September 21st - St Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist

The feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist is of double rite and its liturgical colour is red. The eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the fourth Sunday of September, is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc., from the Common of Apostles, were sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Exsultet caelum laudibus. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Adonai, Domine etc for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of September. The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Aeterna Christi. In the first nocturn the antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung with psalms 18, 33 & 44, all taken from the Common of Apostles. The lessons are from St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians. The third lesson is considerably longer than that found in the later editions of the Breviary. The responsories are from the Common. In the second nocturn the antiphons Principes populorum etc are sung with psalms 46, 60 & 63. The lessons are proper to the feast. These are the same as those found in the post-Clementine editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Exaltabuntur etc are sung with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Jerome's Commentary on the same and is proper to the feast. The ninth lesson is slightly longer than those found in the later books. Today the eighth and ninth lessons of the feast are read together to form an exteded eighth lesson of the day and the ninth lesson is formed from the three lessons appointed for the homily of the Sunday. These are from a homily of St. Peter Chrysologus on St. Matthew's Gospel. The lessons are longer than those found in the post-Clementine editions with the seventh lesson (of the Sunday) consisting of both the modern seventh and eighth lessons. The eighth lesson consists of all of the modern ninth lesson and additional texts. The text of the ninth lesson is not found in the modern books. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The hymn is Exsultet caelum laudibus. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted.

At the Hours the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with the festal psalms (at Prime 53, 118i & 118ii). At Prime the lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli. Both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung with Pss. 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The hymn is, again, Exsultet caelum laudibus. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of the following feast of St. Mauritius & Others. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.