Stupete gentes, fit Deus hostia...

'Be ye in amazement, ye nations, for God has made Himself a victim'... is the first verse of the hymn being sung during the giving of the candles to the people at Saint-Eugène, where the Mass of the feast of Our Lady's Purification is being celebrated this morning (the 'external solemnity' business; the 5th Sunday post Epiphaniam is being commemorated). The  procession is about to begin. The program from the libellum is here, the page at Liturgia here. The altar is being redressed in white, replacing the violet in use until now. 

Adórna thálamum tuum, Sion, et súscipe Regem Christum : ampléctere Maríam, quæ est cæléstis porta : ipsa enim portat Regem glóriæ novi lúminis : subsístit Virgo, addúcens mánibus Fílium ante lucíferum génitum : quem accípiens Símeon in ulnas suas, prædicávit pópulis, Dóminum eum esse vitæ et mortis, et Salvatórem mundi.

The Mass now proceeds as usual, beginning with the Introit Suscepimus Deus misericordiam tuam in medio templi tui (which is what is being sung in the recording supra, I hope). The Schola is in top form this morning.

The sequence Ave, gratia plena from the Proper of Paris.

AVE, plena gratia,

Cujus inter brachia

Se litat Deo Deus.

Fas me templum visere ;

Tibi fas occurrere,

Amor, ô Jesu, meus.

EST in templo Dominus ;

Angeli stant cominus :

Nil in cœlis amplius.

Habet Deum hominem ;

Et parentem Virginem

Cœlo templum ditius.

SPIRANT sacra gaudium ;

Mane sacrificium

Plausus inter redditur.

Vespertinum fletibus,

Et amaris questibus

In cruce miscebitur.

HÆC jam est oblatio,

Cujus omnes pretio

Deo restituimur.

Jam non nobis dediti,

Tibi, Deus, subditi,

Vivimus & morimur.

NVNC dimitte famulos :

Nil tenet hic oculos ;

Da te palam cernere.

Si jubes hic vivere,

Da cum Jesu crescere,

Da per hunc resurgere. Amen.

I finally figured out that the capitalised first words of strophes represent those 'sung' by the organ. It took many months, ahem. 

I regretted being unable to contribute my mite at the Offertory but the debit card (its number, more precisely) has been misused ('hacked', I believe the children say) by a person or persons unknown "from abroad" (quoth the bank fraud woman) and is in process of being replaced, ahem. Two business days, meaning Tuesday or Wednesday. We shall see. I have three unpaid recurring debits already, since noon Saturday. Two can remain unpaid (one can live without the NYT and the experimental Twitter service) for all that I really care-- the payments are for the months upcoming which I've obviously not yet had the benefit of; the third is my diary-keeping and text storage application, Evernote, which I should indeed be sorry to lose. Must go back to the annual subscription there, I think, to be safe in future.  

And the video recording of Vespers.

And may God save Queen Elizabeth, on the 70th anniversary of her accession to the Throne of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and grant her an abundance of days and the good reward of them.

LDVM