From the Christmas Martyrology

To-day, at Prime for the 24th of December in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Nine, was read the Martyrology for to-morrow, the 25th of December (I imitate the seventeenth Century style):

...since the Creation of the World, when (in the Beginning) GOD created the Heaven and the Earth; and from the Flood, the Two Thousand Nine Hundred and Fiftieth Year; from the Birth of Abraham, the Two Thousand and Fifteenth; from Moses, and the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, the One Thousand, Five Hundred and Tenth; from the anointment of David as King, the One Thousand, Three Hundred and Second; in the Sixty-Fifth Week, according to the Prophecy of Daniel; in the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth Olympiad; in the Seven Hundred and Fifty-Second Year from the Building of the City of Rome; in the Forty-Second Year of the Emperor Octavian Augustus, all the World composed at Peace, in the Sixth Age of the World, JESUS CHRIST, Eternal GOD and eternal SON of the FATHER, desiring to consecrate the World by His most devout Advent, and nine months having pass'd since His Conception, 

(All kneel)

in Bethlehem of Judæa was born of the Virgin Mary, being made Man.

The Nativity of Our Lord JESUS CHRIST according to the Flesh.

This holy day is marked by four commemorations of Christ's beloved servants, His saints: St Anastasia, Virgin and Martyr, who together with two hundred men and seventy women suffered many and varied torments under the Emperor Diocletian; St Peter Nolasco, Confessor, Founder of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the Redemption of Christians held captive by the Moors and Saracens; St Eugenia, Virgin and Martyr, who was put to death by the sword at Rome in the reign of the Emperor Gallienus; and most notable of all, a great company of the shining army of martyrs praising God:

At Nicomedia, the Passion of many thousands of Martyrs, who, when they were come together for Mass upon the Nativity of CHRIST, Diocletian the Emperor ordered the doors of the Church closed, and a Fire prepared all about, and a tripod with Incense set before the doors, and with a great voice to cry a Proclamation that whosoever would wish to flee the Conflagration, should come out the doors and offer Incense to Jove; and when all with one voice replied that they most willingly would die for CHRIST, as Incense were they consumed with Fire, and thus on that very Day they deserv'd to be born in Heaven, upon which CHRIST once deigned to be born for the salvation of the World.

The Royal Hours

Of old time the Eastern Emperor assisted at the Hours of Prime, Terce, Sext and None on certain great days, and among them, on the Vigil of Christmas; hence they were styled Royal Hours, which name they retain in the Byzantine Rite.

On this day, then, special extra-long services are held - or rather, just one super-long service, by concatenation - during which, not only are three proper psalms read at each of Prime, Terce, Sext and None, but at each are read a Prokeimenon (answering to a Gradual), then a Lesson, Epistle and Gospel. These amplifications of the normal Hours are celebrated with solemnity.

Those wishing to consult the texts, follow this link to the Royal Hours of Christmas.

There is also a Catechesis of St Theodore the Studite for the Nativity of Christ that is read at Byzantine Rite Prime this day: a beautiful patristic passage.

A Fine End to Advent

To-day is the Vigil of Christmas in the old rite: a strange Vigil, already shot through with the anticipated joy of Christmas, since - though at Matins the ferial psalms are read, as normally for vigils - all the Day Hours use the psalms of Sundays and feasts.

I again was just a little late in arriving for Mass in the new rite this morning, slipping into the pew as the first reading's title was read... this at least gave me reason to quietly read the traditional Collect pro pia devotione, which is used through the Hours of the Office until Vespers:

Deus, qui nos redemptionis nostræ annua expectatione lætificas: præsta; ut Unigenitum tuum, quem Redemptorem læti suscipimus, venientem quoque judicem securi videamus, Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum: Qui tecum vivit...

(God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly expectation of our redemptin: grant, that Thy Onlybegotten, Whom we joyfully receive as Redeemer, we also may securely behold as the coming Judge, Our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who with Thee liveth...)

What an excellent prayer! It sums up both our Advent recapitulation of the desire of the ages for the coming of Christ as Redeemer, Whom again as our Redeemer here and now we celebrate in this feast, and moreover our looking forward to His return as our Judge, praying that on that Day we will receive him without shame.

Our awareness of the mystery and solemnity of weekday Mass at St Francis -our daily encounter with our Redeemer, yes, and our coming Judge - has been heightened, I would add, by the simple expedient of the singing of the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei in the simplest of chant: it really helps.

Do-it-yourself Vigil

Of course I prefer to be home with family at Christmas: but this means I cannot do as I would otherwise wish, and attend all the Masses and ceremonies of the sacred liturgy at this time. Well, I can (and soon will) pray Vespers, but in the meanwhile I've read to myself the texts of the traditional Vigil Mass of Christmas, as a missa sicca (Traddie-talk for paraliturgy!); not being a cleric, of course, one prays "O Lord, hear my prayer" in place of "The Lord be with you"!  The Secret and Postcommunion are both quite suitable as private prayers, as they are sufficiently general in meaning.

The Epistle in particular, which I have already read in parts at the Day Hours, is well worthy of note...

******

DRY MASS OF THE VIGIL OF CHRISTMAS

INTROIT (Exodus xvi, 6-7; Ps 23:1)

+Hodie sciétis, quia véniet Dóminus, et salvábit nos: et mane vidébitis glóriam ejus. Ps. Dómini est terra, et plenitúdo ejus: orbis terrárum, et univérsi, qui hábitant in eo. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Hodie sciétis...

KYRIE

Kyrie, eleison.  (iij)

Christe, eleison.  (iij)

Kyrie, eleison.  (iij)

COLLECT

V/. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 

R/. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

Oremus. 

Deus, qui nos redemptiónis nostræ annua exspectatióne lætíficas: præsta; ut Unigénitum tuum, quem Redemptórem læti suscípimus, veniéntem quoque júdicem secúri videámus, Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. R/. Amen.

EPISTLE (Romans i, 1-6)

Léctio Epístolæ beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Romanos. Paulus, servus Jesu Christi, vocátus Apóstolus, segregátus in Evangélium Dei, quod ante promíserat per prophétas suos in Scriptúris sanctis de Fílio suo, qui factus est ei ex sémine David secúndum carnem: qui prædestinátus est Fílius Dei in virtúte secúndum spíritum sanctificatiónis ex resurrectiónegmortuórum Jesu Christi Dómini nostri: per quem accépimus grátiam et apostolátum ad obediéndum fídei in ómnibus géntibus pro nómine ejus, in quibus estis et vos vocáti Jesu Christi Dómini nostri. 

R/. Deo Gratias.

GRADUAL (Exodus xvi, 6-7; Ps 79:2-3)

Hódie sciétis, quia véniet Dóminus, et salvábit nos: et mane vidébitis, glóriam ejus. V/. Qui regis Israël, inténde: qui dedúcis, velut ovem, Joseph: qui sedes super Chérubim, appáre coram Ephraim, Benjamin, et Manásse.

GOSPEL (St Matthew i, 18-21)

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum. 

R/. Gloria tibi, Domine.

Cum esset desponsáta mater Jesu María Joseph, ántequam convenírent, invénta est in útero habens de Spíritu Sancto. Joseph autem vir ejus, cum esset justus, et nollet eam tradúcere, vóluit occúlte dimíttere éam. Hæc autem eo cogitánte, ecce Angelus Dómini appáruit in somnis ei, dicens:Joseph, fili David, noli timére accípere Maríam cónjugem tuam; quod enim in ea natum est, de Spíritu Sancto est. Páriet autem fílium: et vocábis nomen ejus Jesum: ipse enim salvum fáciet pópulum suum a peccátis eórum. 

R/. Laus tibi Christi.

OFFERTORY (Psalm 23:7)

V/. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 

R/. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

Oremus. 

Tollite portas, príncipes, vestras, et elevámini porte æternáles: et introíbit Rex glóriæ.

SECRET

Da nobis, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut, sicut adoránda Fílii tui natalítia prævenímus, sic ejus múnera capiámus sempitérna gaudéntes: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. R/. Amen.

 SURSUM CORDA

V/. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 

R/. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

V/. Sursum corda. 

R/. Habemus ad Dominum.

V/. Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.

R/. Dignum et justum est.

COMMON PREFACE

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare, nos tibi simper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus: per Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quem majestatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt Potestates, Cæli, Cælorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim socia exultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti, jubeas, supplici confessione dicentes: 

SANCTUS

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. + Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

DOXOLOGY

Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti, omnis honor et gloria, per omnia saecula saeculorum. R/. Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Oremus.

Praeceptis salutaribus moniti, et divina institutione formati, audimus dicere:

Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. R/. Sed libera nos a malo.

Amen.

THE EMBOLISM

Libera nos, quæsumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis, præteritis, præsentibus, et futuris: et intercendente beata, et gloriosa semper Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque Andrea, et omnibus Sanctis, da propitius pacem in diebus nostris: ut ope misericordiæ tuæ adjuti, et a peccato simus semper liberi, et ab onmi perturbatione securi. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. R/. Amen.

THE PAX [modified]

V/. Pax Domini sit semper nobiscum. 

R/. Amen.

AGNUS DEI

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.

COMMUNION (Isaias xl, 5)

Revelábitur glória Dómini: et vidébit omnis caro salutáre Dei nostri.

POSTCOMMUNION

V/.   Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 

R/.   Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

Oremus. 

Da nobis, quæsumus, Domine: unigéniti Fílii tui recensita nativitáte respiráre; cujus cælésti mystério páscimur et potamúr. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.   R/.   Amen.

BENEDICAMUS

V/.  Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 

R/.  Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

V/.  Benedicamus Domino.

R/.  Deo gratias.