The Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

40. The Readings from the Bible in General. The Epistle

1. The general preparatory part of the holy Sacrifice is drawing near its end. Now follow the readings from the Bible which are connected with each other by various forms of chant, and are often crowned by the Creed. — What signification have the readings from Holy Scripture in the organism of the Sacrifice? In the Mass the Saviour’s entire work of redemption is shown forth and carried out (opus nostrae redemptionis exercetur—Secr.); the celebration of the Mass embraces in its several parts the whole operation of the Redeemer. As the Lord exercised during His mortal life the office of mediator, thus He continues to exercise it in His Church,—and that in a sacramental manner. Christ came as mediator between God and man, to reconcile and unite Heaven and earth with each other. God “sent His Son to save the world” and “to bring godliness and the promise of the life which is to come” (John 3, 17. 1 Tim. 4, 8). “Christ has come from God unto wisdom and unto justice and unto sanctification and redemption,”²⁷⁶276Christus factus est nobis sapientia a Deo et justitia et sanctificatio et redemptio (1 Cor 1, 30). that is, as Redeemer He is not only the source of grace and sanctification, but also of enlightenment in all truth for mankind.

The first office of the Redeemer consisted in teaching the truth and the law of God—exteriorly by the words which fell from His lips, and interiorly by the light which He infused into the hearts. Already the Prophet remarks, that in the days of the Messiah “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea” (Isa. 11, 9). The Spirit of God hovered over the Saviour, anointed Him and sent Him “to preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4, 18). Christ came into the world to give testimony to the truth, and He taught the way of God in truth (John 18, 37. Matt. 22, 16). In Him were “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” and “the fulness of His grace we have all received” (Col. 2, 3. John 1, 14–16). Only after the Lord had as teacher of truth shown the way to heaven, did He die on the Cross the death of reconciliation, in order to unite man again in grace and love with God. Now all this is repeated in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Before the Saviour descends on the altar at the Consecration as a mystical Victim, He speaks words of eternal life to us,—and that, first, by His prophets and apostles, then through Himself. The Epistle and Gospel come before the sacrificial action. In this arrangement is revealed the profound and interior connection between the teaching of truth and the mystery of the altar, between the word of God and the Divine Eternal Word, who was made flesh and who under the Eucharistic veil is again present and dwells among us. The sacramental God-Man is not merely the life, but also the way and the truth for us men (John 14, 6): only where the fountain of grace of the Eucharistic Sacrifice flows, does the truth of Christ shine forth in full and undimmed splendor. The altar of grace and the pulpit of truth are sanctuaries intimately connected: they are in the same house of God, and the priest who offers the Sacrifice also proclaims the heavenly doctrine. The Church, therefore, most appropriately combines the reading of the prophetical and evangelical word with the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is eminently termed “the mystery of faith.”²⁷⁷277Instructio fidei est duplex: una quae fit noviter imbuendis, scil. catechumenis et talis instructio fit circa baptismum. — Alia autem est instructio, qua instruitur fidelis populus, qui communicat huic mysterio et talis instructio fit in hoc sacramento et tamen ab hac instructione non repelluntur etiam catechumeni et infideles (S. Thom. 3, q. 83, a. 4 ad 4). The announcement of the truth precedes the accomplishment of the Sacrifice; for knowledge is the beginning of salvation. The living word of God is the seed whence proceeds the imperishable life of faith, which here below is perfected by grace and in the next life is transformed into glory.

The Church with predilection and preference employs in her liturgy Scriptural words, because they are especially holy and venerable, efficacious and full of grace: they are, indeed, the words of God—words that have the Holy Ghost for their author. These words are supernatural, heavenly and divine. Therefore, are they so well adapted to manifest to the Lord our sentiments, desires, petitions and interests. To commune with God in prayer, to praise Him, to thank Him, to supplicate Him, to pour out to Him in chant our heart’s joys and plaints, we can find no words more befitting than those which God Himself has put into our mouth, and inspired through His “Holy Spirit who within us beseeches Heaven in our behalf with unutterable groanings.” In this way we have in the preceding part of the Mass already frequently prayed in God’s words; but in the readings now following we have the word of God, by which He speaks to us and instructs us in all doctrine and truth. — “The Spirit searcheth all things; yea, the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2, 10); hence the writings inspired by Him are of wonderful depth and inexhaustibleness, full of spirit and power, full of light and life. They teach the science of the Saints and show unto us the kingdom of God. They afford us material immeasurably abundant “for growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3, 18). How dear and precious should they, then, be to our hearts! “For what things soever were written, were written for our instruction: that through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, we might have hope” (Rom. 15, 4). Yes, an abundance of consolations do we draw from the word of God, which, with all its truth and graces, with all its promises and threats, remains forever and is accomplished, whilst this perishable world is as grass, and its glory as the flower of grass;—“the grass is without, and the flower thereof is fallen off” (1 Peter, 24–25). In the midst of a world fallen away from Christianity and hostile to the Church, amid all the sufferings and persecutions that oppress us, amid the storms that rage around us, the imperishable word of God, which does not pass away, though even heaven and earth should pass away, encourages and raises us up, and imparts life eternal to all who receive it with faith and docility. Since the Church has included in her formula for Mass readings from the Bible, we may daily place ourselves at the table of God, to nourish and strengthen ourselves with the heavenly bread of the revealed truths of salvation.

2. It is incontestable, that from Apostolic times the canonical, or holy Books have been read aloud at the assemblies of divine worship, and principally at the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.²⁷⁸278In the first four centuries the liturgical celebration of Mass began with the reading of Scripture, at which the different books of the Bible were read (as they are still in the Breviary) serially (in continua serie). (Cf. the 124 sermons of St. Augustine on the Gospel of St. John and St. John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Epistles of St. Paul). For the highest feasts there were chosen already from the beginning appropriate passages, that is, such passages as had reference to the mysteries celebrated. With the progressive evolution of the ecclesiastical year the lectio continua was replaced by a series of biblical extracts arranged for the various feasts and festal seasons. For a long time it belonged to the bishop, as the chief liturgist, to select what, how many and how long were the parts of Scripture which were to be read. St. Justin Martyr († 166 or 167), who describes the order of divine worship among the Christians, says, that at the Sunday assemblies the writings of the Apostles (that is, the Books of the New Testament) or the writings of the Prophets were read, as long a time as was permitted (μέχρις ἐγχωρεῖ).²⁷⁹279First Apology chap. 67. With the gradual development of the liturgical year, the distribution of the extracts to be read was evolved more and more according to certain aspects, until finally (in the 16th century) the present arrangement of the Epistles and Gospels for the Missal was decided upon by the Church. In this matter St. Jerome, who by order of Pope Damasus I. (366–384), completed, corrected and perfected the traditional arrangement of the biblical extracts for the Mass, deserves great credit.

Now what rule was followed in the choice and arrangement of the Biblical readings? The Epistles and the Gospels bear the closest and most intimate connection with the course and spirit of the ecclesiastical year: the Church’s selection, therefore, was made in conformity with the celebration of the feast or day. Indeed, among the variable parts of the Mass formula, the lessons selected from Holy Scripture, which are instructive, occupy the principal place. In them, as a rule, the idea of the ecclesiastical time finds its most perfect expression. Together with this the standpoint is given and marked out, which is to be taken in understanding and explaining these lessons.

3. According to a general rule that has few exceptions, every Mass formula has two Biblical readings,²⁸⁰280In the Mozarabic and Ambrosian Liturgies the Gospel is usually preceded by two lectures (generally one from the Old, the other from the New Testament) . — On Ember Saturdays there were formerly, according to the Roman Rite, twelve lessons read by twelve lectors (that is, six lessons, first in Latin and then in Greek); hence in the ancient liturgical books these Saturdays are called Sabbata duodecim lectionum s. in duodecim lectionibus. At present they still retain the six lessons (five from the Old Testament and one from the New) before the Gospel, while Ember Wednesdays have but two. In the Pope’s High Mass the Epistle and Gospel are still sung both in Latin and Greek. the first of which is called the Epistle²⁸¹281Notandum est, non omnia verba ex s. Scriptura esse desumpta, sed initium fere semper et interdum etiam finem ab Ecclesia dumtaxat additum esse, ut convenientius inchoetur aut claudatur Epistola. Hinc Epistolae desumptae ex s. Paulo initium vox “fratres” et finis frequenter “in Christo Jesu Domino nostro”. Si vero ex aliorum Apostolorum Epistolis sumatur, vox “carissimi”; si ex Prophetis, verba “in illo tempore” ab initio praeponuntur, et in fine non raro verba “dicit Dominus omnipotens” subjunguntur (Lohner, De ss. Miss. sacrif. p. VI, tit. 6). and the other the Gospel. Leaving out the four Gospels and the Psalms—the first reading may be taken from any part of the Old and New Testaments; but generally, for example, on all the Sundays of the year, the Epistle is taken from the writings of the Apostles. Hence it is that the name Epistola, that is, letter, was used to designate the first Pericope, even when it was not taken from the Epistles of the Apostles, but from some other part of Holy Scripture.²⁸²282Because this first reading was more frequently taken from St. Paul’s epistles, it was called also ἀπόστολος to distinguish it from εὐαγγέλιον. Under the former term were included not only the epistles of the apostles, but also the Acts of the Apostles and the Apocalypse. Postmodum dicitur Oratio; deinde sequitur Apostolus (Sacr. Gregor). And from the fact that this Pericope was not sung in former times, but only read,²⁸³283Lectio dicitur quia non cantatur ut psalmus vel hymnus, sed legitur tantum. Illic enim modulatio, hic sola pronuntiatio quaeritur (Isidor. Hispal. Etymolog. l. 6, c. 19, n. 9). it is still called in the superscription or heading of the Missal Lectio, that is, lesson,²⁸⁴284The present mode of delivering the Epistle is a tone between singing and simple reading: it is a manner of singing in which the whole text is delivered in a monotone tone (tono recto) without modulation (except at an interrogation the voice descends half a tone, but in the last syllable it returns to the dominant tone). The rubrics designate this as chanting. Subdiaconus cantat Epistolam alta voce. (Cer. Episc. l. 2, c. 8, n. 40). The ancient liturgists called it choraliter legere (reading in a choral manner). — The reading or singing tone of the Gospel is somewhat more melodious and, therefore, more festive.—having coupled with the term a reference to the book from which the lesson is taken.²⁸⁵285For example, Lectio Epistolae B. Pauli . . ., Lectio libri Exodi, Lectio libri Regum, Lectio Danielis Prophetae. In regard to the superscription Lectio libri Sapientiae it is to be observed, that to it are given not merely extracts from the Book of Wisdom itself, but also portions from the Book of Jesus the son of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), from the Preacher (Ecclesiastes), from the Canticle of Canticles (Cantic. Canticor.) and from Proverbs (Proverbia): all these taken together are called by the Fathers and in the liturgy Books of Wisdom (libri Sapientiales). (Cf. Gutberlet, Das Buch der Weisheit S. 2).

As according to the present custom the Lector is appointed to read the first lesson from the Old Testament on Good Friday, thus he had formerly also, perhaps up to the fifth century²⁸⁶286Cf. Reuter, Das Subdiakonat S. 177 etc.—charge of reading the Epistle; but from that time forward the solemn reading of the Epistle was assigned to the Subdeacon, who only since the fourteenth century was especially empowered²⁸⁷287In the 13th century Durandus answers the question, quare subdiaconus legit lectiones ad Missam, cum non reperiatur hoc sibi competere vel ex nomine vel ex ministerio sibi concesso? (Ration. l. 2, c. 8, n. 4.) thereto by the handing to him at his ordination, according to the ritual, of the Book of the Epistles, while it is the office of the Deacon²⁸⁸288Antiquioribus temporibus Lectorum ordo legendo Evangelio fuit destinatus. Verum saeculo IV. visum est Patribus nostris, reverentiam et venerationem Evangelio debitam omnino exigere, ut tantum munus non amplius Lectoribus, qui jam ut plurimum ex puerili aetate eligebantur, sed ministris sacris, saltem Diaconis committeretur, qui ad sacerdotalem dignitatem proxime accedebant (Krazer Sect. 4, a, 1, c. 5, § 235). — The handing of the Book of the Gospels, however, came into use only gradually after the tenth century at the ordination of the deacon. (Cfr. Amalar. De ecclesiast. offic. l. 2, c. 11–12. — Morin. De sacris ordinat. p. 3, exercitat. 9, c. 1;—exercitat. 12, c. 2). to sing the Gospel.²⁸⁹289In former times the lectors were even allowed to read the Gospel. St. Cyprian mentions this when speaking of the confessors Aurelius and Celerinus whom he had ordained lectors (about 250; cf. Epist. 38, 39). In a High Mass without the assistance of the ministri sacri a lector in surplice sings the Epistle (Rubr. Miss, p. 2, tit. 6, n. 8). On the 23rd of April, 1875, the S. R. C. gave this answer: Quum Missa cantatur sine ministris et nullus est clericus inserviens qui superpelliceo indutus Epistolam decantet juxta Rubricas, satius erit quod ipsa Epistola legatur sine cantu ab ipso Celebrante; nunquam vero in Ecclesiis monialium decantetur ab una ex eis. Accordingly, it is indeed more proper (satius), that the celebrant in the said High Mass should merely read the Epistle, but he is not forbidden to sing it. The priest in this matter should conform to the ordinance, that is, to the general practice of the diocese. — Only in a case of actual necessity (in casu absolutae et praecisae necessitatis) may a superior permit a cleric who is not in a higher order, to vest as subdeacon (however, without maniple, paratus absque manipulo) and sing the Epistle in a Missa solemnis, and to perform the remaining functions of a subdeacon (S. R. C. 15. Jul. 1698). In ancient churches, in the space between the sanctuary and the nave of the church, there stood the Ambo, that is, an immovable tribune or oblong pulpit, which was ascended by a few steps. If a church had two Ambos, as has, for example, St. Mary’s in Cosmedin at Rome, then one served for the reading of the Gospel and the other for that of the Epistle. If there was but one Ambo, then the Gospel was read from the highest step and the Epistle from a lower one.²⁹⁰290The word ἄμβων is deduced from ἀναβαίνω, ἀμβαίνω = ascend; other designations: βῆμα, πύργος, suggestus, pulpitum, tribunal, auditorium, dictorium, lectorium (Lettner). The ambo was a smaller or larger platform, that served for the solemn reading of the Holy Scriptures, the announcement of divine worship, etc. In the Basilica of St. Clement at Rome are to be found three ambos, as there is, beside the ambo for the Epistle, another marble stand arranged for the Old Testament lessons. Thus the prominence due the Gospel over the Epistle was and is now expressed both by the manner of delivery and by the person of the reader and the place of reading. — The subordination of the Epistle to the Gospel²⁹¹291From the most ancient times (cf. Ord. Rom. I, n. 10), it is customary to sit with head covered in choir at the solemn reading of the Epistle, whilst from the beginning the Gospel was listened to standing and with head uncovered. — Although the subdeacon no longer (as was formerly done till towards the end of the Middle Age) reads the Epistle to the people from the Ambo, but at the left side turned towards the altar, he must, nevertheless, both before and after reading it make a genuflection (in plano) in the middle of the altar. — The subdeacon receives the blessing from the celebrant, who represents Christ, only after he has finished reading, because the Old Law, symbolized by the Epistle, was fulfilled, or annulled by Christ (Mat. 5, 17–20); the deacon, on the contrary, is blessed by the celebrant before he reads the Gospel, because the Gospel is derived from Christ (cf. Durand. l. 4, c. 17). is signified likewise by the position which both occupy in the rite of the Mass: the Gospel is preceded by the Epistle. Now in answering the question, what is the reason and object of this arrangement, the relation of the Epistle to the Gospel will be placed in a clear light.

The Old and New Testaments, with all the books appertaining to them, possess the same divine character, the same divine dignity and authority, inasmuch as they have God for their author, and are inspired by the Holy Ghost, and are, therefore, in a true and full sense the word of God; but in other respects a certain distinction of rank can and must be given to them. That which the Holy Ghost imparts through the medium of the inspired writers can be more or less important, the manner of communication be more or less perfect. In this respect, the superiority of the New Testament over the Old Testament is manifest, and again in the New Testament itself the four Gospels take precedence of the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostolic Epistles and the Apocalypse. For there prevails in the great work of salvation of the divine revelation a constant and gradual progression. All that whose foundation was laid in the Old Dispensation, was brought to perfection in Christ and His Apostles. The Old Testament is included, realized, developed and completed in the New. The summit and crown of the supernatural revelation consists in this that God spoke to us not only by the Prophets and Apostles, but also through His only-begotten Son (Heb, 1, 1 etc.). The Prophets and Apostles were, indeed, organs of the Holy Ghost, who announced through them heavenly truths; still they were and remained only men, only human messengers of salvation. Jesus Christ, on the contrary, is a Divine Person; He is truth itself; He is the true light of the world; all His words, works and miracles are eminently divine works and actions, full of divine spirit and life, of infinite truth and depth.²⁹²292Cf. Heinrich, Dogmat. Theologie I, 764 etc. The Gospel places before our eyes the life of Jesus Christ, the word and the example of the Eternal Wisdom made flesh; in it appears the God-man Himself—teaching and acting, suffering and triumphing—while in the Epistles the Holy Ghost speaks to us, instructs and admonishes us only by His human messengers and servants. Hence it is usually said,²⁹³293Instructio fidelis populi dispositive quidem fit per doctrinam prophetarum et apostolorum, quae in Ecclesia legitur per lectores et subdiaconos;—perfecte autem populus instruitur per doctrinam Christi in Evangelio contentam, quae a summis ministris legitur, scilicet a diaconibus (S. Thom. 3, qu. 83, a. 4). that the instruction of the people takes place at first in the Epistle, in a preparatory and imperfect manner through the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles, but that the faithful are more perfectly instructed through the teachings of Christ as contained in the Gospel.²⁹⁴294Epistolarum doctrina respectu evangelicae doctrinae, quae immediate a Christo profluxit, est imperfecta et ordinatur ad eam sicut ad finem. Intellectus namque Epistolarum disponit ad intellectum Evangeliorum; propterea Epistola ante Evangelium legitur (Dion. Carthus. Expositio Missae art. 12). — According to the liturgies of the Middle Age, the Epistle precedes the Gospel, because it represents the Law and the Prophets, or the efficacy of the Precursor of Christ, or the preaching of the seventy-two disciples, who prepared the way for the Saviour. The Epistle, therefore, is read before the Gospel because it is subordinate to it, prepares for it, paves the way for it, that is, leads to the understanding of it.²⁹⁵295Anteponitur in ordine quod inferius est dignitate, ut ex minoribus animus audientium ad majora proficiat et gradatim ab imis ad summa conscendat (Walaf. Strabo cap. 23). Both readings harmonize with one another and mutually complete each other,—they would express a common thought, or at least kindred ideas. But as the subject or the mystery of the ecclesiastical celebration appears more closely and more fully exposed at one time in the Epistle, at another time in the Gospel, it may in general be said that both readings mutually explain and throw light on each other, so as to constitute together a whole.²⁹⁶296Cf. Veith, Dikaiosyne oder die Epistelreihe des Kirchenjahres in ihrem Verhältnisse zu den Evangelien. Wien 1874. On the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, for example, the Apostle in his grand Epistle extols and glorifies²⁹⁷297Rom. 11, 33–36. the impenetrable secrets of the Divinity, while in the Gospel²⁹⁸298Matt. 28, 18–20. the adorable mystery of three persons in God, which forms the groundwork of faith and is its crown, is clearly and distinctly set forth. The Epistle of Whitsunday²⁹⁹299Acts of the Apostles, 2, 1–11. announces and describes in detail the coming of the Holy Ghost, while the Gospel³⁰⁰300John 14, 23–31. contains the promise of the Comforter and of His blessed gifts of grace.

Many of the Epistles are taken from the Old Testament, and for the following reasons. The Old Testament is a great divine testimony to Christ and to His kingdom; every thing in it is prophetical of Christ and of the Church, whether given in express words or in types, that is, in figurative personages, facts and customs. Now the Church loves to explain and apply typically (spiritually) the Old Testament. Whenever she found in it some striking prophecy of a New Testament mystery or event, she incorporated it if possible as an Epistle in the Mass, as a supplement and explanation of the Gospel. For example, on the Epiphany the Church celebrates the revelation of the divine Glory of Jesus Christ, and that in three events which the Antiphon of the Benedictus combines: “This day the Church is espoused to the Heavenly Bridegroom, because Christ washed away her sins in the Jordan; the Wise Men hasten with gifts to the nuptials of the King; and the guests rejoice at the changing of water into wine.” The apparition of God at the baptism of Christ, the call of the Wise Men by the star, and the change of the water into wine constitute, therefore, the subject of the feast of the Epiphany; but the mystery of the marvellous star is celebrated with particular joy and detail, while the two other facts receive but a passing notice. Accordingly, the Epistle contains³⁰¹301Isa. 60, 1–6. a magnificent prophecy and description of the wonderful glory of the new kingdom of grace; heathen kings and nations pour in from the four quarters of the earth, to be received into the bosom of the Church and to walk in her light. The Gospel³⁰²302Matt. 2, 1–12. shows us the beginning of the fulfilment of what is predicted by the Epistle: kings come from heathen lands, they come with precious and mystical presents, to pay their homage to and adore the Divine Child, and in reward of their faithful obedience they are enriched with the light of faith and grace. In like manner, most of the Masses in honor of the Mother of God have Epistles from the Old Testament, and these have preferably been selected from the Books of Wisdom. To the same class belong the Epistles of the feasts of the holy Guardian Angels, of St. John the Evangelist, of St. Mary Magdalen and of others.

Another reason why the Church inserted in the liturgy of the Mass lessons from the Old Testament is found in the following reflection.³⁰³303Cf. Quadt, Liturgie der Quatembertage S. 45–47. In the Old Law salvation had not yet appeared and the light had not as yet arisen, but darkness and the shadow of death enveloped all nations; it was a time of anxious and painful expectancy, a time of sighing and longing for redemption. Lessons taken from this dark period are well fitted to impress the character of penance on those days on which they are used. This explains why the Church on all ferial days, from Ash-Wednesday until Tuesday in Holy Week, makes use exclusively of lessons from the Old Testament. They are intended to awaken, to nourish and to strengthen within us a true penitential spirit; for, like so many voices from the ages before Christ, they impressively admonish us that by sin we have become estranged from God and have strayed back into the ancient night and cold of death. — On those days which have Old Testament lessons in a greater number, such as the Wednesdays and the Saturdays of Ember Weeks,³⁰⁴304Only on the Wednesday of the Pentecost Ember Week are there two New Testament lessons; the reason is, because the penitential character of this Ember Week is in many respects superseded by the festal spirit of the octave. the earnest spirit of penance is still more deeply stamped. Coming down to us from Apostolic times the Ember days are, according to their original intent and purpose, days of penance, whereon we are expected by prayer, fasting and alms, to purify and to sanctify our souls, as well as days of thanksgiving and petition for the blessings of the past or coming season. Later on they became also Ordination Days, because they were specially suitable for the conferring of Holy Orders.

4. At the conclusion of the Epistle the acolyte, in the name of the people, answers: Deo gratias! — “Thanks be to God!” What is more befitting than that we should thank the Lord from the bottom of our heart for the divine instruction which He has imparted to us by the mouth of His messenger? In the Epistle Almighty God, so to speak, sends a letter, a writing from heaven, to us miserable creatures:³⁰⁵305Sunt et Angeli cives nostri: sed quia nos peregrinamur, laboramus, illi autem in civitate exspectant adventum nostrum. Et de illa civitate, unde peregrinamur, literae nobis venerunt: ipsae sunt Scripturae, quae nos hortantur, ut bene vivamus (S. Aug. In Ps. 90 serm. 2, n. 1). should we not with faith and reverence receive His words which are of infinite dignity, power and depth of meaning, and obey them with cheerfulness and alacrity? Every word emanating from the mouth of God is supernatural and heavenly food for the life of the soul. Holy Scripture more than any other book is fit “to instruct us unto salvation, to teach, to reprove, to correct, to indoctrinate in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished unto every good work” (2 Tim. 3, 15–17). By means of the biblical readings the minister of God plants and waters the field of our heart; let us be grateful for this, and the Lord will then give the increase, so that the heavenly seed of their living word may germinate and thrive, blossom and produce fruit—thirty, sixty and a hundredfold.³⁰⁶3061 Cor. 3, 6–9. Matt. 13, 3 etc. But in order that this fruit of salvation may ripen, that is, in order that we may advance in the holy love of God and in every Christian virtue unto perfection, we must not only receive and preserve the divine word with a good, yea, with a perfect heart, but we must persevere in patience amid all sufferings and contradictions, amid all temptations and combats,—fructum afferunt in patientia.

It is peculiar to the Christian always to return thanks to God through Christ our Lord, who has revealed Himself unto us full of truth and grace, who in the character of a penitent has taken our place and submitted to the death of the Cross, who is our Mediator and Advocate with the Father. Hence the words Deo gratias were p. 124at the time of the persecution of the Christians the watchword or the mark by which, as a short profession of faith, the Ostiarius (the door-keeper) recognized those as Catholic Christians who sought admission into the place of public worship. At the same time there was comprised in this expression of gratitude a confession of the sentiments with which the Christians were urged to assist at divine worship, and how they regarded this as a grace from God. No wonder that the words Deo gratias crept into the liturgy, and that they occur so frequently therein.³⁰⁷307Circumcelliones insultare nobis audent, quia fratres, cum vident homines, “Deo gratias” dicunt (S. Aug. in Ps. 132 enarr. n. 6). The formula of thanks “Deo gratias”—τῷ Θεῷ χάρις—is found already in St. Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 15, 57; 2 Cor. 2, 14).