“Sacris solemniis” is one of the five beautiful hymns St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) composed in honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at specific request of Pope Urban IV (1261-1264) when the Pope first established the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1264. Today Sacris Solemniis is used as a hymn for the Office of the Readings for Corpus Christi. The last two stanzas are the text for the hymn Panis Angelicus. “Sacris solemniis” Latin and English Lyrics Sacris solemniisiuncta sint gaudia,et ex praecordiissonent praeconia;recedant vetera,nova sint omnia,corda, voces, et opera. At this our solemn feastlet holy joys abound,and from the[…]

“O for your spirit, holy John, to chastenLips sin-polluted, fettered tongues to loosen;So by your children might your deeds of wonderMeetly be chanted.” Paolo Diacono (Paul the Deacon) (ca. 720 – ca. 799) a monk of Monte Cassino and a friend of Charlemagne, had composed, in honour of St. John the Baptist, the hymn: “Ut queant laxis.” In the thirteenth century the Benedictine monk Guy of Arezzo noticed that the notes sung on the first syllabes formed the sequence of the first six degrees of the scale. He named each degree by the corresponding syllable: “Ut, re, mi, fa, sol,[…]

“And there followed him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us; and to the hills: Cover us. For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in[…]

“Inviolata es Maria” is an traditional Gregorian chant in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This composition goes back to 11th century. INVIOLATA, integra, et casta es Maria, quae es effecta fulgida caeli porta. INVIOLATE, spotless and pure art thou, O Mary Who wast made the radiant gate of Heaven. O Mater alma Christi carissima, suscipe pia laudum praeconia. Holy mother of Christ most dear, receive our devout hymn and praise. Te nunc flagitant devota corda et ora, nostra ut pura pectora sint et corpora. Our hearts and tongues now ask of thee that our souls and bodies may be[…]

“All life begins in the Trinity, comes from the Trinity, and is destined to seek eternal rest in the Trinity. Even damned souls, by suffering punishment for having rejected love, finally do glorify God’s justice. The life of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, mystery of divine mysteries, is a mutual giving so complete that the Divine Persons do not exist except in relation to one another. The divine life They share with Christ’s members through Baptism is meant to be shared with all peoples through the apostolic zeal of Christians.”  1962 TLM Missal Raphael’s Exhortation (Tobit 12:6-8) Then he said to[…]

“Panis Angelicus” comes from the last two stanzas of the hymn “Sacris solemniis” composed by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) for the Feast of Corpus Christi and of the Votive Office of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The hymn expresses the doctrine that the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Roman Catholic tradition the concept of transubstantiation is presented as an explanation of how this change happens. It directs us to contemplate the great mystery of becoming one with Jesus Himself whenever we receive Him. God Himself becomes our nourishment. It then proceeds to ask[…]

By Fr. Dominique Bourmaud, August 2010 edition of the The Angelus magazine. The Mozart Effect Most classical music lovers will have heard of The Mozart Effect. Don Campbell, author of this book, explains that music can help transform health, education, and well-being. Music was found to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety and improve memory. Mozart was seen to drastically lessen epileptic fits in a comatose state, help direct rats out of a maze, and make cows yield more milk. The tastiest results occurred when Japanese yeast listened (!) to Mozart. The discoverer of the Mozart effect comes from overseas. He has[…]