Fifth Sunday after Pascha

The fifth Sunday after Pascha is of semi-double rite. The Gospel pericopes from St. John describe how the LORD tells His disciples to ask for anything in His name after He has ascended to the Father. That Ascension will, of course, be celebrated on Thursday of this week after the three Rogation Days of the Lesser Litanies on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday were sung under the single antiphon Alleluia. The Office hymn was Ad regias Agni dapes. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Pius V and of St. John before the Latin Gate. The Commemoration of the Cross was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Paschal Doxology and the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia and the Office hymn is Rex sempiterne Caelitum. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the first Epistle of St. Peter. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the writing of St. Ambrose on faith in the Resurrection and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily of St. Augustine on St. John's Gospel on the LORD's words "Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you." The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aurora. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. John before the Latin Gate is sung. The Paschal Commemoration of the Cross is omitted.

At the Hours the hymns are sung with the Paschal Doxology. At Prime the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. John before the Latin Gate. Today there is no third collect. The Creed is sung, the preface is of Paschaltide and the last Gospel is for St. John before the Latin Gate.

At Vespers the Sunday psalms are sung under the single antiphon Alleluia. The Office hymn is Ad regias Agni dapes. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Stanislaus and of St. John before the Latin Gate. The Paschal Commemoration of the Cross is omitted. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the Paschal Doxology and the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. The feast of St. John before the Latin Gate has been struck from the Calendar. The Paschal Commemoration of the Cross has been abolished entirely. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn. The Dominical preces have been abolished. Hymns at the Little Hours do not have the Paschal Doxology. At Mass there is but a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal