Ex te, Sacra Virgo Maria, ortus est sol justítiæ...

Thou art the Ark of Salvation, the one creature unwrecked in the universal deluge, the white Fleece filled with the dew of heaven, whilst the earth around is parched, the Flame which the many waters could not quench; the Lily blooming amidst thorns, the Garden shut against the infernal serpent, the Fountain sealed, whose limpid water was never ruffled, the House of the Lord, whereon his eyes were ever fixed, and into which nothing defiled could ever enter; the great City, of which such glorious things are said.

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when Holy Church celebrates the wondrous act of the divine Majesty Who kept her, destined to become the Mother of God and of our Salvation, free from any corruption of sin. The Mass is Gaudens gaudebo in Domino. The livret for the Mass streamed from Saint-Eugène is here. There is a candlelight procession to Saint-Roch after Mass and the parish consecration to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart; will see if we will get to follow this also live-streamed. There's nothing in the livret about it so am guessing, no.

 

Ave, María, grátia plena, Sanctis sánctior, et cælis excélsior, et Chérubim gloriósior, et Séraphim honorabílior, et super omnem creatúram venerabílior... I look forward to Saint Germanus of Constantinople at Matins because if usually the Latin-translated-from-Greek homilies are rather convoluted and full of academic flourishes etc (i.e. requiring more attention than I am oftentimes inclined to pay them), his is very straightforward and direct.

Saint Lucy's Day. Am catching up with Father John Hunwicke, and read his post for yesterday, which follow's Saint Germanus's text, as I pointed out on the feast. An excerpt, following after the Hunwickean version (he omitted the prayer for the Byzantine army) of Saint Germanus's sermon; my emphasis.

Thirteen centuries: not much seems to change, does it? What a triumph the creation of Islam, as of all the heresies, is for the Evil One. The captives... the vast throngs of refugees... the desecrated churches... I know, because our politicians have so often explained it, that Islam is a religion of peace; but quite a number of thoroughly atypical Moslems do seem to inhabit the pages of History as century follows century.

I wonder if you dwelt on the logic of the last two or three lines in my extract. In every previous Christian age, and in both East and West, men and women when under affliction have prayed for divine assistance so that they could worship God in joy and exultation; or so that Ecclesia tua tranquilla devotione laetetur. Few of our neighbours, now, pray at all; in as far as hopes are expressed, they seem to me generally to be hopes for a return to Business as Usual; hopes that a decadent Western society may be able to continue its corrupt and sinfully hedonistic way of life without any ill-mannered and murderous interruptions or any vulgar reminders of its own decadence.

I am most certainly not saying that everybody who goes out for a Friday Night On the Town in a city like Paris or London or Oxford is manifestly in a state of mortal sin... Of course all of them aren't. But... well, if I were to design one of those great baroque pictures abounding in allegorical figures of Virtues and Vices, I think I might portray Decadence and Atrocity in covert alliance. Perhaps we will not be free from our present woes until, as a society, we can again pray and hope for... peace indeed, but peace-with-the-intention-that, as a community, we will be able joyously to throng our churches; so that in every part of our lives, communally and individually, we may serve Christ our King.

Her Immaculate Heart will prevail. If I could tell you when, I would.

At Saint-Eugène, the Schola (after the splendid improvisation of Dr Ratovondrahety) begins with a version of Ave maris stella. The statue of the Virgin that will be carried in procession is borne in, accompanied by the banners that will be displayed in the procession to Saint-Roch. M le Curé is the celebrant, assisted by Fr Grodziski as deacon and a cleric whose name I don't know as subdeacon, he of the vox fragilior-- it is, however, the lesson-chanting voice that is... fragilior; his reading voice in French is perfectly fine.

Introitus. Is. 61, 10. Gaudens gaudébo in Dómino, et exsultábit ánima mea in Deo meo: quia índuit me vestiméntis salútis: et induménto justítiæ circúmdedit me, quasi sponsam ornátam monílibus suis. Ps. 29, 2. Exaltábo te, Dómine, quóniam suscepísti me: nec delectásti inimícos meos super me. ℣. Glória Patri.

Oratio. Deus, qui per immaculátam Vírginis Conceptiónem dignum Fílio tuo habitáculum præparásti: quǽsumus; ut, qui ex morte ejúsdem Filii tui prævísa eam ab omni labe præservásti, nos quoque mundos ejus intercessióne ad te perveníre concédas. Per eúndem Dóminum.

Oratio. 2. de Feria. Excita, Dómine, corda nostra ad præparándas Unigéniti tui vias : ut per ejus advéntum, purificátis tibi méntibus servíre mereámur : Qui tecum vivis et regnas.

Léctio libri Sapiéntiæ.
Prov. 8. 22-35.
Dóminus possedit me in inítio viárum suárum, ántequam quidquam fáceret a princípio. Ab ætérno ordináta sum, et ex antíquis, ántequam terra fíeret. Nondum erant abýssi, et ego jam concépta eram: necdum fontes aquárum erúperant: necdum montes gravi mole constíterant: ante colles ego parturiébar: adhuc terram non fécerat et flúmina et cárdines orbis terræ. Quando præparábat cœlos, áderam: quando certa lege et gyro vallábat abýssos: quando ǽthera firmábat sursum et librábat fontes aquárum: quando circúmdabat mari términum suum et legem ponébat aquis, ne transírent fines suos: quando appendébat fundaménta terræ. Cum eo eram cuncta compónens: et delectábar per síngulos dies, ludens coram eo omni témpore: ludens in orbe terrárum: et delíciæ meæ esse cum filiis hóminum. Nunc ergo, filii, audíte me: Beáti, qui custódiunt vias meas. Audíte disciplínam, et estóte sapiéntes, et nolíte abjícere eam. Beátus homo, qui audit me et qui vígilat ad fores meas cotídie, et obsérvat ad postes óstii mei. Qui me invénerit, invéniet vitam et háuriet salútem a Dómino.

Graduale. Judith 13, 23. Benedícta es tu. Virgo María, a Dómino, Deo excélso, præ ómnibus muliéribus super terram. ℣. Ibid. 15, 10. Tu glória Jerúsalem, tu lætítia Israël, tu honorificéntia pópuli nostri.

Allelúja, allelúja. ℣. Cant. 4, 7. Tota pulchra es, María: et mácula originális non est in te. Allelúja.

✠ Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndum Lucam. 
Luc. 1, 26-28.
In illo témpore: Missus est Angelus Gábriël a Deo in civitátem Galilǽæ, cui nomen Názareth, ad Vírginem desponsátam viro, cui nomen erat Joseph, de domo David, et nomen Vírginis María. Et ingréssus Angelus ad eam, dixit: Ave, grátia plena; Dóminus tecum: benedícta tu in muliéribus.

There are new faces in the sanctuary; my guess is that some Saint-Rochiens are serving at this Mass. M. le Curé of Saint-Roch (I believe) is delivering the sermon; I think I recall his animated style from whenever was the last time he was at Saint-E. Ah yes (merci, Management at Ite Missa Est); his name is Thierry Laurent. Was formerly a lawyer, evidently, and is well known as a laudator temporis acti.

Offertorium. Luc. 1, 28. Ave, María, grátia plena; Dóminus tecum: benedícta tu in muliéribus, allelúja.

And the Sol sub nube latuit; lovely.

Sol sub nube látuit

Sed eclypsis néscius,

Cum se carni míscuit

Summi Patris Fílius.

Maritári vóluit

Verbum Patris áltius,

Núbere non pótuit

Caro gloriósius.

R/. Gaude nova nupta !

Fides est et véritas,

Quod a carne Déitas

Non fuit corrúpta.

Qui solus ætérnus est

Et qui regit ómnia,

Quod non erat factus est,

Nec taménres ália :

Illum qui solútus est,

Stricta ligat fáscia,

Jacet, qui imménsus est,

Inter animália.

Solis jubar témperat

Nubes molis néscia,

Terra fructum génerat

Quo dulcescunt ómnia.

Cœlo terras féderat

Nova data grátia,

Tóllere qui vénerat

Captivántis spólia.

Secreta. Salutárem hóstiam, quam in sollemnitáte immaculátæ Conceptiónis beátæ Vírginis Maríæ tibi, Dómine, offérimus, súscipe et præsta: ut, sicut illam tua grátia præveniénte ab omni labe immúnem profitémur; ita ejus intercessióne a culpis ómnibus liberémur. Per Dóminum.

Secreta. 2. de Feria. Placáre, quæsumus, Dómine, humilitátis nostræ précibus et hóstiis : et ubi nulla súppetunt suffrágia meritórum, tuis nobis succúrre præsídiis. Per Dóminum.

The Schola is singing the Sanctus and Benedictus, and the Agnus Dei, from the Missa secunda (1599) of Hans Leo Hassler.

Communio. Gloriósa dicta sunt de te, María: quia fecit tibi magna qui potens est.

The Schola will sing a 14th century setting of the Communion, as well as Ave Maria by Guillaume Bouzignac ("his dialogue motets, such as Unus ex vobis and Dum silentium, are small scale oratorios which anticipate Giacomo Carissimi, and then Marc-Antoine Charpentier two generations later") and César Franck (Saturday is the bicentenary of his birth). 

Postcommunio. Sacraménta quæ súmpsimus, Dómine, Deus noster: illíus in nobis culpæ vúlnera réparent; a qua immaculátam beátæ Maríæ Conceptiónem singuláriter præservásti. Per Dóminum.

Postcommunio. 2. de Feria. Repléti cibo spirituális alimóniæ, súpplices te, Dómine, deprecámur : ut, hujus participatióne mystérii, dóceas nos terréna despícere et amáre cæléstia. Per Dóminum.

It is good to see such a large number of the faithful at the altar rails for Holy Communion-- Father Grodziski is distributing the Host at the altar of Saint Eugene and the clericus ignotus at the altar of Our Lady, even (which I've never seen, for what that's worth)-- how much of this is due to the parish consecration upcoming and how much to the presence of some of the faithful from Saint-Roch one cannot know. 

The Mass ended, now to the Lady Altar for the solemn parish consecration to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, preceded by the chanting of the Sub tuum praesidium. At Saint-Eugène-Sainte Cécile, one does not shrink from attributing the title Corédemptrice to the Great Mother of God, Deo gratias.

Gaude Maria virgo:

cunctas haereses sola

interemisti in universo mundo.

Alleluia.

LDVM