Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
Showing posts with label St John the Baptist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St John the Baptist. Show all posts
GospelLuke 3:10-18 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
And the crowds asked John the Baptist, “What then shall we
do?”And he
answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has
none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”Tax
collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall
we do?”And he said to them, “Collect no more
than you are authorized to do.”Soldiers also
asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not
extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with
your wages.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were
questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Christ,John
answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is
mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to
untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn
with unquenchable fire.”
So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the
people.
Groot Nederlands Jongerenkoor with Musica Sacra Chorus
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Amen.(Philippians 4:4, 6-7, Authorised [King James] Version.)
Note: this translation uses 'alway', not 'always'.
The above
is a setting by
George Rathbone of the first and last verses of today's Second
Reading. It emphasises a basic theme of Advent: Joy. And today the Church
focuses on that. We call the Third Sunday of Advent 'Gaudete Sunday' from
the Latin opening word of the Entrance Antiphon, 'Gaudete in Domino semper,'
'Rejoice in the Lord always'
The First
Reading begins with the same theme: Sing aloud, O daughter of
Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14).
'Ligaya'
is the Tagalog word for 'joy' and is a common enough name for girls in the
Philippines. It is the name used for the girl at the heart of the story below,
though not her real name, which was a particularly beautiful one. St Joseph is
one of the central figures in the gospels read at Mass as we approach Christmas
and is highlighted in the gospel for Friday, 17 December, Matthew 1:1-17, and in the gospel for Saturday, 18
December, Matthew 1:18-24. It was through St Joseph, the Husband of
Mary, that Jesus was born of the line of David, as God had promised. And by
naming Jesus, as the angel asked him to do, St Joseph became the legal father
of Jesus.
I published
the story below, written by Korean Columban lay missionary Columba Chang
Eun-Yeal, in the November-December 2015 issue of MISYONonline.com, the
magazine of the Columbans in the Philippines of which I was then editor. It had
appeared there before in the November-December 2002 issue. I have used it
in Sunday Reflections a number of times because it is a story
that shows the joy that only God can give, a joy that usually comes from within
a very painful situation, a situation where one's suffering may well be the
result of the grave sin of an aggressor, as in this case.
I MET ST JOSEPH IN MANILA by Columba Chang Eun-Yeal
The author
There may be as many as close to ten million Filipino overseas workers spread all over the world. They greatly help the country’s economy by the money they send home. However sometimes they may be taken for granted for those at home who think that they have an easy life abroad. Read Aling Maria’s story below and find out the dangers that OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), and their counterparts from other countries, face and the abuses they experience. We thank ‘Mang Pepe’ for his help in writing this article in which we’ve changed the names.
'Mang' and 'Aling' are Tagalog honorifics for a man and woman, respectively, older than oneself. 'Tatay' is the equivalent of 'Papa' and 'Daddy'.
I met Mang Pepe and his daughter Ligaya through my work with Caritas Manila. I visit the family regularly. They live in a poor part of the city and Mang Pepe makes a living by doing odd jobs. My work takes me to families affected by HIV/AIDS. I knew Mang Pepe’s story before he shared it with the congregation at the Saturday evening Mass in Baclaran Church on 7 December 2002 at the end of a celebration organized by Caritas Manila for World AIDS Day.
Mang Pepe and his wife Aling Maria were having difficulties putting their five children through school. This sometimes led to arguments. Eventually Aling Maria decided to work in the Middle East. She felt happy when accepted as a nursing aide with a two-year contract in the UAE. She prepared her documents. She and Pepe sold their house and lot for her fare and placement fee. She flew out on 5 February 1989, full of hope for her family’s future financial stability.
Aling Maria soon discovered that her contract as a nursing aide was terminated just a few months after she arrived, without any hope of renewal. But she didn’t want to go back to the Philippines with an empty pocket. She decided to take the ‘TNT’ (tago ng tago, Tagalog for hidden or illegal) route. She managed to find a series of jobs as a saleslady, cashier and office worker.
Columba Chang, left, with friend in Manila
Hope turns into a nightmare
As an illegal worker, she was often subjected to different abuses like underpayment, long hours of working without a day off and so on. But the worst thing was when one of Aling Maria’s employers took advantage of her and made her pregnant. When she came home to the Philippines in October 1993 Mang Pepe and the family were very shocked to learn that Aling Maria carried a child in her womb. She hadn’t mentioned anything about this before. However, despite this they still welcomed her and the child with joy . . . but deep in their hearts there was a shadow of sadness, fear and uncertainty.
After a few days the tabloids reported that three Filipino overseas workers had been sent home because of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS – and that one of them was Aling Maria. These stories, and the rumors they spawned, continued for a month. Some relatives, neighbors and friends rejected Aling Maria. The children of Mang Pepe and Aling Maria were torn apart. Some wanted to quit school and leave the area. The family suffered greatly because of the stigma.
Aling Maria and Mang Pepe went to the Department of Health (DOH) for a series of blood tests. The tests confirmed what Aling Maria knew already, that she and her ‘little mercy child', as Mang Pepe called his wife’s daughter, had HIV. The doctor gave them counseling and advice and information about HIV/AIDS.
Ligaya is born
Aling Maria decided not to stay in the hospital and continued to work as a pension plan insurance agent. In time she gave birth to a baby girl whom they named Ligaya. Gradually, however, Mang Pepe saw his dear wife turning into a picture of misery as she suffered from constant headaches and flu. Aling Maria was hoping for a miracle that would ease her agony. It was not to be. The HIV developed into full-blown AIDS. Her appetite disappeared until she couldn’t eat anymore. Mang Pepe and the children saw Aling Maria slowly dying. He prepared the family to accept her death as the will of God. She died on 15 December 1997, aged 46.
Like everyone else in Baclaran Church, I was deeply touched by Mang Pepe’s story, even though he had told it to me many times. I was touched by the great love of this simple man who accepted as his own a daughter who was the fruit of the brutal violation of his wife. Mang Pepe is ‘Tatay’ to Ligaya. Her schoolmates sometimes teased her because her features clearly show her Middle Eastern origins. But her Tatay stands by her, as do her brothers and sisters.
Proud to be her Tatay
Tatay Pepe is proud of Ligaya’s singing ability and smiled as she sang at the celebration in Baclaran. Ligaya is very proud of her Tatay and knows the depth of his love as a father. She has very uncertain health and is often in the hospital. The shadow of AIDS hangs over her.
St Joseph named Jesus, the Son of Mary, and thereby became his legal father. He loved Mary, his wife, and raised Jesus as his own son. Mang Pepe has gone through the agony of knowing that his wife was violated overseas, after dishonest employers had taken advantage of her in other ways. When she brought home a child who was not his, he made her his own. This latter-day St Joseph in Manila has given much joy to his daughter Ligaya as she has given much joy to him and others, like myself, who have come to know and love her.
+++
‘Ligaya’ died in the latter part of 2004. I was in Baclaran Church at the invitaion of Columba the day that Mang Pepe told his story and I came to know ‘Ligaya’ as a friend. Shortly before she died I had the privilege of talking to her on Columba’s mobile phone. She was a delightful child. The light of heaven upon her.
Where the Epiphany is celebrated this year on its
proper date, Friday 6 January, e.g.,England & Wales and in Ireland, the
Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on Sunday 8 January this year, bringing the
Christmas Season to an end, with the First Week of Ordinary Time beginning on
Monday 9 January.
In countries where the celebration of the Epiphany
is transferred to Sunday 8 January this year the Baptism of the Lord is
celebrated on Monday 9 January and Ordinary Time begins on Tuesday 9 January.
These countries include Australia, Philippines, Scotland and the USA
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales,
Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)
GospelMatthew 3:13-17 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to
be baptized by him.John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be
baptized by you, and do you come to me?”But Jesus answered him, “Let
it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented.And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from
the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;and behold, a voice from heaven
said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
El Greco painted the Baptism of Christ a number of times. In the painting above he shows Jesus kneeling before his cousin St John the Baptist, as does Pasolini in his filmThe Gospel According to Matthew,with nothing, just as John had nothing. Both were totally open to the will of God the Father.
For me one of the most astonishing realities in the baptism of Jesus is that he lined up with everyone else, all of whom were sinners. All those present, except John, would have presumed that Jesus was just another sinner like themselves. This shows the extent of God’s love for us as sinners, that God who became Man, Jesus, allowed himself to be seen as a sinner.
It is here that God the Father proclaims, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. The Father uses the very same words at the Transfiguration, with the words listen to him added (Mt 17:5). In the latter Peter, James and John the Apostle had caught a glimpse of the reality that Jesus is God. At the baptism the people saw someone they presumed to be a sinner.
Lawrence Wren, a former head of the Irish police who died in 2016, lived near my brother in Dublin. I remember when he held that position he used to stand outside the parish church after all the Masses on one Sunday of the month with other members of the St Vincent de Paul Society collecting money to help the poor. There was nothing to indicate who he was or the very important position he held. I was always struck by that and that he and his family lived in an ordinary house just like everyone else.
The fact that Jesus identified himself, in effect, as a sinner, shows that God is not ashamed of us despite our sins. He identifies himself with us even though he is pure love, utter sinlessness.
And just as God the Father proclaims Jesus as my Son, the Beloved, at his baptism, he does the same with us at our baptism which, unlike the baptism of John, makes us God’s very own sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of Jesus and therefore brothers and sisters of one another. This is our deepest identity.
GospelMatthew 3:1-12 (English Standard Version
Anglicised: India)
In those days John the Baptist came preaching
in the wilderness of Judea,“Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”For this is he who was spoken of by the
prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a
leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild
honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan
were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river
Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood
of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear
fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We
have Abraham as our father’, for I tell you, God is able from these stones
to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of
the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire.
“I
baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me
is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in
his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into
the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
A major theme in the texts for this Sunday's Mass is the call to repentance. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand . . . You brood of vipers! . . . Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire . . . His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he [the Messiah] will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
St John the Baptist is echoing the words of Isaiah in the First Reading about the Messiah who is to come: with righteousness he shall judge the poor,and decide with equity for the
meek of the earth;and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his
mouth,and with
the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Sin has been with us since the time of Adam and Eve. That is why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). No human being except Jesus and Mary has been sinless. Sin is ultimately the rejection of God's love.
In our time, within the last few decades, Western society in particular has accepted as 'good' and as 'rights' practices that have always been seen by Christians and by others as sinful. It has largely rejected what we read in Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Linked to that is the rejection of Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. A powerful international lobby has persuaded many Western countries to deny both of these statements, to legalise a parody of marriage and to undermine the family, all in the false name of 'equality'.
In some Western jurisdictions it is lawful to genitally mutilate perfectly healthy bodies of adolescents who may be going through the 'turbulence' that hits everyone of that age to one degree or another.
Another new phenomenon is surrogacy, hiring women who almost always are struggling financially and living in another country, to bear a child conceived artificially outside of the way nature itself teaches us. Alongside that we have the widespread destruction of children in their mothers' wombs. This is not something new in itself but it was never presented before as a 'good' or as a 'right' promoted and paid for in many instances by the state on an industrial scale.
All of these things are a grave affront to God our loving Creator who made us to be with him for ever in heaven.
We are preparing in Advent to celebrate the arrival of the Christ-Child, God who became Man, 2,000 years ago. More importantly, perhaps, we are also preparing to welcome him, now the Risen Lord Jesus coming in glory, when he returns at the end of time. At the same time we are preparing to face the Lord Jesus at the end of our individual lives.
Jesus died so that each and every one of us would seek his forgiveness and be with him for ever in glory in heaven. His coming into the world in a stable in Bethlehem was a personal act of love by God for each of us individually and for all of us as the only creatures made in his own image.
St John the Baptist says to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him for baptism in language that would be considered 'offensive' by many today and perhaps labelled as 'hate language' by some politicians, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. The great saint was reminding them - and us - never to take God's mercy for granted, never to forget that God's mercy is shown above all in the death of Jesus on the Cross.
But the Entrance Antiphon - far too often omitted at Mass - expresses God's desire for all of us with the note of joy that is central to Advent: O People of Sion, behold the Lord will come to save the nations, and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard in the joy of your heart.
The Communion Antiphon expresses something similar: Jerusalem, arise and stand upon the heights, and behold the joy which comes to you from God.
May each of us judge wisely the things of earth and hold firmly to the things of heaven. Through Christ our Lord (Prayer after Communion).
Conditor Alme Siderum - Creator of the Starry Height
Translation from Latin by Monsignor Ronald A. Knox
Musical setting by Flor Peeters
Traditional Latin Mass
Second Sunday of Advent
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-o4-2022 if necessary).
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of
the Christ, he sent word by his disciplesand said to
him, “Are you he who is to come, or is to come, or shall we look for another? (Matthew 12:2-3; today's Gospel).
Gospel Luke 3:10-18 (English Standard Version
Anglicised: India)
The crowds asked John, “What then shall we do?”And he
answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has
none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”Tax collectors also came to be baptized and
said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”And he said to them, “Collect no more
than you are authorized to do.”Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And
he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false
accusation, and be content with your wages.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were
questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Christ,John answered them all, saying, “I baptize
you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of
whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire.His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his
threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff
he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So with many other exhortations he preached good
news to the people.
Groot
Nederlands Jongerenkoor with Musica Sacra Chorus
Rejoice in the Lord
alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rejoice in the Lord
alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Amen.(Philippians 4:4, 6-7,
Authorised [King James] Version.)
Note: this translation uses 'alway',
not 'always'.
The above
is a setting by
George Rathbone of the first and last verses of today's Second
Reading. It emphasises a basic theme of Advent: Joy. And today the Church
focuses on that. We call the Third Sunday of Advent 'Gaudete Sunday' from
the Latin opening word of the Entrance Antiphon, 'Gaudete in Domino semper,'
'Rejoice in the Lord always'
The First
Reading begins with the same theme: Sing aloud, O daughter of
Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14).
'Ligaya'
is the Tagalog word for 'joy' and is a common enough name for girls in the
Philippines. It is the name used for the girl at the heart of the story below,
though not her real name, which was a particularly beautiful one. St Joseph is
one of the central figures in the gospels read at Mass as we approach Christmas
and is highlighted in the gospel for Friday, 17 December, Matthew 1:1-17, and in the gospel for Saturday, 18
December, Matthew 1:18-24. It was through St Joseph, the Husband of
Mary, that Jesus was born of the line of David, as God had promised. And by
naming Jesus, as the angel asked him to do, St Joseph became the legal father
of Jesus.
I published
the story below, written by Korean Columban lay missionary Columba Chang
Eun-Yeal, in the November-December 2015 issue of MISYONonline.com, the magazine of the
Columbans in the Philippines of which I was then editor. It had appeared there
before in the November-December 2002 issue. I have used it in Sunday Reflections a number of times
because it is a story that shows the joy that only God can give, a joy that
usually comes from within a very painful situation, a situation where one's suffering may well
be the result of the grave sin of an aggressor, as in this case.
I MET ST JOSEPH IN MANILA by Columba Chang Eun-Yeal
The author
There may be as many as close to ten million Filipino overseas workers spread all over the world. They greatly help the country’s economy by the money they send home. However sometimes they may be taken for granted for those at home who think that they have an easy life abroad. Read Aling Maria’s story below and find out the dangers that OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), and their counterparts from other countries, face and the abuses they experience. We thank ‘Mang Pepe’ for his help in writing this article in which we’ve changed the names.
'Mang' and 'Aling' are Tagalog honorifics for a man and woman, respectively, older than oneself. 'Tatay' is the equivalent of 'Papa' and 'Daddy'.
I met Mang Pepe and his daughter Ligaya through my work with Caritas Manila. I visit the family regularly. They live in a poor part of the city and Mang Pepe makes a living by doing odd jobs. My work takes me to families affected by HIV/AIDS. I knew Mang Pepe’s story before he shared it with the congregation at the Saturday evening Mass in Baclaran Church on 7 December 2002 at the end of a celebration organized by Caritas Manila for World AIDS Day.
Mang Pepe and his wife Aling Maria were having difficulties putting their five children through school. This sometimes led to arguments. Eventually Aling Maria decided to work in the Middle East. She felt happy when accepted as a nursing aide with a two-year contract in the UAE. She prepared her documents. She and Pepe sold their house and lot for her fare and placement fee. She flew out on 5 February 1989, full of hope for her family’s future financial stability.
Aling Maria soon discovered that her contract as a nursing aide was terminated just a few months after she arrived, without any hope of renewal. But she didn’t want to go back to the Philippines with an empty pocket. She decided to take the ‘TNT’ (tago ng tago, Tagalog for hidden, ie illegal) route. She managed to find a series of jobs as a saleslady, cashier and office worker.
Columba Chang, left, with friend in Manila
Hope turns into a nightmare
As an illegal worker, she was often subjected to different abuses like underpayment, long hours of working without a day off and so on. But the worst thing was when one of Aling Maria’s employers took advantage of her and made her pregnant. When she came home to the Philippines in October 1993 Mang Pepe and the family were very shocked to learn that Aling Maria carried a child in her womb. She hadn’t mentioned anything about this before. However, despite this they still welcomed her and the child with joy . . . but deep in their hearts there was a shadow of sadness, fear and uncertainty.
After a few days the tabloids reported that three Filipino overseas workers had been sent home because of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS – and that one of them was Aling Maria. These stories, and the rumors they spawned, continued for a month. Some relatives, neighbors and friends rejected Aling Maria. The children of Mang Pepe and Aling Maria were torn apart. Some wanted to quit school and leave the area. The family suffered greatly because of the stigma.
Aling Maria and Mang Pepe went to the Department of Health (DOH) for a series of blood tests. The tests confirmed what Aling Maria knew already, that she and her ‘little mercy child,’ as Mang Pepe called his wife’s daughter had HIV. The doctor gave them counseling and advice and information about HIV/AIDS.
Ligaya is born
Aling Maria decided not to stay in the hospital and continued to work as a pension plan insurance agent. In time she gave birth to a baby girl whom they named Ligaya. Gradually, however, Mang Pepe saw his dear wife turning into a picture of misery as she suffered from constant headaches and flu. Aling Maria was hoping for a miracle that would ease her agony. It was not to be. The HIV developed into full-blown AIDS. Her appetite disappeared until she couldn’t eat anymore. Mang Pepe and the children saw Aling Maria slowly dying. He prepared the family to accept her death as the will of God. She died on 15 December 1997, aged 46.
Like everyone else in Baclaran Church, I was deeply touched by Mang Pepe’s story, even though he had told it to me many times. I was touched by the great love of this simple man who accepted as his own a daughter who was the fruit of the brutal violation of his wife. Mang Pepe is ‘Tatay’ to Ligaya. Her schoolmates sometimes tease her because her features clearly show her Middle Eastern origins. But her Tatay stands by her, as do her brothers and sisters.
Proud to be her Tatay
Tatay Pepe is proud of Ligaya’s singing ability and smiled as she sang at the celebration in Baclaran. Ligaya is very proud of her Tatay and knows the depth of his love as a father. She has very uncertain health and is often in the hospital. The shadow of AIDS hangs over her.
St Joseph named Jesus, the Son of Mary, and thereby became his legal father. He loved Mary, his wife, and raised Jesus as his own son. Mang Pepe has gone through the agony of knowing that his wife was violated overseas, after dishonest employers had taken advantage of her in other ways. When she brought home a child who was not his, he made her his own. This latter-day St Joseph in Manila has given much joy to his daughter Ligaya as she has given much joy to him and others, like myself, who have come to know and love her.
+++
‘Ligaya’ died in the latter part of 2004. I was in Baclaran Church at the invitaion of Columba the day that Mang Pepe told his story and came to know ‘Ligaya’ as a friend. Shortly before she died I had the privilege of talking to her on Columba’s mobile phone. She was a delightful child. The light of heaven upon her.
In preparing Sunday Reflections last week I didn't avert to the fact that Sunday, 5 December, was
the 230th anniversary of the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 35. My apologies to the great man whose house in Salzburg, Austria, I visited in the spring of 1988. Here is a recording of his setting of Ave verum corpus, a Eucharistic hymn dating back to the 13th
century. He wrote the music for the feast of Corpus Christi, just a few months
before he died.
Offertory, Corpus Christi Mass
Thursday, 3 June 2021
Chapel of the Chair of St Peter
St Peter's Basilica, Rome
Ave verum corpus, natum de Maria Virgine, passum,
immolatum in cruce pro homine cuius latus perforatum unda fluxit et sanguine
exto nobi praegustatum in mortis examine.
Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary, having
truly suffered, sacrificed on the cross for mankind, from whose pierced side
water and blood flowed: Be for us a foretaste [of the heavenly banquet] in the
trial of death!
+++
God gifted all of humanity through Mozart and his music. Let us commend his soul to God.
