Entombment of Christ, Sisto Badalocchio

ARS ORANDI, a Catholic website devoted to art, the Holy Mass and liturgical contemplation, was one of the most beautiful blogs on the Internet. It sadly vanished a couple of weeks ago. There has been no public word from the author, David Werling, to explain its disappearance. The archives from December 8th and earlier are available here. I am very grateful to Mr. Werling for creating and maintaining his site, a lovely tribute to the highest form of prayer that exists. It must have been extremely time-consuming to keep the site running.

Here from one of his entries is Lady Lucy Herbert of Powis, a cloistered nun and then Superior of the English Augustinian Nuns, in her 1791 book, Several Excellent Methods for Hearing Mass with Fruit and Benefit:

All things are infinite in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. The victim that is offered is infinite. The God to whom it is offered is infinite. Jesus Christ being the principal Priest and Sacrificer, sacrificing Himself in person, to his eternal Father, by the hands of the priest. It is He who by His minister pronounces the sacramental words which operate this great mystery. Therefore one Mass, though celebrated by a wicked priest, renders more glory to God than all the homages which men and angels can pay Him.

God ordained the Holy Mass, in which the history of His passion and death is mysteriously acted as a real but unbloody representation of that bloody Sacrifice of His death, which was the greatest benefit God could give to man, or man receive from God, it being the highest expression his omnipotent love could make; which deserves not only all our love, but all we have or can have. And that this might make a deeper impression in our hearts and minds, He appointed this Divine Representation, to which we are invited as spectators, and ought to come to it well furnished with love and compassion.

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