Good Friday - 2 April 2021 - Hymns: Stabat Mater & Vexilla Regis

Stabat Mater, quoted from Divine Hymns [1]:

At The Cross Her Station Keeping,

Stood The Mournful Mother Weeping,

Close To Jesus To The Last.

Through Her Heart, His Sorrow Sharing,

All His Bitter Anguish Bearing,

Now At Length The Sword Had Passed.

Oh, How Sad And Sore Distressed

Was That Mother Highly Blest

Of The Sole-Begotten One!

Christ Above In Torment Hangs;

She Beneath Beholds The Pangs

Of Her Dying Glorious Son.

Is There One Who Would Not Weep,

Whelmed In Miseries So Deep

Christ’s Dear Mother To Behold?

Can The Human Heart Refrain

From Partaking In Her Pain,

In That Mother’s Pain Untold?

Bruised, Derided, Cursed, Defiled,

She Beheld Her Tender Child

All With Bloody Scourges Rent.

For The Sins Of His Own Nation,

Saw Him Hang In Desolation,

Till His Spirit Forth He Sent.

O Thou Mother! Fount Of Love!

Touch My Spirit From Above;

Make My Heart With Thine Accord.

Make Me Feel As Thou Hast Felt;

Make My Soul To Glow And Melt

With The Love Of Christ Our Lord.

Holy Mother! Pierce Me Through;

In My Heart Each Wound Renew

Of My Saviour Crucified.

Let Me Share With Thee His Pain,

Who For All My Sins Was Slain,

Who For Me In Torments Died.

Let Me Mingle Tears With Thee,

Mourning Him Who Mourned For Me,

All The Days That I May Live.

By The Cross With Thee To Stay,

There With Thee To Weep And Pray,

Is All I Ask Of Thee To Give.

Virgin Of All Virgins Best,

Listen To My Fond Request

Let Me Share Thy Grief Divine.

Let Me, To My Latest Breath,

In My Body Bear The Death

Of That Dying Son Of Thine.

Wounded With His Every Wound,

Steep My Soul Till It Hath Swooned

In His Very Blood Away.

Be To Me, O Virgin, Nigh,

Lest In Flames I Burn And Die,

In His Awful Judgment Day.

Christ, When Thou Shalt Call Me Hence,

Be Thy Mother My Defence,

Be Thy Cross My Victory.

While My Body Here Decays,

May My Soul Thy Goodness Praise,

Safe In Paradise With Thee.

[Amen.]

Vexilla Regis, quoted from Catholic Chant [2]:

1. Abroad the Regal Banners fly,

Now shines the Cross's mystery;

Upon it Life did death endure,

And yet by death did life procure.

2. Who, wounded with a direful spear,

Did, purposely to wash us clear

From stain of sin, pour out a flood

Of precious Water mixed with Blood.

3. That which the Prophet-King of old

Hath in mysterious verse foretold,

Is now accomplished, whilst we see

God ruling nations from a Tree.

4. O lovely and reflugent Tree,

Adorned with purpled majesty;

Culled from a worthy stock, to bear

Those Limbs which sanctified were.

5. Blest Tree, whose happy branches bore

The wealth that did the world restore;

The beam that did that Body weigh

Which raised up hell's expected prey.

6. Hail, Cross, of hopes the most sublime!

Now in this mournful Passion time,

Improve religious souls in grace,

The sins of criminals efface.

7. Blest Trinity, salvation's spring,

May every soul Thy praises sing;

To those Thou grantest conquest by

The holy Cross, rewards apply. Amen.

[1] https://www.divinehymns.com/lyrics/at-the-cross-her-station-keeping-song-lyrics-2/#:~:text=Print%20%20%20Song%20%20%20At%20The,%20%20%20%205%20more%20rows;

the hymn by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina under the title Palestrina: Stabat Mater - Tallis Scholars  uploaded on YouTube  by pannonia77 can be heard here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz9o-wF7RoU;

Stabat Mater  by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kP_2Th6sgc

Stabat Mater  chanted by "Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice & Saint-Maur, Clervaux" can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tw4XFCELrQ

[2] http://catholicchant.com/vexillaregis.html;

the hymn under the title Palestrina: Vexilla regis prodeunt  was uploaded on Youtube  by Sistine Chapel Choir - Topic  can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTFbcBOQFCk;

Vexilla regis prodeunt  chanted by a solo male voice can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm0ce0amh6s