries out more than any other the command of Christ to His priests to renew the Last Supper, during which He instituted His immortal presence among us at the very moment His death was being plotted. The church, setting aside her mourning today, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice with joy. The crucifix is covered with a white veil, her ministers are vested in white, and the bells are rung at the Gloria in excelsis. They are not rung again until Holy Saturday.

St. Paul tells us in the Epistle that the Mass is a "memorial of the death of Christ". The Sacrifice of the Altar is necessary if we are to partake in the Victim of Calvary and share in His merits. And the Eucharist, which derives all its virtue from the sacrifice of the Cross, makes it universal as regards time and space in a sense unknown so far. To love the Blessed Sacrament is "to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Introit). Christ takes on Himself to perform the ablutions prescribed by the Jews during the supper (Gospel), to show forth the purity and charity that God requires of those who desire to communicate for, as in the case of Judas (Collect) "whosoever eats this bread unworthily is guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord." (Epistle)

After the Mass the altar is stripped in order to show that the Holy Sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered again to God until Holy Saturday. The priest therefore has consecrated two hosts for on Good Friday the Church refrains from renewing on the altar the sacrifice of Calvary.

On this Holy Thursday, when the Epistle and Gospel describe for us the details of the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharistic sacrifice, let us receive from the priest's hands that Holy Victim who offers Himself upon the altar, and in this holy manner fulfill our Easter duty.

Statio ad St Mariam Majorem

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God,

that we who are continually afflicted by reason of our excesses,

may be delivered through the passion of Thine only-begotten Son.

The Station today is at St. Mary Major for the second time during Lent. As we set our eyes on the Sacred Triduum, it is good to stand in solidarity with our Mother of Sorrows as we contemplate our Redemption.

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a fourth century Roman couple that was childless and had decided to leave their fortune to the Mother of God. She appeared to them in a dream and told them to build a church in her honor on the Esquiline Hill, promising a miracle to confirm her desire. The miracle came in a bizarre snowfall on August 5, 353 – the hottest month in Rome – that outlined the plan for her church on the Esquiline Hill. The Virgin has been invoked, since that time, as Our Lady of the Snow. After the Council of Ephesus in 431, which affirmed the title of Our Lady as Mother of God, Pope Sixtus III (432-440) erected the present basilica and dedicated it to the holy Mother of God. It was later called Saint Mary Major because it is the oldest church in the West dedicated to her honor.

As early as the seventh century, the crypt beneath the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was arranged as a reproduction of the cave in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. The Christmas crib here is one of the finest in the world, dating to the thirteenth century. St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church and translator of the Bible into Latin in the fourth century, is buried in the crypt. Since he lived as a hermit next to the cave in Bethlehem, it was thought fitting to preserve his relics here, in the “Bethlehem of Rome.” St. Ignatius of Loyola offered his first Mass at the Cosmatesque altar in the crypt. The statue opposite the altar is by Bernini, depicting St. Cajetan holding the Holy Child. In a letter the saint wrote to a nun in Brescia, he explained that when he was once lost in prayer at this spot, the Holy Child climbed into his arms. Bernini himself is buried here in his family’s tomb, in the floor of the 13th-century chapel on the right-side of the church, near the door leading out of the church.

In the confessio, St. Matthias the Apostle is buried. He was the thirteenth Apostle, elected after Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Above the altar in the confessio is a reliquary which holds five pieces of wood, said to be from the Santa Culla, the Holy Manger that held Christ in Bethlehem. The relics are displayed on the 25th of each month – but a group of pilgrims can always ask the sacristan to see them at other times. Also contained in this church is the famous icon of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani, in the seventeenth-century Pauline Chapel., and one of the oldest Christian mosaics in a church in Rome (432-440) above the ancient nave columns made from Athenian marble. Finally, the relics of Pope St. Pius V are in the large chapel to the right.

The Station today is at the church of St. Prisca. Saint Prisca was baptized by Saint Peter when she was thirteen. She was thrown to the lions by Claudius (41-54), but the lion only licked her feet. She was then beheaded. Her home was made into a church by Pope Saint Eutychianus (275-283), who placed her remains under the high altar. It was probably one of the first gathering places for Christians in Rome.

The Church of St. Prisca in Rome was one of the 25 parishes of Rome in the fifth century. The Epistle, Gradual, Offertory and Communion are a perfect adaptation of the passages in the Old Testament to Christ persecuted. He is 'the meek lamb that is carried to be a victim', and which God, by a striking revenge on them (Epistle) delivers from the hand of the sinner" (Offertory). The Gospel of St. Mark describes the death of Christ. The Introit and the Collect showthat the Church, which continues and 'glories in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, life and resurrection' (Introit).

It is difficult to pinpoint the original dedication of this church. To begin, it is difficult to say whether or not Priscilla and Prisca are the same person. In addition, there may be two different Priscilla?s and two Prisca?s. One Priscilla is that mentioned, with her husband Aquila, by and with Saint Paul (Acts 18:1-4, Rom 16:3, 1 Cor 16:19, 2 Tim 4:19) who welcomed Saint Peter to Rome and gave him hospitality. Then there is the Priscilla, perhaps different, who is the patron saint of the catacomb on Via Salaria. There are also two Prisca?s, Roman martyrs of the first and third centuries. It seems probable that on the site of the present church was the house of the first Prisca?s family and that close by lived Aquila and Priscilla, Jews. Prisca was a young girl of noble birth who was baptized by Saint Peter at the age of thirteen. She was condemned during the reign of Claudius (41-54) to be exposed to the amphitheater where a fierce lion was unleashed on her, but the lion licked her feet and did not hurt her. Later she was beheaded, and her body was concealed on the Aventine and discovered in 280 by Pope St. Eutychianus (275-283), who moved it to this church and placed it under the high altar. This church?s Saint Prisca is remembered as the protomartyr of the West. She is said to have been baptized in the baptistery?s font, though this is unlikely since Peter would probably have practiced baptism by immersion or partial immersion.

The first mention of the church is in connection with a cemetery of the fifth century where it is given as titulus Priscae. Adrian I (772-797) rebuilt its roof, and Leo III (795-816) embellished it and enlarged its title to ?Most Blessed Aquila and Prisca,? which has prompted some of the confusion regarding the dedication. Around 1455, Callistus III restored it, and it had to be restored again in 1600 and 1734. The church suffered greatly during the French occupation of Rome in 1798 and for some time it was in a ruinous state until repaired by the Franciscans, who cared for it then. Today it is entrusted to the Augustinians.

Though little attention was paid to the discovery, in 1776 the walls of the house of Aquila and Priscilla, or possibly that of Prisca, were discovered. It would have been here that they received Saint Peter as their guest, and so this was probably the first place in Rome where ?two or three were gathered together? as a Christian community. In 1933 a passage was opened behind the high altar leading down to rooms of a first century Roman house. This can also be approached from the outside. In some of these rooms there are several important frescoes depicting Mithraic worship, including the seven steps of their initiation.

Santa Prisca was the last of the series of stations in parishes organized by Gregory the Great. From tomorrow onwards, the stations take place in Major Basilicas. When at Saint Prisca, note her relics (under the altar of the confessio), as well as those of Sts. Martesia and Claudia.

Location: At the Piazza S. Prisca on the Aventine Hill, along the Via Santa Prisca.

Statio ad St Praxedem

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God,

that we who ail through infirmity

in our many difficulties,

may be relieved through the merits of the passion of

Thine only-begotten Son.

The Station today is at the church of St. Praxedes which was built over St. Praxedes' house. It was one of the twenty-five original parishes in Rome. It is easily one of the most beautiful churches in the Eternal City and is bedecked with incredibly beautiful mosaics. The present church is the one built by Pope Adrian I c. 780, completed and altered by Pope St. Paschal I c. 822. It was enlarged at that time mainly to serve as a repository for relics from the catacombs.

The Church of St. Praxedes  is the church where the precious Pillar of Flagellation was brought from the Holy Land by the Crusaders along with three thorns from the Crown of Thorns. Under Pope Paschalis I many relics of numerous martyrs were brought to this church.

In the Epistle Isaias, typifying Jesus, prophesices His obedience and the indignities of His Passion. He likewise foretells His triumph, for He has placed His trust in God, Who will raise Him to life again. Finally he shows how the Jews were to be confounded. Then the Gentiles through Baptism, the public penitents by being reconciled and the faithful by their Easter Confession and Holy Communion will pass from darkness to the light of which Jesus is the fount.

The choice of the Gospel is not without connection with that of the Stational church for St. Praexedes and St. Pudentiana put their house at the disposal of Pope St. Pius I, like Mary and Martha received Jesus into theirs.

According to tradition, the titulus Praxedis, one of the original twenty-five parishes of Rome, was built above the house where Saint Praxedes, daughter of the Senator Pudens and sister of Saint Pudentiana, sheltered persecuted Christians, twenty-three of whom were discovered and killed before her eyes. She collected their blood with a sponge and placed it in a well where she herself was afterwards buried. This ancient church was restored by Pope Adrian I (772-795) and practically rebuilt by Pope St. Paschal I (817-824). This pope also added the two oratories of San Zenone (now called “the Garden of Paradise” because of its exquisite beauty) and San Giovanni Battista, and behind the apse he founded a monastery for Greek monks with an oratory dedicated to Saint Agnes. When the heretic Constantine Copronymus (740-775) repudiated devotion to relics and began to collect as many as he could and throw them into the sea, Paschal responded by collecting as many relics as he could and protecting them, bringing to this church the bodies of Saints Praxedes and Pudentiana from the catacombs of Priscilla, as well as the remains of St. Zeno, St. Valentine, and a host of other relics of martyred saints from insecure suburban catacombs. The relics that he could not fit into the altar above the crypt, he put in the Chapel of Saint Zeno. Paschal then placed a list of relics on marble tablets near the sanctuary. Those that could be named were, and the rest (some 2,300, it is said) had to remain, as the inscription says, “known to God alone.”

Santa Prassede became today’s station during the tenth century after the transfer from Santi Nereo ed Achilleo. In 1198 the church was given to the Benedictine Monks of the Congregation of Vallombrosia, who still direct it. Saint Charles Borromeo (Medici, 1538-1584), who was cardinal titular of this church, celebrated Mass here daily while he was in Rome, and his chair is in the chapel of his name. St. Bridget of Sweden often came here to pray, and the Chapel of the Crucifix contains a crucifix that is said to have spoken to her.

Note the porphyry disc in the nave which seals the well of the original house. Be sure to visit “the Garden of Paradise” and the Chapel of St. Zeno with relics of Sts. Zeno and Valentine. Also in this church is a chapel with half of the Pillar at which Our Lord was scourged and a 9th century Byzantine mosaic depicting the Blessed Virgin and saints on the inner arch and Christ and the Apostles on the outer. The 9th century Byzantine apse mosaic depicts Christ among the clouds being awarded the crown of victory by the hand of the Father. He is flanked by Sts. Peter and Paul, holding their arms around the shoulders of Sts. Prassede and Pudentiana. Pope St. Paschal (with a square halo, indicating that he was still alive at its execution) is seen holding a model of the church, and the saint on the right side is probably St. Zeno the martyr. The blue band at the base is a common symbol of baptism, and here it is even inscribed Jordanes, the River Jordan in which the sacrament of Baptism was instituted. Do not miss the relics of the sponge, in the sarcophagus of Sts. Prassede and Pudentiana, and other relics of the martyrs. Near the main entrance (most visitors enter through the side door) is a marble slab fixed into the wall. It is said that Saint Praxedis once slept on it. A statue of the saint stands in front of the slab. In a chapel on the right-hand side of the nave are vestments and articles of clothing that belonged to Pope St. Pius X.

Palm Sunday would be in any case a great and holy day, as it commemorates the last triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth and opens the Holy Week. On this day, the Church celebrates the triumphant entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem, when the multitude, going before and following after Him, cut off branches from the trees and strewed in His way, shouting: "Hosanna [glory and praise] to the Son of David. Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord." It is in commemoration of this triumph that palms are blessed and borne in solemn procession.

The principal ceremonies of the day are the blessing of the palms, the procession, and the Mass with the reading of the Passion. The blessing of the palms follows a ritual similar to that of the Mass, -- having an Epistle, a Gospel, a Preface, and a Sanctus. The Epistle refers to the murmuring of the Israelites in the desert, and their sighing for the flesh-pots of Egypt. The Gospel describes the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The prayers which follow the Sanctus ask God to "bless the branches of palm . . . that whoever receives them may find protection of soul and body . . . that into whatever place they shall be brought, the inhabitants may obtain His blessing; that the devout faithful may understand the mystical meaning of the ceremony, that is, that the palms represent the triumph over the prince of death . . . and therefore, the issue thereof declares both the greatness of the victory, and the riches of God's mercy."

These ceremonies are the remainder of the early custom of having two Masses on this day: one for the blessing of the palms, the other after the procession. The prayers of the blessing, the Antiphon of the procession and the hymn Gloria laus make this one of the most impressive ceremonies of the Liturgical Year.

The Apogee of Lent by Abbe Dom Prosper Gueranger

We have reached the "apogee" - the very vertex of the penitential season of Lent when the humanity of Jesus Christ takes its toll, coming to the surface in sustaining the most brutal beating one could encounter; thus proving His unyielding, everlasting Love for us by His undertaking for us the burden of our sins and, only through His merits, making it possible that we might someday be in Paradise with Him. It begins on Palm Sunday in the streets of Jerusalem in celebratory anticipation and will climax on those very same streets less than a week later when their "Hero" is no longer fanned with palmfrons and hosannas, but spat upon and held in contempt for He failed to provide the instant gratification the people sought for they saw not with the light of faith, but of futility and fascination in someone they thought could make their lives easier, rid the Romans and call off the letter-of-the-law Sanhedrin. How many that day had regrets, saying: "if only we had known..."? We cannot make such excuses or regrets, for truly we know He was [is] the Son of God!

[Comments on the Palm Sunday's Epistle] In obedience to the wishes of the Church, we have knelt down at those words of the apostle, where he says that every knee should bow at the holy name of Jesus. If there be one time of the year rather than another, when the Son of God has a right to our fervent adorations, it is this week, when we see Him insulted in His Passion. Not only should His sufferings excite us to tender compassion; we should also keenly resent the insults that are heaped upon our Jesus, the God of infinite majesty. Let us strive, by our humble homage, to make Him amends for the indignities He suffered in atonement for our pride. Let us united with the holy angels, who, witnessing what He has gone through for the love of man, prostrate themselves, in profoundest adoration, at the sight of His humiliations.

Palm Sunday

Early in the morning of this Day, Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, leaving Mary His Mother, and the two sisters Martha and Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus at Bethania. The Mother of sorrows trembles at seeing her Son thus expose Himself to danger, for His enemies are bent upon His destruction; but it is not death, it is triumph, that Jesus is to receive today in Jerusalem. The Messias, before being nailed to the cross, is to be proclaimed King by the people of the great city; the little children are to make her streets echo with their Hosannas to the Son of David; and this in presence of the soldiers of Rome's emperor, and of the high priests and pharisees: the first standing under the banner of their eagles; the second, dumb with rage.

The prophet Zachary had foretold this triumph which the Son of Man was to receive a few days before His Passion, and which had been prepared for Him from all eternity. 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion! Shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold thy King will come to thee; the Just and the Savior. He is poor and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.'(1)- {Zach. ix. 9} Jesus, knowing that the hour has come for the fulfillment of this prophecy, singles out two from the rest of His disciples, and bids them lead to Him as ass and her colt, which they would find not far off. He has reached Bethphage, on Mount Olivet. The two disciples lose no time in executing the order given them by their divine Master; and the ass and the colt are soon brought to the place where He stands.

The holy fathers have explained to us the mystery of these two animals. The ass represents the Jewish people, which had been long under the yoke of the Law; the colt, upon which, as the evangelist says, no man yet hath sat,(2)-{St. Mark. Xi. 2} is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever yet brought into subjection. The future of these two peoples is to be decided a FEW DAYS hence the Jews will be rejected for having refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messias; the Gentiles will take their place, to be adopted as God's people, and become docile and faithful.

The disciples spread their garments upon the colt; and our Savior, that the prophetic figure might be fulfilled, sits upon him,(3)-{Ibid.7, and St. Luke xix. 35} and advances towards Jerusalem. As soon as it is known that Jesus is near the city, the holy Spirit works in the hearts of those Jews, who have come from all parts to celebrate the feast of the Passover. They go out to meet our Lord, holding palm branches in their hands, and loudly proclaiming Him to be King.(1)-{St. Luke xix. 38} They that have accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the enthusiastic crowd. Whilst some spread their garments on the way, others cut down boughs from the palm trees, and strew them along the road. Hosanna is the triumphant cry, proclaiming to the whole city that Jesus, the Son of David, has made His entrance as her King.

Thus did God, in His power over men's hearts, procure a triumph for His Son, and in the very city which, a few days later, was to clamor for His Blood This day was one of glory to our Jesus, and the holy Church would have us renew, each year, the memory of this triumph of the Man-God. Shortly after the birth of our Emmanuel, we saw the Magi coming from the extreme east, and looking in Jerusalem for the King of the Jews, to whom they intended offering their gifts and their adorations; but it is Jerusalem herself that now goes forth to meet this King. Each of these events is an acknowledgment of the kingship of Jesus; the first, from the Gentiles; the second homage, before He suffered His Passion. The inscription to be put upon the cross, by Pilate's order, will express the kingly character of the Crucified Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Pilate, the Roman governor, the pagan, the base coward, has been unwittingly the fulfiller of a prophecy; and when the enemies of Jesus insist on the inscription being altered, Pilate will not deign to give them any answer but this: 'What I have written, I have written.' Today, it is the Jews themselves that proclaim Jesus to be their King; they will soon be dispersed, in punishment for their revolt against the Son of David; but Jesus is King, and will be so for ever. Thus were literally verified the words spoken by the Archangel to Mary, when he announced to her the glories of the Child that was to be born of her. 'The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David, His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.'(1)- {St. Luke i 32} Jesus begins His reign upon the earth this very day; and though the first Israel is soon to disclaim His rule, a new Israel, formed from the faithful few of the old, shall rise up in every nation of the earth, and become the kingdom of Christ, a kingdom such as no mere earthly monarch ever coveted in his wildest fancies of ambition.

This is the glorious mystery which ushers in the great week, the week of Dolours. Holy Church would have us give this momentary consolation to our heart, and hail our Jesus as our King. She has so arranged the service of today, that it should express both joy and sorrow; joy, by uniting herself with the loyal hosannas of the city of David; and sorrow, by compassionating the Passion of her divine Spouse...

...Let us lovingly go forth to meet this our King, our Savior, who comes to visit the daughter of Sion, as the prophet has just told us. He is in our midst; it is to Him that we pay honor with our palms: let us give Him our hearts too. He comes that He may be our King; let us welcome Him as such, and fervently cry out to Him: 'Hosanna to the Son of David!'

The Station at Rome is in the basilica of St. John Lateran, the mother and mistress of all Churches. The papal function, however, now takes place at St. Peter's; but the usual indulgences are still granted to those who visit the archbasilica.  

[Final Comments for Palm Sunday following Solemn Vespers] Let us now go over in our minds the other events which happened to our divine Lord on this day of His solemn entry into Jerusalem. St. Luke tells us that it was on His approach to the city, that Jesus wept over it, and spoke these touching words: 'If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace! But now they are hidden from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side, and beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee; and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone; because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.'(1)- {St. Luke xix. 42-44}

A few days ago, we were reading in the holy Gospel how Jesus wept over the tomb of Lazarus; today He shed tears over Jerusalem. At Bethania His weeping was caused by the sight of bodily death, the consequence and punishment of sin; but this death is not irremediable: Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and he that believieth in Him shall life. (1)-{St. John xi. 25} Whereas, the state of the unfaithful Jerusalem is a figure of the death of the soul, and from this there is no resurrection, unless the soul, while time is given to her, return to the Author of life. Hence it is, that the tears shed by Jesus over Jerusalem are so bitter. Amidst the acclamations which greet His entry into the city of David, His heart is sad; for He sees that many of her inhabitants will not profit of the time of her visitation. Let us console the Heart of our Jesus, and be to Him a faithful Jerusalem.

The sacred historians tells us that Jesus, immediately upon His entrance into the city, went to the temple, and cast out all them that sold and bought there.(2)-{St. Matthew xxi 12} This was the second time that He had shown His authority in His Father's house and no one had dared to resist Him. The chief priests and pharisees found fault with Him, and accused Him to His face of causing confusion by His entry into the city; but our Lord confounded them by the reply He made. It is thus that in after ages, when it has pleased God to glorify His Son and the Church of His Son, the enemies of both have given vent to their rage; they protested against the triumph, but they could not stop it. But when God, in the unsearchable ways of His wisdom, allowed persecution and trial to follow these periods of triumph, then did these bitter enemies redouble their efforts to induce the very people that had cried Hosanna to the Son of David, to clamor for His being delivered up and crucified. They succeeded in fomenting persecution, but not in destroying the kingdom of Christ and His Church. The kingdom seemed, at times, to be interrupted in its progress; but the time for another triumph came. Thus will it be to the end; and then, after all these changes from glory to humiliation, and from humiliation to glory, the kingdom of Jesus and of His bride will gain the last and eternal triumph over this world, which would not know the time of its visitation.

We learn from St. Matthew (1)-{St. Matt. xxi. 17} that our Savior spent the remainder of this day at Bethania. His blessed Mother and the house of Lazarus were comforted by His return. There was not a single offer of hospitality made to Him in Jerusalem, at least there is mention in the Gospel of any such offer. We cannot help making the reflection, as we meditate upon this event of our Lord's life:--an enthusiastic reception is given to Him in the morning, He is proclaimed by the people as their King; but when the evening of that day comes on, there is not one of all those thousands to offer Him food or lodging. In the Carmelite monasteries of St. Teresa's reform, there is a custom, which has been suggested by this thought, and is intended as a reparation for this ingratitude shown to our Redeemer. A table is placed in the middle of the refectory; and after the community have finished their dinner, the food which was placed upon that table is distributed among the poor, and Jesus is honored in them.

Statio ad St Ioannem Laterano

The Station at Rome is in the church of St. John Lateran which represents the Holy City Jerusalem which Christ and we, His disciples, have just entered. It is the first cathedral of Rome, where Emperor Constantine allowed the Pope to set up the episcopal chair after 312.

Just as Saint John Lateran was the station of the First Sunday of Lent, so it is fitting that the Cathedral Archbasilica is the station church which initiates Holy Week. It has been today’s station since the latter part of the fourth century. The blessing of the palms and the procession have always been distinct from the stational Mass. In years past, however, the two rites were held in the cathedral of Rome with all the magnificence of the pontifical court.

Historically speaking, after Vespers today the Apostolic Major Penitentiary would sit on the cathedral throne. Then, as the penitents presented themselves before him, he would gently strike their heads with the virga (reed) as a sign of repentance. Through this act of the Church’s tribunal of mercy, those who were well-disposed (i.e. in a state of grace) were granted an indulgence.

Considering the liturgical season, perhaps a visit to the Lateran Baptistery would be fitting today. This baptistery was built in the time of Constantine (fourth century) and it served as the prototype of all Christian baptisteries in the first centuries. Sixtus III (432-440) restored it and, in part, transformed it. The interior is formed by a colonnade of eight porphyry columns, taken from the imperial palace, above which a row of smaller columns of white marble is imposed. The cupola is decorated with paintings depicting the life of John the Baptist. The circular basin below was used in ancient times for baptism by immersion. Around it, under the floor, the remains of a baptismal font now stand in the basin; the deer along the sides recalls Psalm 42: “As the deer yearns for running streams…”

The baptistery received its present appearance under Urban VIII (1623-1644). Some of the decorations include the fine large frescoes along the interior walls; they represent the Apparition of the Cross to Constantine; the Battle of Ponte Milvio; and the triumph of Constantine; the burning of heretical books on the steps of the Lateran; and the destruction of the idols.

The four chapels flanking the baptistery are exceptional. The first chapel on the right is that of St. John the Baptist with its fabulous “Singing Door” (not working in the wintertime). The second is the Chapel of Sts. Secunda and Rufina, occupying the original narthex. Notice its beautiful 4th century mosaic of acanthus leaves on a brilliant blue background. Ask to go through the door to see inside the grounds. The third chapel is that of St. Venantius with its 7th century mosaic, Michelangelo’s wooden ceiling, and the remains of the Roman mosaic pavement. Finally, the fourth chapel is that of St. John the Evangelist with its exquisite 5th century vault mosaic and its 12th century bronze door which once adorned the ancient residence of the popes.

Statio ad St Ioannem

ante Portam Latinam

Today's Station takes place in the Church of St. John before the Latin Gate. This ancient basilica is built near the spot where the beloved disciple was, by Domitian's order, plunged into the cauldron of boiling oil.

Very near the ancient Porta Latina in the Aurelian Wall is a delightful little Renaissance chapel named San Giovanni in Oleo. Here marks the legendary spot where the Evangelist was boiled in oil, from which ?he came forth as from a refreshing bath? ? an event which is said to have occurred before he went to the Island of Patmos. This tradition is consecrated in the writings of Tertullian, and a cappelletta has existed here since before the time of Boniface VIII (1294-1303). The present octagonal chapel was built in 1509 by the Frenchman, Benoit Adam, and it was again restored by Borromini in 1658. Today is one of the few days that it is open.

Across the road, down a blind alley, rises today?s station church, the very ancient Basilica of San Giovanni a Porta Latina. Dedicated to the beloved disciple of Jesus, this church stands as the most ancient and venerable monument of Saint John the Evangelist?s sojourn in Rome. It is perhaps the most picturesque of the old Roman churches. The enormous conifer which shades the antique well standing in the forecourt, plus the classical columns which support the medieval portico, and the superb twelfth-century campanile, add up to an extraordinarily beautiful scene. The church was originally reconstructed by Celestine III in 1191; subsequently, it was restored several times more. The care of the church has changed hands many times as well. It has belonged to the Lateran Chapter, the Augustinians, the Confraternity of San Petronio di Bologna, the Mercedaen Scalzi, and the Minimi di San Francesco da Paola (who were driven out by the French in 1798). The State took over part of the buildings in 1873, and in the same year the Franciscan Tertiaries of Albi took charge until malaria drove them away. Then came the Blue Sisters (the Sisters of Santissima Annunziata) who enclosed themselves in the convent. Meanwhile, the whole area was cleared of swamp, improved, and became a residual quarter. Finally in 1937 the church and the buildings attached to it were entrusted to the Institute of Charity (Rosminians) who have carried out much restoration work.

The interior of San Giovanni preserves the striking simplicity of its very early origins. Ten beautiful antique columns of varying styles line the aisles; these lead to two minor apses, flanking the main one, in the oriental fashion. As a very unusual feature, the three apses are polygonal on the outside, and the central one is pierced by three selenite windows. The twelfth-century frescoes, restored in 1940, are also exceedingly interesting. They depict scenes from Genesis, the Creation and Fall of Man, and from the New Testament, the Redemption. The Old Testament scenes start on the right side near the sanctuary, and the New Testament scenes are painted below them in two tiers. In the central apse are 12th century paintings of the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse and symbols of the Evangelists.