The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-08-25
THE AGNUS DEL.
CEREMONY OF TIE BLESSING BY
THE HOLY FATHER.

How the WaIen Lambs Are DiStFib-
uted by His Holiness and Find
Their Way TO All Parts of the
Notwithstanding the Holy Amulet
At the present day and fer some
time past the Agnus Del is blessed on
ly by the pope. The ceremony takes
place, according to Molanus, during
Easter time, in the first year of the
reign of the sovereign pontiff and once
every seven years thereafter The
Catholic Dictionary" says the bless
ing is performed on the Thursday Of
Easter week. while Barry will have it
on Low Sunday. This last opinion is
from the ceremony of the distribution,
which takes place on the Saturday be-
I fore Low Sunday. The ceremony of
/ the blessing is as follows:
3 The pope first blesses water, after
/ which he pours balsam and oil into it
in the form Of a cross. He then recites
q number of prayers and blessings
/ over the masses of wax fashioned into
the form of lambs. This done, the wax
images are carried on silver trays with
great sOIemnity by the attendants to
the holy father, who immerses them
in the blessed water. The prelates who
are in attendance on the occasion lift
them out of the water and, having
dried them, put them in a place pre-
pared for their reception, where they
remain till the following Saturday.
1t may be remarked in passing that
blessing of the Agnus Del, but that
afterWard oil and balsam were added.
1t may also be noted that although the
masses of wax are formed into lambs.
these are not all of the same size; and,
further, that certain Inscriptions and
the images of saints, as we'll as the
figure of lamb, are sometimes stamp
ed on them.
On the Saturday Of Easter week dur
ing the mass Of the holy father a sub
deacon carries the Agnus Deis to the
altar on a large silver tray before the
pope's communion, singing at the same
time: Holy father, these are the young
lambs which have announced to you,
alleluia. Behold they have just come
from the fountains. They are filed
with light alleluia," words which evil
IDENTIFY apply rather to the newly bap-
TIED than to the wax images.
The pope then distributes the Agnus
Deis, with appropriate ceremony, dur
ing the singing of the Agnus Del of the
mass-first to the cardinals, who on
receiving them kiss his hand; next to
the bishops, wearing of their miters,
who kiss his right knee, and finally to
the prothonotaries, who PROSTATE
themselves and kiss the cross on his
sandal. From the hands of these sew
eral persons the Agnus Deis find their
way by subdivision and distribution to
all parts of the world, where, with the
care Of pious persons. religious women
for the most part, they are divided into
small portions and incased in appro-
pirate covers-generally in the form of
a heart-for the use of the faithful
After having learned something of
the manner in which the Agnus Del is
blessed and reaches us very practical
question is, What spiritual benefit may
we expect to derive from the devout
use Of this holy amulet? But first it
may be said as to the manner of wear
ing it that it differs from the scapular,
for, while the latter must be worn so
that one part hangs upon the breast
and the other on, the back, with one
string passing over each shoulder, the
latter may be worn attached to the
scapular or it may be carried in any
other way about the person. The man.
ner of wearing it is not prescribed as a
condition for securing the benefits at
tached to it. This promised, it may be
said that the benefits which the devout
wearer of the Agnus Del may expect
to reap from it are well expressed in
the prayers recited in the blessing
which it receives at the hands of the
holy father.
By these several benedictions the
church. the divinely appointed dispens-
er of the mysteries of God, causes in
animate objects to become vehicles for
grace and the divine protec-
ton to such of the faithful as use them
with lively faith, ardent charity and
firm confidence in God; and not only
so, but the divine mercy sometimes |
goes, if we may be allowed the express
sion, to extraordinary lengths, and by |
means of them bestows graces upon
some persons who, to all human dis
are manifestly unworthy of
them, to convince us that the spirit
oreathes where he will and to encour-
lge sinners to repentance. Few priests
out have witnessed a greater or less
lumber of these extraordinary mani
festations of the divine mercy. Let ev-
cry one take the Agnus Del and wear
t devoutly, and God himself win show
what great benefits it bestows.-Week-
y Bouquet.