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tuiatus summon us to the foot of the Cross of Jesus to
adore the divine Victim, and to retrace in memory the
sufferings of our crucified God. The Responsories echo
the lamentations of Jesus formulated ages before in
the Psalms. The antiphons are a judicious mingling of
verses from the psalms and prophetic sayings of Jeremias.
The different Capitula are taken from this same Prophet
who inspired by the Holy Ghost described beforehand
in such mournful accents the history of the Passion.
The Eastern Church in the Offices for this time,
makes numerous allusions to the illustrious penitent,
Saint Mary of Egypt, and strongly urges reluctant
sinners, to follow her example and enter into the
way of repentance. With the same intention she
reads on Passion Sunday and during the following
week, the parable of the wicked rich man. We however
have this parable on the Thursday of the second week
in Lent. (See Chap, xvi, p. 169.)