Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Feast of the translation of the relics of St Benedict (July 11)

St. Benedict hands over the Rule of the New Order to the Monks of Monte Cassino - Turino Vanni

An account of the translation of the relics to Fleury:
IN the name of Christ. There was in France, by God's gracious providence, a learned Priest who set about to journey towards Italy, that he might discover where were the bones of our father St Benedict, no longer worshipped by men. 
At length he came into a desert country some 70 or 80 miles from Rome, where St Benedict of old had built a cell whose indwellers had been bound together in perfect charity. Yet, even then, this Priest and his companions were disquieted by-the uncertainties of the place, since they could find neither vestiges of the monastery nor any burial-place, until at last a swineherd showed them exactly where the monastery had stood; yet he was utterly unable to find the sepulcher' until he and his companions had hallowed themselves by a two or three days' fast. 
Then it was revealed to their cook in a dream, and the matter became plain unto them; for in the morning it was shown unto them by him who seemed lowest in degree, that St Paul's words might be true, that God despises that which is held in great esteem among men; or again, as the Lord Himself foretold, "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister." 
Then, searching the spot with greater diligence, they found a marble slab which they had to cut through. At last, having broken through the slab, they found the bones of St Benedict, and his sister's bones beneath, with another marble slab between; since (as we believe) the almighty and merciful God would that those should be united in their sepulcher who, in life, had been joined together in brotherly and sisterly love, and in Christian charity.
Having collected and washed these bones they laid them upon fine clean linen, each by itself, to be carried home to their own country. 
They gave no sign to the Romans lest, if these had learnt the truth, they would doubtless never have suffered such holy relics to be withdrawn from their country without conflict or war - relics which God made manifest, in order that men might see how great was their need of religion and holiness, by the following miracle. For, within a while, the linen that wrapped these bones was found red with the saint's blood, as though from open wounds on living whereby Jesus Christ intended to show that those whose bones are here so glorious would truly live with Him in the world to come. 
Then they were laid upon a horse which bore them over all that long journey as lightly as though he had felt no burden. Again, when they journeyed through forest ways and on narrow roads, neither did the trees impede them nor did any ruggedness of the path obstruct their journey; so that the travelers saw clearly how this was through the merits of St Benedict and his sister St Scholastica, in order that their journey might be safe and prosperous even into the realm of France and the monastery of Fleury. 
In which monastery they are now buried in peace, until they arise in glory at the Last Day; and here they confer benefits upon all who pray unto the Father through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who lives and reigns in the unity die Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
(From C.G. Coulton, ed, Life in the Middle Ages, (New York: Macmillan, c.1910), Vol IV, 29-31)

The authenticity of the relics

Monte Cassino, however, it should be noted, has always maintained that Fleury's relics are not those of the saint.  Their website currently states:
Having been dutifully cared for, the earthly remains of St. Benedict and his twin sister St. Scholastica rest today at the celebrated hilltop monastery of Montecassino. Both Saints passed away in the mid 6th century, St. Scholastica at her nearby convent and St. Benedict at Montecassino. 
A black marble scroll on their tomb says: St. Benedict and St. Scholastica were never separated in spirit during their life nor are their bodies separated in their death. 
The original urn was made of alabaster, and held a lead container big enough for two people's remains. It was initially located underneath the primitive oratory of St. John the Baptist, built above the ancient acropolis' pagan altar to Apollo. The tomb of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, having survived so many centuries, destructions, and more recently the bombardment of WWII, can be found today at the High Altar of the reconstructed cathedral of Montecassino, surrounded by ornate and beautiful decorations.
Following WWII a methodical survey and excavation of the ancient sepulcher and bones inside the tomb was carried out. The experts conducted a thoroughly documented study at Montecassino and agreed on the authenticity of the remains, reaffirming like other have in the past, that they indeed belong to St. Benedict and his sister St. Scholastica.
It should be noted, however, that Fleury's relics have similarly been identified as originating in the sixth century, and surviving correspondence (though of questionable authenticity) suggests that the relic thieves were all excommunicated by the Pope of the time.

The leader of the tomb raiders, Aygulf, later became abbot of Lerins, and attempted to introduce the Rule there.  A rebellion led by two monks, allegedly aided and abetted by the local bishop, however, led to Aygulf and a group of his companions being marooned on a neighbouring island, where they were, it was claimed, killed by pirates...

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Brush up your rubrics: Vespers for feasts and seasons

Image result for vespers

Yesterday in this refresher series on the rubrics I talked mainly about Vespers on ordinary days.  But I thought I'd finish up the series (unless anyone has any requests for particular topics I haven't yet covered) with the issue of variations of Vespers during particular seasons and for feasts.

Fixed and variable elements of Vespers


As I noted yesterday, pretty much all of the elements of Vespers can change on feasts, as the table below illustrates.


 VESPERS
 Fixed vs variable

Opening prayers
fixed (except for Alleluia, replaced during Septuagesima and Lent)

Antiphons
and psalms 

variable 
Chapter
variable

Short Responsory
variable

Hymn
variable

Versicle
variable

Antiphon for the Magnificat

variable
Magnificat
fixed

Antiphon for the Magnificat

variable
Closing prayers, including collect

 fixed
Collect
variable

Accordingly, you need to read the instructions in the Diurnal (or an Ordo) to know which texts to change.  This post provides some summary information on how the Office can change, so you have some idea what to expect.

Feasts 


On Class III, II or I feasts or days, the texts can come from the Proper of Seasons, Proper of Saints or the 'Commons of Saints'.

The basic principle is that depending on the level of the feast, the normal weekday texts will be pushed out by those for the feast.

If there isn't a special set of texts just for that feast, then you generally use some or all of the 'Commons' of the relevant type of saint (martyr, confessor, etc) instead.

The normal rule (though there are some exceptions) is that if a feast has its own antiphons, the psalms will be of the feast, not the day.

On feasts of saints, the Diurnal (and/or an Ordo) normally tells you where to find the texts you need.  The table below, though, summarises the main impacts.


LEVEL OF FEAST

EFFECT ON VESPERS
Memorial

none
Class III without
proper antiphons

Psalms and antiphons of the day; 

chapter, responsory, hymn etc from the Common
Class III with proper antiphons

Psalms of Sunday or the Common; antiphons of the feast; chapter etc for the feast (from the proper of the feast or the Common)
Class II
All for the feast (or from the Common of Saints or season), including psalms of feast, Sunday or Common

Class I
All for the feast (or from the Common of saints or season) with I Vespers the night before


Seasons


During some times of the year such as Advent and Lent, the psalms of the day of the week continue to be used, but all of the other elements have different texts, found in the Proper of Seasons.

The texts you have to use can come from several different places and the Office becomes quite complex to manage.

The key thing to keep in mind at these special times of the year is that the texts can be 'of the season' (for example the hymn, chapter, responsory and versicle), 'of the week(s) of the season' (antiphons during Advent for example), of the day of the season (canticle antiphons for example), and of the date.

Sundays in the major seasons are effectively like feasts of saints, with a complete set of texts for the particular Sunday.  Which texts are used on weekdays though, varies with the season, as the table below summarises for the first four seasons of the liturgical year:


 VESPERS
Advent
up to Dec 16
Advent
Dec 17-23
Nativitytide (Jan 2-5)

Epiphanytide
(Jan 7-12)
Opening prayers
Fixed
Fixed
Fixed

Fixed
Antiphons
Of the Advent week
Of the day (MD 39*)

As throughout the year in the psalter

As throughout the year in the psalter

Psalms
Fixed (ie of the day of the week in the psalter)

Fixed
Fixed
Fixed
Chapter, short responsory, hymn and versicle
Of Advent 
(MD  15*)

Of Advent
Of Nativitytide
( MD 123*)
Of Epiphanytide
 (MD 137*)

Antiphon for the Magnificat
Of the day
Of the date (O antiphons)
Of Nativitytide

Of the number of the day counting from Jan 6 (MD 139*)
Magnificat
Fixed
Fixed
Fixed

Fixed
Closing prayers
Fixed
Fixed

Fixed
Fixed
Collect
Of the (previous) Sunday
Of the Sunday
Of the Sunday
Before and after the Sunday collects

(PS: Do let me know if you find this table helpful, and would like to compile a similar one for the other seasons of the liturgical year).

Feasts of saints

On Class III, II or I feasts or days, the texts can come from the Proper of Seasons, Proper of Saints or the 'Commons of Saints'.

The basic principle is that depending on the level of the feast, the normal weekday texts will be pushed out by those for the feast.

If there isn't a special set of texts just for that feast, then you generally use some or all of the 'Commons' of the relevant type of saint (martyr, confessor, etc) instead.

The normal rule (though there are some exceptions) is that if a feast has its own antiphons, the psalms will be of the feast, not the day.

On feasts of saints, the Diurnal (and/or an Ordo) normally tells you where to find the texts you need.  The table below, though, summarises the main impacts.


LEVEL OF FEAST

EFFECT ON VESPERS
Memorial

none
Class III without
proper antiphons

Psalms and antiphons of the day; 
 chapter, responsory, hymn etc from the Common
Class III with proper antiphons

Psalms of Sunday or the Common; antiphons of the feast; chapter etc for the feast (from the proper of the feast or the Common)
Class II
All for the feast (or from the Common of Saints or season), including psalms of feast, Sunday or Common

Class I
All for the feast (or from the Common of saints or season) with I Vespers the night before



Friday, July 7, 2017

Brush up your rubrics: Vespers


Plaque with Censing Angels
Plaque with Censing Angels, ca. 1170–1180
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 2001 (2001.634)

Today in this refresher series on the rubrics I want to look briefly at Vespers.

Vespers is intended to be said in the twilight hours, as the sun is setting, but St Benedict does indicate some flexibility around this in his discussion of the seasonal timetable and mealtimes for a monastery.

The theology of Vespers

I've mentioned in some of my previous posts in this series that each of the hours has key associations that I think St Benedict has built on in his selection of the psalms for those hours.

Most commentators will note the most obvious of those associations, for Lauds, said with the rising of the sun/Son, and the multiple references to light in the variable psalms of the hour.    But in my view, all of the hours in the Benedictine office reflect symbolism related to the time of the day.

The traditional associations of the hour

In the case of Vespers, the hour was traditionally associated with the evening sacrifice instituted by Moses (referred to in Psalm 140), as well as the lighting of the lamps in the temple, which was presumably the origin of the lucernarium ceremony that is often mentioned as a domestic ritual in St Benedict's time.

The symbolism of the hour is probably best captured, though by St Cyprian who commented:
Also at the sunsetting and at the decline of day, of necessity we must pray again. For since Christ is the true sun and the true day, as the worldly sun and worldly day depart, when we pray and ask that light may return to us again, we pray for the advent of Christ, which shall give us the grace of everlasting light. 
The structure of Vespers

The table below summarises the overall structure of Vespers.

Structurally, Vespers is essentially a shorter version of Lauds.  Vespers cuts out the invitatory psalm, Old Testament canticle, and reduces the number of psalms overall from seven to four, but the basic elements, and the order in which they are said is essentially the same.

The structure of Vespers 

Opening prayers - Deus in adjutorium etc

Antiphon (Ant) +Psalm+Gloria+Ant

Ant +Psalm+Gloria+Ant

Ant +Psalm+Gloria+Ant

Ant +Psalm+Gloria+Ant

Chapter+Deo gratias

Responsory

Hymn

Versicle

Antiphon for the Magnificat

Magnificat+Gloria Patri

Antiphon repeated

Closing prayers - Kyrie eleison, etc

-          Collect


The key difference to Lauds though, is that in the current form  of the Benedictine Office on feasts, the text of virtually every element of Vespers can change.  The only fixed elements are the opening and closing prayers (excluding the collect which is variable) and the Magnificat.


Find the right texts for Vespers in your book

The table below summarises the key page numbers for Vespers on normal days.


 VESPERS
‘Default’ texts
Opening prayers
MD 1

Antiphons
and psalms 
Sunday, MD 203
Monday - start MD 212
Tuesday - start MD 220
Wednesday – MD 226
Thursday – MD 235
Friday - MD 243
Saturday - MD 249

Chapter
Of Vespers

Short Responsory
Sunday/rest of the week

Hymn
Of the day of the week,
see page numbers above

Versicle
Of Vespers

Antiphon for the Magnificat
Of the day of the week;
on Sundays, always of the week of the liturgical year

Magnificat
MD 209

Antiphon for the Magnificat
 M-F of the day of the week; Sat&Sun of the week in the calendar

Closing prayers, including collect
 MD 210

Collect
Of the week of the liturgical year



Thursday, July 6, 2017

Brush up your rubrics: Terce, Sext and None


Image result for divine office

Today's rubric refresher notes relate to the three 'little hours', Terce, Sext and None.

Many people tend to skip the three little hours, and a lot of modern monasteries only say one of them, but that seems to me a great shame, not least because these three hours are actually probably the most ancient.

And as with Prime, St Benedict has, I think, crafted these hours very carefully to link up, teach and reinforce the spiritual theology of the Rule.

They are in addition, very short, so very possible to fit into a morning/afternoon tea and/or lunch break, and relatively easy to memorise.

History and associations of the little hours

Many of the early Fathers pointed to the references to prayer three times a day in the book of Daniel (6:10), as well as to the references in Acts to prayer at these times, as the rationale for these hours.

The Fathers also saw these hours as having an overall Trinitiarian association, due to their threefold nature (which St Benedict reinforces by assigning three psalms to each of them).  But they also pointed to particular associations with each of them:
  • Terce: Christ condemned by Pilate; the hour of the coming of the Holy Ghost on the disciples who were praying at the third hour at Pentecost (Acts 2), ;
  • Sext: Christ ascends the cross and darkness covers the world (Mark 15:33), St Peter praying (Acts 10), angelic visitors to Abraham (Gen 18), against the noonday devil (Ps 90);
  • None: Christ's death on the cross, SS Peter and John go to the Temple at the hour of prayer (Acts 3), Cornelius' vision while praying (Acts 10).
St Benedict's Office, I think, builds on a number of these themes in his selection of psalms (the first nine Gradual psalms, and Psalm 118).  In these hours, I think, St Benedict particularly invites us to imitate Christ, pick up our cross, and make the ascent to heaven through growth in humility and with the help of the grace flowing from his wounded side.

The structure of the little hours

The table below summarises the structure of Terce, Sext and None.  In essence, the structure of these hours is identical to that of Prime.  

As with Prime, the hymn assigned to each of these hours is the same each day, and does not change for feasts (with a few rare exceptions such as Pentecost for Terce).

As with Prime, the antiphon is usually set for the particular day or days of the week, but can change to reflect the season, special days, or feast.

The key differences to Prime are that:
  • rather than a daily set of psalms, there are only three sets, for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to Saturday;
  • the chapter and versicle can change to reflect the season or feast; and
  •  the collect is that of the previous Sunday, day or feast.
Structure and rubrics for the little hours

PART OF THE HOUR
COMMENT/RUBRICS

Opening prayers (Deus in adjutorium/Gloria Patri/Alleluia)

Same as for all of the day hours (MD 1); stand, make sign of cross
Hymn
Same each day for that hour; said standing, bow for last verse

Antiphon
Can change according to season, day of week, feasts etc

Psalm+Gloria Patri
Psalm+Gloria Patri
Psalm+Gloria Patri

Of the day(s) of the week; sit for psalm, stand for Gloria Patri
Antiphon
Repeat earlier antiphon

Chapter
For the hour, can change according to day of week, season, feasts etc.  Said standing

Versicle
For the hour, can change according to day of week, season, feasts etc.  Said standing

Closing Prayers (Kyrie/Pater noster/…Benedicamus Domino…Fidelium animae)

Basic structure as for all day hours, said standing, bow for Our Father
-          Collect
Of the week, day or feast


Finding the pages in the Diurnal


The key thing to remember about these hours is that they appear in the Diurnal after Lauds and before Vespers.

Page numbers for Terce
 

            TERCE
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday to Saturday

Opening prayers
                            MD 1

Hymn (Nunc Sancte)
MD 151
MD 162
MD 183

Antiphon
Of the season, day, date or feast

Psalms
MD 152
MD 164
MD 184

Antiphon
 Of the season, day, date or feast

Chapter
Versicle 

Closing prayers
 MD 154-5 plus collect of the season, day, date or feast (see weekly Ordo)


Page numbers for Sext

            SEXT
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday to Saturday

Opening prayers
                            MD 1

Hymn (Rector Potens)
MD 155
MD 169
MD 183

Antiphon
Of the season, day, date or feast

Psalms
MD 156
MD 171
MD 191

Antiphon
 Of the season, day, date or feast

Chapter
Versicle 

Closing prayers
 MD 154-5 plus collect of the season, day, date or feast



Page numbers for None

            NONE
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday to Saturday

Opening prayers
                            MD 1

Hymn (Rerum Deus)
MD 159
MD 176
MD 196

Antiphon
Of the season, day, date or feast

Psalms
MD 160
MD 178
MD 198

Antiphon
 Of the season, day, date or feast

Chapter
Versicle 

Closing prayers
 MD 154-5 plus collect of the season, day, date or feast


Questions/follow up?

I should let those interested know that I am making word files of these tables in this series available for download through the Traditional Benedictine Office Facebook group.

And if there are any particular questions you would like me to cover off in this brush up your rubrics series, please do let me know.