TIME OF SEPTUAGESIMA
MONTH OF
THE SACRED PASSION
An excerpt from The Liturgical Year
by Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB
As early, however, as the 9th century, the custom of beginning Lent on Ash Wednesday was of obligation in the whole Latin Church. All the manuscript copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary, which bear that date, call this Wednesday the In capite jejunii, that is to say, the beginning of the fast; and Amalarius gives us every detail of the Liturgy of the 9th century, tells us, that it was, even then, the rule to begin the Fast four days before the first Sunday of Lent. We find the practice confirmed by two Councils, held in that century [ Meaux, and Soissons ].
....In the 13th century, the only Church in the Patriarchate of the West, which began Lent earlier than the Church of Rome, was that of Poland. Its Lent opened on the Monday of Septuagesima, which was owing to the rites of the Greek Church being much used in Poland. The custom was abolished A.D. 1248, even in that country, by Pope Innocent the fourth.
Thus it was, that the Roman Church....gave the exact number of Forty Days to the holy Season, which she had instituted in imitation of the Forty Days spent by our Savior in the Desert.
Whilst faithful to her ancient practice of looking on the Saturday as a day appropriate for penitential exercises, she gladly borrowed from the Greek Church the custom of preparing for Lent, by giving to the Liturgy of the three preceding weeks a tone of holy mournfulness. Even as early as the beginning of the 9th century, as we learn from Amalarius, the Alleluia and Gloria in excelsis were suspended in the Septuagesima Offices. The Monks conformed to the custom, although the Rule of Saint Benedict prescribed otherwise. Finally, in the second half of the 11th century, Pope Alexander the Second enacted, that the total suspension of the Alleluia should be everywhere observed, beginning with the Vespers of the Saturday preceding Septuagesima Sunday. This Pope was but renewing a rule already sanctioned, in that same century, by Pope Leo the Ninth, and which was inserted in the body of Canon Law [ Cap. Hi duo. De consec. Dist. 1 ].
Thus was the present important period of the Liturgical Year, after various changes, established the Cycle of the Church.
An ongoing tradition of the faithful exceeding one thousand years.
Its name, Septuagesima ( Seventy Days ), expresses, as we have already remarked, a numerical relation to Quadragesima ( the Forty Days ); although, in reality, there are not seventy but only sixty-three days from Septuagesima Sunday to Easter. We will speak of the mystery of the name in the following Chapter. The first Sunday of Lent being called Quadragesima ( Forty Days), each of the three previous Sundays has a name expressive of an additional ten: the nearest to Lent being called Quinquagesima ( Fifty Days ); the middle Sunday, Sexagesima ( Sixty Days); the third Sunday, Septuagesima ( Seventy Days ). With the feast of Candlemas we have left the joys of Christmas behind as we prepare for Lent with this time of Septuagesima. Let us take this time to reflect on the Most Sacred Passion of Jesus and offer our Rosaries and daily sacrifices, crosses and submission to God's holy Will in preparation for a grace-filled Lent at the end of February. Call upon the Holy Ever Virgin Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to guard and guide us through this time of transition. Let us ask Mary to bring us safely to her divine Son, before His altar where we can receive Him Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity that we may grow in sanctifying grace to help us better focus on our mission as members of the Church Militant who will not give one ounce of concession to the conciliar church for we are Roman Catholics first and foremost and will not abandon the traditions as Blessed Apostle Saint Paul asserts in 2 Thessalonians 2: 14-15 : "Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
Let us apply our prayers, penances, sacrifices and self-mortifications for the conversion of those who are chained to the Novus Ordo, for those trapped in the tug of war the SSPX is undergoing that the conciliar church will realize the true Bread of Life is only confected in the Traditional Tridentine Mass, and let us continue to include in our daily prayer the Leonine Prayer said at the end of every Latin Low Mass.
Leonine Prayers
Following are the Prayers after Low Mass which were prescribed by Pope Leo XIII and reinforced by Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII to pray for the conversion of Russia. These prayers were in effect until after Vatican II. A decade later Paul VI said, "satan has entered the sanctuary."
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Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructis ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. ( Said 3 times ).
Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus gementes et fientes in hac lacrymarum valle. Eia ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis, post hoc exilium, ostende. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Deus, refugium nostrum et virtus, populum ad te clamantem propitius respice; et intercedente gloriosa, et immaculata Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, ejus Sponso, ac beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quas pro conversione peccatorum, pro libertate et exaltatione sanctae Matris Ecclesiae, preces effundimus, misericors et benignus exaudi. Per eundum Christum Dominum nostrum.
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Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. ( Said 3 times )
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee to we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mouring and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.>
O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
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