Episode Details

A meditation for Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday, the eve of Septuagesima, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”. The Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday marks a quiet but momentous turning point in the traditional liturgical year, as the Church stands on the threshold of a more penitential season. This day is chiefly characterized by the Church’s solemn farewell to the Alleluia, the joyful song of heaven that has filled her worship since Christmas, and which is now silenced until Easter. By this suspension, the Church gently awakens her children from spiritual lethargy, reminding them that they are still exiles on earth, in need of repentance and purification before they may worthily sing the hymn of the angels again. The day thus prepares the faithful to enter Septuagesima with humility, compunction, and a renewed longing for their true homeland, where the Alleluia is sung without end.Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year, a monumental fifteen-volume work, offers a comprehensive exploration of the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, guiding readers through the spiritual and historical richness of the Church’s worship. Written in the 19th century, the series provides daily meditations, historical context, and liturgical texts for the Mass and Divine Office, covering the entire cycle of seasons—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Passiontide, Easter, and the Time after Pentecost—as well as feast days of saints. Guéranger’s work, rooted in a deep contemplative spirit, aims to immerse the faithful in the Church’s prayerful life, emphasizing the unity of faith through the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi ("the law of prayer is the law of belief"), and remains a cherished resource for Catholics seeking to deepen their spiritual lives. Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805–1875) was a French Benedictine monk, liturgical scholar, and founder of the Solesmes Abbey, renowned for his pivotal role in reviving the Benedictine Order in France and restoring the Roman liturgy after the disruptions of the French Revolution. Born in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, he entered the priesthood in 1827 and, inspired by a vision to restore monastic life, reestablished the Benedictine community at Solesmes in 1833, becoming its first abbot. A staunch defender of ultramontanism and traditional Catholic worship, he also championed the revival of Gregorian chant, significantly influencing the liturgical renewal movement.

If you would like to support this channel: Join on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEYRtJac7oQZQ4C0MSHT5WA/join Join on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/InprincipioPodcast One-time donations may also be made through YouTube “Thanks” (button below the video), or via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=U5EZ9X2CE2V7W Most sincere thanks to all who are able to contribute, by your prayers, your patronage, or otherwise; your support sustains this channel and enables its mission to continue.

Link to the Dom Guéranger's Liturgical Year playlist (updated daily): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZKdyYnV_bkh7rH6piW0ShgsdcefFoOvJ