Asperges
Asperges is the rite of sprinkling a congregation with
Roman Rite of the Mass
Tridentine Mass
Where the
Both the Asperges and the Vidi aquam are structured like the Introit of the Tridentine Mass: 1st verse (which includes Alleluias in Eastertide), 2nd verse (always from the Psalms), Gloria Patri (omitted in Passiontide), and then the 1st verse again.
Mass of Paul VI
"On Sundays, especially in Eastertide, the blessing of holy water and sprinkling with it may be carried out in memory of baptism. ... If the rite is performed within Mass it takes the place of the usual penitential act at the beginning of the Mass."[3]
During the Easter Vigil, Christmas, and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, many Catholic parish Masses reserve a part of the Mass during which the Confiteor or tropes may be said (at the start of the Mass) to renew the Baptismal promises; this may be accompanied by the use of holy water to bless the congregation. This Renewal of Baptismal Vows, along with Asperges, is common among Lutherans and Anglicans as well. During the Funeral Mass, the casket is blessed with holy water and incense.
The priest blesses the water with one of the three prayers proposed (one of which is reserved for Eastertide). He may also bless salt and put it in the water, if local conditions or custom of the people favours doing so. Then he takes a sprinkler (called an aspergillum, while the container it is dipped into is called an aspersorium), and sprinkles the clergy and people, preferably walking through the church to do so.
While the sprinkling is being done, an antiphon or a hymn is sung. The Roman Missal proposes several, based on the following verses of Scripture:
- Outside of Eastertide
- During Eastertide
But other suitable hymns are permitted.
Often, the antiphon
Eastern Orthodox
In the
Some
The form of
The blessing takes place at a holy water font or
Lutheranism
In Lutheranism, asperges occurs as a part of the Divine Service on Easter Sunday as a remembrance of baptism.[5] The formula used is nearly identical to that of the Roman Catholic Church.[6][7]
Notes
- ^ The Asperges rite was suppressed on Palm Sunday with the 1955 Holy Week reforms of Pope Pius XII; prior to the 1956 implementation of these reforms, the Asperges was, in fact, conducted even on Palm Sunday.
- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wynne, John Joseph (1907). "Asperges". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Roman Missal Ordo ad faciendam et aspergendam aquam benedictam, 1.
- ISBN 0-571-11137-8
- Augsburg Fortress, 1995.
- Augsburg Fortress, 2002.
- Augsburg Fortress, 1997.
External links
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 767.
- Holy Theophany of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ from Handbook for Church Servers, by S. V. Bulgakov
- Video of the 'Vidi Aquam' before Mass and Introit 'Jubilate Deo omnis terra' from 3rd Sunday after Easter.