Christ the King - XXIII Sunday after Pentecost

The feast of Christ the King is a Double of the First Class and its liturgical colour is white. This year it is also the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost and the fifth Sunday of October.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Pacificus etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Te saeculorum Principem. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Tua est potentia for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of October. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui sceptra mundi temperas, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula.

At Mattins the invitatory is Jesum Christum, Regem regum Venite adoremus. In the first nocturn (Pss.2, 8 & 23) the lessons are taken from St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. In the second nocturn (Pss. 28, 44 & 46) the lessons are taken from Pius XI's encyclical Quas primas. In the third nocturn (Pss. 71, 88i, 88ii) the homily on St. John's Gospel is taken from the writings of St. Augustine. The ninth lesson is the homily appointed for the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost from St. Jerome on the gospel of St. Matthew. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Suscitabit etc are sung with the Sunday psalms. The Office hymn is Vexilla Christus inclyta. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

The Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria etc is sung with the hymns of the Hours. At Prime and the Hours the antiphons Suscitabit etc are sung with the festal psalms (at Prime Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii). At Prime the versicle in the short responsory is Qui primatum in omnibus tenes and the lectio brevis In ipso.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the Creed is sung. The preface is proper to the feast and the last Gospel is that of the Sunday.

At Vespers all is sung as yesterday at first Vespers except for the versicle & response and the antiphon on the Magnificat which are proper to second Vespers. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of SS Simon & Jude and of the Sunday.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' at Vespers there was no commemoration of the Sunday. There is no proper Doxology for Te lucis or at the Little Hours of the Sunday. At Mattins in the third nocturn, the third psalm (Ps. 88ii) gets stripped of over half its verses. Verses Tu vero repulisti... to Benedictus Dominus in aeternam, fiat, fiat, 39 - 53, are omitted. The former eighth lesson is split into two to provide an eighth and ninth lesson as the homily of the Sunday is omitted. At Lauds there is no commemoration of the Sunday. At Prime and the Hours the Doxology for the feast is omitted. At Prime the lectio brevis is of the season. At Mass there is no commemoration of the Sunday and the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Image: Christ Pantorcrator from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

XXII Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. This year it is the fourth Sunday of October and also Mission Sunday. An oratio imperata pro re gravi is ordered to be added to the prescribed collects at all Masses following a rescript of the SCR of April 14th, 1926. The liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the account of the Pharisees trying to trap the LORD over tribute to Caesar and the LORD's rebuttal of "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God those things that are God's."

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Exaudiat Dominus for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday in October. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. John Cantius, of St. Hilarion and of St. Ursula & Others. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Second Book of the Machabees. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Augustine's City of God. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds, after the collect of the Sunday, commemorations are sung of St. Hilarion and of St. Ursula and Others followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Hilarion, the third collect of St. Ursula & others and the fourth collect is Deus, qui nos homines (from the Votive Mass for the Propagation of the Faith). The Creed is sung as is the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrage of the Saints is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at Vespers. The third Sunday of October, and its week, is omitted this year. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there is no Suffrage. At Prime there is neither Quicumque nor are the Dominical preces. At Mass the collect for Missions is added to the collect of the day under one conclusion. At Vespers there is no Suffrage. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XXI Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the third Sunday of October. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the parable of the unjust and ungrateful servant who, forgiven his debts by the King, demands what is owed to him from others and shews complete ingratitude.

As Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Lugebat autem Judam for the Saturday before the third Sunday of October. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Edward the Confessor and of St. Callistus. The Suffrage was omitted due to the conccurring double feast as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons continue to be read from the First Book of the Machabees. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome on the eighteenth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Callistus. The Suffrage is omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Callistus. Today there is no the third collect. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Teresa of Avilla and of St. Callistus. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon for the Saturday before the second Sunday of October is sung. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. At Mass there is but a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Most Holy Rosary of the BVM

The feast of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Double of the Second Class. The twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (the second Sunday of October this year) is commemorated in the Office and at Mass. The feast had been instituted following the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.  In 1573 Gregory XIII extended the feast to those churches where an altar had been dedicated to the Rosary to be kept on the first Sunday of October.  In 1716 Clement XI extended the feast to the Universal Church with greater-double rank.  Leo XIII raised the rank of the feast to double second class in 1887 and gave the feast proper texts in the following year. During the reforms of 1911-13 the feast was transferred to October 7th.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Quae est ista etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147.  The Office hymn was Caelestis aulae Nuntius. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Bruno and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Refulsit sol for the Saturday before the second Sunday of October). The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxlogy and melody of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi...Qui natus etc. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper, Solemnitatem Rosarii Virginis Mariae celebremus etc,  as is the hymn, In monte olivis.  In the first nocturn the antiphons Angelus Gabriel etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 8, 18 & 23.  The lessons are from the Book of Ecclesiasticus.  In the second nocturn the antiphons Cum inducerent etc are sung with psalms 44, 45 & 86 .  In the third nocturn the antiphons Apprehendit etc are sung with psalms 95, 96 & 97 and the lessons are from a homily of St. Bernard on St. Luke's Gospel.  The ninth lesson is of the Sunday, a homily of St. Gregory on St. John's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Laetare etc are sung, doubled, with the Sunday psalms.  The Office hymn is Jam morte victor obruta.  After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday, St. Mark and of SS Sergius and Companions.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung, not doubled, with the Sunday psalms in the usual manner.  The hymns of the Hours are sung to the melody for feasts of the BVM with the Doxology of the Incarnation.  At Prime psalms 53, 118(i), 118(ii) are sung, the lectio brevis is proper, Quasi cedrus.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung (in private Masses the second collect is of St. Mark and the third collect of SS Sergius and Companions), the Creed is sung, the Preface is of the BVM with the clause Et te in Festivitate and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are sung as at first Vespers, the Office hymn is Te gestientem gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Bridget and of the Sunday.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast has been renamed 'Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary' and is of 2nd class and therefore does not take precedence over the Sunday. The 'green' Sunday is celebrated and is the first Sunday of October in 1962 reckoning. At Vespers (of the Sunday) there was no commemoration of the feast - it has been stripped of first Vespers anyway. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds a commemoration of the 'BVM of the Rosary' is sung. At said Masses the second collect is of the BVM of the Rosary, the last Gospel is In principio. At sung Masses there is no commemoration of the feast although Votive Masses of the feast may be celebrated. At Vespers there are no commemorations. The hours of the hymns are sung with the ordinary tone and Doxology.

Image: Coronation of the Virgin, Giovanni di Paolo, Wikipedia.