Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Sunday 1 February 2008

DOMINICA IV POST EPIPHANIAM
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
2nd Class; Green
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Holy Trinity

Oremus:

Deus, qui nos in tantis periculis constitútos pro humána scis fragilitáte non posse subsístere : da nobis salútem mentis et córporis; ut ea, quæ pro peccátis nostris pátimur, te adiuvánte vincámus. Per Dóminum.

Let us Pray:

O God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature, we can not stand fast: grant us health of mind and of body, that what we suffer for our sins, we may overcome by Thy help. Through our Lord...

Links:

• Fr Goffine's The Church's Year
• Gregorian Chant propers
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (2008)
  
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (2009)
  
• Mass Propers (Latin & English)
  

(image: Jonah swallowed by the whale (Lesson viii, 1911 Breviary), breviary.net)

new Gregorian Chant Schola in Scotland

Plans have been made for a schola to sing and promote Gregorian chant within the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh, Scotland. This will be a male choir which will meet on a Thursday evening in St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, for sung Latin Vespers and rehearsal with half a dozen chanted Masses spread among the deaneries each year.

Anyone who is interested in joining the schola or supporting this increasingly popular music of the Church should visit edinburghschola.blogspot.com or telephone 07786 146 456 for more details.

Dom Gueranger on January 25th: The Conversion of St. Paul

"Today, it is from heaven that (Christ) evinces his power: all the mysteries of our redemption have been accomplished, and he wishes to show mankind, that he is the sole author and master of the Apostolate, and that his alliance with the Gentiles is now perfect.....................

And on one of the reasons for the Church choosing this date for the Feast:

"...it was necessary, in order to give the court of our Infant-King its full beauty, that the two Princes of the Church - the Apostle of the Jews, and the Apostle of the Gentiles - should stand close to the mystic crib; Peter, with his Keys, and Paul with his sword. Bethlehem thus becomes the perfect figure of the Church, and the riches of this season of the Cycle are abundant beyond measure.

"The ancient Sacramentaries give us nothing upon the Conversion of St. Paul. We take the following Paryer....from the Gallican Missal published by Dom Mabillon, under the title of 'Missale Gothicum'.

'O God, who, by a voice from heaven, didst strike with terror thine Apostle Paul when raging against the holiness of the Christian religion, and, on this day of his Vocation, didst change him both in his heart and his name: and him, whom the Church once dreaded as her persecutor, she now rejoices in having as her Teacher in the commandments of God: whom, also, thou didst strike with exterior blindness, that thou mightest give him interior sight: to whom, moreover, when the darkness of his cruelty was removed, thou didst give the knowledge of thy divine law, whereby he might call the Gentiles: and didst thrice deliver him from shipwreck, which he suffered for the Faith, saving this thy devoted servant from the waves of the sea: grant slso to us we beseech thee, who are solemnising both his conversion and his faith, that, after the blindness of our sins, we may be permitted to see Thee in heaven, who didst enlighten Paul, here on earth."

From Dom Gueranger's prayer for the intercession of St. Paul:

"Pray for the conversion of sinners, who have forgotten their God......draw down on them that persecute Jesus, the graces which triumph over the hardest haart. Apostle of the Gentiles, look with an eye of loving pity on so many nations, that are still sitting in the shadow of death..................

Raise up in the Church apostolic men, who may continue thy work. Pray to our Lord that he bless their labours, and the blood of such among them as are Martyrs of zeal.

Shield with thy protection, the See of Peter, .....Support the authority of the Church of Rome, which has inherited thy power, and looks upon thee as her second defence. May thy powerful intercession lead her enemies into humble submission, destroy schism and heresies, and fill her Pastors with thy spirit, that like thee, they may seek, not themselves, but solely and in all things, the interests of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Conversion of St Paul

Sunday 25 January 2009

IN CONVERSIONE SANCTI PAULI, AP.
The Conversion of St Paul, Apostle
3rd Class, White

~~~~~~*~~~~~~

NOTE: The Congregation for Divine Worship & Discipline of the Sacraments granted special faculty, by decree, for the celebration of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle, this year. The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei have confirmed this faculty may also apply to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite.

~~~~~~*~~~~~~

Oremus.

Deus, qui univérsum mundum beáti Pauli Apóstoli prædicatióne docuísti : da nobis, quæsumus; ut, qui ejus hódie Conversiónem cólimus, per ejus ad te exémpla gradiámur. Per Dóminum.

Let us pray.

O God, who through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world : grant, we beseech thee ; that we, having his wonderful Conversion in remembrance, may shew forth our thankfulness unto thee for the same, by following the holy doctrine which he taught. Through.

Links:

• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (Collect)
  
• Gregorian Chant propers
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? : Conversion of St Paul (2009)
• response from Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
• Rationabile Obsequium
  

(image: St Paul with Ananias of Damascus)

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Sunday 25 January 2008

DOMINICA III POST EPIPHANIAM
Third Sunday after Epiphany
2nd Class; Green
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Holy Trinity

Oremus:

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, infirmitátem nostra propítius réspice : atque ad protegéndum nos déxteram tuæ maiestátis exténde. Per Dóminum.

Let us Pray:

O Almighty and everlasting God, look mercifully upon our weakness: and stretch forth the right hand of Thy Majesty to protect us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son who liveth and reigneth...

Links:

• Breviarium Romanum blog: Domine, non sum Dignus
  
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? : Conversion of St Paul (2009)
• response from Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
  
• Fr Goffine's The Church's Year
• Gregorian Chant propers
• Propers of the Mass (Latin & English)
  

Vatican Youtube up and running

Flick of the mantilla to Fr Blake for being the first to alert me via my bloglist:

YouTube - the Vatican's Channel

Handbook for the Sacristan

The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius have recently made the following available online:

In Sacristy and Sanctuary

A Guide for the Sacristan with Detailed Instructions
Accompanied by Directive Schedules and Diagrams
Showing How and What to Get Ready for the
Proper Carrying Out of Liturgical Functions
Generally According to the Roman Ceremonial

by Rev. William A. O'Brien, M.A.

(click link or image to view)

Dom Gueranger: Second Sunday after Epiphany: Vespers

The psalmody at Vespers is the same as at First Vespers of the Epiphany, eccept for the Antiphons and the fifth psalm as shown below.

ANT. Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord, shall be saved.
Psalm 'Dixit Dominus'
Ant.

ANT. Holy and terrible is his Name: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 'Confitebor tibi'
Ant.

ANT. But I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will joy in God my Jesus.
Psalm 'Beatus vir'
Ant.

ANT. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
Psalm 'Laudate pueri'
Ant.

ANT. I will sacrifice the sacrifice or praise, and I will call upon the Name of the Lord
Psalm 115 'Credidi, propter quod locutus sum.'
Ant.

Capitulum:
Brethren, Christ humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross; for which cause, God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a Name, which is above all names: that in the Name of Jesus every knee should bow.

Magnificat Antiphon:
Thou shalt call his Name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins. Alleluia.

Let us pray:
O God, who didst appoint thy Only Begotten Son the Saviour of Mankind, and commanded that his Name should be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who venerate his holy Name on earth, may also enjoy his sight in heaven. Through the same, &c.

Commemmoration of the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany:
ANT. The wine failing, Jesus commanded that the waterpots should be filled with water, and it was changed into wine. Alleluia.
v. Let my prayer, O Lord, be directed,
r. As incense in they sight.

Let us pray
O Almighty and Eternal God, supreme Ruler both of heaven and earth, mercifully give ear to the prayers of thy people, and grant us peace in our time. Through, &c.

Dom Gueranger on the Second Sunday after Epiphany: Pt. 2

"It is on the Wedding-Day that the Bridegroom gives his Name to his Bride, and it is the sign that, from that day forward, she belongs to him alone. The Church, therefore, would honour the Name of her Divine Spouse with an especial Feast, and no day could be more appropriate for it than this of the Marriage at Cana.

"The first promoter of the Feast was St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444). (He) established the pracice of representing the Holy Name of Jesus surrounded with rays, and formed into a monogram of its three first letters IHS*. The custom spread rapidly and was zealously propagated by St. John of Capestrano (1386-1456) who, like St Bernadine, was of the Order of Friars Minor....In the early part of the 16th century Pope Clement the Sixth.....granted to that Order the privilege of keeping a special Feast in honour of the Most Holy Name of Jesus..... In the year 1721, at the request of Charles the Sixth, Emperor of Germany....,Pope Innocent the Twelfth decreed that the Feast.....should be kept throughout the whole Church; he also chose the Second Sunday after Epiphany as the day."

*Translator's note: The Name was, anciently, often written 'Ihesus'.

Extracts from Vespers for today's Feast, will follow in the next post.

Dom Gueranger on the Second Sunday after Epiphany and Feast of the Most Holy Name Of Jesus: Pt. I.

"The Star has led the soul to faith; the sanctified Waters of the Jordan have conferred purity upon her; the Marriage-Feast unites her to her God. We have been considering....the Bridegroom revealing himself to his Spouse; we have heard him calling her to come to him from the heights of Libanus; and now, after having enlightened and purified her, he invites her to the heavenly feast, where she is to receive the Wine of his divine love."

But at the earthly marriage feast in Cana, the wine fails.

"Wine is the symbol of Charity or Love, and Charity had failed on the earth.....
The True Vine is our Jesus......He alone could give the 'wine which gladdens the heart of man'; he alone could give us that Chalice which inebriateth......

"Thus divine Charity, which dwells in the Sacrament of Love, is communicated to us; and, that we might not be unworthy of the espousals with himself, to which he called us, he raises us up even to himself........."

Dom Gueranger identifies separate commissions which the Holy Spirit gave to the Evangelsist. St. Matthew, "the Evangelist of the Humanity of our Lord, is to announce "the Mystery of Faith by the Star"; St. Luke, "the evangelist of Jesus' priesthood" is to instruct us in the Mystery of His baptism; but it is John the Beloved Disciple who is to reveal the Mystery of the Marriage-Feast.

" He (John) suggests the object of this third Mystery: 'This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and he manifested his glory.'

"At Cana it is Jesus himself who acts, and he acts as God, for, says St. Augustine, He who changed the water into wine ......could be no other than the One who, every year, works the same miracle in the vine. Hence it was, that from that day, as St. John tells us, 'his disciples believed in him' and the Apostolic College began to be formed."

Part II on the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus to follow in next post

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Sunday 18 January 2008

DOMINICA II POST EPIPHANIAM
Second Sunday after Epiphany
2nd Class; Green
Gloria; Credo; Preface of the Holy Trinity


Oremus:

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui cæléstia simul et terréna moderáris : supplicatiónes pópuli tui cleménter exáudi; et pacem tuam nostris concéde tempóribus. Per Dñm.

Let us Pray:

O Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern all things both in Heaven and on earth: mercifully hear the prayers of Thy people, and grant us Thy peace in our time. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity...

~~*~~

The marriage at Cana is commemorated in the Gosepl today (John 2:1-11): the first miracle of Jesus. Mary, full of charity, asks of Jesus His first miracle. Jesus, at the request of His Mother, anticipates the hour appointed for the manifestation of His Divinity to His Disciples, so that He puts His power at the service of His love.

N.B. Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity begins today.

Links:

• Fr Goffine's The Church's Year
• Gregorian Chant propers
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (Collect)
  
• What Does the Prayer Really Say? (Postcommunion)
  

(image: eastern icon of the Marriage at Cana)

notes: Season after Epiphany

Notes for the Liturgy during the Season after Epiphany

1. On the fourth class days, one may say the Mass of the preceding Sunday, the Mass of any of the Saints commemorated (with Gloria), the Mass of any feast listed in the Martyrology for the day (with Gloria), Mass for the Dead, or any votive Mass.

2. Church Unity Octave: January 18th to January 25th inclusive for the intention of the unity of the entire Catholic Church. On January 18th, a fourth class Votive Mass of the Chair of St. Peter may be celebrated for the opening of the Octave. (The Mass is that of the feast, February 22nd, except that the Gloria and the Creed are omitted, and a commemoration of St. Prisca is added at low Mass only.)

3. February 2nd: the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a feast of the Lord of the Second Class. Before the main Mass, there is a blessing of candles and procession. The celebrant wears a white Cope, the ministers wear a white dalmatic and tunic. Following the procession, Mass begins immediately with the incensation and the Introit, omitting the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. Candles are lit and held during the Gospel and throughout the Canon. Beginning February 2nd, the Marian antiphon at the end of Compline is Ave Regina Cœlorum until Wednesday in Holy Week inclusive.

4. February 3rd: traditionally there is a blessing of throats with two candles blessed with the special blessing found in the Rituale Romanum.

(excerpted/adapted from the 2009 Liturgical Ordo, Priestly Fraternity of St Peter)