Pre Vatican II Lent--Some Memories

I have had the good fortune to bridge the old Catholic Church, pre Vatican II, and the new Church. The old church, the institution of my childhood, was still medieval in many ways, with an emphasis on authority and top-down discipline. The threat of eternal damnation was palpably felt by me and many other Catholics (if you want to get a feel for that era, read James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man). Of course there were many wonderful things about that era, and I still wax nostalgic about the Latin mass and the beautiful hymns, the mystery and majesty of the rites. My wife still thinks it odd that my favorite songs are "Tantum Ergo" and "Pange Lingua." I can still hear in memory Monsignor John Flemming's beautiful Irish tenor intoning these songs. He'd sing a capella, "Pange lingua, gloriosi," filling St. William's with the ancient words. And then the choir and congregation would join in. I was one of the few that seemed to understand much of the Latin spoken or sung at our masses before around 1962 or so.

Lent was serious business back then. It involved serious fast and abstinence, at least at our house. The abstinence was abstinence from meat (beef, pork, chicken, and the like) and anything made from meat--on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays (all Fridays of the year, not just in Lent). The fast involved eating one meal per day with 2 smaller meals, and absolutely no eating between meals (this fast was mainly for adults, but not for small children or the elderly). In addition, everyone gave up something during Lent. It was usually something small, but this was taken seriously. Typical for a kid was to give up candy or chocolate.

When I was in 6th grade, I decided not to just give up something, but to do something. I promised the Lord that I would say the Stations of the Cross every day during Lent. That went pretty well for the first two weeks of Lent. And then I missed a day. I then promised the Lord to do 10 Stations of the Cross for a missed day. Then I missed another day, and promised to do 10 times 10 for any days missed thereafter. The missed days and the promises went on ond on until I was in the deep hole of a geometric progression! I needed not only a government bailout, but divine intervention itself to get me out of this Depression. Needless to say, I didn't ever make up my gigantic deficit and to this day I owe the Good Lord a bezillion Stations of the Cross! So much for my good intentions!

I found the lyrics to "Pange Lingua," written by Thomas Aquinas, on Wikipedia. Here they are with an English translation:

Latin text:

1. Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
quem in mundi pretium
fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.

2. Nobis datus, nobis natus
ex intacta Virgine,
et in mundo conversatus,
sparso verbi semine,
sui moras incolatus
miro clausit ordine.

3. In supremae nocte coenae
recumbens cum fratribus
observata lege plene
cibis in legalibus,
cibum turbae duodenae
se dat suis manibus.

4. Verbum caro, panem verum
verbo carnem efficit:
fitque sanguis Christi merum,
et si sensus deficit,
ad firmandum cor sincerum
sola fides sufficit.

5. Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.

6. Genitori, Genitoque
laus et jubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio.
Amen. Alleluja.

Englis translation:

Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
of His flesh the mystery sing;
of the Blood, all price exceeding,
shed by our immortal King,
destined, for the world's redemption,
from a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
then He closed in solemn order
wondrously His life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
seated with His chosen band,
He the Pascal victim eating,
first fulfills the Law's command;
then as Food to His Apostles
gives Himself with His own hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature
by His word to Flesh He turns;
wine into His Blood He changes;
what though sense no change discerns?
Only be the heart in earnest,
faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
newer rites of grace prevail;
faith for all defects supplying,
where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
and the Son who reigns on high,
with the Holy Ghost proceeding
forth from Each eternally,
be salvation, honor, blessing,
might and endless majesty.
Amen. Alleluia.