September Ember Days: FSSP - North American District

A painting of the September Ember Days by Abel Grimmer (1607)

By Fr. Chad Ripperger, FSSP

Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14th, are known as “Michaelmas Embertide,” and they come near the beginning of Autumn (September 22nd) and were formerly set aside as days of fasting and abstinence. The Lessons focus on the Old Covenant’s Day of Atonement and the fast of the seventh month, but start off with this prophecy from Amos 9:13-15 :

Behold the days come, when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall dop sweetness, and every hill shall be tilled. And I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them; and shall make gardens and eat the fruits of them; and I will plant them upon their land: and I will no more pluck them out of their land which I have given them; saith the Lord thy God.

Like all Embertides but Whit Embertide, the Lessons end with the story of the three boys in the fiery furnace, as told by Daniel. The Gospel readings recount how Jesus exorcised demons from a possessed boy and tells the disciples about fasting to cast out unclean spirits (Matthew 9:16-28), forgave Mary Magdalen (Luke 7:36-50), and healed the woman on the sabbath after telling the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6-17). In the midst of this beautiful time, things wizen and seem to begin to die. The air grows cooler, the earth stiffens, the trees tire of holding their leaves. And during this waning we remember our dead — on November 1st, the victorious dead (All Saints’, or All Hallows Day), and on November 2nd, the dead being purified (All Souls’ Day). These Days of the Dead begin with the eve of All Hallows, or “Hallowe’en,” an unofficial evening of remembering the frightening fate of the damned and how we can avoid it. There can’t be a more appropriate time for such a night than Autumn, when foggy mists are likely, and bonfires helpful.

Amos 9:13-15 (Douay-Rheims)
View in: Vulg LXX Hebrew

13Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed: and the mountains shall drop sweetness, and every hill shall be tilled.

14And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel: and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them: and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them: and shall make gardens, and eat the fruits of them. And I will plant them upon their own land: and I will no more pluck them out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

Matthew 9:16-28 (Douay-Rheims)
View in: Vulg Greek

16And nobody putteth a piece of raw cloth unto an old garment. For it taketh away the fullness thereof from the garment, and there is made a greater rent.

17Neither do they put new wine into old bottles. Otherwise the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But new wine they put into new bottles: and both are preserved.

18And he was speaking these things unto them, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19And Jesus rising up followed him, with his disciples.

20And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment.

21For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed.

22But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

23And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout,

24He said: Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25And when the multitude was put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand. And the maid arose.

26And the fame hereof went abroad into all that country.

27And as Jesus passed from thence, there followed him two blind men crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, O Son of David.

28And when he was come to the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus saith to them, Do you believe, that I can do this unto you? They say to him, Yea, Lord.

Luke 7:36-50 (Douay-Rheims)
View in: Vulg Greek

36And one of the Pharisees desired him to eat with him. And he went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat.

37And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that he sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment;

38And standing behind at his feet, she began to wash his feet, with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

39And the Pharisee, who had invited him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: This man, if he were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, that she is a sinner.

40And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. But he said: Master, say it.

41A certain creditor had two debtors, the one who owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most?

43Simon answering, said: I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him: Thou hast judged rightly.

44And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them.

45Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet.

47Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.

48And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee.

49And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

50And he said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.

Luke 13:6-17 (Douay-Rheims)
View in: Vulg Greek

6He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.

7And he said to the dresser of the vineyard: Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it done therefore: why cumbereth it the ground?

8But he answering, said to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig about it, and dung it.

9And if happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

10And he was teaching in their synagogue on their sabbath.

11And behold there was a woman, who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years: and she was bowed together, neither could she look upwards at all.

12Whom when Jesus saw, he called her unto him, and said to her: Woman, thou art delivered from thy infirmity.

13And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14And the ruler of the synagogue (being angry that Jesus had healed on the sabbath) answering, said to the multitude: Six days there are wherein you ought to work. In them therefore come, and be healed; and not on the sabbath day.

15And the Lord answering him, said: Ye hypocrites, doth not every one of you, on the sabbath day, loose his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead them to water?

16And ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

17And when he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the things that were gloriously done by him.

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