Explanation of the Prayers and Ceremonies of Holy Mass, Dom Prosper Guéranger - Communicantes

The Church Militant does not wish to approach the Holy Altar all alone.  She has spoken to God, about the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, about the Bishop under whose Jurisdiction the Diocese is placed, then about all Catholics.  Now, she wants to name another class of persons, belonging not to the Church Militant, but to the Church Triumphant.  She is fully aware that those who are already enjoying the Glory of the Church Triumphant are not separated from her, but, on the contrary, that they are intimately united to her, forming but one and the same Church with her.  It is true, the Church is divided into the Church Triumphant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Militant; nevertheless there is but one Church.  We are to present ourselves, then, before God, in company not only of the Saints on earth, but of the Saints in Heaven.

For this reason, the Priest adds: Communicantes et memoriam venerantes. ... Yes, we do indeed venerate those whom we are about to name, and our motive for thus honouring their memory is that they have already attained eternal glory and  God for evermore; we are united with them, and have direct communication with them, forming but one with them, in the Holy Sacrifice.  And who are they?

First of all: in primis gloriosae semper Virginis Mariae, Genetricis Dei et Domini nostri Jesu Christi. ... Our Blessed Lady has every right to an honour peculiar to her alone, and Holy Church never fails to pay it to her; on the present occasion she expresses this her thought by the word in primis: it behoves us in the first place, to speak of Mary.  Yes, of Mary who always was and ever is a Virgin: Virgin before Birth-giving, Virgin in Birth-giving, Virgin after Birth-giving; She is, moreover, the true Mother of God, of Him who is at the same time, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  All these her titles give her special right to particular mention apart from all others. Sed et beatorum Apostolorum et Martyrum Tuorum ... Holy Church adds next, the Apostles and Martyrs of Christ.  She will give us the names of the martyrs presently, but not till she has given us those of the Apostles.  St. Mathias is the only one omitted, but his name occurs later on, in another list, after the Consecration.  The name of diptychs is applied to these lists, because they used formerly to be written on folded tablets, frequently of richly carved ivory.  Several of these would be used at the Altar: on one were inscribed the Saints’ names to be more particularly commemorated; on another, the name of the reigning Pontiff or the Patriarch under whose jurisdiction the place was, and of the Bishop of that Diocese, &c.  Sometimes a third was specially added, for the names of the Catholic Prince of the country and his children.  Finally, those who had founded the Church, in which they were assembled, or who had endowed it, or had rendered it some signal service, had their names also written on a Diptych, and as they were particularised, the list was often very long.  If any one had the misfortune to fall into heresy, his name would be erased, if inscribed on the diptych, and it could not be replaced there, until he had made due submission and was reconciled to the Church.  These customs have now fallen into disuse, because at last the number of persons claiming a right to be inscribed on the diptychs was so great that it became burthensome.  The list of Saints was then limited and the names fixed as we now have them in the Missal; these lists are, however, a remnant of the ancient custom of the diptychs.

St. Joseph is not mentioned here, no more than he is in the Confiteor, because devotion to this great Saint was reserved for the latter Days, and because just at first, in the earlier ages, the attention of the Church was more specially drawn to the Apostles and Martyrs, for all the honours of her worship.  Later on, when the time for fixing the Canon came, holy Church recoiled from rehandling and making modifications, even of smaller details, in a Liturgical Prayer fixed and consecrated by Christian Antiquity.  With her ever wise discretion, Holy Church has limited the Saints’ names mentioned here.  Let us go through the list.

Petri et Pauli.  The Priest has this one thought uppermost in his mind, that he is in close union with all these Saints, and that he is engaged in honouring their memory.  He names St. Peter and St. Paul together, because these two Saints are really one, belonging as they both do to the Holy Roman Church which was founded by their joint labours.  Then come the other Apostles: Andreae, Jacobi, James the Great, Johannis, John, the beloved disciple, Thomae, Jacobi, James the Less, Philippi, Bartholomaei, Matthaei, Simonis, et Thaddai, Thaddeus, called also Jude.

These holy ones just named by the Church, all belong to the Gospel; but in order to show that she belongs to all ages, she deems it well to couple with these venerable names of the very Foundations of the Church, others no less dear to her.  So these three Popes are mentioned in the same list: Lini, Cleti, Clementis.  Linus, Cletus, Clement, were all three ordained by St. Peter; so that at the Apostle’s death, there were these three Bishops in Rome.  St. Peter had appointed Clement to be his successor, but he contrived at first to escape the burthen; nevertheless he was at last forced to accept it, but whether he succeeded St. Linus, before or after St. Cletus, on the Chair of Peter, is uncertain.  Xysti, here we have another Pope; it is Sixtus II., he who had St. Laurence for his deacon.  He is a very celebrated Pontiff: he was beheaded in the Cemetery Pretextatus; and the Cemetery of St. Calixtus where is the Crypt of St. Camilia, is also called by his name, i.e., of St. Sixtus.  Then follows Cornelius, Cornelii, whose epitaph, lately discovered in the Catacombs by the Commedatore De Rossi, has been a subject of such lively interest; this epitaph was found in two separate pieces, on one was only Cor, on the other, nelius.

After these Popes, we are given a Bishop’s name: it is St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Cypriani.  He is coupled, on the diptychs, with his friend, St. Cornelius.  Laurentii, the great Deacon St. Laurence ever so markedly honoured by Holy Church.  These Martyrs all suffered in the persecution under Valerian; but the next, St. Chrysogonus, Chrysogoni, comes under Diocletian.  As regards SS. John and Paul, Johannis et Pauli, they are much later, being put to death in the reign of Julian the Apostate.  Finally, Cosmae et Damiani, both physicians; they were not Romans, but their bodies were brought to Rome later; they suffered under Diocletian.  These two names close the list adopted by Holy Church, and no others may now be added.  She terminates her Prayer by naming all the Saints, by whose merits she remends herself to God: et omnium Sanctorum tuorum, quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuae muniamur auxilio.

Thus ends this third Prayer, which is, like the other two, a Prayer of recommendation.  First of all, the Priest prayed for Holy Church, the Pope, the Bishop, all Catholics, then for those for whose intention the Holy Sacrifice is being offered; to these he joined other persons in whom he is interested, finally, he reminded God of the union which exists between the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, and then the names of the Saints in Heaven were heard at our Altar here below.  These three Prayers form but one, for which reason, only at the conclusion of this third, the Priest, joining his hands, terminates with the usual words: Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.  He says the Amen himself and in a whisper; his voice is not to be heard, until the Pater.