The Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Fourth Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the second class. The liturigcal colour is violet. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke concern the preaching of St. John the Baptist preaching the baptism of repentance by the Jordan and the reference to Isaias "Prepare ye the way of the LORD: make straight His paths: every valley shall be filled: and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

'Every valley' instantly associates in Rubricarius' mind with that musical genius G.F. Handel and 'Messiah':

(Here an extract taken from YouTube with Jon Humphrey and Robert Shaw. A very fine recording of 'Messiah', and one that suits Rubricarius' tastes, is with Rene Jacobs directing on Harmonia Mundi with the Choir of Clare College and Freiburger Barockorchester HMC 901928.29)

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons proper to the Sunday, Canite tuba., were sung with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum and the Great 'O' Antiphon O Adonai in its entirety both before and after the Magnificat, with the choir standing. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Prope est jam Dominus: Venite adoremus and the hymn Verbum supernum prodiens. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken, as usual in Advent, from Isaias. In the second nocturn the lessons are again taken from St. Leo's sermon on the fast of the tenth month. The homily in the third nocturn is from the twentieth homily of St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons that were sung at Vespers, Canite tuba etc., are sung with the Dominical psalms.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used in the usual sequence. At Prime the versicle in the responsory is Qui venturus es in mundum and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The ministers wear violet folded chasubles. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of the BVM in Advent, Deus qui de beate, the third collect Ecclesiae or Deus omnium. The Creed is sung and the preface that of the Trinity. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

At Vespers the antiphons Canite tuba etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The hymn is again Creator alme siderum. The antiphon on the Magnificat is the Great 'O' Antiphon appointed for the 19th December O radix Jesse. The antiphon is sung in its entirety both before and after the canticle with the choir standing. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons as usual. At Prime the Dominical preces are omitted. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal