Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

366 Purification of the Blessed Virgin or Candlemas
sponsories Emendemus on Ash Wednesday and Ingrediente on Palm
Sunday. The melody is closely related to that of the former. Compare
also the Response In monte Oliveti of Palm Sunday.
Let us attend the holy Sacrifice with the same disposition that
Mary had when offering her Child in the Temple.
INTROIT (Ps. 47: 10, 11)
1. Suscepimus, Deus, misericor- 1. We have received thy mercy, O
diam tuam in medio templi tui: 2. God, in the midst of thy temple: 2.
secundum nomen tuum Deus, ita et according to thy name, 0 God, so
laus tua in fines terrae: 3. justitia also is thy praise unto the ends of
plena est dextera tua. Ps. Magnus the earth; 3. thy right hand is full of
Dominus, et laudabilis nimis: * in justice. Ps. Great is the Lord and
civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto exceedingly to be praised: * in the
ejus. city of our God, in his Holy Mountain.
With these words the priest might have greeted the first entrance
of our Lord in the arms of His Mother into the Temple; with the sound
of the trumpets the Levites might have saluted Him, and with jubilation
the entire populace might have bade Him welcome. But, alas! the
priests know no songs to honor Him, the trumpets of the Levites are
silenced and the people have no word of welcome to offer. Simeon alone
sings his immortal Nunc dimittis, and the prophetess Anna rejoices
with him—then silence again in the Temple.
In this majestic melody, the Church offers that which Sion denied
its King. She values the fact that He came with a heart full of tender
mercy and that she is privileged now to receive Him for whom the centuries
had prayed: "Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy." In the Postcommunion
of the first Sunday of Advent she still prayed: "May we receive. ..
Thy mercy," and continued this petition throughout the week. Today
her prayer is heard, and with a grateful heart she cries: Suscepimus—
we have received. In like manner, to the Advent petition Veni—Come,
she could joyfully respond on Epiphany: Ecce advenit—Behold He is
come.
Let the very confines of the earth resound with His praises. And
even though the infant hand be small, it embodies within itself the fullness
of that righteousness from which we also have received, and by
which we are made children of God. For this reason, despite His humble
appearance, the Church greets Him with the words of the psalm-verse:
"Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised."