FOR THE SUNDAYS,

AND MOVEABLE FEASTS

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR,

According to the Time.

THE Church employs the four weeks that precede Christmas in preparing the faithful for that great solemnity; hence the beginning of the ecclesiastical year is called Advent, from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies the coming, viz. of Jesus Christ. Our first parents soon after their fall, were comforted with the prediction of this great event, when God assured them that the time would come when "the seed of the woman should crush the head of the serpent." This promise was renewed to Abraham, confirmed to Isaac, determined to the tribe of Juda, fixed in the house of David; and lastly, the time of its perfect accomplishment was exactly calculated

by the prophet Daniel.

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT.

FOR THE MASS-The Introit. Ps. xxiv.-Ad te levavi, &c.

TO thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my Soul. In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed. Neither let my enemies laugh at me : for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded. Ps. Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me

thy paths.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Then repeat, To thee, O Lord, &c. as far as Ps. Which mode of repeating the introit is always observed throughout the year. Then the Kyrie Eleison as in the ordinary. The Gloria in excelsis is not said, except on festivals, from this Sunday until Christmas.

Let us pray.

Excita

up,

0

COLL. Stir quæes. Lord, thy power, we beseech thee, and come: that we may deserve, by thy protection, to be snatched from the imminent dangers of our sins, and by thy redemption to be saved; who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

From this day to Christmas-eve, after the Collect of the day, the two following Collects are said.

Of the B. V. MARY. * Deus qui. O God, who wast pleased that thy Word, when the angel deliver ed his message, should take flesh in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary: give ear to our humble petitions; and grant, that we who believe her to be tru ly the Mother of God, may be helped by her prayers.

For the CHURCH. Eccl. tuo. Mercifully hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy Church, that all oppositions and errors being remov. ed, she may serve thee with a secure and undisturbed devotion. Thro' &c. Amen.

Or instead of the foregoing, the following may be said.

For the POPE. Deus omnium. O God, the pastor and governor of all the faithful, look down in thy mercy on thy servant N. whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church: and grant, we beseech thee, that, both by word and example, he may edify all those that are under his charge, and, with the flock intrusted to him, arrive, at length, at eternal happiness. Thro'.

EPISTLE. Rom. xiii. 11, 14. Brethren: Know-
ing that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep.
For now our salvation is nearer than when we believ
ed. The night is past, and the day is at hand: let us
therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on
the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the
day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in cham-
bering and impurities, not in contention and envy :
but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

GRAD. Ps. xxiv. None of them that wait on
thee shall be confounded. V. Shew, O Lord, thy
ways to me, and teach me thy paths. Alleluia, Al-

lelanin.

V. Shew

us,

O Lord, thy mercy, and grant us thy

salvation. Alleluia.

For the powers

GOSPEL. Luke xxi. 25, 33. At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves, men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. of the heavens shall be moved: and then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads: because your redemption is at hand. And he spoke to them a similitude: See the fig-tree and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know the summer is nigh: so likewise when you see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of

God is at hand. Amen, I say to you, this genera-
tion shall not pass away, till all things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my word
shall not pass away. THE CREED.

I lifted up my soul. In thee O my God I put my
OFFERTORY. Ps. xxiv. To thee O Lord have
rust; let me not be ashamed, neither let my ene-

nies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded.

SECRET. Grant, O Lord, that these sacred mysteries may cleanse us by their powerful virtue, and bring us with greater purity to him, who was their author and institutor Thro'.

Of the B. V. M. * Strengthen, we beseech thee, O Lord, in our souls, the mysteries of the true faith: that we who confess him, that was conceived of a Virgin, to be true God, and true man, may, by the power of his saving resurrection, deserve to come to eternal joys. Thro' the same, &c.

For the CHURCH. * Protect us, O Lord, whilst we assist at thy sacred mysteries, that being employ ed in acts of religion, we may serve thee both body and mind. Thro'.

Instead of the last, may be said the following For the POPE. Be appeased, O Lord, with the offering we have made, and cease not to protect thy servant N. whom thou hast been pleased to appoint Pastor over thy Church, Thro'.

COMM. Ps. lxxxiv. For the Lord will give his goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.

P. COMM. Suscipiamus. May we receive, Lord, thy mercy in the midst of thy temple, that with due honour we may prepare for the approaching lemnity of our reparation. Thro'.

Of the B. V. M. * Gratiam tuam. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, who, by the message of an angel, have known the incarnation of thy Son, the Christ, may by his passion and cross, come to the glory of his re surrection. Thro'.

For the CHURCH. * Quæsumus. We beseech thee, O Almighty God, not to leave exposed to the dangers of human life, those whom thou hast permit ted to partake of those divine mysteries. Thro

Tastead of the last, may be said the following, For the POPE. May the participation of this divine sacrament protect us, we beseech thee, O Lord: and always procure safety and defence to thy servant N. whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church, together with the flock committed to his charge. Thro'.

Instead of Ite missa est, is said, Benedicamus Domino: which rule is always to be observed when the Gloria in excelsis is omitted.

On the week days in Advent, the Mass of the foregoing Sunday is said unless there be a proper Mass for the day, but the Alleluias and V. following the Gradual are omitted, as is also the Creed.

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT.

INTROIT. Is. Xxx.-Populus, Sion, &c. PEOPLE of Sion, behold the Lord will come to save the Gentiles: and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard to the joy of your hearts. Ps. 79. Give ear 0 thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V. Glory.

COLLECT. Excita Domine. Stir up, O Lord, our hearts to prepare the ways of thy only begotten Son: that by his coming we may be enabled to serve thee with pure minds. Who livest.

For the II. and III. Collects, see the first Sunday,

page 2.

Now the

EPISTLE. Rom. xv. 4, 13. Brethren: What things soever were written, were written for our instruction, that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind one towards another, according to Jesus Christ; that with one mind and with one mouth you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive one another, as Christ