Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

The Finding of the Holy Cross 385
the third phrase is similar to that of the Communion on the Sunday
after the Ascension, and reminds us of the Ascension of our Lord to His
heavenly Father. Taken as a whole, there is something about the melody
that demands respect and reverence, at the same time filling us with
holy astonishment.
To know our Saviour is to imitate Him. How well, then, can we
apply to ourselves the gentle reproof and urgent exhortation to a more
faithful imitation, as the first phrase of the Communion indicates! In
Holy Communion the Saviour gives us a new and deeper understanding
of His essence and of His intimate union with the Father. Together with
the Father and the Holy Ghost He comes into our heart, and imparts
to us the necessary strength to follow in His footsteps without faltering.
THE FINDING OF THE HOLY CROSS
(May 3)
The Mass is post-Gregorian. The Introit and the Offertory are the
same as those on Maundy Thursday. But what on that day was still
prophecy is now become reality. The Crucified has shown Himself to be
our salvation, our life, and our resurrection. He who was exalted on the
cross is now elevated to the glory of the Father. He will die no more, for
He is now in possession of the eternal life of glory. A complete transfiguration
was effected with the dawn of an Easter morn, with the jubilant
ring of an Alleluia.
FIRST ALLELUIA VERSE (Ps. 95: 10)
1. Dicite in gentibus, 2. quia 1. Say ye among the gentiles, 2.
Dominus regnavit a ligno. that the Lord hath reigned from the
wood.
During the Christmas season the words: "The Lord hath reigned,"
in conjunction with the phrase: "He is clothed with beauty," were of
frequent occurrence. Today, however, in place of the second phrase, we
supply the following: "The Lord hath reigned from the wood." During
the first Christian centuries it was generally believed that these words
had been quoted from the Psalter. The Jews had even been accused of
deleting them from the Psalter. The fact of the matter is that they
form a later addition, albeit, full of deep meaning. The inscription on
the cross bore witness that the Lord is King. The Saviour Himself, in
fact, called the day of His crucifixion the day of His exaltation and