But nothing too terrible. In the ordo I follow (placing me at 1939-- observing the changes made to that point in the Liturgy but not those after) it is very clear that the lessons of the first nocturn are the beginnings of the Epistles of Saint Paul to the Philippians, to the Colossians, and prima to the Thessalonians... because it is the 4th Sunday post Epiphaniam anticipata, anticipated, tomorrow being Septuagesima-- while I've read how this 'anticipating Sunday' business works I don't keep it in my poor head and am not going to copy that sort of thing here. The point being, I could have sworn last evening when I looked at Divinum Officium that they provided these three lessons; earlier, at 0315 or whenever, however, there were three lessons from Philippians. So I was distracted, checking the different versions of the Office that they have available, finally simply using my Weber-Gryson Vulgate and reading the first dozen or fifteen verses of Colossians and prima Thessalonians. It is otherwise the feast of Saint Martina, Virgin and Martyr (CE, Introibo, Wiki); there is no scheduled Mass from Saint-Eugène this morning for her feast. Although Septuagesima isn't scheduled yet, either, and I'm pretty sure they will be streaming that. Closer to 1000 I'll re-check the YouTube channel.
It is a bit disorienting, having said the Night Office of the Epiphany Sunday; I've caught myself thinking that it is actually Sunday a couple of times.
Blessed Cardinal Schuster in Liber sacramentorum on the feast of Saint Martina. Today is a very good example of his... diffuse style, particularly when there are doubts about the history in question; it is the entire section he devotes to Saint Martina.
Although Urban VIII attempted to popularize the veneration of this martyr by restoring her basilica near the Carcer Mamertini in the Forum Romanum, and by composing hymns proper to her feast according to the classic rules [Dom Prosper says that Urban VIII wrote three hymns for Saint Martina but I can only find two, for Matins and Lauds-- M], yet she has remained almost entirely unknown to ancient Roman hagiography. Her cultus in Rome dates from the time of Pope Donus, who about the years 676-78 caused her to be represented in the mosaic of the apse between the figures of Pope Honorius I and of himself. The Bernese Laterculus of the Martyrology of St Jerome records the name of the saint on January 1 [although in the masculine, Martini]. We are concerned, however, with a female saint practically a stranger in the City, whose origin and history are alike unknown. An oratorium sanctae Martinae is spoken of by John the Deacon in his Life of St Gregory, but it stood on the Via Ostiensis in the fundus Barbilianus. This localization may put us on the track towards discovering the whereabouts of St Martina’s dwelling-place. In her Acta mention is made of her companions in martyrdom who were put to death on November 15, and from the account of the discovery of the bodies of St Martina and her fellow martyrs, Concordius and Epiphanius, in the time of Urban VIII, we gather that they came originally from a certain locality on the Via Ostiensis. It is strange that precisely on that same road in the fundus Barbilianus, there existed in the ninth century an oratory in honour of St Martina, served by monks. Have we then here a group of martyrs from the suburbanum Ostiense, translated to Rome under Honorius I? This hypothesis would seem to be very probable. The two churches of St Adrian and of St Martina were close together, and formed but a single building, one church being the great hall of the Roman Senate; the other, the adjoining office or secretarium, separated from the Curia only by a short portico. The Mass is the Common of a Virgin and Martyr, as it is for the least of St Barbara on December 4th.
At Prime this morning, the announcement will be read: Dominica Septuagesimae, in qua deponitur canticum Domini Alleluja, tomorrow is Septuagesima Sunday on which is set aside the Lord's song, Alleluia. Particularly if Saint-Eugène is silent today, I may have to sing a few Alleluias myself during the Hours of the Office, not having another chance until Easter. It is on this one day a year that it occurs to me to think of Alleluia as the canticum Domini.
It occurs to me that last Sunday at Saint-E. the schola sang a hymn which, now thinking about it, was a fairly clear indication that they weren't singing the Alleluia again until Easter: it was at the Communion, Super flumina Babylonis (Psalm CXXXVI) pour le départ de l'Alleluia adapted by M. de Villiers from a hymn of V. Krupitskiy. Won't give up on Saint Martina's Mass entirely but I expect that it isn't happening. Time for Terce.
Magister Rubricarius at Saint Lawrence Press Blog explains the whole 'anticipated 4th Sunday post Epiphaniam' business (at 0845 I went looking for Sunday Vespers at Saint-Eugène...).
... At Vespers the liturgical mood and colour change. The altar is vested in violet and Vespers are of Septuagesima. After the collect of Septuagesima Sunday (the Office of the anticipated Sunday ceases after None) commemorations are sung of St. John Bosco and of St. Martina. The Suffrage [these are prayers in honor of Our Lady, the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Joseph, and pro pace added after the collect on certain days] is omitted due to the occurring double feast [i.e. the feasts of Saint Martina of today and of Saint John Bosco of tomorrow]. Alleluia is added, twice, to both Benedicamus Domino and to its response [Deo gratias]. After that Alleluia will not be heard until the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday. At Compline the Dominical preces [prayers added on certain days at Prime and Compline] are omitted.
LDVM
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