Enciclopedia Cattolica

EX MORE DOCTI MYSTICO

Volume V · p. 566 · 1950

English translation · Testo originale italiano

Image from page 566
Image from page 566
«EX MORE DOCTI MYSTICO». - Inno del Ma-tutino nella Quaresima, composto probabilmente da s. Gregorio Magno.
«EX MORE DOCTI MYSTICO». - Inno del Ma-tutino nella Quaresima, composto probabilmente da s. Gregorio Magno.

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

«EX MORE DOCTI MYSTICO». – Matins hymn for Lent, probably composed by St. Gregory the Great.

Lent is the season of fasting, already practiced by Moses, Elijah, and Christ.

The first part is a moving exhortation to a better life and to making good use of the acceptable time (tempus acceptabile), while the second is a humble prayer to God for the forgiveness of sins.

«EXULTET» – Lighting of the Paschal Candle. Miniature from E. n. 1 (11th century). Mirabella Eclano, Archivio chiesa collegiata.

are the light of the world (John 5:14), those who have the power to open and close the gates of heaven (John 20:23), and who will heal the sick by the laying on of hands (Matt. 16:18).

The prayer is beautiful and inspired, as it exalts the words of Jesus to the Apostles like a mysterious perfume; however, the same cannot be said of the poetry.

Bibl.: G. G. Belli, Gli inni del Breviario tradotti, Rome 1866, p. 346; C. Blume, Die Hymnen des Thesaurus hymnologicus H. A. Dantel, Leipzig 1908, p. 126; V. Terreno, Gli inni dell'Ufficio divino, Mondovì 1932, p. 300; A. Mirra, Gli inni del Breviario romano, Naples 1947, p. 245.