Liturgical Study - 3rd Sunday after Epiphany - 1962 Missal - Traditional latin Mass

Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Roman Missal)

Theme

Authority Made Visible — Christ Heals, Commands, and Is Obeyed

“Lord, If Thou Wilt, Thou Canst Make Me Clean”

The Traditional Roman Liturgy for the Third Sunday after Epiphany presents Christ not primarily as teacher or companion, but as sovereign Lord whose authority is immediately effective.

Epiphany has already revealed who Christ is.
This Sunday reveals what His authority does.

It heals.
It commands.
It binds men into obedience.

Propers & Readings

• Introit: Adorate Deum omnes Angeli ejus (Ps 96)
• Collect: Prayer for protection and peace under divine governance
• Epistle: Romans 12:16–21
• Gospel: Matthew 8:1–13 — The Leper and the Centurion

1. THE LITURGICAL LOGIC OF POST-EPIPHANY TIME

In the Traditional Calendar, the Sundays after Epiphany are not thematic reflections but progressive demonstrations of authority.

Epiphany reveals Christ to the nations.
The following Sundays prove that revelation through deeds.

As Pope Pius XII explains:

“The sacred liturgy is a profession of heavenly truths under visible signs.”
(Mediator Dei, §43)

This Sunday shows Christ’s authority exercised over:
• impurity (the leper)
• distance (the centurion’s servant)
• hierarchy (one who understands command)

2. INTROIT — Adorate Deum

Authority Acknowledged Before Action

“Adore God, all you His angels: Sion heard and was glad.”

The Mass begins not with human need, but with adoration. Authority is recognized before it is petitioned.

This ordering is crucial:
worship precedes healing.

The Church teaches that faith is first an act of submission:

“To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard.” (CCC §144)

3. COLLECT — Peace Through Subjection

The Collect asks that God may “look favorably upon His people and grant peace”.

Peace is not psychological calm.
It is right order under divine rule.

St. Augustine defines peace as:

“The tranquility of order.” (City of God, XIX)

The Traditional Collect assumes that disorder arises from resistance to authority — a theme the Gospel will dramatize.

4. EPISTLE — Romans 12:16–21

Submission of the Will

St. Paul exhorts Christians to humility, patience, and non-retaliation.

This is not moralism.
It is training in obedience.

Paul’s command to overcome evil with good presupposes submission to God’s judgment rather than self-assertion.

Leo XIII explains:

“The virtue of obedience restrains the rebellious movements of the soul.”
(Sapientiae Christianae)

The Epistle prepares the soul to receive authority without resistance.

5. GOSPEL — Matthew 8:1–13

Authority That Cleanses and Commands

The Gospel gives two encounters — two models of obedience.

A. The Leper — Submission of the Unclean

“Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”

The leper does not question Christ’s power — only His will.

Christ responds:

“I will. Be thou made clean.”

This is immediate, sovereign authority.
No ritual negotiation.
No gradual process.

The Fathers note that Christ touches the leper, showing that authority is not contaminated by impurity — it conquers it.

B. The Centurion — Authority Recognized by Authority

The centurion’s words are among the most theologically dense in the Gospels:

“For I also am a man under authority…”

He understands hierarchy.

Because he knows how command works, he recognizes Christ’s authority at a distance.

St. John Chrysostom remarks:

“He saw more clearly than those who followed Him daily.”

This is why the Church places this Gospel here:
Right understanding of authority leads to right faith.

6. THE ROMAN CANON & OFFERTORY — Authority Sacramentally Exercised

As the priest enters the Canon silently, the liturgy reinforces that Christ’s authority is now exercised sacramentally.

The same Christ who healed by command now acts through ordered priesthood.

Trent teaches:

“In the Mass is offered the same Christ who offered Himself once on the Cross.”
(Council of Trent, Session XXII)

Authority continues through sacramental mediation.

7. COMMUNION — Submission Perfected

The centurion’s words are placed on the lips of the faithful immediately before Communion:

“Domine, non sum dignus…”

This is not a personal meditation.
It is a corporate confession of unworthiness before authority.

The Church teaches that Communion is not claimed, but received:

“Man cannot approach the Eucharist without humble submission.” (CCC §1386)

8. THEOLOGICAL UNITY OF THE MASS

The Traditional Mass forms a single, coherent act:

• Adoration before petition
• Obedience before healing
• Authority recognized before benefit
• Submission before Communion

Christ is revealed not as advisor, but as Lord.

9. PRACTICAL APPLICATION — Authority Accepted or Resisted

This Sunday demands honesty:

• Do I approach Christ as sovereign or consultant?
• Do I obey when His command contradicts comfort?
• Do I understand authority — or resent it?

The centurion receives praise not for feelings, but for understanding command.

“Not Found So Great Faith”

Christ does not praise zeal.
He praises submission rightly ordered.

The Third Sunday after Epiphany teaches that faith is not merely belief — it is recognition of authority and obedience to it.

And the Traditional Roman Liturgy leaves no ambiguity:

Christ commands — and creation obeys.