The Bishop: Oremus. The Deacon: Flectamus genua. The Subdeacon: Levate. Deus, qui diversitatem gentium in confessione tui nominis adunasti: da nobis et velle et posse quæ præcipis: ut populo ad æternitatem vocato una sit fides mentium, et pietas actionum. Per Dominum. R. Amen. The Bishop: Let us pray, The Deacon: Let us kneel down. The Subdeacon: Stand up again. O God, who hast united the several nations of the Gentiles in the profession of thy name; give us both a will and a power to obey thy commands: that all thy people, who are called to eternity, may have the same faith in their minds, and piety in their actions. Through, &c. R. Amen. ELEVENTH PROPHECY. (Deuteronomy, CHAP. XXXI.) The holy Church instructs the Catechumens, by this Lesson, upon the obligations they are about to contract with God. The grace of Regeneration is not to be conferred upon them, until they have made a solemn promise that they renounce Satan, the enemy of their God. Let them be faithful to their promise, and remember that God is the avenger of every infringement of so solemn a vow. In diebus illis: Scripsit Moyses Canticum et docuit filios Israël. Præcepitque Dominus Josue filio Nun, et ait Confortare, et esto robustus. Tu enim introduces filios Israël in terram, quam pollicitus sum eis: et ego ero tecum. Postquam ergo scripsit Moyses verba legis hujus in volumine, atque complevit; præcepit Levitis, qui portabant arcum foederis Do In those days: Moses wrote a canticle, and taught it the children of Israel. And the Lord commanded Josue, the son of Nun, and said: Take courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I have promised, and I will be with thee. Therefore after Moses had wrote the words of this law in a volume, and finished it, he commanded the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: Take this book and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God that it may be there for a testimony against thee. For I know thy obstinacy, and thy most stiff neck. While I am yet living, and going in with you, you have always been rebellious against the Lord: how much more when I shall be dead? Gather unto me all the ancients of your tribes, and your doctors, and I will speak these words in their hearing, and will call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that, after my death, you will do wickedly, and will quickly turn aside from the way that I have commanded you: and evils shall come upon you in the latter times, when you shall do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him by the works of your hands. Moses therefore spoke, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel, the words of this canticle, and finished it even to the end. mini, dicens: Tollite librum istum, et ponite eum in latere arcæ fœderis Domini Dei vestri : ut sit tibi contra te in testimonium. Ego enim scio contentionem tuam, et cervicem tuam durissimam. Adhuc vivente me, et ingrediente vobiscum, semper contentiose egistis contra Dominum: quanto magis cum mortuus fuero? Congregate ad me omnes majores natu per tribus vestras, atque doctores: et loquar audientibus eis sermones istos, et invocabo contra eos cœlum et terram. Novi enim quod post mortem meam inique agetis: et declinabitis cito de via, quam præcepi vobis. Et occurrent vobis mala in extremo tempore, quando feceritis malum in spectu Domini: ut irritetis eum per opera manuum vestrarum. Locutus est ergo Moyses, audiente universo cœtu Israël, verba carminis hujus : et ad finem usque complevit. con This Lesson is followed by a Tract, which is taken from the sublime Canticle sung by Moses, before quitting this earth. The whole assembly of Israel was present, and he put before them, in words of earnest zeal, the chastisements which God exercises against them that break the Covenant he vouchsafes to make with them. TRACT. Hear, O ye heavens, and I Attende cœlum, et lo. quar et audiat terra ex will speak: and let the earth give ear to the words of my mouth. ore meo. Deus celsitudo humilium, et fortitudo rectorum: qui per sanctum Moysen puerum tuum, ita erudire populum tuum sacri carminis tui decantatione voluisti, ut illa legis iteratio fieret etiam nostra directio: excita in omnem justificatarum gentium plenitudinem potentiam tuam, et da lætitiam, mitigando terrorem: ut omnium peccatis tua remissione deletis, quod denuntiatum est in ultionem, transeat in salutem. Per Dominum. R. Amen. . Let what I say be looked for like rain: and let my words drop down like dew. V. Like the shower upon the grass, and the snow upon the dry herb: for I will call upon the Name of the Lord. V. Publish the greatness of our God; he is God; his works are true, and all his ways are justice. V. God is faithful, in whom there is no iniquity: the Lord is just and holy. The Bishop: Let us pray. down. The Subdeacon: Stand up again. O God, who raisest the humble, and givest strength to the righteous: and who by thy holy servant Moses, wast pleased so to instruct thy people by the singing of the sacred canticle, that the repetition of the law might be also our direction: show thy power to all the multitude of Gentiles justified by thee, and, by mitigating thy terrors, grant them joy: that all their sins being pardoned by thee, the threatened vengeance may contribute to their salvation. Through, &c. R. Amen. TWELFTH PROPHECY. (Daniel, CHAP. III.) Here is the last instruction given to our Catechumens, before they descend into the Font of salvation. It is requisite that they should have a clear knowledge, of what the Christian warfare will demand of them. Perhaps, they will one day have to confess their God before the potentates of earth. Are they resolved to suffer every torture, even death itself, rather than deny his holy Name? Have there not been Apostates among those, whose Baptism was once a source of joy to the Church? It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that they should know the trials that await them. Our holy Mother the Church tells them the history of the three young Jews, who refused to adore the statue of the king of Babylon, though their refusal was to be punished by their being cast into a fiery furnace. Since the promulgation of the Christian law, millions of Martyrs have followed their example. The representation of these Three heroes of the true God is a favourite subject among the paintings of the Catacombs. It is true,-peace has been given to the Church; but the World is ever the enemy of Christ, and who knows but what Julian the Apostate may succeed Constantine? In those days: King Nabuchodonosor made a statue of gold, of sixty cubits high, and six cubits broad, and he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nabuchodonosor the king, sent to call together the nobles, the magistrates, and the judges, the captains, the rulers, and governors, and all the chief men of the provinces, In diebus illis: Nabuchodonosor rex fecit statuam auream, altitudine cubitorum sexaginta, latitudine cubitorum sex et statuit eam in campo Dura provinciæ Babylonis. Itaque Nabuchodonosor rex misit ad congregandos satrapas, magistratus et judices, duces et tyrannos, et præfectos, omnesque principes regio num : ut convenirent ad dedicationem statuæ, quam erexerat Nabuchodonosor rex. Tunc congregati sunt satrapæ, magistratus, et judices, duces et tyranni, et optimates, qui erant in potestatibus constituti, et universi principes regionum: ut convenirent ad dedicationem statuæ, quam erexerat Nabuchodonosor rex. Stabant autem in conspectu statuæ, quam posuerat Nabuchodonosor rex, et præco clamabat valenter: Vobis dicitur populis, tribubus et linguis In hora, qua audieritis sonitum tubæ et fistulæ, et citharæ, sambucæ, et psalterii, et symphonia, et universi generis musicorum, cadentes adorate statuam auream, quam constituit Nabuchodonosor rex. Si quis autem non prostratus adoraverit, eadem hora mittetur in fornacem ignis ardentis. Post hæc igitur statim ut audierunt omnes populi sonitum tubæ, fistulæ, et citharæ, sambucæ, et psalterii, et symphoniæ, et omnis generis musicorum, cadentes omnes populi, tribus, et linguæ adoraverunt statuam auream, quam constituerat Nabuchodonosor rex. Statimque in ipso tempore accedentes viri Chaldæi accusaverunt Judæos, dixeruntque Nabuchodonosor regi: Rex in to come to the dedication of the statue which king Nabuchodonosor had set up. Then the nobles, the magistrates, and the judges, the captains, and rulers, and the great men that were placed in authority, and all the princes of the provinces were gathered together to come to the dedication of the statue which king Nabuchodonosor had set up. And they stood before the statue which king Nabuchodonosor had set up. Then a herald_cried with a strong voice: To you it is commanded, O nations, tribes, and languages that in the hour that you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and of the flute, and of the harp, of the sackbut, and of the psaltery, and of the symphony, and of all kind of music; ye fall down and adore the golder statue which king Nabuchodonosor hath set up. But if any man should not fall down and adore, he shall the same hour be cast into a furnace of burning fire. Upon this, therefore, at the time when all the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the flute, and the harp, of the sackbut, and the psaltery, of the symphony, and of all kind of music; all the nations, tribes, and languages, fell down and adored the golden statue, which king Nabuchodonosor had set up. And presently, at that very time, some Chaldeans came and accused the Jews: and said to king Nabuchodonosor: O king, |