Secret.-O Lord, we beseech thee, that these victims of expiation and praise, may, through the intercession of the blessed Cæcilia, thy virgin and martyr, ever render us worthy of thy propitiation. Through our Lord. Communion.-Let the proud be confounded, because they have unjustly done wickedly against me: but I was exercised in thy commandments; in thy righteousness I shall not be ashamed. Post-communion.-O Lord, thou hast satisfied thy family with sacred gifts, we beseech thee ever cherish us by her intercession whose solemnity we celebrate. Through our Lord. Lesson, Philippians iii. 17; iv. 3.Be followers of me, &c. Gradual.-The Lord hath sworn, and shall not repent; thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec. The Lord hath said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand. Alleluia, Alleluia. This is the priest whom the Lord hath crowned. Alleluia. Gospel, Matthew xxiv. 42-47.-Watch ye, &c. Offertory.-My truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted. Secret.-O Lord, sanctify the gifts offered to thee, and through these cleanse us from our sins by the intercession of the blessed Clement, thy martyr and bishop. Through our Lord, &c. S. Felicitas, Secret.-O Lord, look with a favourable eye on the vows of thy people, and grant us to rejoice in her prayers whose festival we celebrate. Through our Lord. Communion.-Blessed is that servant, whom, when his Lord shall come, he shall find watching; verily I say to you, he will set him over all his goods. Post-communion.-Filled with the of fering of thy sacred body and precious blood, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that what we do in pious devotion through the intercession of the blessed Clement, thy martyr and bishop, we may receive with assured redemption. Through the same Lord. 1 This is the Clement of Paul's Epistle, (Phil. iv. 3). The Church of Rome makes him to have been the second Bishop of Rome from Peter-Linus being the first. Others make Clement to have been ordained by Peter himself. He is esteemed as one of the apostolic fathers, and his epistles to the Corinthian Church, especially the first, while it betrays its uninspired character, shows also one who had sat at the feet of a Paul and a Peter, and drank of their spirit of faith and love to Christ. that, thy saints interceding for us, thou wouldst both multiply in us thy gifts, and dispose of our temporal interests. Through our Lord. 24TH DAY OF NOVEMBER. S. John of the Cross, Confessor.1 The mass, Os justi, from common of confessor not a bishop. Prayer.-O God, who didst make thy holy confessor John an excellent example of perfect self-denial, and of the cross, grant, that ever persevering in the imitation of him, we may attain to eternal glory. Through our Lord, &c. Commemoration is made of S. Chrysogonus, martyr, as in the following mass: THE SAME DAY. S. Chrysogonus, Martyr The mass, In virtute tua, from common, except the prayers. Prayer. O Lord, be favourable to our supplications, that we who know ourselves to be guilty on account of our iniquities, may be delivered by the intercession of thy blessed martyr Chrysogonus. Through our Lord. S. Chrysogonus, Secret.-O Lord, we beseech thee to receive, well pleased, our oblation; and thy blessed martyr Chrysogonus interceding, defend us from all perils. Through our Lord. S. Chrysogonus, Post-communion.—O Lord, by the participation of thy sacrament, cleanse us from secret sins, and 1 This saint was a contemporary of St Teresa, and of Peter of Alcantara, and lived between 1542 and 1591, when Spain was fertile in saints whose insane exploits, in the way of neglecting and despising the body, filled the Spanish nation with wonder, and so strangely perverted the religious sentiments of the nation, that Spain became as absurd in its religious sentiments and observances, as ever Don Quixote became by reading romances. He wrote a book of mystical theology, which he called "The Obscure Night." "His heart," says Butler, "seemed an immense fire of love." Coming out of his raptures, he would exclaim, "Let us take wings and fly on high. What do we do here, brethren, let us go to eternal life!" Glorying in his sufferings, he would say that he asked three things of God, "1st, That he might not pass one day of his life without suffering something; 2d, That he might not die superior; 3d, That he might end his life in humiliation, disgrace, and contempt." From his voluntary sufferings, he received the title of " John of the cross." A Spanish priest of the name of Molino, is usually styled the "Father of the Quietism," which was afterwards condemned by Rome, and to which Fenelon was inclined; but the true authors, Butler informs us, were Teresa, Peter of Alcantara, and brother John of the Cross. Their doctrine of passive prayer, in which the mind does nothing, and receives only impressions, and of loving God only for himself, and indifference whether we be saved or not, so that God be glorified, &c., all which are sentiments or issues of the mystical theology which is to be found in Protestant Churches as well as in Rome, and is one of the extremes of a devotion unconnected with the wholesome activities of life. Besides his "Obscure Night," he wrote on "The Canticles," and pieces called "The Ascent of Mount Carmel," and "The Living Flame of Love." 2 Chrysogonus is said to have suffered martyrdom at Rome in the time of Diocletian. One of the Roman cardinals takes his title from him. free us from the snares of the enemy. Through our Lord. 25TH DAY OF NOVEMBER. S. Catharine, Virgin and Martyr.1 The mass, Loquebar, from common of virgin and martyr. Prayer.-O God, who didst give the law to Moses from the summit of Mount Sinai, and in the same place by thy holy angels didst wonderfully place the body of the blessed Catharine, thy virgin and martyr, grant, we beseech thee, that by her merits and intercession, we may arrive at the mountain which is Christ. Who lives with you, &c. 26TH DAY OF NOVEMBER. S. Peter Alexandrinus, Bishop and The mass, Statuit, from common of one martyr and bishop. 1 A martyr of Alexandria in Egypt in the third century. She is said to have been celebrated for her learning as well as sufferings, and to have been stripped of her wealth and rank, and sent into banishment by the Emperor Maximian. 2 This Peter is described as Bishop of Alexandria about 311, and to have been put to death by the same emperor that banished St Catharine. COMMON OF SAINTS. red mysteries with reverence for the apostolic office, we beseech thee, O Lord, that through the intercession of thy blessed apostle N., (and evangelist,) whose festival is at hand, thy people may always bring forth their vows, and and obtain their desires. Through our Lord, &c. The preface, as in common of prefaces. Communion, Psalm xx.-His glory is great in thy salvation: glory and great beauty wilt thou put upon him, O Lord. Post-communion.-We beseech thee, O Lord, that being appeased by the supplication of thy holy apostle N., (and evangelist,) both to bestow pardon on us and grant to us eternal remedies. Through our Lord, &c. Prayer. Have regard to our infirmity, O almighty God; and since the burden of our own actions is heavy upon us, may the glorious intercession of the blessed N., thy martyr and bishop, pro tect us. Through our Lord, &c. Lesson, Epistle, James i. 12-18.— Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; he shall receive the crown of life, &c. Gradual, Psalm lxxxviii. -I have found David my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him: for my hand shall help him, and my arm shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not have any advantage over him, and the son of wickedness have no power to hurt him. Alleluia, Alleluia. Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedec. Alleluia. After Septuagesima, the Alleluia and verse are omitted, and the following is said: Tract, Psalm xx. - Thou hast bestowed on him the desire of his heart, and hast not withheld from him the desire of his lips. Thou hast anticipated him with the blessings of sweetness. Thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones. Gospel, Luke xiv. 26-33.-If any man come to me, and hate not his father, &c. Offertory, Psalm lxxxviii.—My truth and my mercy shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. Secret.-O Lord, graciously accept the victims devoted to thee, through the merits of blessed N., thy martyr and bishop, and grant that they may become a perpetual support to us. Through our Lord, &c. Communion.-Once have I sworn in my holiness, his seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me, and as the moon perfect for ever, and a faithful witness in heaven. Post-communion. -Being refreshed by partaking of the holy gift, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that by the intercession of blessed N., thy martyr and bishop, we may experience the benefits of him whose worship (cultus) we celebrate. Through our Lord, &c. ANOTHER MASS OF THE SAME COMMON. Introit, Daniel iii.-O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: ye that are holy and humble in heart, praise ye God. Ps. All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and extol him for ever. Glory, &c. Prayer. O God, who dost gladden us by the annual solemnity of blessed N., thy martyr and bishop, mercifully grant that we may rejoice in the protection of him whose feast we celebrate. Through our Lord. After Septuagesima, the Alleluia and verse are omitted, and the following said: Tract, Psalm cxi.-Blessed is the man that fears the Lord; in his commandments is his delight. His seed shall be powerful on earth; the generation of the righteous shall be blessed. Glory and riches are in his house, and his justice abideth for ever. Gospel, Matthew xvi. 24-27.-If any man will come after me, &c. Offertory, Psalm lxxxviii. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him: for my hand shall help him, and my arm shall strengthen him. Secret.-Sanctify, O Lord, the offer |