Sabbato Quattuor Temporum Septembris; Commemoration of St. Linus, Pope & Martyr: Missa “Veníte, adorémus”
The Ember Saturday of September is a traditional day for ordinations, although it is historically of less prominence than other such days in the liturgical year. The sublime function, to which the faithful owe their fathers and guides in the spiritual life, has, however, a special interest at this period of the year, which, more than any other, is in keeping with the present state of the world in its rapid decline towards ruin. Our year, too, is on the fall, as we say. The sun, which we beheld rising at Christmas as a giant who would burst the bonds of frost asunder and restrain the tyranny of darkness, now, as though he had grown weary, is drooping towards the horizon; each day we see him gradually leaving that glorious zenith, where we admired his dazzling splendor on the day of our Emmanuel’s Ascension; his fire has lost its might; and though he still holds half the day as his, his disc is growing pale. So it is with our world. Illumined as it was by the light of Christ, and glowing with the fire of the Holy Ghost, it sees, in these our days, that charity is growing cold (Matt. 24: 12), and that the light and glow it had from the Sun of Justice are on the wane. Each revolution takes from the Church some jewel or other, which does not come back to Her when the storm is over; tempests are so frequent, that tumult is becoming the normal state of the times. Error predominates, and lays down the law. Iniquity abounds. It is Our Lord Himself Who said: “When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find, think ye, faith on earth?” (Luke 18: 8)
Lift up your heads, then, ye children of God! for your redemption is at hand (Luke 21: 28-31). But, from now until that time shall come when heaven and earth are to be made new for the reign that is to be eternal, and shall bloom in the light of the Lamb, the Conqueror, days far worse than these must dawn upon this world of ours, when the elect themselves would be deceived, if that were possible! (Mark 13: 22) How important is it, in these miserable times, that the pastors of the flock of Christ be equal to their perilous and sublime vocation! Let us then fast and pray; and how numerous so ever may be the losses sustained in the Christian ranks, of those who once were faithful in the practices of penance, let us not lose courage. Few as we may be, let us group ourselves round the Church, and implore of Jesus, Her Spouse, that He vouchsafe to multiply His gifts in those whom He is calling to the now more than ever dread honor of the Priesthood; that He infuse into them His divine prudence, whereby they may be able to disconcert the plans of the impious; His untiring zeal for the conversion of ungrateful souls; His perseverance even unto death, in maintaining without reticence or compromise the plenitude of that truth which He has destined for the world, and the inviolate custody of which is to be, on the Last Day, the solemn testimony of the Bride’s fidelity.
Pope Saint Linus, the immediate successor of St. Peter, ruled the Church for about twelve years. In the year 79 he suffered martyrdom, and was buried alongside the Prince of Apostles. His name is in the Canon of the Mass.
The virgin Saint Thecla was converted by St. Paul while preaching at Iconium. She left a luxurious home and followed the apostle in his later journeys. She suffered many tortures for the Faith but finally passed her life in solitude in Isauria, and there died a holy death.
INTROIT Ps 94:6-7
Come, let us bow down in worship to God; let us kneel before the Lord. Let us weep before Him Who made us; for He is the Lord our God. Ps 94:1 Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim God our Savior. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
COLLECT
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
Almighty, everlasting God, You Who cure body and soul through healing self-denial, we humbly entreat Your majesty to hear favorably the devout prayer of those who fast, and to grant us help for the present and the future. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
Lesson Lev. 23:26-32
In those days, the Lord said to Moses, The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be most solemn, and shall be called holy; and you shall mortify yourselves on that day and offer an oblation to the Lord. On this day you shall not do any work, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord, your God. Anyone who does not mortify himself on this day shall be cut off from his people; and if anyone does any work on this day, I will remove him from the midst of his people. This is a perpetual statute for you and your descendants wherever you dwell: you shall do no work, but shall keep a Sabbath of complete rest and mortify yourselves. Beginning on the evening of the ninth of the month, you shall keep this Sabbath of yours from evening to evening, says the Lord almighty. R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual Psalm 78:9-10
Pardon our sins, O Lord; why should the nations say, Where is their God? V. Help us, O God our Savior; because of the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Collect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant us, we beseech You, almighty God, that by fasting we may be filled with Your grace, and by abstinence we may be made stronger than all our enemies. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
Lesson Lev. 23:39-43
In those days, the Lord said to Moses, On the fifteenth day, then, of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate a pilgrim feast of the Lord for a whole week. The first and the eighth day shall be days of complete rest. On the first day you shall gather foliage from majestic trees, branches of palms and boughs of myrtles and of valley poplars, and then for a week you shall make merry before the Lord, your God. By perpetual statute for you and your descendants you shall keep this pilgrim feast of the Lord for one whole week in the seventh month of the year. During this week you shall dwell in bowers; every native Israelite among you shall dwell in booths, that your descendants may realize that, when I led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, I made them dwell in booths. I, the Lord, am your God. R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual Psalm 83:10, 9.
Behold, O God, our Protector, and look upon Your servants. V. O Lord God of Hosts, hear the prayers of Your servants.
Collect
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
Protect Your people, we beseech You, O Lord, so that we may by Your gift, obtain those means of eternal salvation which we seek through Your inspiration. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Lesson Mich. 7:14, 16, 18-20.
O Lord, our God, shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your inheritance, that dwells in a woodland, as in the days of old. The nations shall behold and be put to shame, in spite of all their strength. Who is there like you, the God Who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of His inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as You have sworn to our fathers from days of old, O Lord, our God.
R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual Ps 89:13, 1.
Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on Your servants. V. O Lord, You have been our refuge through all generations.
Collect
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we may so fast from bodily food as to abstain also from the sins that beset us. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Lesson Zach. 8:14-19
In those days, the word of the Lord came to me saying: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: As I determined to harm you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, says the Lord of Hosts, and I did not relent, so again in these days I have determined to favor Jerusalem and the house of Juda; do not fear! These then are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another; let there be honesty and peace in the judgments at your gates, and let none of you plot evil against another in his heart, nor love a false oath. For all these things I hate, says the Lord. This word of the Lord of Hosts came to me: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: The fast days of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months shall become occasions of joy and gladness, cheerful festivals for the house of Juda; only love faithfulness and peace, says the Lord of Hosts.
R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual Psalm 140:2
Let my prayer come like incense before You, O Lord. V. The lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.
Collect
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
As You give us the grace, O Lord, to offer You our solemn fast, grant us, we beseech You, the support of Your forgiveness. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Lesson Dan 3:47-51
In those day, the Angel of the Lord went down into the furnace with Azaria and his companions, drove the fiery flames out of the furnace, and made the inside of the furnace as though a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. And the flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace, and spread out, burning the Chaldeans nearby, the king’s men who were stoking the furnace. And the fire in no way touched them or caused them pain or harm. Then these three in the furnace with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God:
Hymnus Dan. 3:52-56
Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. And blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Blessed are You in the temple of Your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Blessed are You on the holy throne of Your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You upon the sceptre of Your divinity, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who look into the depths from Your throne upon the Cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who walk upon the wings of the wind, and on the waves of the sea, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Let all Your Angels and Saints bless You, and praise You and exalt You above all forever. Let the heavens, the earth, the sea and all the things that are in them bless You, and praise You and exalt You above all forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our father, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Collect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O God, You Who tempered the flames of fire for the three young men, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not burn us, Your servants. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
Let us pray.
Commemoration of St. Linus Pope & Martyr
Be pleased to watch over thy flock, eternal Shepherd, and keep it under thy continual protection, through thy martyr and supreme pontiff, blessed Linus whom thou didst establish as chief shepherd of the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.
Commemoration Collect of St. Thecla, Virgin and Martyr
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who keep the birthday of blessed Thecla, Thy virgin and martyr, may both rejoice in her yearly festival, and profit by the example of such great faith. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
LESSON Hebrews 9:2-12
Brethren: There was set up a tabernacle in the outer part of which were the lampstand and the table and the showbread, and this is called the Holy Place; but beyond the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden censer and the ark of the covenant, overlaid on every side with gold. In the ark was a golden pot containing the manna and the rod of Aaron which had budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the Cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat. But of all these we cannot now speak in detail. Such then being the arrangements, the priests always used to enter into the first tabernacle to perform the sacred rites; but into the second tabernacle the high priest alone entered once a year, not without blood, which he offered for his own and the people’s sins of ignorance. The Holy Spirit signified by this that the way into the Holies was not yet thrown open while the first tabernacle was still standing. This first tabernacle is a figure of the present time, inasmuch as gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshipper in conscience, since they refer only to food and drink and various ablutions and bodily regulations imposed until a time of reformation. But when Christ appeared once for all through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands – that is, not of this creation, – nor again by virtue of blood of goats and calves, but by virtue of His own Blood, into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption.
R. Thanks be to God.
GRADUAL Psalm 116:1-2
Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify Him, all you peoples! V. For steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.
GOSPEL Luke 13:6-17
At that time, Jesus spoke to the multitudes this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. And he said to the vine-dresser, ‘Behold, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down, therefore; why does it still encumber the ground?’ But he answered him and said, ‘Sir, let it alone this year too, till I dig around it and manure it. Perhaps it may bear fruit; but if not, then afterwards you shall cut it down.’ Now He was teaching in one of their synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over and utterly unable to look upwards. When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, Woman, you are delivered from your infirmity. And He laid His hands upon her, and instantly she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, addressed the crowd, saying, There are six days in which one ought to work; on these therefore come and be cured, and not on the Sabbath. But the Lord answered him and said, Hypocrites! does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or ass from the manger, and lead it forth to water? And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound, lo, for eighteen years, ought not she to be loosed form this bond on the Sabbath? And as He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and the entire crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Psalm 87:2-3
O Lord, the God of my salvation, by day I cry out, at night I clamor in Your presence. Let my prayer come before You, O Lord.
SECRET
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that the gift in the sight of Your majesty may obtain for us the grace of reverent devotion and secure eternal happiness. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Commemoration of St. Linus, Pope & Martyr
We have offered thee our gifts, and now we pray thee, Lord, graciously to enlighten thy Church, so that everywhere thy flock may prosper and its pastors, under thy guidance, be truly pleasing in thy sight. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever. R.Amen.
Commemoration Secret of St. Thecla, Virgin and Martyr
Graciously receive, O Lord, the gifts which we offer on the solemnity of Thy virgin and martyr, Thecla, by whose patronage we trust to be delivered from all evil. . Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
PREFACE of the Common
It is truly meet and just, and profitable unto salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, through Christ, our Lord. Though whom the angels praise thy majesty, the dominions adore it, the powers are in awe. Which the heavens and the hosts of heaven together with the blessed seraphim joyfully do magnify. And do thou command that it be permitted to us join with them in confessing thee, while we say with lowly praise:
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Lev 21:41, 43.
In the seventh month you shall keep this feast, as I made the Israelites dwell in booths, when I led them out of the land of Egypt. I, the Lord, am your God.
POSTCOMMUNION
May Your sacrament, we beseech You, O Lord, produce in us what it ontains, and may we share in reality what we now perform as a sacramental rite. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Commemoration of St. Linus, Pope & Martyr
Increase within thy Church, we pray thee, Lord, the spirit of grace which thou has bestowed, so that, through the prayers of thy martyr and supreme pontiff blessed Linus, the flock may be not wanting in obedience to their shepherd, nor the shepherd in watchfulness over his flock. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God For ever and ever. R. Amen.
Postcommunion commemoration of St. Thecla, Virgin and Martyr
Let us pray. May the mysteries we have received, help us, O Lord, and, by the intercession of blessed Thecla, Thy virgin and martyr, may they cause us to rejoice in everlasting protection. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
The Brighton Oratory 
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