Today is the twenty-fourth and last Sunday after Pentecost. It is also the fifth Sunday of November. The Sunday is of semi-double rite and the liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the prophetic words of the LORD concerning the last days and the coming of the Antichrist.
At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday were sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Super muros tuos for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of November. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of St. Felix of Valois and of St. Elizabeth. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted because of the occurring double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.
At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Michah the Prophet. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Basil the Great on the thirty-third psalm. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds, after the collect of the Sunday, a commemoration of St. Felix of Valois is sung.
At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted because of the occurring double feast.
Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St Felix of Valois. There is no third collect. The Creed is sung and the preface of the Blessed Trinity.
Vespers are of the Sunday. Lucis Creator is sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of the Presentation of the BVM and of St. Felix. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted because of the occurring double feasts.
The week ahead, with its completion of the series of Minor Prophets, often sees many of the Incipits move to ensure their reading. This year Monday's Incipit of the Book of Nahum becomes the first lesson read on Wednesday and Tuesday's Incipit of the Book of Habacuc is read as the second lesson on Wednesday.
In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the twenty-third Sunday was not anticipated yesterday but entirely omitted this year. There are no commemorations or Suffrage at Vespers. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there is neither commemoration nor Suffrage. At Mass there is one collect. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemorations and Lucis creator is sung with the ordinary Doxology.
Art: Jerome Nadal Nadal's image of the Antichrist enthroned whilst the clergy and people give him false worship.
I don't understand why at Vespers today the feast of the Presentation of our Lady, which is a higher rank than Sunday, is only commemorated and no the other way around ?
ReplyDeleteI suppose that it is result of the reforms of Pius X (1911-1913). After the reform ordinary Sundays suppressed all doubles and major doubles (but not the Feasts of the Lord).
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThe reason is that following the 1911-13 reform the Office of semi-double Sundays outranks any feast except Doubles of the First and Second Class and Greater-Double feasts of the Lord.
These are interesting days liturgically: they represent some of the very few days left where one sees the point of Vespers "a capitulo," since Ss. Cecelia and Clement have proper antiphons. And, besides the triple incipits at today's Matins, there is the very appropriate proper sermon of S. Hilary (lost in 1942), with eschatological references.
ReplyDelete- LF
Indeed, yesterday and today both show what 'V a cap seq' was really all about.
ReplyDeleteInteresting days indeed!