Advent starts this weekend, so I thought a quick run through some key features of the season might be in order.
The eight days before Christmas
Although Christmas was celebrated quite early in Rome, it was originally Epiphany, and not Christmas that seems to have been regarded as the more important feast.
All the same, a lead up week to Christmas was added by at least the sixth century, featuring the use of the Ó antiphons' (sung with the Magnificat) each day.
Each of the texts refers to key prophesies of Christ, mostly from Isaiah. There is, however, another level to them, as they have been arranged so that if you work backwards, the first letter of each one together forms two words, viz Ero Cras, or tomorrow I will come.
During this most intense period of Advent, there are special sets of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week, as well as Benedictus antiphons at Lauds specific to December 21 and 23.
Christmas also has a Vigil attached to it, like many of the greater (and older feasts).
The three (or four) weeks of Advent
At some point though (and just when is a matter of some debate), the season of Advent was extended back to start on the Sunday nearest to 30 November.
Each of the four weeks of Advent (though the fourth, as this year, sometimes only consists of the Sunday itself) has a special set of antiphons for the psalms, which are used at Saturday Vespers (I Vespers of Sunday), Sunday Lauds, and then throughout the week at Prime to None.
The season also has its own hymns, short responsory and versicle at Lauds and Vespers which replace those in the psalter section of your Office book), as well as special canticle antiphons each day, to be found in the temporale, or óf time' section of your Diurnal or other book.
Unlike Lent though, the collect is usually that of the Sunday (except for the three Émber days' and of course on any feasts),
Ribbons at the ready!
The key trick to saying the Office during Advent is to remember that you need to keep track of, and keep a ribbon on:
Each of the texts refers to key prophesies of Christ, mostly from Isaiah. There is, however, another level to them, as they have been arranged so that if you work backwards, the first letter of each one together forms two words, viz Ero Cras, or tomorrow I will come.
During this most intense period of Advent, there are special sets of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week, as well as Benedictus antiphons at Lauds specific to December 21 and 23.
Christmas also has a Vigil attached to it, like many of the greater (and older feasts).
The three (or four) weeks of Advent
At some point though (and just when is a matter of some debate), the season of Advent was extended back to start on the Sunday nearest to 30 November.
Each of the four weeks of Advent (though the fourth, as this year, sometimes only consists of the Sunday itself) has a special set of antiphons for the psalms, which are used at Saturday Vespers (I Vespers of Sunday), Sunday Lauds, and then throughout the week at Prime to None.
The season also has its own hymns, short responsory and versicle at Lauds and Vespers which replace those in the psalter section of your Office book), as well as special canticle antiphons each day, to be found in the temporale, or óf time' section of your Diurnal or other book.
Unlike Lent though, the collect is usually that of the Sunday (except for the three Émber days' and of course on any feasts),
Ribbons at the ready!
The key trick to saying the Office during Advent is to remember that you need to keep track of, and keep a ribbon on:
- the normal texts used at each hour' (psalter section of the book);
- the fixed texts that displace some of the normal parts of the hours used throughout Advent, particularly at Lauds and Vespers (the Ordinary of Advent);
- the particular week of Advent, as well as what day in that week it is (antiphons for the little hours, canticle antiphons for each day, collect);
- texts used on particular dates, from December 17 onwards (canticle antiphons); and
- texts used on particular days of the week from December 17 onwards (antiphons for the psalms for use on Monday, Tuesday, etc).
The Ordo provided here should help with all that though!
No comments:
Post a Comment