tenditur desuper; ast in te Spiritus Sanctus, virtus Altissimi, diffunditur obumbrans, sancta Dei Mater: te glorificamus et benedicimus. Christe, Deus noster, da ut cum Petro et filiis Zebedæi tua divina visione digni habeamur. Ultra montem terrenum aufer nos ad intelligibile tabernaculum cœlo celsius. Exsultant hodie montes Dei Creatori obviam procedentes, Apostolorum agmina et Prophetarum montibus æternis sociata. Hodie sponsa Regis immortalis, Sion excelsa lætatur, adspiciens cœlestem Sponsum lumine decorum in gloria Patris. Hodie virga de radice Jesse floruit in monte Thabor. Hodie immortalitatis odore manat, inebrians discipulos. Te benedicimus, consubstantialem Patri, qui venisti salvare mundum, over the Apostles; but upon thee was poured the Holy Spirit, the Power of the Most High, overshadowing thee, O holy Mother of God: glorify and bless thee. we O Christ our God, grant that with Peter and the sons of Zebedee, we may be deemed worthy of thy divine vision. Lift us above the earthly mountain to the spiritual tabernacle higher than the heavens. To-day the mountains of God exult, going to meet the Creator, the troops of Apostles and Prophets associated to the divine mountains. To-day the bride of the immortal King, the lofty Sion rejoices, beholding her heavenly Spouse adorned with light in the glory of the Father. To-day the rod of the root of Jesse blossomed on Mount Thabor. To-day it breathes forth the perfume of immortality, inebriating the disciples. We bless thee, O Consubstantial Son of the Father, who didst come to save the world. Let us conclude by addressing to God this prayer of the Ambrosian Missal: ORATIO SUPER SINDONEM. Illumina, quæsumus Domine, populum tuum, et splendore gratiæ tuæ cor eorum semper accende: ut Enlighten, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy people, and ever kindle their hearts by the brightness of thy grace: that through the glory of the Saviour of the world, the Eternal Light, the mystery here manifested may be ever more and more revealed, and may grow in our souls. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Salvatoris mundi, æterni luminis gloria famulante, manifestata celebritas mentibus nostris reveletur semper, et crescat. Per eumdem Dominum. SAME DAY. SAINT SIXTUS II, POPE AND MARTYR, AND Ss. FELICISSIMUS AND AGAPITUS, MARTYRS. "Xistum in cimiterio animadversum sciatis oc"tavo iduum augustarum die. Know that Sixtus "has been beheaded in the cemetery on the 8th of "the Ides of August." These words of St. Cyprian mark the opening of a glorious period, both for the cycle and for history. From this day to the feast of St. Cyprian himself, taking in that of the deacon Laurence, how many holocausts in a few weeks does the earth offer to the Most High God! One would think that the Church, on the feast of our Lord's Transfiguration, was impatient to join her testimony as Bride, to that of the Prophets, of the Apostles, and of God himself. Heaven proclaims him well-beloved, the earth also declares its love for him: the testimony of blood and of every sort of heroism is the sublime echo wakened by the Father's voice through all the valleys of our lowly earth, to be prolonged throughout all ages. Let us, then, to-day salute this noble Pontiff, the first to go down into the arena opened wide by Valerian to all the soldiers of Christ. Among the 1 Cyprian., Epist. lxxxii. brave leaders who, from Peter down to Melchiades, have headed the struggle whereby Rome was both vanquished and saved, none is more illustrious as a martyr. He was seized in the Catacomb lying to the left of the Appian Way, in the very chair wherein, in spite of the recent edicts, he was presiding over the assembly of the brethren; and after the sentence had been pronounced by the judge, he was brought back to the sacred crypt. There in that same chair, in the midst of the martyrs sleeping in the surrounding tombs their sleep of peace, the good and peaceful Pontiff1 received the stroke of death. Of the seven deacons of the Roman Church, six died with him;" Laurence alone was left, inconsolable at having this time missed the palm, but trusting in the invitation given him to be at the heavenly altar in three days' time. Two of the Pontiff's deacons were buried in the cemetery of Prætextatus, where the sublime scene had taken place. Sixtus and his blood-stained chair were carried to the other side of the Appian Way into the crypt of the Popes, where they remained for long centuries an object of veneration to pilgrims. When Damasus, in the days of peace, adorned the tombs of the saints with his beautiful inscriptions, the entire cemetery of Callixtus, which includes the burial place of the Popes, received the title "of Cæcilia and "of Sixtus," two glorious names inscribed by Rome upon the venerable diptychs of the Mass. Twice over on this day, did the Holy Sacrifice summon the Christians to honour, at each side of the principal Way to the eternal City, the triumphant victims of the 8th of the Ides of August.3 1 Pontius Diac. De vita et passione S. Cypriani, xiv. 2 Liber Pontific. in Sixt. II. 3 Sacramentaria Leon. et Gregor. Xystus Secundus, Atheniensis, ex philosopho Christi discipulus, in persecutione Valeriani accusatus quod publice Christum prædicaret, comprehensus trahitur in templum Martis, proposita ei capitali poena, nisi illi simulacro sacrificaret. Qua impietate constantissime recusata, cum ad martyrium duceretur, occurrenti sancto Laurentio, et dolenter in hunc modum interroganti: Quo progrederis sine filio pater? quo sacerdos sancte sine ministro properas? Respondit: Non ego te desero fili: majora te manent pro Christi fide certamina: post triduum me sequeris, sacerdotem levita: interea, si quid in thesauris habes, pauperibus distribue. Eodem igitur die interfectus est una cum Felicissimo et Agapito diaconis, Januario, Magno, Vincentio et Stephano subdiaconis, et in cœmeterio Callisti sepultus octavo idus Augusti: cæteri vero in cœmeterio Prætextati. Sedit menses undecim, dies duodecim. Quo tempore habuit ordinationem mense Decembri, creatis presbyteris quatuor, diaconis septem, episcopis duobus. e Sixtus II., an Athenian, was first a philosopher, and then a disciple of Christ. In the persecution of Valerian, he was accused of publicly preaching the faith of Christ; and was seized and dragged to the temple of Mars, where he was given his choice between death and offering sacrifice to the idols. As he firmly refused to commit such an impiety, he was led away to martyrdom. As he went, St. Laurence met him, and with great sorrow, spoke to him in this manner: "Whither goest thou, Father, "without thy son? Whither "art thou hastening, O holy "Priest, without thy deacon ?" Sixtus answered: "I am not forsaking thee, my son, a greater combat for the faith "of Christ awaiteth thee. In "three days thou shalt follow 66 me, the Deacon shall follow "his Priest. In the mean"while distribute amongst the 66 poor whatever thou hast in "the treasury." He was put to death that same day, the 8th of the Ides of August, together with the Deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus, and the Subdeacons Januarius, Magnus, Vincent, and Stephen. The Pope was buried in the cemetery of Callixtus, but the other martyrs in the cemetery of Prætextatus. He sat eleven months and twelve days; during which time he held an ordination in the month of December, and made four priests, seven deacons, and two bishops. |