This is a continuation from Chapter 8, The Sacred Vessels - Part 1.
Bear in mind that this was composed in 1939, well before the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and some rubrics and requirements may have been modified...Other changes will be noted accordingly. Nevertheless, some may find the history fascinating.
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IX - The Sacred Vessels, Part 2
In the preceding chapter we have discussed the two sacred vessels which are consecrated: the chalice and the paten. We shall now consider those which are merely blessed, as well as other vessels and utensils used in the celebration of the Mass and in other divine services, which are neither consecrated nor blessed.
THE PYX: The two sacred vessels used for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament are the pyx and the ciborium. The name "pyx" was formerly given to any vessel used to reserve the Blessed Sacrament. During the Middle Ages it was customary to keep the golden cup or pyx in a silver dove which was suspended above the altar. The dove was usually covered with a silk canopy or veil. The eucharistic dove was a symbolic reminder to the faithful of the operation of the Holy Ghost in the act of consecration of the Mass.
Today the name "pyx" designates a small, box-like vessel resembling an ordinary watch case which is used to carry the Blessed Sacrament to the sick and dying. The pyx is usually made of gold or silver but copper is permitted by the Congregation of Sacred Rites. If silver or copper is used, the inside of the vessel is plated with gold. The pyx is formed of two hollow cups about two inches in diameter which are hinged together and fastened with a spring catch. The Ritual directs that a pyx containing the Blessed Sacrament must be carried in a burse, a silk-lined leather case.
THE CIBORIUM: While some writers trace the word "ciborium" to a Greek root meaning cup, it is generally understood to be derived from the Latin "cibus," which means food, because it suggests the "heavenly bread" which the ciborium contains. From our study of the altar we learned that in early Christian times, ciborium was the name which was applied to the canopy erected over the altar. Since the sixteenth century the liturgical use of the word denotes exclusively the vessel in which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle.
The ciborium resembles the chalice in shape, but the bowl is usually larger and is provided with a closely fitting cover surmounted by a cross or some other symbolic ornament. The bottom of the cup is slightly raised in the center so that the last particles may be more easily removed. Like the chalice and the paten the ciborium should be made of gold or silver. If silver or baser metals are used, the inside of the cup should be lined with gold. The ciborium is not consecrated but is only blessed by a bishop, or, in this country [The U.S.] , by any priest authorized by the bishop. When the ciborium contains the Blessed Sacrament, it should be covered with a white veil or drapery of silk or cloth of gold.
THE OSTENSORIUM OR MONSTRANCE: Originally the name "ostensorium" and the kindred word "monstrance" were applied to all vessels made by goldsmiths which were fashioned for the purpose of venerating a sacred object, whether it be the consecrated Host or a relic of a saint. Modern usage, however, has limited the terms to mean a vessel or shrine intended for the public exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, or for carrying It in procession with proper solemnity.
Normally the monstrance is made of gold or silver. The form in more common use today, that of a sun emitting rays on all sides, follows an instruction given by Pope Clement XI in 1705. The monstrance must be surmounted by a cross. The glass pyx in which the Blessed Sacrament is secured when it is placed in the monstrance is called a lunette or lunula, a "little moon." Since the lunula comes in close contact with the sacred Species, the metal framework should be plated with gold.
DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: During the thirteenth century the intense desire of the people to "salute the body of the Lord," or "to see God," and to express their faith in the Real Presence, prompted St. Gregory X to make the major Elevation a part of the liturgy of the Mass.
Various devices were used to make the Host visible to every one in the church. Sometimes a black curtain was hung back of the altar, or lighted torches were held high by the deacon or the servers. The zeal to gaze upon the Host was not confined to the time of Mass. By the fourteenth century, in Germany, Belgium, and Holland, the Blessed Sacrament was reserved in the church all day long in a transparent monstrance. This custom led to the erection of sacrament houses in the most conspicuous parts of the churches, generally near the sanctuary. They were made of stone and beautifully carved. The monstrance was kept behind a locked door of lattice work, through which the consecrated Host could be dimly seen. Sacrament towers, erected on the Gospel side of the altar, were in use in some localities in Belgium and Germany until the middle of the nineteenth century.
MEDIEVAL TYPES OF MONSTRANCES: The introduction of the feast of Corpus Christi during the thirteenth century, with its liturgical procession, influenced the development of the monstrance. During the Middle Ages monstrances were frequently designed along architectural lines, very much like the facade of a Gothic church, with an upright cylinder or crystal in which the sacred Host was held in a lunette.
In England the monstrance sometimes reproduced the figure of our Lord, the Host being inserted back of a crystal door in the breast.
In Spain there was a preference for monstrances of great size. The monstrance made for the Cathedral of Toledo is more than twelve feet high and was in the process of making for a hundred years. Two hundred and sixty statuettes adorn it, the largest of which is said to have been made of gold brought by Columbus from the New World.
The monstrance used for the Eighth National Eucharistic Congress in New Orleans in 1938 is forty-two inches high and was made from the gold and precious stones of jewelry given for that purpose. It represents the gifts of five thousand persons.
In the old monastery of St. Clare in Assisi there is still preserved the ostensorium which St. Clare held in her hands when she confronted the Saracens who had come to plunder her convent. Although St. Clare was ill, she rose from her bed and took the vessel which enshrined the Blessed Sacrament in her hands and stood at her window against which a ladder had already been placed. History relates that when the invaders saw the sacred vessel they fell backward as if dazed, and fled in panic. St. Clare is always represented in art as holding a ciborium or a monstrance.
CRUETS AND THURIBLE: The cruets are the descendants of the amphorae, the large vase-shaped vessels in which the early Christians brought their offering of wine for the sacrifice of the Mass. When the practice of receeiving Holy Communion under both species was discontinued, and only a few ounces of wine were required for the celebration of the holy Sacrifice, small cruets for water and wine came into use. The cruets are usually made of glass, although gold, silver, and pewter are permitted. In case the cruets are made of metal they are marked with a V and an A to indicate the wine and the water.
The thurible or censer was also formerly a vase, with a perforated cover to emit the perfumed smoke of the burning incense. Later, chains were added to the vessel and to the cover for convenience in handling. The incense is kept in another vessel called a boat because of its shape. A spoon is used to transfer the incense to the burning charcoal in the thurible.
TEXTILE APPURTENANCES OF THE SACRED VESSELS: The Church shows her reverence for the Blessed Sacrament by veiling the sacred vessels at specified times during the Mass and other liturgical ceremonies. At a solemn Mass the subdeacon conceals the paten for a time under a silk humeral veil of the color of the day. In giving the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and in carrying the Holy Eucharist in procession, the priest's hands are covered with a white silk humeral veil. When the ciborium contains the Blessed Sacrament, it is covered with a white silk drapery. When the chalice and the paten are not actually in use during the Mass they are hidden beneath the chalice veil. When any of the sacred vessels contain the Blessed Sacrament, whether in the tabernacle, on the throne of exposition, or on the altar, they must always rest upon a corporal of white linen.
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Questions_________________________
What sacred vessels were discussed in the preceding lesson? Name the two vessels used for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament. How was the pyx formerly used and where was it kept? What was the symbolism of the eucharistic dove? How is the pyx used today? How must it be carried?
Why does the word "ciborium" suggest the purpose for which this sacred vessel is used? To what did the name formerly apply? What does it denote today? Describe the ciborium. Of what metals is it usually made? By whom may it be blessed? How should it be covered?
To what did the names "ostensorium" and "monstrance" formerly refer? What is the present-day use of the monstrance? Describe a monstrance. How is the sacred Host secured in the monstrance? What materials are used in the monstrance and the lunula?
How did the people of the thirteenth century express their faith in the real presence? What devices were used to make the Host visible? How was the Blessed Sacrament honored outside of Mass? What was the purpose of sacrament houses and sacrament towers?
Why did the introduction of the feast of Corpus Christi influence the development of the monstrance? Describe the architectural type of monstrance; also the English style. Give some facts in regard to the Toledo monstrance; the New Orleans monstrance. Relate the story of St. Clare of Assisi.
What is the origin of the cruets? Why do we use small cruets today? Of what material are they made and how are they sometimes marked? Describe the thurible and the incense boat.
How does the Church show her reverence for the Blessed Sacrament? How is the paten concealed during solemn Mass? In giving Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and in carrying the Holy Eucharist in procession how are the priest's hands covered? When is the ciborium draped? When are the chalice and paten veiled during Mass? When must the sacred vessels rest on linen?
Adapted from Altar and Sanctuary, An Exposition of the Externals of the Mass
by Angela A. Glendenin (© 1939)
Published by the Catholic Action Committee
The Catholic Action Series of Discussion Club Textbooks
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