APERTIO AURIUM. - In the Western liturgies the priest, before Baptism, following the example of Our Lord (Mk. 7:34), moistens the ears and nostrils of the catechumen with saliva, saying: Eph-thetha, quod est adaperire. In ancient times a simple sign was made over these senses (Hippolytus, Traditio Apostolica, 20, 8). According to John the Deacon (Epist. ad Senarium, 4) oil was used: «Tanguntur oleo aures eorum, tanguntur et nares». The Gelasian Sacramentary prescribes saliva, which later, in the Roman-Frankish rite, became of common use. Sometimes the a. a. was joined to the handing over of the creed, of the Pater noster, and of the Gospels, and it did not always take place on the morning of Holy Saturday, but also on other preceding days, especially on Palm Sunday, which in the Gelasian Sacramentary bears this note: «Expositio Evangeliorum in aurium apertione ad electos». According to St. Ildefonsus (De cognitione baptismi, 29) the anointing of the ears already belonged to the rite of admission to the catechumenate. Later, when the scrutinies were increased, the Wednesday after the fourth Sunday of Lent became the day of the a. a. and together of the handing over of the creed and of the Gospel. The meaning of this ceremony is obvious: henceforth the ears must be opened to hear the word of God. According to recent liturgical provisions the rite may be omitted if there are hygienic reasons, but not the formula that accompanies it (AAS, 36 [1944], p. 24).
Bibliography2 works
Filippo Oppenheim