Thursday 13 May 2010

The Ascension of the LORD


The feast of the Ascension of the LORD is a Double of the First Class with a privileged octave of the third order.

The Office began with first Vespers yesterday afternoon. The antiphons Viri Galilaei etc were sung. The conclusion of the hymn, Salutis humanae Sator, is never changed. At Compline Te lucis is sung to the tone of the Ascension Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui victor in caelum redis, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper: Alleluia, Christum Dominum ascendentem in caelum, Venite adoremus, alleluia. The Office hymn Aeterne Rex altissime is sung. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, in the second nocturn they are from a sermon of St. Leo and in the third nocturn a homily from St. Gregory. At Lauds the antiphons are those sung at Vespers and the hymn is Salutis humane Sator.

At the Hours Sunday psalms are sung, Prime is as on feasts (Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118(ii). At Prime the verse Qui scandis super sidera is sung in the short responsory today and until the Vigil of Pentecost. Hymns (with the exception of Salutis humane Sator) have the Ascension Doxology and are sung in tone 4.

At Mass the Gloria is sung. After the Gospel the Paschal Candle is extinguished. The Credo is sung and the preface and communicantes are proper to the feast. After Mass the Paschal Candle is removed from the sanctuary, it makes a brief re-appearance on the Vigil of Pentecost.

Second Vespers are the same as first except for the antiphon on the Magnificat, Pater manifestavi at first Vespers, O Rex gloriae at second.

In 'the liturgical books of 1962' the antiphons at the Little Hours are doubled and the Ascension Doxology is sung at the hymn of Mattins only. The hymns at the Little Hours are sung to the general festal tone. The feast's octave was stripped away in 1956.

Icon: Bulgarian 16th century from Wikipedia.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The table of occurrence in my 1954 Gottmer breviary seems to indicate that there would be a commemoration of S. Robert?

-Dr. Lee Fratantuono

Rubricarius said...

Not on a primary double first class feast of the Lord. If it were a double first class not of the Lord then there would be a commemoration of a simplified double at Lauds and Low Mass.

Gregor Dick said...

Second Vespers are the same as first except for the versicle and response and antiphon on the Magnificat.

Somewhat mystifyingly, it seems another change was made in this regard in the years before the Council: the versicle and response at II Vespers became Ascendit Deus... as at I Vespers.

Rubricarius said...

Gregor,

Thank you for noticing that. The antiphon and versicle are actually the same at both first and second Vespers in the post-1911 Breviary. I have amended the post accordingly.

It was in the re-1911 Breviary they were different. At second Vespers Dominus in caelo, alleluia followed by Paravit sedem suam, alleluia.