May 13th - Third Sunday after Pascha

The third Sunday after Pascha is of semidouble rite and its liturgical colour is white. It is sometimes referred to as Jubilate from the first words of the introit at Mass, Jubilate Deo omnis terra etc.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday (Pss. 143, 144, 145, 146 & 147) were sung under the single antiphon, Alleluia. The Office hymn was Ad cenam Agni providi. After the collect of the Sunday the Paschal Commemoration of the Cross was sung consisting of the antiphon Crucem santam subiit qui infernum confregit, accinctus est potentia, surrexit die teria, Alleluia, the versicle Dicite in nationibus, alleluia and its respond Quia Dominus regnavit a ligno, alleluia followed by the collect Deus, qui pro nobis etc. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Paschal Doxology and the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory and hymn are sung as previous Sundays of Paschaltide. Again, at the nocturns the psalms are sung under one antiphon. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) the lessons are Incipit of the Book of the Apocalypse. The lessons are the same as in the post-Clementine editions. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are taken from the a sermon by St. Augustine. These too are the same as in the later editions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Augustine, again the same as in the revised books.

At Lauds psalms 92, 99 & 62-66 are sung under the nine-fold Alleluia. Benedicite is sung under the antiphon Surrexit Christus and psalms 148-49-150 are sung under the antiphon Alleluia. The Office hymn is Aurora lucis rutilat. After the collect of the Sunday the Paschal Commemoration of the Cross is sung with the antiphon Crucifixus surrexit a mortuis, et redemit nos, alleluia, alleluia.

At the Hours the hymns are sung with the Paschal Doxology and the psalms are sung under an antiphon consisting of a four-fold Alleluia. At Prime the Dominical psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i, 118ii and Quicumque) as are the Dominical preces.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is Concede nos, the third collect Ecclesiae . The Creed is sung and the preface is of Paschaltide.

Vespers are of the Sunday with the psalms (109, 110, 111, 112 & 113) sung under a single antiphon. The Office hymn is Ad cenam Agni providi. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of St. Boniface followed by the Paschal Commemoration of the Cross. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

Art: Jerome Nadal

May 6th - St. John before the Latin Gate

The feast of St. John before the Latin Gate is of double rite and its liturgical colour is red. The feast appears in the Gregorian Sacramentaries on May 6th and and is the dedication festival of the fifth century church in Rome named after the feast. The second Sunday after Pascha is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

The church, in Rome, above, of San Giovanni a Porta Latina was dedicated in honour of this feast and used to be a liturgical station on Saturday in Passion Week.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Sancti tui etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Tristes erant Apostoli. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology of Paschaltide and the Dominical preces were omitted due to the double feast.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is again Tristes erant Apostoli and in the first nocturn the antiphon Stabunt justi is sung with psalms 18, 33 & 44 from the Common of Apostles. The lessons for the first nocturn are the Incipit of the first Epistle of St. John, Quod fuit, found on Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension, which are sung with the responsories from the Common. The lessons are the same as those found in post-Clementine editions of the Breviary. In the second nocturn the antiphon Ecce quomodo etc is sung with psalms 46, 60 & 63. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the writings of St. Jerome against Jovinian, in the fifth lesson St. Jerome relates Tertullian's account of St. John's 'martyrdom'. Again, these lessons are the same as those found in the post-Clementine editions. In the third nocturn the antiphon Lux perpetua etc is sung with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is again from St. Jerome. The lessons are identical to those found in the later editions. The eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form the eighth lesson and the ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons of the homily from St. Gregor for the commemorated second Sunday after Pascha. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Sancti tui etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Claro Paschale gaudio. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. The Suffrage is omitted.

At the Hours the Paschaltide Doxology is sung at the conclusion of the Office hymns. The antiphons Sancti tui etc are sung at the Hours. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii), the short lesson is Scimus quoniam. The Dominical preces are omitted.

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

At Vespers the antiphons Sancti tui etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The Office hymn is again Tristes erant Apostoli. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

Art: The Torture of St. John the Evangelist, Filippino Lippi.

April 29th - Dominica in Albis - Low Sunday

Dominica in Albis or Low Sunday is of double rite. The Gospel at Mattins and Mass is the account of the LORD appearing to His disciples behind the shut doors of the room and the doubting of St. Thomas. The liturgical colour, until Vespers this year, is white.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday (Pss. 143, 144, 145, 146 & 147) were sung under the single antiphon, Alleluia. Chapters and hymns returned to the Office with this service, the Octave having ended with None. The Paschaltide hymn Ad cenam Agni providi was sung. Its Doxology is sung at all hymns of Iambic metre: Gloria tibi Domine, Qui surrexisti a mortuis, Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. After the collect of the Sunday the Paschal Suffrage was omitted. From this Office of Vespers, the dismissal, Benedicamus Domino, is sung without the double Alleluia that had been sung since Pascha. At Compline Te lucis is sung to the Paschal tone with the Doxology Gloria tibi Domine etc. This Doxology is sung with all hymns of Iambic metre until the Ascension. The Dominical preces are omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory Surrexit Dominus vere Alleluia continues to be sung. The Office hymn is O Rex aeterne Domine. In the first nocturn psalms 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14 are sung under the single antiphon Alleluia, Lapis revolutus etc. The lessons in the first nocturn are from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians; the first begins Igitur si consurrexistis otherwise it and the other two first nocturn lessons are the same as in the post-Clementine editions. In the second nocturn psalms 15, 16 & 17 are sung under the single antiphon Alleluia, quem quaeris mulier etc. The lessons are from a sermon of St. Augustine and are the same as in the modern editions. In the third nocturn psalms 18, 19 & 20 are sung under the single antiphon Alleluia, noli flere Maria etc. The homily is from the writings of St. Gregory on St. John's Gospel and the same same as in modern editions except they are missing the words 'Dixit eis' at the beginning of the ninth lesson. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the Sunday psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite, 148, 149 & 150) are sung under a single antiphon, a nine-fold Alleluia - an ancient feature of the Roman rite that would be destroyed in the 1911-13 reform. The Office hymn is Aurora lucis rutilat.

At Prime the Dominical psalms 53, 118(i), 118(ii) and Quicumque are sung under the antiphon Alleluia. The Dominical preces are omitted. At the other Little Hours Alleluia is also sung as the antiphon, the hymns have the Paschal Doxology.

Mass is sung after Terce. Before Mass the antiphon Vidi aquam is sung during the aspersion. At Mass the Gloria is sung. There is a single collect. The Creed is sung and the preface is of Paschaltide.

After None there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of the translated feast of St. Mark the Evangelist are sung. The antiphons antiphons Sancti tui etc., from the Common of Evangelists in Paschaltide, are sung, doubled, with Pss. 19, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Tristes erant Apostoli, sung with the Paschal Doxology. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal

April 22nd Dominica Resurrectionis - Easter Day - Pascha

The Sunday of the Resurrection is the Queen of Feasts and the most important of all liturgical celebrations. The Sunday is of double rite. The semi-double feast of SS Soter and Cajus is transferred to after the Paschal Octave.

At the final stages of the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday yesterday morning an antiphon consisting of a triple Alleluia was sung, doubled, with psalm 116. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Vespere autem sabbati etc. After the Vesperal Liturgy the traditional blessing of houses takes place and, in some countries, the Paschal food.  In the evening of Holy Saturday Compline was sung, at the normal time. On Holy Saturday the Office of Compline has some interesting variations. Compline begins with the usual Jube, domne, blessing, short lesson and confession. Converte nos, Deus, salutaris noster and its response are sung followed by Deus in adjutorium etc with Alleluia for the first time since Septuagesima. The psalms are sung, without an antiphon, to the usual Tone 8. The hymn, chapter and responsory are omitted and Vespere autem sabbati sung as the antiphon fragment to the Nunc dimittis. After the Canticle the antiphon is sung in full. After the usual collect, Visita quaesumus, the antiphon Regina Caeli is sung with its versicle and collect.

The church is decorated for the greatest of feasts. Before Mattins the images that have been veiled from Passiontide (or from the beginning of Lent where Array was used) are removed. Six candlesticks are on the altar. Mattins begin with the solemn tone for Deus in adjutorium etc. The invitatory is Surrexit Dominus vere Alleluia and psalm 94 is sung to a lovely tone 6 setting. Mattins consists of a single nocturn of three psalms. There is no Office Hymn throughout the Octave (c.f. Monastic praxis). The first antiphon is Ego sum qui sum etc and sung, doubled, with psalm 1. The second antiphon, Postulavi Patrem meum etc, is sung with psalm 2. The third antiphon, Ego dormivi etc, is sung with psalm 3. A versicle and its response are sung followed by the absolution Exaudi etc. The first lesson has the Gospel fragment Mark 16: 1-7 and is followed by a homily of St. Gregory the Great. The two responsories Angelus Domini descendit and Cum transisset sabbatum are famous and intimately connected with the Quem quaeritis ceremonies. The second lesson, Notandum vero nobis est is sung followed by the second responsory. The lessons are identical to those found in the later editions. During the second responsory the cantors and the celebrant don copes and the principal cantor pre-intones the Te Deum. Six pluvialistae assist the Hebdomadarius where possible. The Te Deum is then sung and, where it is the custom, the bells ring throughout.

Lauds follow immediately and have a series of beautiful antiphons: Angelus autem Domini, Et ecce terraemotus, Erat autem, Prae timore autem ejus and Respondens autem Angelus all taking up the theme of the Angels, earthquake and empty tomb. Psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150 are sung with these antiphons. The chapter, hymn, versicle and response are replaced by the Haec dies. After Haec dies the antiphon Et valde mane is sung and then the Benedictus sung to a solemn tone 8. During the Benedictus the altar, the choir and people are censed in the normal manner. The antiphon is repeated and the collect of Easter, Deus, qui hodierna die sung. Benedicamus Domino, Alleluia, Alleluia and its response are followed by the solemn Regina Caeli, its versicle and collect.

At Prime and the Hours the usual festal psalms are sung but without antiphons. Haec dies replaces the chapter, responsories etc. At Prime the Martyrology is read again, having not been read for the days of the Triduum. Before the announcement of the following day and moon "Hac die quam fecit Dominus, Solemnitas solemnitatum, et Pascha nostrum Resurrectio Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi secundum carnem" is sung to the tone of the Passion.

Mass is sung after Terce. Vidi aquam replaces the Asperges during Paschaltide. At Mass the Gloria is sung, the Creed is sung, the preface, communicantes and Hanc igitur are proper. Ite, missa est with a double Alleluia is the dismissal.

At Vespers the antiphons Angelus autem Domini etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113. Again Haec dies replaces the chapter and hymn. The antiphon on the Magnificat is Et respicientes etc. At Compline the usual psalms are sung with a three or four-fold Alleluia after them (BR1568 editio princeps gives a triple Alleluia, BR1579 Antwerp and post-Clementine editions give four). Then the Nunc dimittis is sung followed by Haec dies and the collect Visita quaesumus.

A joyous Pascha to those using the Julian computation!