The Divine Office Part 4

Why did the Church adopt the word _feriae_? She wished to mark the day of the week and not to name them by their pagan name (_e.g., dies lunae_) nor by their Jewish names (_e.g., prima sabbati_), which should be a sort of recognition of the dead and dying synagogue. Hence she adopted the word _feria_, to denote the Christian rest in the Lord, the Christian peace and the abstinence from all sin, and that each and every day should be consecrated to G.o.d. The Christian use of the word is found in Origen (185-254) and was fully established in the time of Tertullian.

In the time of Amalare (circa 830) the ferial office had taken a well-defined form, Matins having twelve psalms and six antiphons. In Lauds of every _feria_ were recited the psalms, _Miserere; Deus, Deus meus; Deus misereatur nostri_; a canticle drawn from a prophet and varying each day of the week (_e.g., Confitebor_, Isaias xii., for Monday's Lauds; _Ego dixi_, Isaias x.x.xviii., for Tuesday's Lauds, etc., and the two psalms _Laudate_ (148, 150) and the _Cantate_, psalm 149). In the small hours the Sunday psalms without antiphons were recited. Vespers had daily, fixed psalms. At each hour the _Kyrie Eleison_ and ferial _prayers_ were said on bended knees and the hours terminated--as do the hours of Holy Week still--with _Pater Noster and Miserere_.

Ferias are divided into three cla.s.ses, major ferias, privileged ferias and non-privileged. Ash Wednesday and the three last days of Holy Week are the major ferias which are privileged and exclude all feasts (_vide_ t.i.t. II., sec. 2). Non-privileged feriae are the feriae of Lent and Advent, Quarter Tense or Ember days and Rogation Monday. They take precedence of simple feasts only.

In the ferial office nine psalms are said, and not twelve, as in the old order of the Breviary. The psalms found arranged in the new Breviary for three nocturns are to be said with nine antiphons up to the versicle of third nocturn--the versicle of the first and second being omitted (t.i.t. I., sec. 7). Hence the psalms are to be said straight through (_sine interuptione_) omitting in the first two nocturns, the versicle and response, Pater Noster, absolutions and all pertaining to the lessons. This simplifies things and makes the ferial office shorter than the office of feasts.

t.i.tLE VI.--THE OFFICE OF VIGILS.

_Etymology, nature and synonyms_. The word _vigil_ is from the Latin _vigilare, to keep awake, to watch_, because in old times the night before any great event, religious or worldly, was spent in watching.

Thus, the night prior to ordination to the priesthood, the night prior to a great battle, was spent in watching before the altar. Hence, the word vigil came to mean the prayers said during the time of watching or waking, preparatory to the great event. It signified, too, the fast accompanying the watching, and lastly it came to mean the liturgical office of Ma.s.s and Breviary fixed for the time of vigilance. In the Roman Church it was sometimes called the nocturn or night office. The Greeks call the vigil _profesta_, the time before the feast.

The custom existed among the pagans, almost universally, before the time of Christ. The Jews practised this ancient night prayer, as the scripture in several places shows, _"in noctibus extollite ma.n.u.s vestras in sancta"_ (Psalm 133). Our Saviour sanctified this use by His example, and the early Christians were, on account of these night a.s.semblies, the objects of fear and dread, of admiration and of hatred.

Organised vigils lasted till the thirteenth century in some countries, but owing to abuses and discord they became not a source of edification, but the occasion and cause of grave scandals, and were forbidden gradually and universally. The Church now retains for the faithful one congregational vigil, the vigil of Christmas. Formerly, it was customary to observe a fast on a day or night of a vigil, but that custom was suppressed sometimes, or fell into disuse. Vigil fasts are now few.

Almost the only relic of the vigil now remaining is the Ma.s.s and Office.

When were vigils held? In the early ages they were held only on Sat.u.r.day nights and on nights preceding great solemnities or the festivals of the Martyrs. The early converts, if they had been pagans, knew few or no prayer formulae, and very little of the psalms was learned by them even in their Christian practice. But Jews who became Christians knew psalms and hymns and prayers. So that in the early Christian vigils, there was no attempt made at reciting the Divine Office, and the custom of such recitation was not introduced until about 220 A.D. and was not obligatory (d.u.c.h.esne, _Christian Worship_, Chap. VIII.).

It is difficult to speak with certainty about the hour of beginning or the hour of ending these vigil services. Some think that the first nocturn was said about 9 p.m. Lauds was said before sunrise and hence was called _Laudes-matutinae_. But "after the middle of the ninth century, we gather from contemporary doc.u.ments, that the office of vigils was, as a whole, regularly const.i.tuted and well known" (Baudot, p.64). These vigils were held in cenacles or upper rooms of houses.

During the days of persecution these meetings were not infrequent and were held secretly in crypts, catacombs, private houses and at martyrs'

tombs. In times of peace they were held everywhere, in churches, monasteries, castles.

Vigils are divided into two cla.s.ses, major and minor; major vigils are the vigils of Christmas, Epiphany and Pentecost, and they are called privileged vigils and are celebrated as semi-doubles. The vigils of Christmas and Pentecost are privileged vigils of the first cla.s.s. The vigil of Epiphany is a privileged vigil of the second cla.s.s. All others are minor or non-privileged vigils.

t.i.tLE VII.-OCTAVES.

_Etymology and nature_. The word "octave" is from the Latin _octavus_ (eighth) because, in the early ages of Christianity, the Church celebrated the eighth day only after the celebration of the feast itself; not until the twelfth century was the custom of a commemoration on each of the eight days introduced. We have, probably, an example of this still in our Breviaries. The feast of St. Agnes is celebrated on 21st January and on 28th it is mentioned at Vespers and Lauds only, and the name in old Roman service books is _Octavo, S. Agnetis_. The origin of the octave is Jewish. We read in the Old Testament that G.o.d ordered that the Feasts of Pasch and Pentecost should be celebrated for eight days. So, too, the Feast of Tabernacles lasted for eight days, the first and eighth days being days of special celebration and devotion. The Christian Church adopted the method of showing great honour and glory to the princ.i.p.al festivals of the Christian year, to the great saints, the patrons of countries, dioceses, etc. But just as the calendar became overcrowded with saints' offices, which excluded almost entirely the Sunday and ferial offices, so, too, the additions of octaves created confusion and further tended to the exclusion of the old liturgical use of the Psalter and the supplanting of the Sunday and ferial offices.

Hence, in the _Motu Proprio Abhinc duos annos_, the octaves of the calendar are divided into three great cla.s.ses, privileged, common and simple. Privileged octaves are further divided into three _orders_.

Those of the first order are the octaves of Easter and Pentecost; the octaves of Epiphany and Corpus Christi belong to the second order, and the octaves of the Nativity and Ascension belong to the third. The Christmas octave admits feasts of saints, but the octaves of Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost do not admit any feasts (t.i.t. V., sec, 3). A day within an octave has a right to first Vespers, and the antiphon and response should be from first Vespers (S.C.R., June, 1905). But the feast of the day falling within octave has a right to first and second Vespers. The exceptions are, when at second Vespers of St. Thomas, the office of the octave of the Nativity to be observed on 30th December has to be commemorated again, in octaves like octaves of Epiphany when each day has its proper antiphon at the _Magnificat_, and again on and July in second Vespers of Visitation the office of St. Peter and Paul is to be commemorated. In octaves the suffrages of saints and the Athanasian Creed are not said. When feasts of the Universal Church, which are celebrated with an octave are perpetually transferred to the next day, because of a perpetual impediment, according to the rubrics, the octave day is not therefore perpetually transferred but ought to be kept as in the Universal Church on its own day.

t.i.tLE VIII.--OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN FOR SAt.u.r.dAY.

"_In omnibus Sabbatis per annum entra Adventum et Quadragesimam, ac nisi Quatuor Tempora aut Vigiliae ocurrant_," etc. In all Sat.u.r.days throughout the year, except on the Sat.u.r.days of Advent, Lent, Ember Days or occurring Vigils, or unless a feast of nine lessons has to be said on the Sat.u.r.day, then it is laid down in the rubrics that the Office of the Blessed Virgin should always be said with the rite of a simple office.

The rubrics of the New Psalter (t.i.tle I., sec. 6) direct, "_In officio Sanctae Mariae in Sabbato et in festis simplicibus sic officium persolvendum est; ad matutinum, Invitatorium et hymnus dic.u.n.tur de eodem officio vel de iisdem Festis; Psalmi c.u.m suis antiphonis et versu de Feria occurente I. et II. Lectis de Feria c.u.m Responsoriis Propriis vel de Communi. III. vero lectio de officio vel Festo duabus lectionibus in unum junctis si quando duae pro Festo habeatur, ad reliquas autem Horas omnia dic.u.n.tur, prouti supra num. 5 in Festis Duplicibus expositum est_."

In the Office of the Blessed Virgin for Sat.u.r.days (Decree S.C.R., 26th January. 1916) the antiphons and Psalms at Matins, Lauds and small Hours are to be said from the Sat.u.r.day and from the _capitulum_ onwards all is to be taken from the office of the Blessed Virgin.

This office is not to be confounded with the _officium parvum Beatae Mariae._ The office _de Sabbato_ is obligatory throughout the Church.

The _officium parvum_ was only for choir use, an addition to the office of the day. Sat.u.r.day, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, is of great antiquity, as the mention of it in the works of St. Peter Damien, St.

Bernard and Pope Benedict XIII. shows, but as to the time of its origin or a history of its growth, little seems to be known. At first the cult consisted in various and voluntary prayers and practices. About the middle of the fourteenth century an office was composed for recital on Sat.u.r.days as dedicated to the Mother of G.o.d. The office in our Breviaries was composed by St. Pius V, (1566-1572).

t.i.tLE IX,--COMMEMORATIONS.

The rules laid down in the general rubrics of the Breviary for commemorations were never very simple, and when we read the changes brought about in _De ratione Divini officii recitandi juxta novum Psalteri ordinem_, t.i.tles II., III., IV., V., VI., with' the decrees of the Congregation (January, 1912), and subsequently (_Abhinc duos Annos_) everyone must fear to tread the maze with certainty and must often fall back gratefully on the labours of the compilers of the _Ordo_ which he follows. Or, perhaps, doubts may be dispelled by _The New Psalter_ (Burton and Myers) published in 1912. The chapter on the Calendar in that book is worth study, but needs now additions and corrections, owing to the issue of more recent decrees.

In the study of commemorations and translations of feasts there are two words which have a special meaning and which, being often used in calendar working, deserve a special note. They are "occurrence" and "concurrence." _Occurrence_ is the conjunction of two or more offices, which fall on the same day. It may be accidental when two movable feasts are concerned or when a movable feast falls on a day which has a fixed office; or it may be perpetual, when a fixed office falls on a day which already has a fixed office. The Church does not ask the recitation of a double or a triple office. She, by her fixed rules, prefers one out of the two of the "occurring" offices, transfers if possible the others, or at least commemorates them by an antiphon, versicle and prayer, and sometimes by a ninth lesson at Matins.

_Concurrence_ is the conjunction of two offices, which succeed one another, so that a question arises as to which feast the Vespers belong to; whether to the feast of the day or to the feast of the following day, or whether the psalms should be of the feast and the remaining part of the Vespers should be as the _Ordo_ so often notes (_a cap. de seq._), from the _capitulum_ the office is taken from the following feast.

The new rubrics contain five t.i.tles which make certain modifications in the rules. .h.i.therto observed. We thus obtain a ready made division of the subject:--

(1) Of the precedence of Feasts (t.i.tle II.).

(2) Of the accidental occurrence of feasts and their translation (t.i.tle III.).

(3) Of the perpetual occurrence of feasts and their transfer (t.i.tle V.).

(4) Of the occurrence of feasts (t.i.tle V.).

(5) Of the commemorations (t.i.tle VI.) (Myers and Burton, _op. cit._).

The new rubrics without the aid of any commentator give pretty clear notions of the laws of precedence, occurrence and commemoration. For students in college these rules are expounded in detail with additions, changes, exceptions. But for priests, long past the student stage, it is difficult to undo the fixed liturgy lore of their student and early priest life; and the need of such a book as _The New Psalter and its Uses_ is, for those interested, a necessity. Even since the publication of that book, changes have been made. For example, doubles, major or minor and semi-doubles, which were perpetually excluded on their own day were transferred to some fixed day. This is given in _The New Psalter and its Uses_. But this has now been changed. In the case of feasts of the universal Church, no translation is allowed now. But feasts proper to a nation, diocese, order, inst.i.tute or particular church may still be transferred to a fixed day, if perpetually impeded on their own day.

Another example of necessary changes in that excellent book is in the last paragraph of page 136 (see Decree S.C.R., June, 1912). The works of compilers and liturgists need constant revision to keep pace with new decisions and decrees.

In making commemorations, the order of the commemoration as laid down in the _Ordo_ should be followed. Elements of a commemoration are the Antiphon of the _Benedictus_ or the _Magnificat_ with versicle and response. These antiphons are considered most excellent, preceding as they do the Gospel canticles (St. Luke I.). The antiphon, versicle and prayer of the commemoration at an hour should never be repet.i.tions of others said in the same hour. Thus, if in the office of a confessor pontiff having the prayer _Da quaesumus_, another confessor pontiff's feast, commemorated in the same hour, should not have the same prayer.

About the prayer, or, as it is called, the collect, the following should be noted: first, the commemoration is omitted if the prayer of the office which is being recited and the prayer of the feast to be commemorated have the same object. Thus, a feast of the Blessed Virgin, falling within the octave of the a.s.sumption, should not be commemorated.

Second, where a commemoration for a saint or saints of t.i.tle similar to that of the saints whose office is being said, is to be made, the Congregation of Rites (5th May, 1736) arranged that not even the versicles and response be repeated and that the following order be observed:--

IN VESPERS--

1st Com. made by Antiphon and Versicle of Lauds.

2nd Com. made by Antiphon of second Vesper and Ver. of II. Nocturn.

3rd Com. made by Antiphon of I. Noct. and Vers. of III. Nocturn.

IN LAUDS--

1st Com. made by Antiphon and Vers. from first Vesp.

2nd Com. made by Antiphon I. Noct., and Ver., III. Noct.

3rd Com. made by Antiphon II. Vesp., Vers., II. Noct.

If it should happen in commemorating a day within an octave that the versicle from the common had already been taken for the office, then the rule is "_Sumenda est in laudibus antiphona de secundis Vesperis; et pro secundis Vesperis antiphona de laudibus in utroque tamen casu c.u.m v. de primis Vesperis_" (S.C.R., 18th Dec., 1779). In the above given form of making commemorations it may be noted that the second commemoration in Lauds is made up from the versicles and response of Matins and not from second Vespers, so as to avoid repeating in Lauds what was said at Vespers (Cavalieri).

As regards prayers in the office the reminder that the same formula must not be repeated in the same hour may be supplemented. Because, prayers having all words identical, save one single word, are not considered in liturgy as different prayers (_e.g., Accendamur exemplis; instruamur exemplis_, Feast of St. Philip and St. James, Feasts of several martyrs). So, too, prayers which have the same form of pet.i.tion (e.g., the prayers on feast of St. Joseph and on feast of St. Mathew), are not considered as different and must not be repeated in the same hour. But where the pet.i.tion is different, even though all the remainder of the prayers are similar in wording, they may be repeated in the same hour.

But what is to be done in offices where a commemoration prayer and the prayer of the office is from the common? What must be done where the feast is the feast of a Doctor and a commemoration of a Doctor is to be made? What is to be done when the office of the feast is of a virgin not a martyr, and a commemoration of a virgin not a martyr is to be made? In the first case the prayer from the office of a confessor or Pontiff should be said, adding to it the t.i.tle of Doctor. In the other case, the prayer _Indulgentiam_, omitting the word _martyr_, is to be said.

The origin of these commemorations was, that the Popes in removing the solemn celebrations of certain feasts of Apostles and Martyrs, which were formerly of precept, provided that their _cultus_ should not be forgotten, and that their commemoration in the office should remind priests and the faithful of those servants of G.o.d, whom the Church wishes ever to honour. I have said the order given for commemoration in the _Ordo_ should be followed; but not to follow this order does not exceed a venial sin. Even the deliberate omission of a commemoration in Lauds or Vespers is not a violation of a grave precept.

t.i.tLE X.--THE TRANSLATION OF FEASTS.