Sunday 10 March 2019

First Sunday in Lent


The first Sunday in Lent is a semi-double Sunday of the first class. No feast can take precedence over it or any such Sunday. The liturgical colour of the Sunday is violet. At Mass, unlike in Septuagesima, the ministers wear folded chasubles rather than dalmatic and tunicle and the organ is silent (as has been the practice too since Ash Wednesday). The Gospel pericope at Mattins and Mass is St. Matthew's account of the LORD's temptation by Satan in the desert. Vespers yesterday morning marked the ancient beginning of Lent before the addition of Ash Wednesday and the intervening days. On these added days although certain penitential practices have entered the Liturgy such as the use folded chasubles and the ferial preces at the Hours the Office hymns etc were still those used in previous weeks. Vespers of the first Sunday in Lent mark the beginning of the Pars Verna, the Spring volume of the Breviary,

At Vespers yesterday morning the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The chapter was proper, Fratres: Hortamur vos, and the Office hymn was Audi, benigne Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Frances of Rome and of the SS Forty Martyrs. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Non sit vobis and the hymn is Ex more. These are both used throughout the first four weeks of Lent. The antiphons and psalms given in the Psalter for Sundays are sung, as on previous Sundays. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from a sermon on Lent by St. Leo the Great and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily of St. Gregory the Great on St. Matthew's account of the temptation of the LORD. As in Septuagesima there is no Te Deum but a ninth responsory, which today is Angelis suis Deus mandavit de te.

At Lauds the antiphons are proper to the Sunday, Cor mundum etc., and the second scheme of Psalms is sung (50, 117, 62, Benedictus es, 148). The chapter is proper to the Sunday and hymn is O sol salutis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of the SS Forty Martyrs is sung followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons are proper to the Sunday, Jesus autem etc. At Prime the psalms are 92, 99 (displaced from Lauds) and the first two divisi of 118. The Dominical preces are sung and the short lesson is Quaerite Dominum. The Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. As folded chasubles are word by the ministers the organ is silent. At Mass the Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of the SS Forty Martyrs, the third collect is A cunctis. A Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Creed is sung, the preface is of Lent and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the celebrant and altar.

Vespers are of the Sunday, sung at the normal time (as Sundays are not fast days). The antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays, the chapter is proper and the Office hymn is Audi, benigne Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of the SS Forty Martyrs is sung followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Vespers on the weekdays of Lent are sung at the same time as during the rest of the Liturgical year. There were no commemorations nor Suffrage at either Vespers. There were no preces at Compline. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. At Prime the psalms are Ps. 53 and the first two divisi of Ps. 118 as on feasts, there are no Dominical preces At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, as in Septuagesima. There is but a single collect. The dismissal is Ite, missa est. At Vespers the Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope the after Midnight
Holy Communion fast is encouraged along with the sudden interest in pre-1950 Rites.(1939 technically)
-Andrew

Anonymous said...

How can 1962 cut down mattins to one nocturn only?
Also, is there still the vesperal liturgy of the Transfiguration next Saturday for the ember day?

Surrey Sede said...

I have a question unrelated to this Sunday, if I may. I apologize if it's been dealt with elsewhere.

Your Ordo for this year says that the feast of St. George (23rd April) is omitted this year because it falls within Easter Week, and it's normally just a semidouble. However, as I understand it, in England, since it's the national patronal feast day, it's a double of the first class with an octave in this country. So presumably in England it needs to be transferred to the Monday after Low Sunday, but that day in the Ordo is already taken up with St. Mark's Day, transferred from 25th April. What, then, happens with St. George's Day in England. When is it celebrated?

Thanks in advance for any answer you can give.

God bless.

Rubricarius said...

@Anonymous
How? In the 1962 rite there is only one nocturn for most Sundays.

Rubricarius said...

@Surrey Sede,

The Ordo is for the Universal Calendar. In England St. George is a Double of the first class with Octave. The feast is transferred to the Monday after Low Sunday but the Octave Day does not move. The Octave day will be commemorated in the liturgy for the feast of St. Mark which, in England, will be celebrated on the Tuesday.

Surrey Sede said...

Thanks very much for the reply. Just to clarify, St. George will be on Mon 29th April, and his octave day commemorated on the transferred St Mark's Day on Tues 30th April (being the 8th day from 23rd April)?

Rubricarius said...

@Surrey Sede,

Yes, your understanding is correct.

Rubricarius said...

@Andrew,

Absolutely. Holy Communion should be the first Food of the day. We should choose to receive or break-fast.

Paleo-Con said...

In regard to the Octave of Saint George in England: wouldn’t the commemoration of the Common Octave be omitted on Saint Mark’s Day because it’s a Double of the Second Class?

Rubricarius said...

@Paleo-Con,

No. The Octave-Day is of greater-double rite and unlike a day within a Common Octave is commemorated in a D2Cl.