November 24th - XXVI and Last Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the twenty-sixth and last Sunday after Pentecost. It is also the fifth Sunday of November. The day is of semi-double rite and the liturgical colour, from Mattins, is green. The texts for the Sunday in the missal are those for the twenty-fourth, the last, Sunday. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the prophetic words of the LORD concerning the last days and the coming of the Antichrist.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Orante etc were sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. From the chapter the Office was of the Sunday with the Office hymn O lux beata Trinitas. The antiphon on the on the Magnificat was Super muros tuosfor the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of October. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of St. Clement and of St. Chrysogonus followed by the Suffrages Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Petrus Apostolus etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn Primo dierum omnium. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) the lessons are the Incipit of Micheas the Prophet. The first lesson is longer than that found in the modern editions of the Breviary. After ... et super excelsa terra the lesson continues Et consumenter montes, from the second lesson in the modern Breviary, until ... in peccatis domus Israel. The second lesson begins Quod scelus Jacob?... and continues until usque ad Hierusalem, i.e the end of the modern third lesson. The third lesson begins In Geth nolite annciare and continues until ...in deceptionem regibus Israel (vv. 10 - 14). These verses are absent from the modern editions. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are from the writings of St. Basil on the thirty-third psalm. These are identical to those found in the modern Breviaries. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The seventh lesson continues with the first sentence of the modern eighth lesson Potest autem... in praesentem diem stetit. The eighth lesson begins Abominatio quoque secundum... and continues until Apostoli habere prohibentur, the end of the modern ninth lesson. The text of the ninth lesson, absent from the modern books, begins Vae autem praegnantibus... and continues until ne temporum mora fides concutiatur credentium. Today the the eighth and ninth lessons are read together as the eighth lesson and the ninth lesson is formed of the two historic lessons for the feast of St. Chrysogonus. The 'Te Deum' is sung.

At Lauds the Sunday psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite 148-49-150) are sung. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Chrysogonus followed by the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Gloriosi principes etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) Quicumque is sung as are the Dominical preces.

Mass is sung after Terce. The texts of the XXIV Sunday are used. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Chrysogonus, the third collect is A cunctis. The Credo and the Common Preface are sung.

At Vespers there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of the feast of St. Catharine are sung. The antiphons Haec est virgo sapiens etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn is Jesu corona virginum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal