FIRST VESPERS

The five Psalms which are chanted by the Church in this Office, are the ones which she always employs on the feasts of our Lady.

PSALM 109

Antiphona. Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te.	Antiphon. Thou art all fair, O Mary, and the stain original is not in thee.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuae emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non poenitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die irae suae reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput.	The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. O Christ! the Lord thy Father will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: from thence rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints for the Father hath said to thee: From the womb before the day-star I begot thee. The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking of thee, the God-Man: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Therefore, O Father, the Lord thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. He cometh now in humility; he shall drink, in the way, of the torrent of sufferings: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Antiphona. Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te.	Antiphon. Thou art all fair, O Mary, and the stain original is not in thee.
Ant. Vestimentum tuum candidum quasi nix, et facies tua sicut sol.	Ant. Thy garment is white as snow, and thy face is as the sun.

PSALM 112

Laudate, pueri, Dominum:
* laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini benedictum:
* ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.

A solis ortu usque ad occasum:
* laudabile nomen Domini.
Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus:
* et super coelos gloria ejus.

Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat:
* et humilia respicit in coelo et in terra?
Suscitans a terra inopem:
* et de stercore erigens pauperem.

Ut collocet eum cum principibus:
* cum principibus populi sui.
Qui habitare facit sterilem in domo:
* matrem filiorum laetantem.

Praise the Lord, ye children:
praise ye the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord:
from henceforth now and for ever.

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same,
the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations:
and his glory above the heavens.

Who is as the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high:
and looketh down on the low things in heaven and on earth?
Raising up the needy from the earth:
and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill.

That he may place him with princes:
with the princes of his people.
Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house,
the joyful mother of children.

Ant. Vestimentum tuum candidum quasi nix, et facies tua sicut sol.

Ant. Thy garment is white as snow, and thy face is as the sun.

Ant. Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri.

Ant. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honour of our people.

PSALM 121

Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: * In domum Domini ibimus. Stantes erant pedes nostri: * in atriis tuis Jerusalem. Jerusalem quae aedificatur ut civitas: * cujus participatio ejus in idipsum. Illuc enim ascenderunt tribus, tribus Domini: * testimonium Israel ad confitendum Nomini Domini. Quia illic sederunt sedes in judicio: * sedes super domum David. Rogate quae ad pacem sunt Jerusalem: * et abundantia diligentibus te. Fiat pax in virtute tua: * et abundantia in turribus tuis. Propter fratres meos et proximos meos: * loquebar pacem de te. Propter domum Domini Dei nostri: * quaesivi bona tibi.	I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord. Our feet were standing in thy courts. O Jerusalem! Our heart loves and confides in thee, Mary. Mary is like to Jerusalem that is built as a City; which is compact together. For thither did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord: the testimony of Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord. Because seats sat there in judgment: seats upon the house of David; and Mary is of a kingly race. Pray ye, through Mary, for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem: and may abundance be on them that love thee, O Church of our God! The voice of Mary: Let peace be in thy strength, O thou new Sion ! and abundance in thy towers. I, a daughter of Israel, for the sake of my brethren and of my neighbours, spoke peace of thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for thee.
Ant. Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri.	Ant. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honour of our people.
Ant. Benedicta es tu, Virgo Maria, a Domino Deo excelso, prae omnibus mulieribus super terram.	Ant. Blessed art thou, Virgin Mary, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.

PSALM 126

Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum: * in vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam. Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem: * frustra vigilat qui custodit eam. Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere: * surgite post quam sederitis, qui manducatis panem doloris. Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum; * ecce haereditas Domini, filii: merces, fructus ventris. Sicut sagittae in manu potentis: * ita filii excussorum. Beatus vir, qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis: * non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta.	Unless the Lord build the House, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the City, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it. It is vain for you to rise before light; rise ye after you have sitten, you that eat of the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved: behold the inheritance of the Lord are children; the reward, the fruit of the womb. As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. Blessed is the man that hath filled his desire with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.
Ant. Benedicta es tu, Virgo Maria, a Domino Deo excelso, prae omnibus mulieribus super terram.	Ant. Blessed art thou, Virgin Mary, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.
Ant. Trahe nos, Virgo immaculata: post te curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum.	Ant. Draw us, O Immaculate Virgin! we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments.

PSALM 147

Lauda, Jerusalem, Dominum:
* lauda Deum tuum, Sion.
Quoniam confortavit seras portarum tuarum:
* benedixit filiis tuis in te.
Qui posuit fines tuos pacem:
* et adipe frumenti satiat te.
Qui emittit eloquium suum terrae:
* velociter currit ser mo ejus.
Qui dat nivem sicut lanam:
* nebulam sicut cinerem spargit.
Mittit crystallum suam sicut buccellas:
* ante faciem frigoris ejus quis sus tinebit?
Emittet verbum suum, et liquefaciet ea:
* flabit spiritus ejus, et fluent aquae.
Qui annuntiat verbum suum Jacob:
* justitias, et judicia sua Israel.
Non fecit taliter omni nationi:
* et judicia sua non manifestavit eis.

Praise the Lord, O Mary, thou true Jerusalem:
O Mary, O Sion ever holy, praise thy God.
Because he hath strengthened against sin the bolts of thy gates:
he hath blessed thy children within thee.
Who hath placed peace in thy borders,
and filleth thee with the fat of corn, with Jesus, who is the Bread of life.
Who sendeth forth by thee his Word to the earth;
his Word runneth swiftly.
Who giyeth snow like wool;
scattereth mists like ashes.
He sendeth his crystal like morsels:
who shall stand before the face of his cold ?
He shall send forth his Word by Mary and shall melt them:
his spirit shall breathe, and the waters shall run.
Who declareth his Word to Jacob:
his justices and his judgments to Israel.
He hath not done in like manner to every nation;
and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them.

Ant. Trahe nos, Virgo immaculata:
post te curremus
in odorem unguentorum tuorum.

Ant. Draw us, O Immaculate Virgin!
we will run after thee
to the odour of thy ointments.

CAPITULUM

(Prov. viii)

Dominus possedit me in initio viarum suarum,
antequam quidquam facerit a principio:
ab aeterno ordinata sum,
et ex antiquis antequam terra fieret:
non dum erant abyssi,
et ego jam concepta eram.

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways
before he made anything from the beginning:
I was set up from eternity,
and of old before the earth was made:
the depths were not as yet,
and I was already conceived.

HYMN

In Monastic Churches, it is preceded by this Responsory:

R. In hoc cognovi * Quoniam voluisti me. In hoc.
V. Quoniam non gaudebit inmicus meus super me. * Quoniam. Gloria. In hoc.

Ave, maris stella!
Dei Mater alma,
Atque semper Virgo,
Felix coeli porta.

Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace,
Mutans Hevae nomen.

Solve vincla reis,
Profer lumen caecis,
Mala nostra pelle,
Bona cuncta posce.

Monstra te esse matrem,
Sumat per te preces,
Qui pro nobis natus
Tulit esse tuus.

Virgo singularis,
Inter omnes mitis,
Nos, culpis solutos,
Mites fac et castos.

Vitam praesta puram,
Iter para tutum;
Ut, videntes Jesum,
Semper collaetémur.

Sit laus Deo Patri,
Summo Christo decus,
Spirítui Sancto,
Tribus honor unus. Amen.

Hail, star of the sea!
blessed Mother of God,
yet ever a Virgin!
O happy gate of heaven!

Thou that didst receive the Ave
from Gabriel's lips,
confirm us in peace,
and so let Eva be changed into an Ave of blessing for us.

Loose the sinner's chains,
bring light to the blind,
drive from us our evils,
and ask all good things for us.

Show thyself a Mother,
and offer our prayers to him,
who would be born of thee,
when born for us.

O incomparable Virgin,
and meekest of the meek,
obtain us the forgiveness of our sins,
and make us meek and chaste.

Obtain us purity of life,
and a safe pilgrimage;
that we may be united with thee
in the blissful vision of Jesus.

Praise be to God the Father,
and to the Lord Jesus,
and to the Holy Ghost:
to the Three one selfsame praise. Amen.

V. Immaculata Conceptio est hodie sanctus Mariæ Virginis.
R. Quae serpentis caput virgineo pede contrivit.

V. To-day is the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary.
R. And the virgin's foot crushed the serpent's head.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT

Ant. Beatam me dicent omnes generationes, quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, Alleluia.

Ant. All generations shall call me blessed, because he that is mighty hath done great things in me, Alleluia.

PRAYER

Deus, qui per immaculatam Virginis Conceptionem,
dignum Filio tuo habitaculum praeparasti;
quaesumus, ut qui ex morte ejusdem Filii
tui praevisa, eam ab omni labe praeservasti,
nos quoque mundos ejus intercessione
ad te pervenire concedas.
Per eumdem.

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin
didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for thy divine Son;
grant, we beseech thee, that, as by the foreseen merits of the death of this thy Son,
thou didst preserve her from every stain of sin,
we also may, through her intercession,
be cleansed from our sins and united with thee.
Through the same, &c.

A commemoration is here made of Advent, by the Antiphon, Versicle, and Prayer of the day.

MASS

INTROIT

Gaudens gaudebo in Domino, et exsultabit anima mea in Deo meo: quia induit me vestimentis salutis; et indumento justitiae circumdedit me, quasi sponsam ornatam monalibus suis.
Ps. Exaltabo te, Domine, quoniam suscepisti me: nec delectasti inimicos meos super me. Gloria Patri.
Gaudens gaudebo.

I will rejoice with exceeding joy in the Lord, and my soul shall exult in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bride
adorned with her jewels.
Ps. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me. Glory be to the Father, &c.
I will rejoice, &c.

COLLECT

Deus, qui per immaculatam Virginis Conceptionem dignum Filio tuo habitaculum praeparasti; quaesumus, ut qui, ex morte ejusdem Filii tui praevisa, eam ab omni labe praeservasti, nos quoque mundos ejus intercessione ad te pervenire concedas. Per eumdem.

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for thy divine Son; grant, we beseech thee, that, as by the foreseen merits of the death of this thy Son, thou didst preserve her from every stain of sin, we also may, through her intercession, be cleansed from our sins and united with thee. Through the same, &c

Here is made a commemoration of Advent, by the Collect of the preceding Sunday.

EPISTLE

Lectio libri Sapientiae.

Prov. Cap. VIII.

Dominus possedit me in initio viarum suarum, antequam quidquam faceret a principio. Ab aeterno ordinata sum, et ex antiquis, antequam terra fieret. Nondum erant abyssi et ego iam concepta eram: necdum fontes auarum eruperant: necdum montes gravi mole constiterant: ante colles ego parturiebar: adhuc terram non fecerat, et flumina, et cardines orbis terrae. Quando praeparabat caelos, aderam: quando certa lege et gyro vallabat abyssos: quando aethera firmabat sursum, et librabat fontes aquarum: quando circumdabat mari terminum suum, et legem ponebat aquis, ne transirent fines sus; quando appendebat fundamenta terrae. Cum eo eram cuncta componens: et delectabar per singulos dies, ludens coram eo omni tempore, ludens in orbe terrarum, et deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum. Nunc ergo filii, audite me: Beati qui custodiunt vias meas. Audite disciplinam, et estote sapientes, et nolite abiicere eam. Beatus homo qui audit me, et qui vigilat ad fores meas quotidie, et observat ad postes ostii mei. Qui me invenerit, inveniet vitam, et hauriet salutem a Domino.

Lesson from the Book of Wisdom.

Prov. Ch. VIII.

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made anything from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived: neither had the fountains of waters as yet sprung out; the mountains with their huge bulk had not as yet been established: before the hills I was brought forth: he had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was present: when with a certain law and compass he enclosed the depths: when he established the sky above, and poised the fountains of waters: when he compassed the sea with its bounds, and set a law to the waters, that they should not pass their limits: when he balanced the foundations of the earth: I was with him forming all things: and was delighted every day, playing before him at all times, playing in the world: and my delights were to be with the children of men. Now, therefore, ye children, hear me. Blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors. He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.

The Apostle teaches us that Jesus, our Emmanuel, is the first born of every creature [Coloss. i. 15]. These mysterious words signify not only that he is, as God, eternally begotten of the Father; but also that the Divine Word is, as Man, anterior to all created beings. Yet, how is this? the world had been created, and the human race had dwelt on this earth full four thousand years, before the Son of God took to himself the nature of man. We answer, that it is not in the order of time, but in the eternal intention of God, that the Man-God preceded every creature. The Eternal Father decreed first to give to his Eternal Son a created nature, namely, the nature of man, and, in consequence of this decree, to create all beings, whether spiritual or material, as a kingdom for this Man-God. This explains to us how it is, that the divine Wisdom, the Son of God, in the passage of the sacred Scripture which forms the Epistle of this Feast, proclaims his having existed before all the creatures of the universe. As God, he was begotten from all eternity in the bosom of the Father; as Man, he was, in the mind of God, the type of all creatures, before those creatures were made. But the Son of God could not be of our race, as the divine will decreed he should be, unless he were born in time, and born of a Mother as other men; and therefore She that was to be his Mother was eternally present to the thought of God, as the means whereby the Word would assume the human nature. The Son and the Mother are therefore united in the plan of the Incarnation: Mary, therefore, existed, as did Jesus, in the divine decree, before creation began. This is the reason of the Church's having, from the earliest ages of Christianity, interpreted this sublime passage of the sacred volume of Jesus and of Mary unitedly, and ordering it and analogous passages of the Scriptures to be read in the assembly of the faithful on the solemnities or feasts of the Mother of God. But if Mary be thus prominent in the divine and eternal plan; if, in the sense in which these mysterious texts are understood by the Church, she was, with Jesus, before every creature; could God permit her to be subjected to the original sin, which was to fall on all the children of Adam? She is, it is true, to be a child of Adam like her divine Son himself, and to be born at the time fixed; but God's grace shall turn away from her that torrent, which sweeps all mankind along; it shall not come near to her, and she shall transmit to her Son, who was also the Son of God, the human nature in its original perfection, created, as the Apostle says, in holiness and justice [Eph. iv. 24].

GRADUAL

Benedicta es tu, Virgo Maria, a Domino Deo excelso prae omnibus mulieribus super terram.
V. Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri.

Alleluia, alleluia.
Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te.
Alleluia.

Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.
V. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honour of our people.

Alleluia, alleluia.
Thou art all fair, O Mary, and the stain original is not in thee.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam.

Cap, I.

In illo tempore: Missus est Angelus Gabriel a Deo in civitatem Galilaeae, cui nomen Nazareth, ad Virginem desponsatam viro, cui nomen erat Ioseph, de domo David, et nomen Virginis Maria. Et ingressus Angelus ad eam dixit: Ave, gratia plena: Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus.

The following from the holy Gospel according to Luke.

Ch. I.

At that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the Virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.

This is the salutation with which the Archangel greets Mary. It shows us what was his admiration and his profound veneration for the Virgin of Nazareth. The holy Gospel tells us that Mary was troubled at these words, and thought within herself what such a salutation as this could imply. The Sacred Scriptures record many Angelical salutations: but, as St. Ambrose, St. Andrew of Crete, and, before them, Origen, had remarked, there is not one which contains such praises as this does. The prudent Virgin was, therefore, naturally surprised at the extraordinary words of the Angel, and, as the early Fathers observe, they would remind her of that other interview between Eve and the serpent She therefore remained silent, and it was only after the Archangel had spoken to her a second time, that she made him a reply.

And yet, Gabriel had spoken not only with all the eloquence, but with all the profound wisdom of a celestial Spirit initiated into the divine mysteries; and, in his own superhuman language, he announced that the moment had come when Eve was to be transformed into Mary. There was present before him a woman destined for the sublimest dignity, the woman that was to be the Mother of God; yet, up to this solemn moment, Mary was but a daughter of the human race. Think, then, taking Gabriel's words as your guide, what must have been the holiness of Mary in this her first estate: is it not evident, that the prophecy, made in the earthly paradise, had already been accomplished in Her?

The Archangel proclaims her Full of Grace. What means this, but that the second Woman possesses in herself that element of which sin had deprived the first? And observe, he does not say merely that divine grace works in her, but that she is full of it. "She is not merely in grace as others are," as Saint Peter Chrysologus told us on his feast, "but she is filled with it." Everything in Her is resplendent with heavenly purity, and sin has never cast its shadow on her beauty. To appreciate the full import of Gabriel's expression, we must consider what is the force of the words in the language which the sacred historian used. Grammarians tell us, that the single word which he employs is much more comprehensive than our expression "full of grace." It implies not only the present time, but the past as well, - an incorporation of grace from the very commencement, - the full and complete affirmation of grace, - the total permanence of grace. Our translation has unavoidably weakened the term.

The better to feel the full force of our translation, let us compare this with an analogous text from the Gospel of St. John. This Evangelist, speaking of the Humanity of the Incarnate Word, expresses all by saying, that Jesus is full of grace and truth [St. John, i. 14]. Now, would this fulness have been real, had sin ever been there, instead of grace, even for a single instant? Could we call him full of grace, who had once stood in need of being cleansed? Undoubtedly, we must ever respectfully bear in mind the distance between the Humanity of the Incarnate Word and the person of Mary, from whose womb the Son of God assumed that Humanity; but the sacred text obliges us to confess, that the fulness of grace was, proportionately, in both Jesus and Mary.

Gabriel goes on still enumerating the supernatural riches of Mary. He says to her: "the Lord is with thee." What means this? It means, that even before Mary had conceived our Lord in her chaste womb, she already possessed him in her soul. But, would the words be true, if that union with God had once not been, and had only begun when her disunion with him by sin had been removed? The solemn occasion, on which the Angel uses this language, forbids us to think that he conveyed by it any other idea, than that she had always had the Lord with her. We feel the allusion to a contrast between the First and the Second Eve; the First lost the God who had once been with her; the Second had, like the First, received our Lord into her from the first moment of her existence, and never lost him, but continued from first to last and for ever to have him with her.

Let us listen once more to the salutation, and we shall find from its last words that Gabriel is announcing the fulfilment of the divine oracle, and is addressing Mary as the woman foretold to be the instrument of the victory over Satan. " Blessed art thou among women." For four thousand years, every woman has been under the curse of God, and has brought forth her children in suffering and sorrow: but here is the one among women, that has been ever blessed of God, that has ever been the enemy of the serpent, and that shall bring forth the fruit of her womb without travail.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary is therefore declared in the Archangel's salutation; and we can now understand, why the Church selected this portion of the Gospel to be read to-day in the assembly of the faithful.

After the glorious chant of the Symbol of our Faith, the Choir intones the Offertory: it is composed of the words of the Angelical Salutation. Let us say to Mary, with Gabriel: Verily, O Mary, thou art full of all grace.

OFFERTORY

Ave, Maria, gratia plena: Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus. Alleluia.

Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Alleluia.

SECRET

Salutarem hostiam, quam in solemnitate immaculatae Conceptionis beatae Virginis Mariae tibi, Domine, offerimus, suscipe et praesta: ut sicut illam, tua gratia praeveniente, ab omni labe immunem profitemur: ita ejus intercessione a culpis omnibus liberemur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Receive, O Lord, this host of salvation, which we offer unto thee on this solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary; and grant, that, as we confess her to have been preserved, by thy preventing grace, from every stain of sin, we may, by her intercession, be freed from all our sins. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A commemoration is here made of Advent, by the Secret of the preceding Sunday.

PREFACE

Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus. Et te in Conceptione Immaculata beatae Mariae semper Virginis collaudare, benedicere, et praedicare. Quae et Unigenitum tuum Sancti Spiritus obumbratione concepit: et virginitatis gloria permanente, lumen aeternum mundo effudit, Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quem majestatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt Potestates. Coeli, coelorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti jubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes: Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus!

It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God. And that we should praise, bless, and glorify thee on the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, who by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost conceived thine only-begotten Son, and, the glory of her virginity still remaining, brought forth the eternal light to the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. By whom the Angels praise thy Majesty, the Dominations adore it, the Powers tremble before it, the Heavens, the heavenly Virtues, and blessed Seraphim, with common jubilee glorify it. Together with whom we beseech thee that we may be admitted to join our humble voices, saying: Holy! Holy! Holy!

COMMUNION

Gloriosa dicta sunt de te, Maria, quia fecit tibi magna qui potens est.

Glorious things are said of thee, O Mary! for he that is mighty hath done great things in thee.

POSTCOMMUNION

Sacramenta quae sumpsimus, Domine Deus noster, illius in nobis culpae vulnera reparent; a qua immaculatam beatae Mariae Conceptionem singulariter praeservasti. Per Dominum, etc.

May the mysteries we have received, O Lord our God, repair in us the wounds of that sin, from which thou hast, with exceptional providence, preserved the Immaculate Conception of the ever Blessed Mary. Through, &c.

Then is made a commemoration of Advent, by the Postcommunion of the preceding Sunday.

SECOND VESPERS

The Antiphons, Psalms, Capitulum, Hymn, and Versicle, are the same as in first Vespers, above.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT

Hodie egressa est virga de radice Jesse:
hodie sine ulla peccati labe concepta est Maria:
hodie contritum est ab ea caput serpentis antiqui.
Alleluia.

This day there went forth a branch from the root of Jesse:
this day was Mary conceived without any stain of sin:
this day was the head of the old serpent crushed by her.
Alleluia.

The Prayer as in first Vespers, above.

We will now give three liturgical Hymns composed in honour of the Mystery of Mary's Immaculate Conception; they will assist the faithful to enter more fully into the spirit of today's feast.

HYMN

We must give the precedence to the beautiful strophes, in which Prudentius, in his Hymn Ante cibum, celebrates the triumph of the Woman over the serpent. We find, then, early in the 5th century, that the prince of Christian poets mentions, as one of the glories of Mary, her having triumphed over all the poisons of the infernal dragon, because there was to be bestowed upon her the dignity of Mother of God.

Ecce venit nova progenies,
Aethere proditus alter homo,
Non luteus, velut ille prior,
Sed Deus ipse gerens hominem,
Corporeisque carens vitiis.

Fit caro vivida Sermo Patris,
Numine quem rutilante gravis
Non thalamo, neque jure tori,
Nec genialibus illecebris,
Intemerata puella parit.

Hoc odium vetus illud erat,
Hoc erat aspidis, atque hominis
Digladiabile discidium,
Quod modo cernua femineis
Vipera proteritur pedibus.

Edere namque Deum merita,
Omnia Virgo venena domat.
Tractibus anguis inexplicitis,
Virus inerme piger revomit,
Gramine concolor in viridi.

Quae feritas mode non trepidat,
Territa de grege candidulo?
Impavidas lupus inter oves
Tristis obambulat, et rabidum
Sanguinis immemor os cohibet.

Agnus enim vice mirifica
Ecce leonibus imperitat,
Exagitansque truces aquilas
Per vaga nubila, perque notos
Sidere lapsa Columba fugat.

Lo! there comes a new progeny:
a new Man come from heaven,
not formed of clay as was that first Adam;
no, it is God himself that has assumed human nature,
though without that nature's sins.

The Word of the Father is made living flesh;
a spotless Virgin is his Mother,
not made so by the ordinary laws of wedlock,
but by the overshadowing of that bright Spirit, who is God,
yet chooses Mary for his Spouse.

Here is the cause of that ancient hate,
that ever-warring quarrel between the serpent and man
that now the crouching viper
is crushed by the woman's foot.

The Virgin that was made worthy to be Mother of God,
triumphs over all the poisons of Satan:
the green monster, now sluggish and disabled,
coils his huge folds round himself,
and on the grass vomits out his venom.

Well may the fierce wolf tremble,
and flee from the dear white lambs of the fold:
Sulky and vexed, he prowls
around the inclosure wherein they safely browse:
he dare not think of blood, nor show his rabid teeth.

O wonderful change!
the lamb commands the lion,
and the heavenly Dove in her descent to earth
makes the ravenous eagle flutter
through the clouds and the winds.

HYMN

The following Hymn belongs to the 8th century. It was written by the celebrated Paul the Deacon, who, after being secretary to Charlemagne, became a monk at Monte-Cassino. Here, too, we find the clearest profession of faith in the Immaculate Conception. The poison of original sin, as the author expresses it, has run its infection through the entire human race; but the Creator sees that the womb of Mary is pure, and there he enters.

Quis possit amplo famine praepotens
Digne fateri praemia Virginis,
Per quam veternae sub laqueo necis
Orbi retento reddita vita est?

Haec Virga Jesse, Virgo puerpera,
Hortus supemo germine consitus,
Signatus alto munere fons sacer,
Mundum beavit viscere coelibi.

Hausto maligni primus ut occidit
Virus chelydri terrigenum parens;
Hinc lapsa pestis per genus irrepens
Cunctum profundo vulnere perculit.

Rerum misertus sed sator, inscia
Cemens piaculi viscera Virginis,
Hic ferre mortis crimine languido
Mandat salutis gaudia saeculo.

Emissus astris Gabriel innubae
Aeterna portat nuntia Virgini;
Verbo tumescit latior aethere,
Alvus replentem saecula continens.

Intacta mater, virgoque fit parens,
Orbis Creator ortus in orbe est;
Hostis pavendi sceptra remota sunt,
Toto refulsit lux nova saeculo.

Sit Trinitati gloria unicae.
Virtus, potestas, summa potentia,
Regnum retentans, quae Deus unus est.
Per cuncta semper saecula saeculi.
Amen.

Where is the man with words sublime enough
to tell the gifts bestowed on the Virgin,
by whom life was restored to the world,
which was prisoner in the snare of the old death?

She is the Branch of Jesse, the Virgin Mother,
the garden wherein grew the divine plant,
the holy fountain sealed with the mysterious gift:
she it is that made the world happy
by the fruit of her virginal womb.

Our first parent brought death on himself,
by drinking in the poison of the wicked serpent;
thence came the pestilence on all mankind,
and it was mortal.

But the Creator of the world took compassion on man,
and seeing the womb of the Virgin, that was pure from sin,
it is by her he decrees to convey the joys of salvation
to the world that languished in crime.

Gabriel is sent from heaven bearing
to the chaste Virgin the eternal decree:
and she becomes Mother of the Word,
her womb containing within it Him that fills the earth.

A chaste maid, yet a mother! a virgin, yet a parent!
The Creator of the world was born in his own world;
the sceptre was wrested from the hands of the dreaded enemy;
a new light shone throughout the whole world.

To the Trinity, the one only God,
be glory, honour, power,
highest strength, and kingdom,
for ever and for ever. Amen.

PROSE

Dies iste celebretur,
In quo pie recensetur
Conceptio Mariae.

Virgo Mater generatur;
Concipitur et creatur
Dulcis vena veniae.

Adae vetus exsilium,
Et Joachim opprobrium,
Hinc habent remedium,

Hoc Prophetae praevide runt,
Patriarchae praesenserunt,
Inspirante gratia.

Virga prolem conceptura,
Stella solem paritura,
Hodie concipitur.

Flos de Virga processurus,
Sol de Stella nasciturus,
Christus intelligitur.

O quam felix et praeclara,
Nobis grata, Deo chara,
Fuit haec Conceptio !

Terminatur miseria;
Datur misericordia;
Luctus cedit gaudio.

Nova mater novam prolem,
Nova Stella novum solem,
Nova profert gratia.

Genitorem genitura,
Creatorem creatura,
Patrem parit filia.

O mirandam novitatem,
Novam quoque dignitatem!
Ditat matris castitatem Filii conceptio.

Gaude, Virgo gratiosa,
Virga flore speciosa,
Mater prole generosa,
Vere plena gaudio.

Quod praecessit in figura,
Nube latens sub obscura,
Hoc declarat genitura
Piae matris: Virgo pura,
Pariendi vertit jura,
Fusa, mirante natura,
Deitatis pluvia.

Triste fuit in Eva væ!
Sed ex Eva format ave,
Versa vice, sed non prave;
Intus ferens in conclave
Verbum bonum et suave;
Nobis, Mater Virgo, fave
Tua frui gratia.

Omnis homo, sine mora,
Laude plena solvens ora
Istam colas, ipsam ora:
Omni die, omni hora,
Sit mens supplex, vox sonora;
Sic supplica, sic implora
Hujus patrocinia.

Tu spes certa miserorum,
Vere mater orphanorum,
Tu levamen oppressorum,
Medicamen infirmorum,
Omnibus es omnia.

Te rogamus voto pari,
Laude digna singulari,
Ut errantes in hoc mari,
Nos in portu salutari
Tua sistat gratia.
Amen.

Let this day be kept as a feast,
on which is celebrated
the Conception of Mary.

The Virgin-Mother is begotten:
she, the sweet source of pardon,
is conceived on this day.

It was the remedy of those two evils,
the long exile of Adam,
and the disgrace of Joachim,

It was this that the inspiring grace of God
made the Prophets foretell,
and the Patriarchs foresee.

This day is conceived Jesse's Branch,
that was to produce a Flower,
the Star that was to bring forth the Sun.

Who is the Flower that was to rise from the Branch,
who the Sun that was to be born from the Star,
but Christ our Lord.

O happy and glorious Conception!
so welcome to us,
and so dear to God!

Misery is at an end;
mercy is given to us;
sadness is succeeded by joy.

By a new, unheard-of grace,
a new Mother gives birth to a new offspring,
and a new Star produces a new Sun.

She that is made brings forth Him that made her,
the creature her Creator,
the daughter her Father.

O wonderful novelty!
O novel prerogative!
the Mother's purity is made purer by the conception of Child!

Be glad, thou gracious Maid,
thou branch so lovely with thy Flower,
thou Mother so venerable with thy divine Babe,
thou truly full of joy!

That which was heretofore hid under the thick cloud of figures,
is now made manifest by the daughter of the holy Anne;
the dew of the Deity enriches this her Child,
and she, a pure Virgin, brings forth Jesus,
whilst nature beholds with astonishment
an exception made to all her laws.

There was a sound of malediction in the very name of Eva;
but Gabriel's salutation, by an admirable change,
formed Ave out of Eva.
Virgin-Mother! that didst receive this good and sweet word
in thy little cell at Nazareth;
grant us the consolation of thy favour.

Come, all ye faithful, delay not;
open your lips, and with hearty praise
honour the Mother of Jesus:
pray to her; every day and every hour,
let the mind concord with the voice in prayer and praise:
yea, even so must ye beg and implore her patronage.

Mary! thou the unfailing hope of the wretched,
the true Mother of orphans,
the consolation of the afflicted,
the health of the sick,
thou art all to all.

O thou that art worthy of special praise,
hear our united prayer,
and may thy intercession lead us,
poor wanderers on this sea of life,
to the haven of salvation.
Amen.