'TAND FAST IN THE FAITH’

New Zealand Tablet, 1 April 1915, Page 7

'TAND FAST IN THE FAITH ’

(A Weekly Instruction specially written for the N.Z. Tablet by Ghimel.) % THE MASS IN TIME OF WAR. Some readers may find it useful to have the remaining parts of the Votive Mass, the prayers of which were given last week. The Introit : ‘ Remember, O Lord, Thy bowels of compassion, and Thy mercies, which are from the beginning of the world; lest our enemies triumph over us: deliver us, O God of Israel from all our troubles. To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust: let me not be ashamed. Glory be to the Father,’ etc. The Epistle is taken from the 42nd chapter of Jeremias. The whole chapter describes one of the last known incidents in the prophet’s life. After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremias, treated kindly by the Chaldaeans, went to live at Mizpah. Here one Ishmael, a member of the royal family, tried to force the prophet and other Jewish refugees to migrate with him across the Jordan into the territory of the Ammonites. His purpose, however, was defeated by Johanan. Then this leader and the other refugees resolved to seek a home in Egypt. Jeremias did all that was possible to dissuade them from carrying out this purpose, and this part of his prophecies, which is now read in the Mass, records his faith-inspired words on the occasion : ‘ In those days went all the captains of the warriors, and said to Jeremias the prophet: Pray thou for us to the Lord thy God. And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias. And he called all the captains of the fighting men, and all the people from the least to the greatest. And he said to them : Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, to Whom you sent me, to present your supplications before Him. If you will be quiet and remain in this land, I will build you up, and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for now I am’ appeased for the evil that I have done to you. Fear, not because of the king of Babylon, of whom you are greatly afraid : fear him not, saith the Lord; for I am with yon to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will show mercies to you, and will take pity on you, and will cause you to dwell in your own land : saith the Lord Almighty.’ The other Scriptural reading that follows is taken from the Psalms: ‘ Thou art the God that alone doest wonders: Thou hast made Thy power known among the nations. With Thy arm Thou hast redeemed Thy people, the children of Jacob and of Joseph. Alleluia. Alleluia. Deliver me from my enemeis, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me. Alleluia. The Gospel is taken from the familiar passage in St. Matthew. Our Lord .would not satisfy the curiosity of his disciples as to the time of the world s end, but contented himself with indicating some of the signs heralding its approach. At that time, the disciples came to Him privately, saying Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall bo the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the world? And Jesus, answering, said to them: Take heed that no man seduce you ; for many will come in My name saying, I am Christ; and they will seduce many. And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you be not troubled. For these things must come to pass,/but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in places. Now all these are the beginning of sorrows. The Offertory is a due acknowledgment of God power Thou wilt save the humble people, O Lord; but Thou wilt bring down the eyes of the proud; for who is God, but Thou, O Lord?’ The Communion Prayer is a brief but earnest cry for help: ‘Bow down Thy ear. £o me, make haste to deliver me.' ■