The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia Part 14

TABLE SHOWING THE DESCENT OF PRINc.i.p.aL LITURGIES ------------------------------------------------

OUR LORD'S WORDS OF INSt.i.tUTION | APOSTOLIC NUCLEUS OF A LITURGY | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Liturgy of St. James, Liturgy of St. Mark, Liturgy of Liturgy of St. John, Antioch, or Jerusalem or Alexandria St. Peter, St. Paul, or Ephesus | | or Rome | ------------- | | | | | Present Liturgy | Liturgy of Lyons Liturgy of Syriac of Egypt | | St. Basil Liturgy of | --------------------- | St. James | | | | Liturgy of | | Mozarabic Liturgy Liturgy St. Chrysostom Monophysite | or Spanish of Britain of Tours | Liturgies | Liturgy | | Present Liturgy -------------- ------------- of Oriental or | | | Russian Church Ambrosian Sacramentary Augustine's Revised Liturgy of St. Leo Liturgy of Britain | | | Present Sacramentary Salisbury, York and Liturgy of St. Gelasius other English Liturgies of Milan | | Sacramentary Present Liturgy of the of St. Gregory Church of England | | Present Liturgy -------------------- of Rome | | Liturgy of Liturgy of Scottish Church American Church

{174} parts are common to them all and are found without substantial variation, thus pointing to one common source. All Liturgies existing at the present time trace their origin back to Apostolic times through four main sources, as follows:

I. The Liturgy of St. James, composed in the first instance for the Churches of Palestine.

II. The Liturgy of St. Mark, for the Church in Alexandria.

III. The Liturgy of St. Peter, for the Church in Rome, from which the existing Roman Liturgy is derived.

IV. The Liturgy of St. John, for the Church in Ephesus.

It is from this last that our own Liturgy is derived. This Ephesine Liturgy was introduced into France at a very early age by missionaries who came to Lyons. From France missionaries went over to England and there preached Christ and introduced the Liturgy which they were accustomed to use, so that when St. Augustine went from Rome to England, A.D. 596, expecting to find it a heathen land, he found Christians already there and using a Liturgy somewhat different from that of Rome. These differences in the English Liturgy showed an eastern origin, thus confirming its Apostolic origin and thus demonstrate that our Liturgy did not come from the Church of Rome. Rome's power and influence being introduced into England did, indeed, made its impress on the national religious life, but the English Liturgy never lost its distinctive Eastern characteristics which remain to this day. At the time of the Reformation the {175} Liturgy after many revisions was first set forth in the English language on Whitsun Day, 1549. It was again revised in 1552, and again other changes were made in 1604 and finally in 1662. Since which time very slight changes have been made in it. The American Liturgy was formally set forth on September 29, 1789, being adopted from the English Prayer Book, modified according to the agreement made with the Scottish Bishops who consecrated our first Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury, D.D., for the Diocese of Connecticut. (See article ent.i.tled PRAYER BOOK.)

Lord's Day.--The first day of the week is not the Sabbath, but the _Lord's Day_, and as such has been observed since the Resurrection of our Lord, of which it is the weekly commemoration. From the New Testament itself we learn that the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, has always been the day which Christians have consecrated to G.o.d's service. The Rt. Rev. F. W. Taylor, D.D., has given us the following clear statement concerning the first day of the week observed as the Lord's Day: "Our Saviour Jesus Christ, in the exercise of this His Lords.h.i.+p over the day, has first of all abolished the ordinance of the Seventh Day, and subst.i.tuted, by the Holy Spirit guiding His Church into all Truth, the ordinance of the First Day, as that one day in seven which the Fourth Commandment enjoins to be kept sacred to G.o.d as a moral obligation. Then our Lord has made this day one of the highest spiritual privilege, by uniting it to His own Person and work as the Day of His Resurrection, the weekly recurrence of the {176} Christian Pa.s.sover, a perpetual Easter; and also as the weekly memorial of His supreme Gift of the Holy Ghost upon the Feast of Pentecost, to abide with His Church forever. It is preeminently a day of joy and gladness before the Lord, and should first of all be observed to the Lord, in the a.s.sembling of the Church together for wors.h.i.+p and communion with G.o.d and for spiritual instruction and profit. Hence the Prayer Book prescribes a Collect, Epistle and Gospel for every Sunday in the year, and its rubrics plainly teach us that according to the mind of the Church the princ.i.p.al service of every Lord's Day should be the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord has also taught us by His example as well as by precept, that works of mercy, both spiritual and corporal, are lawful to be done on this day, and are peculiarly appropriate to it."

Lord's Prayer, The.--The prayer which our Blessed Lord taught His disciples when He said, "After this manner, therefore, pray ye," or as given in another place, "When ye pray, say Our Father," etc. The Church has always taken these words literally, so that in all her services--Daily Prayer, Litany, Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Marriage, Visitation of the Sick, etc., the Lord's Prayer is always an integral part. In the Communion Office the Lord's Prayer occurs twice, but it is to be noted that the rubric directs the first to be said by the _Priest alone_, as a part of his private preparation. With regard to the second there is the following rubric: "Then shall the Minister say the Lord's Prayer, _the people repeating after him every pet.i.tion_." {177} These last words (in italics) are omitted in the first rubric, thus indicating a difference of use.

Lord's Supper, The.--(See HOLY COMMUNION.) In regard to the use of the words "Lord's Supper" as a name for the Holy Communion, we reproduce the following from The Annotated Prayer Book, which is worth considering: "The term (the Lord's Supper) is borrowed from 1 Cor. 11:21, where St. Paul applies it to the Agape or love-feasts which then accompanied the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. How the singular and inexact use of it which is handed down in our Prayer Book arose, it is difficult to say; and it is a transference of a Scriptural term from one thing to another which cannot be wholly justified. The name thus given to the Holy Sacrament has led many to confuse the Lord's Last Supper with the inst.i.tution of the Sacrament itself, which it is expressly said took place '_after_ supper' (St. Luke 22:20) and '_when_ He had supped'" (1 Cor. 11:25).

Lord's Table, The.--A Prayer Book name for the ALTAR (which see).

In Scriptural usage the words "Altar" and "Table" are synonymous, that is, they are different names for the same thing in different aspects or as respects different uses of it. The word "Altar" is also used in the Prayer Book, in the Office of Inst.i.tution for the inducting of a Priest to the charge of a Parish, in which he is described as "one who serves at the Altar"; is directed to be "received within the rails of the Altar," and again, to "kneel at the Altar to present his supplication for himself."

Low Celebration.--This is a term commonly used to describe a celebration of the Holy Eucharist on {178} ordinary week-days and in the early morning on Sundays and Feasts. At these the celebrant is una.s.sisted except by a server and there is no choir. All parts of the Office are consequently said, not sung.

Low Sunday.--The first Sunday after Easter is the Octave of the Queen of Festivals and is commonly called "Low Sunday." It is so called from its contrast with the High Festival of Easter Day. The same note of holy joy is struck, but lower down on the scale.

Luke, Festival of Saint.--A Holy Day of the Church observed on October 18. Of the life of St. Luke the Evangelist very little is known, but uniting tradition and the references made to him in Holy Scripture we learn the following particulars: St. Luke was not one of the Apostles and was probably not converted until after the Ascension of our Lord, although one tradition has it that he was one of the two disciples with whom our Lord conversed on the road to Emmaus. St. Luke himself testifies that he was not from the beginning an eye-witness and minister of the Word. He appears to have studied medicine at Antioch, and St. Paul, in one of his Epistles, refers to him as "Luke, the beloved Physician." A late tradition represents him to have been a painter as well as a physician, and he is said to have painted a picture of the Blessed Virgin. He was undoubtedly a scholarly and accomplished man. To him we are indebted for two of the canonical books--the Gospel which bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke's Gospel gives more incidents in our Lord's Life than any of the others, and the beauty and {179} exceeding sweetness of his story of the Great Life are enriched with those Gospel hymns which have characterized the Church's wors.h.i.+p ever since, viz.: Gloria in Excelsis, Benedictus, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. Our Lord appears in this Gospel as the Great High Priest, winning by His Sacrifice on the Cross, mercy and pardon for sinners. It is for this reason that in ecclesiastical art, St. Luke is represented by the winged Ox as setting forth Christ's Atonement through sacrifice.

Lych Gate.--The word "lych," derived from the Anglo-Saxon _lie_, or the German _leiche_, means a body, especially a dead body, a corpse.

The term _lych gate_ is the old name given to a churchyard gate with a porch or covering, under which a bier may be rested while the introductory portion of the Burial Service is being read. Such gates are quite frequently found in England, and occasionally in this country.

M

Magna Charta.--The great doc.u.ment exacted by Barons from King John of England at Runnymede, June 15th, 1215, by which was declared English liberty and English freedom in Church and State, and the ancient rights and privileges of the people were clearly defined and guaranteed. In this doc.u.ment is set forth the independence of England's Church, and from it we learn how untrue is the popular belief that the Church of England was founded by Henry VIII, {180} for among its opening words are these (in Latin): "The _Church of England_ shall be free and her liberties unimpaired." We here see The CHURCH OF ENGLAND referred to as a body already existing, in a _State doc.u.ment_ nearly two hundred years before Henry VIII was born, which is truly a suggestive fact to all thoughtful people.

Magnificat.--The Latin t.i.tle, meaning "doth magnify," of the hymn sung after the First Lesson at Daily Evening Prayer. It is found in the Gospel of St. Luke I:46-56, and is the song of praise which the Blessed Virgin Mary gave utterance to "at the very season when the Divine overshadowing brought about the Incarnation of the Word."

This beautiful hymn is used at the evening service as the daily commemoration of the Incarnation. This use of the Magnificat can be traced as far back as the Fifth Century and it has been used in the English Church at Vespers for over 800 years. For some reason the Magnificat was omitted from the first American Prayer Book set forth in 1789, but at the last revision in 1892 it was restored.

Maniple.--A scarf, like a short stole, worn on the left arm over the alb by the celebrating Priest at the Holy Communion. (See VESTMENTS.)

Manual Acts.--The acts prescribed by the rubrics to be used by the Priest in consecrating the elements in the Holy Communion. The rubric reads, "(_a_) Here the Priest is to take the Paten into his hands, (_b_) And here to break the Bread, (_c_) And here to lay his hand upon all the Bread, (_d_) Here he is to take the Cup into his hands, (_e_) And here he is to lay his {181} hand upon every vessel in which there is any Wine to be consecrated." This is the most solemn part of the whole ministration of the Liturgy. "There cannot be too great exactness and reverent formality on the part of the celebrant in consecrating the elements by means of which, when consecrated, an acceptable sacrifice is to be carried up to the Father, and the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ received by the communicants."

Mark, Feast of Saint.--Observed April 25. St. Mark is called the Evangelist because he is the writer of the Gospel which bears his name. He was the companion of St. Peter and accompanied him in his missionary travels. It is supposed that he wrote his Gospel at the dictation of St. Peter. St. Mark is said to have founded the Church in Alexandria, and one of the ancient Liturgies is called by his name. He suffered martyrdom on Easter Day, April 25th, A.D. 64, being cruelly bound with cords and dragged through the streets of the city until he was dead. It is said that his body was removed, A.D. 465, to Venice, where the famous Church of St. Mark was erected over his grave. This Festival has been observed since A.D. 750. In ecclesiastical art, St. Mark is represented with a lion at his side, with reference to the royal character of the Son of David, which is emphasized in this Gospel.

Marriage.--The sad prevalence of divorce in the United States might not have come to pa.s.s if people had clear ideas of what Marriage really is. Marriage is a great deal more than simply a civil contract. It is a divine inst.i.tution, "an honorable estate, inst.i.tuted {182} by G.o.d in the time of man's innocency." It is a religious ceremony and is sacramental in character. It ought, therefore, to be clearly understood that marriage simply by a "squire" or other legal officer, detracts from the sacredness and dignity of "this holy estate," and belittles the binding character of the "marriage tie." Even a secular paper could declare, "We do not believe there should be any civil marriages of any kind. Every ceremony should be solemnized by the Church and lifted above the level of a real estate transaction." In this custom of civil or legal marriages may be found at least one cause, perhaps the princ.i.p.al cause of divorce, for it encourages such a low view of the sacredness of the Marriage Rite.

Taught by our Lord and His Apostles, the Church emphasizes the religious and sacramental character of Holy Matrimony and has always enjoined its solemnization with ecclesiastical ceremonies and by ecclesiastical persons. This is clearly set forth by the earliest Christian writers. Thus St. Ignatius in one of his Epistles says: "It is fitting for those who purpose matrimony to accomplish their union with the sanction of the Bishop, that their marriage may be in the Lord." Tertullian speaks of marriages being "ratified before G.o.d," and adds, "How can we find words to describe the happiness of that Marriage in which the Church joins together, which the Oblation confirms, the Benediction seals, the Angels proclaim when sealed, and the Father ratifies." St. Ambrose calls Marriage a Sacrament, and says, "Marriage must be sanctified by the Priest's sanction and blessing." {183}

These utterances unfold the mind of the Church in the times nearest the days of our Lord and His Apostles, and in all ages ever since the Church has never abandoned this position in her practice and formularies. A careful study of the Marriage Service in the Prayer Book will show it to be a very clear setting forth of the nature of Marriage. It will also be seen how fully this Service has retained the belief concerning Marriage which the Church has always held since the time of our Lord and His Apostles. (See BETROTHAL, also ESPOUSAL.)

Mary, The Blessed Virgin.--(See BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.)

Ma.s.s--The old name for the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, being a corruption of the Latin, _Ite, Missa est_, meaning "the people are now dismissed." "This name was retained in the Prayer Book of 1549, the t.i.tle of the Office being 'The Supper of the Lord, and the Holy Communion, commonly called the Ma.s.s.'" In the Prayer Book of 1552 the word "Ma.s.s" was dropped and has not since appeared in the Prayer Book, and in consequence has become generally disused.

The term, however, is still retained in popular usage as in the words Christmas, Michaelmas, etc. The Swedish and also the German Reformers retained the name "Ma.s.s" for the princ.i.p.al service of the Church, whether it did or did not include a Celebration of the Holy Communion.

Matthew, Feast of Saint.--Observed September 21. A Feast in honor of St. Matthew has been observed since A.D. 703, and he is known in the Church as both Apostle and Evangelist. St. Matthew had {184} been a Publican or tax-gatherer, and while in his office at Capernaum, receiving the customs from those who pa.s.sed over the Sea of Galilee he was called by our Lord and, we read, "he at once arose and followed Him." He is called Levi by St. Mark and St. Luke. This was probably his former name and he was named Matthew when he became a disciple. Being one of the Twelve, he himself saw and heard most of what he relates in the Gospel which he wrote. It was first written in Hebrew, especially for the Jews, but was afterwards, probably by St. Matthew himself, written in Greek. This Gospel tells us more than the others of our Lord's human life, and it is for this reason that in ecclesiastical art the symbol a.s.signed to St. Matthew is "the likeness of a Man" with wings.

Matthias, Feast of Saint.--Observed February 24. The only record we have of St. Matthias in the New Testament is that to be found in Acts I:15-26 where it is recorded that he was chosen to be an Apostle in the place of the traitor Judas. This pa.s.sage is read for the Epistle for the Day. We have here the New Testament witness to the fact that the number of the Apostles was to be increased and the Apostles.h.i.+p perpetuated to the end of time by its being committed to others, as in the case of St. Paul and St. Barnabas apparently in the place of St. James who had been put to death by Herod, and of some other Apostle whose death is not recorded. According to the tradition of the Church, St. Matthias ministered for some years among the Jews; he then went to Cappadocia where he preached the Gospel and where he eventually suffered martyrdom, being stoned {185} and afterwards beheaded about A.D. 64. In ecclesiastical art, St.

Matthias is variously represented as bearing a halbert; leaning upon a sword; holding a sword by the point; with a lance, hatchet or axe; with a stone in his hand; with a carpenter's square; with a book and scimitar.

Matins.--The Order for Morning Prayer was called by the ancient popular name of _Matins_ (abbreviated from Matutinae) in the original English Prayer Book of 1549. This name is still retained in the Tables of Lessons set forth in the English Prayer Book. It is often used now as a brief and convenient subst.i.tute for the longer t.i.tle in the Prayer Book, "The Order for Daily Morning Prayer." One of the CANONICAL HOURS (which see).

Matrimony, Holy.--(See MARRIAGE.)

Maundy Thursday.--The name given to Thursday in Holy Week, "Maundy"

being a corruption of _Dies Mandati_, meaning the Day of the Command; mandati, derived from _Mandatum_, meaning a command. The name is given from the command our Lord gave on this day, when He inst.i.tuted the Holy Communion, viz.: "Do this in remembrance of Me;"

and also His commandment concerning love. "That ye love one another as I have loved you." Thursday in Holy Week is sometimes incorrectly called "Holy Thursday," a name which from time immemorial has been given to Ascension Day. Maundy Thursday is always observed with great solemnity. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist on this day has great significance, and is never omitted where it is possible to be had. The ecclesiastical color for the celebration is white, but for other services of the day, violet. {186}

Meditation.--An act of the devout life by which the soul seeks closer intercourse with G.o.d. It has been well said that "Meditation is the correlative of Prayer. In Prayer we speak to G.o.d. In _Meditation_ G.o.d speaks to us. We bow our heads to listen; therefore Meditation should be on our knees. It is the att.i.tude of a humble and teachable frame of mind, and our acknowledgment of the Divine Presence."

Members.h.i.+p, Church.--(See BAPTISM, HOLY; JOINING THE CHURCH, and also NAME, THE CHRISTIAN.)

Mensa.--A slab of stone used as the surface of the Altar is so called. _Mensa_ is a Latin word, meaning a table.

Michael (St.) and All Angels.--A Holy Day of the Church observed on September 29th. A Festival in honor of St. Michael and All Angels, to commemorate the community of service between angels and men, has been observed since the Fifth Century. Formerly two days were dedicated to St. Michael, viz., May 8th and September 29th, and in medieval times a third, on October 16th, but the day most generally observed was that which we now keep. In the Eastern Church, St.

Michael's Day is November 8th, while March 26th and July 13th are observed in honor of the Archangel Gabriel. These two, Michael and Gabriel, are the only angels or archangels whose names are mentioned in the Bible. St. Michael and All Angels' Day is observed with great solemnity. Proper Psalms are appointed being the 91st and 103d for Morning Prayer, and the 34th and 148th for Evening Prayer. There are also Proper Lessons, and {187} Collect, Epistle and Gospel. The Church color is white. (See HOLY ANGELS.)

Mid Lent Sunday.--(See FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT.)

Militant, Church.--A name used to describe the Church on earth, fighting (which the word _Militant_ means) or contending against the powers of the world, to distinguish it from the Church Expectant and the Church Triumphant. (See CHURCH CATHOLIC.) In the Communion Office the prayer said after the presentation of offerings is called "The Prayer for the Church Militant," which is a pleading for the Holy Church throughout the world offered in union with the Great Sacrifice.

Ministry, The.--The Scriptural teaching in regard to the Sacred Ministry is that certain persons are set apart to act as the agents of G.o.d towards men and the agents of men towards G.o.d. The power of the Ministry is inherent in, and derived from Christ, as when He said, "As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." This was His commission to the Apostles, and to them He promised, "Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world." This promise implies a transmission of this commission, so that the Ministry should never die out, but be continued from generation to generation and from century to century, "even to the end of the world." It also implies that He will work in them and through them, so that whatsoever they shall do in His Name shall be His work. As to the nature of this Ministry it is declared in the Preface to the Ordinal that "It is evident unto all men diligently reading Holy Scripture and Ancient Authors, that from the Apostles' time {188} there have been these Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church,--Bishops, Priests and Deacons." And we find that these "Offices were evermore had in such reverend estimation," that for 1,500 years after Christ no Christian people recognized any other Ministry but that of Bishops, Priests and Deacons; and we also find that even at this present time nine-tenths of all Christian people are ministered to by a Ministry in Three Orders. (See EPISCOPACY, PASTORS and also HOLY ORDERS.)