Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem

Sion Lift Thy Voice and Sing

St. Thomas Aquinas (Sequence for the Mass of Corpus Christi)

Sion, lift thy voice and sing: Praise thy Savior and thy King; Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true: Dare thy most to praise Him well; For He doth all praise excel; None can ever reach His due. Special theme of praise is thine, That true living Bread divine, That life-giving flesh adored, Which the brethren twelve received, As most faithfully believed, At the Supper of the Lord.

Let the chant be loud and high; Sweet and tranquil be the joy Felt to-day in every breast; On this festival divine Which recounts the origin Of the glorious Eucharist.

At this table of the King, Our new Paschal offering Brings to end the olden rite; Here, for empty shadows fled, Is reality instead; Here, instead of darkness, light.

His own act, at supper seated, Christ ordained to be repeated, In His memory divine; Wherefore now, with adoration, We the Host of our salvation Consecrate from bread and wine.

Hear what holy Church maintaineth, That the bread its substance changeth Into Flesh, the wine to Blood. Doth it pass thy comprehending? Faith, the law of sight transcending, Leaps to things not understood.

Here in outward signs are hidden Priceless things, to sense forbidden; Signs, not things, are all we see:- Flesh from bread, and Blood from wine; Yet is Christ, in either sign, All entire confessed to be.

They too who of Him partake Sever not, nor rend, nor break, But entire their Lord receive. Whether one or thousands eat, All receive the selfsame meat, Nor the less for others leave.

Both the wicked and the good Eat of this celestial Food; But with ends how opposite! Here 'tis life; and there 'tis death; The same, yet issuing to each In a difference infinite.

Nor a single doubt retain, When they break the Host in twain, But that in each part remains What was in the whole before; Since the simple sign alone Suffers change in state or form, The Signified remaining One And the Same forevermore

Lo! upon the Altar lies, Hidden deep from human eyes, Angels' Bread from Paradise Made the food of mortal man: Children's meat to dogs denied; In old types foresignified; In the manna from the skies, In Isaac, and the Paschal Lamb.

Jesu! Shepherd of the sheep! Thy true flock in safety keep. Living Bread! Thy life supply; Strengthen us, or else we die; Fill us with celestial grace: Thou, who feedest us below! Source of all we have or know! Grant that with Thy Saints above, Sitting at the Feast of Love, We may see Thee face to face. Amen

Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem

I. Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem, Lauda ducem et pastorem In hymnis et canticis. Quantum poses, tantum aude: Quia major omni laude Nec laudare sufficis.

2. Laudis thema specialis, Panis vivus et vitalis Hodie proponitur; Quem in sacrae mensa coenae Turbae fratrum duodenae Datum non ambigitur.

3. Sit laus plena, sit sonora, Sit iucunda, sit decora Mentis iubilatio. Dies enim solemnis agitur, In qua mensae prima recolitur Huius institutio.

4. In hac mensa novi Regis Novum Pascha novae legis Phase vetus terminat. Vetustatem novitas, Umbram fugat veritas, Noctem lux eliminat.

5. Quod in coena Christus gessit, Faciendum hoc expressit In sui memoriam Docti sacris institutis, Panem, vinum in salutis Consecramus hostiam.

6. Dogma datur Christianis, Quod in carnem transit panis Et vinum in sanguinem. Quod non capis, quod non vides, Animosa firmat fides Praeter rerum ordinem.

7. Sub diversis speciebus, Signis tantum, et non rebus, Latent res eximiae: Caro cibus, sanguis potus; Manet tamen Christus totus Sub utraque specie.

8. A sumente non concisus, Non confractus, non divisus Integer accipitur. Sumit unus, sumunt mille; Quantum isti, tantum ille: Nec sumptus consumitur.

9. Sumunt boni, sumunt mali: Sorte tamen inaequali, Vitae vel interitus. Mors est malis, vita bonis: Vide, paris sumptionis Quam sit dispar exitus.

10. Fracto demum Sacramento, Ne vacilles, sed memento, Tantam esse sub fragmento, Quantum toto tegitur. Nulla rei fit scissura, Signi tantum fit fractura, Qua nec status nec statura Signati minuitur.

11. Ecce panis Angelorum, Factus cibus viatorum, Vere panis filiorum, Non mittendus canibus. In figuris praesignatur, Cum Isaac immolatur; Agnus Paschae deputatur, Datur manna patribus.

12. Bone Pastor, panis vere, Jesu, nostri miserere, Tu nos pasce, nos tuere, Tu nos bona fac videre, In terra viventium. Tu, qui cuncta scis et vales, Qui nos pascis hic mortales, Tuos ibi commensales, Cohaeredes et sodales, Fac sanctorum civium. Amen

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