My LORD’s BibleThe Roman Missal: Holy Saturday (English) 1
The service of Holy Saturday, in English, as printed in the Rev. F. C. Husenbeth's Missal for the use of the Laity (London, 1853), in the form used from the Council of Trent until the liturgical reform of the 1950s: the blessing of the new fire and of the Paschal candle with the Exultet, the twelve Prophecies, the Litany of the Saints, the Mass of the Easter Vigil and its Vespers. (The blessing of the baptismal font is not printed in this book.) Easter Sunday is in a later book. This is the English only; the Latin of the chants and psalms is to be added. The words in square brackets are the Missal's own headings and directions. A liturgy of the Catholic Church, not scripture.
1[Holy Saturday.]
4Let us pray.
5Prayer. Deus qui. O God, who hast bestowed on thy faithful the fire of thy brightness, by thy Son, who is the corner-stone; sancti ✠ fy this new fire produced from the flint, that it may prove serviceable to us: and grant us so to be inflamed with heavenly desires through this paschal solemnity, that we may be able to arrive with pure minds at the festival of perpetual light. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
6Let us pray.
7Prayer. Domine Deus. O Lord God, Father Almighty, unfailing light, who art the Creator of all light; bless ✠ this light, which by thee is blessed and sanctified, who didst enlighten the whole world; that we may be inflamed with that light, and enlightened with the fire of thy brightness: and as thou didst give light to Moses going out of Egypt, so enlighten our hearts and senses, that we may deserve to arrive at life and light eternal. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
8Let us Pray.
9Prayer. Domine sancte. Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, vouchsafe thy co-operation to us who bless this fire in thy name, and in that of thy only begotten Son Jesus Christ our God and Lord, and of the Holy Ghost; and help us against the fiery darts of the enemy, and enlighten us with heavenly grace. Who livest and reignest, &c. R. Amen.
10[Then he blesses the five grains of incense, as follows:]
11May the abundant infusion of thy bles ✠ sing come upon this incense, we beseech thee, Almighty God; and do thou, O invisible regenerator, light up this nocturnal splendour, that not only the sacrifice, which this night is immolated, may shine with the secret mixture of thy light, but in whatever place any portion of the mystery of this sanctification may be brought, the wickedness of the fraud of the devil being driven away, the power of thy majesty may be present. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
12[During this Prayer the Thurifer fills the thurible with coals from the fire, and the Priest first sprinkles the grains of incense and the fire with holy water, saying, Asperges me, &c. and then incenses them thrice.]
14The light of Christ. R. Thanks be to God.
15[He sings the same louder in the middle of the Church, and still louder before the Altar. Then he begs the Priest's blessing which is given in these words:]
16May the Lord be in thy heart, and on thy lips; that thou mayest worthily and duly announce his paschal praise: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, ✠ and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
17[He incenses the Book, and all stand up while he sings:]
18Let the angelic choirs of heaven now rejoice; let the divine mysteries rejoice; and let the trumpet of salvation sound for the victory of so great a King. Let the earth also rejoice, illumined with such splendour; and, enlightened with the brightness of the eternal King, let it feel that the darkness of the whole world is dispersed. Let also our mother the Church be glad, adorned with the brightness of so great light; and may this temple resound with the loud voices of the people. Wherefore, I beseech you, most dear brethren, who are here present in the wonderful brightness of this holy light, to invoke with me the mercy of Almighty God. That he who has vouchsafed to number me among the levites, without any merits of mine, would pour forth the brightness of his light, and enable me to perfect the praise of this taper. Through our Lord Jesus Christ his Son, who lives and reigns with him in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God: World without end. Amen.
19The Lord be with you. And with thy spirit. Raise up your hearts. We have them raised up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is meet and just.
20It is truly meet and just to glorify with all our heart, and all the affection of our minds, and with the ministry of our voices, the invisible God, the Father Almighty, and his only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who paid for us the debt of Adam, to his eternal Father, and with his merciful blood washed away the hand-writing of our ancient sin. For this is the paschal solemnity, in which that true Lamb is slain, by whose blood the posts of the faithful are consecrated. This is the night in which thou didst first enable our fathers, the children of Israel brought out of Egypt, to pass through the Red Sea with dry feet. This, therefore, is the night which purified the darkness of sinners by the light of a pillar; this is the night which at this time throughout the world restores to grace, and associates in sanctity those that believe in Christ, and are separated from the vices of the world and the darkness of sinners; this is the night in which, destroying the bonds of death, Christ arose victoriously from the grave. For it would have profited us nothing to have been born, if we had not received the benefit of redemption. O wonderful condescension of thy mercy towards us! O inestimable affection of charity: that thou mightest redeem a slave, thou didst deliver up thy Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam, which was blotted out by the death of Christ! O happy fault, which deserved to possess such and so great a Redeemer! O truly blessed night, which alone deserved to know the time and hour in which Christ rose again from the grave. This is the night of which it is written: And the night shall be enlightened as the day; and the night is my light in my enjoyments. Therefore the sanctification of this night drives away crimes, and cleanses faults; and restores to the fallen, innocence, and to the afflicted, joy. It puts to flight hatreds; it prepares concord, and brings down imperiousness.
21[Here he fixes the five grains of blessed incense in the candle, in the form of a cross.]
22Therefore in the grace of this night, receive, O holy Father, the evening sacrifice of this incense, which the holy Church presents to thee in this solemn oblation of this wax candle, the work of bees, by the hands of thy ministers. Now also we know the praises of this column, which in the honour of God the shining fire enkindles.
23[Here he lights the candle with one of the three candles upon the reed.]
24Which although divided into parts, suffers no detriment from its light being borrowed. For it is nourished by the melting wax, which the parent bee produced for the substance of this precious taper.
25[Here the Lamps are lighted, if there are any in the church.]
26O truly blessed light, which despoiled the Egyptians, and enriched the Hebrews; a night, in which heavenly things are united to those of earth, and things divine to those which are human. We beseech thee, therefore, O Lord, that this taper, consecrated in the honour of thy name, to destroy the darkness of this night, may continue unfailing, and received for an odour of sweetness, may be mixed with the heavenly lights. May the morning star find its flame alive. That star, I say, who knows no setting. He who returning from the grave, serenely shone upon mankind. We pray thee, therefore, O Lord, that thou wouldst grant peaceful times, and vouchsafe to rule, govern and preserve, with constant protection, in this paschal festivity, us thy servants, and all the clergy and most devout people; together with our most holy Father, Pope N. and our bishop N. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ thy Son: who lives and reigns with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
27[Then the Deacon changes his white Ornaments for purple, and goes to the Priest, who takes a purple Chasuble, and reads the following Prophecies in a low voice at the Epistle-end of the Altar, whilst others read them aloud in the Church.]