The Offertory Rite

The Nigerian United Liturgy of 1965

All stand, and the offertory sentences are said

Minister   Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity. 

              We who are many are one bread, one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

People       I will offer in His dwelling an oblation with great gladness, I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord.

A hymn is now sung, and the bread and wine for the Communion, together with the alms of the people, are brought forward and placed on the Table.

While all remain standing, the minister says

Holy Father, who through the blood of Thy dear Son hast consecrated for us a new and living way to Thy throne of grace, we come to Thee through Him, unworthy as we are, and we humbly beseech Thee to accept and use us and these our gifts for Thy glory.  All that is in heaven and earth is Thine, and of Thine own do we give to Thee.

People  Amen.

All kneel and say together

Be present, be present, O Jesus, Thou good High Priest, as Thou wast in the midst of Thy disciples, and make Thyself known to us in the breaking of the bread, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

The minister stands and continues with the Sursum Corda saying, The Lord be with you.

The Anglican Church in Nigeria

Church of the Province of West Africa

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Our Lord's Summary of the Law

The Nigerian United Liturgy of 1965

Minister

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is, 

Hear, O Israel, 

the Lord, our God, the Lord is one : 

and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 

and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.

People

Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Minister

The second is this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these.

People

Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Minister

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

People

Lord, have mercy upon us, and write these Thy laws in our hearts, we beseech Thee.

Minister

Brethren, we have come together to hear God's most holy Word, and to receive the body and blood of the Lord. Let us, therefore, kneel and examine ourselves in silence, seeking God's grace that we may draw near to Him with repentance and faith.

Then follows a short period of silence

Minister

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the Commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways, make your humble confession to Almighty God, that you may be reconciled anew to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.

All

Heavenly Father, we confess that we have sinned against Thee and our neighbour.  We have walked in darkness rather than in light; we have named the name of Christ, but have not departed from iniquity.  Have mercy upon us, we beseech Thee; for the sake of Jesus Christ forgive us all our sins; cleanse us by Thy Holy Spirit; quicken our consciences; and enable us to forgive others, that we may henceforth serve Thee in newness of life, to the glory of Thy Holy Name. Amen.

Anglican Church in Nigeria

Church of the Province of West Africa

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Madagascar Liturgy 1945

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Please note the epiclesis ('Hear us, O merciful Father') within the following excerpt from the Eucharistic Prayer of The Madagascar Liturgy 1945 of the Anglican Diocese of Madagascar (Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean) in the translation of the Revd Alan D. Rogers from the Malagasy language:

Wherefore, O Lord and heavenly Father, we thy servants offer this thy holy gift and make before thee the memorial which thy Son hath ordained to be made by us, and we remember his holy Passion and his precious Death, his mighty Resurrection and his glorious Ascension; and we give thee true thanks for the innumerable gifts which he procured for us thereby.

Hear us, O merciful Father, we humbly beseech thee, and of thy goodness vouchsafe by thy Word and Holy Spirit to bless and consecrate these thy gifts, the Bread and Wine, that they may be the Body and Blood of thy dearly beloved Son.

And we thy servants desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.  And we humbly beseech thee to grant that by the merits and Death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through our trust in his Blood, we and the Church may receive forgiveness of our sins, and all the grace that comes from his Passion.

And we beseech thee that all who receive this Holy Communion may worthily receive the Body and precious Blood of Christ, and may be filled with thy grace and heavenly blessing, and be made one body with Christ.

And here we offer and present, O Lord, our minds and souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice.  And although through our manifold sins we are unworthy to offer any sacrifice to thee, yet we beseech thee graciously to accept this our duty and service; not weighing our merits, but pardoning our sins;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be given glory and praise, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, together with thee, O heavenly Father, for ever and for ever. Amen. 

The translator of the above, the Revd Alan D. Rogers, was until 1966 the Diocesan Secretary of the Anglican Diocese of Madagascar.

Please pray for the people of Madagascar and for God's blessings upon His Church and all Christian people on the island nation and throughout the nations of and around the Indian Ocean. 

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PRIERE D’HUMBLE ACCES

The Prayer of Humble Access

PRIERE D’HUMBLE ACCES (tous agenouillés)

Nous n’avons point la présomption, ô miséricordieux Seigneur, de nous approcher de ta Table, confiants en notre propre justice, mais en tes multiples et grands compassions. Nous ne sommes même pas dignes de recueillir les miettes qui tombent de ta Table. Mais toi, tu es le même Seigneur dont la nature est d’être toujours miséricordieuse. Accorde-nous donc la grâce, ô Dieu clément, de manger la chair de ton bien-aimé fils Jésus-Christ, et de boire son sang, de telle manière que nos corps soient purifiés de tout péché par son corps, et nos âmes lavées par son sang très précieux et que nous demeurions pour toujours en lui, et lui en nous. Amen.

Anglican Diocese of Guinée

West Africa

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Anglican Patrimony: 'An Office of Preparation'

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The Anglican liturgical patrimony, though planted in the West, has faced East for its development and inspiration.  The following 'Office of Preparation' for divine worship is typical of the Anglican adaptation of liturgical materials from the Christian East, in this case the Divine Liturgy of the Syriac Orthodox (previously called the Syrian Jacobites):

HOLY is the holy Father,

Holy is the holy Son,

Holy is the living and holy Spirit.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;

And upon us, weak and sinful, be mercy and grace at all times.

Lord have mercy.

Vouchsafe unto us, O Lord God, with knowledge and fear and beauty of spiritual order to stand before thee in purity and holiness, and to worship thee as the Lord and Creator of all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for ever.

Lord have mercy.

To thee, O Lord, do I stretch forth the hands of my heart, and implore forgiveness, albeit unworthy; and do beseech thee, keep my mind from the operations of the enemy, mine eyes that they look not incotinently, mine ears that they hearken not to vanities, mine hands from the service of hateful things, and my reins that they be moved in thee so that I be entirely thine, O Christ our God for ever.

Lord have mercy.

Into thy house, O God, have we entered, thy holy vessels have we prepared, the garments of purity put on.  Unto thy sanctuary come we to minister, before thy whole church on earth and in the holy company of the redeemed, to make oblation at thine altar and to worship in thy presence, O Christ our God for ever.

Lord have mercy.

O wash mine hands in innocency;

And so shall I go to thine altar.

Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness;

And thy saints sing with joyfulness.

Let us pray.

Cleanse our hearts and members, O Lord, that they may be instruments of righteousness and meet for all good and right works, making us pure temples and chosen vessels that are fit for the service of thy glory, and for the praise of thy holy name, O Lord and God for ever. Amen.

O pure and spotless Lamb, who offered to the Father an acceptable offering for the expiation and redemption of the whole world; Vouchsafe us to offer ourselves to thee a living sacrifice and like unto thy sacrifice, which was for us, O Christ our God for ever. Amen.

Sacrifices of praise may we be accounted worthy to offer unto thee, O Lord, as a sweet-smelling savour, even all our thoughts and words and deeds in pure longing after thee; and so without spot to appear before thee all the days of our life, O Father, Son and Holy Ghost for ever. Amen.

Holy is the holy Father,

Holy is the holy Son,

Holy is the living and holy Spirit. Amen. 

from The Cuddesdon College Office Book, 1961

+Agios o Theos.

NLM: The English Missal

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The positive development arising from an unfortunate statement by an Ordinariate hierarch  is that attention is focused now on the The English Missal, that magnificent liturgical book that puts the Extraordinary Form of the Mass into the most beautiful sacral English ever devised by the mind of man under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. 

I invite my readers to visit the New Liturgical Movement blog and read the fine article they have posted regarding The English Missal and its potentiality for the Ordinariates and for the Church.  The link to the article is HERE.

+Exaudi nos, Domine.

The best Catholic blog for the soul

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I am convinced the best Catholic blog for the care of your soul is the blog of the Very Reverend Dom Mark Daniel Kirby called Vultus Christi.

Dom Mark's blog is worth reading daily, and if there isn't a new daily post, look back to past posts; they are all treasures, and many are genuine food for the soul. 

At this time in the summer, please pray about making a donation to his monastery the Silverstream Priory in Stamullen, Ireland.  Summer is often a difficult time for young religious communities where people on holiday forget to continue to support the monasteries.

Without our Catholic monasteries and convents, I believe our world would tumble into chaos.  They pray up the foundations upon which good order and a sound society may be built.

Photo © John Briody

In the case of this monastery, I am persuaded that it is the seed for the renewal of Catholic Ireland and deserves all of your support.

Please visit the Silverstream Priory homepage, and make a donation today.  Donate here.

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From 'An Office of Preparation'

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V.  I said, Lord, be merciful unto me;

R.  Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.

Turn thee again, O Lord, at the last;

And be gracious unto thy servants.

Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us.

Like as we do put our trust in thee.

Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness;

And thy saints sing with joyfulness.

Cleanse thou me from my secret faults;

Keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins.

Lord, hear my prayer;

And let my cry come unto thee.

The Lord be with you;

And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

MOST gracious God, incline thy merciful ears to our prayers, and enlighten our hearts by the grace of thy Holy Spirit; that we may worthily approach thy holy Mysteries, and love thee with an everlasting love.

     O Lord, we beseech thee, may the Comforter who proceedeth from thee illuminate our minds, and lead us, as thy Son hath promised, into all truth.

     O Lord, we beseech thee, may the power of the Holy Ghost be with us, and both mercifully cleanse and purge our hearts, and defend us from all adversities.

     Cleanse our consciences, we beseech thee, O Lord, by thy visitation; that thy Son our LORD JESUS Christ, when he cometh, may find in us a dwelling-place prepared for himself; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, behold we approach the Sacrament of thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  As sick, we come to the Physician of life: as unclean, to the Fountain of mercy: as blind, to the Light of eternal splendour: as needy, to the Lord of heaven and earth: as naked, to the King of glory.

     We pray thee, therefore, of the abundance of thine infinite majesty, that thou wouldest vouchsafe to heal our sickness, to wash our foulness, to lighten our darkness, to enrich our poverty, to clothe our nakedness; that we may receive the Bread of angels, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, with such reverence and fear, such contrition and love, such faith and purity, such devotion and humility, as is expedient for the welfare of our souls.  Grant, we beseech thee, that we may receive not only the outward sign of the Lord's Body and Blood, but also the very gift and virtue of the same.  O most merciful God, grant us so to receive the Body of thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ, which he took of the Virgin Mary, that we may be incorporated into his mystical Body, and ever reckoned among his members.  And, O most loving Father, grant that whom we now purpose to receive under a veil we may at length behold with open face, even thy beloved Son, who with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen.

JOY with peace, amendment of life, time for true repentance, the grace and comfort of thy Holy Spirit, perseverance in good works, grant us, O almighty and merciful Lord. Amen.

The Lord be with you;

And with thy spirit.

Let us bless the Lord;

Thanks be to God.

BLESSED be God, who blesseth and sanctifieth us through our partaking of his holy and precious and heavenly Mysteries, now and for ever and world without end. Amen.

The Cuddesdon College Office Book

London: Oxford University Press, 1961

+Exaudi nos, Domine

ECCE HOMO

H.T. Henry, Litt.D.

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ECCE  HOMO !

A plaything of man s hate and pride,

    All worn and wan,

In mocking purple clad new-dyed

With eager streams of life s red tide

    Behold the  Man !

And yet, when senseless we, how feels

    Each senseless thing!

For though a Caesar's be the seals,

Lo, Christ the yielding rock reveals :

    Behold the King !

And now He plans a Wedding-Feast :

    Around His Board

Throng good and bad, and great and least,

The wise, the fool, the scribe, the priest :

    Behold the Lord !

 

Yet meekly, in His altared bliss,

    He wields no rod,

While saints adore, and scoffers hiss,

And friends embrace, and traitors kiss :

    Behold the God ! 

Rt Rev Msgr Hugh T. Henry

Eucharistica

Verse and Prose in Honour of

THE HIDDEN GOD

[Philadephia: The Dolphin Press, 1912]

"Grey is the Devil's Favorite Color"

Dr. Peter Kreeft


The title above is a quote from Dr. Peter Kreeft.  Please read a related article on Catholic World Report regarding Catholic women embracing pornography: link here.

Paragraph 2354 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, and the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.

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Our Faith must be beautiful

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Our Faith must be beautiful if it is to hold souls. Far from us the illusion that it is sufficient to tell our people what to believe and what to do as one gives medicine to a sick person, tasteless or perhaps even unpalatable! Perhaps we priests too readily become the victims of certain well-worn phrases which seem to be the product of lazy shepherds, and which appear to make every dogma just a blow on the head which the believer should receive thankfully.  Some piece of doctrine is given him, not as bread to eat and to enjoy, but as a stone to carry about.  Far from us, I say, such facile belief in our people's readiness to be contented believers; they are hungering and thirsting for the beauties of their Faith, and unless we meet them in their legitimate desires our true contact with souls becomes less and less every year.

(Martin) Anscar Vonier, OSB

Firmly I Believe and Truly

The Spiritual Tradition of Catholic England

An Anthology of Writings from 1483 to 1999

Ed. by John Saward, John Morrill, and Michael Tomko

[2011: Oxford University Press, p. 594]

Christ in His Heavenly Beauty

John Saward

Christ in His heavenly beauty does not shine alone.  There is no splendid isolation in His Godhead, for He is Light from Light, the consubstantial Son and Splendour of the Father, living and reigning with Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit.  And the glory of His manhood is not a private radiance, for He is the Light of the World, the Bridegroom who beautifies the Bride, the Lamb who is the lamp of a lustrous city.  The brightness of Christ’s pierced and risen flesh is incomparable but not incommunicable.  He is ‘beautiful above the sons of men’, and yet ‘grace is poured abroad in [His] lips’ (Ps 44:3). On His right stands the Queen (Ps 44:10), His Virgin Mother, clothed body and soul in His glory, and around her is her court, the numberless multitude made brilliant in His blood.  ‘Ipse est corona sanctorum’, He is the crown of all the saints, ‘Ipse, the only one, Christ, King, Head’.

John Saward

The Beauty of Holiness 

and the Holiness of Beauty:

Art, Sanctity & the Truth of Catholocism

[San Francisco: Ignatius Press]