Today is the anticipated sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Sunday is of semi-double rite and the liturgical colour is green. The Sunday follows the usual rules for Sundays in occurrence and concurrence.
Anticipated Sundays following the reform of 1911-13 gained far more prominence than they had hitherto exhibited. Prior to the reform they were treated in the same manner as 'resumed' Sundays in that they were of simple rite and had but three lessons at Mattins (those of the homily of the Sunday) and no Creed at Mass. If the Saturday before Septuagesima was occupied by a feast of nine lessons they could be anticipated on the nearest day free of a feast of nine lessons or, if there were no such days, commemorated in the feast of nine lessons falling on the Saturday.
At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Friday were sung. The Office hymn was that appointed for Friday Hominis superne Conditor sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation, Jesu, tibi...Qui natus etc. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order. The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.
At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are from the Psalter for Saturday. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Epistle to the Ephesians (from the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. The lessons appointed for the Saturday the Incipit of the Epistle to Philemon having been anticipated on Thursday). The responsories are those of the anticipated Sunday. In the second nocturn the lessons, appointed for the Sunday are from St. Gregory's Book on Morals and in the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung.
At Lauds the antiphons, psalms, chapter and hymn are from the Psalter for Saturday. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are proper to the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order. The Suffrage is omitted. At Prime the chapter is Regi saeculorum. The Dominical preces are omitted.
At the other Hours the antiphons and psalms are of the Saturday, the collect is of the Sunday. Mass is sung after Terce as normal for Sundays. At Mass the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Founders of the Servite Order. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.
At Vespers the liturgical mood and colour change. The altar is vested in violet and Vespers are of Septuagesima. the antiphons and psalms of Saturday are sung. The Office hymn is Jam sol recedit igneus. After the collect of Septuagesima Sunday (the Office of the anticipated Sunday ceases after None) a commemoration is sung of the Founders of the Servite Order. The Suffrage is omitted due to the occurring double feast. Alleluia is added, twice, to both Benedicamus Domino and to its response. After that Alleluia will not be heard until the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.
In the 'liturgical books of 1962' anticipated Sundays have been abolished. Today is the non-privileged III class feast of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order. The formerly double ranked feast is stripped down to a single nocturn and, following the latest decrees, made be replaced with a Votive Mass of any saint canonised after 1962. At Vespers of Septuagesima there are no commemorations.
Art: Jerome Nadal.
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3 comments:
To ask a rather stupid question, could you comment on this proposition, that the motive behind observing such an "anticipated Sunday" is ultimately due to the fact that, in each calendar year of 365 or 366 days, there are 52 weeks and either 1 or 2 days, so at maximum there are 53 Sundays in a year, but usually only 52, so the 53rd Sunday, though provided for liturgically, often has no place, and - lest it be altogether omitted - instead observed in a simplified form on either the Saturday before Septuagesima (if it is one of the Sundays after Epiphany that doesn't "fit"), or the Saturday before the 24th and Last Sunday after Pentecost (if it is a Sunday after Pentecost that has "nowhere to lay its head").
Neglecting feasts that sometimes (Christmas, Epiphany, etc.), mostly (Holy Name) or always (Holy Family, Trinity, Christus Rex) fall on Sundays, there are 4 Sundays of Advent, Sunday in the Christmas Octave and 2nd Sunday after Christmas (however, from the 25th of December to the 6th of January inclusive is only 13 days, so sometimes there is no 2nd Sunday after Christmas), 6 Sundays after Epiphany, 3 pre-Lenten Sundays, 6 Sundays in Lent and Passiontide, 8 Sundays in Eastertide (Easter Sunday, 5 Sundays after Easter, Sunday after Ascension, and Whitsunday), and 24 after Pentecost, so the total of all these is 4 + 2 + 6 + 3 + 6 + 8 + 24 = 53 Sundays.
I hope I haven't made an embarrassing error in trying to reason through all this! Please clarify the "anticipated Sunday" and the reasons for it if possible.
(I omitted reference to the movable Sundays after Epiphany, which are transferred to slot in before the Last Sunday after Pentecost when Easter comes early.)
@Joshua,
I agree with your reasoning. I think it the same concept as with Incipits of occurring Scripture about getting as much in - at least a mention - as is possible in the Liturgical Year.
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