Cathar Rites
From the Lyons Ritual

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 The Apparelhamentum,
General confession liturgy from the Lyons Ritual

We have come before God and before you and before the ordinances of the Holy Church
that we may receive pardon and penance for all our sins in thought, word and deed
from our birth until now and we ask of God mercy and of you that you pray for us
to the Holy Father of Mercy that He forgive us.

Let us worship God and declare all our sins and numerous offences in the sight of the Father, the Son and the honoured Holy Spirit, of the honoured Holy Gospels and the honoured Holy Apostles, by prayer and faith and by the salvation of all the upright and glorious Christians and blessed ancestors asleep and here present, for their sake we ask you, holy lord, to pardon all our sins.
Benedicte, Parcite Nobis.
- Amen.

For numerous are the sins by which we daily offend God, night and day, in thought, in word and deed, wittingly and unwittingly, and especially by the desires the evil spirits bring to us in the flesh which clothes us.
Benedicte, Parcite Nobis.
- Amen.

Whereas we are thaught by God`s Holy Word as well as by the Holy Apostles and the preaching of our spiritual brothers to reject all fleshly desire and all uncleanness and to do the will of God by doing good we, unworthy servants that we are, not only do not do the will of God as we should, but more often give way to desires of the flesh and the cares of the world, to such an extent that we wound our spirits.
Benedicte, Parcite Nobis.
-Amen.

We go with those who are of the world, mixing with them, talking and eating with them, and sinning in many things so that we wound our brothers and our sisters.
Benedicte, Parcite Nobis.
- Amen.

By our tongues we fall into idle words, vain talk, mockery and malice, detraction of our brothers and sisters whom we are not worthy to judge nor to condemn their faults. Among Christians we are sinners.
Benedicte, Parcite Nobis.
- Amen.

The penance which we received we have not observed as we ought to have done, neither the fasting nor the prayer. We have wasted our days and hours. While we are saying the Holy Prayer our senses are diverted to carnal desires and worldly cares, so that at this moment we hardly know what we can offer to the Father of the Just.
Benedicte, Parcite Nobis.
- Amen.

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 Traditio

Immersion in the parfait community

[...] you must realize that when you are before the Church of God you are
before the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, as the Scriptures teach.
For Christ said in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew,
"Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in the midst of them"
And in the Holy Gospel according to Saint John he said,
"If a man love me he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him
and make our abode with him"
And Saint Paul says in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians,
"Ye are the Temple of the Living God, as God hath said by Isaiah, his prophet ; " I dwell in them
and walk in them ; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from
among them and be ye seperate, saith the Lord ; and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you
, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty"
And in another place he says,
"Seek ye the profe of Christ Who speaketh in me"
And in the First Epistle to Timothy he says,
"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly ; but if I tarry long, that thou mayest
know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the Living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth."
And he said also to the Hebrews,
"But Christ is a Son over His own house, Whose house we are"
That the Spirit of God is with the followers of Jesus Christ, Christ has shown thus in the Gospel
according to Saint John ;
"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another
Comforter, that He may abide with you forever ; even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be
in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you"
And in the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew He said,
"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
And Saint Paul said in the First Epistle to the Corinthians,
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the Temple of God is holy,
which temple ye are"

Christ shows it thus in the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew,
"For it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you"
And Saint John says in his epistle,
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, for He has given us His Spirit."
And Saint Paul said to the Galatians,
"Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying "Father! Father!" "
Wherefore be it understood that your presentation made before the sons of Jesus Christ confirms the faith
and teaching of the Church of God as the Holy Scriptures tell us. For in former times the people of God seperated themselves from the Lord their God. And they abandoned the will and guidance of their Heavenly Father through the deceptions of the wicked spirits and by submission to their will. And for these reasons, and many others,
we are certain that the Heavenly Gather would have pity on His people and receive them again in peace
and concord by the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, and now is the time. For you are here before the disciples of Jesus Christ in the place where Father, Son and Holy Ghost have their spiritual abode as is shown above, to receive that Holy Prayer which the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples, so that your prayers might be granted by our Heavenly Father. Therefore must you learn that if you would receive this Holy Prayer you must repent your sins and forgive all men. For Our Lord Jesus Christ says,
"If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father, forgive your trespasses."
Hence it is meet and right that you be resolved in your heart to keep this Holy Prayer all your life according
to the custom of the Church of God, in purity and truth, and in all other virtues which God would bestow upon you.
Wherefore we pray the good Lord who bestowed upon the disciples of Jesus Christ the virtue to receive
this Holy Prayer steadfastly that He may grant to you also the grace to receive it steadfastly, in His honour
and for your salvation.

[ The Elder then says the Lord`s Prayer and the postulant follow him phrase by phrase after which the Elder
will say :
"We deliver you this Holy Prayer that you may receive it of us and of God and of the Church,
that you may have the power to say it all your life, day and night, alone or in company, and that you must
never eat or drink without first saying it. If you omit to do so you must do penance."
The Postulant replies;
"I receive it of you and of the Church"
Then he turns and give thanks and make his melioramentum (bowing at the feet of the Elder).
Then the Elder asks the postulant,
"My brother, do you desire to give yourself to our faith?"
The postulant being asked three times, and answering "yes" on all, makes a bow and advances one step between each,
"Bless me",
to which the Elder replies,
"God bless and keep you"
At the third time bowing thus the postulant adds,
"Lord, pray to God for me ,a sinner, that He will lead me to the good end"
and the Elder replies,
"God bless you and make you a good Christian and bring you to the good end."

Elder:
"Do you give yourself to God and the Gospel?
Postulant:
"Yes"
Elder:
"Do you promise that henceforth you will eat neither meat nor eggs, nor cheese, nor fat, and that you
live only from water and wood (i.e vegetables and fish) ,that you will not lie, that you will not swear, that
you will not kill, that you will not abandon your body to any form of luxury, that you will never go alone when
it is possible to have a companion, that you will never sleep without breeches and shirt and that you will
never abandon your faith for fear of water, fire or any other manner of death?"
Postulant:
"Yes" ]

[...] you wish to receive the spritual baptism whereby the Holy Spirit is given in the Church of God with the
Holy Prayer by the laying on of hands of the Good Men. Of this Baptism Our Lord Jesus Christ said in the
Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew ;
"Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world"
And in the Gospel of Saint Mark he said,
"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised shall be
saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned".
And in the Gospel fo Saint John He said to Nicodemus,
"Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God"
And John the Baptist spoke of this baptism when he said,
"I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy
to loosen ; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire".

This gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands has been instituted by Jesus Christ as Saint Luke tells,
and he said that his friends would confer it as Saint Mark says,
"They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover"
And Ananias conferred this Baptism on Saint Paul when he was converted.
For Saint Luke says thus in the Acts of the Apostles,
"Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent
unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive of the
Holy Spirit , for as yet He was fallen upon none of them. "
Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. This Holy Baptism by which the Holy Spirit is given the Church of God has kept from the Apostles until now, and it has come from the Good Men to the Good Men until now and shall do till the end of the world
And you must understand that power is given to the Church of God to bind and to loose, to forgive sins
and to retain them, as Christ said in the Gospel of Saint John,
"As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith
unto them "Receive Ye the Holy Ghost" ; whatsoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them, and whatsoever sins ye regain, they are regained"
And in the Gospel of Saint Matthew he said to Simon Peter,
"I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
and again
"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven. For wheresoever two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them"
And in another place he said,
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils"
And in the Gospel of Saint John he said,
"He that believeth on me, the works that I do he shall do also"
and in the Gospel of Saint Mark he said,
"These signs shall follow them that believe ; in my name shall they cast out devils,they shall speak with
new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them,
they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover"
And in the Gospel of Saint Luke he said
"Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy
and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
And if you wish to receive this power you must keep all the commandments of Christ and the New Testament
according to your ability. And know that He has commanded that man shall not commit adultery or murder or lie, that he must not swear any oath, that he shall not seize or rob, nor do to others what he would not have done to himself, that man must forgive whoever wrongs him and love his enemies, pray for his detractors and accusers and bless them; and if anyone strike him on one cheek, turn to him the other also, and if anyone takes away his cloak, to leave him his coat also ; and that he should neither judge nor condemn, and many other commandments which the Lord made for His Church. Also you must hate this world and its works and the things of the world, for Saint John says in his epistle ,
"O my beloved, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever"
And Christ said unto the Gentiles,
"The world cannot hate you, but me it hates because I bear witness of it that its works are evil"
And in the Book of Solomon, it is written,
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and vexation of Spirit"
And Jude the brother of James said for our instruction in his Epistle,
"Hate the solid garment of flesh"
And by these witnesses and any others you must keep the commandments of God and hate the world.
And if you continue well to the end, we have the hope that your soul shall have life eternal.

[ And the Credent shall say,
"I have this will, pray to God for me that He will give me His power"

Witness:
" Parcite Nobis. Good Christians we pray you by the love of God that you grant this blessing,
which God had given you, to our friend here present."

Credent, after making his melioramentum:
"Parcite Nobis. For all the sins I have ver done in thought, word and deed. I ask pardon of God,
of the Church, and of you all."

Assembly of Cathars and Witnesses:
"By God and by us and by the Church, may your sins be forgiven and we pray God to forgive you them"

Adoremus, Patrem, et Filium et Spiritum Sanctam.
Adoremus, Patrem, et Filium et Spiritum Sanctam.
Adoremus, Patrem, et Filium et Spiritum Sanctam.

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 Interregatio Iohannis

I, John, your brother and partaker in tribulation, and that shall be also a partaker in the kingdom of heaven, when I lay upon breast of our Lord Jesus Christ and said unto him: Lord, who is he that shall betray thee? [and] he answered and said: He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish: then Satan entered unto him and he sought how he might betray me.

And I said: Lord, before Satan fell, in what glory abode he with thy Father? And he said unto me: In such glory was he that he commanded the powers of the heavens: but I sat with my Father, and he did order all the followers of the Father, and went down from heaven unto the deep and ascended up out of the deep unto the throne of the invisible Father. And he saw the glory of him that moveth the heavens, and he thought to set his seat above the clouds of heaven and desired to be like unto the Most High.

And when he had descended into the air, he said unto the angel of the air: Open unto me the gates of the air. And he opened them unto him. And he sought to go further downward and found the angel which held the waters, and said unto him: Open unto me the gates of the waters. And he opened to him. And he passed through and found all the face of the earth covered with waters. And he passed through beneath the earth and found two fishes lying upon the waters, and they were as oxen yoked for ploughing, holding the whole earth by the commandment of the invisible Father, from the west even unto the sunrising. And when he had gone down he found clouds hanging which held the waters of the sea. And he went down yet further and found hell, that is the gehenna of fire and thereafter he could go down no further because of the flame of the burning fire. And Satan returned back and filled up (passed over again) the paths and entered in unto the angel of the air and to him that was over the waters, and said unto them: All these things are mine: if ye will hearken unto me, I will set my seat in the clouds and be like the Most High, and I will take the waters from this upper firmament and gather together the other parts (places) of the sea, and thereafter there shall be no water upon the face of all the earth, and I will reign with you world without end.

And when he had said thus unto the angels, he went up unto the other angels, even unto the fifth heaven, and thus spake he unto each of them: How much owest thou unto thy lord? He said: An hundred measures (cors) of wheat. And he said unto him: Take pen and ink and write sixty. And unto others he said: And thou, how much owest thou unto thy lord? and he answered: An hundred jars of oil. And he said: Sit down and write fifty. And as he went up through all the heavens he said thus, even unto the fifth heaven, seducing the angels of the invisible Father. And there came forth a voice out of the throne of the Father, saying: What doest thou, O denier of the Father, seducing the angels? doer of iniquity, that thou hast devised do quickly.

Then the Father commanded his angels, saying: Take away their garments. And the angels took away their garments and their thrones and their crowns from all the angels that hearkened unto him.

And I asked of the Lord: When Satan fell, in what place dwelt he? And he answered me: My Father changed his appearance because of his pride, and the light was taken from him, and his face became like unto heated iron, and his face became wholly like that of a man: and he drew with his tail the third part of the angels of God, and was cast out from the seat of God and from the stewardship of the heavens. And Satan came down into this firmament, and he could find (make) no rest for himself nor for them that were with him. And he asked the Father saying: Have patience with me and I will pay thee all. And the Father had mercy on him and gave him rest and them that were with him, as much as they would even unto seven days.

And so sat he in the firmament and commanded the angel that was over the air and him that was over the waters, and they raised the earth up and it appeared dry: and he took the crown of the angel that was over the waters, and of the half thereof he made the light of the moon and of the half the light of the stars: and of the precious stones he made all the hosts of the stars.

And thereafter he made the angels his ministers according to the order of the form of the Most High, and by the commandment of the invisible Father he made thunder, rain, hail, and snow.

And he sent forth angels to be ministers over them. And he commanded the earth to bring forth every beast for food (fatling), and every creeping thing, and trees and herbs: and he commanded the sea to bring forth fishes, and the fowls of the heaven.

And he devised furthermore and made man in his likeness, and commanded the (or an) angel of the third heaven to enter into the body of clay. And he took thereof and made another body in the form of a woman, and commanded the (or an) angel of the second heaven to enter into the body of the woman. But the angel lamented when they beheld a mortal shape upon them and that they were unlike in shape. And he commanded them to do the deed of the flesh in the bodies of clay, and they knew not how to commit sin.

Then did the contriver of evil devise in his mind to make paradise, and he brought the man and woman into it. And he Commanded to bring a reed, and the devil planted it in the midst of paradise, and so did the wicked devil hide his device that they knew not his deceit. And he came in and spake unto them, saying: Of every fruit which is in paradise eat ye, but of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil eat not. Notwithstanding, the devil entered into a wicked serpent and seduced the angel that was in the form of the woman, and he wrought his lust with Eve in the Song of the serpent. And therefore are they called sons of the devil and sons of the serpent that do the lust of the devil their father, even unto the end of this world. And again the devil poured out upon the angel that was in Adam the poison of his lust, and it begetteth the sons of the serpent and the sons of the devil even unto the end of this world.

And after that I, John, asked of the Lord, saying: How say men that Adam and Eve were created by God and set in paradise to keep the commandments of the Father, and were delivered unto death? And the Lord said to me: Hearken, John, beloved of my Father; foolish men say thus in their deceitfulness that my Father made bodies of clay: but by the Holy Ghost made he all the powers of the heavens, and holy ones were found having bodies of clay because of their transgression, and therefore were delivered unto death.

And again I, John, asked the Lord: How beginneth a man to be in the Spirit (to have a spirit) in a body of flesh? And the Lord said unto me: Certain of the angels which fell do enter unto the bodies of women, and receive flesh from the lust of the flesh, and so is a spirit born of spirit, and flesh of flesh, and so is the kingdom of Satan accomplished in this world and among all nations.

And he said to me: My Father hath suffered him to reign seven days, which are seven ages.

And I asked the Lord and said: What shall be in that time? And he said to me: From the time when the devil fell from the glory of the Father and (lost) his own glory, he sat upon the clouds, and sent his ministers, even angels flaming with fire, unto men from Adam even unto Henoch his servant. And he raised up Henoch upon the firmament and showed him his godhead and commanded pen and ink to be given him: and he sat down and wrote threescore and seven books. And he commanded that he should take them to the earth and deliver them unto his sons. And Henoch let his books down upon the earth and delivered them unto his sons, and began to teach them to perform the custom of sacrifice, and unrighteous mysteries, and so did he hide the kingdom of heaven from men. And he said unto them: Behold that I am your god and beside me is none other god. And therefore did my Father send me into the world that I might make it known unto men, that they might know the evil device of the devil.

And then when he perceived that I had come down out of heaven into the world, he sent an angel and took of three sorts of wood and gave them unto Moses that I might be crucified, and now are they reserved for me. But then (now) did the devil proclaim unto him (Moses) his godhead, and unto his people, and commanded a law to be given unto the children of Israel, and brought them out through the midst of the sea which was dried up.

When my Father thought to send me into the world, he sent his angel before me, by name Mary, to receive me. And I when I came down entered in by the ear and came forth by the ear.

And Satan the prince of this world perceived that I was come to seek and save them that were lost, and sent his angel, even Helias the prophet, baptizing with water: who is called John the Baptist. And Helias asked the prince of this world: How can I know him? Then his lord said: On whom soever thou shalt see the spirit descending like a dove and resting upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost unto forgiveness of sins: thou wilt be able to destroy him and to save. And again I, John, asked the Lord: Can a man be saved by the baptism of John without thy baptism? And the Lord answered: Unless I have baptized him unto forgiveness of sins, by the baptism of water can no man see the kingdom of heaven: for I am the bread of life that came down from the seventh heaven and they that eat my flesh and drink my blood, they shall be called the sons of God.

And I asked the Lord and said: What meaneth it, to eat my flesh and drink my blood? (An answer and question seem to have fallen out.) And the Lord said unto me: Before the falling of the devil with all his host from the glory of the Father [in prayer], they did glorify the Father in their prayers thus, saying: Our Father, which art in heaven; and so did all their songs come up before the throne of the Father. But when they had fallen, after that they are not able to glorify God with that prayer.

And I asked the Lord: How do all men receive the baptism of John, but thine not at all? And the Lord answered: Because their deeds are evil and they come not unto the light.

The disciples of John marry and are given in marriage; but my disciples neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But I said: If, then, it be sin to have to do with a woman, it is not good to marry. And the Lord said unto me: Not every one can receive this saying (&c., Matt. xix.11, 12).

I asked the Lord concerning the day of judgement: What shall be the sign of thy coming? And he answered and said unto me: When the numbers of the righteous shall be accomplished that is, the number of the righteous that are crowned, that have fallen, then shall Satan be loosed out of his prison, having great wrath, and shall make war with the righteous, and they shall cry unto the Lord with a loud voice. And immediately the Lord shall command an angel to blow with the trumpet, and the voice of the archangel shall be heard in the trumpet from heaven even unto hell.

And then shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall, and the four winds shall be loosed from their foundations, and shall cause the earth and the sea and the mountains to quake together. And the heaven shall immediately shake and the sun shall be darkened, and it shall shine even to the fourth hour. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man, and all the holy angels with him, and he shall set his seat upon the clouds, and sit on the throne of his majesty with the twelve apostles on the twelve seats of their glory. And the books shall be opened and he shall judge the whole world and the faith which he proclaimed. And then shall the Son of man send his angels, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds from the heights of the heavens unto the boundaries of them, and shall bring them to seek.

Then shall the Son of God send the evil spirits, to bring all nations before him, and shall say unto them: Come, ye that did say: We have eaten and drunk and received the gain of this world. And after that they shall again be brought, and shall all stand before the judgement seat, even all nations, in fear. And the books of life shall be opened and all nations shall show forth their ungodliness. And he shall glorify the righteous for their patience: and glory and honour and incorruption shall be the reward of their good works: but as for them that kept the commandments of the angels and obeyed unrighteously, indignation and trouble and anguish shall take hold on then.

And the Son of God shall bring forth the elect out of the midst of the sinners and say unto them: Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then shall he say unto the sinners: Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And the rest, beholding the last cutting off, shall cast the sinners into hell by the commandment of the invisible Father. Then shall the spirits of them that believe not go forth out of the prisons, and then shall my voice be heard, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd: and the darkness and obscurity shall come forth out of the lower parts of the earth -that is to say, the darkness of the gehenna of fire- and shall burn all things from below even to the air of the firmament. And the Lord shall be in the firmament and even to the lower parts of the earth. (read And the distance from the firmament unto the lower parts of the earth shall be) as if a man of thirty years old should take up a stone and cast it down, hardly in three years would it reach the bottom: so great is the depth of the pit and of the fire wherein the sinners shall dwell. And then shall Satan and all his host be bound and cast into the lake of fire. And the Son of God shall walk with his elect above the firmament and shall shut up the devil, binding him with strong chains that cannot be loosed. At that time the sinners, weeping and mourning, shall say: O earth, swallow us up and cover us in death. And then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. And he shall bring them before the throne of the invisible Father, saying: Behold, I and my children whom God hath given me. O righteous one, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee in truth, because thou hast sent me. And then shall the Father answer his Son and say: My beloved Son, sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet, which have denied me and said: We are gods, and beside us there is none other god: which have slain thy prophets and persecuted thy righteous ones, and thou hast persecuted them even unto the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And then shall the Son of God sit on the right hand of his Father, and the Father shall command his angels, and they shall minister unto them (i.e. the righteous) and set them among the choirs of the angels, to clothe them with incorruptible garments, and shall give them crowns that fade not and seats that cannot be moved. And God shall be in the midst of them; and they shall not hunger nor thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. And he shall reign with his holy Father, and of his kingdom there shall be no end for ever and ever.

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