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From the Roman Office.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May God the Father Omnipotent, be to us merciful and clement.
℟. Amen.
Reading 4
From the Sermons of Pope St. Leo the Great.
2nd for the Lord’s Ascension.
Dearly beloved brethren, that mysterious thing, our salvation, which the Maker of the universe thought worth purchasing with His Own Precious Blood, was aimed at by Him, in the dispensation of His humility, from the hour wherein He was born as touching the flesh, till the moment when, at the end of the Passion, He cried on the Cross: “It is finished.” Although from under the form of a servant many marks of His Godhead shone forth, yet, as a whole, the work of those three-and-thirty years was to manifest the verity of the Manhood which the Son of God had taken into Himself. But when the suffering was all over, and the bands of death were broken (that death which had lost all his power by seeking to bind Him Who knew no sin), then was weakness changed into strength, mortality into immortality, insult into that glory which the Lord Jesus Christ, on so many occasions, made manifest by so many and infallible proofs, until the day came when that triumphant procession of victory, which He had led from the realms of shattered death, followed Him with unimaginable pomp into the heavens.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. My time is come that I should return unto Him that sent Me, saith the Lord. Be not sorrowful, neither let your heart be troubled.
* I pray the Father for you, that He may keep you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; where I am ascended, I will send Him unto you.
℟. I pray the Father for you, that He may keep you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May Christ to all His people give, for ever in His sight to live.
℟. Amen.
Reading 5
On the solemn Feast of the Passover the cause of our joy was that Christ was risen again. This day we rejoice because that He is ascended up into heaven. We call to mind and justly celebrate that day whereon our lowly nature was, in the Person of Christ, borne up high above all the heavenly armies, above all the circles of Angels, beyond the heights of all the Powers, even to where Christ is sitting on the right hand of the Father. Our foundations are laid, and our house is built upon this succession of the works of God and His grace is made more wonderful by this, that, though the visible object of worship is removed from among men, the faith of the Church doth not grow weak, nor her hope wavering, nor her love cold.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. Let not your heart be troubled; I go unto the Father, and when I am taken from you, I will send unto you, alleluia,
* The Spirit of truth, and your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
℣. I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter.
℟. The Spirit of truth, and your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May the Spirit’s fire Divine in our hearts enkindled shine.
℟. Amen.
Reading 6
It is the back-bone of a strong mind and the eye of a trusty soul, to believe unhesitatingly that which is not seen with the bodily eyes, and to centre all love where there can be no experimental knowledge. This it is which is the only thing we can have of godliness for how could a man be justified through faith, if the saving objects were objects of sight? There was a man who would not believe in the Resurrection of Christ until he had examined by sight, and touched the marks of the Passion in the Divine Body, and the Lord said to him, “Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John xx. 29).
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. When Christ ascended up on high, He led captivity captive,
* He gave gifts unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. God is gone up with a shout, and the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
℟. He gave gifts unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. He gave gifts unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May the Gospel’s holy lection be our safety and protection.
℟. Amen.
Reading 7
From the Holy Gospel according to Mark
Mark 16:14-20
At that time: Jesus appeared unto the eleven disciples as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory the Great.
Same as before.
“He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Perchance some man will say within himself: “I have already believed, and therefore I shall be saved.” Thou hast well said, if thou showest thy faith by thy works. He only hath a true faith whose life doth not give the lie to his confession. Hence it is that Paul saith, touching some who were falsely faithful: “They profess that they know God but in works they deny Him” (Tit. i. 16). And John likewise saith: “He that saith, I know Him and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar” (I Jn. ii. 4).
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter,
* That He may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth. Alleluia.
℣. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
℟. That He may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth. Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. God’s most mighty strength alway be His people’s staff and stay.
℟. Amen.
Reading 8
Once, then, it so standeth, it is to our lives we must look for proof of the reality of our faith. Then only are we truly Christ’s faithful people when our works are the fulfilment of our profession. The day whereon we were baptized we bound ourselves to renounce all the works of the old enemy, and all his pomps. Therefore let every one of you now turn his inward eye upon his own behaviour, and if, since his baptism, he hath kept that promise which he made before it, let him know that he is in very truth one of Christ’s faithful ones and let him rejoice.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. Thou makest the clouds thy chariot, O Lord,
* Thou walkest upon the wings of the wind. Alleluia.
℣. Thou art clothed with honour and majesty, covering thyself with light as with a garment;
℟. Thou walkest upon the wings of the wind. Alleluia.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. Thou walkest upon the wings of the wind. Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May He that is the Angels’ King to that high realm His people bring.
℟. Amen.
Reading 9
Commemoration of: St. Felix, Pope and Martyr
Pope Felix I was a Roman who ruled the Church in the days of the Emperor Aurelian. His father’s name was Constantius. His is the ordinance which commands that Mass should be celebrated on the monuments and graves of martyrs. He held two December ordinations, wherein he ordained nine Priests, five Deacons, and five Bishops for diverse places. Having finished his testimony he was buried upon the Aurelian Way, in the Church which he had himself built and dedicated. He lived as Pope two years, four months, and twenty-nine days.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
Te Deum.