ON THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY THURSDAY
CONTENTS.
General character of the liturgy of holy thursday—its ancient form—blessing of the oils at S. Peter's, communion under one kind—origin and explanation of the blessing and salutation of the oils—High mass in the Sixtine chapel, troccole—procession of the B. Sacrament to the Pauline chapel—antiquity of processions—reservation of the B. Sacrament—Papal benediction from S. Peter's, flabelli—bull in Coena Domini—washing of the feet—dinner of the apostles—antiquity and meaning of this custom of washing feet—customs of other churches: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante—Cardinals' public dinner etc.—Tenebræ: Card. Penitentiary—recapitulation of the principal ceremonies of the day—S. Peter's on holy thursday-evening: washing of the high-altar—antiquity and meaning of the stripping and washing of the altars—conclusion.
"Before the festival day of the pasch, Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end". John XIII, 1.
Liturgy of holy-thursday.
During the last three days of holy-week the church celebrates the funeral obsequies of her Divine Spouse: and hence there are numerous signs of mourning in her temples, in her liturgy, and in the dress of her ministers. On thursday however, a passing gleam of heavenly light irradiates the solemn gloom in which she is enveloped: for on this day Jesus Christ, having loved his own even unto the end, instituted the holy sacrament, the staff of our pilgrimage, our solace in affliction, our strength in temptation, the source of all virtue, and the pledge of everlasting life. Accordingly the liturgy of holy-thursday bears the impress both of sorrow and of gladness: it is not unlike a fitful day of April in our northern climes, when the sun now bursts from the clouds which had concealed his brilliancy, and now once more the sky is shrouded in murky gloom—an apt emblem this of the over-changing state of man, who at one moment quaffs the inebriating cup of earthly joys, and yet a little, and it is dashed from his grasp; and sickness, sorrow and death are his portion.
its ancient form.
Anciently three masses used to be celebrated at Rome[57] on this day, as is evident from the sacramentary of pope Gelasius; and at all the three the Pope himself officiated. At the first the public penitents were absolved:[58] at the second the oils were blessed; the last (ad vespertinum officium) was intended to commemorate the institution of the blessed Sacrament. Public penance gradually declined in the western church after the seventh century; and the three masses are now reduced to one. That of the Sixtine chapel, at which the Pope assists, differs very little from ordinary Masses celebrated there, and the concourse of persons is generally very great.
Blessing of the oils at S. Peter's
Communion under one kind.
The oils are blessed in S. Peter's during mass, by the Card. archpriest, or a Bishop in his stead. They are three, viz. 1 the oil of catechumens, used in blessing baptism, in consecrating churches and altars, in ordaining priests, and in blessing and crowning sovereigns: 2 the oil of the sick used in administering extreme unction and in blessing bells: 3 sacred chrism, composed of oil, and balm of Gilead or of the west Indies[59]: it is used in conferring baptism and confirmation, in the consecration of bishops, of patens and chalices, and in the blessing of bells. The Roman Pontifical prescribes, that besides the bishop and the usual ministers, there should be present twelve priests, seven deacons, and seven subdeacons, all habited in white vestments. After the elevation at those words of the canon, Per quem hæc omnia etc. a little before the Pater noster, the Bishop sits down before a table facing the altar, and exorcises and blesses the oil for the sick, which is brought in by a subdeacon. He then proceeds with the mass, and gives communion to the ministers and the rest of the under the form of bread alone[60]. Having received the ablutions, he returns to the table above mentioned, and awaits the coming of the procession of the priests, deacons, subdeacons etc. In it, the balsam is carried by a subdeacon, etc. the oil for the chrism and that for the catechumens by two deacons: and meantime the choir sings appropriate verses. The bishop blesses the balsam, and mixes it with some oil; he then breathes three times in the form of a cross over the vessel of chrism, as do the twelve priests also. Next follows the blessing, and then the salutation, of the chrism: the latter is made 3 times by the bishop and each of the twelve priests in succession, saying, Hail holy chrism, after which they kiss the vessel which contains it. The oil of catechumens is blessed and saluted in like manner: and the procession returns to the sacristy; in the mean time the bishop concludes the mass; and thus this solemn rite terminates.
Origin of the blessing of the oils.
The oil of the sick is mentioned in the well-known passage of St. James V, 14 "Is any man sick among you; let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord etc." At the beginning of the fifth century also, Pope Innocent I observes that it is the office of the bishop to make or prepare (conficere) this "holy of chrism" or unction: and in the Sacramentary of Pope Gregory the great the rite; by which this oil was blessed and administered to the sick, is described. Chrism and the oil of catechumens also are mentioned by many ancient Fathers. (See Turnely T. 7 de Sacram. Bapt. et Confirm, etc.)[61] St. Basil in the 4th century attributes the origin of the custom of blessing the oils to tradition. "We bless the water of baptism and the oil of unction, as well as the person who receives baptism. By what scriptures? Is it not from silent and secret tradition?" (De Spir. S. c. 27). It is mentioned also in the second and third councils of Carthage, by S. Cyprian, who says "The eucharist, and the oil, with which the baptised are anointed, are sanctified at the altar". Ep. 70.
It would appear however from the 20th canon of the first council of Toledo that anciently chrism could be blessed at any time; and hence Benedict XIV is of opinion, that the custom of blessing it only on holy Thursday began about the seventh century; for it is mentioned in the Sacramentary of S. Gregory, in the old Ordo Romanus, and in other works written after that period. This day has been with reason chosen for this ceremony, as St. Thomas observes, in order that the chrism may be prepared for the solemn baptism administered on Easter Eve; and because on it the Eucharistic sacrament, for which the other sacraments are as it were preparatory, was instituted. S. Isidore however assigns a different reason, viz. that two days before the pasch Mary anointed the head and feet of the Lord". De Divi Off. lib. 2, c. 28.
Meaning of the ceremonies already described.
Pouget (Institut. Cath. t. 2, c. 8) proves that the blessing of the oils originates in apostolic tradition, as St. Basil cited above observes. He proves also that since the fifth and sixth centuries the bishop and priests used to breathe three times over the chrism and oil of catechumens, and to salute them with the words "Ave sanctum chrisma: ave sanctum oleum". Our Saviour breathed on His apostles, when He said 'Receive ye the holy Ghost': and hence his ministers breathe over the chrism, by which the Holy Ghost is conferred in confirmation, and over the oil of catechumens, which is used in other sacred rites. Respect is paid to them, because they are employed in God's service, and hence it is a relative respect directed to Him. An ardent soul will never hesitate to address inanimate objects; in fact some of the finest passages of ancient and modern oratory are apostrophes of this nature[62]. S. Andrew is said to have saluted the cross, on which he suffered, S. Paula the birth-place of our divine Lord; and theirs were words of love of God, and not of idolatry.
High mass in the Sixtine chapel.
In the Sixtine chapel the crucifix and tapestry over the altar are covered with a white and not a purple veil; the throne also is white, and the Pope is vested in a white cope. On the rich facing of the altar is represented Christ dead, His descent into limbo, and His resurrection. The cardinal dean generally celebrates the high mass, after the Gloria in excelsis of which no bells are allowed to be tolled in Rome (except at the papal benediction) but in their stead are used troccole or boards struck with iron: this practice is observed until the Gloria in excelsis is sung in the papal chapel on the following saturday-morning[63].
After the offertory of the mass Palestrina's motet Fratres ego enim is sung; of which Baini says that he "does not hesitate to affirm that it resembles as closely as possible the music of heaven". Two hosts are consecrated, one of which is received by the celebrant, and the other destined for the following day is put into a chalice, which the deacon covers with a paten and palla or linen cloth, as the dead body of Christ was wrapped in "fine linen"[64]. Mark XV, 46. At the beginning of the canon twelve lighted torches are brought in by bussolanti; and after the elevation two masters of ceremonies distribute among the cardinals and others candles carried by clerks of the chapel, in preparation for the procession. The usual kiss of peace is not given, from detestation of the treacherous kiss given this day by Judas to his divine master, as Alcuin remarks[65].
Antiquity of processions
Immediately after mass the cardinal celebrant with his ministers leaves the chapel; the other cardinals, bishops and mitred abbots, put on their respective sacred vestments, and the Uditori di Rota, the Cherici di Camera, Votanti, and Abbreviatiori, their surplices: the other prelates wear their usual cappe. They all now accompany the B. Sacrament to the Pauline chapel[66] in solemn procession, which is regulated like that of palm-Sunday. The singers go to the sala regia, illuminated with large cornucopia, and there begin to sing the Pange lingua (a hymn in honour of the holy Sacrament) as soon as the cross covered with a purple veil appears: the last verses of it are sung in the Pauline chapel, which is splendidly illuminated. The cardinals bearing their mitres and torches precede two by two the Holy Father, who bare-headed and on foot carries the blessed Sacrament under a canopy supported by eight assistant bishops or protonotaries[67]. When the Pope reaches the altar, the first cardinal deacon receives from His hands the B. Sacrament, and preceded by torches carries it to the upper part of the macchina; M. Sagrista places it within the urn commonly called the sepulchre, where it is incensed by the Pope; in the mean time the conclusion of the hymn is sung. M. Sagrista then shuts the sepulchre, and delivers the key to thy Card. Penitentiary, who is to officiate on the following day.
Reservation of the B. Sacrament.
Two objects are obtained by this custom; 1st. the blessed sacrament is solemnly preserved for the adoration of the faithful on this anniversary of its institution, as well as for the priest's communion on good friday[68]; 2nd. the burial of our divine Saviour is represented: this is anticipated, in order that the principal altar may be striped, in sign of mourning, and as He was stripped before His crucifixion.
Papal benediction: flabelli.
Bulla in Coena Domina.
The procession, of which we have already spoken, afterwards proceeds from the Pauline chapel to the loggia in front of S. Peter's: but the Pope, as he no longer carries the B. Sacrament, wears his mitre, and is seated in his sedia gestatoria under a canopy carried by eight Referendarii[69]; and the flabelli[70] are carried at each side of Him. He now gives his solemn benediction to the multitude assembled before St. Peter's. This however is repeated with even greater splendour on Easter-Sunday, as well as on the Ascension and Assumption; and we shall therefore reserve a description of it to another occasion, especially since generally speaking, persons who are anxious to witness the lavanda or washing of the feet will find it difficult to be present also at the Benediction[71].
Washing of the feet.
After the benediction, the cardinals and others take off their sacred vestments, and resume their cappe, which they wear during the lavanda or washing of the feet. This now takes place in S. Peters, in a side-chapel adorned with two arazzi; one representing Leonardo Da Vinci's last supper is placed behind the benches prepared for the priests whose feet are to be washed by the Pope: and the other, which represents Providence seated on the globe between Justice and Charity, above two lions holding banners of the church, is placed over the throne. The Pope is habited in a red cope, and wears a mitre. Seated on His throne, and surrounded by cardinals, prelates, and other dignitaries of His court, He puts incense into the thurible, being assisted as usual by the first Cardinal priest. He then gives the blessing, usual before the gospel is sung, to the Cardinal-deacon habited in his sacred vestments, who sings that beautiful passage of the gospel of S. John, which explains the origin of this ceremony: "Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands, he began to wash the feet of his disciples, and wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded, and he said to them; If I being Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; for I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also". At the end of the gospel, the Pope kisses the book, the Cardinal Deacon incenses Him as usual, and the choir begins to sing beautiful anthems allusive to the affecting ceremony, and recommending charity, the distinctive virtue of Christians, more precious than even faith and hope. The Pope's cope is then taken off, and a towel is fastened to his girdle by the assisting Card. deacons; and then, in imitation of his Divine Master, he washes and kisses the right foot[72] of 13 priests, called the apostles, dressed in cappe of white cloth, and wearing high cap, which in form resemble those on the bas-reliefs of Persepolis: each of them receives from Him a towel, and a nosegay, besides a gold and silver medal presented by the Treasurer[73]. The Pope then returns to his throne, washes his hands[74] is vested once more in the cope, and recites the Our Father and the concluding prayers.
Dinner of the apostles.
His Holiness afterwards waits on the 13 apostles at table, in a hall in the Vatican palace, (at present in the hall above the portico of S. Peter's), giving them water to wash their hands, helping them to soup, one or more dishes, and pouring out wine and water for them once or twice. The plates are handed to Him by prelates of mantelletta, and during the ceremony one of His chaplains reads a spiritual book. He then gives them his blessing, washes His hands, and departs. "Which is greater" says our Saviour, "he that sitteth at table or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at table? but I am in the midst of you as he that serveth?"
Antiquity and meaning of the lavanda.
From the most remote antiquity, it was customary among the Hebrews and other nations, that the feet of strangers and guests should be washed before they reclined at table, as they had often travelled on foot. Thus the angels entertained by Abraham and Lot (Gen. XVIII, XIX), were supplied with water to wash their feet: Abraham's servants in the house of Laban, and the brothers of Joseph, when received by him, washed their feet. (Gen. XLIII, 24)[75]. In these cases however the guest washed his own feet; and hence the condescension of our Divine Lord was an act not of hospitality or charity alone, but also of profound humility; and accordingly he put on a towel or apron, like an ordinary slave, as Ferrari observes (De Re Vestiaria par. 1). Most interpreters are of opinion, that Christ washed the feet of His disciples towards the close of the ordinary supper, and shortly before He instituted the holy Sacrament; in order to signify the purity with which it should be received. His example was imitated by His disciples, and accordingly S. Paul (1 Tim. V, 10) speaks of widows who "have washed the saints' feet," as Magdalen had washed those of our Lord.
In the Roman church, as in that of Bologna, it has been for many ages customary for the Bishop to wash feet on this day. In the Ordo Romanus of Cencius Camerarius it is mentioned, that the Roman Pontiff after mass washed the feet of twelve subdeacons, and after dinner of 13 poor persons, or according to the Ordines Romani published by Mabillon, of 12 deacons. The Ceremoniale, attributed to Marcellus archbishop of Corcyra, prescribes that the Pope should wash the feet of thirteen poor men. Various causes are assigned by different authors to explain, why the number is thirteen, and not twelve as was that of the apostles. (See Benedict XIV, De Festis, lib. I, c. VI, §§ 57, 58). The most probable account, we think, is that the thirteenth apostle was added in memory of the angel, who is believed to have appeared among the 12 poor guests of S. Gregory the great, while he was exercising united charity and humility. A painting of this event may be seen in one of the chapels near his church on the Cælian mount, in which is preserved the table, at which he daily fed twelve poor persons. (See the passage of John the deacon cited above in the note). The two customs of washing the feet first of 12, and then of 13, have been reduced to one, and in it the number 13 is preserved[76].
Cardinals' public dinner.
Till within the last few years the Cardinals used to dine in public at the Vatican on holy Thursday and good Friday, that they might be spared the trouble of returning to their respective palaces before Tenebræ; and anciently the Pope used to dine with them at the Lateran palace, in the hall called the Triclinium Leonianum[77]. The Pontiff wore on such occasions his cope and mitre, and the Cardinals were habited in sacred vestments with mitres. After dinner a sermon was preached before the Cardinals. Mons. Maggiordomo used to invite on these days prelates, officers, and others engaged in the cappella or palace, to a dinner at which he presided.
Tenebræ etc.
Recapitulation.
In the afternoon, at the office of Tenebræ, among other signs of mourning, the cross is veiled in black, and the candles are of yellow wax: the Pope's throne is stripped of its usual ornaments, and is without a canopy: the cardinals' and prelates' benches also are without carpets. The Cardinal Penitentiary goes to S. Peter's, where the minor Penitentiaries are Conventuals of S. Francis. We have spoken on these subjects in the preceding chapters. We may here recapitulate the principal ceremonies of the day, as Morcelli has done in his Calendar. The oils are blessed in S. Peter's; the Pope assists at mass in the Sixtine chapel, carries the B. Sacrament to the Pauline chapel, gives His solemn benediction from S. Peter's, washes the feet of thirteen priests and serves them at table. In the afternoon Tenebrae in the Sixtine chapel; and the Cardinal great Penitentiary goes to S Peter's.
S. Peter's on holy thursday-evening.
In this basilic the B. Sacrament is preserved amid many lights in the Sepulchre in a side-chapel[78], and several confraternities come in procession to venerate the relics, of which we shall speak in the next chapter. It is much to be regretted that the cross, which used on holy-Thursday and good-Friday to glow with 628 lights[79], and to produce a splendid effect by the chiaroscuro which resulted from it in this vast and magnificent fabric, is no longer suspended before the Confession, in consequence of irreverent conduct on preceding occasions.
Washing of the altar.
There still remains another remarkable ceremony customary in S. Peter's on holy-Thursday. After the office of Tenebræ, the chapter of that basilica proceeds in procession from the chapel of the choir to the high altar. The black stoles which six of the canons wear, and the yellow and extinguished tapers of the acolythes, are signs of mourning for the sufferings of Christ. They all carry elegant aspergilli[80] of box or other wood, and having prayed for a short time in silence, they chant the anthem "They divided my garments etc." and the psalm "O God, my God, why hast thou abandoned me?" A fine cloth, which covered the altar, is then removed from it, and the Cardinal-priest of the church and the six canons pour whine upon the altar, and wash it with their aspergilli or brushes. After the other canons, beneficed clergymen, etc. have in turn washed it in like manner: the Cardinal and the six canons begin to dry it with sponges and towels: all then kneel down, and the ceremony concludes with the verse "Christ became obedient unto death etc." the Our Father, and the prayer of the day "Look down, we beseech thee etc."[81] The chapter then venerates the relics shewn as usual from the gallery above S. Veronica's statue.
Antiquity and meaning of these ceremonies.
The stripping of the altars, which is practised on this day throughout the western church, is mentioned in the most ancient Ordo Romanus: indeed anciently the altars used to be stripped every day, as Du Vert (Ceremon. de l'Eglise T. IV.) and Cancellieri (De Secretariis T. IV.) have shewn. The custom of washing the altar is observed in the Latin church in those of the Dominicans and Carmelites; and also according to Benedict XIV "in many churches of France, Germany and other remote countries" among which Cancellieri reckons Spain. It is mentioned by S. Isidore (lib. de Eccles. Offic. c. 18) by Alcuin (de divinis offic.) and in the Sarum, Parisian and many other missals quoted by Martene. What however is its meaning? While Monsignor Battelli, in his dissertation on the subject, maintains that this custom was instituted for the sake of cleanliness, rather than from a wish to denote any mystery, and that this day was selected as the most convenient, because the altars were already stripped; the abbot Rupert and Belet discover mystical meanings in the sponges, towels, wine, water, and even aspergilli. We prefer a middle course, and while we are willing to admit with Durandus and others an allusion in the wine and water to the blood and water which flowed from our Saviour on the cross, we maintain with the learned S. Isidore, S. Eligius, Benedict XIV and others, that we wash the altar, the symbol of Christ, from motives of respect to Him, who on this day washed the feet of His disciples.
Two great virtues are embodied in the ceremonies of this day, and impart to them their life and loveliness: they are the essential and characteristic virtues of Christians, by the practice of which they imitate their divine Master and model, and come at last to be united to Him in heaven. Christ was moved by charity to institute the Holy Sacrament, and by humility to wash His disciples feet. Let us then learn of him because He was meek and humble of heart, and let us love one another, because Christ hath first loved us, and commands us to love one another.
Footnote 57: [(return)]
In Africa two were customary, one in the morning, and the other after supper. S. August. ep. 54 ad Januarium.
Footnote 58: [(return)]
For an account of this ancient ceremony the reader may see Fleury, Moeurs des Chretiens; Funz. della Settimana Santa. Martene, lib. IV, 22. etc.
Footnote 59: [(return)]
"Balsam is produced in the vineyards of Engaddi, and in preparing chrism it is mixed with oil and consecrated by the pontifical benediction, that all the faithful may be signed with this unction at confirmation". Ven. Bede, in canlic. cap. I. The Greeks bless the chrism on the same day as the Latins, having prepared it a few days previously. See their Euchelogium, Ordo VIII entitled, On the composition of the great ointment in the Costantinop. church ap. Martene, loc. cit.
Footnote 60: [(return)]
Only one priest says mass in each on this day and the other priests communicate, as on it Christ alone said mass, and distributed the Holy communion to the apostles. Although for many centuries both kinds were ordinarily received, yet the custom of communicating under the form of bread alone is very ancient. Thus in time of persecution the faithful used to carry to their houses the holy communion under the form of bread alone, the hermits also preserved it in the deserts, the sick received it as their viaticum, the ministers of God kept it in the churches, for their spiritual support, and the bishops used to send it to their clergy in token of their union in charity. These were all instances of communion under one kind, which are enumerated and proved by many Catholic divines, as for instance by Dr. Rock in his Hierurgia. They demonstrate the constant belief of the church, that the whole sacrament is received under one kind only; and Christ himself in the scriptures attributes its admirable effects to the act of eating only as well as to that of eating and drinking. "He that eateth this bread shall live for ever" etc. In fact since His resurrection "He dieth now no more": His body and blood and soul and Divinity are united together for evermore, and consequently the communicant receives under the form of bread alone Christ himself whole and entire. The Latin church prescribed the general reception of communion under one kind, in order to obviate accidents which frequently arose from the indiscriminate use of the chalice, and in opposition to the error of the Hussites: Thus Paul II took occasion from the presence of Frederic III at Rome, to give a public and illustrious proof of the condemnation of this new heresy by the church, by giving communion under one kind only to the Emperor, and also to the deacon and subdeacon, who generally communicate under both kinds when the Pope sings mass. In the Greek and other oriental churches communion is administered under one kind to the sick and others who are prevented by distance from communicating in the churches. The general communion customary on holy-thursday is prescribed by the English bishop Walter in the 10th century, in the capitulary of Theodulph of Orleans, and by all ancient pontificals and missals, according to Martene T. 3, p. 98. It is practised also by the Greeks, as Leo Allatius testifies. De consensu utriusque Ecclesiæ lib. 3. Palmer (Vol. 2. p. 76) says "It is not essential to the validity of the Sacrament, that the bread should be whole and entire before consecration, and broken afterwards: but the Universal practice of the Christian church, derived from the apostles and from Jesus Christ himself ought not to be infringed in this matter". Yet even Bp. Middleton whom he quotes in the same page, says "When there were many communicants, in primitive times, there were several cakes or loaves, in proportion to the number: and it took some time after the consecration was finished, to break and divide them for distribution". Each person communicated from his own offering: hence S. Augustine says "Erubescere debet homo idoneus si de aliena oblatione communicaverit" Serm. 215 de Temp, any longer justification of the general practice of the Roman church would therefore be superfluous.
Footnote 61: [(return)]
"From the frequent mention of oil in scripture as the emblem of spiritual gifts it was actually used in the primitive church in the ceremonies of admitting catechumens, and in baptising". Tracts of the Times, Vol. 1, no. 34.
Footnote 62: [(return)]
Our ardent love of this classic soil tempts us to insert the following noble instance from Cicero (pro Milone XXXI) "Vos enim jam Albani tumuli atque luci vos, inquam, imploro alque tester vosque Albanorum obrutæ aræ, sacrorum populi Romani sociæ et æquales, quas ille præceps amentia cæsis prostratisque sanctissimi lucis substructionum insanis molibus oppresserat: vestræ tum aræ, vestræ religiones viguerunt, vestra vis valuit, quam ille (Clodius) omni scelere polluarat: tuque ex tuo edito monte, Latiaris sancte Jupiter, cujus ille lacus, nemora, finesque sæpe omni nefario stupro et scelere macularat, aliquaudo ad eum puniendum oculos aperuisti: vobis illæ, vobis vestro in conspecta seræ sed justæ tamen et debitæ pænæ solutæ sunt".
Footnote 63: [(return)]
These troccole were formerly called by the hard names of crepitacula ligna congregantia, mallei excitatorii. The Greeks used them anciently, as Martene proves from a libellus de miraculis Anastasii presented to the second council of Nice, from S. John Chrysostom's life by Metaphrastes etc. etc. In modern times also they continue to use them. Benedict XIV observes that the practice of the Latin church on these days is intended to preserve the remembrance of the ancient custom. It is also evidently intended, like the reversed arms of the soldiers, as a sign of mourning for the death of Christ. This silence of the bells is prescribed in the ancient rituals: mystical interpreters assign as a reason, that they signify Christ's preachers and apostles, who were silent during the sufferings of their Master.
Footnote 64: [(return)]
S. Greg. Turon. De mirac. S. Martini "oblatis super altare sacris muneribus, mysterioque Corporis et Sanguinis Christi palla ex more cooperto.", Vid. Bona. Lib. II, c. 13. not. 12.
Footnote 65: [(return)]
This mass is found in the Antiphonary and Sacramentary of Pope Gregory the great; in all churches but the Roman, as Marlene observes, vespers were joined with the mass on this day, as they are on holy Saturday throughout the Latin church. On holy-thursday the Pope used generally to preach after the gospel, and in the mean time the Cardinals stripped the altar: after the sermon the Pope blessed the people as usual, and then began the Credo, according to Benedict, Canon of S. Peter's. His Holiness drank on this day directly from the chalice, and did not use the golden reed or fistola, as on other occasions; this we learn from the Apamean Pontifical.
Footnote 66: [(return)]
This chapel was erected by Paul III according to the design of Antonio Sangallo. Its two large frescoes are the last efforts of the genius of Michelangelo, then aged 75 years: they represent the crucifixion of S. Peter and the conversion of S. Paul. The fall of Simon Magus, and the baptism conferred by S. Peter, painted on the righthand-wall are works of Federico Zuccheri; on the opposite side S. Paul at Malta, and restoring the young man, who had fallen from a window, are by Lorenzo Sabbatino da Bologna, the ceiling was painted by Federico Zuccheri. The B. Sacrament is publicly and solemnly exposed in this chapel for the adoration of the faithful on the first Sunday of Advent as well as on holy-thursday See Chaltard; Descriz. del Vaticano Taja, Palazzo Vaticano.
Footnote 67: [(return)]
S. John Chrysostom established processions at Constantinople in opposition to those of the Arians; and the empress Eudoxia supplied the people with silver crosses and wax lights, to be carried on such occasions. Socrat. Hist. Eccl. lib. VI, c. 8, Sozomen lib. VIII, c. 8. Processions were incompatible with the persecutions of the first three centuries. During them, and even long after Constantine, in consequence of the discipline of secrecy, there was neither public exposition or procession of the B. Sacrament. The faithful however adored it privately, as for instance, S. Gregory Nazianzen relates of his sister Gorgonia, that when seized by a fever "she fell down with faith before the altar, and invoked with a loud cry Him who is honoured thereupon". (Discourse on her funeral). S. Cyril of Jerusalem also exhorts the believer, that when he receives the chalice of the blood of Christ he should bow down profoundly and adore. (Catech. 5), The office and mass of Corpus Christi were composed by S. Thomas Aquinas. As holy-thursday is in great part devoted to the sufferings of Christ, the festival of Corpus Christi with its procession was instituted about the middle of the thirteenth century by Urban IV at the petition of B. Juliana of Mount Cornelione, and in consequence of the miracle of Bolsena, well known as the subject of one of Raffaello's frescoes in the Vatican. See Bened. XIV, De Festis, and the authors cited by him. The miraculous corporal stained with blood is still preserved at Orvieto, the celebrated cathedral of which owes its foundation to the miracle. "No one eats that flesh, says S. Augustine, unless he has first adored" in ps. 98 "The flesh of Christ," says S. Ambrose "which we adore even now in the mysteries, and which the apostles adored in the Lord Jesus" (de Spir. S. lib. 34, c. 12) All the fathers and liturgies mention this adoration, which was therefore derived from apostolic tradition. Sala ad Bonæ lib. 2, c. 13.
Footnote 68: [(return)]
In the Greek church communion is on this day reserved for the sick of the ensuing year under the form of bread alone, according to Leo Allatius. (De utriusque Ecclesiæ consensione). Pope Innocent I in the beginning of the 5th century directs, that the eucharist be preserved on this day for the priest and the sick. This reservation is mentioned also in the Gregorian sacramentary, without any mention of the sacred blood, since it might be spilt. It has taken place in the Pauline chapel ever since its erection by Paul III. A particle of the B. Sacrament was formerly preserved after mass on festivals and carried back in procession to the sacristy: it was carried to the altar in procession on the next festival, and a portion or the whole of it was put into the chalice before the host was broken. See Cancellieri, De Secretariis T. I, p. 217, seq.
Footnote 69: [(return)]
These prelates used to refer cases and petitions to the Popes, as they now do the former to their tribunal, which according to Gonzalez derives its name of Segnatura from the signature of the sovereign affixed to its decree.
Footnote 70: [(return)]
They are formed of peacocks' feathers, the eyes of which according to Macri and others signify the vigilance and circumspection of the Pontiffs. They are mentioned in the apostolic constitutions, in which it is prescribed, that two deacons should hold, them in order to drive away flies, which might otherwise fall into the chalice. Accordingly, at the ordination of the deacons in the Greek church, among other instruments a Flabellum is given to them for their ministry at the altar: this S. Anastasius is said to have used while a deacon. Flabella are mentioned in the liturgies of SS. Basil, Chrisostom, and other Greek and Syriac liturgies, Flabella are in the Latin church a mark of distinction, and are carried for the Grand Prior of the knights of Malta the bishop of Troja in Aquila, and the archbishop of Messina, as well as for His Holiness.
Footnote 71: [(return)]
Since the time of Clement XIV, the custom of reading from the loggia on this day the bull in Coena Domini has been abolished. (On this bull see de Maistre du Pape lib. 2, c. 14). According to the doctrine of S. Paul, the B. Sacrament is the bond as it is the symbol of union or communion between the faithful; "We being many are one body, all who partake of one bread" 1 Cor. X, 17, and hence this day of its institution was selected for the public excommunication of those, who reject the doctrines of the church, or maliciously oppose her ordinances. After the bull had been read "many candles are lighted, of which the Lord Pope himself holds some, and each cardinal and prelate one lighted, and he extinguishes and throws them on the ground, saying, we excommunicate all the aforesaid; and then the bells are rung together without observing any order". Ap. Gatticuin, Acta Cerem. 82. These ceremonies are interpreted to mean the extinction of the grace of the holy Ghost; and the dispersion of unbelievers, as on the contrary the regular and orderly ringing of bells calls the faithful together.
Footnote 72: [(return)]
It is supported by the subdeacon habited in the tunic or tonacella.
Footnote 73: [(return)]
John the deacon, in his life of Gregory the great, mentions the Sacellarius or Treasurer (see Thomassin lib. 2. c. 103, n. 11), whom that holy Pope commanded according to custom to invite the twelve pilgrims to dinner. Besides the gifts mentioned above, the white dress is given to these apostles, who are chosen by some Cardinals, Ambassadors, the Propaganda, the Maggiordomo, and the captain of the Swiss guards.
Footnote 74: [(return)]
The water is brought to him by the Prince assisting at the throne, and the towel is presented by the first Cardinal Priest. When the Pope is prevented from performing this ceremony, the Cardinal Dean supplies his place in presence of the sacred college (Lunadoro). In that case the gospel is sung, not by a cardinal, but by the prelate who is deacon of the cappella. Formerly, according to the MS. Pontifical of the Apamean church written in 1214, Vespers were sung by the Pope's chaplains, while he washed the feet of twelve subdeacons.
Footnote 75: [(return)]
Chardin and other travellers testify, that this practice is preserved in modern times. In Homer's Odyssey the custom of taking a bath before a banquet is frequently mentioned, III, 467; IV, 49, VI. 216; VIII, 449.
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The emperors of Costantinople used (according to Codinus De Officiis Aulæ Costantinop.) to wash the feet of twelve poor persons: and Vespasiano Fiorentino in the fifteenth century, in his life of Alfonso di Napoli quoted by Cancellieri, says that "Il Giovedi Santo lavava i piedi a tanti poveri, quant' egli aveva anni, et lavavagli, come si deve ... et a tutti dava una veste bianca, et un pajo di calze, et un Alfonsino, et un fiorino et un carlino, et non so che altra moneta. Dipoi il Giovedi medesímo faceva ordinare una cena,... et la Maestà del Re la pigliava, et metteva loro innanzi, e con il vino, et quello avevano di bisogno con grandissima umiltà". See also Martene, De Ant. Eccl. Rit. Lib. IV, c. XII, § 8. Our readers will here call to mind the good old custom still preserved of the maundy of our British Sovereigns, so called from mandatum, the first word of the first anthem sung during, the washing of the feet. In the Greek church, according to Baillet, not only are the feet of twelve poor persons washed, but the name of an apostle is given to each of them; as it may be supposed, nobody is anxious to have the name of Judas Iscariot: so lots are drawn to determine the person who is to represent that traitor. This may remind us of the threat of Leonardo da Vinci to copy the head of Judas, in his celebrated last supper, from the importunate Prior of S. Maria delle Grazie of Milan. Poor Leonardo despaired of finding a model for the head of our Saviour; and for more than a year was seeking the rabble for a fit subject whom he might represent as Judas: meantime the Prior was continually worrying him to finish the fresco. "In ogni caso poi" said he to Lodovico Sforza, "faro capitale del ritratto del P. Priore, che lo merita per la sua importunità e per la sua poca discrezione". The story of Leonardo bears some resemblance to the manner in which Michelangelo punished Biagio da Cesena Pontifical Master of Ceremonies, who before Daniel of Volterra had acquired his well-known nickname of braghettone complained to the Pope, that the naked figures of the last judgment were unworthy of a house of prayer. The artist introduced his censor in his painting as Minos judge of the infernal regions, with long ears like those of the other devils, and a serpent's tail. Paul III when appealed to is said to have answered, that if his Ceremoniere had been in Purgatory, he might have helped him out, but out of hell there was no redemption. This Papal witticism Platner could not find in any writer earlier than Richardson (See Beschreibung der Stadt Rom) but se non è vero, è ben trovato. Dante was not more scrupulous than Michelangelo about thrusting his opponents into his inferno.
Pictoribus atque poetis
Quidlibet audendi semper fuit æqua potestas.
Footnote 77: [(return)]
The mosaics with which it was adorned by Pope Leo III are preserved in the great niche adjoining the scala santa.
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The Portuguese, Spanish and some other churches are generally distinguished on this day by the brilliancy of the illumination of their sepulchres.
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In the eighth century Pope Hadrian I, according to Anastasius, suspended under the principal or triumphal arch, as it was called, a silver cross with 1365 or 1380 small lamps, which where lighted at Easter and other great festivals. This was perhaps the origin of the cross which used to be suspended in S. Peter's at this season.
Footnote 80: [(return)]
We have already mentioned an ancient Christian fresco in which an aspergillum is represented.
Footnote 81: [(return)]
Formerly, as Card. Borgia has proved (De Cruce Vaticana) this ceremony was performed in S. Peter's on good Friday. In other churches there were two distinct observances; 1. that of stripping the altars on holy Thursday, when Christ's passion began; and 2. that of washing them with wine and on good Friday, when blood and water flowed from His side, as the Abbot Rupert observes. For the ancient ceremonies of this day at Rome see besides the Apamean Pontifical above-cited, the Pontificals of Egebert archbishop of York and of Tirpin archbishop of Rheims ap. Martene, loc. cit. In some places the fast of Lent was not observed on this day, as appears from S. Augustine, Ep. 54 and Januarium. Of old this was the day for shaving in preparation for Easter-Sunday: it was therefore called shere-Thursday.