August 29th - The Beheading of St John the Baptist

The feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist is of double rite and its liturgical colour is red. Texts for the feast are either proper or from the Common of a Martyr. Today is also the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost and the first Sunday of September. The Sunday is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Herodes enim tenuit etc were sung, doubled, with the psalms as of first Vespers of Apostles (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116). The Office hymn was Deus tuorum militum. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Augustine of Hippo, of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat was Cum audisset Job for the Saturday before the first Sunday of September) and of St. Sabina. The Suffrages were omitted because of the occurring double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Martyrum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Deus, tuorum militum. In the first nocturn the antiphons In lege Domini etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 1, 2 & 3. The lessons are proper to the feast taken from the Incipit of the Book of Jeremiah (as on the feast of St. John's Nativity) with responsories proper to the feast Misit Herodes rex etc, Joannes Baptista arguebat Herodem etc and Puellae saltanti imperavit mater etc. The lessons are the same as those found in modern editions of the Breviary. In the second nocturn the antiphons Filii hominum etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 4, 5 & 8. The lessons are from St. Ambrose, these are the same as those found in the modern editions and are followed by responsories from the Common. In the third nocturn the antiphons Justus Dominus etc, doubled, are sung with psalms 10, 14 & 20. The homily on St. Mark's Gospel is from St. Augustine. The seventh and eighth lessons are as found in the modern books except the last word of the eighth lesson is saltatricem not saltantem. These are followed by responsories from the Common. Today the eighth and ninth lessons of the feast 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 thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost. These are from St. Augustine on St. Luke's Gospel and are longer than those found in modern editions with lessons seven and eight (of the Sunday) comprising of the complete text of the three third nocturn lessons found in the later editions. The text of the ninth lesson is absent from the post-Clementine editions. Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Herodes enim tenuit etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Martyr Dei, qui unicum. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are proper to the feast. Commemorations are then sung of the Sunday and of St. Sabina. The Suffrages are omitted.

At the Hours the antiphons Herodes enim tenuit etc are sung with the festal psalms. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the lectio brevis is Justus cor suum.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect of St. Sabina. The Creed is sung as the feast falls on a Sunday, the common preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Herodes enim tenuit etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The Office hymn is Deus, tuorum militum. The antiphon on the Magnificat is proper. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and the following feast of SS Felix and Adauctus.