January 27th - St. John Chrysostom

The feast of St. Chrysostom is of double rite and its liturgical colour is white. The third Sunday after the Epiphany is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Ecce sacerdos magnus etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Iste Confessor. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Suscepit Deus. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted due to the double feast.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Confessorum Dominum * Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is again Iste confessor. In the first nocturn the antiphons Beatus vir etc are sung with psalms 1, 2 & 3. The lessons are from occurring Scripture: the Incipit of the Epistle to the Galatians. The first and second lessons are the same as those found in the modern editions, the third lesson is longer and continues Cum autem placuit ... diebus quindecim (vv. 15 - 18). The responsories are from the Common of Confessor-Bishops. In the second nocturn the antiphons Invocantem etc are sung with Pss. 4, 5 & 8. The lessons are proper to the feast. These are the same as those found in the later editons up until the addition of a sentence to the sixth lesson by Pius X. In the third nocturn the antiphons Domine etc are sung with Pss. 14, 20 & 23. The lessons are a homily of St. Chrysostom on St. Matthew's Gospel (from the Common of Doctors). These are longer than those found in the post-Clementine edtions. The eighth and ninth lessons are read as one and the ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons appointed for the homily of the third Sunday after the Epiphany from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. These lessons are the same as in the later editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Ecce sacerdos magnus etc are sung with Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Jesu redemptor omnium. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (53, 118i & 118ii) and the lectio brevis is Fungi sacerdotio.

Mass is sung after Terce. The second collect is of the Sunday there is no third collect today. The Credo is sung, the Common preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers all is sung as was sung at first Vespers except the last psalm which is Ps. 131. The Office hymn is, again, Iste confessor. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of St. Agnes. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.