Vidémus nunc per spéculum in ænígmate: tunc autem fácie ad fáciem: nunc cognósco ex parte: tunc autem cognóscam, sicut et cógnitus sum...

Preces nostras, quǽsumus, Dómine, cleménter exáudi: atque, a peccatórum vínculis absolútos, ab omni nos adversitáte custódi. Per Dóminum.

Today is Sunday in Quinquagesima, and the Mass is Esto mihi in Deum protectorem. At Saint-Eugène, the Mass of Exposition of the Supplication of the Quarante-Heures, the annual Forty Hours, is begun this afternoon after Vespers. The Schola Sainte-Cécile's page for today is here. The libellus for Holy Mass is here, and those for Vespers are here and here.

The Schola's page for the Quarante-Heures is here. The livret for the Mass of Exposition after Vespers today is here.

The Roman Martyrology today, for tomorrow the 14th day before the Kalends of March.

Statio ad Sanctum Petrum

Introitus. Ps. 30, 3-4. Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in locum refúgii, ut salvum me fácias: quóniam firmaméntum meum et refúgium meum es tu: et propter nomen tuum dux mihi eris, et enútries me. Ps. ibid., 2. In te, Dómine, sperávi, non confúndar in ætérnum: in justítia tua líbera me et éripe me. ℣. Glória Patri.

Kyrie.

Oratio. Preces nostras, quǽsumus, Dómine, cleménter exáudi: atque, a peccatórum vínculis absolútos, ab omni nos adversitáte custódi. Per Dóminum.

Léctio Epístolæ beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Corinthios.
1 Cor. 13, 1-13.
Fratres: Si linguis hóminum loquar et Angelórum, caritátem autem non hábeam, factus sum velut æs sonans aut cýmbalum tínniens. Et si habúero prophétiam, et nóverim mystéria ómnia et omnem sciéntiam: et si habúero omnem fidem, ita ut montes tránsferam, caritátem autem non habúero, nihil sum. Et si distribúero in cibos páuperum omnes facultátes meas, et si tradídero corpus meum, ita ut árdeam, caritátem autem non habuero, nihil mihi prodest. Cáritas patiens est, benígna est: cáritas non æmulátur, non agit pérperam, non inflátur, non est ambitiósa, non quærit quæ sua sunt, non irritátur, non cógitat malum, non gaudet super iniquitáte, congáudet autem veritáti: ómnia sui fert, ómnia credit, ómnia sperat, ómnia sústinet. Cáritas numquam éxcidit: sive prophétiæ evacuabúntur, sive linguæ cessábunt, sive sciéntia destruétur. Ex parte enim cognóscimus, et ex parte prophetámus. Cum autem vénerit quod perféctum est, evacuábitur quod ex parte est. Cum essem párvulus, loquébar ut párvulus, sapiébam ut párvulus, cogitábam ut párvulus. Quando autem factus sum vir, evacuávi quæ erant párvuli. Vidémus nunc per spéculum in ænígmate: tunc autem fácie ad fáciem. Nunc cognósco ex parte: tunc autem cognóscam, sicut et cógnitus sum. Nunc autem manent fides, spes, cáritas, tria hæc: major autem horum est cáritas.

Graduale. Ps. 76, 15 et 16. Tu es Deus qui facis mirabília solus: notam fecísti in géntibus virtútem tuam. ℣. Liberásti in bráchio tuo pópulum tuum, fílios Israel et Joseph.

Tractus. Ps. 99, 1-2. Jubiláte Deo, omnis terra: servíte Dómino in lætítia. ℣. Intráte in conspéctu ejus in exsultatióne: scitóte, quod Dóminus ipse est Deus. ℣. Ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos: nos autem pópulus ejus, et oves páscuæ ejus.

This is one of those texts which has been 'restored'. I don't know the whys and wherefores.

✠ Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndum Lucam.
Luc. 18, 31-43.
In illo témpore: Assúmpsit Jesus duódecim, et ait illis: Ecce, ascéndimus Jerosólymam, et consummabúntur ómnia, quæ scripta sunt per Prophétas de Fílio hominis. Tradátur enim Géntibus, et illudétur, et flagellábitur, et conspuétur: et postquam flagelláverint, occídent eum, et tértia die resúrget. Et ipsi nihil horum intellexérunt, et erat verbum istud abscónditum ab eis, et non intellegébant quæ dicebántur. Factum est autem, cum appropinquáret Jéricho, cæcus quidam sedébat secus viam, mendícans. Et cum audíret turbam prætereúntem, interrogábat, quid hoc esset. Dixérunt autem ei, quod Jesus Nazarénus transíret. Et clamávit, dicens: Jesu, fili David, miserére mei. Et qui præíbant, increpábant eum, ut tacéret. Ipse vero multo magis clamábat: Fili David, miserére mei. Stans autem Jesus, jussit illum addúci ad se. Et cum appropinquásset, interrogávit illum, dicens: Quid tibi vis fáciam? At ille dixit: Dómine, ut vídeam. Et Jesus dixit illi: Réspice, fides tua te salvum fecit. Et conféstim vidit, et sequebátur illum, magníficans Deum. Et omnis plebs ut vidit, dedit laudem Deo.

Credo.

Offertorium. Ps. 118, 12-13. Benedíctus es, Dómine, doce me justificatiónes tuas: in lábiis meis pronuntiávi ómnia judícia oris tui.

Secreta. Hæc hóstia, Dómine, quǽsumus, emúndet nostra delícta: et, ad sacrifícium celebrándum, subditórum tibi córpora mentésque sanctíficet. Per Dóminum.

Præfatio de Sanctissima Trinitate.

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnípotens, ætérne Deus: Qui cum unigénito Fílio tuo et Spíritu Sancto unus es Deus, unus es Dóminus: non in uníus singularitáte persónæ, sed in uníus Trinitáte substántiæ. Quod enim de tua glória, revelánte te, crédimus, hoc de Fílio tuo, hoc de Spíritu Sancto sine differéntia discretiónis sentímus. Ut in confessióne veræ sempiternǽque Deitátis, et in persónis propríetas, et in esséntia únitas, et in majestáte adorétur æquálitas. Quam laudant Angeli atque Archángeli, Chérubim quoque ac Séraphim: qui non cessant clamáre quotídie, una voce dicéntes:

Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei.

Communio. Ps. 77, 29-30. Manducavérunt, et saturári sunt nimis, et desidérium eórum áttulit eis Dóminus: non sunt fraudáti a desidério suo.

Postcommunio. Quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut, qui cœléstia aliménta percépimus, per hæc contra ómnia adversa muniámur. Per Dóminum.

The commentators at Neumz chose the Manducaverunt et saturati sunt nimis this week; it is evidently the Communio in both the Traditional and Pauline Rites. 

Today we celebrate the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Among the pieces of the Proper of the Mass, in Neumz we have chosen the communion chant Manducaverunt. The text of this piece is taken from Psalm 77:29 and the first hemistich of 30. It refers to the cloud of manna that God rained for food for the people in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. In a vast sense and out of context, it can also be understood as the material benefits of all sorts with which God blessed Abraham and his descendants. But its true spiritual meaning has to do with the food of the Holy Eucharist, from which the manna is the figure. Not only is it food given directly by God, but it is also Divine within itself. Therefore, it is capable of satiating souls infinitely more than material food could ever satisfy the physical body. Furthermore, material food can give rise to greed, to gluttony, as it happened to the Hebrews according to Psalm 77, while the desire to be satiated by God can never be excessive. The peaceful joy that charity procures, the fraternal love, the condition and fruit of intimate union with Christ, is poured out, especially in this communion chant. A perfectly appropriate communion chant, without doubt: while the Church feeds on the flesh and blood of Christ, she repeats to herself the words with which the Jews sang the satisfaction of their desire. Also, as a testimony of the joy that communion brings to her and as a sign of the beatitude she will one day enjoy in the promised land of eternity. May material goods, may human food, not make us forget all the spiritual gifts, the Bread of Heaven, that your love acquires for us, O Lord!

As for the melody, it is composed in mode I, it narrates with sobriety, but also with deep joy and immense gratitude, the moment lived by the people of Israel, one that we actualize today and make our own in the Eucharist. Although it is in mode I, in this chant we can observe the important presence of the Sol. For this reason, we can affirm that we are before a Protus on the fourth: the Re is the fundamental and the Sol is the dominant. It is a rather sober piece, the melody only goes beyond the La on one occasion, moving mainly around the Fa, Sol, and La, with some references in the low range.

The piece begins from the depths of the soul, gratitude and contained joy combine in this beginning: manducaverunt, they did eat. Two pes quadratus structure this verb, one in the secondary accent, Re-Mi, and the other in the main accent, Fa-Sol, two moments in which the prayerful one delights and savors that divine delicacy. The same pattern is in the following incise with two pes quadratus: et saturati sunt nimis, and were filled exceedingly. In this incise, that satiety is translated by the repetition of an almost identical melodic turn. If one observes the restituted version of the Graduale Novum: Fa-Sol Sol Fa-Mi / Fa-La Sol Fa-Mi. In the adverb nimis, the leap of a fourth, Sol-Re, from the dominant to the fundamental, further reinforces that state of fullness. In the following incise, et desiderium eorum, gave them their desire, from the Re the melody rises with determination and enthusiasm toward the high range. One could almost see a mirroring effect of the previous melodic turn in et desiderium, (Re) Fa-Mi Fa Sol-La Sol (Sol), and in ET SATUrati, Sol-La Sol Fa-Mi (Graduale Novum). The melodic movement reaffirms this desire, the Sol sounds strongly adorned with the La and the Sol. After that, the cadenza in eorum is again underlined by a leap of a fourth, Sol-Re, like in nimis, but this time that feeling of being filled penetrates the depths of being, and it becomes more evident, for the low Do resounds, first and last time in the piece: a small stroke of genius by the composer.

In attulit eis Dominus, the Lord satisfied them, another leap of a fourth, Do-Fa, places the melodic movement in the Fa, from where after a brief but very firm recitative rises to the La in eis adorned by the melodic summit of the piece, the B-flat. Everything in this melodic turn is broad, the quilismatic movement makes it masterfully robust, and the total satisfaction is chanted, it is a passage full of fervent gratitude for the mercy of the Lord who bent over the pilgrims of the Promised Land and who continues to bend over those of the celestial Jerusalem. The B-flat also confers that touch of closeness to the Lord, of loving tenderness, the joy is full. A joy that extends to the cadential formula in Dominus, the Lord, with which this first phrase concludes.

The first incise of the last phrase, non sunt fraudati, they were not defrauded, utilizes again and condenses the melody of et saturati sunt nimis, with the melodic descent, the La Sol Fa-Mi (version of the Graduale Novum) and the leap of a fourth, Sol-Re, that closes the incise. The melodic-textual link is evident: they were filled exceedingly, they were not defrauded. It is worth noting the beautiful accent of fraudati with the bivirga on the Sol. In the final incise of this masterful communion chant, a desiderio suo, of their desire (of that which they craved), two majestic quilismatic movements around the Re-Fa frame the word desiderio. At the end of the piece, desiderio returns to the manducaverunt turn, Do Re Fa-Sol (Sol Sol) La-Fa Sol(-Fa-Mi). The composer traces a circular movement, an endless return one might say: his desire is to eat and be satiated by the living God, to feel the assurance that the unceasing craving to possess the Lord more and more in the Eucharist will be filled continuously.

✠    ✠    ✠

Concéde, miséricors Deus, fragilitáti nostræ præsídium; ut, qui sanctæ Dei Genitrícis memóriam ágimus; intercessiónis ejus auxílio, a nostris iniquitátibus resurgámus. Per Christum Dóminum nóstrum.

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

Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux, Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile