1. The Paschal Cycle, or Eastertide, comprises the time from Septuagesima Sunday till the close of the octave of Ascension. The remote preparation for Easter extends from Septuagesima Sunday to Holy Saturday which forms the immediate preparation. The Octave of Easter forms the immediate subsequent commemoration, and the time from Low Sunday until after the Octave of the Ascension forms the remote subsequent commemoration.

2. The central point of this festal cycle, as well as of the entire Ecclesiastical Year, is the festival of Easter. All the movable feasts of the year are regulated by the date of this feast.

3. This festal cycle presents Jesus to us as the High Priest who offers Himself for the salvation of mankind. The work of redemption revealed in the first festal cycle will now be accomplished; the Kingdom of God which was announced will now be established.

4. Christ appeared to us in His deepest humiliation, but also in His exaltation. To every Christian He calls: ''He who will follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me." We must suffer with Jesus so that we may be glorified with Him. We must cast off the old man and put on the new. This should be the task of every Christian in the second cycle of the Ecclesiastical Year.

LENT
1. The preparation for Easter, commonly called Lent, is of Apostolic origin; its duration varied, being sometimes forty, sometimes fifty, sometimes sixty, or seventy days before Easter. Whence we get the names Quadragesima, Quinquagesima, Sexagesima and Septuagesima. It was only in the sixth century that Pope Gregory the Great regulated the time of Easter as we have it now. Lent may be divided into four parts,

(1) The time from Septuagesima Sunday to Ash Wednesday—the preparation proper of Lent.
(2) From Ash Wednesday to Passion Sunday.
(3) Passion Week.
(4) Holy Week.

2. The faithful should enter more and more into the spirit of the sufferings of Christ," be more moved with compassion, and inspired with a more penitential spirit.

3. From Septuagesima Sunday the Christian should resolve to follow Christ on the way of suffering and penance, especially on the three days preceding Ash Wednesday,—so called Carnival days, or Shrovetide, when the combat between the kingdom of Christ and that of Satan is so powerful. The Church has already put on the penitential violet color, and introduced many devotions, particularly the Triduum, or Forty Hour's Devotion, which St. Philip Neri and St. Charles Borromeo, in the sixteenth century, instituted for the first time at Shrovetide. This was instituted in order to keep the people from the excesses of these days, and to atone by penance and prayer for the sins committed during Carnival. Pope Clement XIII. attached a plenary indulgence to this devotion.

4. The fast of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts till Easter Sunday; during this time there are forty-six days, but as we do not fast on the six Sundays falling in this time, the fast is just forty days. For this reason it is called the forty days of Lent. Moses, Elias, the Ninivites, and even our Lord fasted forty days. The first Christians imitated their example, not only in abstaining from meat and other nutritious food, such as milk and eggs, but waited until sundown before breaking their fast. Since, in the course of time, the penitential spirit had grown lax, the Lenten regulations were mitigated, so much so, that now our fast, in comparison with the fasts of the early Christians, does not even deserve the name of fast.

5. We should fast,
    1st, in order to imitate Christ, who fasted forty days and nights before he began His combat with Satan, thereby teaching us that we must overcome temptation and evil inclinations by mortification.
    2nd. We should fast to purify our hearts from sin, to do penance for sins committed, so that we may arise with Christ to a new and spiritual life. In the Preface of this season the fruits of penance are briefly given; namely, the suppression of sin and the elevation of the soul enriched with virtues and merit.

6. In this time of penance the Church forbids marriage festivities, and even avoids all signs of joy; for example, the Gloria and the Alleluia at Mass, are omitted. It also increases the public devotions and reminds us of the sufferings of Christ, or admonishes us to do penance. The Christian too should endeavor to be recollected, avoiding all pleasures and gayeties, and meditate especially upon the Passion of Christ, in order to correspond with the admonitions of Lent. Money saved in Lent should be bestowed in charity. Through such practices the heart will be moved to contrition and be prepared for a worthy reception of Communion at Easter.

ASH WEDNESDAY.
I. The name Ash Wednesday comes from the ceremony of putting ashes on the forehead of the clergy and the faithful on this day, in order to initiate them canonically into the penitential spirit. Ashes are a symbol of death, mourning and penance, and as such were used even in the Old Testament,for example, Mardocheus sprinkled ashes on his head. The Ninivites sat in ashes. In the beginning of Christianity the sinner was reconciled to the Church through public penance, by sprinkling ashes on his head. Soon the faithful began to sprinkle themselves with ashes at the beginning of Lent, as a sign of penance. This custom was established by the Church in the eleventh century as a remembrance of the former public penances. The ashes used on this occasion are the ashes of the palm branches which were blessed on Palm Sunday of the previous year. Our penance, therefore, should be to combat with Christ, suffer with Him, and thereby gain the palm of victory.

When sprinkling the ashes the priest says those words which God said to our first parents after their fall: ''Remember man that dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return,'' and thereby marks upon his forehead the judgment of death, under which he fell by sin. Penance alone can mitigate the terror of death and save us from eternal damnation. The prayers which are said at the blessing of the ashes and at their distribution implore God's forgiveness of sin, and beg for strength and protection in the spiritual combat now beginning for the true penitent.

2. From Ash Wednesday to Passion Sunday the Christian should meditate on Christ's work of redemption; he should overcome his evil inclinations by corporal and spiritual mortification, in order to suppress sin, so that his heart may partake of the Redemption.
 
PASSION WEEK.
The third division of Lent begins with Passion Sunday; from this day on, the Church meditates exclusively on the sufferings of Christ. The Christian should also do this, and increase his practice of mortification and self-denial. From Passion Sunday on, all the crucifixes are covered, or veiled, every joyous thought should be set aside, and our minds turned to that cross which is to be erected upon Golgotha. We should meditate upon our Redeemer, Who in His sufferings concealed His divinity and clothed Himself entirely in the garb of an embassador. The crucifix is covered with violet to remind the faithful that their hearts should be penetrated with sorrow at the sufferings of Christ, and with contrition for their sins. In the office of the day the Prophecies of Jeremiah are read, the Gloria is omitted, also the psalm Judica at the beginning of Mass, unless a feast of our Lord or the Saints is celebrated.

FEASTS OF SAINTS.
I. Formerly the feast of a Saint was not permitted to be celebrated during Lent, because the
Church wished the faithful to meditate on the Passion of Christ and awaken a penitential spirit; at present it is only Holy Week which excludes these feasts. During the rest of Lent several feasts are now celebrated. Among the most important are:

    (1.) The Feast of St. Joseph on the 19th of March, which was celebrated in the Eastern Church since the ninth century, but it is only two hundred years ago that its celebration became universal in the Western Church. This feast shows us the important part that St. Joseph took in the work of Redemption, for, as foster father of Jesus, as support and guardian of the Holy Family, he, next to Mary, had the greatest share in this work. Therefore, after Mary, he is our greatest intercessor with God. He is especially venerated as the patron of the dying, because he was found worthy to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Let us honor him so that he may nourish the work of Redemption in our hearts, and help us in completing it by a happy death. In the first centuries his feast was not celebrated, because then only the feasts of the martyrs were celebrated and principally because the celebration of his feast might lead the ignorant to believe that Joseph was the real father of Jesus.

(2.) The Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th, is one of the oldest feasts of the Church; it is a feast of our Lord, as well as of the Blessed Virgin. It is in commemoration of the moment when the Angel announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to become the mother of God. It shows us Mary's intimate participation in the redemption of mankind. The Christian should call on Mary to assist him in amending his life. According to an old tradition, on this day Adam was created, Christ became man, and died, and Mary attained to the dignity of Mother of God, therefore we should honor her more than all the other Saints. To the mystery of this day woman owes her freedom from the oppression and contempt with which she was treated in heathen times. The exalted dignity of Mary elevated the honor of womanhood. We are reminded of the mystery of this feast three times a day by the ringing of the Angelus. This custom, it is true, was instituted only in the fourteenth century by Pope John XXII; but how very appropriate it is to remind us three times a day of the Incarnation of Christ, the Son of God, who did so much for us, and whom we should not forget in the toils and labor of the day, but offer all to the Lord in gratitude.

(3.) The feast of the Seven Dolors, celebrated on the Friday preceding Palm Sunday, was instituted in the fifteenth century in expiation of the crimes of the Hussite image breakers, and other atrocities. It represents the Blessed Virgin as partaking in the work of Redemption and admonishes us like her, to meditate on the sufferings of Jesus. It is called the Feast of the Seven Dolors, because it reminds us not only of the sorrows of Mary at the foot of the cross, but also of her constant participation in the sufferings of Jesus from His birth to His crucifixion. Even in the thirteenth century the Order of the Servites divided the sufferings of Mary into the following mysteries:
    1st. The prophecy of Simeon in the Temple,
    2nd. The flight into Egypt,
    3rd. The three days loss of the boy Jesus in the  Temple,
    4th. The sight of her Divine Son carrying His heavy cross,
    5th. The Crucifixion,
    6th. The taking down from the Cross,
    7th. The Burial of Jesus.

HOLY WEEK.
1. The last week of Lent in which sympathy with our suffering Lord, and a penitential spirit should reach its highest degree is called Holy Week, because in this week the Passion and death of our Lord is presented to us.

2. Until the seventh century, during the entire Holy Week, the faithful abstained from all servile work and lived a life of penance; later, the faithful attended Mass every day, practiced severe works of penance and celebrated the last three days as Sunday. They also endeavored to obliterate past evils, prisoners were liberated; enemies were reconciled; penitents were forgiven, and debts were paid.
 
3. The Christian should endeavor in this week to be recollected in spirit, to meditate on the Passion of Christ, and to do penance for his sins. He should increase his love for God and his neighbor and fervently participate in the Divine Services of Holy Week.

4. On Palm Sunday, also on Tuesday, Wednesdayand Friday of Holy Week the Passion of our Lord is read or sung, each time from a different Evangelist. This custom is found in the earliest Christian times; it is to remind us that we should have the Passion of Christ as much as possible before our eyes during Holy Week. As soon as the priest at the reading of the Passion comes to the place where the death of Christ is mentioned he, with all the servers at the altar, kneels down, in order, thereby, to express the mourning of the Church,—at the same time, also, to offer to God, in the name of the people, the worship due him, and to express their gratitude for the redemption of mankind by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ,

5. During the last three days of Holy Week, in some Churches where there are more priests, the Office of Matins and Lauds, or of the so-called Tenebrae is solemnly recited, the evening before, accompanied by the singing of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, bewailing the destruction of Jerusalem. When the Lamentations are sung fifteen candles in the form of a triangle are lit,—the one at the top being white, the others yellow. At the end of each psalm a candle is extinguished, and, finally, those which are upon the altar, only the
white one at the point of the triangle being left; at last it is carried behind the altar. At the close the wooden clappers are used and the burning candle is brought back again and placed on the altar. The significance of this ceremony is as follows:

   (1.) The gradual extinction of the candles is to remind us of the Prophets, who gave testimony of Christ, for wdiich they were persecuted and put to death; it reminds us also of the Apostles and Disciples who hid themselves during His Passion.
    (2) The fourteen unbleached wax candles tell us of His human nature; the one of white bleached wax, on the top, signifies His divine nature. All the unbleached candles are extinguished to show that His human nature died. The white candle is not quenched, to show that His divine nature did not die.

    (3) The gloom caused by the extinction of the lights typifies the growing darkness, when Christ, the Light of the World, was taken; and the clapping made at the close of the Office is said to symbolize the confusion and earthquake which took place at our Lord's death.
   
    (4) The reappearance of the white candle represents the resurrection of Christ.

The origin of the Tenebrae dates from the first centuries; the early Christians celebrated these three days by night watches, or vigils, with prayer and the singing of psalms. Other vigils had long ceased to be kept; this vigil alone was retained until the tenth century, and celebrated at midnight; from this time until the fourteenth century it was celebrated at eight o'clock in the evening. Since the fourteenth century it has been kept as we have it at the present day. The Tenebrae is to remind us of the deep sorrow of the Church on the Passion and Death of Christ, and also her grief for the ingratitude of sinful man, to move him, therefore, to compassion for Christ's suffering and to do penance for his sins.

PALM SUNDAY.
1. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday,—the name is derived from the blessing of palms, and the procession which takes place on this day.

2. The procession on Palm Sunday is of very ancient origin, dating even from the fourteenth century; it reminds us in the first place of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when the people went forth with palm branches to meet Him and to lead Him as their King in triumph into the city. So even now the faithful go in procession with palms in their hands to offer their homage with prayer and psalmody to Christ their King. This procession also reminds us of the solemn entry of Jesus into the heavenly Jerusalem, after having conquered death and hell by His crucifixion and resurrection, when upon His ascension all the just awaiting Him in Limbo, adorned with the palms of merit, led Him into heaven, where adoring Him they offered their allegiance to Him as Lord and King. It reminds us also of that most solemn and great entry into the heavenly Jerusalem after the Last Judgment. All His faithful servants who have won the crown of victory under His banner will then offer Him their homage, and partake of His triumph and eternal glory.

3. The palms are blessed before the procession, because the Church wishes that whatever is used in the Divine Service should be blessed in order to remove the curse of sin, and to sanctify it for its sacred purpose. The Church prays especially for the bearers of these palms that they may have the grace of gaining many palms of victory over the enemy of salvation, and acquire many palms of good works, wherewith to follow the Lord in His triumphant entry, also that God may bless the houses in which these palms are preserved.
 
    4. After blessing the palms the priest distributes them to the faithful as a sign that the Church shows the way to heaven, and must lead them in the battle against the enemy of their salvation. Then the palm bearers follow the cross in the procession, proclaiming thereby that they will fight and struggle all their life long in order to follow Jesus on the way of the Cross.

5. When the procession returns to the Church door, which is closed, it is opened only after being struck three times with the staff of the cross. This teaches us that heaven was only opened by the death of Jesus on the Cross, and that we of our own strength cannot gain heaven, except through the merits of our crucified Jesus.

6. The faithful carry the palms home and preserve them, in order to partake of the blessings that the Church invokes on those dwellings where they are preserved. Thus the faithful express that even in their homes they will remain true followers of Jesus Christ.

HOLY THURSDAY.
I. In the language of the Church, this day is called Coena Domini, the Lord's Supper. It reminds us of the great mystery of Christianity, which is presented to us by many characteristic ceremonies. On this day Christ partook of the Jewish Paschal lamb, a figure of that which was soon to be accomplished by His death on the Cross. He washed the feet of His disciples and to fulfill the type of the Paschal Lamb of the Old Law gave them Himself, His Body and Blood, under the appearances of bread and wine, and commanded them to do the same in commemoration of Him. By this command He established the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrament of the Altar and the priesthood. He prayed for them, and on Mount Olivet in His agony sweat blood, was betrayed by Judas, made a prisoner, and throughout the whole night was maltreated.

2. The priest wears white vestments, white being the color of joy, but the psalm ''Judica me" is omitted the same as in Masses for the dead. At the Gloria all the bells are rung, and then remain silent until Holy Saturday, wooden clappers being used instead. The Church wishes to express her joy on the institution of the Blessed Sacrament by the glad ringing of the bells even in the middle of Holy Week; on the other hand, the deep silence of all the bells is a sign of her deep sorrow; it also reminds us of the sorrow of the Apostles and their concealment during the Passion of Christ, for bells are emblematic of the Apostles. The wooden clappers may remind us of the tumult that reigned in Jerusalem during these days.

3. If there are more priests at a Church on this day, only one of them says Mass; the rest receive Communion from his hand. The single Mass celebrated in each church, the Communion distributed to the clergy and the faithful, present to us the Gospel scene when Jesus Christ, the only Consecrator of the last supper, and the Apostles were seated at the Eucharistic table. Formerly all the faithful were obliged to receive Holy Communion on this day.

4. In the Mass of this day, the Bishop consecrates the Holy Oils; namely, the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of the Catechumens and Holy Chrism. According to the testimony of Pope St. Fabian and St. Basil, the consecration of the Oils dates from the time of the Apostles. Of all the ceremonies of the year it is one of the most beautiful and mystical. Even in the fifth century it was a decree of the Church to consecrate the Holy Oils on Holy Thursday. This day is chosen because on this day Christ instituted the Blessed Sacrament which is the center, yea, even the very source of all the Sacraments, and because at the same time He established the priesthood, thereby making the Apostles and their successors the dispensers of the Sacraments and all the graces that flow therefrom. The Oils are blessed with great solemnity ; the Bishop is surrounded by twelve priests, seven deacons, seven subdeacons, and many others of the clergy. The Bishop and priests breathe three times upon the Oil of the Catechumens and the Chrism, meaning by this action that the power of
the Holy Spirit is about to descend upon the Oils; after the consecration is complete they salute the Holy Oils three times, with the words : ''Hail, Holy Chrism! Hail, Holy Oil!'' The prayers and blessings, as well as the breathing upon the Oils, in fact the whole form of this consecration, was used by Gregory the Great in the sixth century and for the greater part may date back to apostolic times. The Holy Oils are used in administering some of the Sacraments, and in consecrations of greater importance, such as altars, churches, chalices, bells, etc.
Wherever oil is used it has the property of strengthening, healing wounds, or of, at least, alleviating pain; it is also used for illuminating purposes therefore is a fitting symbol of the different effects produced by the holy Sacraments and canonical consecrations. Balsam which is mixed with oil to form the chrism is also significant, on account of its sweet odor and its property of healing as well as preserving from corruption. Even in the Old Testament oil was often used as a symbolic sign; and the New Testament testifies, plainly enough, that the Apostles also anointed with oil when administering the Sacraments; and ever since, anointing with oil has been in use, and the Holy Oils carefully preserved and held in veneration. The Holy Oils must be distributed from the Episcopal See on the same day to the different parishes of the diocese. This shows that it is from the bishop that the sacramental graces of the whole diocese emanate; he is the head, and the cathedral is the mother church of the diocese.

5. Two Hosts are consecrated on Holy Thursday, one of which is reserved for the following day. Good Friday, because no real Mass may be said on this day. This Host with all the small, consecrated Hosts that are in the tabernacle, at the close of the ceremonies are carried in procession to the repository adorned with flowers, where they are preserved until the following day. This, as well as many other ceremonies on this day, reminds us of early Christian times. In those days the Blessed Sacrament was not reserved on the main altar, but every day after the Divine Service was carried to a place specially prepared for it, and then the altar was stripped. This custom, no doubt, is retained on Holy Thursday only to remind us that Christ, after His last supper, retired to Mount Olivet with His Disciples to begin His Passion, and was there forcibly dragged from their midst. It is customary for the faithful to visit the churches on Holy Thursday and adore our Lord hidden in the Blessed Sacrament.

6. After the Blessed Sacrament has been removed to the repository, the altars are stripped. Everything is removed excepting the candlesticks and the veiled crucifix; the tabernacle is left open, all lights are extinguished. While stripping the altar the priest prays the twenty-first psalm; the bare altar mourns because our Lord has been taken away, and reminds us of the desolation and deep sorrow of the Disciples, on having lost their Master. It is  also a figure of our Lord Himself, Who after being stripped of His garments, despoiled of His beauty, yes, even of all human resemblance, suffered a most cruel death.

7, In some Cathedral churches, and Monasteries, the closing ceremony on Holy Thursday is the washing of the feet, called ''Mandatum'' from the words of the first antiphon sung during the ceremony ''Mandatum novum,'' etc. ''A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another," whence our English name, "Maundy Thursday.'' The Apostles also followed this command, and the custom has been retained to the present day. The priest or prelate of the Church, assisted by deacon and sub-deacon washes the feet of twelve old
men. Girt with white linen, kneeling, he washes the right foot of each, then dries it and kisses it. The Pope washes the feet of thirteen, all of whom are priests.

This ceremony is in grateful remembrance of the washing of the Apostles' feet by our Lord, and represents that bond of union and love which should exist in the Church between the shepherd and his flock; it admonishes the faithful to imitate the example of our Lord by the practice of humility. Many Christian princes, and superiors of convents, follow this custom, by washing the feet of twelve of their subjects.

GOOD FRIDAY.
1. Good Friday, in the language of the Church is called 'Tarasceve," that is, the day of preparation; the Jews called this day so, because they made preparations for the Pasch, which began with the evening. On this day the true Paschal Lamb, Jesus Christ, of Whom the other lambs were only a figure, was slain on Calvary.

2. This day places before our eyes the most important event of Christianity, namely, the death of Jesus Christ, whereby the whole world was redeemed; nevertheless it is not celebrated as a feast day, because a festal celebration is always accompanied with feelings of joy. The Church on this day gives herself up to mourning and sadness over the Passion and death of our Lord, and admonishes the faithful to do the same. The day reminds us especially of the price of our redemption, showing us the enormity and malice of sin. What Christ gained for us through His passion is revealed to us on Easter day, for only through His resurrection did He complete His work of redemption, and in reality conquer death. A festive celebration on this day is really not possible, because the nucleus of every festive celebration is wanting, namely, the Sacrifice of the Mass. Therefore the Church has, from the earliest times, celebrated Good Friday in silence and sadness, with solemn gravity by a strict fast and by somber mourning ceremonies. Mass is the most joyful ceremony that man can perform, but there is no joy in the world today when we celebrate
the memory of the crucifixion of our Savior, therefore the Church never celebrated this day as a festival.

3. As a good child commemorates the anniversary of the death of beloved parents not in a festive manner, but in quiet mourning and grateful remembrance, so the devout Christian on Good Friday remembers with sadness and compunction of heart the death of Jesus and his own sins. He contemplates the Eternal High Priest who offers himself as a Sacrifice amidst indescribable torture, and by His obedience even unto death on the Cross, removed the curse of sin from mankind. He acknowledges the blessings of the Cross and resolves, from now on, to follow Jesus on the way to Calvary, to carry his cross willingly and to be obedient to the Divine Will even unto death.

4. Clothed in black vestments, the color of deepest mourning, the priest and his assistants come forth to the sanctuary without lights or incense; on the bare altar stands a veiled crucifix. Before this they prostrate themselves on the steps of the altar, in perfect silence. This is the Introit of Good Friday, the deepest abasement and humiliation at the sight of the ignominy and annihilation of Jesus on the Cross. The deepest mourning for the death of Jesus, the keenest remorse for the sins which were the cause of all this degradation. Meanwhile a white linen cloth is spread upon the altar, it reminds us of the winding sheet of our Lord. The priest rises, and going to the corner of the altar reads the prophecy of Osee, then the tract following the prayer, and the history of God commanding the eating of
the Paschal Lamb, again followed by a tract. Then comes the chanting of the history of the Passion of our Lord, according to the Gospel of St. John.

5. After the reading of the Passion, solemnprayers for the Church and for men of all states and conditions are sung, to which a special prayer and genuflection is added. The following prayers are said:
 
    1st. For the Church;
    2d, for the Pope;
    3d, for all bishops, priests and other ecclesiastics, as well as for all the children of God ;         4th, for the Roman emperor (this prayer is omitted now for there are no more Roman emperors);
    5th, for the Catechumens;
    6th, for the erring, the sick, the hungry, and those in prison, for travelers and those on sea;
    7th, for heretics and schismatics;
    8th, for the Jews, and,
    9th, for the Heathen. Before each prayer ''Oremus flectamus genua" (let us pray and bend the knee) is sung, whereupon all kneel, and at the word Levate (arise) all arise. By these prayers the Church wishes to express her ardent and urgent supplications. At the prayer for the Jews we do not bend the knee, because they bent their knees in mockery and derision before our Lord when they were about to crucify Him. Also at the close of the prayer for the Jews the ''Amen" is omitted, because this supplication will never be entirely fulfilled until the end of the world. By these prayers the Church wishes to reveal her holy charity to all mankind and her anxious desire to enfold them in her motherly arms and make them happy. This desire of the Church is awakened specially today by the example of Jesus, Who, hanging on the Cross with outstretched arms, wishes to draw all mankind to Him and to redeem them. If you are a true child of the Church, then you must forgive your enemies from the bottom of your heart, and no one must be excluded from this charity. It is in this spirit that the Church prays today.

6. Taking off the chasuble, the priest takes the cross which from the evening before Passion Sunday has been veiled, and standing on the floor at the Epistle side of the sanctuary he uncovers the top of the cross, saying: "Behold the wood of the cross on which the salvation of the world hung." (Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo pependit salus mundi.) The choir sings: Come, let us adore (Venite adoremus), when all but the celebrant fall upon their knees. Coming up the steps of the altar, on the Epistle side, he uncovers the right arm of the cross, repeating the same words in a higher key; going to the middle of the altar, he uncovers the whole cross with the same words in a still higher tone.

The unveiling and exposition of the cross is a symbol of Christ stripped of His garments, nailed to the Cross, raised thereon, and exposed to the people. The triple unveiling and chanting each time in a higher key is a representation of the gradual manifestation of the Sacrifice of the Cross. In the Old Testament this manifestation was not fully understood; this is shown by the almost entirely veiled crucifix, and the low pitch of voice in the chant. On Golgotha the Sacrifice of the Cross was accomplished, but there were only few to acknowledge it, therefore a further unveiling of the cross and a higher pitch of voice in the chant. The cross is now raised on high in the Church that all nations may look upon it; this is indicated by the complete unveiling of the cross and the still higher pitch of voice in the chant. The Christian should consider this threefold call of the Church as an admonition to do penance. Behold the cross on which the salvation of the world hung, also for your sins; cast yourself down, repent of your sins, and mortify your evil inclinations. Then the priest brings the cross to the place prepared for it before the altar, and, out of respect, removes his shoes and genuflecting three times, at intervals, on both knees, kisses the feet of the crucifix.

The acolytes and the faithful also make the adoration of the cross. During the adoration the 'Improperia'' (Reproaches) are sung, in which God reproaches His people with their ingratitude for the numberless benefits He bestowed upon them, in preparing for Him the most excruciating and ignominious death. Even in the earliest times the true Cross on which Christ was crucified was exposed at Jerusalem for veneration. In order that the faithful in distant countries might offer their veneration and homage to the sign of their redemption, this solemn unveiling and veneration was introduced into the entire Church. The same ceremony was used in the fifth century, and has come down to us without any perceptible change. The threefold genuflection reminds us of the three falls of Jesus under the weight of the Cross, as well as the threefold mockery of the Jews, the heathen, and on Calvary. The Improperia are sung partly in Greek, partly in Latin, not only because they originated at a time when the Greek and Latin churches were still united, but also because all nations should be united under the Cross in the same faith. It is not necessary to tell a Catholic that this veneration is not paid to the wood of the cross, but to Christ Who was sacrificed on the Cross. He should endeavor not only to make this veneration exteriorly but also with a contrite heart; he should consider that these reproaches also apply to him; that even every day he receives God's graces and benefits, and in return almost daily ofifends God, his Benefactor.

7. After the adoration of the cross follows the so-called Mass of the Presanctified. It is not a
Mass in the true sense of the word, as no consecration takes place, only the Host, consecrated the day before, is consumed by the celebrant; for today the world stands appalled at the remembrance of our Lord's death. The Blessed Sacrament is now borne in procession from the chapel, or altar, where it was placed the day before. While the choir sings the hymn, ''Vexilla Regis," the celebrant places it upon the altar, pours wine into the chalice, incenses the altar, washes his hands, says some of the customary prayers, sings the Pater Noster, then elevates the Blessed Sacrament, for adoration, breaks it as usual, says the preparatory prayer and communicates; then leaves the altar without further prayer. This so-called Mass has no Offertory or Elevation proper, for the elevation of the Sacred Host is nothing more than an exposition of the Blessed Particle for adoration, a custom which was general in former times; this custom, in a somewhat different form, still prevails. With this elevation there is no consecration, consequently there is no real Mass. The Church is engaged this day with the bloody sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary; therefore she omits the Unbloody Sacrifice of the Holy Mass.

HOLY SATURDAY.
1. When God finished the work of creation, he rested on the Sabbath day. When He ended His work of redemption he rested in the tomb. One was but a figure of the other. In the early days of Christianity Mass was not said on this day. The entire Divine Service as we have it now was then celebrated in the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday as the Vigil of Easter. The preparation for Easter, the change from sadness to joy, is noticeable; gradually a new life is perceptible in the spirit of the Church.

2. The ceremonies of the vigil begin with the blessing of the new fire struck from flint. Formerly fire was struck daily from flint, then blessed and used to light the lamps of the church, but since the eleventh century this benediction was reserved exclusively for Holy Saturday, when this ceremony is performed with greater solemnity, on account of its significance. As the sparks of fire come forth from the flint and diffuse light, so Christ comes forth glorious from the tomb to enkindle and illuminate the world. Christ is the stone which the Jews rejected, but which became the head of the corner.

With the blessing of the new fire is united the blessing of the five grains of incense prepared for the Easter Candle.

3. In this new fire, whatever remains from the previous year of the Holy Oils is consumed, and the new Oils blessed on Holy Thursday are used from now on. The fountain of divine grace has its source in the sacred wounds of our Redeemer. As in this holy season these sacred wounds are placed before us anew, so also the graces which flow from this source are typified by the renewal of the Holy Oils.

4. All lights in the church are extinguished; the new fire and the grains of incense are carried in procession into the church. This is to signify that through the resurrection of Christ new light and life has come into the Church. Upon entering the church, the deacon, who carries the long staff with its three candles in the form of a triangle, lights one of them, and sings in a low tone *'Lumen Christi'' (Light of Christ), to which is replied "Deo gratias" (thanks be to God). In the middle of the church the second candle is lit, at the high altar the third one, and at the same time, the same words are sung, each time in a higher key. This leading of the new light into the church is in contrast to the solemn unveiling of the cross on Good Friday. As this reminds the faithful of the death of Christ on the Cross, and awakens sentiments of compassion and exhorts them to do penance, so the introduction of the candles reminds us of the resurrection of Jesus; and a joyous hope which gradually like a beam of light penetrates the sorrowing Christian, awakens new life and exhorts him to imbibe new hope that with Christ he may lead a new life of virtue and piety. The successive lighting of the candles, the gradual entry into the church, and the increasing pitch of tone in the chant, signify the repeated apparition of Jesus after His resurrection, whereby His followers were filled more and more with joy. It is also an appropriate symbol of the illumination of the world by the gradual propagation of the Gospel.

The triple light on one staff tells first, how God the Father was revealed to man in the beginning of the world; secondly, it recalls how God the Son was revealed to the Jews, by the prophets, and, thirdly, it typifies the revelation of God the Holy Ghost to the world. Thus it speaks of the unity and trinity of God revealed at the time of the Apostles.

The response, "Deo gratias,'^ expresses the joyous gratitude for these graces. All the faithful should join in these thanks; for if it were not for this Light of the World, we would still be in the darkness of heathendom.

5. Then follows the solemn blessing of the Paschal candle. In the first centuries this ceremony was performed only in the principal or Cathedral churches. Later on Pope Zosimus in 417 allowed this privilege to all parish churches.

The Paschal Candle represents our Lord risen from the dead; therefore it must be of pure white wax to typify His pure immaculate humanity. It reminds us of the pillar of cloud which led the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red sea into the promised land. So Christ liberates us from the slavery of Satan by baptism; and if we faithfully follow His guidance He will surely lead us into the promised land of eternal bliss. In early times the offices of the entire year, which began with Easter, were inscribed on the Paschal Candle. Later, as their number increased, they were written on parchment, and attached to it sometimes by means of one of the grains of incense.

The blessing of this candle consists of a sublime canticle on the resurrection of our Lord (Exultet), which, from all accounts, is attributed to St. Augustine. During the chanting of the Exultet, the five grains of incense are inserted in the candle, in the form of a cross; later, it is lit at the triangle, and shortly after, all the other lights that had been extinguished are lit in like manner.

The five grains of incense remind us of the five sacred wounds which Christ received on the Cross and which marks He retained after His resurrection. From these wounds arises constantly a sacrificial fragrance, to our heavenly Father, pleading for sinful man, which is typified by the incense. The lighting of the Paschal Candle and the other lights represent Christ as the Light that came into the world to enlighten all men who are not willfully blind to the light. All mankind should partake of this newly risen light, in the new life of Christ.

This is the wish of the Church as expressed at the close of the canticle. The Paschal Candle is placed on the Gospel side of the altar and remains there until the Feast of the Ascension; during this time it is often lit at Divine Service.

6. The blessing of the candle is followed by the reading of the twelve prophecies, i. e., lessons from the Old Testament, which contain prototypes of Christ. These prototypes were partly fulfilled by the resurrection of Christ, and continue partly to be fulfilled by the spiritual resurrection of the sinner. This spiritual resurrection is especially accomplished
by the Sacraments; therefore the blessing of the water follows immediately after the prophecies, which serve as a preparation.

Formerly the number of prophecies varied; the number twelve refers probably to the twelve Apostles. Then, too, they place before us how the kingdom of Christ, the holy Catholic Church, rests upon the Prophets and the Apostles; the former prepared the way while the latter propagated the faith throughout the world.

7. The spiritual resurrection is accomplished by baptism, therefore on the Vigil of Easter in the first Christian centuries, the baptismal water was blessed and the Catechumens were solemnly baptised. In the course of time, this solemn baptism ceased, and only the blessing of the Easter water remained; it is probably, of apostolic origin.

The ceremonies of the blessing of Easter water are greatly similar to those of Baptism. The water is first withdrawn from the power of Satan by exorcism, the laying on of hands and the sign of the cross. Then the burning candle is immersed three times in the water, and at each time the priest in a higher key invokes the power of the Holy Ghost upon the water. This immersion of the Paschal candle reminds us of Christ immersed in the waters of the Jordan at His Baptism. The intoning three times, each time in a higher key is in harmony with the unveiling of the cross, on the preceding day, and the solemn introduction of the newly consecrated fire. We are to understand thereby that it is the same Christ Who died for us on the Cross, and who through His resurrection brought new life into the Church, imparts life-giving power to this water; the breathing upon the water is also a symbol of the communication of grace. The faithful present are sprinkled with this blessed water to remind them of their baptism and to exhort them to renew the graces of baptism by prayer, and to be cleansed from their sins. The Easter water is also distributed to the faithful in order, that not only their hearts but also their houses may be cleansed from the curse of sin. A sufficient quantity of this Easter water is retained for Baptism, it is mixed with the oil of the Catechumens and Chrism, and preserved for use in the baptismal font. This mingling of the water with oil is to typify the fullness of the Holy Spirit which moves over this water and is imparted to the newly baptised. Formerly, solemn baptism took place after the blessing of the Easter water, which even now sometimes occurs if there be any present to be baptised.

8. Then the celebrant and assistants prostrate themselves before the altar, while the choir sings the Litany of All Saints. At the words "peccatores" (sinners) all arise and go to the sacristy to prepare for Mass. The Church calls upon all the Saints to implore the grace of God upon those to be baptised, and to remind the faithful that they have been received into the Church and into the Communion of Saints by baptism, and are one day to become Saints. The prostration before the altar, an expression of humble and fervent prayer, is to remind us that Christ still lies in the tomb, but will soon rise again, and that all mankind through baptism or penance will arise with Him from sin and death to
a new life.

9. The Mass of Holy Saturday now begins in white vestments. At the Gloria, the bells and the organ are heard again, and the Alleluia which was not heard since Septuagesima Sunday is sung three times, each time in a higher key. No Introit, Credo, Agnus Dei or Communion is sung; immediately after the Communion a short Vesper service follows.

The threefold Alleluia appropriately follows the joyous ringing of the bell to exhort the Christian to praise the Lord and to participate in the great joy.

The abridgement of this Mass comes to us from the earliest times. Throughout the whole Mass expressions of joy predominate, therefore the altars are somewhat more richly ornamented. The ringing of the bells is an expression of this joy; it reminds us of the Apostles who since the seizure of our Lord were silent, but now, through His resurrection, receive new life and announce their joy to the world.

It is fitting that the faithful should wake from their sadness and join in this ringing of the bell as well as the threefold Alleluia (Praise the Lord).

EASTER.
1. Easter Sunday is the greatest feast of the year. St. Leo calls it the feast of feasts. On this day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, through which he completed the work of redemption.

2. God Himself in the Old Testament commanded the celebration of this feast in grateful commemoration of the wonderful deliverance of the Jews from the slavery of Egypt, and especially because the destroying angel passed those houses by, that were sprinkled with the blood of the Easter lamb, hence the name Pasch or Passover. The Christians have retained this feast in grateful remembrance of the completed work of redemption from the slavery of sin.

3. This feast is not celebrated on the same day each year, but always on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. All the movable feasts are regulated by the time of Easter.

4. Easter falls very appropriately in the springtime. As in this season of the year all nature awakens to new life and resurrection, so the Church likewise celebrates the actual resurrection of our Lord, and indeed the spirtual resurrection of many of her children.

5. Even in the early days of Christianity it was customary to bless food the use of which was forbidden in Lent, so that the new food might not be injurious to the health of the body, or, rather, that it should not excite sensuality and thereby injure the soul. In this also the Church wishes to show that on Easter the entire man, body and soul, should arise to a new life in God. Meat reminds us of the Easter lamb, eggs of the resurrection, and bread of the heavenly bread in the Blessed Sacrament, which Christ instituted at Easter.

6. The jubilant rejoicing of Easter is expressed not only in the oft repeated Alleluia, but also in the Mass and the Divine Office, more especially during the octave, and during the so called Easter time, which lasts until the first Sunday after Pentecost that is, to Trinity Sunday. According to apostolic tradition the faithful in early times prayed standing during this joyous season to show that they also had risen to a new life in Christ. Instead of the usual Angelus during Easter-tide, morning, noon and evening, the Antiphon ''Regina Coeli" is said and that too, standing. Every Christian true to his faith participates in the Easter joys. Festive Divine Service and the Alleluias replace the lamentations and mourning of the past week. Friends and acquaintances greet each other with a joyful Alleluia, and even in the humblest cottage, a better meal takes the place of the fasts of Lent. Newly awakened nature enhances these Easter joys.

It is an oldtime custom in Eastern as well as Western countries to distribute on Easter the so called Easter eggs variously colored. The egg is a symbol of the resurrection, for as the bird comes out of the shell alive, so came forth the living Christ from the tomb, and so shall we, one day, come forth from the grave. In some countries it is also customary to make presents of toy lambs, called Easter lambs, bearing a little banner as a reminder of the true Easter Lamb Who conquered death.

                               THE CEREMONIES OF THE BLESSING OF ASHES

On the table are placed the chalice prepared for mass, with violet veil and burse, a violet chasuble and maniple, a censer and incense boat, the holy water and aspersory, the requisites for washing and wiping the celebrant's hands, including bread crumbs, and the cruets and finger-towel.

The altar has a violet antependium, and the veil of the tabernacle should be of the same color. The missal is placed on its stand as usual, at the epistle corner, and beside it on the table of the altar is a little dish or plate, made of silver, or of some other becoming material, containing the ashes of palms, blessed the preceding Palm Sunday. These ashes should be carefully ground, and should be used dry, and not as they are often used, in a pasty state. Until the beginning of the ceremonies the dish containing the ashes is covered either with its own proper cover or with a violet veil.

In the sacristy are laid out the vestments for the celebrant and the servers. For the celebrant the vestments are amice, alb, cincture, violet stole and cope; but if there is no violet cope, the stole alone will suffice. For the servers there are soutanes and surplices.

                                THE BLESSING AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE ASHES.
The celebrant in blessing the ashes observes the directions given for blessing the candles on the Feast of the Purification. Having vested, therefore, in amice, alb, cincture, and violet stole, and, if convenient, in cope also of the same color, he goes to the altar. At the foot of the altar he genuflects, or inclines profoundly, and goes up to the altar. He kisses the altar, and goes directly to the missal, and reads aloud the antiphon, as given in the missal. And, still standing in the same place, and without disjoining his hands or bowing, he says in the same loud tone, Dominus vobiscum, and Oremus, and recites the prayers. Before each prayer the celebrant says Oremus, but without any ceremony of any kind. Having recited the fourth prayer, he puts incense into the censer, and blesses it as usual, and then sprinkles and incenses the ashes. He may at this stage, if it is customary, give an instruction to the people on the ceremonies of this day.

After the instruction, or immediately after the incensing, when there is no instruction, the celebrant goes to the center of the altar, and, kneeling with his face to the altar, he takes the ashes, and makes the sign of the cross on his own forehead. He then returns to the missal, and reads the antiphons, unless there is a choir to sing them, in which case the celebrant omits them altogether, and proceeds with the distribution of the ashes. In distributing the ashes he begins at the epistle corner, and while putting them on the head of each one he says in Latin, "Remember that thou art but dust and unto dust thou shalt return." Having finished the distribution, he washes his hands at the epistle corner, then returns to the missal by the front of the altar, recites the prayer Concede, after which he bows to the cross, and goes to vest for mass.

The servers meanwhile prepare the censer, and during the fourth and last prayers takes the holy water and aspersory, and approach the steps on the epistle side, and assist at the sprinkling and incensing of the ashes.
                                                            - Manual of the Holy Catholic Church, Imprimatur 1906 -

1. By Ecclesiastical Year we understand the yearly return of holy seasons, through which the redemption of mankind is renewed, continued and made available for the faithful, so that they may glorify God and sanctify themselves.

2. The Ecclesiastical Year differs from the Civil Year, not only in its divisions but also in its object. The Civil Year serves as a measure for the temporal wants of man; whereas, the Ecclesiastical Year pertains to his eternal interests.

3. The object of the Ecclesiastical Year is for us to renew the work of redemption, which God performed for sinful man, in order that we may offer to Him the homage which is His due, and obtain thereby abundant graces for the practice of virtue, to strengthen us in our faith.

4. The means which the Ecclesiastical Year offers for the attainment of this object are the     following:
(a) The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the Sacraments.
(b) The Holy Seasons which are set apart for the celebration of the sacred mysteries.
(c) Sacred customs such as ceremonies, blessings, devotions, etc., which show us the   significance of the Holy Seasons and imbue us with their spirit.

5. The foundation, the central point, the very soul, in fact, of the Ecclesiastical Year, is the  Sacrifice of the Mass. Christ completed the work of redemption by His sacrifice on the  cross; this sacrifice is continued and renewed in the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the  sacrifice of the Son of God, ever ascending to the throne of God. No tongue can tell the depths of its mysteries. No angel can understand its meaning. It is the offering of the human race to the Godhead.

The festal seasons of the Ecclesiastical Year place before us in succession, all the mysteries of the redemption, continually renewed in the Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Sacraments are the channels through which the fruits of the Mass are conveyed to our souls. On the other hand, however, the ceremonies, sacramentals, etc., replete with graces, as well as symbolic ornament, surround the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as well as the festivals of the year, and the sacraments themselves. Thus everything in the entire Ecclesiastical Year revolves around, and pertains to, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
 
The central point of our redemption is Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which reached its consummation in His glorious resurrection. Easter, therefore, with Holy Week forms the middle point of the Ecclesiastical Year, because this Holy Season places before our eyes the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The prophetical teachings of the Old Testament and the life of Christ until the time of His Passion were only a preparation for the Sacrifice of the Cross. We celebrate this preparation by Advent and the Christmas season. The coming of the Holy Ghost, and the spread of Christianity is a continuation and completion of the Sacrifice of the Cross. We celebrate this continuation and completion by the Season of Pentecost.

In the three principal parts of the Mass, we find again the three parts of the Sacrifice of the Cross; the preparation of the sacrifice in the Offertory; the offering of the sacrifice in the Consecration; and the distribution of the fruits in the Communion. Christ appears in the work of redemption with a threefold dignity; as Prophet, because He prepares His most sacred Sacrifice through the Old Testament and by His own life and labors ; as High Priest, because He consummates His Sacrifice on the Cross ; and as King, because through the fruits of His sacrifice He establishes a kingdom which continually perpetuates and governs itself. The Ecclesiastical Year shows us this threefold dignity of Our Redeemer and therefore contains three divisions:

(1.) The Christmas Season, which represents the prophetic dignity.
(2) The Easter Season, representing the High Priest's dignity.
(3) The Pentecost Season, which represents the Royal Dignity of Christ.

The Christian who conforms to the teachings of the Ecclesiastical Year is led into the three degrees of the spiritual life:—purification, inspiration and union. The festal circle begins anew every year, and, like a tree, yearly adds a new ring of perfection. These divisions are festal cycles, because each cycle has a principal feast as central point around which the days and feasts of the season revolve; they form a season of preparation and a subsequent commemoration according as they precede or follow
the feast.

VIGIL AND OCTAVE.
I. The day preceding the feast is called the Vigil. This word comes from the Latin and means night watch. The early Christians spent the night, or a great part of the night preceding a feast, in prayer, fasting, and the singing of hymns and psalms. These night watches were called vigils. Even in the time of the Apostles the first Christians kept these vigils in commemoration of the night watches of our Lord. Later these vigils were restricted to the day immediately preceding a feast and for these special days retained the name vigil.

The Midnight Mass on Christmas is still kept in remembrance of the original celebration of the vigils. Besides the three principal feasts, other feasts have vigils also, which are not so solemnly kept. The vigils admonish us, to prepare, like the first Christians, for the approaching feast by penance and recollection.

2. The days immediately following the feast form the Octave, that is, an eight day celebration, or continuation of the feast. Even in the Old Testament the principal feasts were celebrated with octaves; for instance, Easter, or the Feast of the Tabernacles: and the Christians even in the time of the Apostles, celebrated the principal feasts with octaves. Later the Church appointed octaves for several other feasts, which were not however so solemnly kept. The object of these eight day celebrations is to enhance, as it were, the dignity of the feast, and thereby to impress the mysteries more deeply and permanently upon the hearts of the faithful.

3. The Sundays with their ferias, and also several other feasts form the preparation and subsequent commemoration of the three principal feasts.

SUNDAY.
1. The word Sunday comes from Heathendom: The first day of the week was dedicated to the Sun god, therefore called Sunday, or day of the sun (dies solis). We are reminded thereby of that Sun which appears to us in the person of Jesus Christ, warming and illuminating our souls, even here on this earth, and which one day will, in the great beyond, rejoice us by its eternal brilliancy. In the language of the Church this day is called, at least since the time of Constantine, if not from the time of the Apostles, the day of the Lord (dies dominica).

2. Sunday is merely of ecclesiastical institution, dating, however, from the time of the Apostles. God established the Sabbath as a perpetual reminder of the creation, in order to admonish mankind that they owe their Creator veneration and gratitude; at the same time providing necessary rest for man and beast. The Apostles appointed Sunday for this day, because Christ, by His resurrection, completed the work of redemption, and sent the Holy Ghost on Sunday. Sunday, therefore, admonishes us more emphatically of the duty of gratitude, than the Sabbath of the Old Law; for our Heavenly Father began the work of creation, the Son of God completed the work of redemption, and the Holy Ghost com- menced His work in the Church of Christ on the first day of the week. It places before us, therefore, the three greatest of God's gifts to man: the Creation, the Redemption, and the Sanctification. This day is dedicated, therefore, to the Most Holy Trinity.

On Sunday the Christian should thank the Adorable Trinity for all graces received, especially for those of the past week; he should make atonement for faults committed and beg for grace and strength for the coming week.

3. The Sundays, then, are the guides of the entire Ecclesiastical Year; they either prepare for a coming high feast, or they explain the meaning of the feast. In the Epistles and Gospels of every Sunday the faithful are instructed in their duties for the entire year.

4. The Sundays are named and reckoned, either according to the time in which they occur, namely: the Sundays of Advent and of Lent, or according to the feasts to which they belong; the Sundays after Epiphany, after Easter, and after Pentecost. Names for certain special Sundays are obtained partly from the Introit of the Mass; for example, ''Oculi, Laetare, etc., partly from the special solemnity such as Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday, Low Sunday. The Sundays of Advent, Lent, and after Easter, always remain the same in number.
The Sundays after Epiphany and the Sundays after Pentecost are sometimes more, sometimes fewer in number. Those of the former vary between two and six, of the latter between twenty-four and twenty-eight. The movability of Easter is the cause of this variation. 

5. By the Council of Nice in the year 325, it was decreed that the festival of Easter should be celebrated always on the first Sunday after the first full moon in Spring. It can not therefore, be celebrated before the 22nd of March, nor after the 25th of April, but always moves within this time.

The Sundays are regulated according to the time of Easter. If Easter occurs late, the six Sundays after Epiphany and the twenty-four Sundays after Pentecost are celebrated in their regular order. The earlier Easter falls, the more Sundays after Epiphany fall away, and these are then placed at the end of the Ecclesiastical Year, between the twenty-third and the last Sunday after Pentecost.

The Sundays of Lent and the Sundays after Easter occur sometimes earlier, sometimes later, according to the time of Easter; only the Sundays of Advent, and the Sundays following until the second Sunday after Epiphany inclusive, remain always the same.

6. On Sunday, or the evening before, Holy Water is blessed. Before High Mass the Priest sprinkles the people with this water, while the Asperges is sung. Thereby the significance of Sunday is made known to us. The faithful come to church on Sunday in order to be cleansed in the blood of Christ, from the dust of sin, which has in the course of the week adhered to them, and to renew the grace of Baptism, of which they should be reminded by the sprinkling of the Holy Water. Even in the Old Testament washing with water was repeatedly commanded, especially as a preparation before sacrifice, and oftentimes, when according to the Jewish law a person was considered unclean. The Jews attributed an atoning and purifying power to water. In the New Law this custom is more strictly adhered to, since Christ established the Sacrament of Baptism, in which, through water and the word of God, sins are washed away. The Church, therefore, even in the earliest times, blessed water, not only for use in Baptism but also for general use. St. Basil, says that the blessing of water rests upon Apostolic tradition. The blessing of water has always been customary in the Eastern, as well as in the Western Church. In the Greek Church this blessing takes place every month, in the Roman Church, every Sunday.

At the blessing of the water the salt is blessed first, then the water, then the salt is mixed with the water three times in the form of a cross, and finally, the mixture is again blessed. The blessing of the salt, as well as the water, begins with an exorcism, in order that not only the power of Satan shall be taken from the salt and water, but that the virtue of driving away the power of Satan, or at least diminishing it, shall also be imparted to the Holy Water. Salt is mixed with water to express the double power of Holy Water, that of healing and of purifying Water signifies purification; salt which preserves from corruption and gives a relish to food, is to denote that Holy Water preserves us from the corruption of sin, and is a means of sanctifying our life, and of making us pleasing to God. The salt is sprinkled in the water three times in the form of a cross to denote that this blessing is performed in the name of the triune God, and by virtue of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The substance of the other prayers of this blessing is : May God through this water destroy all the influences of the evil spirit, ward off sickness and other evils, promote the welfare of body and soul, and sanctify everything with which it is sprinkled.

The efficacy of Holy Water is the following: The remission of venial sin,—imparting grace, by which contrition and devotion are increased,--a shield against evil spirits,—it wards off diseases and other temporal evils. These effects, however, will only be experienced by those who use Holy Water with faith and a contrite heart.

The use of Holy Water is manifold. Before High Mass on Sunday the faithful are sprinkled by the priest to sanctify them for the Divine Service, about to begin, so that all present may partake intimately of the Holy Sacrifice without indifference or distraction. The priest says at the same time the penitential psalm ''Miserere" and finally prays that God will send his angel to guard those who are present. The faithful should unite with the prayers of the priest, and in a collected and penitential spirit prepare for the sacred sacrifice.

On entering the church the faithful sprinkle" themselves with Holy Water; for this purpose fonts are placed near the door of the churches. In early Christian times large wash basins, in which the people might wash face and hands before entering the church, stood in the vestibule. The Christian is thereby reminded that he should, appear in the sanctuary of God with a pure heart and a recollected spirit. He blesses himself that he may more readily overcome temptations, thereby obtaining abundant graces. On leaving the church the faithful also bless themselves with Holy Water to retain the graces received, and to be able to continue the divine service at home, and thus always rejoice in the protection of God. They take Holy Water home with them for the same reason. Thus the sanctifying power of the Redeemer extends from the temple of God to all Christian homes. We should use Holy Water not only exteriorly and mechanically, but with a lively faith, a penitential spirit, confidence in God, and with interior devotion. We should use it on getting up and on going to bed, on coming in and on going out, in temptation, and often during the day, especially in time of danger.

FERIALS
1. The early Christians called the first day of the week the Lord's Day, and the last day the Sabbath; all the other days were called Ferials. This designation of the days of the week was confirmed by Pope Sylvester (t335)-

2. The word ferial comes from the Latin, and means holyday. The week days are so called to remind us that the Church celebrates a perpetual Divine Service, not only on Sundays and Holydays, but on every day of the week, so that the true Christian may also unite in a lifelong worship of God.

3. The ferials follow the preceding Sunday, and form its octave; they should lead the thoughts of Sunday into the actions of daily life. The Christian, therefore, should practice during the week what was preached to him on Sunday.

4. Since the time of the Apostles, Wednesday and Friday were designated as ferials of penance and fast, and the faithful were even obliged to attend Divine Service on these days;  because Christ was sold on Wednesday and crucified on Friday. In oriental countries, however, Saturday soon took the place of Wednesday.

5. Among the ferials are the so-called greater ferials, which are more solemnly celebrated in the office of the day, as well as in the Mass. To these belong the ferials of Advent, Lent, Ember days, etc.
 
EMBER DAYS.
1. Ember Days are the Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays of the Quarter Tenses, so called because they occur four times a year,—in Advent, Lent, Pentecost week, and after the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in September.

2. Pope Leo I the Great (+461) says that the custom of these fasts was introduced by the Apostles. The object of Ember Days is:
    (1) To dedicate the four seasons of the year to God by prayer, fasting and good works.
    (2) To thank God for all the graces received during the past season, to do penance for our sins, to implore the blessing of heaven, and to make good resolutions for the                             approaching season.
    (3) To implore God to grant us worthy priests for His holy Church; for it is a rule of the         Church that priests be ordained at Embertide.

FEASTS.
I. Besides the three principal feasts of the Ecclesiastical year, there are a great number of other feasts, which like the Sundays, are attached to the principal feasts. They form not only the ornament of the Ecclesiastical Year, but also place before us the fruits of holiness which have ripened on the living tree of the Church.

2. The feasts have all been regulated by the Church, some of them are even of Apostolic origin; the most of them, however, are of a later date. In the first centuries feasts were not commanded to be kept, but the faithful, of their own free will celebrated the anniversaries of the most important events in the life of Christ and His saints. Later the celebration of these feasts was commanded by the Church.

3. In the course of time, the number of feasts increased, and when the Church saw that the faithful instead of deriving benefit from their celebration, rather desecrated them, she abolished certain feasts or transferred their celebration to the following Sunday; in so doing she respected the capabilities and wants of the faithful.

4. Besides the feasts of obligation, the Church has a great many others, which are celebrated only in the Breviary and in the Mass. Nearly every day in the year the feast of some saint is celebrated, to remind us that we also are called to sanctity, and that we should labor every day to attain that end.

5. Feasts may be divided into four classes, according to their meaning:
    1. Feasts of Our Lord,
    2. Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
    3. Feasts of the Angels, Apostles and Evangelists, and
    4. Feasts of the other Saints.

The feasts of Our Lord place before us mysteries intimately connected with the work of Redemption. The feasts of the Blessed Virgin show us Mary's part in the Redemption, by becoming the Mother of God, and thus the Mother of mankind, thereby aiding man in obtaining his salvation.

After Mary, the Angels, Apostles, and Evangelists, who first announced and spread the Gospel, must be considered the chief participators in the work of redemption. In these, as well as in the other Saints, we see the fruits of the Redemption,
namely the virtues.

6. There are movable and immovable feasts in the Ecclesiastical Year. The movable feasts are those which are regulated according to the time of Easter, and are celebrated, therefore, sometimes earlier, sometimes later in the year, such as. Ascension, Pentecost and others. Immovable feasts are those that are always celebrated on the same day of the year, and their number is by far the greater.

7. As the object of the entire Ecclesiastical Year is to place before the faithful the work of the Redemption, so each day of the year has its special office to perform in this regard. In the Divine Office, and in the formulas of the Mass, each day's share is clearly outlined. It is the duty of every Christian to participate, not only outwardly in this daily celebration of feasts, but to live accordingly, and thus live the life of our Holy Church. Those who cannot partake in the Divine Service, should the more diligently seek to learn from the Epistles and Gospels of the Sundays and Holy days, what each Holy Season prescribes for us to believe and practice.

HOLYDAYS OF OBLIGATION.
January 1st:  The Circumcision of our Lord—New Year's Day.
August 15th: The Assumption of the B. V. Mary.
November 1st: All Saints' Day.
December 8th: The Immaculate Conception of the B. V. Mary
December 25th: Christmas Day.
Ascension Day.
- The Ecclesiastical Year ,  for Catholic Schools and Institutions,  Imprimatur 1903 -

                "But he was asleep." (Matt. viii. 24.)
IT is an article of faith in the holy Catholic Church that God has not only created the world, but that He sustains and governs it; this preservation and ruling of the whole world and of each individual creature is called Providence. There are people who think that God is too great a Lord to busy Himself about the care of this world, that to do so is beneath His majesty; it was enough for Him to create the world, for the rest, He leaves it to itself or to fate, enjoys His own happiness, and, as it were, sleeps in regard to us. Thus think some, but only the ignorant and impious. Were He as these imagine Him, He would not or could not have aught to do with creation. If He could not, then He is neither all-wise nor almighty, if He would not, then He is not good; and if He knows nothing of the world, then He is not omniscient.

If we once believe that God created the world, (and what rational man can doubt it?) then we must also believe He rules and sustains it. Can any work of art, however well constructed and arranged, subsist without some one to take charge of and watch over the same? Would not the greatest of all master-pieces, the world, therefore come to the greatest confusion and fall back into its original nothingness, if God, who created it from nothing, did not take care of its further order and existence? It is indeed true that the method of Divine Providence with which God controls all things is so mysterious that, when considering some events, one is persuaded to admit a necessary fate, an accident, the course of nature, the ill will of the devil or man, as the fundamental cause. Yet in all this the providence of God is not denied, for nothing does or can happen accidentally, not the smallest thing occurs without the knowledge, permission, or direction of God. Not one sparrow shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matt. x. 29. 30.) Chance, fate, and luck are but the ideas of insane or wicked men, which even the more rational heathens have rejected, and the course of nature is but the constant, uninterrupted, all-wise and bountiful preservation and government of creation through God. The perverted will of men or of the devil is but' the instrument which God in His all-wise intention, uses to effect the good, for He knows how to produce good from evil, and, therefore, as St. Augustine says, "permits the evil that the good may not be left undone." If we peruse the history of our first parents, of Abraham, of Joseph in Egypt, of Moses, of the people of Israel, of Job, Ruth, David, Tobias, Esther, Judith and others, we will easily see everywhere the plainest signs of the wisest Providence, the best and most careful, absolute power, by virtue of which God knows how to direct all things according to His desire, and for the good of His chosen ones. The gospel of this day furnishes us an instance of this? Why did Christ go into the boat? Why did a storm arise? Why was He asleep? Did all this occur by accident? No, it came about designedly by the ordinance of Christ that His omnipotence might be seen, and the faith and confidence of His disciples be strengthened. Thus it is certain that God foresees, directs, and governs all; as Scripture, reason, and daily experience prove. Would we but pay more attention, to many events of our lives, we would certainly notice the providence of God, and give ourselves up to His guidance and dispensations. The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing, says David. (Ps. xxii. i.) And we also, we shall want nothing if we resign ourselves to God's will, and are contented with His dispensations in our regard; while, on the contrary, if we oppose His will, we shall fall into misfortune and error. God must rule over us with goodness, or with sternness. He is no slumbering God. Behold! He shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Israel. (Ps. cxx. 4.)
                                                        - Goffine's Devout Instruction, Imprimatur 1880 -

To many Protestants it appears very singular, indeed, that we Catholics insist upon a Catholic education for our children. Some even feel hurt in their esteem of the public school system than which they boast there can be nothing better. From what has been said in the preceding conference you must gather that a secular education, in which religion has no part, cannot produce anything like a complete or thorough education. You cannot build a brick house without bricks.

If you are ever asked why the Catholic Church insists upon a Catholic education, you may answer in this way: We have three spiritual faculties: mind, memory and will. Unless we are satisfied to roam in the woods like wild beasts we must develop the faculties that distinguish us from the brute creation. These spiritual or mental faculties, then, must be developed by means of education. An educational system may be ever so elaborate, but if it confines its efforts to only one or two of these faculties it cannot be called a complete education, no more than four walls without a roof can be called a house. It stands to reason, then, that a complete education must develop not just one or two, but all three of the faculties of the soul. Moreover, this development must be proportionate, so that one of these faculties may not be advanced to the detriment of the other two. If, for example, we would develop the memory only, mind and will would suffer; if we educate only mind and memory, the will remains without the least training. An education can never be called a complete education if it leaves one of the spiritual faculties to shift for itself, without any training. For that reason the Catholic system of education is really perfect, because it insists upon a uniform development of all three faculties of the soul. It stands forth as the best education throughout all times, because it considers all the needs of our spiritual being.
The proper training of the will is, however, completely neglected by our public school training, notwithstanding the various ludicrous efforts to guide the inclination of the children by means of talking machines, playgrounds, and other such fads and fancies. The question now arises: how can, or how should, the will be trained? From the experience we are able to gather we come to understand that the modern methods of our public school system do not reach the will.

Whereas the training of the memory is more or less mechanical, both mind and will require the control of a real master. Truth is the master over the mind, the divine law the master of the will. The mind may be ever so brilliant, if it does not follow the path of truth it will go astray. Our greatest thinkers, like a St. Thomas or a St. Augustine, show us to what heights of knowledge the human mind can soar if it follows the path of truth, and so we have examples of other brilliant men, like Darwin, Spencer, Huxley, Kant, Fichte, and others, to show us in what labyrinths of desultory reasoning a mind can be lost when it despises the guidance of truth.

As truth is the guide of the mind, so is divine law the guide of the will. As the mind is led astray if it fails to follow the light of truth, so the will is misled if it fails to recognize the force of the law of God.

There can, then, be not other true guide of the will than the will that is superior to it, the will and law of God. Hence the necessity of making religion an indispensable part of education ; for there is but one power that can effectively control and shape the will of man—religion. Not even the "reading" of the Bible can exert that power, because this holy book needs to be explained by one who has studied it, like the text-book of any other science.

Here, then, is the reason why we Catholics establish our own schools for the children of our faith. Let us look at this subject from another angle. Which of the three spiritual faculties is the greatest? At the present time, owing to our perverted idea of education, much is being said in praise of the mind. We admire people for their wonderful achievements in their mastery over the forces of nature; but is the mind really the greatest of our faculties ? What of the man who has a well trained and strong will? The man who has a strong will and uses that strong will in conformity with the divine laws, by doing what God commands and avoiding what God forbids, because God has made those laws, is a far greater man than he who can read the mysteries of the sky and the secrets of the deep. In all the world there is no sadder sight than that of a brilliant mind that has gone astray; a great mind, dragged down by a poor, weak will. For that reason our public school education, because it utterly neglects the will, is found wanting, and all the frills and innovations a Godless age uses to enhance its Godless system of education only add burdens that bewilder the mind, but they leave the will untouched.

Even considered from a merely worldly aspect, our public school education is a dismal failure, because we expect from it what it is unable to give complete or thorough education. Looked at from a spiritual standpoint, the public school education is even more of a failure, because the salvation of our immortal souls does not depend upon brilliancy of mind but upon strength of will. The performance of every act upon which our eternal salvation depends must come from the will, aided by grace. Where the good will is lacking, meritorious work for heaven will not be undertaken. In that case grace lacks the cooperation of the will, and thus is rejected.

We must then conclude that our much boasted secular education is found wanting, because the all-important faculty of the soul, the will, is utterly neglected. It is one thing to teach a man to be wise and another to teach him to be good. Wisdom and goodness are not words that mean the same thing. Hence the religious education, that not only enriches mind and memory but also strengthens and moulds the will to act in conformity with the holy Will of God, must be considered the ideal education, the only education that is worth having.

Hence the Catholic Church insists upon a complete education, one that trains all the faculties of the soul equally and uniformly. The holy Apostles were sent by their Divine Master to "teach" all nations. Mark the words, "teach all nations." It was their God-given task to teach mankind, not so much brilliancy of mind as goodness of will. In apostolic times there were standards of education similar to those of our day. Culture was at its height, but at the same time there was such a general depravity of morals that mankind was reduced to the level of the beast. To this degraded humanity Christ sent His Apostles as "teachers." "Teach ye all nations," was His Divine command. The Apostles were the real teachers of mankind for all ages to come. They did not set about starting schools for languages, the arts, or sciences, yet they were truly teachers. Guided by the light of the Holy Ghost, who was to teach them all truth, they set about, not to make people brilliant according to worldly standards, but to lead and train their wills and thus to make them good.

And now, the same as in those apostolic days, we find the world opposed to the real teaching of Christ, The world puts up an elaborate system of education, adding new devices and new methods every year, and yet it has to admit its utter failure when it begins to compare efforts with results, and theories with facts. The world knows perfectly well that religion is the only power that can successfully form and direct the will of man, but it purposely neglects to make use of that power because seeing it does not see, and hearing it does not hear. To-day, as then, it would never do for the world to acknowledge its error; it must persevere in willful blindness in its antagonism to Christ, no matter how unreasonable or even disastrous its attitude may be.
                                                                          - Conferences for Men, Imprimatur 1917 -

          ON CHURCH SINGING
"Admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God" (Col. iii. 1 6.)
THE custom of singing in the Church choir has its foundation as far back as the Old Testament, when, by the arrangement of David, Solomon, and Ezechias, the psalms and other sacred canticles were sung by the priests and Levites. This custom the Catholic Church has retained, according to the precepts of the apostles, (i. Cor. xiv. 26; Eph. v. 19.) and the example of Jesus who, after they had eaten the pasch, intoned a hymn of praise with His apostles, (Matt. xxvi. 30) that Christians on earth, like the angels and saints in heaven, (Apoc. v. 8. 9., xiv. 3.) who unceasingly sing His praises, might at certain hours of the. day, at least, give praise and thanks to God. In the earliest ages of the Church, the Christians sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving during the holy Sacrifice and other devotional services , often continuing them throughout the whole night; in which case the choir-singers probably were bound to keep the singing in proper order and agreement. In the course of time this custom of all the faithful present singing together ceased in many churches, and became confined to the choir, which was accompanied later by instruments in accordance with the words of David who calls to the praise of the Lord with trumpets, with timbrels, with pleasant psaltery and harps. (Ps. cl. 3. 4., Ixxx. 3. 4.) In many churches, where the faithful still sing in concert, if done with pure hearts and true devotion, it is as St. Basil says, "a heavenly occupation, a spiritual burnt offering; it enlightens the spirit, raises it towards heaven, leads man to communion with God, makes the soul rejoice, ends idle talk, puts away laughter, reminds us of the judgment, reconciles enemies. Where the singing of songs resounds from the contrite heart, there God with the angels is present."
                                                                   - Goffine's Devout Instruction, Imprimatur 1880 -