The Divine Office - Rev. E. J. Quigley
COMPLINE.
_Etymology and synonym_. The word compline comes from the Latin word
_complere_, to complete, to finish, because this Hour completes or
finishes the day Hours of the Office. It bore several names, _Completa_
(St. Isidore), _Initium noctis_ (St. Columbanus), _Prima noctis hora_
(St. Fructeux).
_Antiquity_. The origin of this Hour has given rise to a great deal of
controversy. Both Baumer and Battifol in their histories of the Breviary
attribute the origin of this Hour to St. Benedict (480-543). Other
scholars attribute its origin to St. Basil, and hence date it from the
fourth century. It is admitted that before the time of St. Basil, Bishop
of Caesarea (370-379) this Hour was in existence. Some hold that St.
Basil established the Hour in the East and St. Benedict in the West. The
latter certainly invested the Hour with the liturgical character and
arrangement which were preserved by the Benedictines and adapted by the
Roman Church. The Compline of the Roman Church is more ornate and solemn
than the liturgy assigned to this Hour by St. Benedict, which was very
simple. The addition of the response _In manus tuas Domine_, the _Nunc
dimittis_ and its anthem of the Blessed Virgin make this Hour one of
great beauty.
_Structure_, The structure of the Hour seems to point to its monastic
origin, "The reader begins, 'Pray, Father, a blessing' (jube, domne
benedicere); the blessing, 'The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and
a perfect end. Amen.' 'Noctem quietam....' Then follows a short lesson,
which the Father Abbot gave to his monks. 'Brethren, be sober and watch;
because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about,
seeking whom he may devour, whom resist ye, strong in faith. But Thou, O
Lord, have mercy on us.' And the monks answer 'Thanks be to God.'
'Fratres sobrii estote et vigilate....' Then the _Pater Noster_
(silently), and the presiding priest, who was the Abbot or his deputy,
said the confiteor and the choir answered _Misereatur_.... 'May Almighty
God have mercy upon thee and forgive thee thy sins, and bring thee to
life everlasting.' The choir then repeats the Confiteor and the priest
replies 'Misereatur vestri....' 'May Almighty God have mercy upon you,
forgive you your sins and bring you to life everlasting.'" Of course, in
private recitation, or where two or three recite the Office, these
prayers are said only once, and in the Confiteor, _tibi pater_ and _te
pater_ are omitted, and _nostri, nostris, nos, nostrorum, nobis_, are
said in the Misereatur and Indulgentiam.
Then the _Converte nos Deus.... At averte iram tuam.... Deus in
adjutorium.... Domine ad adjuvandum.... Gloria Patri_.... Antiphon
(begun only) and three psalms, which vary, are said, _Gloria
Patri_.... _Sicut erat_... being said at the end of each. _In
manus tuas_... is said twice. _Redemisti nos_. ... _Commendo
spiritum meum_; _Custodi nos_ ... _sub umbra_.... _Salva
nos_; _Nunc dimittis_.... _Gloria Patri, Salva nos Domine
vigilantes, custodi nos_... _pace_. (Preces are said here if
rubric orders; i.e., _Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison_... _ad te
veniat_); _Dominus vobiscum, Et cum_.... _Benedicamus Domino,
Deo gratias_; _Benedicat et custodiat nos omnipotens_. Amen;
then the anthem of the Blessed Virgin, _Alma Redemptoris Mater_
(from Saturday before first Sunday of Advent to the feast of the
Purification, inclusive) with its antiphon; in Advent, _Angelus
Domini_, response, _Et concepit_, Oremus and prayer, _Gratiam
tuam_, or with antiphon (after Advent) _Post partum_... and
response, _Dei genetrix, Oremus, Deus qui salutis_. After the
Purification, until Holy Thursday the anthem is _Ave regina
coelorum_, with versicle _Dignare me_ ..., _Da mihi_, Oremus,
_Concedemisericors_. From Holy Saturday until Saturday after
Pentecost, the anthem is _Regina coeli_ with versicle, _Gaude_... and
response, _Quia surrexit_.... _Oremus_ and prayer, _Deus qui per
resurrectionem_. From Holy Trinity Sunday to the Saturday before
Advent, the antiphon is _Salve Regina_ with versicle, _Ora pro
nobis_... response, _Ut digni, Oremus_ and prayer, _Omnipotens
semipeterne Deus_. Then the versicle _Divinum auxilium_.... Amen.
_Pater Noster, Ave, Credo_, in silence, are said. The _Sacro-sanctae_
is added (see pp. 133-135).
The study of the component parts of this Hour are of great interest.
After the Abbot had given his blessing and begged of God to grant the
two-fold favour of a quiet night and a good death, a monk read from Holy
Scripture, and when a suitable portion was read, or at the end of a
Scripture chapter or theme, the Abbot said, "Tu autem," and the reader
"Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis." This was to ask God to pardon faults
both of reader in his reading and of monks, who, perhaps, were drowsy
and inattentive. The Abbot terminated the exercise by the _Adjutorium
nostrum_ (the _Pater Noster_ is of more recent introduction). Monks who
were absent substituted for the Scripture lesson which they had missed,
the pithy extract from St. Peter, "Fratres; sobrii estote," which we now
read. The whole company of monks and their abbot then proceeded to the
chapel where each made his examination of conscience, and at a sign from
the abbot, the monks, two by two, in a subdued tone of voice, said the
_Confiteor, Misereatur, Indulgentiam_ and _Converte nos_. Gavantus and
Merati hold that the _Converte nos_ does not belong to this introductory
matter, but formed part of Compline proper. This prayer is very
beautiful: "Convert us, O God, our Saviour. And turn away Thine anger
from us. Incline unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father,... Praise be to God."
The new arrangement of the Psalter did not retain the old traditional
psalms, 4, 90, 133, in Compline, except for Sundays and solemn feasts.
But the selection of psalms accords well with the idea of the
hour--night prayer--and with the other prayers, which go to make up the
close of the Office of the day. The hymn, _Te lucis_, so chastely
simple, has ever been admired. Its ideas suit so admirably for the
prayer before sleep and for reminding us of sleep and her sister death
and the solemn petition made to God to be our guardian and defence in
the solemn hour of death, are simply and solemnly set out in this daily
hymn. How beautiful it reads in Father Caswall's translation:--
"Now with the fast departing light,
Maker of all, we ask of Thee
Of Thy great mercy, through the night,
Our guardian and defence to be.
Far off let idle visions fly,
No phantom of the night molest:
Curb Thou our raging enemy,
That we in chaste repose may rest.
Father of mercies! hear our cry;
Hear us, O sole-begotten Son!
Who, with the Holy Ghost most high,
Reignest while endless ages run."
In Passiontide, the Breviary gives us the last verse, Deo Patri, and the
translation renders it:--
"To Thee, Who dead again dost live,
All glory, Jesus, ever be,
Praise to the Father, infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally."
_Little Chapter_. This is a beautiful call to our Lord to remind Him, as
it were, that we are His own, that we bear His name. In this invocation
we express our confidence in Him and ask Him not to abandon us, but to
dwell with us. "But Thou, O Lord, art among us, and Thy holy name is
invoked upon us; forsake us not, O Lord our God"; and for past
protection the Church adds to their invocation, taken from the prophet
Jeremias, the words of gratitude, "Thanks be to God."
_The Response_. "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum... nos."
"Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Into Thy hands I commend
my spirit. For Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord God of Truth. I commend my
spirit. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Keep us, O Lord, as the
apple of Thine eye. Protect us under the shadow of Thy wings." No more
sublime prayer exists in the liturgy than this response, which the
Church orders us to say nightly. She wishes, in its daily recital, to
prepare us for death, by reminding us of the sentiments and words of our
dying Lord on the cross, "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit" (Ps. 30,
v. 6), and by asking Him Who redeemed us on the bitter tree, to keep us
safe as the apple of His eye and to protect us "under the shadow of His
wings" (Ps. 40, v, 6). These solemn words of our dying Saviour have
been, in all ages, and in all lands, the death prayer of many of those
whom He redeemed, with the great price. St. Stephen, the proto-martyr,
prayed "Lord Jesus receive my spirit." "Into Thy hands I commend my
spirit," prayed St. Basil in his death agony. "Into Thy hands I commend
my spirit," prayed thousands of God's servants, heroes and heroines,
e.g., Savanarola, Columbus, Father Southwell, the martyr Mary, Queen of
Scots, and countless other servants of God.
_Nunc Dimittis_. The canticle _Nunc dimittis_ is the last in historical
sequence of the three great canticles of the New Testament. It was
spoken at the presentation of Christ, by Simeon, "This man was just and
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in
him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should
not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by
the spirit into the temple. And when His parents brought the child Jesus
to do for him according to the custom of the law. He also took Him in
his arms and blessed God and said 'Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O
Lord, according to thy word in peace....'" (St. Luke ii. 29-33). This
sublime canticle uttered by the holy old man at the close of his days is
placed fittingly in the priest's Office at the close of the day. It
breathes his thanks, expresses his love and his wish to die, having seen
the Saviour.
Before the canticle are said the opening words of the antiphon, "Salva
nos"; and it is repeated in full at the end. "Save us, O Lord, while we
are awake, and guard us when we sleep, that we may watch with Christ and
rest in peace."
The prayers, Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, etc., are said always
except when a double office or a day within an octave has been
commemorated at Vespers. The prayer, _Visita quaesumus_ is found in
Breviaries of the thirteenth century and was introduced probably by the
Friars Minor. The words _habitationem istam_ are said to indicate that
it is a prayer not only for the chapel of the friars, but for their
dwellings on journeys. It was said in choir by the abbot or presiding
priest. Like all prayers for Compline it begs God to drive far away the
snares of the enemy; it begs Him to let His angels dwell in that house
to keep the dwellers therein, in peace; and finally, it begs Him to "let
Thy blessing be always upon us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God,
world without end. Amen."
After the Dominus vobiscum and its response, the abbot or presiding
priest gave the solemn blessing "Benedicat et custodiet..., May the
Almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,
bless and preserve us. Amen."
Then one of the anthems of the Blessed Virgin Mary is said. From the
Saturday before Advent until the feast of the Purification, inclusive,
is said the anthem "Alma Redemptoris Mater"; translated by Father
Caswall, it reads:--
"Mother of Christ, hear Thou thy people's cry,
Star of the deep and portal of the sky,
Mother of Him who Thee from nothing made,
Sinking we strive and call to Thee for aid.
Oh, by that joy which Gabriel brought to Thee,
Thou Virgin first and last, let us Thy mercy see."
The Latin hexameters are attributed to Hermanus (circa 1054). It has
been translated by several poets great and small, and is well known in
Newman's translation, "Kindly Mother of the Redeemer." It was a popular
hymn in Norman Ireland and in Catholic England, as we see in Chaucer's
"Prioress's Tale." After this anthem are said its versicle, response,
and prayer _Oremus, Gratiam tuam quaesumus_.
From the first Vespers of the Nativity, the versicle, response and
prayer said are "Post partum ...; Dei Genetrix.... Oremus, Deus qui
salutis." ... From the end of Compline on February 2nd until Holy
Thursday exclusive the antiphon is "Ave Regina coelorum." It appears to
be of monastic origin, and St. Jerome attributes it to St. Ephraem. Its
expressions are borrowed from the works of St. Ephraem, of St.
Athanasius and of other doctors, and its theme is Mary, as Queen of
Heaven, the dawn of our salvation, and an extolling of her beauty.
From Compline of Holy Saturday, inclusive, until None of the Saturday
after the feast of Pentecost, inclusive, the "Regina coeli" is said. It
is a very old composition, but its author is unknown. Some authors
attribute it to St. Gregory the Great (590-604). Others, following a
venerable tradition, say that the three first lines were the composition
of angels, and the fourth, Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia, was added by
Pope Gregory. The legend tells us that when in the year 596 Rome was
desolated by the plague, Pope Gregory the Great exhorted his people to
penance and prayer, and carrying in his hands the picture of the Blessed
Virgin, said to be painted by St. Luke, he led them in procession to the
church, Afa Coeli, on Easter morn. When the procession was passing
Adrian's Mole, angel voices were heard chanting the Regina Coeli, and
the Pope astonished and rejoiced added the words "Ora pro nobis Deum,
Alleluia," and immediately a shining angel appeared and sheathed his
sword, the plague ceased on that very day (Gueranger, _Liturgical
Year_, "Paschal Time," Part I., p. iii; Duffy, Dublin). Attempts at
translation have been indifferent.
From the first Vespers of the feast of the Most Hoiy Trinity to the None
of the Saturday before Advent, the Salve Regina is said. The authorship
was assigned to St. Bernard (1091-1153). But scholars reject this
theory. It is assigned to Petrus de Monsoro (circa 1000) and to
Adehemar, but the claims of both are doubtful. In 1220 the general
chapter of Cluny ordered its daily chanting before the high altar, after
the Capitulum. The use of the anthem at Compline was begun by the
Dominicans about 1221 and the practice spread rapidly. It was introduced
into the "modernised." Franciscan Breviary in the thirteenth century.
The Carthusians sing it daily at Vespers; the Cistercians sing it after
Compline, and the Carmelites say it after every Hour of the Office. It
is said after every low Mass throughout the world. It was especially
obnoxious to Luther, who several times denounced it, as did the
Jansenists also. It is recorded in the lives of several saints that the
Blessed Virgin, to show her love for this beautiful prayer, showed to
them her Son, at the moment they said "Et Jesum ... nobis post hoc
exilium ostende."
Speaking of these antiphons of the Blessed Virgin, Battifol, in his
_History of the Roman Breviary_ (English ed.), writes: "We owe a just
debt of gratitude to those who gave us the antiphons of the Blessed
Virgin ... four exquisite compositions, though in style enfeebled by
sentimentality."
After the antiphon of the Blessed Virgin the versicle and response are
said. Then Oremus and prayer "Omnipotens sempiterne Deus ... Divinum
auxilium ... Amen," are said. Then the Pater Noster, Ave and Credo are
said silently, and this finishes the Hour. The prayer Sacro-sanctae et
individuae.... V. Beata viscera ... R. Et beata ubera ... Pater Noster
and Ave are generally added though not of obligation. They are to be
said kneeling. The reading of this well-known and oft-repeated prayer,
in its English translation, may bring fresh and fervent thoughts to
priests, for it is a sublime prayer:--
"To the most holy and undivided Trinity, to the
humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified, to the
fruitful virginity of the most glorious Mary ever a
Virgin, and to the company of all the saints, be
given by every creature, eternal praise, honour,
power and glory, and to us the remission of all our
sins. Amen. Blessed be the womb of the Virgin
Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.
And blessed be the breasts which gave suck to
Christ our Lord."
TEXT AND INTENTIONS TO AID THE PIOUS RECITATION OF COMPLINE.
1. "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
2. "It is finished."
3. "For this Thou hast redeemed us, O God of truth."
_General Intentions._ The spread of the faith; the Pope; the Church in
France and in Spain; for the Church in Australia.
_Personal Intentions._ A happy death; fervour in administering the last
sacraments; devotion to St. Joseph, patron of a happy death.
_Special Intentions,_ For the sick poor of Ireland; for persons dying
without the last sacraments; for those dying all alone; for
dying sinners.
THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, (TITLE XXXVII.).
_Origin._ This Office dates from the eighth century at least. Pope
Gregory II. (715-731) and Pope Gregory III. (731-741) ordered the monks
to say this little Office in addition to their great Office. The
practice was observed by St. John Damascene (676-787) and by St. Peter
Damien (1007-1072).This usage was confined to monasteries only. At the
end of the eleventh century the practice became almost universal. Pope
Urban II. (1088-1099) besought the special aid of the Blessed Virgin in
his crusade against the Turks and recommended all clerics to recite the
little Office. Provincial councils prescribed its use and some canonists
held it to be obligatory. However, the Bull _Quod a nobis_ of Pope Pius
V. (9 July, 1568) removed all obligation of the private recital of this
Office, but he exhorted all to continue the practice and granted
indulgences for its recitation.
PART IV.
NOTES ON SOME FEASTS.
CHAPTER I.
PROPER OF THE TIME.
ADVENT.
_Advent_ (Latin, _advenire_, to come to) is a period beginning with the
Sunday nearest to the Feast of St. Andrew (November 30) and embracing
four Sundays. In the early Church there was a divergence of date and
practice in Advent celebration. Thus, in France it began on St. Martin's
Day (11 November) and ended with Christmas, France kept Advent with
tri-weekly fasts. Rome did not, in very early days, observe the Advent
fasts, but maintained the shorter period, containing only four Sundays.
(Father Thurston, _The Month_, No. 498).
Several authors stated that this period of preparation for the
celebration of Christ's birthday was instituted by Gregory the Great. It
is now traceable to the fourth century in France; in Rome it was of
later date. The Church, as is seen in the Advent Offices in the
Breviary, instituted this part of the liturgical year to honour and to
recall the two comings of Christ--His first coming in human form at
Bethlehem, as Saviour; and His second coming, as Judge of all mankind.
In her liturgy she expresses repeatedly both sentiments, a sentiment of
joy and a sentiment of sorrow. The former she expresses by her
_alleluias_ and the latter by her omission of the _Te Deum_ and by her
recital of the ferial prayers, the prayers of tears and grief.
In the Advent Offices are many phrases which were fulfilled at the
Incarnation: "Rorate coeli desuper et nubes pluant Justum; O Adonai,
veni ad redimendum nos; Emitte Agnum, Domine, Dominatorum terrae;
Orietur sicut sol Salvator mundi et descendet in uterum Virginis."
Centuries have passed since the Saviour came, and yet the Church wishes
us to repeat the sublime prayers and prophecies which associate
themselves with the coming of the Word made Flesh, and by our repetition
to be animated with the ardent longings of olden days; and that by them
we may awaken our faith, our hope, our charity, and obtain and augment
God's grace in our souls.
_Rubrics_. The first Sunday of Advent has the invitatory hymn and the
rest of the Office proper. The lessons are from Isaias, the prophet of
the Incarnation. The first response to the lesson is unique in the
Breviary for it has three verses (see p. 164). These three verses are
spoken in the names of the holy people who lived before the law, during
the law, and after the law. The Gloria Patri is added to honour the Holy
Trinity, who has at length sent the long-watched-for Messias (Durandus).
And the response is repeated from the beginning because the second
coming of Christ is watched for, by His faithful (Honorius d'Autun). The
_Te Deum_ is not said, in order thereby to mark the sad thought of the
second coming of Christ, then our judge.
_Lessons_. From the first Sunday of Advent until the first Sunday of
August the lessons of the first and second nocturns are given in the
Breviary in the Proprium de Tempore, after the Psaltery. The lessons of
third nocturn for same period are given after those of second nocturn.
The suffrages are not said in Advent. In Advent the lectio brevis is
"Domine miserere." In Sunday Matins special versicles are given. The
preces are said at Lauds and Vespers in ferias of Advent and at the
small Hours; preces are said, too, if they be said at Lauds.
The great antiphons are the antiphons of the Magnificat which begin on
the 17th December. They are sometimes called the great O's, or the O
antiphons, as each begins with this letter. They begin "O Sapientia,
quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti ..." and continue "O Adonai, O radix
Jesse," etc.... They are the most beautiful antiphons in the liturgy,
expressing the prayers and ardent hopes for the coming Saviour. They
have formed the subjects of study for poets, scholars and liturgists,
ancient and modern. It is asked why these antiphons introduce the
Magnificat and not the Benedictus. And liturgists reply: Because the
Incarnation was of Mary, and hence these heralds of the Infant King more
appropriately introduce Mary's canticle rather than that of Zachary. And
the old liturgists add that these antiphons are said at Vespers, the
evening Hour, because the Messias was expected and watched for in the
world's evening. They tell us, too, why there are seven great antiphons.
They are to excite our piety during this octave preparatory to the
birthday of Christ. This number seven typifies the seven gifts of the
Holy Ghost; it represents the seven miseries of mankind, ignorance,
eternal punishment, the slavery of the devil, sin, gloom and exile from
our fatherland, which is Heaven. And those wonderful men of mediaeval
days tell us why we have need of a Teacher, O Sapientia; of a Redeemer,
O Adonai; of a Liberator, O Radix Jesse; of a Guardian, O Clavis David;
of a brilliant Instructor, O Oriens; of a Saviour to bring us, Gentiles,
back to our Great Father, God; O Rex gentium; a Herald to the Jews.
Honorius of Autun tells that these antiphons refer to the seven gifts of
the Holy Ghost and are arranged in the well-known order in which these
gifts are always arranged in works of piety. He says that Christ came in
the Spirit of Wisdom, O Sapientia, that in the word "Adonai" is
indicated that Christ redeemed us in the Spirit of Understanding. He
says, too, that the antiphon "O Radix" signifies the sign of the cross,
and that Christ redeemed us in the Spirit of Counsel. "O Clavis"
indicates that Christ opened Heaven and closed Hell in the Spirit of
Strength or Fortitude. "O Orient" shows forth Christ enlightening us in
the Spirit of Knowledge. "Rex gentiam" points out the holy King who
saved men by the Spirit of Piety. "O Emanuel" refers to Christ coming in
the Spirit of Fear, but giving us also the Law of Love.
These antiphons have formed the theme of the oldest Christian poem in
Europe--Cynewulf's "Christ," a work which is the admiration of modern
scholars. They were celebrated with great pomp and joy in monastic life,
the monks carrying their congruous symbolism into their recitation. For,
to the gardener-monk was assigned, the chanting of "O Radix Jesse," and
to the cellarer-monk, the "O clavis David"--typifying their work of
root-growing and key keeping. (See _The Month_, No. 489; _The Irish
Ecclesiastical Record_, December, 1918).
_Christmas. Antiquity._ "It was formerly taken for granted that Christ
had actually been born on this day, and, accordingly, the learned were
of opinion that the Church had observed it from the beginning, as the
day of His birth. Even at the present day it will be dfficult for many
to give up this idea. But there is no Christmas among the Christan
feasts enumerated by Tertullian ([died] 220), Origen (185-254), and the
recently published Testament of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, there is
clear proof that even in the fourth and fifth centuries it was unknown
in some parts of the Church, where its introduction, at a later period,
can be proved historically" (_vide_ Kellner, _op. cit._, pp. 127-158).
Christmas is one of the great festivals. In Rome there were two night
Offices. The first, celebrated at nightfall in the Papal chapel, begins
with the antiphon of the first psalm in the nocturn. It has nine lessons
and the _Te Deum_. About midnight a more solemn Office began, this time
with the invitatory and psalm _Venite_. The first of these Offices
became the Office of the vigil.