The Blessing of Flowers and Herbs on the Assumption

According to a fairly ancient tradition, which St John Damascene (among others) attests in the 8th century, when it came time for the Virgin Mary’s earthly life to end, all of the Apostles, then scattered over the earth to preach the Gospel, were miraculously brought to Jerusalem in an instant to be present for Her death. St Thomas, however, was late in arriving, as he had been late to witness the Lord’s Resurrection. When the Virgin had died, they laid Her body to rest in a tomb in the garden of Gethsemani, outside the city; three days later, when Thomas arrived in Jerusalem, he wished to venerate it. The Apostles went as a group to the tomb, but on opening it, discovered that Her body was no longer there, and a sweet odor came forth, confirming that (as Damascene writes) “Whom once it pleased to take the flesh from the Virgin Mary, and become a man, and be born (of Her)… and who after birth preserved Her virginity incorrupt, it also pleased, after Her passing, to honor Her immaculate body … by translating (it to Heaven) before the common and universal resurrection.”

The Oddi Altarpiece, by Raphael Sanzio, painted in 1502-3, when the artist was only 19 years old; now in the Painting Gallery of the Vatican Museums. Above, the Virgin is crowned by Christ, and surrounded by angels, four of whom are playing musical instruments; below, the Apostles are gathered around Her tomb, with some of them looking upwards and listening to the music. St Thomas is in the middle of the group, with his head tilted back, and has received from the Virgin Her belt; this relic is now, according to tradition, preserved in the cathedral of Prato, Italy. Her tomb is filled with flowers growing out of the stone; Raphael himself appears on the far right as one of the Apostles, wearing black and looking straight out at the viewer.

According to one version of this legend, the other eleven Apostles believed in the Assumption because angelic music played in the air over the tomb on the day of the burial, and for three days after; St Thomas, arriving after the music had ceased, refused to believe them until the tomb was opened and the absence of the body confirmed. According to another version, Thomas already knew and believed in the Assumption before coming to Jerusalem, and brought the others to the tomb to show them that the Virgin’s body was gone, after which they heard all the music together. A further addition to the story says that flowers were growing out of the stone sarcophagus in which She had been laid, and were the source of the sweet odor coming out of the tomb, confirming the Apostles’ faith in Her Assumption.

A stained glass window from Siena Cathedral by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1288. The central panels represent the death of the Virgin (below), the Assumption (middle) and Coronation (above.) The corners show the Four Evangelists, the middle panels on the left and right the patron Saints of the city.

In honor of this last part of the story, the Church instituted the custom of blessing wild herbs and flowers on the feast of the Assumption. The blessing originated in Germany, and is first attested in the 10th century; one version of it or another is found in a great many of the liturgical books which contain blessings of this sort. In the 1614 Roman Ritual of Pope Paul V, it consists of a psalm, a series of versicles and responses, three prayers, and the blessing, after which the flowers are sprinkled with holy water; the blessing is supposed to be done before the principal Mass of the day.

I here give the blessing in English translation; the Latin text is found in the Rituale among the blessings not reserved to bishops, shortly after the Sunday blessing of holy water and the Asperges. Various versions of the Rituale can be downloaded from Google Books; it also available on

https://www.sanctamissa.org/_files/ugd/c6f7dd_4ff0f5d827d24264a448bf986de11f7a.pdf

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 64 is said in full.

V. The Lord will give goodness.
R. And our earth shall yield her fruit. (Ps. 84)
V. Thou waterest the hills from Thy upper rooms.
R. The earth shall be filled with the fruit of Thy works.
V. Bringing forth grass for cattle.
R. And herbs for the service of men.
V. That Thou may bring bread out of the earth.
R. And that wine may cheer the heart of man.
V. That he may make the face cheerful with oil.
R. And that bread may strengthen man’s heart. (Ps. 103)
V. He sent his word, and healed them.
R. And delivered them from their destructions. (Ps. 106)

V. Lord, heed my prayer.
R. And let my cry be heard by you.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray. Almighty everlasting God, who by Thy word created from nothing the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things visible and invisible, and commanded the earth to bring forth plants and trees for the use of men and beasts, and each one to have fruit in itself according to its seed; and in Thy ineffable goodness granted not only that the plants might serve as the food of living creatures, but also that they might profit ailing bodies as medicine; with mind and word we humbly pray Thee that in Thy clemency Thou may bless + these herbs and fruits of various kinds, and pour upon them the grace of Thy renewed blessing, above the natural power which Thou gavest them; so that, when used by men and beasts in Thy name, they may become a defense against every disease and adversity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

Let us pray. O God, who through Moses, Thy servant, commanded the children of Israel to bear sheaves of new fruits to the priests to be blessed, and to take the fruits of the finest trees, and rejoice before Thee, the Lord their God; in Thy mercy be present to our supplications, and pour forth the abundance of Thy bless+ing upon us and upon these bundles of new fruits, new herbs, and upon the gathering of fruits which we bring before Thee with thanksgiving, and on this solemn feast we bless in Thy name. And grant that they may give to men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, curses, spells, against the poison of serpents and bites of other venomous animals. And may they bring protection against the devil’s illusions, and devisings and cunning, wherever they or any portion of them are kept and carried, or otherwise used; so that, with the sheaves of good works, by the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, the feast of whose Assumption we keep, we may merit to be taken up to that place whither She was assumed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

Let us pray. O God, who on this day raised up to the heights of heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that by Her prayers and patronage Thou might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of Her womb, the same Thy Son; we humbly implore Thee, that by His power, and by the glorious patronage of His Mother, with the help of these fruits of the earth, we may be guided through temporal welfare unto everlasting salvation. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, + and Holy Spirit, come upon these creatures and remain always. R. Amen.

Forgotten English Rituals: A New Research Project by Nico Fassino

Our thanks to Mr Nico Fassino for sharing with us this account of his latest research project, on the 1954 English Ritual. He is the founder of the Hand Missal History Project, an independent research initiative dedicated to exploring Catholic history through the untold and forgotten experiences of the laity across the centuries. Learn more at HandMissalHistory.com or @HandMissals

The Rituale Romanum, that priestly manual containing the texts of the sacraments and blessings of the Roman rite, is a beautiful and fascinating book. Despite being frequently used for mundane moments and life-changing milestones alike, it is one of the most overlooked of all the liturgical books of the Catholic Church. It has received far less study than the missal or the lectionary, for example, and is often misunderstood.

Title page of the Rituale Romanum of 1614

In the popular conception, the Roman Ritual is viewed as a relatively recent creation (first published in 1614) and therefore is judged far less venerable than the texts of the Roman rite of the mass which stretch back more than a millennium before that. Because it is distinctly separate from the missal, and used in so many ordinary circumstances, it can sometimes be thought of as more ‘informal’ or less central to the Christian life than the liturgy of the Mass.

But the ritual is a unique and compelling book deserving of a great deal more study. Though the Roman Ritual itself dates to the Counter Reformation, the content is ancient and draws from a pan-European tradition of printed Catholic rituales dating back to the early medieval ages. It is also no minor or ancillary part of the spiritual life. As Cardinal Emmanuel Suhard wrote, the ritual book is one of the most crucial tools given to priests as part of their charge to be “craftsmen of universal rehabilitation”:

In the Church his is the task of reconciling all created things with God; not overnight or without a struggle, but progressively, starting with the smallest things. One has only to open that wonderful book, the Ritual, to see that this is so. Nowhere else does the Church manifest more clearly her maternal love and concern for the passing companions of our earthly journey. The liturgy neglects nothing.

It blesses houses, bread, eggs, fruits. It thinks of fountains, ships, stables, fields, sick animals. It does not forget bees, wax, tools. It sanctifies water, light, fire, incense. There is nothing it does not encounter with sympathy, even tenderness. It is surprised at none of the most recent discoveries: machines, railways, automobiles, airplanes, telegraph, seismograph and soon television. It encompasses everything, it admits everything for man’s good use and as related to his eternal destiny for which, as stressing in the liturgy, those mysterious elements serve as symbols. (Priests Among Men (New York: Integrity, 1950). Page 63.)

Conventional Narratives

Because the standard text of the ritual is in Latin, it is commonly thought that the beauty of the ritual and the full richness of the sacraments were not understood by the laity for most of Christian history. Conventional histories of Catholic liturgical reform assume that advocacy for the vernacular in the sacraments, and pastoral concern for the laity, were modern trends stemming from the twentieth century Liturgical Movement. Thanks to these calls for reform (so the narratives go) the Second Vatican Council finally changed things and ushered in a new era of vernacular ritual books where the laity could understand things for the first time beginning in 1964.

The Catholic Transcript, Aug. 20, 1964, p. 1, via Catholic News Archive

The 1954 English Ritual

But that was not the first time that a Vatican-approved vernacular ritual had been published and promoted around the globe. More than a decade before, in November 1953, the American Bishops unanimously approved a version of the ritual for the United States which allowed almost all the sacraments and blessings it contained to be said officially in the English. This ritual – which is now almost entirely forgotten – was approved by the Holy See and published to great fanfare in December 1954.

The St Louis Register, Dec. 24, 1954, p, 9, via Catholic News Archive.

The 1954 English Ritual was titled Collectio Rituum, or “Collection of Rites.” It was heralded as a major victory for the Liturgical Movement in America, which had worked to promote the project since 1947. The English Ritual had been championed by Bishop Edwin V. O’Hara of Kansas City, Missouri (a long-time supporter of the Liturgical Movement and one of the most influential American prelates of the twentieth century), and brought to fruition by two key Liturgical Movement figures: Rev. Gerald Ellard, SJ, and Rev. Michael Mathis, CSC.

The US Bishops’ news service heavily promoted the 1954 English Ritual, and everyone anticipated it would be popular and widely adopted. Although it had been originally created for use in America, interest in the 1954 English Ritual soon spread to English-speaking lands throughout the world. Within one year of publication, the Holy See had granted permission for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Burma, Ceylon, and Malaya to use the American ritual.

But it soon became clear that the 1954 English Ritual was not very popular after all. There was no widespread clamor for the ritual amongst the clergy and laity, and the reactions of the bishops themselves were mixed. Some bishops only partially permitted its use in their dioceses, while others (like Francis Cotton of Owensboro, Kentucky) refused to authorize it at all, despite the fact that they had voted to approve it only a year prior!

St Louis Register, Jul. 29, 1955, p. 2 of sec. 2; via Catholic News Archive

In November 1956, less than two years after initial publication, the American bishops secretly voted to put an end to the failed Collectio Rituum and replace it with a new edition. The replacement ritual, eventually published in 1961, contained substantially less vernacular than the original and undid almost all of the innovations of the 1954 edition.

It was a bitter defeat for liturgical reform. Those in the Liturgical Movement took pains to avoid any public discussion of this reversal, and they redoubled their efforts to secure lasting victory for the vernacular at the upcoming ecumenical council.

The Pittsburgh Catholic, Sept. 28, 1961, p. 7 of the arts section; via Catholic News Archive

A New Study of Ritual Books

In a research project more than two years in the making, “Forgotten English Rituals: The Collectio Rituum of 1954 and the untold history of the vernacular administration of the sacraments”, I use uncited primary and archival sources to provide a comprehensive study of the origins, demise, and cover-up of the landmark American Collectio Rituum. But the story of vernacular administration of the sacraments does not originate with the English Ritual of 1954. Indeed, there is a vast and almost totally neglected history of the official use of English in Catholic ritual books which I also explore for the first time.

For centuries, rituals used in English-speaking lands throughout the world contained officially permitted vernacular. There are so many different versions that it is frankly impossible to list them all. In an appendix, for example, I offer an incomplete bibliographic catalog of 25 different ritual books which contained English permissions. Even with this limited list of 25 different rituals, I discovered at least 128 editions issued by at least 35 Catholic publishers. Of these, fully 112 editions of 18 titles were published before 1954!

The ‘Visitation and Care of the Sick’ permitted in English. Page detail from the 1812 Ordo Administrandi Sacramenta, the ritual book published for official use in England and Wales.

To better explore the history of English in the administration of the sacraments, I analyzed the content of 21 different rituals published between 1738 and 1962. I chose 16 different sacramental rites and blessings from the ritual, (e.g. baptism, marriage, extreme unction, blessing of sick children, etc) and discretely analyzed which portions of each of these ceremonies were officially permitted to be given in English as the authentic liturgical text.

List of the 21 English Rituals studied in Forgotten English Rituals

List of the 16 Sacraments and blessings studied in “Forgotten English Rituals”

Findings

Through this content analysis, we gain a much richer understanding of the centuries-long tradition of vernacular in the administration of the sacraments and are able to compare different rituals on a one-to-one basis. The results are fascinating: for some sacraments and blessings, these older rituals contain just as much official vernacular text as the 1954 English Ritual… in some cases, they contain more!

Summary table of vernacular content analysis

Table of vernacular content analysis for the sacrament of marriage, from “Forgotten English Rituals”. Blue “E” sections are permitted in vernacular, while White “L” or “L (pe)” sections are required in Latin.

To help set the history of English vernacular rituals into a wider context, I also studied the official vernacular content in the Sacrament of Baptism across 26 additional European rituals between 1450 and 1929. These rituals are mainly drawn from Spanish, French, German, Hungarian, and Czech lands, but there were many others which could also have been included. Indeed, there are such a vast number of these rituals that this research cannot hope to be more than an introduction and starting point.

While there has long been awareness of the existence of vernacular in some historic European ritual books, particularly from German-speaking lands, this research breaks new ground by quantitatively analyzing the content of the rituals from multiple nations and comparing them in the same one-to-one manner as the English rituals mentioned above. It also includes previously unstudied ritual books (for example, none of the 16 German-language ritual books included in this research are cited in Hermann Reifenberg’s magisterial 1971 study of medieval German rituals and their vernacular content).

List of the 26 European Rituals studied in “Forgotten English Rituals”

The use of vernacular in these historical European rituals is fascinating. In some, the vernacular is printed alongside the Latin and the rubrics state one or the other can be used... in other cases, only the vernacular is printed without Latin even as an option. In several rituals, even the sacramental form itself was officially permitted in the vernacular!

Portions of various European ritual books. At top: the renunciations from the sacrament of baptism in Ritual #V (1803 Paris), an example of both Latin and vernacular being printed in the ritual text with either permitted (“Latin or French”). Middle: the introductory dialogue from the sacrament of baptism in Ritual #C (1597 Coutances), an example of only the vernacular being printed in the ritual text, without Latin even as an option. Bottom: the conditional form of baptism given exclusively in French in Ritual #J (1642 Orleans).

Conclusion

In addition to the rediscovery and analysis of historic vernacular ritual books, this research also surveys the campaign for modern reform which swept the church beginning in the very first years of the twentieth century – preceding even the modern Liturgical Movement. These modernization efforts ultimately resulted in an ever-expanding push for vernacular permissions (beyond the organic customs of the past) and the revision and replacement of the ritual texts themselves (many of which had remained nearly unchanged since at least the eighth century). The rise and fall of the remarkable 1954 American Collectio Rituum, told in full for the first time, is thus revealed to be both a crucial bridge between ancient traditions and the modern age, as well as a hitherto overlooked ‘tipping point’ in the story of liturgical reform.

“Forgotten English Rituals” overturns conventional histories by demonstrating the widespread and official use of the vernacular in the administration of the sacraments in the centuries before the Second Vatican Council. These findings also complicate modern debates about the role of the vernacular itself as a contributing factor to the catastrophic post-conciliar decline of sacramental practice.

Beyond the narrative history, the study includes almost 60 pages of photographs and 40 pages of detailed data in appendices. It is my hope that this work can serve as a starting point for future research, which this subject so clearly deserves.

Jots, Tittles, and the Roman Ritual

Teodor Axentowicz, Blessing, circa 1899

In addition to the Missal and the Breviary, the Rituale Romanum is among the most important liturgical books of the traditional Roman rite. First codified in 1614 and last edited in 1953, the Ritual contains a priestly blessing for almost every occasion from the cradle to the grave and for almost every object, sacred and profane. In addition to blessings for every conceivable kind of cincture, scapular, and rosary (did you know that there are special rosaries of Our Lord, the Precious Blood, the Holy Trinity, the Seven Sorrows, and St. Joseph?), there are also benedictions for bees and beer, wine and women, mountain-climbing equipment, railroads, and seismographs. Several of these blessings were formerly reserved to particular religious orders and congregations, but today they can be used by any validly ordained priest.

The value of these blessings is immense. Blessings have long held a cherished position in Catholic life for the specific benefits they bestow on body and soul, but they also serve additional functions that are conducive to the good of the Church. One way to appreciate these additional benefits is to view the blessings of the Ritual through the prism of Christ’s statement in the Sermon on the Mount that He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it in its most minute details, even its “jots” and “tittles.” (Matt. 5,17-18)[2]

Fulfilling the Law

In using this prism, however, we must be careful not to think that Catholic blessings and rituals are a literal fulfillment of the Mosaic Law. As we explained last week, the ceremonial precepts of the Old Law were abolished by Christ and are not meant to be repeated. In the words of St. Paul, love is the only thing that fulfills the Law. (Rom. 13,10)

And yet love and caritas are inevitably incarnational: they seep into every nook and cranny of our being, transform without violating, heal and elevate everything they touch, and change the way we interact with the persons and things around us. One way, then, to interpret the blessings of the Rituale Romanum, even the relatively insignificant ones, is as so many of the sometimes inconspicuous acts of love that befit a loving person. These little acts, especially those associated with our daily or annual life, go on to form an ethos and a shared way of life for the People of God, just as the Mosaic Law once helped cement the identity of the nation of Israel.

To understand what I mean, let us examine three basic domains of the Old Law and see how they are transformed in the Rituale in light of the New: field and farm, hearth and home, and ritual purity.

Field and Farm

The Hebrews had a rich rotation of feasts tied to the agricultural cycles of the land, and so too have their Christian counterparts. The 1953 Rituale, with a zest for particular blessings in response to particular situations, contains benedictions for fields or pastures, seed, fruit, oats, young crops and vineyards, first fruits, fowl, cattle and herds (sheep, goats, swine, etc.), horses, lambs, bees, grapes, silkworms, a separate blessing of the harvest, and two different blessings for sick animals. There is also a blessing against floods and a blessing against “mice, locusts, wingless locusts, worms, and other harmful animals.”[3]  But there is one in particular to which I would draw our attention: the blessing of herbs and fruits on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Blessing of Grapes in Armenia on the Feast of the Assumption

From the earliest centuries, in both the East and the West, the Church has blessed herbs and fruit on this day. No doubt this was due to the time of year the feast occurs, for around August 15 many herbs and fruits are being harvested. Still, the custom can be used allegorically to teach us something about our Lady’s role in the economy of salvation. Eve foolishly used herbs (fig leaves) to hide and aggravate her sin, thereby perpetuating the disorder that her sin had introduced to her body and soul. By contrast, Mary, the new Eve whose soul and body are untouched by sin or the decay of death (as this feast celebrates), foreshadows a complete healing of the Elects’ frailties on the Last Day, a healing represented by herbs.

Likewise, fruits are an appropriate symbol for Mary the new Eve because she never ate of the forbidden fruit of sin but brought forth only the fruit of good works and, most importantly, the Fruit of her womb, Jesus Christ. The fruit blessed on this day thus betokens the fruit of a holy and generous life which we are called to enjoy from our Lord through the patronage of His mother.

A synagogue decorated for the Season of First Fruits, 1906

Moreover, as one of the blessings from the Ritual explicitly indicates, this custom hearkens back to the Mosaic Law:

O God, who through Moses Thy servant didst command the children of Israel to carry their sheaves of new fruits to the priests for a blessing, to take the finest fruits of the orchards, and to make merry before Thee, the Lord their God: Kindly hear our supplications, and pour forth the abundance of Thy blessing upon us and upon these sheaves of new grain and new herbs, and upon this assortment of fruits, which we gratefully present to Thee and which we bless on this feast in Thy name. And grant that men, cattle, sheep, and beasts of burden may find in them a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, injuries, spells, snake venom, and the bites of other venomous and non-venomous creatures. And may they bring protection against diabolical illusions, machinations, and deceptions wherever they are kept or carried, or with whatever arrangement is made of them: that with sheaves of good works and through the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose Feast of the Assumption we celebrate, we may deserve to be taken up to where she herself was assumed. Through our Lord.[4]

Simply put, the blessing is understood in terms of the Israelites’ Feast of First Fruits described in Leviticus 23,10. 

Hearth and Home

The Hebrew home was blessed, loosely speaking, in a number of different ways. One of the most dramatic was the sprinkling of the blood of the Paschal lamb on the lintel and sides of the door to avert the Angel of Death during the first Passover (Ex 12,1-14). Another had to do with obeying the commandment of Deuteronomy 6:9, “to write in the entry, and on the doors of thy house” the great commandment, or Shema Yisrael: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD. Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.” (Deut. 6,4-5) Pious Jews complied with this command (and still do) with use of a mezuzah, a small cylinder containing the words of the Shema Yisrael that is nailed to the side of the door.

Shema Inscription on Knesset Menorah

The Christian home lives in the spirit of these ancient customs through several blessings found in the Rituale. There are a number of blessings of homes, either for any time during the year or for special feasts such as Epiphany and Holy Saturday and Paschaltide; and of course there are several blessings for holy water, which can be placed near one’s door in a receptacle like the mezuzah.

Another interesting custom is the blessing of chalk on the Feast of the Epiphany. The priest first blesses chalk and sprinkles it with holy water in the church. The faithful then take the chalk home with them and write on the lintel of their front doors the current year along with the letters C, M, and B, interspersed by crosses—e.g., 20+C+M+B+22.

Chalk on door of St. Michael Church, Welling, England

Chalk, as a product of clay, is a fitting symbol for the human nature assumed by the Word whose incarnation the Feast of Epiphany continues to celebrate. The year signifies the time that has elapsed since Our Savior’s birth into human history, the crosses represent Christ Himself and the holiness of the Magi, and the letters represent the initials of the three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. These same letters can also stand for Christus mansionem benedicat—“May Christ bless this house.”

Having one’s home blessed on Epiphany is itself an appropriate custom, for just as the wise men visited the temporary home of the Infant Jesus and brought Him gifts, so too do we pray that through the intercession of the Magi, Christ Himself may visit our temporary earthly homes with gifts of grace and peace for ourselves, our family, and all our guests. And obviously, this charming custom that involves writing on the lintel of one’s door hearkens to the Old Law’s writing “in the entry and on the doors of thy house,” yet in a way that bears witness to the Christian faith.

Continue Reading this Article. . .

The Sunday Asperges: Holy Water in a Time of Drought

“…My flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is…”

It is not difficult to understand why it has been thought best to remove holy water from the stoups in our churches. Having lots of people dip their fingers into a common bowl at a time when germs are a bigger problem than usual is not a great idea. The same line of reasoning should also have led to a suspension of giving Communion from hand to hand, but logical consistency has never been a strength of the postconciliar Church. I cannot refrain from adding that those who maintain that if we just have “enough faith” (however this is to be measured), no amount of germs can ever get us sick, need a crash course on the concept of superstition in St. Thomas. Our baptism equipped us with marvelous supernatural powers, not Marvel superpowers.

All the same, the flip side is true: holy water has been and should be such an important sacramental in Catholic life that its removal ought to strike us as extremely regrettable, and steps should be taken to remedy its absence from churches. I’ve seen almost no indications that this is a feeling shared by most pastors and people, and I’m afraid that the explanation is obvious: holy water just ain’t what it used to be. Or to put it more simply, the only way you can get holy water is to use the old rite of blessing it, which really blesses it; the new rite doesn’t, as we learned at the last Sacred Liturgy Conference in a challenging talk given by Archbishop Cordileone, contrasting the old and new rites for the blessing of water (text; video). Fr. Zuhlsdorf presents the two rites side by side, where the difference becomes painfully, even scandalously, evident. (Here's a more recent article that does the same.)

Excerpts from the old prayer of exorcising and blessing holy water:

O water, creature of God, I exorcise you in the name of God the Father + Almighty, and in the name of Jesus + Christ His Son, our Lord, and in the power of the Holy + Spirit. I exorcise you so that you may put to flight all the power of the enemy, and be able to root out and supplant that enemy with his apostate angels, through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire…. May this, your creature, become an agent of divine grace in the service of your mysteries, to drive away evil spirits and dispel sickness… May the wiles of the lurking enemy prove of no avail. Let whatever might menace the safety and peace of those who live here be put to flight by the sprinkling of this water, so that the health obtained by calling upon your holy name, may be made secure against all attack…. Humbly and fearfully do we pray to you, O Lord, and we ask you to look with favor on this salt and water which you created. Shine on it with the light of your kindness. Sanctify it by the dew of your love, so that, through the invocation of your holy name, wherever this water and salt is sprinkled, it may turn aside every attack of the unclean spirit, and dispel the terrors of the poisonous serpent.

Now that’s how the Catholic Church used to pray — and still does, where the Faith survives.

The new rite reads like this:

Blessed are you, Lord, all-powerful God, who in Christ, the living water of salvation, blessed and transformed us. Grant that, when we are sprinkled with this water or make use of it, we will be refreshed inwardly by the power of the Holy Spirit… (etc.)

But nowhere an actual blessing of the water. Consequently, most Catholic churches for the past fifty years have had the equivalent of birdbaths, which has not allowed the demon-dispelling and passion-quelling power of this potent sacramental to impress itself on us. The replacement of this water with sand during Lent or with nothing at the present moment is not likely to cause a furor.

Have a squirt!

However, there is still a deep association for many between going to church and taking holy water. We want to do something when we enter a church to show that we are preparing ourselves for our purpose there. The water does remind us of our baptism and, if it is actually blessed water, it is an occasion of grace and the remission of venial sins, as St. Thomas argues. It seems most fitting that we make the sign of the Cross with water that is reminiscent of the water flowing, with blood, from the side of Christ. If our spirits are troubled from within or vexed from without, real holy water puts demons to flight, as St Teresa of Jesus says in her Autobiography: “From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue.” The language of the old prayer cited above perfectly explains why it has such power.

There are, then, multiple causes of regret. First, that the blessing of holy water was effectively abandoned. Second, that holy water is so readily and unobjectionably removed from churches. Third, that the habit of using holy water has diminished among Catholics to such an extent that most would not think of keeping a bottle of it on hand at home to sprinkle regularly in the home and on one another. Fourth, that the glorious ceremony of the Asperges, a regular feature before Sunday High Mass in the usus antiquior, has become a rarely-used and much-altered feature of the Novus Ordo Missae (bizarrely enough supplanting its penitential rite, because, after all, one can never pray too little for mercy).

Now is a good time to reverse all this.

• Ghostly fathers, use the real rite of blessing of holy water from the Rituale Romanum. Fr. Jerabek has conveniently formatted it on a single sheet of paper. You are allowed to do so by Summorum Pontificum; indeed, you are allowed to do so because what was sacred in ages past is and remains sacred and great for us and can never be considered harmful or be prohibited. 
• Put the Book of Blessings in a safe place, where no one will ever find it again.
• Use the Asperges with the High Mass whenever you can, and give the people a good dousing, with the follow-through of a tennis arm.
• Teach about the value of holy water and make small containers of it available at the back of the church for free.
• Fathers of families, get hold of real holy water and sprinkle it before bedtime, perhaps right after the evening rosary, on your wife and children. Or before the rosary, if it looks like some are too sleepy!

The faster we got rid of our distinctively Catholic items and practices during Covidtide, the more obvious it is that we no longer believe in their efficacy (this holds as much for sacraments as for sacramentals); the sooner we take them up again, or find ways to keep using them, the more evident it is that we are profiting from the trials willed by Divine Providence.

Huh?

“...until the Eschaton, Parousia, or whatever the government decides.”

This, at least, is better: the faithful are offered alternative access

A Liturgical Rite of Betrothal

Our thanks to Mr Anthony Carona for sharing with us this brief explanation of the liturgical Rite of Betrothal, a subject we have never covered before, which he recently celebrated with his fiancée, and our congratulations to them both!

This summer, my fiancée and I hiked approximately 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago; at the conclusion of our pilgrimage, in the town of Finisterre – the “end of the earth” – I asked her to marry me. Upon returning home, we had the engagement solemnized by a ritual found in Weller’s popular translation of the Rituale Romanum; the Rite of Betrothal appears in the appendix. Canon 1017 of the old Code of Canon Law exhorts priests witnessing the engagement contract to give the couple a “liturgical blessing” in accord with ancient and praiseworthy ecclesiastical custom. Despite this injunction, no such form for a blessing was universally prescribed. This should be no surprise: the Latin Church, even with the reforms of Trent, has always given great license and even deference to local custom when it comes to matrimony – a recognition that the purpose of the liturgy is to sanction and bless the marital bond between spouses, not to effect it. The text and rubrics for this blessing, therefore, are merely a suggestion, but as given in this book, they are beautiful.

Contemporary culture being totally inept to celebrate anything as important as courtship, betrothal, or marriage, we saw the blessing as an opportunity to live out our Catholic ethos that life’s most important events should be punctuated and celebrated by ritual. It also marked the beginning of our sacramental preparation for matrimony, in a way perhaps analogous to the rite of tonsure for holy orders. The ceremony is brief, but composed of several elements: the rite was celebrated at the Church of the Annunciation in Houston, Texas, by the pastor, Rev. Paul Felix.

1. The couple approach the altar with two witnesses as Psalm 126 is chanted. The psalm reminds us to make God the primary author of all our plans.

2. The priest delivers an allocution, reminding the couple to commit themselves to virtuous courtship as the sure foundation for both earthly prosperity and eternal blessedness.

3. The couple join their right hands and promise to one day take each other as husband and wife. Many of us seem to have forgotten that engagement itself is a promise. Nevertheless, commentators are clear that this promise cannot be grounds for compelling marriage.

4. The priest places the ends of his stole over the couple’s hands in the form of a cross, bears witness to the proposal, and blesses the couple with holy water.

5. The priest blesses the engagement ring.

6. The man places the ring on the finger of his fiancée.

7. The priest presents the missal, opened to the picture of the crucifix opposite the canon for the couple to kiss.

8. The priest prays a final blessing over the couple, bidding them to go in peace.

The Blessing of Flowers and Herbs on the Assumption

According to a fairly ancient tradition, which St John Damascene (among others) attests in the 8th century, when it came time for the Virgin Mary’s earthly life to end, all of the Apostles, then scattered over the earth to preach the Gospel, were miraculously brought to Jerusalem in an instant to be present for Her death. St Thomas, however, was late in arriving, as he had been late to witness the Lord’s Resurrection. When the Virgin had died, they laid Her body to rest in a tomb in the garden of Gethsemani, outside the city; three days later, when Thomas arrived in Jerusalem, he wished to venerate it. The Apostles went as a group to the tomb, but on opening it, discovered that Her body was no longer there, and a sweet odor came forth, confirming that (as Damascene writes) “Whom once it pleased to take the flesh from the Virgin Mary, and become a man, and be born (of Her)… and who after birth preserved Her virginity incorrupt, it also pleased, after Her passing, to honor Her immaculate body … by translating (it to Heaven) before the common and universal resurrection.”

The Oddi Altarpiece, by Raphael Sanzio, painted in 1502-3, when the artist was only 19 years old; now in the Painting Gallery of the Vatican Museums. Above, the Virgin is crowned by Christ, and surrounded by angels, four of whom are playing musical instruments; below, the Apostles are gathered around Her tomb, with some of them looking upwards and listening to the music. St Thomas is in the middle of the group, with his head tilted back, and has received from the Virgin Her belt; this relic is now, according to tradition, preserved in the cathedral of Prato, Italy. Her tomb is filled with flowers growing out of the stone; Raphael himself appears on the far right as one of the Apostles, wearing black and looking straight out at the viewer.

According to one version of this legend, the other eleven Apostles believed in the Assumption because angelic music played in the air over the tomb on the day of the burial, and for three days after; St Thomas, arriving after the music had ceased, refused to believe them until the tomb was opened and the absence of the body confirmed. According to another version, Thomas already knew and believed in the Assumption before coming to Jerusalem, and brought the others to the tomb to show them that the Virgin’s body was gone, after which they heard all the music together. A further addition to the story says that flowers were growing out of the stone sarcophagus in which She had been laid, and were the source of the sweet odor coming out of the tomb, confirming the Apostles’ faith in Her Assumption.

A stained glass window from Siena Cathedral by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1288. The central panels represent the death of the Virgin (below), the Assumption (middle) and Coronation (above.) The corners show the Four Evangelists, the middle panels on the left and right the patron Saints of the city.

In honor of this last part of the story, the Church instituted the custom of blessing wild herbs and flowers on the feast of the Assumption. The blessing originated in Germany, and is first attested in the 10th century; one version of it or another is found in a great many of the liturgical books which contain blessings of this sort. In the 1614 Roman Ritual of Pope Paul V, it consists of a psalm, a series of versicles and responses, three prayers, and the blessing, after which the flowers are sprinkled with holy water; the blessing is supposed to be done before the principal Mass of the day.

I here give the blessing in English translation; the Latin text is found in the Rituale among the blessings not reserved to bishops, shortly after the Sunday blessing of holy water and the Asperges. Various versions of the Rituale can be downloaded from Google Books; it also available on SanctaMissa.orghttps://sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 64 is said in full.

V. The Lord will give goodness.
R. And our earth shall yield her fruit. (Ps. 84)
V. Thou waterest the hills from Thy upper rooms.
R. The earth shall be filled with the fruit of Thy works.
V. Bringing forth grass for cattle.
R. And herbs for the service of men.
V. That Thou may bring bread out of the earth.
R. And that wine may cheer the heart of man.
V. That he may make the face cheerful with oil.
R. And that bread may strengthen man’s heart. (Ps. 103)
V. He sent his word, and healed them.
R. And delivered them from their destructions. (Ps. 106)

V. Lord, heed my prayer.
R. And let my cry be heard by you.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray. Almighty everlasting God, who by Thy word created from nothing the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things visible and invisible, and commanded the earth to bring forth plants and trees for the use of men and beasts, and each one to have fruit in itself according to its seed; and in Thy ineffable goodness granted not only that the plants might serve as the food of living creatures, but also that they might profit ailing bodies as medicine; with mind and word we humbly pray Thee that in Thy clemency Thou may bless + these herbs and fruits of various kinds, and pour upon them the grace of Thy renewed blessing, above the natural power which Thou gavest them; so that, when used by men and beasts in Thy name, they may become a defense against every disease and adversity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

Let us pray. O God, who through Moses, Thy servant, commanded the children of Israel to bear sheaves of new fruits to the priests to be blessed, and to take the fruits of the finest trees, and rejoice before Thee, the Lord their God; in Thy mercy be present to our supplications, and pour forth the abundance of Thy bless+ing upon us and upon these bundles of new fruits, new herbs, and upon the gathering of fruits which we bring before Thee with thanksgiving, and on this solemn feast we bless in Thy name. And grant that they may give to men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, curses, spells, against the poison of serpents and bites of other venomous animals. And may they bring protection against the devil’s illusions, and devisings and cunning, wherever they or any portion of them are kept and carried, or otherwise used; so that, with the sheaves of good works, by the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, the feast of whose Assumption we keep, we may merit to be taken up to that place whither She was assumed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

Let us pray. O God, who on this day raised up to the heights of heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that by Her prayers and patronage Thou might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of Her womb, the same Thy Son; we humbly implore Thee, that by His power, and by the glorious patronage of His Mother, with the help of these fruits of the earth, we may be guided through temporal welfare unto everlasting salvation. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, + and Holy Spirit, come upon these creatures and remain always. R. Amen.

Why the Double Ablutions?

A priest and regular NLM reader, responding to the series on canonical or liturgical digits (see here), sent this note to me:

I was wondering if, in your study, you have come across any authors who explain the double ablution that takes place in the traditional liturgy: first with wine, then with water and wine.
          The basic nut I am trying to crack is: I feel like a single ablution is not enough whenever I purify the sacred vessels—whether it is done with water only, or in the more traditional way, with both water & wine. It seems right that there be two ablutions before any further cleaning of the chalice (such as with soap & water, as is common in most hygiene-minded sacristies dominated by busy lay sacristans today) be done. I’m hoping to find some older commentaries on the purification that might (or might not) lend an argument to my feelings and impressions.

I have not seen an explanation in the sense of a moral or theological explanation, but of course the rubrical authors speak extensively about how it is to be done, and the basic reason why. For example, O’Connell’s The Celebration of the Mass says (p. 286):

The proper quantity of wine to be taken [at the first ablution] is about the same as had been taken at the Offertory, so that all the surface of the chalice that had been touched by the Precious Blood will be covered by the wine. When the celebrant has received sufficient wine he raises the chalice slightly as an indication to the server. The celebrant may then rotate the chalice carefully once or twice in order that the wine will pass over the surface that had been touched by the Precious Blood. He drinks the Contents of the chalice at the same point on the edge at which he had received the Precious Blood. ... Next the celebrant takes the chalice with the second, third, and fourth fingers of each hand around the cup, and the joined index fingers and thumbs within it. .. The amount of wine and water (together) to be taken will again be about the quantity of the Precious Blood. Rubricians direct that at the second ablution a little wine and a good deal of water be taken: (a) to make sure that when the second ablution has been drunk none of the Sacred Species will remain to be wiped up by the purificator; (b) because water is more cleansing than wine (especially than sweet wine, which is sticky); (c) to avoid staining the purificator.

This passage seems to confirm the reader’s intuition that a thorough cleansing is only possible with “two goes at it.” It seems to me that this was a matter of common sense developed over centuries of experience, and that it should be adopted today even in the context of the Ordinary Form, in accordance with the principle that we ought to exercise epikeia or good judgment with respect to laws to be followed, and always seek the common good—which begins with the proper treatment of the sacra mysteria, for, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us, “the common spiritual good of the entire Church is contained substantially in the sacrament itself of the Eucharist” (Summa theologiae III, q. 65, a. 3, arg. 1).

It is interesting to note, in terms of development (if it can be called such), that in the traditional Roman Rite the purificator does not ordinarily come in contact with the consecrated species, and therefore the Rituale provides no special blessing just for purificators. However, since corporals and palls do come into contact, there is a special blessing for them that is also “reserved”; an ordinary priest had to be delegated to bless a corporal/pall. Nowadays, the opposite obtains: purificators are often soaked with the Precious Blood by extraordinary ministers and clerics, while corporals more or less do not come into contact with the host due to the continuous use of the paten (although I have been told that some priests are sloppy in how they fracture the host). Besides, the modern Book of Blessings does not actually intend to bless the Mass linens as such.

What the foregoing shows is the beautifully consistent logic in the traditional practices: every detail makes sense. What is supposed to come into contact with the consecrated species is duly and properly blessed by the proper hierarchical authority; what is not supposed to come into contact is not so blessed; and the rubrics themselves govern the disposition and use of all items so that the sacred species will be treated with utmost care and reverence. One suspects that this is why the entire set of customs “had” to be dismantled by the modernists: they could see that it was a total system and had come to despise its rigor, impersonalism, objectivity, and sacrality. As Alice von Hildebrand once remarked, you either have to patiently accept it all and submit to it as the sweet yoke of Christ, or you will chafe at the bonds like a restive horse.

The Fourth Centenary of the Rituale Romanum of Pope Paul V : June 17, 1614

With the bull Apostolicæ sedi of June 17, 1614, Pope Paul V Borghese promulgated the Rituale Romanum (Roman Ritual) four centuries ago. The Rituale is the penultimate liturgical book of the Tridentine Reform; in chronological order they are: the Roman Breviary of 1568; the Roman Missal of 1570; the Roman Martyrology of 1584; the Roman Pontifical of 1595; the Ceremonial of Bishops of 1600; the Monastic Breviary of 1612; the Roman Ritual of 1614; and the Octavarium of 1628.

The origins of the Rituale
The Roman Ritual contains the ceremonies – apart from those of the Mass and Divine Office – which a priest may need to perform, such the administration of the Sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, Communion for the sick), funerals, and blessings.

In the early centuries, the prayers for these functions are found most often in the Sacramentaries, which however did not describe the details of the ceremonies or give the relevant chants. When the Sacramentaries disappeared in the Middle Ages, to be replaced by Missals (which, in addition to the prayers of the Sacramentaries, contain the chants and readings of each Mass), there slowly developed as a parallel to the Missal a more-or-less complete manual to help priests perform the ceremonies apart from of the Mass which they might be called upon to celebrate.

During the Middle Ages, this type of book multiplied widely. They existed a version for every diocese, or even for individual religious communities, with a great variety of names. So, for example, the diocese of Paris printed a Manuale Sacerdotum (Priests’ Manual) during the episcopacy of Jean Simon de Champigny in 1497.

The immediate predecessors of the Rituale of 1614
During the 16th century, certain Roman liturgists published three editions with the authority of the Pope himself.

The 1523 Sacerdotale of Castellani
Published at Venice by the Dominican liturgist Alberto Castellani in 1523, this work was approved by Pope Leo X. The Roman character of the book is proclaimed by its title, “Sacerdotale juxta usum Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ”. (Priestly book according to the use of the Holy Roman Church) Castellani divided his material into three parts: Sacraments, blessings and processions; this will become the standard organization in subsequent Rituals.

The 1579 Sacerdotale of Samarini
This is a Roman edition based on the preceding work of Castellani, titled “Sacerdotale sive sacerdotum Thesaurus collectus.”

The 1602 Rituale of Santorius
This was published at Rome in 1602 with the title Rituale Sacramentorum Romanum. In 1584, Pope Gregory XIII, the successor of St. Pius V, had commissioned Cardinal Santori to prepare a Ritual more in keeping with the requests of the Council of Trent, especially in regard to the administration of the Sacraments. After the Pope’s death the following year, Santori continued his work with the blessing of Sixtus V and of Clement VIII. In 1602, Cardinal Santori died, and his heirs then published his work.

The Rituale Romanum of 1614
However, Pope Paul V (1605-1621) did not approve the works published by the heirs of Cardinal Santori as such, and preferred to publish another Rituale in 1614, while using many of the elements already present in Santori’s.

In the constitution Apostolicæ sedi of June 17, 1614, Pope Paul V notes that Clement VIII had published two official books for bishops, the Pontifical of 1595 and the Ceremonial of 1600. He also notes that these works establish the normal form of some liturgical functions which can also be celebrated by a simple priest, and that therefore, a book for priests is also needed in harmony with the other liturgical books published for use in Rome. (click here to download the Rituale Romanum of Paul V)

The Ritual of Paul V adopts the organization of the material already present in the Sacerdotale of 1523: Sacraments, blessings, processions, in that order. It also adds, as we will see, a fourth part.

The book presents first of all the administration of the Sacraments: Baptism, Confession, the Eucharist (and especially Viaticum), Extreme Unction. The seven Penitential Psalms and the Litany of the Saints – connected to Confession – form a link with the visitation of the sick, the Commendation of the Dying, funerals, the Office of the Dead, and the funeral of young children. The various sung parts of the funeral service and the Office of the Dead are noted in plain chant.

After this digression, which goes from the treatment of the illness of the soul to that of the body, and from there to death, the Ritual ends the course of the sacramental life in a fairly droll, (not to say surprising) way, with marriage.

There follows the part dedicated to blessings, beginning with the blessing of holy water before the principle Mass on Sunday. Among these are also certain blessings reserved to bishops which were not included in the Pontifical. Where chant pieces appear, they are printed out with the full notation.

A third part is dedicated to the processions of Candlemass, Palm Sunday, the Major and Minor Litanies, and Corpus Christi, followed by those for special occasions, such as bad weather, wartime, a procession for thanksgiving, for the translation of relics, etc. The chants for these processions are also given.

The book adds a fourth part containing various exorcisms, and ends with the formulas to be used when filling out a parish register.

Impact of the Rituale of 1614
Paul V did not make his work obligatory, nor did he abolish other similar works in use at the time, or order anyone to use his. He simply published a model, from which diocesan editions might draw their inspiration. 

There continued to be many of the latter. Speaking only of France, in 1984 Jean-Baptiste Molin and Annick Aussedat-Minvielle counted no less than 2952 editions of various Rituals and Processionals. However, with the abandonment of the particular rites of dioceses over the course of the 19th century, and the adoption of the Roman Missal, the diocesans editions of the Rituals gradually passed out of use (the last in France seems to date to 1853) and the Roman Ritual was adopted everywhere.

Additions to the Ritual of 1614
Because he wished to provide a work that would serve as a model for others, Paul V promulgated a fairly simple text, containing that which had long been standard practice more or less everywhere in the West. This rather minimal text left something to be desired.

In the 17th century, we note here and there various printings of small supplements which are presented as if they if they were derived from the work of Paul V. I make particular note of the ancient ceremony for the solemn blessing of water on the vigil of the Epiphany, added to the Rituale Romanum in 19th century, an improvement made at the cost of a grave very badly executed mutilation of this venerable ceremony. 

Numerous new editions of the Ritual of 1614 were published, introducing changes of various sorts, generally enriching the part dedicated to blessings, and organizing the material better and with different titles. These were issued by Popes Benedict XIV in 1742, Bl. Pius IX in 1862), Leo XIII in 1884, Pius XI in 1925, and Pius XII in 1952.

Despite the various editions, the text which has come down to us remains essentially the same, and the use of it remains authorized and protected by the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of July 7, 2007, as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of its promulgation.

(This article originally appeared in French on the blog of the Schola Sainte Cécile)