Gaude Sion, quæ diem recolis
Qua Martinus, compar Apostolis,
Mundum vincens, junctus cælicolis Coronatur.
På engelsk: Rejoice, o Sion, who recall the day when Martin, equal to the Apostles, overcoming the world, is crowned among those that dwell in heaven.
I dag var det minnedagen for den hellige Martin (Les om ham på katolsk.no her), og selv om han ikke ble feiret offisielt siden det er søndag, nevnte jeg ham i mine søndagsmesser. På The New Liturgical Movement leste jeg også en interessant artikkel om hl. Martin, der det bl.a. står:
The medieval liturgical commentator William Durandus explains why the liturgy refers to him in this fashion.
He is called “equal to the Apostles” not, as some people think, because he raised people from the dead, since many other martyrs and confessors have done the same; nor because of the multitude of his miracles, but especially because of one particular miracle… (while he was celebrating Mass) a globe of fire appeared over his head, by which it was shown that the Holy Spirit had descended upon him… as He came upon the Apostles at Pentecost. Whence he is rightly called “equal to the Apostles,” and is indeed equal to them in the liturgy. (VII, 37)
Durandus also notes that among the feasts of Confessors, only Martin’s was considered important enough to be kept with an octave, as was the general custom in the Middle Ages, and in many places well beyond that. It was also the only feast of a Confessor kept with a proper Office in the medieval use of the Papal chapel at Rome, which formed the basis of the Tridentine liturgical books; not even the four great Doctors or Saint Benedict have their own Offices in the Roman Use. …