The Passion Offices
- Kelvin Sandigo
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
A week ago Dr. Peter Kwasniewski posted on New Liturgical Movement a letter written by the hand of Pope St. Pius X containing excerpts of chants from a lesser-known feast of the greater Lenten season. The feast in particular, that of the Most Holy Crown of Thorns of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is grouped with others to form the Passion Offices. The associated article from the Catholic Encyclopedia gives a detailed account of the history of seven of these offices.
Tuesday after Septuagesima: Of the Prayer of Our Lord on Mount Olivet
Tuesday after Sexagesima: Of the Passion
*Tuesday after Quinquagesima: Of the Sacred Column of Flagellation
Friday after Ash Wednesday: Of the Crown of Thorns
Friday after the 1st Sunday of Lent: Of the Spear and Nails
Friday after the 2nd Sunday of Lent: Of the Windingsheet
Friday after the 3rd Sunday of Lent: Of the Five Holy Wounds
Friday after the 4th Sunday of Lent: Of the Most Precious Blood
The office inserted between nos. 2 and 3, that of the Sacred Column of Flagellation, is not found in the Catholic Encyclopedia or in most missals and breviaries that include the rest, possibly because it coincides with Shrove Tuesday. However, it does appear in the Roman Antiphonale of 1912; all eight offices are in the section titled Officia Propria Pro Aliquibus Locis ("Proper Offices for Some Places"), insinuating that these feasts were widespread but not universally celebrated.
Although the first two of these offices are behind us for this year, those so inclined are invited to observe these pious commemorations as a way to sanctify their Tuesdays of Septuagesima and Fridays of Lent. The individual links in the list above redirect to standalone articles on the Society of St. Bede website which include the Mass readings and several Breviary hymns with English translations when available. As an example, and maybe even an inspiration, below is one of the translations provided for yesterday's Vespers hymn, Mærentes oculi.
1. Now let us sit and weep,
And fill our hearts with woe ;
Pondering the shame, and torments deep,
Which God from wicked men did undergo.
2. See ! how the multitude,
With swords and staves, draw nigh ;
See ! how they smite with buffets rude
That head divine of awful majesty:
3. How, bound with cruel cord,
Christ to the scourge is given ;
And ruffians lift their hands, unaw'd,
Against the King of kings and Lord of Heaven.
4. Hear it ! ye people, hear !
Our good and gracious God,
Silent beneath the lash severe,
Stands with his sacred shoulders drench'd in blood.
5. O scene for tears ! but now
The sinful race contrive
A torment new : deep in his brow,
With all their force the jagged thorns they drive.
6. Then roughly dragg'd to death,
Christ on the Cross is slain ;
And, as He dies, with parting breath,
Into his Father's hands gives back his soul again.
7. To Him who so much bore,
To gain for sinners grace,
Be praise and glory evermore,
From the whole universal human race.
Comentários