an enemy is desirous to have a sure footing; if he stand on slippery ground, he is sure to be thrown. Nothing is so common now-a-days as unstable faith, which believes as long as there is nothing to try it: but let it be put to the test, and it gives way. One principal cause of this weakness of faith is that subtle naturalism, which now fills the atmosphere in which we live, and which it is so difficult not to imbibe. Let us earnestly pray for an invincible and supernatural faith, which may be the ruling principle of our conduct, which may never flinch, and may triumph over both our internal and external enemies. Thus shall we be able to apply to ourselves those words of the Apostle St. John: This is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith.'1 In the Offertory, the Church speaks to us, in the words of the royal prophet, of the fountains of water which sprang up at the thunder of God's bidding. This voice of the Most High was made known to the earth by the preaching of the Apostles, and, in a special manner, by that of St. Paul. The fountains are the baptismal fonts, from which our neophytes came regenerated unto life everlasting. OFFERTORY Intonuit de cœlo Dominus, et Altissimus dedit vocem suam: et apparuerunt fontes aquarum, alleluia. The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High sent forth his voice: and the fountains of waters appeared, alleluia. The Church prays, in the Secret, that the Sacrifice she is about to offer may aid us to pass safely on to that infinite glory, to which Baptism first opened to us the way. 1 I. St. John, v. 4. SECRET Suscipe, Domine, fidelium preces cum oblationibus hostiarum: ut per hæc piæ devotionis officia, ad cœlestem gloriam transeamus. Per Dominum. Receive, O Lord, we beseech thee, the prayers of the faithful, together with these oblations: that by these duties of piety they may pass to eternal life. Through, &c. In the Communion-Anthem, we have St. Paul himself speaking to the neophytes, and telling them what manner of life they must henceforth lead, in order to resemble their divine model, their risen Jesus. COMMUNION cum Si consurrexistis Christo, quæ sursum sunt quærite, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens, alleluia: quæ sursum sunt sapite, alleluia. If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, alleluia: mind the things that above, alleluia. are The Church makes the above words of the Apostle the subject of her concluding Prayer: she begs, that her new children, who have just partaken of the Paschal Mystery, may persevere in the new life of which this holy Sacrament is the chief support. POSTCOMMUNION Concede, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus: ut paschalis perceptio Sacramenti, continua in nostris mentibus perseveret. Per Domi num. Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that the virtue of the Paschal Sacrament, which we have received, may always remain in our souls. Through, &c. VESPERS. The Vespers are the same as on Easter Sunday, excepting the Magnificat Antiphon, and the Collect, which are as follows: ANTIPHON OF THE Magnificat. ANT. Videte manus meas et pedes meos, quia ego ipse sum. Alleluia, alleluia. ANT. See my hands and my feet, for it is I myself. Alleluia, alleluia. The Collect is given above, in the Mass; page 228. On the third day of the creation, the waters, which covered the earth, were gathered together at the word of the Son of God, and flowed into the hollows prepared for them. The seas thus formed, the surface of the earth became habitable for those beings that were soon to be called forth from nothingness. On this day, then, the Angels first beheld the place where we are to have a temporary sojourn. The time will come, when this very Son of God, who now separates the waters from the earth, will Himself inhabit it, after having assumed our human nature. Let us offer Him our earth, as His rightful domain, over which, as also over heaven, all power has been given to Him. The Mozarabic breviary gives us the following beautiful prayer, in which are explained the mysteries hidden under the text that describes this third day's creation. CAPITULA Omnipotens Deus Pater, qui die tertio ab infidelium cordibus, quasi ab inferio O almighty God, the Father! who, on the third day, didst vouchsafe to separate the dry 1 St. Matth. xxviii. 18. ribus salsis aquis aridam, id est populum fontem fidei sitientem, segregare dignatus es; da nobis, ut ab infidelium laqueis segregati, resurrectionem Filii tui prædicemus indubii: ut qui tertio ab inferis suscitatus est die, trina nos virtutum copulatione resuscitet: quo fide, spe et charitate robusti, de æterno resurrectionis mereamur munere consolari. land from the briny waters that were on the earth, hereby prefiguring how, at a future time, thou wouldst separate the people that thirsted after the fount of faith, from them that had unbelieving hearts: grant that we, who are freed from the fetters of unbelief, may proclaim without doubting the Resurrection of thy Son. May He that rose from the grave on the third day, give us to rise by the union of three virtues: and that thus made strong by faith, hope, and charity, we may merit the eternal happiness of the Resurrection. We Let us again borrow from the ancient Liturgies the formulas used in the celebration of Easter. find in the Missal of the Gothic Church of Spain, this magnificent Preface; it is an eloquent and fervent summary of all the grand things said by the Fathers regarding the Pasch. ILLATION Dignum et justum est nos tibi semper cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto individua divinitate regnanti, gratias agere, Domine Jesu Christe. Qui nos tam admirabiliter condidisti, tam clementer redemisti. Non laboribus in faciendo fatigatus, non passionibus in redimendo consumptus. Fecit virtus potentialiter quos redemit pietas tam clementer. Totum tibi est in It is meet and just, that we should ever give thanks to thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, who reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost in one undivided Godhead. Thou didst wonderfully create, and mercifully redeem us. In the creation, thou wast not fatigued by labour; in the redemption, thou wast not consumed by suffering. Thy power powerfully made, thy mercy veritate possibile, quia hoc ipsum tibi, excepto humanitatis privilegio, cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto est essentialiter coæquale. Ita tamen posse te manet, quod velle te decet. Id est ut omnipotens cuncta facias facienda; justus, æquitate censeas judicanda; misericors, clementer perficias coronanda. Qui, cum solo majestatis terribili nutu, nostrum potueris conterere vexatorem, maluisti eum humilitatis abjectione prosternere. Ex hoc magis approbans nullam majestati tuæ contrariam nobis subsistere aereorum principum tyrannidem, cum sic nostrorum infirmitate membrorum omnem inimici ad nihilum redegeris vanitatem. Etenim superbus se ingemuit gravius corruisse, quando se elisum sensit ab humilitate fuisse. Atque ideo tali divina sapientia antiqui serpentis astutiam consilio vicit, ne violenter addiceret, sed legaliter quateretur. Ut qui transgressorem eo se jure possidere jactabat, quem suis consentientem persuasionibus obligaverat: sic eum justo superatus judicio redderet, cum istum in quo suum nihil repere mercifully redeemed us. Everything is, indeed, possible to thee, for whatsoever is in the Father and the Holy Ghost, is equally in thee, who hast nought which they have not, save the privilege of thy human nature. Therefore canst thou do whatsoever it beseemeth thee to wish. As omnipotent, thou doest what thou willest to do; as just, thou judgest all things with equity; as merciful, thou crownest with clemency them that deserve a crown. Though thou couldst have crushed our enemy by a single look of thy dread majesty, yet wouldst thou the rather prostrate him by the excess of thy humility: hereby teaching us, that the princes of this air have no further power against us save that which thy Majesty permits, seeing that by the weakness of our flesh thou didst reduce to nought the haughtiness of the enemy. Verily, the proud one felt his fall the more, in that he knew it was by humility he was crushed. Thus did divine wisdom plan the overthrow of the old and crafty serpent; he would have it to be not a violent but a legal defeat; and that, as satan boasted that man was legally his slave, because he had persuaded him to consent to the fetters,—so he might be forced, by a just judgment, to give up his prey, when he killed Him over whom he had no claim. Hence when he made |