Monday 25 February 2013

St. Matthias the Apostle

The feast of St. Matthias the Apostle is a Double of the Second Class and is tranferred from yesterday. The liturgical colour is red. St. Matthias was elected by lots (Acts 1:18-26) to take the place left by Judas. Details of St. Matthias' life are scant, but it is believed he preached the Gospel in Judea and then Aethiopia.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon. The antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc were sung with the psalms (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116) from the Common of Apostles. The Common provided the chapter and the hymn but the collect was proper to the feast. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Second Sunday in Lent was sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, venite adoremus. The antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung with the psalms from the Common of Apostles. In first nocturn the lessons are taken from the Acts of the Apostles. In the second nocturn the lessons are from an exposition on the eighty-sixth psalm by St. Augustine. In the third nocturn the homily is taken from a sermon of St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the feria. At Lauds the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Lenten feria.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used in the usual order. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i, 118ii). The lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli.

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit is Mihi autem nimis. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Lenten feria,the Tract Desiderium animae is sung. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles and the last Gospel is of the feria.

Vespers, later this morning, are of the feast. The antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung with Pss. 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the feria. At Compline, in the late afternoon, the Dominical psalms are sung and the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' feasts of the second class are not transferred so this year St. Matthias is not celebrated at all (except where it is locally observed as first class). Today is the Office of a Lenten feria without even a commemoration of St. Matthias.

Art: Wikipedia

Sunday 24 February 2013

Second Sunday in Lent

The Second Sunday in Lent is a semi-double Sunday of the first class. As on other Sundays in Lent no feast may be celebrated if it falls on such a Sunday and so the feast of St. Matthias is transferred to Monday (although its Vigil was commemorated yesterday). The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew's Gospel give the account of the Transfiguration of the LORD.

At Vespers yesterday morning the antiphons and psalms were of the Saturday. The chapter was proper to the Sunday and the Office hymn was Audi benigne Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of St. Peter Damian. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feast as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Non sit vobis and the Office hymn is Ex more. The antiphons and psalms given for Sunday are sung. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the twenty-seventh chapter of Genesis and the story of Jacob and Esau. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of St. Augustine against lying and explain the mystery of Jacob's actions. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily of St. Leo the Great on the Transfiguration of the LORD. A ninth responsory, Cum audisset Jacob, is sung in place of the Te Deum.

At Lauds the antiphons Domine labia mea aperies etc are proper to the Sunday and are sung with the second scheme of Psalms (50, 117, 62, Benedictus es and 148). The chapter is proper to the Sunday and hymn is O sol salutis. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons are proper to the Sunday. At Prime the psalms are 92, 99 (displaced from Lauds) and the first two stanzas of 118. The Dominical preces are sung and the short lesson is Quaerite Dominum.

Mass is sung after Terce. The deacon and subdeacon wear violet folded chasubles, planetis plicatis, instead of dalmatic and tunicle. There is no Gloria. The second collect is A cunctis, the third collect Omnipotens. A Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Creed is sung, the preface is of Lent and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the altar and celebrant.

At Vespers the liturgical colour changes to red and first Vespers of St. Matthias are sung. The antiphons, Hoc est praeceptum meum etc., from the Common of Apostles, are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Vespers on Saturday are sung at the same time as any other day of the year. There are neither commemorations nor Suffrage. At Compline preces are never sung. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons as usual. At Lauds there is no Suffrage. At Prime the psalms are Ps. 53 and the first two divisi of Ps. 118 and the Domincial preces are omitted. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, as in Septuagesima, the second and third collects are omitted. The dismissal is Ite, missa est. St. Matthias no longer has first Vespers and so Vespers of Sunday are sung, without even a commemoration of an Apostle.

Sunday 17 February 2013

First Sunday in Lent


The First Sunday in Lent is a semi-double Sunday of the first class. No feast can take precedence over it or any such Sunday. The liturgical colour of the Sunday is violet. At Mass, unlike on the Sundays of Septuagesima, the ministers wear folded chasubles rather than dalmatic and tunicle and the organ is silent (as has been the practice too since Ash Wednesday). The Gospel pericope at Mattins and Mass is St. Matthew's account of the LORD's temptation by Satan in the desert.

At Mattins the invitatory is Non sit vobis and the hymn is Ex more. These are both used throughout the first four weeks of Lent. The antiphons and psalms given in the Psalter for Sundays are sung, as on previous Sundays. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from a sermon on Lent by St. Leo the Great and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily of St. Gregory the Great on St. Matthew's account of the temptation of the LORD. As in Septuagesima there is no Te Deum but a ninth responsory, which today is Angelis suis Deus mandavit de te.

At Lauds the antiphons are proper to the Sunday, Cor mundum etc., and the second scheme of Psalms sung (50, 117, 62, Benedictus es, 148). The chapter is proper to the Sunday and hymn is O sol salutis. After the collect of the day the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons are proper to the Sunday, Jesus autem etc. At Prime the psalms are 92, 99 (displaced from Lauds) and the first two divisi of 118. The Dominical preces are sung and the short lesson is Quaerite Dominum.

Mass is sung after Terce. At Mass the Gloria is not sung. The second collect is A cunctis, the third collect Omnipotens (for the Living and the Dead), a Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Credo is sung, the preface is of Lent and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the celebrant and altar.

Vespers are of the Sunday, sung at the normal time. The antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays, the chapter is proper and the hymn is Audi, benigne Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Simeon followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In those 'liturgical books of 1962' Mattins is slashed down to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted. At Prime the psalms are Ps. 53 and the first two divisi of Ps. 118 as on feasts and the Domincial preces are omitted. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, as in Septuagesima, the second and third collects are omitted. The dismissal is Ite, missa est. At Vespers there is no commemoration of St. Simeon and the Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Saturday 16 February 2013

Saturday before the First Sunday in Lent


Vespers this morning mark the ancient beginning of Lent in the Roman liturgy and also the beginning of the Pars Verna, or Spring, volume of the Breviarium Romanum. The Office for Ash Wednesday and the following days being the Office of Quinquagesima week with additional Lenten features, notably the ferial preces at the Hours and the use of folded chasubles at Mass. Today, and for the rest of Lent with the exception of Sundays, Vespers are not sung at the usual time in the afternoon but are sung before lunchtime.

Vespers have the antiphons, Benedictus Dominus, etc and psalms of Saturday from the Psalter. The chapter, Fratres: Hortamur vos, is proper to the Sunday and the Office hymn is Audi benigne Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrage of the Saints is sung. The ferial preces are not sung as the Office is of Sunday. The Marian antiphon after Vespers, Ave Regina caelorum, is said standing as is the noon Angelus. At Compline, sung at the normal time the Dominical preces are sung, the choir standing.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' so much has been cut out of the Office that the Breviary only has two volumes for the entire year, 'Pars Prior' and 'Pars Altera'. The ferial preces, a characteristic feature of the penitential Office are said only on Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent. Vespers are sung at the same time as any other day in the year. The Suffrage has been abolished. At Compline there are never Dominical preces.

Wednesday 13 February 2013

Feria Quarta Cinerum - Ash Wednesday


Ash Wednesday is a privileged greater feria although only of simple rite. No feast can be celebrated on this day of whatever rank. The liturgical colour of the day is violet.

The third part of the Pontificale Romanum still contains the rite for the Expulsion of Public Penitents - De Expulsione Publice Poenitentium ab Ecclesia in feria Quarta Cinerum. In that rite, after Sext, when the bishop was to celebrate Mass this day, the bishop vested in pontificals as far as the dalmatic and then donned a violet cope. Public penitents assembled in sack-cloth in their bare feet and were given a penance for Lent and then were given ashes, which the bishop had blessed. Then followed a ceremony that included the Seven Penitential Psalms and Litany. It culminated in the penitents being led, physically, from the church and expelled. The Caermoniale Episcoporum alludes to the Expulsion of Penitents in churches where it is the custom, C.E. Lib II, Cap.18, 2. Although no longer generally practised echoes of the above can be found in today's Liturgy which contains a general imposition of Ashes on those who are not expelled. The Liturgy is interesting too in that much remains of the Office of the Septuagesima season as originally Lent began with the Office of the first Sunday.

The Expulsion of Penitents from a 1611 edition of the Pontificale Romanum from Google Books.

The Office of Ash Wednesday begins with Mattins. The invitatory is Deum magnum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Rerum Creator optime both from the ferial Office per annum. The antiphons Speciosus forma etc are sung with the nine psalms/psalm divisi of a single nocturn from the ferial Office for Wednesdays. The second scheme of Mattins for Wednesday is used, wherein Psalm 49 is split into three divisi rather than the usual two. The lessons in the nocturn are from a homily of St. Augustine reflecting on the LORD's Sermon on the Mount from St. Matthew's Gospel. The responsories are taken from the third nocturn of Quinquagesima Sunday. At Lauds the second scheme of psalmody is used (Pss. 50, 64, 100, Canticle of Anna & 145. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are proper to the day. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been sung in full after the canticle the choir kneels and the ferial preces are sung. After the collect of the day the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At the Hours again the ferial antiphons and psalter are used. Prime has a fourth psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere, so the psalmody at Prime is Pss. 25, 51, 52 & 96. At Prime both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung kneeling, the chapter is the ferial Pacem et veritatem. At the other Hours the short set of ferial preces are chanted with the choir again kneeling.

The blessing of Ashes and Mass follows None. The celebrant vests in a violet cope while the deacon and subdeacon wear violet folded chasubles. The organ is silent following the general rule when folded chasubles are worn. The Ashes, made from burning of the preceding year's Palms, are blessed with four collects of blessing. The short conclusion of these prayers may indicate the blessing was separated by the Expusion of Penitents from the Mass which follows. The Ashes are imposed whilst two antiphons are chanted Immutemur habitu and Inter vestibulum. These are followed by the poignant responsory Emendemus in melius. The Mass that now immediately follows is proper. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is A cunctis, the third collect of Omnipotens. The preface of Lent is sung for the first time this year. The ferial tones are used for the orations, preface and Pater noster. The choir kneels for the Orations and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. After the last collect the deacon sings Humiliate capita vestra Deo and the celebrant sings the Oratio super populum. The dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the celebrant and altar.

Vespers are ferial with the antiphons and psalms of the ferial Psalter for Wednesday. The Office hymn is Caeli Deus sanctissime. The antiphon on the Magnificat and collect are proper to the day. After the collect of the day a commemoration is sung of St. Valentine followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung, with the choir kneeling.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the ferial preces are sung at Lauds and Vespers only. At Lauds there is no Suffrage of the Saints. At Prime there are three psalms 25, 51 & 52 and the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum - bizzare! At the blessing of Ashes and Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle. Judica me Deus etc is omitted from the beginning of Mass. There is only one collect. The extended kneeling is omitted with the choir rising at the conclusion of the Canon. The dismissal is Ite missa est. Vespers are of the feria without a commemoration of St. Valentine and without the Suffrage of the Saints.

Sunday 10 February 2013

Quinquagesima Sunday


Quinquagesima Sunday is a semi-double of the second class and its liturgical colour is violet. The Gospel pericopes are taken from St. Luke and give the account of the giving of sight to the man born blind.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms were of Saturday, the chapter, antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were proper to Quinquagesima Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Cyrill of Alexandria and of St. Scholastica. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins, as on the previous two Sundays, the antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays throughout the year. In the first nocturn the lessons are again from Genesis and this Sunday concern the story of Abraham. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Ambrose on the Book on the Patriarch Abraham and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel of the man blind from birth whose sight was restored by the LORD. The blind man is a figure of the human race according to St. Gregory. A ninth responsory, Caecus sedebat secus viam etc, is sung in place of the Te Deum.

At Lauds the 'second scheme' of psalms is sung: Pss. 50, 117, 62, Benedictus es and 148. The antiphons at Lauds are proper for Quinquagesima Sunday, Secundum multitudinem etc, as are the antiphon at the Benedictus and the collect. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Scholastica. The Suffrage is omitted due to the commemorated double feast.

At all the Hours the antiphons and chapters are proper to Quinquagesima Sunday. At Prime the order of psalmody is that used when the second schema of Lauds is sung, i.e. Pss. 92, 99 (displaced at Lauds) and the usual first two divisi of Ps. 118. The Dominical preces are omitted due to the commemorated double feast at Lauds.

In Mass the Gloria is omitted, the second collect is of St. Scholastica. There is no third collect. A Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Credo is sung , the Preface is of the Blessed Trinity and Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar. The ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays, the chapter is proper to the Sunday as is the antiphon at the Magnificat. The Office hymn is Lucis creator, this is sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Scholastica. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Domincal preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the melody and tone of the Incarnation.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962', at Vespers there are no commemorations and the Suffrage has been abolished. At Compline there are never preces. Mattins is reduced to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there is no commemoration of St. Scholastica. The Suffrage has been abolished. At Prime Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii are sung, as on major feasts, and there are never preces. At Mass there is a single collect and Benedicamus Domino is supressed in favour of Ite, missa est. At Vespers there are no commemorations. Te lucis is sung with the ordinary melody and the ordinary Doxology.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 3 February 2013

Sexagesima Sunday


Sexagesima Sunday is a semi-double of the second class and the liturgical colour is violet. The Sunday is characterised by a very lengthy Epistle, from St. Paul's Latter Epistle to the Corinthians. The Gospel pericopes are from St. Luke and the parable of the sower with his seed landing on rock, amongst weeds and on the good ground.

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of the Purification of the BVM. The antiphons Simeon justus etc were sung with the psalms from the Common of the BVM. The Office hymn was Ave maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of Sexagesima. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody of the Incarnation and with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the antiphons and psalms are from the Psalter for Sundays. In the first nocturn the lessons continue to be read from Genesis (Ch. 5 & 6), the beginning of the story of Noah. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Ambrose on Noah and the Ark and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Gregory on the Gospel of the seed falling on good and poor ground. A ninth responsory, Cum turba plurima, is sung in place of the Te Deum.

At Lauds the 'second scheme' of psalms is sung: Pss 50, 117, 62, Canticle of the Three Children (Benedictus es) and 148. The antiphons at Lauds are proper for Sexagesima Sunday, Secundum magnam misericordiam as are the chapter and antiphon on the Benedictus. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Blaise followed by the Suffrage of All Saints.

At Prime the order of psalmody is Pss. 92, 99 (displaced at Lauds) and the usual first two divisi of Ps. 118. At the Hours the antiphons, Semen cecidit etc, and chapters are proper to Sexagesima Sunday. The Dominical preces are sung at Prime.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is omitted, the second collect is of St. Blaise, the third collect is A cunctis. A Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Creed is sung , the Preface is of Trinity and Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are those of Sundays, the chapter is proper as is the antiphon on the Magnificat. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following Office of St. Andrew Corsini. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Domincal preces at Compline due to the concurrent double feast.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962' there is no commemorations at Vespers of the Sunday. At Compline the hymn has the ordinary Doxology and melody. Mattins is reduced to one nocturn. At Lauds no commemoration is made of St. Blaise and the Suffrage is omitted. At Prime the arrangement of psalms is Pss. 53, 118(i), 118(ii). At Mass there are is only one collect and Benedicamus Domino is supressed in favour of Ite, missa est. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Saturday 2 February 2013

Candlemass - Purification of the BVM

The Feast of the Purification of the BVM is a Double of the Second Class. The feast is generally known in English-speaking countries as Candlemass as before Mass candles for use throughout the year ahead are solemnly blessed. (When the feast falls on Septuagesima or one of other 'Gesima' Sundays the blessing of candles takes place on the Sunday but the feast is transferred to the following Monday.) The liturgical colour of the day is white but violet is used for the blessing of candles and procession.

In the Byzantine East the feast is known as the Hypapante, the Meeting of the Lord, and was often so name in early Western liturgical books (e.g. several examples can be found in the comparison of Calendars given in 'Saints in English Calendars before 1100', Henry Bradshaw Society, Vol.CXVII). In the diverse Medieval uses an even more elaborate blessing than the form found in the Roman Missal outlined below can be seen with a preface of blessing, e.g. Sarum, which compares with the blessing of Palms and the Waters at Epiphany.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons used on the feast of the Circumcision were heard again, O admirabile commercium etc with the psalms of feasts for the Blessed Virgin (Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147). The chapter was proper to the feast and the Office hymn Ave, maris stella. The antiphon on the Magnificat was proper to the feast Senex Puerum portabat etc. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the preceding feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch was sung. At Compline the tone of Te lucis was that for feast of the Virgin with the Doxology in honour of the Incarnation Jesu, tibi sit gloria etc.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper, Ecce venit as templum sanctum suum Dominator Dominus: Gaude et laetare, Sion occurrens Deo tuo and the Office hymn is Quem terra. The antiphons and psalms for each nocturn come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin as does the Office hymn Quem terra, pontus, sidera. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the Book of Exodus and from Leviticus. The responsories are proper to feast and particularly beautiful. In the second nocturn the lessons come from a sermon of St. Augustine and in the third nocturn the homily if from St. Ambrose. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons are proper to the feast, Simeon justus etc., and are sung with the Dominical psalms. The antiphon on the Benedictus is again proper to the feast, Cum inducerent etc.

At the Hours the hymns have the melody of the BVM and the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. The antiphons from Lauds, Simeon justus etc., are sung with the festal psalms. At Prime the psalms are Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii, in the short responsory the versicle Qui natus es de Virgine is sung and the lectio brevis is proper to the feast, Et placebit.

After Terce the blessing of candles takes place. The celebrant vests in a violet cope and the ministers in violet folded chausubles. The altar is vested in white but a violet antependium placed over the festal one etc. The organ is silent (as is always the case when folded chausubles are used).

At the Epistle corner the celebrant sings five prayers of blessing in the ferial tone. Incense is then blessed, lustral water sprinkled over the candles whilst the celebrant says Asperges me and then the candles are then incensed. At the centre of the altar the celebrant receives a candle from the senior canon present, kissing the candle before taking it. In no canon or senior cleric is present the celebrant kneels before the altar and takes his own candle. Candles are then distributed while the antiphon Lumen ad revelationem is sung interpolated into the canticle Nunc dimittis. Those receiving the candles kiss them, first, then the celebrant's hand. At the conclusion of the distribution the antiphon Exsurge, Domine is sung with a Doxology and the candles lighted. After the distribution the celebrant returns with the ministers to the Epistle corner and chants Oremus. As the feast falls after Septuagesima the deacon sings Flectamus genua and all kneel. The the sub-deacon chants Levate. The celebrant then sings the collect Exaudi. The procession then takes place. The subdeacon of the Mass takes the processional cross. The procession goes around the church with lighted candles during the singing of three antiphons Adorna thalamum, Responsum accepit Simeon and Obtulerunt. These text are clearly ancient and found, almost verbatim, in the Menaion of the Byzantine rite.

After the Procession the ministers change from violet vestments to white and Mass is celebrated. The Gloria is sung. The Gradual Suscepimus and the tract, Nunc dimittis etc, replaces the Alleluia being in Septuagesima. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Nativity, the feast being a 'satellite' of Christmas. Lighted candles are held by all during the chanting of the Gospel, including the celebrant, and from the beginning of the Canon until after the distribution of Communion.

At second Vespers the antiphons Simeon justus etc and chapter from Lauds are used again with the psalms of the Blessed Virgin, the antiphon on the Magnificat is proper. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of Sexagesima Sunday. From Compline the Marian antiphon changes from Alma, Redemptoris to Ave, Regina caelorum etc.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast loses first Vespers (unless it falls on a Sunday or is celebrated as a I class local feast). Yesterday Vespers were of St. Ignatius without any commemoration of the Purification. Mattins and Lauds are the same as the Old Rite. At the Little Hours the ferial antiphons and psalter are used although the versicle Qui natus is sung in the short responsory at Prime. The lectio brevis is of the season, not of the feast. The Doxology in honour of the BVM is omitted at all the hymns of the Little Hours which are sung to a different tone. At Vespers there is no commemoration of the Sunday.

At the blessing of candles white vestments are used rather than violet. The five collects of blessing have the usual 'long conclusion' omitted and in its place the 'short conclusion' - e.g. Per eundem Dominum nostrum. Amen. The verse Exsurge, Domine is omitted, the command of Flectamus genua is always omitted even in Septuagesima and at Mass Judica me Deus etc is excised as on several other days in the 1962 missal.

Icon of the Hypapante from St. John's Parish of the Melkite Eparchy in Australia.