June 24th - The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The great feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a double feast with an Octave. The liturgical colour for the feast and Octave is white. The celebration of the feast on June 24th is ancient and is mentioned by the Council of Agde in 506 and in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. The feast was preceded by a Vigil. The third Sunday after Pentecost is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons, Ipse praeibit etc, were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Ut queant laxis resonare fibris. The hymn famously rises through a scale in its verses: Ut (Doh), Resonare, Mira, Famuli, Solve, Labii. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday. The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper Regem Praecursoris Dominum, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is Antra deserti teneris sub annis. The antiphons and responsories are proper for all three nocturns. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2 & 3) the lessons are taken from the Incipit of the Prophet Jeremiah. These are identical to those found in the modern editions. In the second nocturn (Pss. 4, 5 & 8) the lessons are taken from a sermon by St. Augustine on the saints. The first lesson is slightly shorter than that found in the modern books with the omitted text beginning the second lesson. In the third nocturn (Pss. 14, 20 & 23) the homily is from the writings of St. Ambrose on the first chapter of St. Luke's Gospel. These are the same as in modern editions. Today the eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form an extended eighth lesson and the ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons appointed for the homily of the Sunday. This is from St. Augustine but the lessons are longer than those found in the post-Clementine books. The seventh lesson (of the Sunday) consists of text which forms the seventh and eighth lessons in the later books. The eighth lesson is several sentences longer than the modern ninth lesson and the ninth lesson is not found at all in the later books. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Elisabeth Zachariae etc are sung, doubled, with the Sunday psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150). The Office hymn is O nimis felix. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are sung with the Dominical psalms. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the lectio brevis is Reges videbunt.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Mass is proper, De ventre. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung - as the feast falls on a Sunday - and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At second Vespers the antiphons sung at Lauds are again sung now with the psalms from Vespers for the Common of Apostles Pss.109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The Office hymn is again Ut queant laxis . After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.