Sunday 4 December 2022

Second Sunday of Advent

The second Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the second class and its liturgical colour is violet. The Gospel pericopes, from St. Matthew, tell of St. John the Baptist in prison sending two of his followers to meet the LORD.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Ecce in nubibus caeli etc were sung, not-doubled, with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Francis Xavier, of St. Peter Chrysologus and of St. Barbara. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem venturum and the Office hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with the usual psalms for Sunday. The lessons are a continuation of Isaiah and today contain the beautiful symbolism of the Rod of Jesse. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung and the them of the Rod of Jesse is continued as the lessons are taken from St. Jerome's Expositon on Isaias the Prophet. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung and the homily is from St. Gregory. The Te Deum is omitted and in its place a ninth responsory, Ecce Dominus veniet, is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons, Ecce in nubibus caeli etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is En clara vox. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Peter Chrysologus and of St. Barbara. At Prime the versicle in the responsory is Qui venturus es in mundum. The Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce, the deacon and subdeacon wear violet folded chasubles. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of St. Peter Chrysologus, the third collect is of St. Barbara. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Trinity. Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar.

At Vespers the antiphons Ecce in nubibus caeli are again sung this time with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. The Office hymn is Creator alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Peter Chrysologus and of St. Sabbas. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est.

Art: Jerome Nadal

4 comments:

John Meyers said...

I am confused as to why this coming Monday is not flagged in the 2022 Ordo as eligible for a votive Requiem Mass (no "X" at the far right after the liturgical).
I would have thought that having no double or higher would have allowed for it.
What am I missing?
John

Rubricarius said...

@John,
You are not confused. It is an omission and there should be an 'X'.

Matthew Roth said...

I am confused about the commemorations; the rubrics can become somewhat unintelligible after a certain point. On this past 2nd Sunday of Advent, the first commemoration at Vespers was of a Doctor, even though that office was ending; I presume that it's because a simple feast is reduced to a mere commemoration in Advent, and so the next day's office is of the feria, which of course doesn't have I Vespers, but the rubrics, not even the 1911 Additions and Variations, do not make this explicit as far as I can see (not very far!).

On the previous evening, the office is of Saturday with the Sunday antiphons; it's then simply a question of dignity with respect to commemorations? I understand that I Vespers of a double feast yields to II Vespers of a double major, but when both yield (in the psalmody etc.) to those of Saturday as in this case, it's not apparent that the concluding office of a double major should still be commemorated first. But this is the case, it seems, and I've looked up the question in two otherwise useful volumes; surprisingly, the book on the breviary does not tell you how to untangle commemorations (the author refers the reader to the ordo) and the other does not explain the ins and outs of how to order commemorations (especially in cases where Saturday and Sunday or an octave mean that the feast is now concurring or occuring along with the perpetually impeded simple feasts which is usually where I am lost).

Rubricarius said...

@Matthew,
Prior to Leo XIII's changes in the 1890s commemorations went in the order of rank, highest to lowest. From 1893 (or thereabouts) a concurring festal office was always first. As you, rightly, observe St Sabbas' office is not the concurring office as the Advent feria outranks it.