One of the few obviously better rearrangements of the Roman Calendar was transferring the feast of the Queenship of Our Lady to the Octave Day of the Assumption - for since her Assumption she reigns as Queen with her Son, Christ the King - and, in order to permit this change of date, moving the feast of her Immaculate Heart to the Saturday after the feast of her Son's Sacred Heart (since it is natural to have analogous devotion to the Two Hearts together).
But let us follow the Breviary at least in praying the Collect of the Heart of the Immaculata, together with the Vesper antiphon of the feast:
My heart hath exulted in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God, for I have been made glad in Thy salvation. (I Kings ii, 1)Almighty everlasting God, Who didst prepare a worthy dwelling for the Holy Ghost in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary: graciously grant, that with devout mind recalling the feast of the same immaculate Heart, we may be able to live according to Thy heart. Through our Lord... in the unity of the same Holy Ghost...
The interesting thing about the change is that it reverts to the Pius X location of the Most Pure Heart. Of course, there were many other locations for it (the two other most popular ones being the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost, and the Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption).
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that August 22nd was selected when the feast was made universal to avoid the usual complications with commemorations within the Octave of the Sacred Heart - more so when it coincides with the feasts of St. John or Ss. Peter and Paul)
I actually like the Mass of the Most Pure Heart somewhat better than the newer minor Propers of Pius XII's feast - especially that wonderfully picturesque 'Epistle' from the Song of Songs. Sadly, though in the 'pro aliquibus locis' section, it was soon removed once made obsolete by the new universal observance.