Titian's Assunta (1516–18). |
And a suitably grand version of Vespers for the feast:
Focusing on the Traditional Benedictine Office in accordance with the 1963 Benedictine calendar and rubrics, including the Farnborough edition of the Monastic Diurnal.
Titian's Assunta (1516–18). |
St Patrick being taugt by St Germanus, Gloucester Cathedral |
Meanwhile, the Saxons and the Picts had joined forces to make war upon the Britons. The latter had been compelled to withdraw their forces within their camp and, judging their resources to be utterly unequal to the contest, asked the help of the holy prelates. The latter sent back a promise to come, and hastened to follow it. Their coming brought such a sense of security that you might have thought that a great army had arrived; to have such apostles for leaders was to have Christ Himself fighting in the camp.
It was the season of Lent and the presence of the bishops made the sacred forty days still more sacred; so much so that the soldiers, who received instruction in daily sermons, flew eagerly to the grace of baptism; indeed, great numbers of this pious army sought the waters of salvation. A church was built of leafy branches in readiness for Easter Day, on the plan of a city church, though set in a camp on active service. The soldiers paraded still wet from baptism, faith was fervid, the aid of weapons was thought little of, and all looked for help from heaven.
Meanwhile the enemy had learned of the practices and appearance of the camp. They promised themselves an easy victory over practically disarmed troops and pressed on in haste. But their approach was discovered by scouts and, when the Easter solemnities had been celebrated, the army--the greater part of it fresh from the font--began to take up their weapons and prepare for battle and Germanus announced that he would be their general [dux proelii, "leader for this battle"]. He chose some light-armed troops and made a tour of the outworks. In the direction from which the enemy were expected he saw a valley enclosed by steep mountains. Here he stationed an army on a new model, under his own command.
By now the savage host of the enemy was close at hand and Germanus rapidly circulated an order that all should repeat in unison the call he would give as a battle-cry. Then, while the enemy were still secure in the belief that their approach was unexpected, the bishops three times chanted the Alleluia. All, as one man, repeated it and the shout they raised rang through the air and was repeated many times in the confined space between the mountains.
The enemy were panic-stricken, thinking that the surrounding rocks and the very sky itself were falling on them. Such was their terror that no effort of their feet seemed enough to save them. They fled in every direction, throwing away their weapons and thankful if they could save at least their skins. Many threw themselves into the river which they had just crossed at their ease, and were drowned in it.
Thus the British army looked on at its revenge without striking a blow, idle spectators of the victory achieved. The booty strewn everywhere was collected; the pious soldiery obtained the spoils of a victory from heaven. The bishops were elated at the rout of the enemy without bloodshed and a victory gained by faith and not by force.(trans Robert VermaatOn his return to Gaul, he proceeded to Armorica (Brittany) to intercede for the Armoricans who had been in rebellion. Their punishment was deferred at his entreaty, till he should have laid their case before the emperor. He set out for Italy, and reached Milan on 17 June, 448. Then he journeyed to Ravenna, where he interviewed the empress-mother, Galla Placidia, on their behalf. The empress and the bishop of the city, St. Peter Chrysologus, gave him a royal welcome, and the pardon he sought was granted
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)
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.
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
Plaque with Censing Angels, ca. 1170–1180 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 2001 (2001.634) |
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 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
|
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
|