Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/571

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PASCHASinS


517


PASCHASIUS


fur katholische Theologie" (1896), 169-177]; the Slav nations in this day have a solemn procession and benediction of their rivers (Nilles, "Kal.", II, 361): The fourth Sunday is called "Cantate"; by the Ori- entals it is called Sunday of the Samaritan Woman. The fifth Sunday, "Vocem jucunditatis"; in the Orient, Sunday of the Man Bom Blind. In the Latin Church follow the Rogation Days (q. v.) ; in the Greek Church on Tuesday is kept the airdSoin! or conclusion of the feast of Easter. The Greeks sing the Canons of Easter up to this Tuesday in the same manner as during Easter Week, whilst in the Latin Church the specific Easter Office terminates on Saturday following the feast. Thursday is the feast of the Ascension (see Ascension). The Friday of this week, in Ger- many, is called "Witterfreitag"; the fields are blessed against frost and thunderstorms. Sunday within the octave of Ascension is called "Exaudi" from the In- troit; in some dioceses it is called Feast of Our Lady, Queen of theApostles (double major) or of the Cenacle (Charleston and Savannah, first class); in Rome it was called Sunday of the Roses ("Pascharosarum"or "rosatum"), since in the Pantheon rose-leaves were thrown from the rotunda into the church ; in the Greek and Russian Churches it is the feast of the 318 Fathers of the first Nicene Council; the Armenians call it the "second feast of the flowers", a repetition of Palm Sunday. By older liturgists the week be- fore Pentecost is called "Hebdomada expectationis", week of the expectation of the Holy Ghost. On the Vigil of Pentecost the baptismal water is blessed in the Latin Church; in the Oriental Churches this Sat- urday is the ^vxoffa^^aTov (All Souls' Day); on this day the Greeks bless wheat cakes and have pro- cessions to the cemeteries. (See Whitsunday.)

Paschal Tide is a season of joy. The colour for the Office de tempore is white; the Te Deum and Gloria are recited every day, even in the ferial Office. On Sundays the "Asperges" is replaced by the "Vidi Aquam" which recalls the solemn baptism of Easter eve. There is no feast day from Easter until As- cension. The Armenians during this period do away even with the abstinence on Fridays. Prayers are said standing, not kneeling. Instead of the "Ange- lus" the "Regina Cccli" is recited. From Easter to Ascension many churches, about the tenth cent., said only one Nocturn at Matins; even some particular churches in the city of Rome adopted this custom from the Teutons (Bjiumer, "Gesch. des Breviers", 312). Gregory VII limited this privilege to the week of Easter and of Pentecost. Some dioceses in Ger- many, however, retained it far into the nineteenth century for 40 days after Easter. In every Nocturn the three psalms are said under one antiphon. The Alleluia appears as an independent antiphon; an Alleluia is also added to all the antiphons, respon- sories, and versicles, except to the versicles of the pares at Prime and Compline. Instead of the "suf- fragia sanctorum " in the semidouble and ferial Offices a commemoration of the Holy Cross is used. The iambic hymns have a special Easter doxology. The feasts of the holy Apostles and martyrs have their own cninmune from Easter to Pentecost. At Mass the .-Alleluia is added to the Introit, Offertory, and Communion; in place of the Gradual two Alleluias are sung followed by two versos, each with an Alleluia; there is also a special Preface for Paschal Time.

II. In Canon Law Paschal Tide is the period dur- ing which every member of the faithful who has at- tained the years of discretion is bounfl by the positive law of the Church to receive Holy Communion (Eas- ter duty). During the early Middle Ages from the time of the Synod of .Vgdc (.508) it was customary to receive Holy Communion at least three times a year, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. A positive pre- cept was issued by the IV Lateran Council (121.5) and confirmed by the Council of Trent (Sess. XIII, can.


ix). According to these decrees the faithful of either sex, after coming to the age of discretion, must re- ceive at least at Easter the Sacrament of the Eucharist (unless by the advice of the parish priest they abstain for a while). Otherwise during life they are to be pre- vented from entering the church and when dead are to be denied Christian burial. The paschal precept is to be fulfilled in one's parish church. [Taunton, "The Law of the Church" (London and St. Louis, 1906), 391, 474.) Although the precept of the IV Lateran to confess to the parish priest fell into disuse and permission was given to confess anywhere, the precept of receiving Easter Communion in the parish church is still in force where there are canon- ieally-erected parishes. The term Paschal Tide was usually interpreted to mean the two weeks between Palm and Low Sundays (Synod of Avignon, 1337); by St. Antonine of Florence it was restricted to Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday; by Angelo da Chia- vasso it was defined as the period from Maundy Thursday to Low Sunday. Eugene IV, 8 July, 1440, authoritatively interpreted it to mean the two weeks between Palm and Low Sundays [G. Allmang, "Kol- ner Pastoralblatt " (Nov., 1910), 327 sq.]. In later centuries the time has been variously extended: at Naples from Palm Sunday to Ascension; at Palermo from Ash Wednesday to Low Sunday. In Germany, at an earlj date, the second Sunday after Easter ter- minated Paschal Tide, for which reason it was called "Predigerkirchweih", because the hard Easter labour was over, or "Buch Sunday", the obstinate sinners putting off the fulfillment of the precept to the last day. In the United States upon petition of the Fathers of the First Provincial Council of Baltimore Paschal Tide was extended by Pius VIII to the period from the first Sunday in Lent to Trinity Sunday (II Plen. Coun. Bait., n. 2.57); in England it lasts from Ash Wednesday until Low Sunday; in Ireland from Ash Wednesday until the octave of SS. Peter and Paul, 6 July (O'Kane "Rubrics of the Roman Ritual", n. 737; Slater, "JMoral Theology", .578, 599); in Can- ada the duration of the Paschal 'Tide is the same aa in the United States.

Kirchenlei., a. v., Oesterliche Zeil; Nilles, Kal. man., II, 337 eqq. : TONDINI, C'alendrier liturgiquc de In. nation armcnienne (Rome, 1906) ; IJaumstark, Festbrevier utid Kirchenjahr der syri^ schen Jakobiten (Paderborn, 1910).

F. G. HOLWECK.

Paschasius, Saint, deacon of the Roman Church about 500; d. after 511. Almost all that is known of Paschasius is related by Gregory the Great in his " Dialogues" (IV, xl). According to Gregory he was a man of extraordinary sanctity, and a father of the poor. Until his death he was a firm adherent of the antipope Laurentius (498-50.5; d. before 514). This, however, was not the result of malice but of error and ignorance. He died during the reign of Pope Symma- chus (498-514), and after his death a demoniac was healed by touching his dalmatic. Long after this, Paschasius appeared to BLshop Germanus of Capua at the hot springs of Angulus (Angelum); he told Ger- manus that he had to do penance in these baths for his former mistake, and begged the bishop to i)ray for him. This Germanus did with great zeal, and after some days no longer found him at the springs. Gregory re- marks that Paschasius had left books on the Holy Spirit that were correct in all i)artic,ulars and perfectly intelligible. Asamattcr of fact two books "Despiritu sancto" are assigned to Paschasius in several manu- scripts, and until lately were printed under his name. Engelbrecht, not long ago, denied his authorship of them, assigned thoni to Bishop Faustus of Riez, and has publislicd them in the works of Faustus. If this is correct, then the work ofPaschasius has di.sappeared. A letter written by him to Eugippius (511) has been preserved. The latter had begged his venerated arul dearly loved friend Paschasius, who had great literary