Ad Cenam Nuptiarum Agni
Reflecting on faith through St. Paul's teaching on the Mystery of Marriage (Eph. 5:14-33)
Christ the Bridegroom
Icon venerated by the Eastern Church during Holy Week, the "Week of the Bridegroom"
The Bridegroom Comes at Midnight
"About midnight there came a call: Look! here comes the bridegroom! Go out to meet him! Keep watch, then for ye know not either the day or the hour in which the Son of man cometh."
It is night. The turmoil of day has died away and everything is still. The Church is at prayer. She remembers the night-time prayer of the Bridegroom; she thinks of the night vigils of the early Christians in the catacombs. Times have changed, but the Church continues to insist that night is not just for sleep; night is a time for prayer. From earliest ages Matins was the Church's prayer for the Second Coming; she prayed and waited for the return of Christ as Judge of all the world. Like the virgins in the parable, we watch and wait for the Bridegroom with our lamps in hand. When we see Him we must tell our fellow watchers, and bring forth the fruit of our watching.
To pray the Office of Readings (Matins) of the Latin rite go to
http://www.universalis.com/
Matins for the Eastern Rite are available at http://www.goarch.org/en/Chapel/liturgical_texts/ignatius_matins.asp
It is night. The turmoil of day has died away and everything is still. The Church is at prayer. She remembers the night-time prayer of the Bridegroom; she thinks of the night vigils of the early Christians in the catacombs. Times have changed, but the Church continues to insist that night is not just for sleep; night is a time for prayer. From earliest ages Matins was the Church's prayer for the Second Coming; she prayed and waited for the return of Christ as Judge of all the world. Like the virgins in the parable, we watch and wait for the Bridegroom with our lamps in hand. When we see Him we must tell our fellow watchers, and bring forth the fruit of our watching.
To pray the Office of Readings (Matins) of the Latin rite go to
http://www.universalis.com/
Matins for the Eastern Rite are available at http://www.goarch.org/en/Chapel/liturgical_texts/ignatius_matins.asp
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