May 24th - Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, is of semi-double rite. As with all Sundays within Octaves the liturgical colour is of the Octave, white in this case.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Sacerdos in aeternum etc were sung with psalms 109, 110, 115, 127 & 147 as on the feast of Corpus Christi but the antiphons were not doubled. The chapter was of the Sunday, the hymn, versicle and response as on the feast. The antiphon on the Magnificat was proper to the Sunday along with the collect. A commemoration was sung of the Octave. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxlogy Gloria tibi Domine etc.

At Mattins the invitatory is Christum Regem adoremus dominantem Gentibus: Qui se manducantibus dat spiritus pinguedinem, as on the feast. The Office hymn is Sacris solemnis. The antiphons and psalms are as on the feast of Corpus Christi. In the first nocturn the antiphons Fructum salutiferum etc are sung with Pss. 1, 4 & 15. The lessons in the first nocturn they are taken from the First Book of Kings. The first lesson continues with the beginning of the second lesson found in modern editions Misit ergo populus...Ophni et Phinees. The responsories are as on the feast. The second lesson begins Cumque venisset arca...and includes what is now the third lesson, ending ...Ophni et Phinees. The third lesson, not present in the modern editions, begins at verse 12 of the fourth chapter Currens autem vir... and continues until the middle of the eighteenth verse ...cirvicibus mortuus est. In the second nocturn the antiphons Memor sit Dominus etc with Pss. 19, 22 & 41. The lessons are taken from a sermon of St. Chrysostom to the people of Antioch. The fourth lesson is longer than in modern editions beginning, at the same point, with Quoniam Verbum dicit... but continuing until ...proponitur indigne sumentibus (appoximately half-way through L5 in modern edtions). The fifth lesson begins Considera quantum adverus (Considera being replaced by Cogita in modern editions) and continues until ..sumus unum Christi corpus, et una caro. The sixth lesson begins Quis loquetur potentias (halfway through L6 in the modern books) and continues for several more sentences of the sermon ending with ..qui vero sanctificat ea et immutat, ipse est. In the third nocturn the homily in is from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. Again the lessons are longer than in the modern editions so that the ninth lesson Sed superna...quod praesto est, perat is not found in the later books.

At Lauds the antiphons are those sung on the feast of Corpus Christi, Sapientia etc. These are sung with Psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn as on the feast, Verbum supernum. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are of the Sunday. A commemorations is sung of the Octave.

At the Little Hours the hymns are sung to the same tone as on the feast of the Nativity of the LORD with the with the Doxology Gloria tibi Dominieetc. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii), the versicle in the short responsory is Qui natus es for the feast and Octave, the short lesson is Filioli mei, of the Sunday. Quicumque is not sung as the Office is festal.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Nativity.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are as at Second Vespers of the feast. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn, versicle & response of the feast and the antiphon on the Magnificat and collect of the Sunday. Commemorations are sung of the Octave and St Urban.