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to the faithful the remembrance of the Passion of Jesus
Christ, whether it is the Respond, Collegenmt, which
relates the plotting of the Jews, or In monte Oliveti,
an allusion to the prayer of our Lord in the garden
of Gethsemane. The Gospel narrative reminds us of
what happened, not far from Bethphage. We see how
our Lord Himself prepared for His entry into Jerusalem,
provided for the fulfilment of the prophecy, and submit
ted to the ovation of the crowds, acting in these circum
stances indeed as a King.
The prayer Auge fidem is analogous to the SECRET
of the Mass; it is a petition over the offerings which
here are the palm or olive branches, symbols of the
going out of the ark after the deluge, or of the
going forth from Egypt after a painful slavery. The
PREFACE, an element in all solemn blessings, is here
an homage to our divine Saviour Jesus Christ, not
only as the Son of David, but as the Son of God,
sharing, without diminishing it, in the creative power
and receiving the praises of heaven and earth. The
congregation of the faithful respond to the words of the
priest by proclaiming the thrice holy God, Sanctus
After this solemn introduction which already indi
cates the importance of the ceremony, the priest recites
FIVE PRAYERS OR COLLECTS which explain the whole of its
mystery. In them we find : 1st. an allusion to the dove
returning to the ark with an olive-branch. The palm
or olive-branches are therefore a sign of the protection
which God affords to the dwellings of His children ;
2nd. and 3rd. speak of our Lord s triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. The olive, from which the oil is extracted,
which is used for anointings symbolizes the anointing
of Jesus, His struggle with the devil, His triumph over
death ; 4th. we have a fresh allusion to the dove of the