Passiontide

With first Vespers of Sunday two days ago began Passiontide, the last stretch of Lent.  In the Traditional Rite, it lasts for two weeks, segueing into Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum: thus, the fifth Sunday of Lent is Passion Sunday, and the sixth, Palm Sunday.  (The modern Office still makes this distinction - supplying different readings and responsories than those used for the earlier part of Lent - but the Mass does not.)  Most notably, in churches all crosses and sacred images are to be veiled before first Vespers of Passion Sunday; Psalm 42 is omitted at the start of Mass; and the Gloria Patri is left unsaid both at Mass and in the Venite (Ps 94) and responsories in the Office, both at Matins and throughout the Day Hours.

The figure of suffering innocence displayed in the Prophet Jeremias is held before us by Holy Church, the suffering Bride of Christ, throughout this season.  Jeremias, who submitted his will to the Lord and unflinchingly preached doom and disaster to the heedless people, is a fit type of Our Lord, Who likewise fulfilled the Father's will, even unto death upon the Cross, when the Chosen rejected Him and spurned their Messias.  For this reason, all but one of the readings specially appointed for the Day Hours during Passiontide are taken from the book of this prophet (the exception being from the famous prophetic description of Our Saviour as the Suffering Servant found in Isaias), illustrating how the Lord's enemies plotted to compass his ruin (short chapter at Lauds), but how in so doing they but merited damnation whiles He put all his confident trust in His Father (Terce, Sext, Vespers), and moreover interceded for them that hated Him without a cause (None).  Likewise, the psalms and other texts are used to illuminate the anguished pleas of the Suffering Saviour (cf. Hebrews v, 7), as evinced in the antiphons, short responsories and versicles appointed.

Here, then, is the Ordinary of Passiontide.  (I omit the hymns, as worthy of consideration all on their own.)

MATINS

Inv. Ant. Hódie, si vocem Dómini audiéritis, * Nolíte obduráre corda vestra. (Ps 94:8)

(Today if ye will hear the voice of the Lord, * Harden not your hearts.)

LAUDS

Capitulum  (Jer. 11:19)

Veníte, mittámus lignum in panem ejus, et eradámus eum de terra vivéntium, et nomen ejus non memorétur ámplius.


(Come, let us put wood on his bread, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his Name may be remembered no more.)

V. Eripe me de inimícis meis, Deus meus.
R. Et ab insurgéntibus in me líbera me. (Ps 58:2)

(Deliver me from mine enemies, O God.
(Defend me, O Lord, from them that rise up against me.)

PRIME

Ant. Líbera me, Dómine, et pone me juxta te: et cujúsvis manus pugnet contra me. (Job 17:3)

(O Lord, deliver me, and set me up beside thee: and let any man's hand fight against me.)

Lectio Brevis (Is. 50:6)
Fáciem meam non avérti ab increpántibus, et conspuéntibus in me. Dóminus Deus auxiliátor meus, et ídeo non sum confúsus. 

(I hid not my face from shame and spitting: for the Lord God will help me: therefore shall I not be confounded.)

TERCE

Ant. Judicásti, Dómine, causam ánimæ meæ, defénsor vitæ meæ, Dómine, Deus meus. (Lam. 3:58 + Dne Ds ms)

(O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life, O Lord, my God.)

Capitulum (Jer. 17:13)
Dómine, omnes qui te derelínquunt, confundéntur: recedéntes a te, in terra scribéntur: quóniam dereliquérunt venam aquárum vivéntium Dóminum.

(O Lord, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.)

Responsórium (Ps 21:21)
V. Erue a frámea, * Deus, ánimam meam.


R. Erue a frámea, * Deus, ánimam meam.


V. Et de manu canis únicam meam.
* Deus, ánimam meam.


R. Erue a frámea, * Deus, ánimam meam.



(Deliver my soul, O God, from the sword. My darling from the power of the dog.)

V. De ore leónis líbera me, Dómine.

R. Et a córnibus unicórnium humilitátem meam. (Ps 21:22)

(From the lion's mouth save me, O Lord.


(And my humility from the horns of the unicorns.)

SEXT

Ant. Pópule meus, quid feci tibi? aut quid moléstus fui? Respónde mihi. (Michæas [Micah] 6:3)

(O my people, what have I done unto thee, or wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.)

Capitulum (Jer. 17:18)
Confundántur qui me persequúntur, et non confúndar ego: páveant illi, et non páveam ego: induc super eos diem afflictiónis, et dúplici contritióne cóntere eos, Dómine, Deus noster.

(Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction, O Lord our God.)

Responsórium
(Ps 21:22)

V. De ore leónis * Líbera me, Dómine.


R. De ore leónis * Líbera me, Dómine.


V. Et a córnibus unicórnium humilitátem meam.
* Líbera me, Dómine.


R. De ore leónis * Líbera me, Dómine.


(From the lion's mouth, Save me, O Lord. And my humility from the horns of the unicorns.)

V. Ne perdas cum ímpiis, Deus, ánimam meam.

R. Et cum viris sánguinum vitam meam. (Ps 25:9)

(O shut not up my soul with the sinners, O God.

(Nor my life with the blood-thirsty.)

NONE

Ant. Numquid rédditur pro bono malum, quia fodérunt fóveam ánimæ meæ? (Jeremias 18:20a)

(Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul.)

Capitulum (Jer. 18:20)

Recordáre quod stéterim in conspéctu tuo, ut lóquerer pro eis bonum, et avérterem indignatiónem tuam ab eis.


(Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.)


Responsórium
(Ps 25:9)

V. Ne perdas cum ímpiis, * Deus ánimam meam.


R. Ne perdas cum ímpiis, * Deus ánimam meam.


V. Et cum viris sánguinum vitam meam.
* Deus ánimam meam.


R. Ne perdas cum ímpiis, * Deus ánimam meam.



(O shut not up my soul, With the sinners, O God.
Nor my life with the blood-thirsty.)

V. Eripe me, Dómine, ab hómine malo.

R. A viro iníquo éripe me. (Ps 139:2)

(Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man.

(And preserve me from the wicked man.)

VESPERS

Capitulum (Jer. 11:20)
Tu autem, Dómine Sábaoth, qui júdicas juste, et probas renes et corda, vídeam ultiónem tuam ex eis : tibi enim revelávi causam meam, Dómine, Deus meus.

(But thou, O Lord of Hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause, O Lord my God.)

V. Eripe me, Dómine, ab hómine malo.
R. A viro iníquo éripe me. (Ps 139:2)

(Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man.
(And preserve me from the wicked man.)