XIV Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and, this year, the first Sunday of September. The first Sunday of September marks the beginning of the Pars Autumnalis, the Autumn volume, of the Roman Breviary. A commemoration is made of the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. The pericopes from St. Matthew's Gospel contain the famous passages about the 'lilies of the field' and seeking first the Kingdom of God.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Cum audisset Job for the Saturday before the first Sunday in September. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Augustine, of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and St. Sabina. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted at Vespers as were the Dominical preces at Compline because of the occurring double feasts.

At Mattins there are the usual three nocturns. The invitatory and hymn are as sung on previous 'green' Sundays. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Job. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds commemorations are sung of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and St. Sabina. The Suffrage of the Saints is not sung because of the double feast.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted due to the occurring double feast.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, the third collect is of St. Sabina. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Holy Trinity and the last Gospel is the Gospel from the Mass of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Misit Herodes etc.

Vespers are of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Rose of Lima, of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and of SS Felix and Adauctus.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Sunday is the fifth Sunday of August, not th first of September. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon on the Magnificat is Observa, fili, there were no commemorations or Suffrage. As usual Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. The first two lessons continue to be read from the book of Ecclesisticus. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Prime both Quicumque and the preces are always omitted on 'green' Sundays. At Mass there is only one collect, the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal