The Office in Advent

 Advent is the most complex period of the year for the Office, so it is worth carefully reviewing how it works, and making sure you know how to place your ribbons, before Advent starts! 

The Office during Advent, up to December 16

 Tomus Prior of the Monastic Breviary (MB) 1963 is used from I Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent. 

The season of Advent falls into two parts, the first of which extends from the First Sunday of Advent up to December 16. 

The ordinary days of Advent in this period are of the third class (Class III). The default collects (for hours other than Prime and Compline) are from the previous Sunday, except for the Ember Days in week three of Advent). 

On Sundays: 

·      There are ‘proper’ texts for all hours, set out in the Proper of the Season (temporale) section of the Farnborough edition of the Monastic Diurnal (MD) or Breviary (MB) for the relevant Sunday; and

·         At Matins, the antiphons and Nocturn III canticles are of Advent, set out in the psalter section of the MB.

 On weekdays: 

·         At Matins the Invitatory antiphon, hymn, versicles and chapter are of the Ordinary of Advent, MB 14 ff;

·         At Matins the (three) readings are of the Advent day (ie Monday in the first week of Advent, etc);

·         At Lauds and Vespers the chapter, hymn, responsory and versicle are of the Ordinary of Advent (MB 15 ff/MD 9* ff), which can be found in the temporale section of your Office book (note: ignore the ‘throughout the year’ texts in the psalter section of your Office book);

·         Lauds and Vespers have Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for each day of the relevant week of Advent;

·         At Prime to None the antiphons are taken from the relevant Sunday of Advent (MB 16 ff/ MD 13*ff); and

·         At Terce to None, the chapter and versicle are of Advent (set out in the psalter section of your Office book).

On feast days, a commemoration of Advent, consisting of (in order) the canticle antiphon (of the Advent day) and versicle (of the season) for the relevant hour, as well as the collect of the Advent week or Ember Day, is made at both Lauds and Vespers.

 

The Office in Advent between December 17 and 23

 The days between December 17 and 23 are Class II days, and reflecting this, the liturgy intensifies.

 At Matins there is a proper Invitatory antiphon for the season (Prope est, MB 14).

 At Lauds to Vespers a set of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week are used, set out at MD 37*/AM 212 ff.

 At Lauds the Benedictus antiphons are normally of the relevant Advent day, but there are specific antiphons said on December 21 and 23.

 At Vespers, the 'O Antiphons' (MD 35-6*/AM 208ff) are sung with the Magnificat, displacing the Magnificat antiphon of the Advent day.