St. Matthew the Apostle

The feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist is a Double of the Second class and the liturgical colour of the feast is red. The fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the fourth Sunday of September, is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc., from the Common of Apostles, were sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of SS Eustace and Companions and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Adonai, Domine etc for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of September. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Aeterna Christi. In the first nocturn the antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung with psalms 18, 33 & 44, all taken from the Common of Apostles, with the lessons and responsories also from the Common. In the second nocturn the antiphons Principes populorum etc are sung with psalms 46, 60 & 63. The lessons are proper to the feast. In the third nocturn the antiphons Exaltabuntur etc are sung with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Jerome's Commentary on the same and is proper to the feast. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday and is a homily of St. Augustine. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with the Sunday psalms. The hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At the Little Hours the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with the festal psalms (at Prime 53, 118i & 118ii). At Prime the lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung with Pss. 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The hymn is, again, Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Thomas of Villanova and of the Sunday. At Compline the Sunday psalms are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the 'green' Sunday takes precedence over St. Matthew's feast. At Vespers yesterday there were no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. St. Matthew is commemorated at Lauds and in Low Masses. In sung Masses there is but single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.