November 8th - Octave Day of All Saints

Today is the Octave Day of All Saints. It is a double feast. The liturgical colour for the Octave Day is white. Today is also the twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost and the third Sunday of November. The third nocturn lessons and the pericopes at Mass come from the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc were sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Christe Redemptor omnium. After the collect of the feast commemorations of the Four Crowned Martyrs an of the Sunday were sung (with the antiphon being Muro tuo for the Saturday before the third Sunday of November). At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted due to the Octave.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper and the hymn, Christe Redemptor omnium, is again sung as on the feast. In the first nocturn the antiphons Novit Dominus etc are sung with psalms 1, 4 and 8. The lessons in the first nocturn are taken from occurring scripture i.e. from the third Sunday in November, the Incipit of the book of Daniel the Prophet. These are almost the same as in the modern editions of the Breviary but, unusually the Tridentine third lesson is slightly shorter ending ... facies cum servis tuis. In the second nocturn the antiphons Domine, qui operati etc are sung with psalms 14, 23 and 31. The lessons are from St. Cyprian's writings. These are longer than those found in the modern editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Timete Dominum etc are sung with psalms 33, 60 and 96. The homily in the third nocturn is from St. Augustine. These are identical to those found in the modern editions. Instead of the ninth lesson being read of the Four Crowned Martyrs the homily for the Sunday is read as the ninth lesson. This is from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. The lessons are the same as in the modern editions. The three lessons of the homily are read as one and followed by the Te Deum.

At Lauds the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung with the Sunday psalms (Pss. 99, 92, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150). Commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of the Four Crowned Martyrs.

The antiphons sung at Lauds are used at the Hours in the usual way. Prime has the festal psalms (53, 118i, 118ii). Quicumque is omitted. The lectio brevis is proper, Benedictio et claritas, to the feast and Octave.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect of the Four Crowned Martyrs. The Creed is sung, the common preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The antiphons Domum tuam Domine etc are sung with Psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 147. The Office hymn is Urbs beata Jerusalem. Commemorations are sung of the Octave Day of All Saints, the Sunday and St. Theodore.

Icon: All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church, Illinois.