Sunday 28 February 2010

Second Sunday of Lent

The Second Sunday of Lent is semi-double Sunday of the first class. Again, no feast my be celebrated if it falls on such a Sunday. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew concern the Transfiguration of the LORD.

At Vespers yesterday morning the antiphons and psalms were of Saturday, the chapter proper, the hymn Audi benigne conditor was sung. A commemoration of the preceding feast of St. Gabriel was sung and at Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Non sit vobis and the hymn is Ex more, as on the other Sundays of Lent. The antiphons and psalms given for Sunday are sung. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the twenty-seventh chapter of Genesis and the story of Jacob and Esau. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of St. Augustine against lying and explain the mystery of Jacob's actions. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily of St. Leo the Great on the Transfiguration of the LORD. A ninth responsory, Cum audisset Jacob, is sung in place of the Te Deum.

At Lauds the antiphons are proper to the Sunday and the second scheme of Psalms sung (50, 117, 62, Benedictus es, 148). The chapter is proper to the Sunday and hymn is O sol salutis. After the collect of the day the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons are proper to the Sunday. At Prime the psalms are 92, 99 (displaced from Lauds) and the first two stanzas of 118. The Dominical preces are sung and the short lesson is Quaerite Dominum.

Mass is sung after Terce. The deacon and subdeacon wear folded chasubles, planetis plicatis, instead of dalmatic and tunicle. There is no Gloria. The second collect is A cunctis, the third collect Omnipotens (for the Living and the Dead), a Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Credo is sung, the preface is of Lent and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are of the Sunday, sung at the normal time. The antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays, the chapter is proper and the hymn Audi, benigne Conditor. The Suffrage of the Saints is sung and the Domincal preces are sung at Compline (whilst standing).

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons as usual with the omission of most of the lessons and responsories. At Lauds the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted. At Prime the psalms are 53 and the first two stanzas of 118, the Domincial preces are omitted. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, as in Septuagesima, the second and third collects are omitted. The dismissal is Ite, missa est. At Vespers yesterday, sung at the wrong time, there were nno commemorations, today the Suffrage is omitted.

4 comments:

Novian said...

"Second Sunday in Lent", surely?

Rubricarius said...

Good point, Scott.

Novian said...

Thanks. As soon as I clicked 'Publish' I feared that I was being too pedantic.

I think the contrast in the titles of the Sundays in Lent versus those of Advent is rather interesting and shows the difference between the seasons. Do you know how ancient these titles are? Are they shared with the other western rites?

Rubricarius said...

I must say I had not consciously thought about it before. I just scanned an Ambrosian Diurnal and the distinction is made there, as in the Roman rite. The only other books I have in London, the HBS 'Missal of Robert of Jumieges' and the CLV reprint of the 1752 presentation of Vetus Missale Romanum (13th C, both also make the distinction of 'in' Lent and 'of' Advent. I will consult the limited number of other non-Roman books I have in the country when I am next there.


Yesterday I briefly looked at the English usage of the repective terms and they appeared far more interchangeable.

I am musing on making an editorial decision after your comment...