Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/328

 UTANT

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UTAHY

cation "Through Thine institution of the most holy Eucharist" maybe added atter *' Through Thine Ascen- sion"— S. R. C, 8 Feb., 1905). The litany closes with the triple invocation of the Lamb of God, the petition, ''Jesus hear us", "Jesus graciously hear us", and two prayers.

Sea under Litant; also Theol prakt, QuariaUchrift (1893), gZ; (1902), 300. 621. FRANCIS MeRSHMAN.

Utmy of the Saints, the model of all other litanies, of great antiquity. It was used in the " Litania Septi- formis" of St. Gregonr the Great, and in the procession of St. Blamertus. in the Eastern Churcn, litanies with the invocation of saints were employed in the days of St. Basil (d. 379) and of St. Gregory Thauma- turgus (d. about 270) (Basil, Ep. Ixiii; Socrates, VI, viii; Sosomen. VIII, vii). It is not known when or by whom the litany was composed, but the order in wnich the Apostles are given, corresponding with that ol the Canon of the Mass, proves its antiquity (Walafr. Strabo, "De Reb. Eccl.", xxiii).

The litany begins with the call for mercy upon God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, in tiie "Kyrie eleison", "Christe eleison", "Kyrie elei- son". Then, considering Christ as our Saviour and Mediator, we ask Him to hear us. In order to render more secure the hearing of our prayers, we again ask each <rf the Persons of tfie Holy Trinity for mercy, and, adding those titles which give us a claim to Their con- fflderation, we call upon the First Person: God, the Father of Heaven, to whom we owe existence and life; the Second: Redeemer of the world, to Whom we owe our salvation; the Third: Holy Gnost, to whom we owe our sanctification; and then on the Holy Trinity, one God. To render God propitious, we, aware of our own imworthiness, ask the intercession of those who have become His special friends, through a holy life, the saints in lasting communion with Him. Foremost among these stands Mary, the chosen daughter of the Father, the undefiled mother of the Son, tiie stainless bride of the Holy Ghost — ^we call upon her with the triple invocation: Holy Mary, Mother of God, Virgin ol virgins. We then mvoke the blessed spirits who remained firm in their allegiance to the Almighty during the rebellion of Lucifer and his adherents: IfichMl, prince of the heavenly host; Gabriel, "forti- tude of God", the messenger of the Incarnation; Raphael, "medicine of God", the trusted companion of Tobias; and the other angels, archangels, and orders of blessed "ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation" (Heb., i, 14). Next in our confidence is he of whom Christ says "There hath not risen among them that are bom of women a greater than John the Baptist" (Matt., xi, 11), the precursor of the Lord, the last of tiie Prophets cm the Old Law and the first of the New.

Next in order come St. Joseph, the foster-father of the Incarnate Word ; and all the Patriarchs and Proph- ets who saved their souls in the hope of Him who was the expected of the nations. Then follow the saints: Peter, prince of the Apostles, vice-gerent of Christ; Paid, the Apostle of the Gentiles; Andrew, who first heeded the csXL of the Master; James the Greater and John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple, who, with St. Peter, were most favoured by Christ; Thomas, called Didymus, who received from Christ signal proofs of His Resurrection; James the Less, first Bishop of Jerusalem; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew, once (»lled Levi, the toll-gatherer, who wrote the First Gospel; Simon the Zealot; Jude; Thaddeus; Matthias, who was chosen to fill the place of Judas Iseariot; Barnabas, called to the Apostolate l^ the B[olv Ghost (Acts, xiii, 2) ; Luke, the physician, writer of toe Third Gospel and the Acts; Mark, the Evangelist, disciple of St. Peter; all the Apostles and Evangelists; the holy disciples of the Lord; the Holy InnooeQtSi tiie infant martyr-flowers, "Who, slain at

the command of Herod, confessed the name of the Lord not by speaking but by dying" (Rom. Brev.). The glorious martyrs are then invoked: Stephen the Dea- con, protomartyr, stoned at Jerusalem whilst praying for his executioners (Acts, vii, 58); Laurence, the Roman archdeacon; Vincent, the deacon of Sara- gossa in Spain; Fabian, the pope, and Sebastian, the soldier; John and Paul, brothers at the Court of Con- stantia, daughter of Constantine; Cosmas and Da- mian, renowned physicians of iEgea in Cilicia; Ger- vasius and Proteus, brothers at Milan; after which follows a collective impetration of all the holy martyrs. The litany now asks the prayers of St. Sylvester, the pope who saw the triumph of the Crucified over pagan- ism; of the Doctors of the Church; Sts. Gregory the Great, pope; Ambrose of Milan; Augustine of Hippo, in Africa; and Jerome, representing Dalmatia and the Holy Land; of the renowned Bishops Martin of Tours; Nicholas of Myra; of all the holv bishops and confessors; of all the holy teachers; of the founders of religious orders: Anthony, father of the anchorites of the desert ; Benedict, patriarch of the Western monks ; Bernard; Dominic; Francis; of all holy priests and levites; of monks and hermits. We then invoke Mary Magdalen^ the model of Christian penance and of a contemplative life, of whom Christ said : " Where- soever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memory of her" (Matt., xx\a, 13); the virgins and martyrs: Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Ctecilia, Catherine, and Anastasia the Younger; and in conclusion all the holy virgins and widows; all the holy'men and women.

The second part of the litany benns with another cry of " Be merciful to us, spare us OLord; Be merciful to us, graciously hear us O Lord". We then enu- merate the ills from which we hope to be delivered: From all evils; from sin; the wrath of Grod; sudden and unprovided death; the snares of the devil; anger, hatred, and all ill will; the spirit of fornication; light- ning and tempest; the scourge of earthquake; plague, famine, and war; from everlasting death. To make our prayers more effective, we present to CJhrist all that He' did for us through the mystery of the Incar- nation, through His coming, nativity, baptism and holy fasting, cross and passion, death and burial, holy resurrection, admirable ascension, the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, and we conclude by the petition, "In the day of judgment, O Lord, de- liver us."

In the third part we humbly acknowledge our un- wortliiness: " We, sinners, beseech Thee, hear us", and add the list of favours that we wish to obtain: that the Ix)rd spare us; pardon us; and bring us to true pen- ance; tliat He govern and preserve His holy Church; preserve our Apostolic prelate, and all orders of the Church, in holy religion; humble the enemies of the Church; give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes; peace and unity to Christian nations; strengthen and preserve us in His holy service; raise our minds to heavenly desires; reward with eternal good all our benefactors; deliver us, our brethren, kinsfolk, and benefactors, from eternal damnation; give and preserve the fruits of the earth; and grant eternal rest to the faithful departed. We ask all this in calling upon the Son of Giod, thrice invoking the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We repeat the '* Kyrie", as in the beginning, and add the prayer taught bv Christ Himself, the Our Father. Then follow psalm fxix, *'0 God, come to my assist- ance", etc., and a number of verses, responses, and pravers, renewing the former petitions. We conclude with an earnest request to be heard, and all appeal for the faithful departed.

Three forms of the Litany of the Saints are at present in liturgical use. The form given above is prescribed by the Roman Ritual at the laying of the comer-stone of a new church, at the bleaaijag^^x twsssite-