The Mass

Cardinal Newman writes: "To me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us. I could attend Masses forever, and not be tired. It is not a mere form of words- it is a great action, the greatest action that can be on earth. It is, not the invocation merely, but, if I dare use the word, the evocation of the Eternal. He becomes present on the altar in flesh and blood, before Whom angels bow and devils tremble. That is that awful event which is the scope, and the interpretation, of every part of the solemnity. Words are necessary, but as means, not as ends; they are not mere addresses to the throne of grace, they are instruments of what is far higher, of consecration, of sacrifice. They hurry on, as if impatient to fulfill their mission. Quickly they go, the whole is Quick, for they are all parts of one integral action. Quickly they go, for they are awful words of sacrifice, they are a work too great to delay upon, as when it was said in the beginning, "What thou doest, do quickly." Quickly they pass, for the Lord Jesus goes with them, as He passed along the lake in the days of His flesh, Quickly calling first one and then another; quickly they pass, because as the lightning which shineth from one part of the heaven unto the other, so is the corning of the Son of Man. Quickly they pass, for they are as the words of Moses when the Lord came down in the cloud, calling on the name of the Lord as He passed by, "The Lord. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." And as Moses on the mountain, so we too, .. make haste and bow our heads to the earth and adore." This work outlines the Traditoinal Latin Mass from beginning to end. About the Palm Judica me we read: ""Hundreds of years ago the above prayer was composed by a poor exile, enlightened by God's holy spirit. Nothing could be more appropriate for this time and place than the very plea of this psalm. First said by the pious servant of God, the Judica Me is a prayer from a heart heavy with sadness. It bespeaks a longing to return and take part in the service of God's temple, a heartache to pour itself forth in public worship, a burning desire to go to the altar of God Who alone can wipe away every tear. The author of the psalm. had been cast among heathen enemies who taunted him about his God. It is almost impossible to exaggerate how much the good man suffered. He re- LYRE calls the time when he served at God's The Hebrew psalmist, praising God upon his altar. He grieves he is so far away harp. was following a from the temple. To add to his grief custom centuries old. his foes scoff at him. It was very common for the enemies of the chosen people to do that. Thus when the Jews were exiles in Babylon, the natives took malicious joy in heckling them. "Sing us a song of Sion," they scoffed.""