Monday 21 September 2009

St. Matthew Apostle & Evangelist



Today is the feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. The feast is a double of the second class.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the antiphons, psalms, lessons and responsories are all taken from the Common of Apostles. In the second nocturn the lessons are for the feast. In the third nocturns the homily on the Gospel is from St. Jerome's Commentary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Office is festal and at Lauds the Sunday pslams sung under antiphons from the Common of Apostles.

At the Little Hours the psalms of Sunday are sung, those at Prime being as on feasts (53, 118(i) & 118(ii). At Prime the lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria and Credo are sung and the preface is that of the Apostles.

Second Vespers are sung of the feast with a commemoration of the following Office of St Thomas of Villanova.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast retains its three nocturns. However, at the Little Hours ferial psalmody is used. At Prime the short lesson is of the season. At Vespers (the only one) there is no commemoration of the following Office. When was it ever the tradition of the Roman rite to have a cursus of psalmody at the Horae Minorae one wonders?

5 comments:

The PsychoMachia said...

Hello,
If you don't mind I have a question for your expertise. Before the reforms of Trent on simple feasts were the ferial psalms said at first vespers or were the psalms of Sunday used? Thank you so much.

Rubricarius said...

Dear PsychoMachia,

Generally the festal/Sunday psalms were used.

Simples had become to be celebrated like feasts of nine lessons.

In contrast something like Sarum (I have spent the last two days trying to understand, without total success the 'Great Rubrics') had the ferial psalter at feasts of the Apostle even.

The PsychoMachia said...

Interesting. Thank you for your answer. And also, if possible, was the long form of preces of Prime used on all feria before the reforms of Trent? I am always impressed by the depth of your knowledge in all things liturgical.

Rubricarius said...

Psychomania,

Just to go back a comment: I should have clarified that in Sarum ferial psalms were used at first Vespers of Apostles - hope that was clear. Festal psalms were employed in other parts of the Office.

As to the preces I was again looking at those in Procter and Wordsworth's edition of the 1531 Sarum Breviary. Prime had Quicumque, or rather Quicunque (c.f. BCP) on many more days e.g. within the Octave of the Epiphany. The preces were indeed the longer version. The preces at Lauds were used at the Horae Minorae too.

I had not realised that the Miserere pre-Trent belonged to the preces at Lauds until reading the excellent series of articles by Gregory DiPippo on Breivary reform at New Liturgical Movement. That of course explains its retention in concluding Tenebrae and the Hours of the Triduum prior to 1956.

Thanks for the compliment.

The PsychoMachia said...

Thank you