| May 5 Saint Angelus Priest & Martyr Memorial |
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Angelus was one of the first Carmelites to come to Sicily from Mount Carmel. According to trustworthy
sources, he was killed by unbelievers in Licata during the first half of the thirteenth century. Acclaimed as a martyr, his body was placed in a church built on the site of his death. Only in 1632 were his relics transferred to the Carmelite Church. Veneration of St Angelus spread throughout the Carmelite Order as well as among the populace. He has been named patron of many places in Sicily. Even to the present time devoted persons invoke him in their needs & faithfully honor him.
From the Common of One Martyr, except the following
Office of Readings
Hymn
Deeds of Angelus the angels
Gladden, heav’n his portion due
And his martyr’s death so noble
Make him like to Jesus too
God’s own people, dear & pleasing
Sing of Angelus the prais;
Carmel, earth, & Sicily’s isle
All their happy voices raise.
Noble thoughts on high ascending
Vices lessen, virtue flowers;
Angelus with deepest feeling
Earth contemns & all its powers
Often dwells his mind on heaven
And on paradise’s joy;
Unto Carmel’s fold he hastens
Called by Christ while yet a boy
Truths of faith he taught with power
Virtue’s sum in him resides;
Pure and chast, of peace the dwelling
Angelus in heav’n abides
To the Father praise & triumph
Due acclaim unto his Son;
Honor, power, benediction
To the Spirit with them one
Ordinal of Sibert de Beka (c. 1312), Ed. B. Zimmerman Tr. Joachim Smet, O.Carm.
The Second Reading
Ch. 1 and passim
From the Flaming Arrow by Nicholas of France, prior general
Every creature moves the interior man to give praise to the Creator
Your FIRST SONS on Carmel, O holiest of Orders my Mother, were like stones mortared together in unfeigned charity, who held aloof from the least violation of what they had vowed when they made profession; while yet they strove, at home in their cells, to “ponder God’s law” & “watch at their prayers,” not because they were compelled to, but happily, moved by joy of spirit.
Remember, beloved Order, your worthiness in the days when you never failed to regale your hermits, our saintly forefathers, with spiritual sustenance of the richest, in pasturage unequalled, and to lead them forth to waters of unparalleled refreshment.
I tell you, my brothers, it is from Carmel that the brethren must climb to the Mountain- all those who deserve to be called “Carmelites,” in other words, who, on account of the excellence of their lives, will go from strength to strength in steady ascent from the Mount of the Circumcision of Vices until they reach, as they surely will, the Mountain which is Christ.
In the desert all the elements conspire to favor us. The heavens, resplendent with the stars & planets in their amazing order, bear witness by their beauty to mysteries higher still. The birds seem to assume the nature of the angels, & tenderly console us with their gentle caroling. The mountains too, as Isaiah prophesied, “drop down sweetness” incomparable upon us, & the friendly hills “flow with milk & honey” such as is never tasted by the foolish lovers of this world. When we sing the praises of our Creator, the mountains about us, our brother conventuals, resound with corresponding hymns of praise to the Lord, echoing back our voices & filling the air with strains of harmony as though accompanying our song upon stringed instruments. The roots in their growth, the grass in its greenness, the leafy boughs & trees- all make merry in their own ways as they echo our praise; & the flowers in their loveliness, as they pour out their delicious fragrance, smile their best for the consolation of us solitaries. The sunbeams, though tongueless, speak saving messages to us. The shady bushes rejoice to give us shelter. In short, every creature we see or hear in the desert gives us friendly refreshment & comfort; indeed, for all their silence they tell forth wonders, and they move the interior man to give praise to the Creator – So much more wonderful than themselves.
Isiah writes in figure of this joy that is to be found in solitude or in the desert: “The wilderness shall rejoice & shall flourish like the lily, it shall bud forth and blossom, & shall bud forth & blossom, & shall rejoice with joy & praise.” And we find in the psalms: “The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow lush, and the hills shall be girded with joy.”
Each wise solitary, resolute his flight from the dangers of the world, longs to be so indissolubly united to Christ, the cornerstone, that he might say effectively with the Prophet: “It is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord.”
Responsory
How goodly, sweet Jesus, is your inebriating chalice; none so happy as those who can say in good conscience:
---”The Lord is the portion of my inheritance & my cup” (alleluia).
It is you who will restore my inheritance to me.
---“The Lord is my portion of my inheritance & my cup” (alleluia).
Morning Prayer
Benedictus
Angelus, you left Carmel in order to prepare the way of the Lord. By your witness strengthen your brethren in holiness & justice all the days of our life (alleluia).
Prayer
God our Father,
Strength of the faithful & crown of martyrs,
by your grace Saint Angelus was called
from Carmel to triumph victorious over the torments of martyrdom.
By his prayers grant us that faithfully following his example,
we may bear witness to your presence & goodness until death.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son
who lives with you & the Holy Spirit.
God for ever & ever
Evening Prayer
Magnificat
Angelus, you once were a glorious companion on our pilgrimage. Now you have reached the eternal shores while we remain in our time of trial. Be for us a sure guide, and pray that we too share heave’s delights (alleluia). St
