Sunday 24 January 2010

Third Sunday after the Epiphany


Today is the third Sunday after the Epiphany, it is of semi-double rite. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew record the LORD healing the leper and centurion's servant.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphon on the Magnificat Suscepit Deus was sung, and is sung, for all the Sundays after Epiphany (this year the fourth Sunday will be anticipated next Saturday as Septuagesima is only a week away). Commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Raymund of Pennafort and of St. Timothy. As double feasts were commemorated at Vespers the Dominical preces are not sung at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the hymn Primo die . In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. In the second nocturn the lessons are from an exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians by St. Augustine and in the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Timothy is sung. At Prime the Dominical preces are not sung because of the occurring double feast.

At Mass the Gloria is sung, the second collect is for St. Timothy. No other collect is sung (unless a pro re gravi collect is ordered by the Ordinary). The Credo is sung and the preface is that of Sundays.

At Vespers commemorations are sung of the following feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, then St. Peter and St. Timothy.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is reduced by two-thirds to one nocturn of three lessons. St. Timothy is not commemorated at all this year.

Art: Jerome Nadal

9 comments:

Patrick Sheridan said...

We had a third Collect today Rubricarius - Oratio ad tollendum Schisma. This was to observe this ''Octave'' of prayer for Christian Unity.

Rubricarius said...

A third collect on such a day is only allowed by the rubrics on certain, specific, instances e.g. anniversary of the bishop etc.

A collect such as you described could only have been added as an 'oratio imperata' which can only be ordered by the Ordinary or other prelate with jurisdiction.

Jason said...

"At Mass… the second Collect is for St. Timothy. No other Collect is sung (unless a pro re gravi collect is ordered by the Ordinary)."

Rubricarius:
In my missal printed by the Society of St. John the Evangelist, 1948, the following entry (or similar) is made under each Sunday Collect in all the Ordinarys for the Sundays after Epiphany:

“Then is made a commemoration of Our Blessed Lady with a third Prayer for the Church or for the Pope. But after the Purification the additional prayers on the Sundays after Epiphany are that for the intercession of the Saints with a third at the choice of the priest.” Also, as I recall, in the Altar missals which we use (both pre '62), mention is made of 2 additional Collects for the Sundays after Epiphany.

This Sunday, we had the Sunday Collect, that of St. Timothy (instead of Our Lady) and that for the Pope.

With the above missal entry in mind, I’m a little confused as to why there should have only been two Collects. It really would be exceedingly helpful to a great many of us if you could write a post regarding the pre '62 rubrics covering Collects, especially for Sundays.

Forgive me, Rubricarius if I’m being particularly dense. It’s good that we have somewhere to go to get things like this sorted out!

Rubricarius said...

Jason,

On a semi-double Sunday, ordinarily there are three collects: of the Sunday then two further ones from the 'Common Commemorations' as you rightly describe from the missal.

So last Sunday, if there had not been a double feast on the same day, then there would have been the Sunday collect, the collect for the BVM, Deus, qui salutis and then the collect Ecclesiae or for the pope.

However, as last Sunday was also the feast of St. Timothy the rules are different. When a double feast falls on a Sunday the 'Common Commemorations' are omitted (as is the Suffrage at Lauds and Vespers etc). So at Mass the second collect is of St. Timothy and there is no third collect.

If St. Timothy's feast were of semi-double or simple rite then on Sunday there would have been the collect of Sunday, the second of St. Timothy and then the third collect would have been Deus, qui salutis. In that case the second 'Common Commemoration' would not be sung. (One cannot move their order either - the second is omitted not swapped with the first.) Likewise if there were two occurring feasts, lets call them St. A and St. B then they would have been the second and third collects and both the 'Common Commemorations' would have been omitted.

The Ordo always notes when 'Common Commemorations' are to be sung. Hence the entry for last Sunday 'Com S EM in L et M.' - commemoration of St. Timothy in Lauds and Mass with no mention of any other collects. the same applies next week with St. John Bosco's feast occurring on Septuagesima Sunday.

Jason said...

Many thanks for that clarification Rubricarius.

Rubricarius said...

I am glad that was of use Jason.
So, to recap by way of examples:

Next Sunday:
'Com S C in L2 et M' At Mass the second collect is of St. John Bosco, there is no third.

Sexagesima:
'Com S Ab in L2 et M' At Mass the second collect is of St Romuald, there is no third.

Quinquagesima:
'In M 2 or S M, 3 or A cunctis' At Mass the second collect is of St. Valentine (a commemorated simple feast), the third collect is A cunctis.

Anonymous said...

A question please, Rubricarius:
Does the positioning of the Ember Days differ in the 1962 Missal from previous editions, and what exactly is the difference?
Thank you.

Rubricarius said...

Anonymous,

Yes, in some years the September Ember Days will be celebrated on different dates.

In the 1961 Breviary the first Sunday of a month from August to November is the first Sunday in the month. However, in the traditional rite the first Sunday of those months was the Sunday nearest the Kalends of the month.

Often the first Sunday of September was actually in August and this meant the September Ember Days were celebrated in what the 1962 people call the second week of September. In the traditional rite they always fall on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

The Ember Days of Advent, Lent and Pentecost would be kept on the same days.

Anonymous said...

EMBER DAYS.

Rubricarius, thank you for your explanation.