Quinquagesima Sunday

Today is Quinquagesima Sunday. It is a semi-double of the second class. The Gospel pericopes are taken from St. Luke and the account of the giving of sight to the man born blind.

At Mattins, as on the previous two Sundays, the antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays throughout the year. In the first nocturn the lessons are again from Genesis and this Sunday concern the story of Abraham. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Ambrose on the Book on the Patriarch Abraham and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel of the man blind from birth whose sight was restored by the LORD. The blind man is a figure of the human race according to St. Gregory. A ninth responsory is sung in place of the Te Deum.

At Lauds the 'second scheme' of psalms is sung: Pss. 50, 117, 62, Benedictus es and 148. The antiphons at Lauds are proper for Quinquagesima Sunday as are the antiphon at the Benedictus and collect. A commemoration is sung of St. Valentine and the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At all the Hours the antiphons and chapters are proper to Quinquagesima Sunday. At Prime the order of psalmody is that used when the second schema of Lauds is sung, Pss. 92, 99 (displaced at Lauds) and the usual first two stanzas of 118. The Dominical preces are sung.

In Mass there is no Gloria, the second collect is of St. Valentine, the third A cunctis nos, a Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Credo is sung , the Preface is of the Blessed Trinity and Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays, the chapter is proper as in the antiphon at the Magnificat. A commemoration is sung of the following feast of SS. Faustinus and Jovita and the Suffrage of the Saints is sung. At Compline the Domincal preces are sung.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962' mattins is reduced to one nocturn. At both Vespers there are neither any commemorations nor Suffrage. At Lauds too there are no commemorations or Suffrage. At Prime Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii are sung. At Mass there is a single collect and Benedicamus Domino is supressed in favour of Ite, missa est. There are no preces at either Prime or Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal