XXV and Last Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the twenty-fifth and last Sunday after Pentecost. It is also the fifth Sunday of November, the last week of the liturgical year. It is of semi-double rite. The image above from Jerome Nadal depicts the coming of the Antichrist. The Gospel pericopes in the liturgy are from St. Matthew and concern the end times, the coming of Antichrist, concluding with the words of the LORD Caelum et terra transibunt, verba autem mea non praeteribunt. In the Breviary and Missal texts for today are actually taken today from the twenty-fourth Sunday. As was explained last week the number of sets of complete Mass formularies for Sundays after Pentecost is twenty-four but if there are more Sundays than that 'unused Sundays' after Epiphany are used in part.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lesson are the Incipit of the Prophet Micheas and concern the coming of the LORD. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Basil's sermon on the thirty-third psalm on the Last Judgement. In the third nocturn (in the Breviary for the twenty-fourth and last Sunday after Pentecost) the homily is from the writings of St. Jerome on the abomination of desolation and the last times.

At Lauds a commemoration of St. Cecilia is sung. The Suffrage is omitted as St. Cecilia's feast is of double rite. At Prime Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted for the same reason.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, a commemoration of St. Cecilia is made. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Trinity.

At Vespers commemorations are sung of the following day's Office of St. Clement, of St. Cecilia and St. Felicity.

In 'the liturgical books of 1962' Mattins is cut down to one nocturn. No commemorations are made at Lauds or Vespers. St. Cecilia is omitted this year.