Alleluia

“ O Queen of heaven, rejoice, Alleluia; for He Whom thou wast meet to bear, Alleluia, hath risen, as He said, Alleluia; pray for us to God, Alleluia.
During Advent
Ant. The Holy Ghost shall come down upon thee, Mary; fear not, thou shalt hold within thy womb the Son of God, Alleluia.
From Christmas until Candlemas
Ant. A wondrous mystery is revealed to-day: marvels are wrought. God is made man; He still remaineth what He was, and hath taken upon Him what He was not, suffering neither confusion nor division.
Lord, have mercy on us. ”

“ The strain upraise of joy and praise, Alleluia.
2. To the glory of their King
Shall the ransom'd people sing Alleluia.
3. And the Choirs that dwell on high
Shall re-echo through the sky Alleluia.
4. They through the fields of Paradise that roam,
The blessed ones, repeat through that bright home Alleluia.
5. The planets glittering on their heavenly way,
The shining constellations, join, and say Alleluia. ”

“ Alleluia!”
Him though highest Heav’n receives, Alleluia!
Still He loves the earth He leaves, Alleluia!
Though returning to His throne, Alleluia!
Still He calls mankind His own, Alleluia!
See! He lifts His hands above, Alleluia!
See! He shows the prints of love, Alleluia!
Hark! His gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!
Blessings on His church below, Alleluia!
Still for us His death He pleads, Alleluia!
Prevalent He intercedes, Alleluia!
Near Himself prepares our place, Alleluia!
Harbinger of human race, Alleluia!
Master, (will we ever say) , Alleluia! ”

“ There none is slave, and none [189] is free; there none is little, none is great; but all in nakedness shall stand: for this cause it is well to sing ofttimes the psalm, the Alleluia.
Bewail we all with tears as we behold the relics lie, and all approaching them to kiss let us in equal wise exclaim, Lo, thou hast left them who thee lov’d: wilt thou not speak with us again? Why dost thou speak not, friend, as thou wast wont to speak to us? But so thou silent art, even to say with us the Alleluia. ”

“ Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the scepter, His the throne. Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone. Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion thunder like a mighty flood. Jesus out of every nation has redeemed us by His blood. Alleluia! not as orphans are we left in sorrow now; Alleluia! He is near us, faith believes, nor questions how ”

“ To succour miserable man.
Alleluia.
The holy women to the tomb
With gifts of precious ointment come:
Alleluia.
And Christ the Lord they seek with pain,
For our transgressions Who was slain.
Alleluia.
An Angel clad in white appears
To bring glad tidings to their ears.
Alleluia.
"Fear not! O trembling ones!" ”

“ Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord! The Lord God hath shone upon us—amen—through all ages. Alleluia for ever and ever! Praise, honour, power, glory! because Thou hast come from on high to visit us. Singing Alleluia continually, and rejoicing together concerning His glory, they ran together under the hands of the Lord. ”

“ In holy David's song of old: Alleluia.
My Lord is seated with the Lord, Alleluia.
Upon the Throne of God adored. Alleluia.
In this great triumph of our King, Alleluia.
To God on high all praise we bring. Alleluia. ”

“ Even as a form of divine acclaim its force was intensified, the feeling it evoked deepened, the ideas it suggested widened and elevated, and, above all, purified under the spiritualizing influence of Christian thought. As that thought's supreme expression of thanksgiving, joy, and triumph, "Alleluia" assumed a wider and deeper, a higher and holier, meaning than it earlier had in the liturgy of the Hebrew people. ”

“ And I asked the angel: My lord, what is the meaning of Alleluia? It is called in Hebrew, thebel, marematha—speech to God who founded all things: let us glorify Him in the same. So that every one who sings the Alleluia glorifies God.
When these things, therefore, had been thus said to me by the angel, he led me outside of the city, and the Acherusian lake, and the good land, and set me upon the river of the ocean that supports the firmament of the heaven, and said to me: Knowest thou where I am going? And I said: No, my lord. ”

“ All we go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Give rest, O Christ, to thy servant (s) with thy saints,
where sorrow and pain are no more,
neither sighing, but life everlasting.
The Celebrant, facing the body, says
Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we commend thy servant N. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen. ”

“ It is scarcely possible for any one, not acquainted with the melody, to imagine the jubilant effect of the triumphant Alleluia attached to apparently less important circumstances of the Resurrection: e.g., S. Peter's being outstripped by S. John. It seems to speak of the majesty of that event, the smallest portions of which are worthy to be so chronicled. I have here and there borrowed a line from preceding translations.
⁠ Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! ”

“ From Easter to Whit-Sunday, inclusively, instead of the foregoing Antiphon Asperges me, etc., the following is sung, and Alleluia is added to the Versicles and Responsories.
Ant. I saw water coming forth from the temple, on the right side. Alleluia! And all those to whom this water came, were saved, and shall say, Alleluia!
Ps. Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. ”

“ The farewell to Alleluia in the Mozarabic rite is so lovely that I give it here. After the Alleluia Perenne, the Capitula are as follows:—"Alleluia in heaven and in earth; it is perpetuated in heaven, it is sung in earth. There it resounds everlastingly: here sweetly. There happily; here concordantly. There ineffably; here earnestly. There without syllables; here in musical numbers. There from the Angels; here from the people. Which, at the birth of Christ the Lord, not only in heaven, but the earth, did the Angels sing ”

“ Love has conquered death. Alleluia! He is risen all glorious from the foot of the hill. Alleluia! The whole creation is restored and made anew. Darkness 30and evil are put to flight. Light and pardon encompass the world. Alleluia!”
A lark, awakened amidst the wheat, answered him with song.
“He is risen again. I have dreamed of nests and eggs—white eggs, flecked with brown. Alleluia! He is risen again.”
Then the hermit Celestine left his cavern to go to the neighbouring chapel and celebrate the holy Easter Feast. ”

“ Ye traces of earth and continents, reply Alleluia. 14. To God, who all Creation made, 15. The frequent hymn be duly paid: Alleluia. 16. This is the strain, the eternal strain,
the Lord of all things loves : Alleluia. 17. This is the song, the heav'nly song,
that Christ Himself approves : Alleluia. 18. Wherefore we sing, both heart and voice awaking, Alleluia. 19. And children's voices echo, answer making, Alleluia. 20. Now from all men be out-pour'd
Alleluia to the Lord;
With Alleluia evermore
The Son and Spirit we adore. 21. Praise be done to the Three in One. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! ”

“ INTROIT, PRAYER, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL OF THE SUNDAY.
The Church continues to encourage us to rejoice and praise God for the resurrection of Jesus, and sings accordingly, at the Introit of the Mass, " Shout with joy to God, all the earth, alleluia. Sing ye a psalm to His name, alleluia. Give glory to His praise, alleluia! alleluia! alleluia! Say unto God how terrible are Thy works, O Lord. In the multitude of Thy strength, Thy enemies shall lie to Thee" (Ps. lxv.) ”

“ Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! ”

“ Then, for Alleluiatic anthem, comes the somewhat later insertion known as the Cherubic hymn, before the Consecration: "Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim, and sing the holy hymn to the quickening Trinity, now lay by all worldly cares, that we may receive the King of Glory invisibly attended by the Angelic orders: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!" In the next most ancient of these primitive Greek liturgies of the East, that known as the Liturgy of St. James, we find the following rubric: "Priest: Peace be with all. People: And with thy Spirit. Singers: Alleluia!" ”

“ The singing of the Alleluia by René long before the dawn, then all the greetings after the Mass of Communion, and the joy of the little girls, and the delight of the good abbé, upon whom were showered surprises, and Johanna’s joy at seeing me do honor to the first Alleluia of my godson! O the beautiful, beautiful day! And our poor, and Benoni, and High Mass followed by the Papal Benediction, Vespers, sermon: “He is risen!” “We find proofs of our Saviour’s resurrection in our faith and in our works.” Benediction ended about six o’clock. ”

“ Thou hast shown Thy people heavy things; Thou hast given us a drink of deadly wine'.
The distinctively Christian hymn has its root in the poetry and worship of the Old Testament, whose songs and rhythmical passages passed directly into the services of the Greek Church. The Alleluia was early incorporated with Christian song. Jerome notes how the Christian ploughman shouted it at his work. Sailors encouraged one another by a loud alleluia as they plied the oar. ”

“ The Epistle is followed by the Gradual, which, according to Bellarmin, was sung in former times while the deacon ascended the steps of the ambo—an elevated pulpit—to read the Gospel. The Gradual was followed by the Alleluia, a Hebrew word that signifies Praise the Lord. But in Lent the Alleluia, which expresses joy, is replaced by the Tract, which Abbot Rupert calls the lamentation of penitents (Pœnitentium lamentum) . ”

“ Since then, it has been constantly employed in the Offices of the Roman Church; more especially at High Mass, on Festivals, in connection with the Alleluia of the Gradual, from which it takes its Tone, as in the following Alleluia (Tone 1) , sung on Easter Sunday:—
The Alleluia is first sung twice by two Cantors,, and then repeated, in full Choir, with the addition of the Pneuma, also sung twice through. The two Cantors then intone the Versus, and the Choir respond; after which the Alleluia is again sung by the Cantors, and the Pneuma by the Choir. ”

“ In the Mass there is no Introit, because all have been for a long time present. The Mass proceeds as usual with the exception of the organ which is not played until the celebrant intones the Gloria in Excelsis. Then organ and bells peal forth the joyous tidings of the Resurrection. The purple Altar veil is removed, the statues and pictures areun covered. After the Epistle, a subdeacon goes to the throne, and addressing the Bishop, says, "Holy Father, I announce to you great joy, that is "Alleluia," when the celebrant repeats thrice the joyful "Alleluia" each time with an increase of gladness ”

“ Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! ”

“ Amen” (Rev. v. 13, 14) .
And for what is all this wondrous anthem of Praise? Listen once again. “Alleluia:46 Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our [pg 068] God; for TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGMENTS.... And again they said Alleluia” (Rev. xix. 1-3) .
With “that blessed hope” before us,
Let no harp remain unstrung,
Let the coming advent chorus
Onward roll from tongue to tongue, Hallelujah,
“Come, Lord Jesus,” quickly come. This brings us to—
2. ”

“ A deacon in Africa, in the days of persecution, was singing the Easter Alleluias in the Ambo, when an arrow pierced his heart and he ended his Alleluias before the Throne. Some have fallen as they preached the Word of God. ”

“ Then suddenly, after the angel's speech, there was seen a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and singing, "Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis," that is in our tongue, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men who are of good will." And the angels then withdrew from their sight to heaven. The shepherds then spake among themselves, "Let us go to Bethlehem, and see the word that God hath manifested unto us." They came then quickly, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the child laid in a bin, as the angel had announced to them. ”

“ The priest begins by making the sign of the cross, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." This sign is an epitome of the Christian's belief in the unity and trinity of God and in the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. After making the sign of the cross he repeats the 42d psalm, "Judge me, O God," and then makes an humble confession of his sins to God. He ascends the altar and nine times asks God to have mercy on him, Kyrie Eleison; then follows the beautiful hymn the shepherds heard the angels singing at the birth of the Saviour, Gloria in Excelsis Deo. ”

“ Blessed Alan says that the words of this prayer convey joy to all the inhabitants of heaven. The Angelical Salutation is the distinctive salute of the Angels to Mary; and these blessed spirits enjoy a special delight in offering it to her frequently every day. But whilst this admirable prayer causes all Paradise to exult with joy, and is a source of grace to faithful souls, it is also the terror of the demons, who take flight as soon as they hear it pronounced. When the Hail Mary was brought from heaven by an Angel, the earth leapt for joy, on account of its approaching deliverance. ”