Hello, folks! Welcome to the first of a three-part series on Triduum
hymns. Rather than tell an exhaustive story about, I've decided to
focus on 3 special hymns.

Years ago, when Rome ruled the world, they would parade the treasures
that they brought back from the places they conquered. And as they
paraded their booty, they would sing an ancient hymn to honor Roman
glory. Back in the 13th. century, Saint Thomas Aquinas used that
music for a Eucharistic hymn-"Pange Lingua Gloriosi," which means
roughly "Sing My Tongue, The Savior's Glory."
He composed this hymn for the feast of Corpus Christi(The Solemnity
of the Body & Blood of Christ) and meant it to be used during the
solemn processions of the Monstrance containing the sacred host.
Today, it is used during the post-communion transfer of the Eucharist
to the altar of repose at the end of the Holy Thursday Mass of the
Lord's Supper. While it has been translated into many languages, the
Latin version is the most popular version of all.
It summarizes the power & beauty of the Holy Eucharist and how
Jesus's own sacrifice is represented in this blessed sacrament. And
it reminds us that only faith helps us to see its beauty when our own
weak senses fail to grasp it. In fact, as a former pastor of my
parish once put it, "If we tried to understand the Eucharist, we
would die in awe!"
Research for this hymn comes from wikipedia.org, the online
encylopedia. (By the way, I've added the web page on it in the files
section.)

I will be back online Good Friday night, at which time I'll talk
about "Were You There?" See you then. I hope your Holy Week is
going well.