Deus, qui hanc sacratíssimam noctem veri lúminis fecísti illustratióne claréscere: da, quǽsumus; ut, cujus lucis mystéria in terra cognóvimus, ejus quoque gáudiis in cœlo perfruámur: Qui tecum vivit.
Today is the feast of the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the first Mass of which is Dominus dixit ad me, celebrated traditionally in nocte, 'at midnight', at the statio of the Altar of the Holy Crib at Saint Mary Major in the City. At Saint-Eugène, the live-stream of Christmas Matins begins at 1245 on the 24th, Christmas Eve here of course, and that of the Mass Dominus dixit ad me at 1500.
This first Mass is followed by the second in aurora, at dawn, Lux fulgebit hodie super nos, at the statio of Saint Anastasia in Rome. I believe that the Lux fulgebit at Saint-E. will be a missa lecta (and it is not streamed).
The third Mass, in die, in the day itself, is Puer natus est nobis at the statio of Saint Mary Major in Rome: it is to be streamed at 0200 on Christmas Day, followed by Vespers at 0845 i.e. the usual Sunday hours. Am going to have to go to Mass at 1000 at the nearest church, Saint Paul's, which is 'geographically' my parish although I'm actually registered at Saint Mary's downtown (where will be offered a total of two Masses on Christmas Day: one at 0900 featuring the 'Life Teen Band' and one at 1100 in Spanish).
The Liturgia page for Christmas Day is here. The livret for Matins is here and for the Mass Dominus dixit ad me here. I will add the links for the Mass Puer natus est nobis and for Vespers on the proper page.
The procession to the crêche is accompanied by Minuit chrétien, the famous hymn of Adolphe Adam (1803-1856)-- so very famous indeed that I cannot at the moment recall the melody. The text is by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877).
And as the clergy proceed to the sanctuary, Les Anges dans nos campagnes was sung.
Statio ad Sanctam Mariam majorem ad Præsepe
Introitus. Ps. 2, 7. Dóminus dixit ad me: Fílius meus es tu, ego hódie génui te. Ps. ib., 1. Quare fremuérunt gentes: et pópuli meditáti sunt inánia? ℣. Glória Patri.
Kyrie, Gloria.
Oratio. Deus, qui hanc sacratíssimam noctem veri lúminis fecísti illustratióne claréscere: da, quǽsumus; ut, cujus lucis mystéria in terra cognóvimus, ejus quoque gáudiis in cœlo perfruámur: Qui tecum vivit.
Léctio Epístolæ beati Pauli Apóstoli ad Titum.
Tit. 2, 11-15.
Caríssime: Appáruit grátia Dei Salvatóris nostri ómnibus homínibus, erúdiens nos, ut, abnegántes impietátem et sæculária desidéria, sóbrie et juste et pie vivámus in hoc sǽculo, exspectántes beátam spem et advéntum glóriæ magni Dei et Salvatóris nostri Jesu Christi: qui dedit semetípsum pro nobis: ut nos redímeret ab omni iniquitáte, et mundáret sibi pópulum acceptábilem, sectatórem bonórum óperum. Hæc lóquere et exhortáre: in Christo Jesu, Dómino nostro.
Graduale. Ps. 109, 3 et 1. Tecum princípium in die virtútis tuæ: in splendóribus Sanctórum, ex útero ante lucíferum génui te. ℣. Dixit Dóminus Dómino meo: Sede a dextris meis: donec ponam inimícos tuos, scabéllum pedum tuórum.
Allelúja, allelúja. ℣. Ps. 2, 7. Dóminus dixit ad me: Fílius meus es tu, ego hódie génui te. Allelúja.
✠ Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secundum Lucam.
Luc. 2, 1-14.
In illo témpore: Exiit edíctum a Cǽsare Augústo, ut describerétur univérsus orbis. Hæc descríptio prima facta est a prǽside Sýriæ Cyríno: et ibant omnes ut profiteréntur sínguli in suam civitátem. Ascéndit autem et Joseph a Galilǽa de civitáte Názareth, in Judǽam in civitátem David, quæ vocatur Béthlehem: eo quod esset de domo et fámilia David, ut profiterétur cum María desponsáta sibi uxóre prægnánte. Factum est autem, cum essent ibi, impléti sunt dies, ut páreret. Et péperit fílium suum primogénitum, et pannis eum invólvit, et reclinávit eum in præsépio: quia non erat eis locus in diversório. Et pastóres erant in regióne eádem vigilántes, et custodiéntes vigílias noctis super gregem suum. Et ecce, Angelus Dómini stetit juxta illos, et cláritas Dei circumfúlsit illos, et timuérunt timóre magno. Et dixit illis Angelus: Nolíte timére: ecce enim, evangelízo vobis gáudium magnum, quod erit omni pópulo: quia natus est vobis hódie Salvátor, qui est Christus Dóminus, in civitáte David. Et hoc vobis signum: Inveniétis infántem pannis involútum, et pósitum in præsépio. Et súbito facta est cum Angelo multitúdo milítiæ cœléstis, laudántium Deum et dicéntium: Glória in altíssimis Deo, et in terra pax hóminibus bonæ voluntátis.
Credo.
At the Offertory, the Tollite hostias, the final chorus of Camille Saint-Saëns' Oratorio de Noël, was sung. He was, inter alia, organist at La Madeleine in Paris.
Offertorium. Ps. 95, 11 et 13. Læténtur cœli et exsúltet terra ante fáciem Dómini: quóniam venit.
Secreta. Accépta tibi sit, Dómine, quǽsumus, hodiérnæ festivitátis oblátio: ut, tua gratia largiénte, per hæc sacrosáncta commércia, in illíus inveniámur forma, in quo tecum est nostra substántia: Qui tecum vivit.
Præfatio de Nativitate.
Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnípotens, ætérne Deus: Quia per incarnáti Verbi mystérium nova mentis nostræ óculis lux tuæ claritátis infúlsit: ut, dum visibíliter Deum cognóscimus, per hunc in invisibílium amorem rapiámur. Et ídeo cum Angelis et Archángelis, cum Thronis et Dominatiónibus cumque omni milítia cæléstis exércitus hymnum glóriæ tuæ cánimus, sine fine dicéntes:
The Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei are from Charpentier's Messe de Minuit. The Sanctus, Benedictus is based on a theme from the old carol O Dieu que n’estois-je en vie and the Agnus Dei is based on a theme from the old carol A Minuit fut fait un réveil.
Sanctus, Benedictus.
After the Consecration, the O salutaris Hostia of Dr de Villiers is based on a theme from the old carol A la venue de Noël.
Agnus Dei. My attention had been wandering: Charpentier's Agnus Dei wasn't sung, I think, nor were his Sanctus and Benedictus. Hmm.
At the Communion, Adeste fideles was sung in the harmonisation of M Vardon.
Communio. Ps. 109, 3. In splendóribus Sanctórum, ex útero ante lucíferum génui te.
The good folks at Neumz sent this meditation (a significant part of which is a text of the Venerable Dom Prosper Guéranger) for the Christmas feast:
Postcommunio. Da nobis, quǽsumus, Dómine, Deus noster: ut, qui Nativitátem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi mystériis nos frequentáre gaudémus; dignis conversatiónibus ad ejus mereámur perveníre consórtium: Qui tecum.
Today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus, Son of God, Savior of the human race. It is the only solemnity for which the Church celebrates three Masses. And no wonder Dom Prosper Guéranger shared some words in his book The Liturgical Year: Such is the greatness of the Mystery of this day that the Church will not limit herself to offering only one Sacrifice. The arrival of such a precious and long-awaited gift deserves to be recognized with new tributes. God the Father gives his Son to the earth; the Spirit of love works this marvel: it is right that the earth should return to the glorious Trinity the homage of a triple Sacrifice. Besides, is He who is born today not manifested in three births? He is born tonight of the blessed Virgin; he will be born, by her grace, in the hearts of the shepherds who are the first fruits of all Christianity. He is born eternally from the bosom of his Father, in the splendor of the Saints: this triple birth must be honored with a triple homage. The first Mass honors the Birth according to the flesh. The three births are as many effusions of the divine light, and now is the hour when the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and the day has dawned for those who dwelt in the shadows of death.The day of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, was the moment in human history when there was the most light in this world, an ineffable radiance, all surrounded by angels. On this holy night of Christmas, the Church celebrates that eternal today where the Father has begotten, begets, and will always beget the Word, without beginning, without succession of time, and without end. In begetting the Word in his unique and eternal thought, the Father, in the same act, predestined him to be the Head and Savior of humanity and gave him to all men of goodwill.To commemorate such an important date, in Neumz we have chosen the communion chant In splendóribus sanctórum. The text is taken from Psalm 109, the second hemistich of verse 3. The text sings, In splendóribus sanctórum, ex utero ante lucíferum génui te, which means, 'Amidst the splendors of the heavenly sanctuary, from the womb, before the morning star, I have begotten you'. In this passage, it is the Father who speaks in a kind of contemplation. It is clearly a messianic Psalm, in which the divinity of the Messiah is proclaimed. It is the same verse that appears in the gradual responsory, but complete. As we affirm in the Creed, the Son of God came down from heaven for all of us and our salvation, but above all he did so to glorify the Father, to restore the glory of the Father in his creature.The fact that this text is sung again at the moment of communion allows us to apply it in a more personal way to each one of us. Indeed, it is through the Eucharist, which brings God’s life into us, that we are incorporated into Christ, that we become more and more like God. At the moment of communion, the divine plan that God had for us from all eternity is realized a little more. This is even before there was light, which is our predestination or, in other words, our generation eternal in Christ....
Postcommunio. Da nobis, quǽsumus, Dómine, Deus noster: ut, qui Nativitátem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi mystériis nos frequentáre gaudémus; dignis conversatiónibus ad ejus mereámur perveníre consórtium: Qui tecum.
Il est né le divin enfant is a carol of the 19th century based on a sonnerie of the 18th, harmonised by Maxime Kovalevsky (1903-1988). A sonnerie is a melody produced by the bells of a cathedral, church, etc.
Il est né le divin enfant!Jouez, hautbois, résonnez, musettes!Il est né le divin enfant,Chantons tous son avènement.Depuis plus de quatre mille ansNous le promettaient les prophètes,Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,Nous attendions cet heureux temps.Ah qu'il est doux, qu'il est charmant,Ah que ses grâces sont parfaites,Ah qu'il est doux, qu'il est charmant,Qu'il est doux ce divin enfant.Une étable est son logement,Un peu de paille sa couchette,Une étable est son logement,Pour un Dieu quel abaissement!
✠ ✠ ✠
Deus, a quo sancta desidéria, recta consília, et justa sunt ópera: da servis tuis illam, quam mundus dare non potest, pacem; ut et corda nostra mandátis tuis dédita, et hóstium subláta formídine, témpora sint tua protectióne tranquílla. Per Dóminum.
Deus, qui caritátis dona per grátiam Sancti Spíritus tuórum fidélium córdibus infudísti: da fámulis et famulábus tuis, pro quibus tuam deprecámur cleméntiam, salútem mentis et córporis; ut te tota virtúte díligant, et quæ tibi plácita sunt, tota dilectióne perfíciant. Per Dóminum.
Laus Deo Virginique Matri
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