munere, tranquillum perpe- may enjoy with all his people the tranquillity of perpetual peace and heavenly victory.) Through the same Lord Jesus Christ thy Son: who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth one God for ever and ever. R. Amen. Here, the Deacon takes off the white Dalmatic, vests in purple, and returns to the Bishop. Then begin the Prophecies from the Old Testament. THE PROPHECIES. The Torch of the Resurrection now sheds its light from the Ambo throughout the holy place, and gladdens the hearts of the Faithful. How solemn a preparation for what is now to engage our attention, -the Baptism of the Catechumens, whose instruction and progress in good works we have followed with such interest during the past forty days! They are assembled together under the outward porch of the Church. The Priests are performing over them the preparatory rites, which embody such profound teaching, and were instituted by the Apostles. First of all, the sign of the cross is made upon their foreheads; and then, the Priest, imposing his hand upon the head of each Catechumen, adjures Satan to depart from this soul and body, and give place to Christ. Imitating thus our Redeemer, the Priest then touches with his spittle the ears, saying: "Be ye opened!" He does the same to the nostrils, and says: "Breathe ye in the sweetness of fragrance!" The Neophyte is next anointed, on the breast and between the shoulders, with the Oil of Catechumens: but, as this ceremony expresses his having to fight the spiritual combat, the Priest first receives from him the promise to renounce Satan, with his works and pomps. These rites are performed first over the men, and then over the women. The children of Christian parents are also admitted to take their place among the Catechumens. If any of these latter be labouring under any sickness, and have notwithstanding come to the Church in order to receive, to-night, the grace of Regeneration,-a Priest says over them a Prayer, in which he fervently begs of God to heal them, and confound the malice of Satan. These ceremonies, which are called the Catechisation, occupy a considerable portion of time, on account of the great number of the aspirants to Baptism. It is for this reason, that the Bishop came to the Church at the hour of None (three o'clock in the afternoon), and that the great Vigil began so early. Whilst these rites are being administered to the Catechumens, the rest of the Faithful are listening to appropriate passages from the Scripture, which are being read from the Ambo, and which are the complement of the Lenten Instructions. These Lessons are twelve in number: but in the venerable Basilica, where we are now supposing ourselves to be, we may say they are twenty-four, since each of the Twelve is read in Latin first, and then in Greek. In order to fix the attention, and excite the devotion, of her children to what she reads to them, the Church, after each Lesson, recites a Prayer, which sums up the doctrine expressed in the preceding Prophecy. To some of them is added an appropriate Canticle from the Old Testament, and it is sung, by the whole assembly, to the well known melody of the Tract. The aspirants to Baptism, as soon as they have received the ceremonies of Catechisation, are allowed to enter the Church, where, in the place. assigned to them, they listen to the Lessons, and join in the Prayers:-how could they better continue their preparation for the great Sacrament? And yet, there is an aspect of mournfulness about this portion of the Service, which tells us that the longed-for hour is not yet come. Frequent genuflexions, and the sombre coloured Vestments, strongly contrast with the beautiful flame of the Paschal Torch, which sheds its silent beams of light upon the Faithful. Their hearts are still throbbing with the emotions excited within them by the Exsultet: they are impatient to see their Jesus' Resurrection fulfilled in the Baptism of the Catechumens. FIRST PROPHECY. (Genesis, CHAP. I.) This first Lesson speaks to us of the Creation, of the Spirit of God moving over the waters, of the separation of light from darkness, and of Man's being made to the likeness of his God. This work of the Creator had been deranged and spoiled by Satan's malice. The time is come, when it is to recover all its beauty. The Holy Ghost is about to effect this regeneration by Water; Christ, our Light, is going to rise from the darkness of the tomb; the image of God is to re-appear in Man, for he is to be cleansed by the Blood of his Redeemer, who is the new Adam, that came down from heaven, in order to re-instate, in all his rights, the old and earthly Adam. In principio creavit Deus cœlum et terram. Terra autem erat inanis, et vacua : et tenebræ erant super faciem abyssi: et Spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux. Et vidit Deus lucem, quod esset bona; et divisit lucem a tenebris. Appellavitque lucem, Di In the beginning God created heaven and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved over the waters. And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light that it was good and he divided the light from the darkness. And he called the light day, and the darkness night; and there was evening and morning one day. And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament from those that were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament, Heaven: and the evening and morning were the second day. God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. And God called the dry land Earth and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them em: et tenebras, Noctein. Factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus. Dixit quoque Deus: Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum, et dividat aquas ab aquis. Et fecit Deus firmamentum : divisitque aquas, quæ erant sub firmamento, ab his quæ erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita. Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Cœlum. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus. Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquæ, quæ sub cœlo sunt, in locum_unum et appareat arida. Factumque est ita. Et vocavit Deus aridam Terram congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum, et ait: Germinet terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen: et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum juxta genus suum, cujus semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita. Et protulit terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen juxta genus suum, lignumque faciens fructum; et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum: et factum est vespere et mane, dies tertius. Dixit autem Deus: Fiant luminaria in firmamento cœli, et dividant diem ac noctem : et sint in signa et tempora, et dies, et annos: et luceant in firmamento cœli, et illuminent terram. Et factum est ita. Fecitque Deus duo luminaria magna, luminare majus, ut præesset diei: et luminare minus, ut præesset nocti: et stellas. Et posuit eas in firmamento cœli, ut lucerent super terram et præessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus. Dixit etiam Deus: Producant aquæ reptile animæ viventis, et volatile super terram, sub firmamento cœli. Creavitque Deus cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquæ in species suas et omne volatile, secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum: benedixitque eis, dicens: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete aquas maris: avesque multiplicentur super terram. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus. Dixit quoque Deus: Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo: jumenta, et reptilia, et bestias terræ, secundum species suas. Factumque est ita. Et fecit Deus bestias terræ juxta species suas et jumenta, et omne reptile terræ in genere suo. Et vidit Deus quod be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; to shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was SO done. And God made two great lights; a greater light to rule the day, and a lesser light to rule the night; and stars. And he set them in the firmament of heaven, to shine upon the earth. And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And the evening and morning were the fourth day. God also said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven. And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea; and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. And the evening and morning were the fifth day. And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds; and it was so done. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and everything that creepeth on the |