December 29th - Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity

Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins, is white. The feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury is transferred to tomorrow.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons, doubled, and psalms of the Nativity were sung. From the chapter the Office was of the Holy Innocents. The Office hymn was Salvete, flores Martyrum sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of St. Stephen and the Octave of St. John. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation and the Dominical preces were omitted being within Octaves.

At Mattins the invitatory is Christus natus est nobis, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Christe, Redemptor omnium,> The antiphons, not doubled, and psalms are as on the feast of the Nativity of the LORD. In the first nocturn the Incipit of the Epistle to the Romans is read. The first lesson is identical to that found in the later editions (in the post-1914 Breviary Romans begins on the 29th December not the 30th). The second lesson is longer and continues with about half of the verses from the modern third lesson, Nolo autem vos ignorare fratres (...) qui Romae estis, evangelizare. The third lesson begins Non enim erubesco... and continues until ...se esse sapientes, stulti facti sunt, i.e. until v. 22. The responsories of the Octave are sung. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Leo on the Nativity. These are longer than those found in the post-Clementine editions so the fourth and fifth lessons contain the text of the later fourth, fifth and sixth. The sixth lesson is absent from the later editions. In the third nocturn the homily is taken from St. Augustine's writings on the second chapter of St. Luke's Gospel. These are marginally longer than those found in the later editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons from the Nativity, Quem vidistis etc., are sung, without doubling, with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The chapter is proper to the Sunday and the Office hymn is A solis ortus cardine. The versicle is Verbum caro etc and its respond Et habitavit etc. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are proper to the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of St. Stephen, the Octave of St. John and the Octave of the Holy Innocents.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. The hymns of the Hours are sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i, & 118ii) the lectio brevis is proper to the Sunday, Itaque jam non est servus.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Mass formulary isDum mediumetc. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave of the Nativity, the third collect of the Octave of St. Stephen, the fourth collect of the Octave of St. John and the fifth collect of the Octave of the Holy Innocents. The Creed is sung and the preface and communicantes are of the Nativity.

At Vespers the antiphons, not doubled, and psalms of the Nativity are sung. From the chapter of the Sunday within the Octave. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Thomas of Canterbury, the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of St. Stephen, the Octave of St. John and the Octave of the Holy Innocents. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.