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GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S «

Tt



THE

DIVINE DRAMA

tr

Rev. John C. McCarthy

Holy Redeemer Church,

Ennis, Texas,

1st Edition, 1942

10,000

All rights reserved

Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration

Clyde, Missouri



'T' HE object of this composition is to
encourage souls to penetrate into the

“hidden mystery of Christ’s Love” — the
Holy Eucharist, and thus to provide a

devotional meditation on the work of our

Redemption, which, as St. Thomas • says,

‘is renewed each time the Mass is offered.’

The poem is intended to convey, in metrical

garb, the hidden lore of Holy Writ and the

doctrine of the Real Presence,, with a minor

reference to the other ‘fountains of sal-

vation.’
;

While the books of Sacred Scripture

and various tracts on theology were the

principal sources, the works of Father

Faber also furnished inspiration.

The metre was Suggested by Dante’s

Divine Comedy. To accommodate the

poem to the methods of hymnology, the

stanza form was used, rather than the

unbroken succession of blank verse lines

of an irregular length and form. Since

the number seven is considered a mystical

number in theology, and the sacraments,

centering about the Holy Eucharist, are

seven, this number of lines was given to

each stanza. The five metrical feet or

beats to each line pay tribute to the Five

Holy Wounds of our Crucified Savior.

IV



P reface

^^HIS labor of love is directed to the

honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacra-

ment. In the Divine Gift He dwells, a

living Fountain of grace for pilgrims on

earth. He is the Source of consolation to

the suffering souls in purgatory, and of

joy to the elect in paradise.

Upon the Cross our holy Redeemer

merited all grace and won for mankind

an inexhaustible treasury of merits.

Through the Mass and the other vases of

His Precious Bloody— the sacraments—

•

He has designed our greater sharing in

the fruits of His Redemption.

In His greatest Gift, the Holy Eucha-

rist, the love and grace of Christ are found

as in their Source. Herein abides the

very Author of life and grace Himself.

He chose a silence so deep in the

Eucharist, it would seem, that He might

offer us a strong challenge of faith, and

yet speak to our hearts in the language

of His love.

V



For, as

On a calm clear night the heavens

seem nearer and pulsing with life, so in

the Eucharistic, calm the clear light of

faith reveals Him in the nearness of those

Divine pulsations of His mighty, still so

tender, love.

The same. Divine and human charity

which was revealed at Bethlehem and mani-

fested in the humiliations of Calvary, is

here. Realizing that we find all in the

Blessed Sacrament, Rev. Father Lukas

Etlin often exclaimed.

Behold the Sacred Host, — It is the
Ocean into ivhich all Go(Ts gifts of grace

and mercy ftoiv.

VI



roem

'T' HE Mediator of the New Covenant of
grace and charity perpetuates His

greatest act of charity for His Mystical

Body in a mystical manner. The Mass is,

therefore, called a commemoration of Him,

.because it is offered together with and by

the united acts of His Mystical Body.

As the members of that Body, of which

Christ is the Head, we are called by the

gift of the true faith to be participants in

the Mystery of Faith. In the homage of

the Blessed Sacrament, we are conformed

to the image of His death and risen life.

For we have, through the grace of

Christ, a mystical death and resurrection,

in order that by our worshipful remem-

brance of the Memorial of His Passion, we

may die the more to self, and live the more

to Him, who is our life.

And He who strengthens the life of

grace that sanctifies the members of His

Mystical Body, abides with us. In His true

life, communicated to souls, the hope of

glory is increased. For in Him, “Behold

what manner of love the Father has be-

stowed upon us, that we should be called

children of God; and such we are”

(1 John iii. 1).

VII



Christ, Our Mediator on the Cross and in the Host



Tke Divtne IDrama

Tlie King of l<ings in deatli’s at>andonment,

en tree of life tfiat ricfiest harvest here

priceless treasure for our ransoming^

Envisaged centuries and places far

And in deep throhhing ardors ofHis

as comforted in souls so sore redeemed)

o through the A/tass such love commem =

orate.

low His prophetic vision is fulfill’d

ith slow unfolding of the Christian years^

As captives of Love’s purchasing increase

Lihe trophies from its victory foreseen

Through vista of the ages there embrac’d

And gathered in those other Cenacles

lere wealth of heavenly Croesus is dis=

pensed.

Consider then the work of Love Divine

Recalling what the sacring hell declares.

In that transcending A/|ystery of Faitfi

I



And drama cf tlic sacrificial acts

Of turning furnace c f tlic Sacred Heart,

Enactinq tfiere fulfilment cf desire

That sculs may stare tfie mere in LifeDivine.

Ttrcugli eyes cf faitfi teficld tfiis Alystery

Enacted ty tfie King s cvvn whispered werds,

VCTiicli, treatfied upen the gifts cf tread

and \Wne,

Fulfil a wendreus ccurse cf miracles

Mere svvik\y tilan the fingers sweep a harp,
Tc strilce a tarmeny that is unite

Witt tte angelic sanctus heard cn high.

Fcr here the selfsame Persen of tlic Word

Wlio in the incarnatien’s tlessed tcur,

^X^en night divine crewn’d d)ing day with

stars

Came dewn frem heaven and His rcyal

throne.

Doth change the substances cf tread and

wine

Into His very Body and His Blood

TLt worl: of our redemption tc renewed.

2



By twoscdgecl sword of consecration’s words

Tf>e spectacle of Calvary is proclaimed^

Diffusing merits from tliat holocaust

Through this supreme renewal whence they

come

Unto those souls more richly^ who in faith

Draw nigh unto the thrice alUholy place

To he renewed in spirit in Christ’s love.

How great the inspiration unto prayer

There opened in the elevation’s act;

^K^here souls, as did Zacheus once of old

Amidst the branches of the sycamore.

Lift up their eyes to catch a fleeting glimpse

And in this humble vision of their faith

Pay homage unto their Salvation here.

’Tis culmination of God’s secret ways

In coronation of immortal power,

Sublimest wisdom and redeeming love

\^hich manifests Omnipotence in bonds,

Whose wise concealment guards the gift of

faith.

The substance of those things to be hoped for

And evidence of things appearing not.

3



To praisC; to reverence and to serve our God

were unto this eartlily tenure sent;

But ne’er tlie sum of all just acts compares

^^itfi tfiis one act of faitfi in worsfiip giv’n

Tfirougfiout tfie sacred Canon of tfie A/|ass

\^itfi wfiicfi true hope and charity is join’d

Through union with the spotless Victim here.

Though all the hosts of heaven he unite

In honor of the Blessed Trinity;
•

And at their head Christ’s Virgin= other

come

Surrounded with anqelic hierarchies

Fast followed hy that saintly retinue;

Their sum of glorious worship ne’er could

reach

The worth empyreal of a single A/|ass.

For King of meekness as a Lamh here dwells

V/ith eloquence of speechless helplessness

P ropitiating still the Sovereign Good;

And with such grace enriches fervent souls

Where all tL kindness of their Savior waitS;

That grand prerogative of mercy seems

To compromise Flis royal dignity.

4



Celestial grace rills fortli abundantly

And God’s dominion is acknowledged stilly

As Love implores tbe ligfit and peace of

beav’n

In impetration for our every need,

^^hilst steadfast hope of future life redounds

From Fiim wfio liolds witfiin Flis band all

power

True greatness and tfie empire of all things.

A new and living way witfiin the veil

Of the eternal tabernacle shown,

Vet corporal vision ne’er can penetrate

Llnto those mysteries of Charity

Through which bright pearl Flo is reveal’d to

faith,

10 dwells here unto mortal eyes unseen

applying glorious riches of Flis grace. ^

^^hat fertile power perennial emanates

From out these silences of Love Divine,

^?(^hich strongly draws the soul into the

depths

5



Of everlasting tenderness, wliose clioice,

By grace’s calling unrepentantly.

Shall Iead it through this vale of banishment

LInto the vision o f the Trinity.

Lo! Christ, true God and man, so mutely

dwells

Thy King, who cometh to thee lowly, meek,

Our only Mediator, peacefully

Upon th is covenanted A/|orcy=seat,

Compassionating each soul tenderly

And staying blaze of glory to be met

In dazzling splendor of the great Assize.

Tfere Uo a bides with majesty concealed

In might of Love’s redeeming energy.

And as the heavens high above the earth

Or depths of ocean far beneath our feet

So is ITis mercy quite beyond our ken.

That Iives and beats within that pierced

Heart

Whence ran the crimson fides o f Precious

Blood.

6



Sucfi condescension nigh unutterable

Is an abyss of glory unto God;

Where grace in an exiiaustless torrent wells

From out unmeasur’d depths beneficent;

And with unwearied equanimity

Reveals in wondrous vision unto faith

The gra ndest; mightiest work of alUwise

Love.

How beautiful thy tabernacles are

O Jacob; and thy tentS; O Israel;
^Vhere dwells the glorious Fountainhead

of grace

That maketh glad the city of our God;

Through those inebriating tides that flow

And rise majestically to widen far

From ocean of the Uncreated grace.

Ought not our hearts here open as the

flowers

Before their King in hidden loveliness;

X^here dwells the Hoart which has so lov’d

all men

And for tfieir sabes in cfiarity abides,

7



JU would in West response to His- designs
Envelop tliere tlie sanguine souls of all;

Increasing twofold tlieir l>catitude.

Upon tlie altars o f tk is Covenant

He is salvation to the faithful soul;

^!S(/^hicli neither Cheruhim nor Seraphim

Can fully understand or comprehend;

Though Ood regards with true complacency

All those who shall direct attention liege

^X^ith contrite hearts unto its Victim King.

forethought of so deathlessAh! wondrous Toretnoug

love

Bequeathed in lavish legacy of One

V^hose Bloody Death is represented now

With all the gathered store of its effects

And dispensation of vast merits won;

By that tremendous Ransom gladly paid

That souls may he enfranchised ever more.

Here Kingly virtue in omnipotence

Ohlate in immolation mystical

Perpetuating state of sacrifice^

8



Dotli veil its glory in abasement grand

Unto annihilation’s seeming verge^

Through fondest yielding of immortal life

Unto the acts of consecration’s power.

Eorth has no scales to measure love so great

^/hich every trembling balance would

escape

Save only one^ His H<2^art so sensitive^

Each beat of which the Father glorifies

In zeal of justice for the sovereign Oood^

And pulses with such love for sinful man

That here indeed he finds the AAercy Seat.

As signet=ring with which the Almighty

seal’d

Elis promise to the remnant of our clay

\JEhich shrank before Elim to remotest time^

Once burst an arch of wondrous radiance

forth

To span the vauIted skies with peaceful scroll;

There shone a presage that is here fulfill’d

In Ark of Covenant which cannot fail.

9



Fair Arl< of tL Divine fidelity

Proclaiming clear tfie amnesty of H<^<av’n,

Tfiou givest access fiere in confidence

TLt in Tliy liglit we may see tlessed ligfit^

In whose redeeming and renewing love

live and move and have our being now

Adorn’d with garments of celestial grace.

Not sense wi tin winded eye can hang the

thought

LIpon the branches of this wondrous Tree

Containing promise of immortal life^

Nor even glorious reason may be taught

To stretch her potent arm so truly high,

As faith that mounts on firmer wing shall do

To bare the soul to every hidden thing.

It is the Sabbath of the works o f GoJ

Wkerein ITis power and love and wisdom
' rest,

In contemplation of creation crown’d

Through graces of Kcdemption sorely koiiglit,

And where the King makes conquest mightily

Inviting creatures unto prayer of praise

That swells extrinsic glory ever more.

10



AlUlioly Lord of Iimitless fiigli realm

Sucfi service of our free allegiance asLs,

Since Lie fiatfi made tfiis Covenant of peace

Remembrance of His works so wonderful,

Wbo is a merciful and gracious King

Now sitting at God’s right band in all power,

Supremest wisdom and primeval love.

Our hearts’ affections then the noblest act

01 our return of love for such as His,

Who batb lov’d us with everlasting love

And drawn us with a yearning fond and true.

Returned in lively faith of creatures call’d

To praise and bless, adore and glorify

The Lord our God and Christ the Lamb

of Cod.

All we would seek for. Cod in sympathy

Of Love’s own slighted goodness humbly

mask’d,

Is chiefly found within these human acts

In Aiystery of the Incarnate \X(^ord;

Still by His Presence,— sacred, silent, still.
Enlightening from the Uncreated light

And kindling with the Holy Spirit’s fire.

11



len angels offer prayers of ours to Ood

As incense in their golden tliurihleS;

Tt.ere are none that rise up before His throne

In sweeter fragrance, than those here unite

To prayers of His, who once in crimson robes

And cypress crown’d upon the T ree of Life,

Sighed for our meriting in P recious Blood.

O Fount of Love! O living Source o f Light!
’Tis thy strange uttermost abandonment

In this sublimest Mystery of Faith,

That stirs the soul unto its inmost depths

To marvel at beneficence so gr<^^t.

From rising to the settifig of each sun

Throughout the Wide expanse of Christen=

dom.

save intense desire can such explain

LI ti tiring in vast efforts to enrich

^^ith treasures of exhaustless grace acquired

By Thine own Bloody Sacrifice of yore.

Accomplished in T^.y reconciling worh

That superabundance of its merits might

Be brought into our hearts and minds alway.

12



’Twas virtue of tfie P recious Blood alone

Once pour’d entirely from Love’s wounds

agape

Tliat purchased our humanity from e^eath.

Triumphing o’er the powers of darkness all;

That we in fond attendance at this rite

A/|ay e’er recall its signatory Seal

As we are steeped within those ruddy depths.

! what should such stupendous love avail

Did we not seek its surging channels true,

And graces of that reservoir whose wealth

Is ope’d in each commemoration’s hour.

To inundate the waste land of our hearts

^X/^ith that transforming and most secret

power

hich makes earth’s desert blossom as the

rose.

Hore hidden love continues to reveal

The sweetness of its goodness in disguise,

lere wise concealment doth - hut hinder

fear

13



Tliat would t>e servile in unveil’d deliglit;

W^liile sovran angels camp around^ about

Those souls; who fill’d with nobler filial fear

Discern by faith Love’s presence ’neath the

veils.

Is this not best disclosure o f God’ s love

LInto the farthest reach of Love’s emprise^

For though the Cross and spear hath seem’d

excess

In H[is Incarnate Son’s obedience

To seal this testamental love supreme,

Here in the Blessed Sacrament is found

A love that was victorious oyer death.

Hail we death’s Vanquisher who mahes us

free

In triumph of the glory of such grace,

V/hich now the Lamb of God here nourishes

Through joyful union with His very Self,

Imparting there the virtues of His Heart

To those who in true love approach to lean

Upon His trcast at banqueting of joy.

14



Tfie largess of tfiat action emanates

From tfie perennial Spirit’s quickening^

Tliat tfiese unto Christ’s love may he con=

form’d,

As it confirms them in those wondrous bonds

^X^hich now exalt Flis Headship over all,

\?((^ho are as members unto Him unite

\^ithin His own true body mystical.

A/|ust every human heart not be alert

Responding to the King’s own beckoning,

\^((^here full tide of redeeming mercy flows

And H<^ is yearning for the souls He loves

To captivate them through His Sacraments,

\^hich make of each the centre of a world

Of spiritual grandeurs though invisible.

Of all perfections manifest of God

These channels ever serve to represent

Love’s attribute of true benevolence,

Accomplishing their own determined end

In intimate relationship wi tl. Him,
WL SO ordained them to the Eucharist
That their own Primal Fount might be

reveal’d.

15



tlie D^X Star dawns resplendently

Our utmost efforts here ought joyfully tend

To render worthy homage unto God,

And resting in the Sacrament of Love

Triumphal car of holy charity,

\5(/e shall adore in spirit and in truth

lile sharing actions of the Infinite.

Vast firmament magnificently spread

Is e’er a spectacle to charm our hearts

Delighted hy its loveliness revealed.

But faith unlocks such panorama fair

As pales the radiant glories of the sky,

V/here dawn the fulgent beams of Charity

In emanation from the Sacred Host.

Do not all liglits go out in these bright rays^

All truths to this seem satellites grown pale

And shining with a borrowed radiance

Around the V^ord made flesh for love of us

LIpon the altars of this Covenant,

Renewing still a worship deep and high

As e’en the very Charity of God.

16



WL can proclaim TIt/ bounteous goodness
liere

W^lien angels round Tily tal^ernacle know

How far too short eternity would prove

To tell the glory of til is A^ystery

Par=excellent of the Almighty will,

^X/here to evince Thy blessed bounty more

The deepest love of Love is silentest.

O blest abode of heavenly secrecies
And fair unnamed abysses cloaked in white,

One deepening into still another depth

Or leading to the vision of Thy Soul,

Reveals to faith our own humanity

Anointed by its union with the ^Word,

In the espousals of Divinity.

Primeval world of angels once were tried

And made an irremediable choice.

Rejecting e’en the spark that radiates

prom the Eternal Truth effulgently,

^Vhen in the madness of their liberty

They so outraged paternal A/tajesty

That naught could stay the malediction

hurl’d.

17



Llnnumter’d legions of tfiat countless tfirong

Exquisite witfi first sanctifying grace^

Aspiring to Divine similitude

Inordinately in their dire despite^

were thrust from out the parapets on high
^Athout a gesture of forbearance shown

Into the bottomless pit of woe.

For even Ood’s first attribute of love

Could not endure the pride accepting not

The ^Crd all clothed within our human

flesh,

Revealed in ages ere it came to pass

Unto those countless hosts of angels prov’d

By that blest vision of His only Son

In lineaments of our mortality.

What then must be His sorrow at a race

Partahing of this nature of His Son

Yet passing by as though they knew Him not,

Low hid in such humility and love

Within the snowy palliament that veils

His charm of puissant mercy for all there,

To urge em ty tlic tics of faith and hope.

18



Sliort of tfie Beatific Vision’s joy

The Euclianst is an image and transcript

In wliicli Ood dotli reflect His very self;

And gather His perfections as in one

/V|ost gracious copy of divinest mold;

D<^siring with the might of Love Pivine

Diffusion of His goodness ever more.

Through such propinquity true hearts decline

Alluring pleasures of a tempting world;

To pledge their fealty to Christ the L^rnh

In His white rohes of innocence array’d;

On altars where the Eucharistic Ouest

Rejoices in the homage Ood receives

From souls who grasp this challenge of strong

faith.

Christ here regards them with a Father’s love

Outstripping their least generosity;

And hides them in the secret of His face

As higher Vision rises on and on

Till they he shelter’d safe in fadeless light;

V/here just shall reign and live forevermore

To shine as brightness of the firmament.

19



Now wlierefore was it that He ciiose tliem so^

Except tfiey sliould te lioly in His sigkt

And e’en unspotted in true charity^

Since in tlie consummation of sucli choice

The Lamh will he united to their souls^

In operations far transcending grace

lere plenitude of Beauty softly glows.

Eternal Beauty^ planned for aye and aye

To gladden them forever^ even when

The former things shall all have pass’d away;

Joys past compare^ gladness unutterable^

Imperishable life of peace and love

Rejoicing in the countenance of GoJ

And mysteries of glory countless there.

Its multitudes in nine=choir’d hierarchy

Are sweeping now in instant^ wondrous flight

Of that world’s swiftness so incredible^

^J(/here Seraphim in arduous raptures fail

The inaccessible to penetrate^

Immersing them in glory’s light supreme

In highest radiation from its Source.

20



Anotlier wliile in adoration tent

^X/itliin tte sight of Cod’s perfections grand;

They rise again to scatter gladness round

In those refreshing showers of purest light

^Whick fall incessantly about the throne.

And sapphire pavements stretching far away

Among the many mansions of the blest.

Or once again returning through the gates

Of glistening pearl and every precious stone,

Lite laborers who wend their homeward way

At eventide when their day’s work is done.

They b ring fresh troops of ransomed human

souls

From out the chastening purgatorial state

Or safely through their tribulations pass’d.

There are so many harmonies within

Diversities of their unnumbered acts

That out of all is concord sweet and strong,

^Without a taint of even venial fault

Amid their lightning=lil<e activities

Exuberant of sanctity confirmed,

In their unflagging praise of God on high.

21



Sweet Spirit, treatliing wliere it listetli Tlice

To orient our actions towards their end,

Point us unto our Father, Ood on high.

Who Ioves us with an everlasting love.

And hy Thy pure refining beams direct

Flpward to Him, first Perfect and first Fair

fn I rinal light transporting each soul there.

Vouchsafe Thine aid to breast the storm

below

V/here fretted with our own endeavors weab,

V/e are consoled by those angelic deeds

And feed ourselves upon their fragrance full;

Vet here must lean upon our human acts

In Love’s own drama through Thy power

renewed

As compensating worship adequate.

Help us to grasp our undeserved lot.

To dwell amidst Cod’s mysteries of grace

Familiarly made conversant with them.

As if it were renewal of that walk

At Vesper time in Eden long ago.

In the Linfathomakle privilege

Gf our first parents still unfall’n tliere.

22



Of sucfi our festivals an image are

Tliougfi quite imperfect of tfiat feast on liigli;

I'

^X/^fien we are in their spirit here refreshed;

Renewed in fear and taught to love our Cjod

I

And hiess the saintS; whom H[e hath

;
magnified;

^^hilst we in these perceive the excellence

Of that first state of holy innocence.

I
Then pausing on the thought of that bright

V world
^

In its magnificent tranquillity;

There comes a foretaste of the soul’s true joy

V
^X^ith satiation of all longings pent,

When Ood possessed as its own property

Ineffably, communicated there

, ^/i\[ be its crown attain’d triumphantly.

There, face to face with ITim, not transiently

INor as a glorious flash of light renewed

[• In passing wise, once every space prolonged.

The blest abide the everlasting joy

^X/ith ecstasy of been intelligence.

And rapture marvelous of wills confirmed

Teyond our fondest expectation here.

23



Tlicy view tlie marvels of creative love

As m/stery deepens into mystery^

And at each stage reveals those treasures deep

Of tenderness and great benignity

^^hich brought them to that vast eternal

shore;

W^here in the fadeless light of their true land

Their A/|aker’s glory is fore’er revealed.

For now that kingdom is the theatre

Of God’s own recompense for grace well

spent

And crown’d with perseverance in the end;

^JFhile such enrichment of their souls re=

dounds

In blest attention of activity;

As doth enhance the fullest meed of joy

^diich here benumbed conceiving ne’er can

glean.

^et unto this beholding all in God

Are those united acts of heavenly love;

lere steeping fervid minds and wills in

im

24



all affections purified of stain.

And such enrapturing intensity

As safeguards still tlieir contemplations’ joy

\^iiile girding up and strengthening with

hliss.

Discerning with unfathoining gase the sight

Of endless generation of the Son

Distinct in splendors still unsearchable,

They are partakers in the jubilee

Of the proceeding Holy Spirit where

O’ershadowing o f the Eterna l Th ree

Eni braces all within the Light of light.

Does not the thought of such engender* here

A holy eagerness of joining in

That canticle its sainted hosts now sing.

All clad in robes of white, through Precious

Blood

Of that same Lcunb, whom they triumphant

hail

In glorious rendering of those heav’nly

Hosannas which through courts eterne now

ring.

25



Oh, wliat tlie peace of tfiat society

its communion of tLose otfier souls

Asll wrapt in a communion so suUime

Tliat lacks a full similitude on earth,

Except through that one prayer part infinite

Of Holy /Mass and our close union there

^^ith those who seek the things that are

above.

Now Mary reigning gloriously on high.

Alone most perfect in exalted height

Where ransomed creatures’ strivings culmi=

nate;

There finds the breathless silence of her heart

An4 of her more than an angelic mind;

Scarce fitting worship of the A\a]csty

Or incomparability of Ood.

So she who sang the blest A^agnificat

Is there in unimagincd sanctity

Of wisdom and affections unsurpassed.

Engaged forever unconsumingly

Like frankincense of creatures all combin’d;

In fragrant worship; ravishingly sweet;

Before the Holy Eludivided Th rec.

26



Our Lady A/|ediatress of Grace entfiron’d

Brings souls unto the joy of hliss eterne,

. Who overcoming in tlie P rccious Blood

Of God’ s own Lamh and her now reigning

>on

Find graces of the \?(/ay and Truth and LiL

^X/hence come salvation and renewing

strength

Andhingdom of our God in power of Christ.

A/|ust not the measure of earth’s hope U filled

To hnow that as Fie rose from Olivet^

As that bright cloud received Flim out of

sight,

\J(^hen ripening grain the fields was swaying

o’er

And vineyards flourished in the fruitful earth,

So heaven Lids Him as they saw Fi^im last,
Familiar and unchanged and glorified.

Surrounded now by spotless sanctity

Angelic, human and the Fincreate,

Fie leans unto the sinful souls of earth

27



As angels catch the spirit of His Hearty
And worship there the Holy Trinity

our own name, md for our exixiledIn

E’en condescend unto this lower depth.

race

tens o f th, ds altousancis altars now. He dwellsOn

To heautify the world in si^ht of C'od

And win for it unthou5ht=of blessings here,

Confirming pledges for that parting hour,

\Vh. Colen, a 'companion, through X^aticum,

The promise of His love s hall he fulfill’d

In h ringing souls acrosss the darhening gu If.

Life’s menacing shoals of self=love overpass’d

Through love of Ood and neighbor for His

sa he.

Its meed of glory in that hour will bring

W^hen those who having known and honored

God

Shall hea r the sentence of such virtue passed.

Since loving Him, all else in Him was lov’d.

Who set in order cfiarity in tfiem.

28



sliall their entrance into heaven he

But greater triumph of Incarnate Ood

Attended hy Idjis mighty choir of Til rones,

Rewarding mercy in tliat pageant Inigli

Of rapturous love and true ecstatic joy,

\?(/hose special source of happiness shall he

LInveiling of the Blessed Sacrament.

Cleave then unto the Pledge of fullest life

/Where God shall he the end of all desire.

Fulfill’d within the amaranthine hliss

Of that deliverance free from weariness,

\^ith such steadfast delight in Love’s reward

As shall preserve the soul immortal, h rigfit,

Firm fixed in undeclinaUc First Joy.

Tkere shalieod’s mercies endlessly he sung

LInto the praise of that redeeming grace,

\?Fhich made earth’s very trials less toilsome

seem

In stretching towards the soul’s supernal prise

Of vast beatitude witli sovereign Ford,

Wko skall U all in all forever more

In everlasting freedom witfiout end.

29



Appendix

^0 tender was Christ’s love, that when
^ about to undergo death, He gave as
His most precious Legacy the living Me-

morial of our Redemption. It was in order

that the same ministry our lioly Redeemer

was to exercise on Calvary might be con-

tinued upon the Christian altars. But on

the Cross He offered His actual Death,

while on the altar He oflfers the Death

already suffered. For so He ordained to

perpetuate the one offering with which the

Mass is the same.

As “He dies now no more” and is de-

livered from the dominion of death. He

comes sacramentally upon the altar as He

truly is,— impassible and glorified. But
He comes to us under the aspect of the

Victim slain. Thus He offers Himself

anew, and in a sacrificial manner, but

under a mystical immolation. Hence, the

Mass is rightly called “the Mystery of

Faith,” and the Church has decreed, in the

Council of Trent, that these two Sacrifices

are one and the same, and differ only in

the manner in which they are offered.

It is in the very moments of the con-

30



secrations that we behold the most strik-

ing representation of what passed on

Calvary. This is because He is then offered

under the appearance of death, as is

evidenced by the separate consecrations.

In this the essential nature of the Sacrifice

consists, in which the words of consecra-

tion, by His command, are like a two-edged

sword which immolates the Victim. Ac-

cording to the same Council of Trent, He

who offered Himself upon the Cross offers

Himself now also through the ministry of

His priests.

Since a gift ought to be worthy of him

who offers it, and of him who receives

the offering, Christ, who here is the in-

visible Priest as well as the Victim, offers

Himself to God in our behalf. Thus the

same Divine and human natures which were

manifested in the humiliations of Calvary

are here, even though His human nature

has been glorified. The gift of faith

acknowledges Him, while the Mystical

Body of His Church prolongs within itself

the life He purchased there. We see Him

in the lives of others who are governed by

His grace and charity. He lives amongst

us, through them, in His robes of sacrifice

31



and pain. He toils in the vesture of holy

men, and is clothed with the garments of

pure women. The limpid eyes of little

ones mirror some of His deathless beauties

to us. In many other Christs we behold

Him every day.

On the Cross, Christ’s Deity alone was

hid, but in the Mass His Humanity also

is veiled. He is in deeper abnegation,

through His charity and humility, under

the mystical immolation. The Sacrifice of

the Cross was offered once, outside Jeru-

salem; the Sacrifice of the Mass continues

His immolation ‘‘from the rising to the

setting of the sun.” The earth itself is like

a great sanctuary in which the ever-living

Lamb is now immolated on countless altars.

The Sacrifice of the Cross endured but

a few hours; the Sacrifice of the New

Covenant of grace endures throughout the

centuries. On the Cross, Christ was as He

had been on earth; in the Mass He is as

He dwells in heaven, but with His glory

also concealed.

He offered Himself upon the Cross as

the Sacrifice of Redemption, through which

He merited all the graces which He wished

to grant until the last day. But He offers

32



Himself in our churches as a sacrifice of

commemoration and of the application of

His merits. Therein He applies to us the

fruits of His Redemption, and places under

our eyes its living and touching representa-

tion.

There is no virtue, then, in the Sacrifice

of the Mass, except that which emanates

from the Cross. The Cross is the source,

and the altar is the true channel of its

grace. Hence, St. Thomas Aquinas says,

‘‘Every Mass has, for the benefit and sal-

vation of mankind, all the efficacy of the

Sacrifice of the Cross,’’

Therefore, the action of Holy Mass

looks backward to Calvary as the action

of the Last Supper looked forward to it.

In the Mass the one eternal Sacrifice of •

our great High Priest is perpetuated for

us in the changing stretches of time, as it

is ever present to God in the changeless

moments of eternity. In the Eucharist, as

on the Cross, Christ is the Mediator between

God and man, in a new and living way,

having entered into the heavenly taber-

nacle, where He sitteth at the right hand of

God, a priest forever. “Whereby He is

able to save forever them that come to God

33



by Him, always living to make intercession i

for us” (Hebr. vii. 25). :

To assist at the Sacrifice of the true

God is to be present at the most holy and

august act of religion. In the Liturgy this

Sacrifice is called the act, while the words

of the Canon, ‘within the action,’ signify

nothing else than ‘within the sacrifice.’ It

seems as if the Church would thereby

remind us that sacrifice should also be

the great act of our life.

Above all, it is the act of rendering to

God the worship “in spirit and in truth”

which is due to His infinite perfections.

Thus it fulfils all the true ends of religion

through adoration, thanksgiving, satisfac-

tion and petition. In the corporate worship

• and public prayer of the Church, if these

are well fulfilled, united to the many

mysteries which are represented therein,

the Mass becomes an abridgment, a sum-

mary, and the centre of all religion.

Through faith, hope and charity,

united with the acts of Christ, it honors all

the Divine perfections. Towards God, the

formal acknowledgment we make of our

absolute dependence, in presence of His

infinite power and greatness, is the very

34



essence of adoration. And the Mass has

the twofold advantage of kindling in our

souls the beautiful sentiment of thanksgiv-

ing to God, and of enabling us to fulfil

worthily the duties which it imposes. It

moreover sanctifies souls by obtaining for

them those actual graces which aid them in

the means of reconciliation. Our prayers

also are united with the petitions of Our

Lord, who offers as a prayer for us His

Blood, His Wounds, and the abyss of His

humiliations.

Thus the faith of historic Christianity

unites in sublime and mystic rite, which

has been the supreme and sacrificial ex-

pression of the Christian worship since

Christ gave it on the night before He died

for our Redemption. The Eternal Gift is,

therefore, the Sacrifice by which we draw

near to God, through the cleansing and

enlightening of the soul and its union

with Jesus in our lives. And so it is the

chief source of renewing the Christian

spirit. The devotion to the Blessed Sacra-

ment flows as a corollary, and the altar

on which Christ dwells is like another

fireside, where the supernatural favors of

the Lord are cherished.

35



Hence, the Holy Eucharist is also re-

served in our tabeniacles. as It is exposed

on our altars, for our sakes. Therein also

we worship the Real Presence of Him who

abides with us sacramentally in a manner

that is, ^real. true, and substantial.' As the

Divinitv' is united to Our Lord's Sacred

HumaniU’. it is the Real Presence of Him

who is whole and entire under each Host.

In what is then tlie most consoling mys-

terv of the true Faith, the Holy Eucharist

enshrines the Presence of the whole Christ

— in all the blessed traits of His glori-
fied Humanity* and the infinite power of

His ever-2:lorious Dirinitv.

Jesus Christ true God and true man,

dwells where ever\- flickerin? tabernacle

light reminds us of His humble abiding.

His holiness. His power. His justice and

His love, but above all. His mercy, shine

therein in all their splendor. His Divinity

'not only liedges us round, but dwells

veritably in our midst.* As we remember

this most excellent Object of our faith,

must not the ver\* nearness of His sacred

Presence give us increase of hope and joy?

And what ministers more to our spiritual

good than the Supreme Good, which is so

36



near that it may be possessed? In pos-

sessing Him we possess all that constitutes

the essential glory of the saints in heaven.

The differences are only accidental. For,

if by some stupendous miracle our eyes

were suddenly opened, we should find

that we were really in heaven; or rather,

that heaven itself had come down to us,

and entered into our souls.

Wherefore the Psalmist says, “The

children of men shall put their trust under

the covert of Thy wings. They shall be

inebriated with the plenty of Thy house;

and Thou shalt make them drink of the

torrent of Thy pleasure. For with Thee

is the fountain of life: and in Thy light

we shall see light” (Ps. xxxv. 8-10). The

Divine Gift of our Savior’s greatest love,

wisdom and power is the silent witness of

His silent charity. Beneath this veil that

safeguards our faith, He is there “for our

sakes, and for our salvation.” To pay our

tribute of honor, and give expression to

our loyalty and homage to our King, “we

have access by faith.”

When shall we be able to exhaust the

praise which such a King deserves? Who

shall praise beyond worth? “Fear not to

37



praise thy Eucharistic Savior, 0 Sion, all
j

that thou art able,” are the words of the
’

Lauda Sion, which continues, ‘‘thou shall

not praise too much, for He surpass- -

eth all praise.” Even though they are

veiled under the lowly species of bread, in

Him are contained all the attributes of a

glorious Kingship.

Were the eyes of our soul opened, we

would behold innumerable angels minis-

tering to their King and their God hidden

in the Sacred Host. St. John Chrysostom

beheld myriad celestial spirits hovering

round the tabernacles— ‘where angels are
servants, where heaven is open, where Jesus

sits upon His throne, and where the whole

edifice is filled with invisible spirits.’ Ah,

yes, the angelic adorers never weary of

offering their homage, yet it is not for

angels, but for us, that Jesus is present in

the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Truly, the Holy Eucharist is so great

and so rich in all manner of blessings that

It can never be extolled as It deserves,

nor adequately worshiped. The Divine

Eucharist is the inexhaustible source of

consolations and supernatural comforts,

which soothe the sorrows and sufferings of

38



mankind better than any other remedy.

Abundantly and consolingly the rays of

love and mercy from the Sacred Host fall

also upon the suffering souls in purgatory.

In this as well as through the suffrages

of the Church they receive ‘refreshment,

light and peace.’

Because the Blessed Sacrament also

represents “the unity of the Mystical Body

of Christ,” says St. Thomas, “It is called

communion^ Explaining that the Holy

Eucharist produces in the soul the treasures

of grace which are ordained to our salva-

tion, the same holy doctor enumerates the

causes. “It contains the presence of the

Author of grace, that leads to salvation.

- It is the Sacrament of the Passion of Our

Lord, which is the cause of salvation. It

nourishes the life of sanctifying grace, and

unites the soul with the charity of Christ.

To these causes it is owing,” he says, “that

the attainment of the heavenly reward is

the special effect of this Sacrament, because

Jesus Christ died that we might reach

heaven, — and the Eucharist is a figure
of heaven’s banquet.”

Of these hopes the closing lines of the

Lauda Sion tell : —

39



Jesii, Shepherd of the sheep!

Thou Thy flock in safety keep.

Living Bread! Thy life supply;

Strengthen us, or else we die;

Fill us with celestial grace:

Thou, who feedest us below!

Source of all we have or know!

Grant that with Thy saints above,

Sitting at the feast of love.

We may see Thee face to face.

Each of the countless Hosts consecrated

all over the world is destined to be received

into a human soul. In the words of St.

Thomas, who traced out as with a pencil

of light the traditional, true, Catholic, and

Apostolic doctrine of the Holy Eucharist:

‘"Let them come to the altar-rails in crowds:

men, women and children; let the floods

of countless communicants come streaming

up. . . Each is to receive his Lord, whole

and entire, undivided, — and not only
undivided, but indivisible. Not only is His

Body like a single flame, whose hearth is

one place, and which miraculously spreads

its heat everywhere, and vivifies all that

lives; but the same identical flame is lit up

in far distant spots all over God's earth,

on the mountain top and in the valley, in

40



the forest and the plain, in the solitude

and in the city. There is no Jerusalem,

no Holy of holies for it. It is confined

to no favored zone. Its object is the union

of the Body of Jesus with all beings of

the race of men, and wherever there is a

single human heart, there must also reach

the Blessed Sacrament; and this not for

one generation, but to the end of time.”

A Messenger of Eucharistic Love

Until the end of time, then, the Gift

of God awaits us, as one generation suc-

ceeds another. The nearer souls approach

It, the more they experience the warmth

of Its vivifying rays of love. Some souls

approach so near that a spark from the

Divine Furnace Itself seems to glow in their

hearts. To such a spark of Eucharistic

love, burning in the heart of Rev. Father

Lukas, can be ascribed the publication.

Tabernacle and Purgatory.

Rev. Father Lukas, O.S.B., it was, who

urged the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual

Adoration at Clyde, Missouri to publish a

magazine devoted to the honor of the Holy

Eucharist and the consolation of the souls

in purgatory. He saw the Sisters devoting

their lives to the adoration of the Most

Blessed Sacrament, carrying on day and

night the hidden apbstolate of intercessory

41



prayer by their uninterrupted worship of

the Lord of Hosts on their altar. He felt

that if an exterior means of drawing the

faithful in the world to the love and

knowledge of the Holy Eucharist were

joined to the Perpetual Adoration, a most

fruitful apostolate for Eucharistic devotion

would result.

Unto his holy memory, then, we leave

these final words, since it was to his

memory that we dedicated this work. . .

It had long been a cherished wish of the

great and humble Benedictine to see the

number of subscribers to the magazine

Tabernacle and Purgatory increase. He

yearned to see this monthly messenger of

Eucharistic love enter every Catholic home.

It was because he realized that we find all

in the Most Blessed Sacrament, as he often

exclaimed,

‘‘Behold the Sacred Host, — It is the
Ocean into which all God's gifts of grace

and mercy fiow.”

For the love of Jesus on our altars,

and to procure an accidental joy in eternity

for the saintly founder, who passed to his

eternal reward on December 16, 1927, be-

come a subscriber to the most devotional of

our devotional magazines. In this way

you will help to perpetuate a noble work,

and bring increase to your faith and love

in Jesu Hostia.

' The Author

42



Glossary

Page 1

Stanza 1.

Tree of life — The Cross upon which Our
Savior died for our redemption.

Through the Mass such love conunemorate

The Mass is a memorial of the Passion

and Death of Jesus.

Stanza 2.

Captives of Love’s piu’chasing — Having
been redeemed by the Blood of Christ,

shed out of pure love for mankind, all

Christians are, as St. Peter says, “a pur-

chased people,” belonging by right of

purchase to Him who bought us at a

great price.

Other Cenacles— Catholic Churches, lik-
ened to the Upper Room where Our Lord

ate the Last Supper with His Apostles

and instituted the Blessed Sacrament.

Croesus— A king of Lydia in the 6 th cen-
tury, B.C., having vast wealth; hence

used to designate one possessed of great

riches, as in this instance, God in the

Blessed Sacrament.

Stanza 3.

Sacring bell— The bell rung at the conse-
cration of the sacred elements.

Page 2

Stanza 1.

lUng’s own whispered words— The words
of consecration, though spoken by the

43



lips of the priest, are in reality the words

of Christ Himself.

Angelic sanctus— The unceasing song of
praise sung by the angels: “Holy, holy,

holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth

is full of His glory” (Isaias vi. 3).

Stanza 2.

The Word, who in the incarnation’s blessed

hour. . . came down from heaven and

His royal throne — Compare Wisdom,
xviii. 14, 15: “For while all things were

in quiet silence, and the night was in

the midst of her course. Thy almighty

Word leapt down from heaven from Thy

royal throne.” This refers to the sacred

. moment at .which the Son of God, the

“Word,” was “made flesh” in the bosom

of the Virgin Mary.

Page 3

Stanza 1.

Two-edged sword of consecration’s words

—

The separate consecration of the bread

and wine, by which is signified the sep-

aration of the- Body and Blood of Christ

in the Crucifixion, symbolizes the Death

on the Cross. 3

Holocaust — A sacrificial offering, the
whole of which is consumed by fire; the

complete destruction or consummation

of the victim. Here, Christ’s Sacrifice
;

on the Cross. :

This supreme renewal— The holy Sacrifice ’
of the Mass, by which the merits of the

44



Sacrifice of the Cross are applied to souls.

Stanza 2.

Zacheiis— A rich publican, who, — desir-
ous of seeing Jesus as he passed through

Jericho, but being short of stature, was

prevented by the crowd, — climbed
,
a

sycamore .tree to catch sight of Him.

(Luke xix. 1-10.)
,

Stanza 3. '

Omnipotence in bonds — Almighty Power
seemingly rendered impotent by the sac-

ramental forms.

Faith, the substance of those things to be

hoped for, and evidence of things appear-

ing not — A reference to Scripture:
"'Faith is the substance of things to be

hoped for, the evidence of things that

are not seen*’ (Heb. xi. 1). The sense

is : Faith is a firm confidence of receiving

something which one hopes to receive,

and a conviction that something exists

though it cannot be seen. As St. Paul

. says in another verse: ‘"He who comes to

God must believe that God exists and

is a rewarder to those who seek Him”

(Heb. xi. 6).

Page 4

Stanza 2.

Empyreal — Celestial; sublime; beyond
all computing.

Page 6

Stanza 1.

Great Assize— Day of Judgment.
45



Page 6

Stanza 2.

Ken— Comprehension; understanding.
Page 7

Stanza 2.

Jacob; Israel— Used figuratively for the
Holy Catholic Church. A reference to a

passage in the Book of Numbers, xxi\. 5.

Fountainhead of grace — Our Lord, who
is the Source of all grace.

City of our God — The Holy Catholic
Church.

Uncreated grace— The essence of God
;
in

other words, God Himself.

Page 8

Stanza 1.

Covenant— The Christian dispensation as
distinguished from the Old or Jewish

law.

Liege— Devoted; loyal; faithful.
Stanza 2.

Enfranchised — Set free; liberated from
the slavery of sin and endowed with the

right to heaven.

Stanza 3.

Oblate — Offered up.
Page 9

Stanza 2.

Signet-ring— A ring containing a signet
or seal by which a document is authenti-

cated.

Remnant of our clay— The eight survivors
of the deluge.

46



Arch of wondrous radiance— The rainbow
by which God made a covenant of peace,

promising never again to destroy the

whole world by flood. See Genesis, ix.

12-17.

Ark of Covenant — Figuratively, the
Blessed Sacrament.

Page 10

Stanza 1.

Anuiesty — An act of sovereign power
granting a general pardon.

That in Thy light we may see blessed light

Compare Psalm xxxv. 10: ‘‘And in thy

light we shall see light.” Only in the

light of heavenly glory, which as St.

John tells us in the Apocalypse proceeds

from Our Lord Himself, shall we be able

to gaze upon the dazzling splendor of

God, the Eternal Light.

We live and move and have our being now
Compare Acts, xvii. 28: “For in Him we

live and move and have our being.” As

God is everywhere by His omnipresence,

so even here below we live in Him, and

cannot exist without His ever watchful

Providence.

Stanza 3.

It is the Sabbath of the works of God—
On the seventh day of the creation of

the world, God rested from His labors.

Sabbath means “rest.” All the works of

God are consummated, and, as it were,

rest in the Holy Mass.

47



Extrinsic glory — The glory which God
derives from His creatures. His intrinsic

glory, which is inherent in His Divine

Nature, cannot be increased.

Page 11

Stanza 2.

Who hath loved us with an everlasting
love, etc. — Compare Jer. xxxi. 3: ‘‘Yea
I have loved thee with an everlasting

love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking

pity on thee.” The Church applies this

text to Our Lord, in the Mass of the

Sacred Heart.-

Page 12

Stanza 2.

From rising to the setting of each sun —
The Sacrifice of the Mass, as propihesied

by Malachy (i. 11) : “From the rising of

the sun even to the going down thereof,

My Name is great among the gentiles,

and in every place there is sacrifice, and

there is offered to My Name a clean

oblation.”

Page 13

Stanza 1.

Signatory seal— A device bearing a design
which imparts an impression in relief on

paper or wax by means of which docu-

ments are ' authenticated ; hence, the

Precious Blood is spoken of as the Seal

of our Redemption. Each time we' assist

at Mass this Seal is impressed ^knew

- upon our souls. •
'

'

-

48



stanza 2.

Surging channels — The Mass, the sacra-
ments and the other means instituted

by God to impart grace to souls.

Which makes earth’s desert blossom as the

rose — Isa. xxxv. Refers to the flourish-
ing of Christ’s kingdom, the Church.

A similar transformation takes place in

our hearts each time we worthily assist

at Holy Mass. -

Page 14

Stanza 1.

Emprise .— Enterprise; undertaking
(Archaic). Also, the qualities which

prompt one to undertake diflacult and

dangerous exploits.

A love that was victorious over death —
Our Lord Himself said, “Greater love

than this no one has, that one lay down

his life for his friends” (John xv. 13).

This love He manifested for us by His

Death on the Cross. And yet in the

Blessed Sacrament He seems to have

found a means of showing forth still

greater love.

Stanza 2.

Lean upon His breast at banqueting of

joy — Those who receive Holy Com-
munion are privileged, like St. John, the

beloved disciple, to lean upon our

Savior’s breast.

49



Page 15

Stanza 1.

Largess — Liberal giving; a liberal gift.
Perennial — Unceasing; never failing.

Here, the Eternal Spirit, the Holy Ghost,

who unites us with Jesus in the Blessed

Sacrament as members of His Mystical

Body, the Church.

' Stanza 3.

Channels — The Sacraments.
Page 16

Stanza 1.

Until the Day Star dawTis resplendently —
A reference to Scripture: ‘‘Until the day
dawns, and the morning star rises in your

hearts” (2 Pet. i. 19). The “day” re-

fers to the second coming of Christ.

The splendor of the morning star is an

image of the glory in which Christ will

come.

Adore in spirit and in truth — “God is
spirit; and they who worship Him must

worship in spirit and in truth” (John

iv. 23); that is, not only with external

observances, but with the heart and

according to God’s will.

Stanza 3.

Satellites — Something attendant, accom-
panying, or related, but subordinate and

secondary. A planet which revolves

about another planet. Father Faber calls

the Blessed Sacrament the “central de-

votion of the Church, around which all

50



others gather and group themselves as

satellites.”

Page 17

Stanza 1.

Par-excellent — Eminently good; of un-
surpassed worth.

Evince — To make evident or manifest.
Page 18

Stanza 1.

Parapets — A protecting wall or rampart
of a fortress.

Stanza 3.

Palliament — Poetic form for pall, which
means a covering or a mantle. Its

peculiar meaning here is the species of

bread, or the Sacred Host.

Puissant ,— Mighty; powerful.
Page 19

Stanza 2.

Fealty — Fidelity; loyalty. In medieval
times, feudal lords required of their sub-

jects an oath of fealty. So now souls

spurn the attractions of the world and

pledge their fealty to Christ in the

Blessed Sacrament.

Stanza 3.

And hides them in the secret of His face —
Compare Psalm xxx. 21: ‘'Thou shalt

hide them in the secret of Thy face,

from the disturbance of men,” which

refers to God's protection of those who

trust in Him.

51



i

To shine as brightness of the firmament —
A reference to Scripture: “They that are
learned shall shine as the brightness of

the firmament” (Dan. xii. 3), that is,

they that are learned in the law of God

and true wisdom, which consists in

knowing and loving God.

Page 20

Stanza 2.

The former things shall all have passed

away— Scriptural reference, Apoc. xxi.
4. After the last judgment, as theolo-

gians hold, the earth will be purified by

fire and changed into a suitable abode

for the saints in glory.

Stanza 3.

Nine-choir’d hierarchy — The nine choirs
of angels.

Page 21

Stanza 2.

Gates of glistening pearl and every precious

stone — The gates and walls of ^the
Heavenly Jerusalem as described in the

Revelations of St. John, Apoc. xxi. 19-21.

Page 22

Stanza 1.

Sweet Spirit, breathing where it listeth

Thee — Compare: “The Spirit breatheth
where He will” (John iii. 8). The

inspirations of the Holy Spirit are not

subject to any laws; He bestows them

52



freely on whomever, and whenever, it

pleases Him.

Orient — To cause to face or be turned
to the east. Specifically, to turn our

actions to God, who in Scripture is

called *Hhe Orient from on high.’'

First Perfect and first Fair— God, the all-
Perfect and all-Beautiful One.

Trinal — Threefold, that is a threefold
light emanating from the three Persons

of the Blessed Trinity.

Stanza 2.

Love’s own drama through Thy power re-

newed — The act of redemption by
Christ’s Death on the Cross is renewed

in Holy Mass, by means of which we can

offer worthy adoration to God despite

our human weakness and misery.

Stanza 3.

Renewal of that walk at Vesper time in

Eden long ago —- As God held familiar
converse with Adam and Eve in the Gar-

den of Paradise, so we are privileged

to hold communion with Him and enjoy

a foretaste of heaven by meditating on

His mysteries. Especially can we do this

by devoutly celebrating the feast days

of the Church, as mentioned in the two

following stanzas. The ensuing stanzas

further describe the bliss of heaven,

where, amid joys which man’s mind can

not conceive, the saints will forever mar-

53



vel at the goodness and mercy of God

which wrought their salvation.

Page 23

Stanza 2.

When God, possessed as its own property

—

The possession of God constitutes the

eternal bliss of the saints and angels in

heaven.

Page 24

Stanza 2.

WTiich here benumbed conceiving ne’er can

glean — ‘/Eye has not seen nor ear
heard, nor has it entered into the heart

of man what things God has prepared

for those who love Him” (1 Cor. ii. 9).

Page 25

Stanza 1.

Endless generation of the Son. . . jubilee of

the proceeding Holy Spirit— In heaven
the Blessed behold clearly and fully un-

derstand the mystery, how the Son of

God is “born of the Father before all

ages” (Nicene Creed) and how the Holy

Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father

and the Son.

Light of Light— Credo of the Mass; St.
John in his description of heaven says:

“For the glory of God lights it up, and

the Lamb is the lamp thereof” (Apoc.

xxi. 23).

Stanza 2.

All clad in robes of white, through Pre-

cious Blood of that same Lamb — A

54



reference to Scripture, “These are they

who have come out of great tribulation

and have washed their robes and made

them white in the Blood of the Lamb”

(Apoc. vii. 14).

Eterne— Poetic for eternal.
Page 26

Stanza 1.

Communion of those other souls— This
refers to the Communion of Saints which

unites the faithful here below with each

other, especially through Holy Mass, in

a union comparable to the union of the

saints with each other in heaven.

Page 27

Stanza 1.

Mediatress of Grace— As Mary was the
physical Mother of the Redeemer, the

Author of grace, so by grace she is the

spiritual Mother of the redeemed. As

all grace was merited for us by Christ, so

all grace is distributed to us through

Mary as the universal Mediatress.

Stanza 2.

As He rose from Olivet— The Acts of the
Apostles (i. 12) say that Christ ascended

into heaven from Mount Olivet.

Stanza 3.

Unto this lower depth -— The earth
;

the

angels, in loving condescension, visit the

earth as God’s messengers to minister

to us.

55



Page 28

Stanza 1.

Darkening gulf— The valley of death.
Choir of Thrones — The seventh choir of

angels, who, as their name denotes, are

said to form the throne of God in heaven.

Stanza 2.

Pledge of fullest life — The Blessed Sacra-
ment. ‘‘He who eats My Flesh and

drinks My Blood has life everlasting and

I will raise him up on the last day”

(John vi. 55).

Amaranthine — Unfading; undying.
Undeclinable First Joy — God, the reward

and unending bliss of the saints.

Stanza 3.

There shall God’s mercies endlessly be

sung— The remembrance of God’s mer-
cies will be realized and glorified. For

“glory,” as says St. Thomas, “consists in

clear knowledge with praise.”

Vast beatitude with sovereign Lord —

-

The soul’s highest aspirations are at-

tained in God, the infinite and perfect

Good, and the most perfect Object of

the happiness of all the blessed.

Everlasting freedom without end— Perfect
happiness is the possession of the infinite

and eternal Good. It leaves nothing to

be desired to which choice might tend.

Such freedom is only in God, and only

in Him is it to be found without end.

56



Ct)e treasures of tbe IXim

The ineffable richness and sublimity

of the Holy. Sacrifice which The Divine

Drama has so beautifully portrayed, will

be the more appreciated by a devout study

of the ceremonies, prayers and mysteries

of the Mass. An excellent means for such

a comprehensive study of this Divine foun-

tain of grace is offered by the 128 page

brochure, “The Treasures of the Mass.”

The simple yet elevating style of* this

booklet will give a deeper understanding

and appreciation of the treasures to be

gained through a devout participation and

encourage a more frequent aUendance at

Holy Mass. Liturgical illustrations. Paper

cover. 25^.

Dfe of fiiiber CuKas €tiiit,

You can learn more about the saintly

priest to whom this present booklet is

dedicated through the reading of his in-

spiring biography. His love for the Blessed

Sacrament, his devotion to Mary, his ardent

charity, his zeal for the poor souls and

indefatigable labors make this Benedictine

monk of our own times a worthy model

not only for priests and seminarians but

also for lay readers. 91 pages; 13 illus-

trations. Attractive paper cover. 30^.

Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration

Clyde, Missouri



Bimedictiue Convent of Perpetual Adoration

Clyde, Missouri