XXIV Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost and fourth Sunday of November. However, as will be explained below, the texts in the Missal for the twenty-fourth Sunday are not used today. The Sunday is of semi-double rite. The Gospel pericopes are from St. Matthew and the parable of the mustard seed.

At Vespers yesterday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office and of St. Albert the Great. As both feasts are doubles the Suffrage was not sung nor were the preces sung at Compline.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the Incipit of the book of the Prophet Osee is read. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Augustine's Book on the City of God. In the third nocturn the homily is from the writing of St. Jerome and is that given for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany which, this year, was not celebrated before Septuagesima.

Both the Breviary and Missal give rubrics after the twenty-third Sunday indicating what text to use if there are more than twenty-four Sundays after Pentecost, dependant of course on the date of Easter. This year there are twenty-five and so, following the rubrics the texts for the twenty-fourth Sunday are actually used next Sunday as it is the last Sunday after Pentecost. Today the rubrics direct the use of the texts of the sixth Sunday after Epiphany. At Mattins the homily for these 'unused Sundays' are different as are the antiphons for the Gospel canticles at Lauds and Vespers. However at Mass the introit, gradual, offertory and communion are all identical with those sung on the twenty-third Sunday. The collect, epistle and Gospel are proper to each 'unused' Sunday.

At Lauds a commemoration of St. Albert the Great is sung. At Prime the Dominical preces are omitted due to the occurring double feast.

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit, as noted above, is Dicit Dominus.., the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Albert the Great. The Creed is sung and the preface that of the Holy Trinity.

At Vespers a commemoration of the following feast of St. Gertrude is sung and of St. Albert the Great. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'ancient use' of the 1960s neither Vespers has any commemorations of concurrent Offices. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn, there are no commemorations at Lauds. Mass has one collect and St. Albert the Great is omitted this year.