Prope est jam Dóminus, veníte, adorémus...

In sexta feria una tantum lectio ad Missam legitur, quia auctor novi et veteris Testamenti de quibus praemissum est, unus solus Deus est, et quia ex utroque Testamento unum Evangelium factum est. 
Durandi Rationale divinorum officiorum 6,9


A frost-fettered morning indeed, it being 25° F., but Dawn was lovely and the morning has remained clear thus far (it's 0800) with pale wintery sunlight. It is the Friday in December Embertide, the feast or commemoration of Saint Eusebius Bishop of Vercelli and Martyr (depending upon which calendar one attends to). I've noted 'of Vercelli' in order to distinguish today's Holy Confessor from Saint Eusebius of Caesarea, the 4th c historian, biographer, creator of the Eusebian tables et cetera, author of the Ecclesiastical History. The Mass Prope es tu Domine is proper today.

Am surprised and pleased to see that the Schola is singing at Holy Mass at Saint-Eugène in 90 minutes or so. The livret is here. In the regime of Ioannes XXIII, 'the 1962', the commemoration of Saint Eusebius is reduced only to Lauds. But if his orations are added today, praeter legis, I will add them here.

Lectio 1
Léctio sancti Evangélii secúndum Lucam
Luc 1:39-47

In illo témpore: Exsúrgens María ábiit in montána cum festinatióne in civitátem Juda: et intrávit in domum Zacharíæ, et salutávit Elísabeth. Et réliqua.

Homilía sancti Ambrósii Epíscopi
Lib. 2 in Luc. cap. 1 post init.

Morále est ómnibus, ut qui fidem éxigunt, fidem ástruant. Et ídeo Angelus, cum abscóndita nuntiáret, ut fidem astrúeret exémplo, senióris féminæ sterilísque concéptum Vírgini Maríæ nuntiávit: ut possíbile Deo omne, quod ei placúerit, asséreret. Ubi audívit hoc María, non quasi incrédula de oráculo, nec quasi incérta de nuntio, nec quasi dúbitans de exémplo, sed quasi læta pro voto, religiósa pro offício, festína pro gáudio, in montána perréxit. Quo enim jam Deo plena, nisi ad superióra cum festinatióne conténderet? Nescit tarda molímina Sancti Spíritus grátia.

R. Emítte Agnum, Dómine, Dominatórem terræ,
* De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion.
V. Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam, et salutáre tuum da nobis.
R. De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion.

Lectio 2
Díscite et vos, sanctæ mulíeres, sedulitátem, quam prægnántibus debeátis exhibére cognátis. Maríam, quæ ante sola in íntimis penetrálibus versabátur, non a público virginitátis pudor, non ab stúdio aspéritas móntium, non ab offício prolíxitas itíneris retardávit. In montána Virgo cum festinatióne, Virgo offícii memor, injúriæ ímmemor, afféctu urgénte non sexu, relícta perréxit domo. Díscite, vírgines, non circumcursáre per aliénas ædes, non demorári in platéis, non áliquos in público miscére sermónes. María in domo sera, festína in público, mansit apud cognátam suam tribus ménsibus.

R. Roráte, cæli, désuper, et nubes pluant justum:
* Aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem.
V. Emítte Agnum, Dómine, Dominatórem terræ, de Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion.
R. Aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem.

Lectio 3
Didicístis, vírgines, pudórem Maríæ: díscite humilitátem. Venit propínqua ad próximam, júnior ad seniórem: nec solum venit, sed étiam prior salutávit. Decet enim, ut quanto cástior virgo, tanto humílior sit. Nóverit deférre senióribus. Sit magístra humilitátis, in qua est proféssio castitátis. Est et causa pietátis, est étiam norma doctrínæ. Contuéndum est enim, quia supérior venit ad inferiórem, ut inférior adjuvétur: María ad Elísabeth, Christus ad Joánnem.

R. Germinavérunt campi erémi germen odóris Israël: quia ecce Deus noster cum virtúte véniet,
* Et splendor ejus cum eo.
V. Ex Sion spécies decóris ejus: Deus noster maniféste véniet.
R. Et splendor ejus cum eo.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
R. Et splendor ejus cum eo.






Introitus. Ps. 118, 15.1-2. Prope es tu, Dómine, et omnes viæ tuæ véritas: inítio cognóvi de testimóniis tuis, quia in ætérnum tu es. Ps. ibid., 1. Beati immaculáti in via: qui ámbulant in lege Dómini. ℣. Glória Patri.



The Schola sang the Introit with its verses; M. le Curé is the celebrant.




Oratio. Excita, quǽsumus, Dómine, poténtiam tuam, et veni: ut hi, qui in tua pietáte confídunt, ab omni cítius adversitáte liberéntur: Qui vivis.

Oratio. 2. de S. Maria. Deus, qui de beátæ Maríæ Vírginis útero Verbum tuum, Angelo nuntiánte, carnem suscípere voluísti: præsta supplícibus tuis; ut, qui vere eam Genetrícem Dei credimus, ejus apud te intercessiónibus adjuvémur. Per eúndem Dominum.

Léctio Isaíæ Prophétæ.
Is. 11, 1–5

Hæc dicit Dóminus Deus: Egrediátur virga de radíce Jesse, et flos de radíce ejus ascéndet. Et requiéscet super eum spíritus Dómini: spíritus sapiéntiæ et intelléctus, spíritus consílii et fortitúdinis, spíritus sciéntiæ et pietátis; et replébit eum spíritus timóris Dómini.
Non secundum visiónem oculórum judicábit: neque secúndum audítum áurium árguet: sed judicábit in justítia páuperes, et árguet in æquitáte pro mansuétis terræ: et percútiet terram virga oris sui, et spíritu labiórum suórum interfíciet ímpium. Et erit justítia cíngulum lumbórum ejus: et fides cinctórium renum ejus.

Graduale. Ps. 84, 8 et 2.
Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam: et salutáre tuum da nobis. ℣. Benedixísti, Dómine, terram tuam: avertísti captivitátem Jacob.




✠ Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndum Lucam.
Luc. 1, 39–47.

In illo tempore: Exsúrgens María ábiit in montána cum festinatióne in civitátem Juda: et intrávit in domum Zacharíæ, et salutávit Elísabeth. Et factum est, ut audivit salutatiónem Maríæ Elísabeth, exsultávit infans in útero ejus: et repléta est Spíritu Sancto Elísabeth, et exclamávit voce magna, et dixit: Benedícta tu inter mulíeres, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui. Et unde hoc mihi, ut véniat Mater Dómini mei ad me? Ecce enim, ut facta est vox salutatiónis tuæ in áuribus meis, exsultávit in gáudio infans in útero meo. Et beáta, quæ credidísti, quóniam perficiéntur ea, quæ dicta sunt tibi a Dómino. Et ait María: Magníficat anima mea Dóminum: et exsultávit spíritus meus in Deo, salutári meo.

Offertorium. Ps. 84, 7–8. Deus, tu convérsus vivificábis nos, et plebs tua lætábitur in te: osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam, et salutáre tuum da nobis.

Am still puzzled by the replacement of conversus with convertens but haven't taken the time to search about. Since I'm sure that today's Mass is a missa lecta, only read, it obviously doesn't make any difference which chant is here; the first is simply the text set to one of the psalm tones (e.g. as would be used to sing one of the Psalms at an Hour of the Office) which even I can sing. 

The Schola is singing (happy mistake on my part earlier!) but whether I can tell which Offertory chant (from which edition of the chant, I mean) is sung is... doubtful; but I shall keep my eyes open. 






The Schola didn't sing, doesn't sing, I think, from the Graduale triplex (which is the source of the chant supra-- frankly, I use that here, by preference, when it's available at Gregobase, because it adds a touch of color, ahem) but certainly they sang one of the Graduale editions' versions of the Deus tu. (They also sang its proper verses, as at the Introit and at the Communion, although this isn't in the libellum.)

Secreta. Munéribus nostris, quǽsumus, Dómine, precibúsque suscéptis: et cœléstibus nos munda mystériis, et cleménter exáudi. Per Dóminum.

Secreta. 2. de S. Maria. In mentibus nostris, quǽsumus, Dómine, veræ fídei sacraménta confírma: ut, qui concéptum de Vírgine Deum verum et hóminem confitémur; per ejus salutíferæ resurrectiónis poténtiam, ad ætérnam mereámur perveníre lætítiam. Per eúndem Dóminum.

Communio. Zach. 14, 5. Ecce, Dóminus véniet et omnes Sancti ejus cum eo: et erit in die illa lux magna.




And also the proper verses of the Communion antiphon.




Postcommunio. Tui nos, Dómine, sacraménti libátio sancta restáuret: et a vetustáte purgátos, in mystérii salutáris fáciat transíre consórtium. Per Dóminum.

Postcommunio. 2. de S. Maria. Grátiam tuam, quǽsumus, Dómine, méntibus nostris infúnde: ut, qui, Angelo nuntiánte, Christi, Fílii tui, incarnatiónem cognóvimus; per passiónem ejus et crucem, ad resurrectiónis glóriam perducámur. Per eúndem Dóminum.

The Schola will sing the Rorate caeli in the plainchant of the French Oratory, 1615, at the sortie des clercs. I will try to remember to put the video recording here when it becomes available; I haven't been very good about doing this of late, tsk.





Twitter is a wonderful site! Those people who find it to be a pit of vipers bring their reptilian poisons with them, in most cases. In any case, Dr Eleanor Parker reminded us this morning that the English began the singing of the Os tomorrow, the 16th, rather than the more common date, the afternoon following. The eighth antiphon was O Virgo virginum (as Dom Prosper suggests in his 'Commencement of the Great Antiphons' [here].) [will add the link after that post publishes, in the morning]

O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud? quia nec primam simile, visa es, nec habere sequentem. Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.

Dr Parker provides these texts, from Carleton Brown, Religious Lyrics of the XVth Century (Oxford, 1952), pp. 90-2: 

O uirgo uirginum, quomodo fiet quia nec primam simile, uisa es nec habere sequentem, filie ierlm quid me admiramini diuinum est misterium hoc quod operata est in me.

O uirgo uirginum, alle pereles in uertu,
Wymmen of Ierlm, muse on þis mater,
How þu, a maydyn, art the moder of Ihu.
Natheles, if ony of them þis secretly enquire,
Swet lady, then shortly make to þem þis answere:
‘The hye myght of god þis mystery first begane.
3e dameseles of Ierlm, why wonder 3e so thane?’







LDVM



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