Three Hymns for the Transition

Posted by Kathleen Pluth on February 16th, 2013

This is a syndicated post from The Chant Café. [Read the original article...]

In hymnody as in iconography, Sts. Peter and Paul usually appear together. This is true of the three hymns provided below for use in the papal transition.

The first two are my translations of office hymns. Both may be sung to any Long Meter or iambic 8.8.8.8. melody.

Aurea luce, from the 8th or 9th century, calls St. Peter the “janitor”–the keeper of the keys–and St. Paul is as always the teacher of the whole world. The hymn plays continually upon the idea of doubling. These two great saints are both like, and equal, and yet unlike. They are equal in dignity, irreducible to one another, and always “at work” together for the good of the Church.

O light of dawn,
O rosy glow,

O Light from
Light, all ages show

Your beauty, and
the martyrs fame,

That gain us
pardon from our blame.

The heaven’s
porter, and earth’s sage,

The earth’s
bright lights who judge the age.

One wins by
cross, and one by sword,

And life on high
is their reward.

These are your
princes, happy Rome!

Their precious
blood clothes you, their home.

We praise not
you, but praise their worth,

Beyond all beauty
of the earth.

One love, one
hope, twin olive trees,

One great strong
hope filled both of these.

Full fonts, in
your matched charity,

Pray that we may
in heaven be.

Give glory to the
Trinity

And honor to the
Unity,

And joy and
pow’r, for their reign stays

Today and through
all endless days.

Apostolorum passio is usually attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan, though we are not entirely sure that he wrote it. It is certainly a rich, theologically dense poem. Like Aurea luce above, it attributes the dignity of Rome to these two saints, pre-eminently in their martyrs’ blood.

Blest day by suff’ring sanctified:
Christ’s chosen high apostles
died.
Today St. Peter wins renown.
Today St. Paul accepts the
crown.

Together, equally, they bled:
Together: the victorious
dead.
They followed God and sacrificed
And now their faith is crowned by
Christ.

St. Peter holds the highest place,
Yet Paul is not the less by
grace.
An equal faith was giv’n to Paul:
The chosen vessel of God’s
call.

St. Peter, downward crucified—
To honor God in how he
died—
Securely tied, he sees unfold
The death his Shepherd once
foretold.

On such foundations Rome may claim
The highest service of
God’s name.
His noble blood has dignified
The city where this prophet
died.

Let all the world, then, run to Rome.
Let families of nations
come!
The head of nations teaches there
Beside the nations’ teacher’s
chair.

O Lord, we ask that we may be
In their exalted company,
And
with our princes sing Your praise
Forever, to unending days.

And last let me offer a hymn published by CanticaNOVA Publications and printed here with their kind permission to be used by anyone during this special time of papal transition. It was sung as below at the CMAA Colloquium this past year on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and this setting may be found on page 151 of the Colloquium music packet. The outstanding organist is Jonathan Ryan.