The Traditional Catholic Liturgy
Adapted from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger OSB.
The Vigil of Pentecost
The dazzling splendor of tomorrow's solemnity forecasts its beauty on this day of its Vigil.
The faithful are preparing themselves by fasting to celebrate the glorious mystery. But the Mass of the neophytes
(the newly baptized), which formerly was celebrated during the night, is now anticipated
(i.e., offered on Saturday morning or afternoon); so that by Saturday evening, we shall have already begun the
praises of the Holy Ghost – the Office of First Vespers will solemnly open the grand festival. The reign of the
Holy Ghost is, therefore, proclaimed by the liturgy of this very day. (In fact at the Vigil Mass, red vestments are
worn and the Preface, Communicantes, and Hanc Igitur of the Feast are said.)
While following the mysteries of the past seasons of the Liturgical Year, we have been frequently told of
the action of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. The lessons read to us, from both the Old and the New Testament,
have more than once excited our respectful attention towards this Divine Spirit, Who seemed to be shrouded in mystery,
the time for Him to be made manifest not having yet arrived. The workings of God in His creatures do not come all at once;
there is a succession in their coming, but come they certainly will. The sacred historian describes how the heavenly Father,
acting through His Word, employed six days in arranging, into its several parts, this world which He had created;
but he also tells us, though under the veil of a mysterious expression, that the Spirit moved over the waters,
which the Son of God was about to divide from the earth.
If, then, the Holy Ghost's visible reign on our earth was deferred until such time as the Man-God should be
enthroned on the Father's right hand, we must not conclude that this Divine Spirit has been inactive.
What are the sacred Scriptures, from which the liturgy has selected so many sublime passages for our instruction,
but the silent production of Him, Who, as the venerable Nicene Creed has it, spoke by the prophets
(Qui locutus est per prophetas
)? He gave us the Word, the Wisdom of God, by the Scriptures, Who gave us,
at a later period, this same Word, in the flesh of human nature.
He has never been a moment of all the past ages without working. He prepared the world for the reign of the
Incarnate Word; He did so by bringing together the various races of once separate nations, and by keeping up that universal
expectation of a Redeemer, which was held alike by the most barbarous and by the most highly civilized. The earth had not
as yet heard the name of the Holy Ghost, but He moved over the universe of mankind, as He moved over the dead mass of water
at the beginning of the world.
Meanwhile, the prophets spoke of Him in several of the prophecies wherein they foretold the coming of the
Son of God. The Lord thus spoke by the lips of Joel: I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh
(Joel 2: 28).
He said to us through Ezechiel: I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness,
and I will cleanse you from all your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and put a new Spirit within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh; and I will put My Spirit
in the midst of you
(Ezech. 36: 25-27).
But previously to the manifestation of Himself, the Holy Ghost was to effect that of the Divine Word.
When infinite power called into existence the body and soul of the future Mother of God, it was He that prepared the
dwelling for the sovereign Majesty, by sanctifying Mary from the instant of Her conception, and taking possession of
Her as the temple into which the Son of God was soon to enter. When the ever blessed day of the Annunciation came,
the Archangel declared unto Mary that the Holy Ghost would come upon Her. No sooner did the Virgin consent to the
fulfillment of the eternal decree, than the operation of the Divine Spirit produced within Her the most ineffable of mysteries:
the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us!
Upon this flower that sprang from the branch of the tree of Jesse, upon this Humanity divinely produced in Mary,
there rested complacently the Spirit of the Father and of the Son; He enriched it with His gifts, He fitted it for its glorious
and everlasting destiny (Is. 11: 1-3). He that had so filled the Mother with the treasures of His grace,
that it seemed to border on infinity, gave incomparably more to Her Child. And, as ever, the Holy Spirit worked these
stupendous wonders silently; or the time of His manifestation had not come. The earth is to catch but a glimpse of Him
on the day of Jesus' baptism, when He will rest with outstretched wings on the head of the well-beloved Son of the Father.
The holy Baptist John will understand the glorious vision, as he had felt, when yet unborn, the presence of the blessed
fruit in Mary's womb; but as to the bystanders, they saw but a dove, but this Dove revealed not His eternal secrets.
The reign of the Son of God, our Emmanuel, is established upon its predetermined foundations. In Him we have
a Brother, for He has assumed our weak human nature; a Teacher, for He is the Wisdom of the Father, and leads us into all truth;
a Physician, for He heals all our infirmities; a Mediator, for by His sacred Humanity He brings all creation to its Creator.
In Him we have a Head, Who is not ashamed of His members, however poor they may be; a King Whom we have seen crowned with an
everlasting diadem; a Lord, Whom the Lord hath made to sit on His right hand (Ps. 109: 1).
But if He rules over this earth for all ages, it is from His throne in Heaven that He is to rule, until the
angel's voice is heard proclaiming that time is no more
(Apoc. 10: 6); and then He will return to
crush the heads
(Ps. 109: 6) of sinners. Meanwhile, long ages are to flow onwards in their course,
and these ages are to be the reign of the Holy Ghost. But as we learn from the evangelist, the Spirit was not given
until such time as Jesus was glorified (John 7: 39). So that our beautiful mystery of the Ascension stands
between the two divine reigns on earth: the visible reign of the Son of God, and the visible reign of the Holy Ghost.
Nor is it only the prophets who announce the succession of the second to the first; it is our Emmanuel Himself, Who,
during the days of His mortal life, heralded the approaching reign of the Divine Spirit.
We have not forgotten His words: It is expedient for you that I go, for if I go not, the Paraclete will
not come to you
(John 16: 7). Oh! how much the world must have needed this Divine Guest, of Whom the very
Son of God made Himself the Precursor! And that we might understand how great is the majesty of this new Master Who is
to reign over us, Jesus thus speaks of the awful chastisements which are to befall them that offend Him:
Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but he that shall speak against
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to come
(Matt. 12: 32).
This Divine Spirit is not, however, to assume our human nature, as did the Son; neither is He to redeem the world,
as did the Son; but He is to come among men with a love so immeasurable, that woe to them who despise it!
It is to Him that Jesus intends to confide the Church, His bride, during the long term of her widowhood;
to Him will He make over His own work, that He may perpetuate and direct it in all its parts.
We, then, who are soon to receive the visit of this Spirit of love on the Feast of Pentecost – He Who is to
renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103: 30), must be all attention, as we were at Bethlehem, when we were awaiting
the birth of our Emmanuel. The Word and the Holy Ghost are coequal in glory and power, and their coming upon the earth
proceeds from the one same eternal and merciful decree of the Blessed Trinity, Who, by this twofold visit, would
make us partakers of the Divine Nature
(2 Peter 1: 4). We, who were once nothingness, are destined to become,
by the operation of the Word and the Spirit, children of the heavenly Father. And if we would know what preparation we
should make for the visit of the Paraclete, let us return in thought to the cenacle, where we left the disciples assembled,
persevering with one mind in prayer, and waiting, as their Master had commanded them, for the power of the Most High to
descend upon them, and arm them for their future combat.
The first we look for in this sanctuary of recollection and peace is Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the masterpiece
of the Holy Ghost, the Church of the Living God, from whom is to be born on the morrow, and by the action of the same
Divine Spirit, the Church Militant; for this Second Eve represents and contains it within Herself. Well, indeed,
does this incomparable creature now deserve our honor! Have we not seen Her glorious share in all the mysteries of the
Man-God? And is She not to be the dearest and worthiest object of the Paraclete's visit? Hail, then, O Mary full of grace!
Thou art our Mother, and we rejoice in being Thy children. The Holy Church expresses this joy of ours, when She thus comments
on the words of David’s canticle (Ps. 86): The dwelling in Thee is as it were of all rejoicing,
O holy Mother of God!
(Office BVM, Ant. 2nd Noct.) In vain wouldst Thou decline the honors that await Thee
on the morrow! Mother Immaculate! Temple of the Holy Ghost! there is no escape, receive Thou must a new visit of the
Divine Spirit, for a new work is entrusted to Thee: the care of the infant Church for years to come!
The Apostolic College is clustered around the Holy Mother; it is such a feast to them to look upon Her,
for they see the likeness of their Jesus in Her face! In the very cenacle where they are now assembled, and in Mary's presence,
an event occurs which is of deep importance. As God, when He formed His Israelite people, chose the twelve sons of Jacob that
they might be the fathers of that privileged race, so did Jesus choose twelve men, and they, too, were Israelites,
that they might be the foundations of the Church, of which He Himself, and Peter together with Him, is the chief corner-stone.
The terrible fall of Judas has reduced the number to eleven; the mysterious number is broken, and the Holy Ghost is about
to descend upon the College of the Apostles. Jesus had not thought it proper to fill up the vacancy before His Ascension
into Heaven: and yet the number must be completed, before the coming of the Power from on high. The Church surely could
not be less perfect than the Synagogue. Who, then, will take Christ's place in designating the new Apostle?
Such a right, says St. John Chrysostom, could not belong to any but Peter; but he humbly waived his right,
and expressed his wish that there should be an election. The choice fell upon Matthias, who immediately took
his place among the Apostles, and awaited the promised Comforter.
In the cenacle, and in Our Blessed Mother's company, there are also the disciples, less honored, it is true,
than the twelve, yet they have been witnesses of the works and mysteries of the Man-God; they, too, are to share in
preaching the good tidings. And finally, the holy women are there, preparing, as the Master had prescribed,
for the visit from on high, which is to tell upon them also. Let us honor this fervent assembly of the hundred and twenty
disciples. They are our models. The Holy Ghost is to descend first upon them, for they are His first-fruits;
but He is to come down upon us also, and it is with a view to prepare us for our Pentecost that the Church imposes on us
today the obligation of fasting.
Formerly, this Vigil was kept like that of Easter. The faithful repaired to the church in the evening,
that they might assist at the solemn administration of Baptism. During the night, the Sacrament of Regeneration was
conferred on such catechumens as sickness or absence from home had prevented from receiving it on Easter night.
Those, also, who had then been thought insufficiently tried or instructed, and had, during the interval,
satisfied the conditions required by the Church, now formed part of the group of aspirants to the new birth of the sacred font.
Instead of the twelve prophecies, which were formerly read on Easter night while the priests were performing over the
catechumens the rites preparatory to Baptism, six only were now read; at least, such was the usual custom,
and it would lead us to suppose that the number of those baptized at Pentecost was less than at Easter.
The Paschal Candle was again brought forward during this night of grace, in order to impress the newly
baptized with respect and love for the Son of God, Who became Man that He might be the Light of the world (John 8: 12).
The rites already described and explained for Holy Saturday were repeated on this occasion, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
at which the neophytes assisted, began before the break of day.
In later times, when the charitable custom of conferring Baptism on children immediately after their birth
passed into a general law, the Mass of the Vigil of Pentecost was said early on Saturday morning, as was done in the case
of the Vigil of Easter. The six prophecies, of which we have just spoken, were now read, after which the baptismal water
was solemnly blessed, before the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice. The Paschal Candle was used at this ceremony,
at which the faithful used to consider it a duty to assist.
We will close this day by inserting one of the finest sequences composed by Adam of Saint Victor on the
mystery of Pentecost. This great liturgical poet of the western Church has surpassed himself in what he has written
on the Holy Ghost. But the hymn we give today is not merely a composition of poetic worth; it is a sublime and fervent
prayer to the Paraclete, Whom Jesus has promised to send us, and Whom we are now expecting. Let us make these sentiments
of the devout poet of the twelfth century our own; let us imitate him in his longings for the Holy Ghost, Who is coming
that He may renew the face of the earth, and dwell within us. (It goes without saying, that the English translation
of this hymn falls short of the beauty of the Latin original.)
O Divine Paraclete, Who proceedest equally from the Father and the Son! With Thy glowing fire,
give eloquence to our tongues, and make our hearts fervent in their love for Thee.
Love of the Father and the Son! Equal and coequal with them in essence! Thou fillest and fosterest all things:
and though in Thyself immovable, Thou governest the stars, and givest motion to the heavens.
Light most dear and bright! Thou puttest to flight the gloom of our soul's darkness. 'Tis Thou that purifiest
the pure, and takest away sin and its rust.
Thou teachest us the truth; Thou showest us the way of peace and the path of justice. Thou shunnest
the hearts of perverse sinners; Thou enrichest the hearts of the good with the gift of knowledge.
With Thee as teacher, there is no obscurity; when Thou art present, there is no impurity. The soul
that possesses Thee is cheerful: and her conscience is joyful and pure.
Thou changest the elements; by Thee have the Sacraments their efficacy: Thou drivest away all evil power:
Thou bringest to naught the wickedness of our enemies.
When Thou comest to us, our hearts are soothed; when Thou enterest, dark clouds are put to flight.
O sacred Fire! when Thou visitest us, Thou dost inflame our souls; not burning them, but purging them from the dross of care.
Thou givest wisdom and fervor to souls that once were ignorant and drowsy and heedless.
Thou inspirest the tongue, Thou formest the speech; and the charity Thou givest, makes the heart prompt to all that is good.
O Helper of them that are heavily laden! O Comforter of the afflicted! O Refuge of the poor!
Give us a contempt for earthly things, and draw our affections to the love of what is heavenly.
Consoler and Creator and Guest, and Lover of humble souls! Drive all evil from us, cleanse our sins,
bring concord where now is discord, and support us by Thy protection.
O Thou that heretofore didst visit, teach, and strengthen the timid disciples, deign to visit us;
vouchsafe to console us and the faithful throughout the world.
Equal is the majesty, equal the power, and one the Divinity, of the Three Persons. Thou proceedest
from the Father and the Son, and art coequal in all things with Them.
Being, therefore, infinite in all perfections as is the Father, accept from us Thy poor servants the praise
that is due to Thee, equally with the Father and the Son. Amen.
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