Sacris solemniis juncta sint gaudia

At this our solemn Feast

The Hymns of the Breviary and Missal

Sacris solemniis juncta sint gaudia,
Et ex præcordiis sonent præconia;
Recedant vetera, nova sint omnia,
Corda, voces, et opera.
Noctis recolitur cna novissima,
Qua Christus creditur agnum et azyma
Dedisse fratribus, juxta legitima
Priscis indulta patribus.
Post agnum typicum, expletis epulis,
Corpus Dominicum datum discipulis,
Sic totum omnibus, quod totum singulis,
Ejus fatemur manibus.
Dedit fragilibus corporis ferculum,
Dedit et tristibus sanguinis poculum,
Dicens: accipite quod trado vasculum;
Omnes ex eo bibite.
Sic sacrificium istud instituit,
Cujus officium committi voluit
Solis presbyteris, quibus sic congruit,
Ut sumant, et dent ceteris.
Panis angelicus fit panis hominum;
Dat panis clicus figuris terminum;
O res mirabilis: manducat Dominum
Pauper, servus et humilis.
Te, trina Deitas unaque, poscimus:
Sic nos tu visita, sicut te colimus;
Per tuas semitas duc nos quo tendimus,
Ad lucem, quam inhabitas.

At this our solemn Feast,
Let holy joys abound,
And from the inmost breast
Let songs of praise resound;
Let ancient rites depart,
And all be new around,
In evry act, and voice, and heart.
Remember we that eve,
When, the Last Supper spread,
Christ, as we all believe,
The Lamb, with leavenless bread,
Among His brethren shared,
And thus the Law obeyed,
Of old unto their sires declared.
The typic lamb consumed,
The legal Feast complete,
The Lord unto the Twelve
His Body gave to eat;
The whole to all, no less
The whole to each did mete
With His own hands, as we confess.
He gave them, weak and frail,
His Flesh, their Food to be;
On them, downcast and sad,
His Blood bestowed He:
And thus to them He spake,
“Receive this Cup from Me,
And all of you of this partake.”
So He this Sacrifice
To institute did will,
And charged His priests alone
That office to fulfill:
In them He did confide:
To whom it pertaineth still
To take, and to the rest divide.
Thus Angels Bread is made
The Bread of man to-day:
The Living Bread from Heaven
With figures dost away:
O wondrous gift indeed!
The poor and lowly may
Upon their Lord and Master feed.
O Triune Deity,
To Thee we meekly pray,
So mayst Thou visit us,
As we our homage pay;
And in Thy footsteps bright
Conduct us on our way
To where Thou dwellst in cloudless light.

See “Preliminary Observations” above. Meter: Asclepiadic and Glyconic. Translation, a cento based on the translation of J. D. Chambers. There are about fifteen translations, two of which are in the Annus Sanctus. Liturgical Use: Matins hymn for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The meter imitates the classic meter of Horace, but like all the hymns of St. Thomas, it is purely accentual. On account of the rhyme, the Asclepiadic lines may be conveniently divided at the cæsura.

“With this sacred solemnity let our joys be blended, and from our inmost heart let praises resound; let old things depart, let all be new—hearts, words, and works.” Vetera: the olden rites, the Pasch and its attendant ceremonies; or, sin, sinful habits, the leaven of malice and wickedness (I Cor. 5, 7-8). Nova: let all things be new, or renewed by the grace of God.
“Of that night, the Last Supper is recalled to mind, at which we believe that Christ gave the lamb and the leavenless bread to His brethren, according to the legal precepts given to the ancient fathers.” (cf. Exoc. 12-13).
“After the typic lamb, and when the meal was ended, we profess that Our Lord, with His own hands, gave His Body to His brethren; He so gave It that the whole was given to all, and the whole to each.” Totum (sc. Corpus).
“He gave to the weak His Body as good, and He gave to the sad the cup of His Blood, saying: Receive ye the cup which I give to you, drink ye all of it.”
“Thus He instituted this Sacrifice (Sacrament) the administration of which He willed should be entrusted to priests alone, whom it thus behooves to receive it themselves, and to give it to others.”
“The Bread of Angels becomes the Bread of men; the Bread of Heaven puts an end to types; O wondrous thing, the poor, the servant, and the lowly, eat their Lord!” Panis angelicus and panis cœlicus are Scriptural allusions to the manna of old, which was a type of the Manna of the New Law. Et pluit illis manna ad manducandum, et panem cœli dedit eis. Panem angelorum manducavit homo: cibaria misit eis in abundantia (Ps. 77, 24-25).
“O triune Deity, we beseech Thee, that Thou visit us, as we adore Thee; lead us by Thy ways, whither we direct our steps, to the light wherein Thou dost dwell.”