sea be moved, and the fulness mare, et plenitudo ejus, thereof; the world, and they orbis terrarum, et qui habithat dwell therein.

tant in eo. The rivers shall clap their Flumina plaudent manu, hands, the mountains shall re- simul montes exsultabunt a joice together at the presence conspectu Domini;

quoof the Lord; because he niam venit judicare terram. cometh to judge and save the earth.

He shall judge the world Judicabit orbem terrarum with justice, and the people in justitia : * et populos in with equity.

æquitate. ANT. The Lord hath made ANT. Notum fecit Domiknown, alleluia ! his Saviour, nus, alleluia, Salutare suum, alleluia !

alleluia. . He shall cry out to me,

Ñ. Ipse invocabit me, alalleluia !

leluia. B. “Thou art my Father," B. Pater meus es tu, alalleluia !

leluia. Our Father.

Pater noster.

The Pater noster having been recited, as in the two first Nocturns, the Priest says:

May the Almighty and mer- A vinculis peccatorum ciful Lord, deliver us from the nostrorum absolvat nos omchains of our sins. B. Amen. nipotens et misericors Do

minus. B. Amen. Then are read the beginnings of the three Gospels, wbich are said in the three Masses of Christmas Day. To each portion of these Gospels is appended a passage from a Homily by one of the Holy Fathers.

The first of the three is that of St. Luke, and the Homily given is that of St. Gregory the Great. It relates the publishing of the Emperor Augustus' edict, commanding a census of the whole world. This seventh Lesson, according to the Ceremonial of the Roman Church, is to be sung by the Emperor, if he happen to be in Rome at the time; and this is done, in order to honour the Imperial power, whose decrees were the occasion of Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem, and so fulfilling the designs of God,

N

he

which he had revealed to the ancient Prophets. The Emperor is led to the Pope, in the same manner as the Knight who had to sing the fifth Lesson; puts on the Cope; two Cardinal-Deacons gird him with the sword, and go with him to the Ambo. The Lesson being concluded, the Emperor again goes before the Pope, and kisses his foot, as being the Vicar of the Christ whom he has just announced. This ceremony was observed in 1468, by the Emperor Frederic III., before the then Pope, Paul II.

BENEDICTIO. Evangelica BLESSING. May the readlectio sit nobis salus, et pro- ing of the Gospel bring, us tectio! R. Amen.

salvation and protection.

B. Amen. Lectio sancti Evangelii se- Lesson from the holy Gospel cundum Lucam.

according to Luke. Cap. 11.

Ch. II.

7TH LESSON, In illo tempore, exiit At that time, there went out Edictum à Cæsare Augusto, a decree from Cæsar Augusut describeretur universus tus, that the whole world orbis. Et reliqua.

should be enrolled. And the

rest. Homilia S. Gregorii Papæ. Homily of Saint Gregory,

Pope, Quia, largiente Domino, Since, by the divine bounty, Missarum solemnia ter ho- we are, this day, thrice to celedie celebraturi sumus, loqui brate the solemn office of Mass, diu de Evangelica lectione we cannot speak long on the non possumus; sed nos ali- lesson of the Gospel ; and yet, quid vel breviter dicere Re- this very Nativity of our Redemptoris nostri Nativitas deemer compels us to say ipsa compellit. Quid est something, however brief. enim quod nascituro Do- Why, then, is it, that when mino, mundus describitur, our Lord was about to be nisi hoc quod aperte mon- born, the world is enrolled ; if stratur, quia ille apparebat not that hereby is shown, that in carne, qui electos suos He, who appeared in the flesh, adscriberet in æternitate? is He that would enrol his Quo contra de reprobis per elect in eternity? Just as, Prophetam dicitur : Delean- when speaking of the reprobate, the Prophet says : Let tur de libro viventium, et them be blotted out of the book cum justis non scribantur. of the living; and with the Qui bene etiam in Bethlejust, let them not be written, hem nascitur : Bethlehem Then, again : Jesus is born quippe domus panis interin Bethlehem ; 'tis well ; for pretatur.

pse namque est Bethlehem signifies a House of qui ait : Ego sum panis Bread, and Jesus said of him- vivus qui de cælo descendi. self : Í am the living Bread, Locus ergo, in quo Domithat came down from heaven. nus nascitur, domus panis The place, therefore, in which antea vocatus est : quia fuhe is born, had had the name turum profecto erat, ut ille of House of Bread given to it, ibi per materiam carnis apbecause there would appear in pareret, qui electorum menthe material reality of our tes interna satietate reficeflesh, He who was to refresh the ret. Qui non in parentum souls of the elect with spiritual domo, sed in via nascitur, repletion. And, why is he ut profecto ostenderet, quia born, not at his Mother's home, per humanitatem suam, but away from it? Is it not, quam assumpserat, quasi in to show, how, by his assuming alieno nascebatur. human nature, he was born, so to say, in a foreign country?

B. Blessed is the womb of B. Beata viscera Mariæ the Virgin Mary, that bore the Virginis, quæ portaverunt Son of the Eternal Father; æterni Patris Filium, et and blessed are the breasts, beata ubera, quæ lactavethat fed Christ the Lord, * runt Christum Dominum, Who deigned to be born, this Qui hodie pro salute mundi day, of the Virgin, for the de Virgine nasci dignatus world's salvation.

est. W. A holy day hath shone Ň. Dies sanctificatus ilupon us ; come, ye Gentiles, luxit nobis : venite Gentes, and adore the Lord. * Who et adorate Dominum. Qui deigned.

hodie.

*

The second of the three Gospels, which forms the subject of the eighth Lesson, is also taken from St. Luke, and the Homily is by St. Ambrose. It gives the description of the Shepherds going to the holy Stable.

are

Lectio sancti Evangelii se- Lesson of the holy Gospel accundum Lucam.

cording to Luke. Сар. ІІ.

Ch. II.

8TH LESSON. In illo tempore : Pastores At that time the Shepherds, loquebantur ad invicem : said one to another : Let us Transeamus usque Bethle- go over to Bethlehem, and let hem, et videamus hoc ver- us see this word, that is come bum quod factum est, quod to pass, which the Lord hath Dominus ostendit nobis. Et showed unto us. And the reliqua.

rest. Homilia sancti Ambrosii Homily of Saint Ambrose, Episcopi.

Bishop. Videte Ecclesiæ surgentis Here, see the beginning of exordium: Christus nasci- the infant Church : Christ is tur, et Pastores vigilare coe- born ; and Shepherds perunt: qui gentium gre- watching, as about to herd, ges, pecudum more ante into the Lord's fold, that Genviventes, in caulam Domini tile flock, which had hitherto congregarent, ne quos spi- lived like brute animals, and ritualium bestiarum, per this, lest, during the thick offusas noctium tenebras darkness of night, they might paterentur incursus. Et suffer from the attacks of bene pastores vigilant, quos spiritual wild beasts. And it bonus pastorinformat. Grex is well said, that the Shepherds igitur populus, nox sæcu- are watching, for Shepherds, lum, pastores sunt sacerdo- trained by the Good Shepherd, tes. Aut fortasse etiam ille do watch. So that, the Flock sit Pastor, cui dicitur : Esto is the people ; the Night is the vigilans et confirma ; quia world; the Shepherds are the non solum Episcopos ad Priests. Or, perhaps, we might tuendum gregem Dominus interpret him to be the Shepordinavit, sed etiam An- herd, to whom it is said : Be gelos ordinavit.

thou watchful, and give strength; for, not only has our Lord set Bishops to guard the Flock, he has set the very

Angels. B. Verbum caro factum B. The Word was made est, et habitavit in nobis : flesh, and dwelt among us : * Ét vidimus gloriam ejus, And' we saw his glory, the gloriam quasi Unigeniti á glory as it were of the OnlyPatre ; plenum gratiæ et ve- Begotten of the Father; full of ritatis.

*

:

W. All things were made by V. Omnia per ipsum facta him; and without him was sunt: et sine ipso factum made nothing. * And we saw. est nihil. Et vidimus. GloGlory be to the Father, &c. * ria. Et vidimus. And we saw.

The third Gospel, which forms the subject of the ninth Lesson, is the beginning of that according to St. John, and is commented by St. Augustine : it speaks of the Eternal Generation of the Word.

BLESSING. May Christ, the BENEDICTIO. Verba Sancti Son of God, teach us the Evangelii doceat nos Chriswords of the Holy Gospel. tus Filius Dei. R. Amen. R. Amen. Lesson of the holy Gospel Lectio sancti Evangelii seaccording to John.

cundum Joannem. Ch. 1.

Сар. І.

9TH LESSON. In the beginning was the In principio erat Verbum, Word, and the Word was with et Verbum erat apud Deum, God, and the Word was God. et Deus erat Verbum. Et And the rest.

reliqua. Homily of St. Augustine, Homilia sancti Augustini Bishop.

Episcopi. Lest thou shouldst think Ne vile aliquid putares, that this is some common- quale consuevisti cogitare, place thing, as thou art wont cum verba humana soleres to do when men talk to thee, audire, audi quid cogites, hear what it is thou art to Deus erat Verbum. Exeat think: The Word was God. nunc nescio quis infidelis After this, some infidel Arian Arianus, et dicat, quia Verwill come forward and tell bum Dei factum est. Quome, that the Word of God modo potest fieri, ut verwas made. How is it pos- bum Dei factum sit, quando sible, that the Word of God Deus per Verbum fecit could be made, when God omnia ? Si et Verbum Dei made all things by the W ļ ipsum actum est, per quod If this very Word of God was aliud Verbum est ? Si hoc also made, by what other dicis, quia hoc est Verbum Word was he made? If thou Verbi, per quod factum est reply, that the Word of the illud, ipsum dico ego uniWord is the one by which he cum Filium Dei. Si autem was made-then, I will answer non dicis Verbum Verbi,