as to arrive at that which is eternal. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Let us sue for mercy from the Saviour of our souls, in these words of supplication used in the Gothic Liturgy of Spain. SUPPLICATION. (Feria VI. Dominica V.) . Have mercy upon, and spare, thy people, O most merciful Lord! R. For we have sinned against thee. V. Look down, from the throne of thy Cross, upon us miserable creatures, who are fettered by the chains of our passions. Deliver us, O thou our Redeemer, from the punishments we deserve. R. For we have sinned against thee. Ν. Ο thou that wast scourged, ignominiously crucified, and insulted by them that persecuted thee! grant us repentance for our sins. R. For we have sinned against thee. V. O thou, the just Judge, that wast judged unjustly, and, though innocent, made to suffer the tortures of the Cross! save us from our merited punishments, for thou art our Redeemer. B. For we have sinned against thee. V. O thou, that heretofore wast silent before the judge! raise up thy voice in pleading for us to thy Father, that we may be happy with thee, our King and Lord. V. Miserere, et parce, clementissime Domine, populo tuo. R. Quia peccavimus tibi. V. De crucis throno aspice nos miseros, et passionum compeditos vinculis nostris absolve, Redemptor, suppliciis. R. Quia peccavimus tibi. V. Passus flagella, et crucis injuriam, persecutorum sustinens convicia, dona delictis nostris pœnitentiam. B. Quia peccavimus tibi. V. Qui justus judex, male judicatus es, et pœnas crucis suscepisti innocens ; tu nos a pœnis nostris salva redimens. R. Quia peccavimus tibi. V. Vox tua Patrem pro nobis expostulet, quæ silens fuit olim ante judicem, ut te regnante perfruamur Domino. R. Quia peccavimus tibi. R. For we have sinned against thee. The following sequence, in praise of Mary, is most appropriate for this Saturday of Passion Week. It sweetly blends together the homages we owe to the Cross of Jesus and to the Dolours of Mary. have taken it from the Hora of the 16th century. SEQUENCE. Lignum vitæ quærimus, Qui vitam amisimus Fructu ligni vetiti. Nec inventum noverit Qui fructum non viderit Adhærentem stipiti. Fructus per quem vivitur Pendet, sicut creditur, Virginis ad ubera. Et ad Crucem iterum, Positus in medio, Hic complexus brachiis, Modis vagit variis. Hic extendit brachia, Charum Mater tenere We We, that by the fruit of the forbidden tree, lost our life, now seek the Tree of life. He alone hath found this Tree, who sees the Branch whereon is fixed the Fruit. Our faith tells us, that the Fruit, that gives us life, hangs on Mary's breast. And on the Cross, between two thieves, though, here, he is pierced with five wounds. The Virgin-Mother, and the saving Cross,-yea, both are mystic Trees; The Cross, humble as the hyssop; Mary, noble as the cedar, both are trees of life. Placed between the two, I know not to which to turn. O sweet perplexity! 0 sweet comparison ! Here, my Jesus lies, fondled in his Mother's arms, a weeping little Babe; There, with his arms stretched out, calling all to his embrace. Here, 'tis a burden sweet to a Mother's love; There, 'tis Love itself, too ardent to be hid. Here, leaning on his Mother's heart, he is fed at her breast; There, fastened to the tree, he feeds us from his wounds. The Cross supplies us with the food of its refreshing Fruit; The Mother forestalls the Cross, feeding the very Fruit, feeding him for us. This, then, is my decision; -we cannot have the one without the other. He that chooses the Cross, must have the Mother; for when he comes to the Cross, he will find the Mother standing at the foot. He that chooses the Mother, meets the Cross as well, for it was whilst standing at the Cross, that the Mother's heart was pierced. O Jesus! crucified Son of a crucified Mother! look upon us from thy Cross. O living Fruit! O Fruit of the Tree of life! refresh us with thyself, give us the enjoyment of thine own dear self. Amen. Hic affixus arbori, Pascit nos ex vulnere. Crux ministrat pabula, Fructu nos reficiens. Mater est præambula, Fructum nobis nutriens. Tandem ad hoc trahitur Finalis sententia : Quod nemo consequitur Unam sine alia. Qui Crucem elegerit, Nec sic Matrem deserit : Cum ad Crucem venerit, Matrem ibi poterit Stantem invenire. Nec qui Matrem elegit, Fili Matris unice, Fructus o vivifice, Amen. PASSIONTIDE. PALM SUNDAY. Hodie, si vocem Domini audieritis, nolite obdurare corda vestra. To-day, if ye shall hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts. EARLY in the morning of this day, Jesus sets our 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 Saviour. He is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.1 Jesus, knowing that the hour was come for the fulfilment of this prophecy, singles out two from the rest of his Disciples, and bids them lead to him an ass and her colt, which they would find not far off. He had got to 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 is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever yet brought into subjection. The future of these two people is to be decided in a few days hence: the Jews will be rejected, for having refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messias; the Gentiles will take their place, be adopted as God's people, and become docile and faithful. The Disciples spread their garments upon the colt; and our Saviour, that the prophetic figure might be fulfilled, sat upon him, and advances towards Jerusalem. As soon as it was known that Jesus was near the City, the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of those Jews, who had 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. They that had accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the enthusiastic crowd. Whilst some spread their garments on, the way, others cut down boughs from the Palmtrees, and strewed 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. 1 Zac., ix. 9. 3 Ibid., xi. 7, and St. Luke, xix. 35, |