The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-04-05
HOLY church desires that our

and sadness joy by joining in the acclama-
tions OF the city of David !; sadness. by re-
Stunning quickly her borrowings over the suf-
ferings Of her Divine Spouse. The Office is
divided into three distinct acts concerning
each of which we shall say n few words.
The Blessing OF the Palms is the first rite,
whose Importance may be judged by the
sOlemnity the Church displays. 1t seems
as if the Holy Sacrifice were about to begin
Immediately, without any other intention
sary of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
The Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual, Cos
pei, even the Preface, come one after the
other, rs if in preparation for the immola=
ton of the mystic branches. The prayers
employed in the blessing are eloquent and
replete with instruction. The branches OF
trees receive. through these prayers accom-
panied with incense and the sprinklinS OF
holy water, virtue which raises them to
the supernatural order, and makes them tit
to assist in the sanctifcation of our souls
and the protection of our bodies. The faith
/ full should hold these branches respectfully
in their hands during the procession, and
ut mass during the chanting of the Passion,
and give them an honorable place i'll their
houses, as q mark of their faith and of their
hope in the assistance of God.
There is no need of reminding the reader
that these palms or branches are to be car
ried in memory of those with which the cit
liens of Jerusalem honored the triumphal
march of the Saviour, but it Will be well to
say few words upon the antiquity of the
custom. 1t began at an early date In the
East and probably in Jerusalem at the very
first moment of peace that was given to the
Church. In the fourth century St. Cyril,
bishop of that city, testifes that the palm
tree, from which branches We're taken by
the people who went out to meet our
Blessed Redeemer, still existed in the valley
of CedrOn; nothing was more natural than
A<~s
stitute Il commemorative anniversary of the
event. In the following century we see the
ceremony established not only in all the
churches of the East, but also in the mon
asteries which covered the sOlitudes of
Egypt and Syria. At the beginning of Lent
many of the holy monks obtained permits
sion to penetrate deeper into the desert, in
order to spend the time in greater recollec-
ton: but they all had to return to their re-
spective inconsistencies by Palm Sunday, as
we learn from the life of Saint Eutlymius,
written by his disciple Cyril. In the West
this rite was not established so early; the
first trace we find of it is i'll the Sacrament
a,y of st. Gregory, which supposes the end
OF the sixth OF the beginning of the seventh
century. AS the faith came to the North,
it was no longer possible to perfOrm the GER
emony i'll all its integrity, for the palm and
olive trees do not grow i'll these regions
The palm had to he replaced by branches of
other Trees but nothing was allowed to he
changed in the prayers for the blessing, be-
cause the mysteries alluded to in them are
founded OH the oliXe-and palm branches |
mentioned i'll the gospel and represented by
our branches of laurel and cedar. The Sc
cond rite of-Palm Sunday is the procession.
Its object is to represent the triumphant
march of our Saviour toward Jerusalem,
and His entering into that city and in order
that the imitation be complete, all who take
part in the procession carry green branches
ill their hands. With the Jews the act of
holding in the hand the branch of il tree
was IL sign of joy; and the divine law sane
toned the usage. In the book of Leviticus,
it is said concerning the Feast of the Taber-
n,clcs: And youslall take *** the branches
of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees,
and Willows of the brook and you shall
rejoice before the Lord your God. The
OF the Holy Sacrifice. Now all is changed.
The Giant now bears the impress of desc
latiOn: and to increase the mOurnfulness
which lasts throughout the remainder OF the
daySth The Passion of the Redeemer is read.
For thelast five or six centuries the Church
has adopted>a peculiar manner OF reciting
the narTation>of the gospel. We hear, in
the first place, the historian who narrates
the facts i'll n graveyard pathetic tone; the
words ofJesus bear Il mild and noble accent,
strongly contrasted with the high and shrill
tones of Judas and the other interlocutors,
and with the loud cries of the populace.-
The whole has IL truly dramatic effect
During the singing of the Passion, all should
hold the blessed branches in their hands, to
protest by this ign of triumph against the
humiliations of our Redeemer has to suffer
from the hands of His enemies. 1t is when
He, for love of us, permits Himself to be
tr;umpled under foot by sinners, that we
should the more loudly proclaim Him our
God and our Sovereign King.-4rc Maria.
\ CANADIAN MoTHER.-The letter of
which the following is IL Translation, was
addressed by II Canadian mother to her son
on the eve of his departure for Rome to join
the Pontifical Zouaves. 1t is worthy of be-
ing reproduced in every language in Chris
tendon as Il noble example of the heroism
of Il Christian mother in sacrificing to the