Tuesday Lent II; com. St Chad of Mercia: Missa “Tibi dixit cor meum”
There was no collecta on this day, perhaps because the Station of the Basilica of St. Balbina stood alone, far away on the Aventine, there being no other church in its vicinity from which the stational procession could set out.
The foundress of the titulus Balbince- dedicated at first to the divine Redeemer, before it took the name of the martyr Balbina, who was buried in the cemetery of Proetextatus – was perhaps the matron Balbina, after whom a portion of the Catacomb of St. Calixtus was called.
The Mass recalls our needs and places them before God. In the final Benediction of the people, we pray that the divine mercy may favourably accept our supplications, and heal the diseases of our souls, so that having obtained the forgiveness of our sins, we may truly rejoice in the blessing of God.
Scroll to the end for the Saints
INTROIT Psalm 122:2
My heart hath said to Thee, I have sought Thy face; Thy face, O Lord, will I seek: turn not away Thy face from me. (Ps. 26: 1) The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? 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.
Repeat My heart hath said to Thee…
COLLECT
Of Thy kindness, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to perfect the support of Thy holy observance in us, that what we know by Thy authority should be done, may be fulfilled by Thy operation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever. R.Amen.
Commemoration S. Chad
Almighty, everlasting God, who givest us joy by today’s feast of thy blessed confessor bishop Chad, we humbly entreat thy gracious kindness that we who with devout service keep his festival may through his loving intercession gain the healing that brings everlasting life. 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.
for the Intercession of the Saints
Defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all dangers of mind and body; that through the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, together with blessed Joseph, Thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and blessed N. (Here mention the titular saint of the church), and all the saints, mercifully grant us safety and peace; that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. 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.
EPISTLE 3 Kings 17: 8-16
[The lesson tells of Elias’ going to a heathen woman, a poor widow of Sarepta, to ask for nourishment, when a drought had fallen; an impenitent Israel. The widow took two pieces of wood and prepared a hearth cake for the prophet; and one for herself. Her charity and her compassion were rewarded, for never after did she want for bread. Whereas the Israelites suffered from the scarcity. The Gentiles as a reward for their faith and fidelity, receive daily the Eucharistic Bread, which applies to them the merits gained for them by our Redeemer on the Cross.]
Lesson from the Book of Kings. In those days the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying, Arise and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians, and dwell there; for I have commanded a widow-woman there to feed thee. He arose, and went to Sarephta: and when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow-woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her, Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying, Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand; and she answered, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse; behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elias said to her, Fear not, but go and do as thou hast said; but first make for me of the same meal a little hearthcake, and bring it to me; and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth. She went, and did according to the word of Elias; and he ate, and she, and her house; and from that day the pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke in the hand of Elias.
GRADUAL Psalm 54: 23, 17-19
Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. V. When I cried to the Lord, He heard my voice from them that draw near to me.
GOSPEL Matthew 23: 1-12
[Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ declares that the Jews who taught the law of Moses, did not observe it. The Kingdom of God is open to the heathen, who by baptism become disciples of Christ and accomplish His works.]
At that time, Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses, All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do; but according to their works do ye not: for they say and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. And all their works they do for to be seen of men; for they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge their fringes; and they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues and salutations in the marketplace, and to be called by men Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi; for one is your master, and all you are brethren; and call none your father upon earth, for one is your Father, Who is in Heaven; neither be ye called masters; for one is your master, Christ. He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
OFFERTORY Psalm 50:3
Have mercy on me, O Lord, according to Thy great mercy: O Lord, blot out my iniquity.
SECRET
Graciously work Thy sanctification in us, O Lord, by these mysteries, both to purge us of earthly wickedness and to bring us to heavenly gifts. 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.
Second Secret Commemoration St. Chad
Be moved by our entreaties, Lord, we pray thee, and with thy blessed confessor bishop Chad pleading for us, grant that we ministers of thy heavenly sacraments may be free from every fault. Let thy purifying grace cleanse us through the very mysteries we serve. 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.
to implore the Intercession of the Saints
Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, and by the virtue of this sacrament protect us from all enemies of soul and body, bestowing on us both grace in this life and glory hereafter. 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.
PREFACE of Lent
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: Who by this bodily fast, dost curb our vices, dost lift up our minds and bestow on us strength and rewards; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise:
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY…
COMMUNION Psalm 8:2
I will relate all Thy wonders: I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High.
POSTCOMMUNION
That we, O Lord, may be made worthy of Thy sacred gifts, make us, we beseech Thee, ever to obey Thy commandments. 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.
Commemoration St. Chad
Grant, we pray thee, Lord our God, that we who have been purified by the divine eucharist may, at the intercession of thy blessed confessor bishop Chad, move on to the fulfilment in heaven of this sacrament in which we have taken part. 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.
to implore the Intercession of the Saints
May the oblation of this divine sacrament cleanse and defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, Thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, blessed N. (here mention the titular saint of the church), and all the saints, purify us from all our sins and deliver us from all adversity.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.
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Let us pray. Bow down your heads before God.
Mercifully heed our humble prayers, O Lord, and heal the weakness of our souls, that having obtained forgiveness, we may ever rejoice in Your blessing. 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.
St Chad was the first bishop of Mercia and Lindsey at Lichfield. He was the brother of Cedd, whom he succeeded as Abbot of Lastingham, North Yorkshire, and a disciple of Aidan who sent him to Ireland as part of his education. Chad was chosen by Oswi, king of Northumbria, as bishop of the Northumbrian see, while Wilfrid, who had been chosen for Deira by the sub-king Alcfrith, was absent in Gaul seeking consecration shortly after the Synod of Whitby (663/4). Faced with a dearth of bishops in England, Chad was unwise enough to be consecrated by the simoniacal Wine of Dorchester, assisted by two dubious British bishops. Wilfrid on his return to England in 666, found that Alcfrith was dead or exiled and retired to Ripon, leaving Chad in occupation. But in 669 Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, restored Wilfrid to York and deposed Chad (who retired to Lastingham), but soon reconsecrated him to be bishop of the Mercians. This unusual step was due both to the new opening for Christianity in Mercia and to the excellent character of Chad himself, whom both Eddius and Bede recognised as being unusually humble, devout, zealous and apostolic. Chad’s episcopate of three years laid the foundations of the see of Lichfield according to the decrees of Theodore’s council at Hertford, which established diocesan organisation. Wulfhere, king of Mercia, gave him fifty hides of land for a monastery at Barow (Lincolnshire); he also established a monastery close to Lichfield Cathedral.
Chad died on March 2nd 672 and was buried in the Church of St Mary. At once, according to Bede, he was venerated as a saint and his relics were translated to the Cathedral Church of St Peter. Cures were claimed in both churches. Bede described his first shrine as ‘a wooden coffin in the shape of a little house with an aperture in the side through which the devout can…take out some of the dust, which they put into water and give to sick cattle or men to drink, upon which they are presently eased of their infirmity and restored to health’.
His relics were translated in 1148 and moved to the Lady Chapel in 1296. An even more splendid shrine was built by Robert Stretton, bishop of Lichfield (1360-85) of marble substructure with feretory adorned with gold and precious stones. Rowland Lee, bishop of Lichfield (1534-43), pleaded with Henry VIII to spare the shrine: this was done, but only for a time. At some unknown date the head and some other bones had been separated from the main shrine. Some of these, it was claimed, were preserved by recusants, and four large bones, believed to be Chad’s are in the Roman Catholic cathedral of Birmingham. A fine Mercian illuminated Gospel Book of the 8th century called the Gospels of St Chad was probably associated with his shrine, as the Lindisfarne Gospels were associated with the shrine of St Cuthbert; it is now in Lichfield Cathedral Library. The 11th century shrine list mentions the relics of Cedd and Hedda resting at Lichfield with Chad. Thirty-three ancient churches and several wells were dedicated to St Chad, mainly in the Midlands. There are also several modern dedications.
The Brighton Oratory 
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