Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

382 SS. Philip and James the Younger
king Totila. The resulting joy of the populace is clearly expressed in
the Introit.
INTROIT (Neh. 9:27)
1. Clamaverunt ad te, Domine, in 1. They cried to thee, O Lord, in
tempore affiictionis, 2. et tu de caelo the time of their tribulation, 2. and
exaudisti eos, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. thou heardest them from heaven,
Exsultate justi in Domino: * rectos alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Rejoice in the
decet collaudatio. Lord, ye just: * praise becometh the
upright.
These words of the Introit we can readily apply to the Apostles.
Philip willingly heeded the call of the Lord: Do thou follow me! In fact,
whosoever would follow Jesus, and particularly he who is called to the
apostolate, must walk the way of the cross and be prepared for sacrifice
and suffering. The Lord and Master clearly predicted this for the Apostles.
In their own country they were driven out of the synagogues, scourged,
and dragged to civil courts; in foreign countries where Providence assigned
them fields of labor, they were subjected to poverty, privation,
and persecution. The first phrase recounts how often these same Apostles
cried to the Lord for help, while the second phrase notes that their prayers
were heard. The assurance of the Lord that He would be with them all
days never failed them, even in that supreme moment when they climaxed
their life with a martyr's death. Death, however gruesome,
brought the fulfillment of their only wish, union with their divine Master.
Hence, the psalm-verse breaks forth into jubilation.
After the solemn intonation and the effective emphasizing of Domine
we should expect further development. The melody continues
modestly, however, and moves quite regularly within the range of the
D plagal mode. The two alleluia are those which usually conclude the
Introits of the second mode. The modulation over eos into a full step
below the dominant is quite in place.
FIRST ALLELUIA VERSE—OFFERTORY (Ps. 88:6)
1. Confitebuntur caeli mirabilia 1. The heavens shall confess thy
tua, Domine: 2. etenim veritatem wonders, 0 Lord: 2. and thy truth
tuam in ecclesia sanctorum. in the church of the saints.
Who, we might ask, are the heavens and who the community of the
saints? In first order we might place the starry firmament, proclaiming
as it does by its beauty and its harmonic laws, the glory and the fidelity
and the power of God. Pope St. Gregory, commenting on the words of