The fifth week of August

XIII Sunday after Pentecost

The thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fifth Sunday of August. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke's Gospel tell of the LORD and the ten lepers, only one of which thanked Him for being healed.

At 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 Observa, fili for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Joseph Calasanctius was sung. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons continue to be read from the Book of Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Chrysostom. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Augustine on St. Luke's Gospel. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis.  After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Joseph Calasanctius is sung. The Suffrage of the Saints 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. Joseph Calasanctius. Today there is no third collect. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, of St. Joseph Calasanctius and of St. Hermes. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today if the fourth Sunday of August. 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 there is a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Another, early, example of versus populum celebration

Assuming the date on the image is correct this would have been the Mass of St. Sylvester, 1930, in a chapel at Maria Laach Abbey.

Image

The fourth Sunday of August

XII Sunday after Pentecost - Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption of the BVM

The twelfth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fourth Sunday of August and the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption of the BVM.

At 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 Sapientia for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of August). After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. John Eudes, of St. Bernard and of the Octave of the Assumption. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory the Great. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Luke's Gospel is from the writings of the Venerable Bede. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Bernard and of the Octave of the Assumption. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Bernard, the third collect is of the Octave. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption was the feast of St. Joachim, Father of the BVM. One Mass, other than the Conventual, may be sung of the feast. The Mass Dispersit is sung in white vestments with Gloria, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect is of St. Bernard. The Creed is sung, the Preface is of the Holy Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113) the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, of St. Bernard and of the Octave of the Assumption. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the third Sunday of August. The Octave of the Assumption has been abolished. At Vespers there were no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The Assumption of the BVM

The great feast of the Assumption is a Double of the First Class with an Octave. The feast also appears as the Dormition of the Mother of God in some earlier MSS and is known by that name in the East to this day. The liturgical colour of the feast and its Octave is white. The feast is preceded by a Vigil which was, traditionally, a day of fast and abstinence.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Assumpta est Maria etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The chapter was from the feast In omnibus requiem and the Office hymn the hauntingly beautiful Ave, maris stella the first verse of which is always sung kneeling. At Compline Te lucis was sung to the tone of feasts of the BVM and with the Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria etc.

At Mattins the invitatory, Venite, adoremus Regem regum, Cujus hodie ad aethereum Virgo Mater assumpta est in caelum, is proper to the feast. The hymn is Quem terra, pontus, sidera. In the first nocturn the antiphons Exaltata est etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 8, 18 & 23. The lessons in the first nocturn, since the time of Pius V, are taken from the Incipit of the Canticle of Canticles, are particularly rich with vibrant, sensual, imagery:

Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine, smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee. Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee. I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon.(1st lesson)

In the second nocturn the antiphons Specie tua etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 44, 45 & 86. The lessons are from St. John Damascene's second discourse on the Dormition of the Virgin and again both exquisite and highly appropriate to the day:

"This day the holy and animated ark of the living God, she who conceived in her womb her Creator rests in the temple of the Lord, which was not made with hands. And her ancestor David leaps, and with him the Angels lead the dance, the Archangels make celebration, the Virtues ascribe glory, the Principalities exult, the Powers rejoice together, the Dominations are joyful, the Thrones keep holiday, the Cherubim utter praise, the Seraphim proclaim her glory. This day the Eden of the new Adam receives the living Paradise, wherein the condemnation was made void, wherein the tree of life was planted, wherein our nakedness was covered." (4th lesson)

In the third nocturn the antiphons Gaude, Maria virgo etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 95, 96 & 97. The homily on the Gospel fragment is from St. Augustine's 27th Sermon on the Words of the Lord. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Assumpta est Maria etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62, Benedicite and 148. The hymn O gloriosa virginum. The collect of the feast is one of the most sublime ever written:

Famulorum tuorum, quaesumus, Domine, delictis ignosce: ut, qui tibi placere de actibus nostris non valemus; Genitricis Filii tui, Domini nostri, intercessione salvemur.

Forgive, O Lord, we beseech thee, the sins of thy servants: that we who by our own deeds are unable to please thee, may be saved by the intercession of the Mother of thy Son our Lord.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns are sung with the proper Doxology and tone. In the short responsory Qui natus es de Virgine is sung, both today and throughout the Octave, and the lectio brevis is In plateis.

Mass is celebrated after Terce. The Rituale gives a Blessing of Herbs for this day which takes place immediately before Mass with Psalm 64, a series of versicles and responses, three collects, whose florid style, reminiscent of those for the Blessing of Palms, suggests a Gallican origin. The Mass formulary, Gaudeamus, is a particularly beautiful set of texts. The Gloria is sung. The Epistle is a sublime cento from the Book of Wisdom that also forms the chapters at the Office. The gradual Propter veritatem is very ancient. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the BVM, Et te in Assumptione

In the afternoon at second Vespers all is sung as at first Vespers except the antiphon on the Magnificat which today is Hodie Maria Virgo caelos ascendit: gaudete, quia cum Christo regnat in aeternum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the following feast of St. Joachim, father of the BVM. At Compline the Sunday psalms are sung and Te lucis is sung with the proper Doxology and tone.

 The stone slab on which the Blessed Virgin's Body is believed to have reposed in the Church of the Sepulchre of the Virgin, near the Mount of Olives. (Image credit)

The 'liturgical books of 1962' have seen considerable, detrimental, revision with changes both in 1960 and, previously, with the introduction of novel texts in the 1950s. Vespers gets a new chapter, hymn and collect. At Compline the ordinary Doxology is sung. At Mattins in the first nocturn the first lesson is taken from Genesis and then, curiously, the second and third from the former Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. In the second nocturn the magnificent writings of St. Damascene are shortened by the inclusion of a sixth lesson of verbiage. The third nocturn has a homily of St. Peter Canisius on the new gospel pericope introduced in 1950. At Lauds there is a new chapter, a pedestrian and ugly hymn replacing O gloriosa virginum, and the new collect. At Prime the lectio brevis is Dominus autem dirigat, of the season. At Prime and the Hours the tone of the hymns is that for greater feasts, not the Incarnation and the special Doxology is omitted. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Icon: Theophanes the Greek, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The figures either side of Christ are the Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite and Ignatius the God-Bearer who, according to tradition, were responsible for transmitting the account of the Virgin's Dormition a version of which survived in the Roman Office in the second nocturn lessons for the 18th August until 1951.

The third week of August

XI Sunday after Pentecost

The eleventh Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the third Sunday of August. The Gospel pericopes from St. Mark contain the account of the LORD healing a deaf and dumb man with His spittle.

At 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 Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Clare and of SS Hippolytus & Cassian. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Wisdom. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory the Great on St. Mark's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of SS Hippolytus & Cassian 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 SS Hippolytus & Cassian, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms of Sunday are sung. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Eusebius followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the second Sunday of August. At Vespers yesterday the antiphon on the Magnificat was Ego in altissimis and there were no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons and the first lesson is the Incipit of Book of Ecclesiastes read last week in the old rite. At Lauds there are no commemorations. The Suffrage has been abolished. At Prime Quicumque is not said and the Dominical preces have been abolished. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The second week of August

The Transfiguration of the LORD

The feast of the Transfiguration of the LORD is a Double feast of the Second Class and its liturgical colour is white. The X Sunday after Pentecost (and the second Sunday of August) is commemorated at in the Office and at Mass.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Assumpsit Jesus etc., proper to the feast, were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Quicumque Christum quaeritis. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Christus Jesus, splendor Patris etc and the collect was proper to the feast. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of the Dedication of Sancta Maria ad Nives and of the Sunday, the antiphon on the Magnificat being Ego in altissimis for the Saturday before the second Sunday of August. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline, and at all the Hours, the hymns have the Doxology Jesu tibi Domine, Qui apparusti hodie etc along with its melody.

At Mattins the invitatory is Summum Regem gloriae, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is, again, Quicumque Christum quaeritis. In the first nocturn the proper antiphons, Paulo minus etc, are sung with psalms 8, 28 & 44. The lessons in the first nocturn are from the Second Epistle of St. Peter. In the second nocturn the antiphons Illuminans etc are sung with psalms 75, 83, and 86. The lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo. In the third nocturn the antiphons Thabor et Hermon etc are sung with psalms 88, 96 and 103. The homily in the third nocturn is taken from St. Chrysostom's 57th homily on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday a homily by St. Augustine on St. Luke. The Te Deum is sung. The Incipit of the Book of Ecclesiastes, from the second Sunday is transferred to tomorrow's first nocturn.

At Lauds the antiphons Assumpsit Jesus Petrum et Jacobem etc are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Lux alma, Jesu, mentium. The antiphon on the Benedictus is Et ecce vox etc. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of SS Xystus & Companions. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns have the proper Doxology and melody as noted above. The antiphons from Lauds are sung at the Hours in the usual order. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (53, 118i & 118ii), the verse in the short response is Qui apparuisti and the lectio brevis is Sustulit me.

Mass is sung after Terce. Where it is the custom a blessing of grapes takes place immediately before Mass. The introit is Illuxerant. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, (in private Masses the third collect is of SS Xystus etc). The Creed is sung, the Preface is of the Nativity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers all is sung as was sung at first Vespers except for the antiphon on the Magnificat, Et audientes, which is proper to second Vespers. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Cajetan and of the Sunday. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today would be the first Sunday of August but it is entirely omitted and not commemorated in the Office or Mass of the feast. The beginning of the Book of Proverbs (read last week in the traditional rite) is entirely omitted this year. At Vespers there are no commemorations. At Mattins Psalm 88 ends with the verse Quia Domini est assumptio nosta etc and the verses from Tunc locutus es etc to the end, 34 verses in all, are omitted. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At the Hours the hymns have the ordinary Doxology and the antiphons are of the Sunday, not the feast, Prime has Pss. 117, 1181 & 118ii. The lectio brevis is of the season. At Mass there is only one collect, the Preface is of the Trinity and the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.