Sed scio eum et sermónem ejus servo. Abraham pater vester exsultávit, ut vidéret diem meum: vidit, et gavísus est...

Quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus, familiam tuam propítius réspice: ut, te largiénte, regátur in córpore; et, te servánte, custodiátur in mente. Per Dóminum.

Today is Passion Sunday and the Mass is Judica me Deus et discerne causam meam. Yesterday before Vespers the crosses and sacred images were veiled. In the Pauline Rite, it is the fifth Sunday in Lent and Passiontide is suppressed (although the Mass remains the same except for the Communio*, which has been replaced by one of three other antiphons depending upon which Gospel lesson is read). Adjuva nos, Deus, salutáris noster: líbera nos et propítius esto peccátis nostris, propter nomen tuum. The Liturgia page (Liturgia being the website of the Schola Sainte-Cécile) for today is here; the livret for Holy Mass is here, and that for Vespers, here. 

It is also the feast of the Confessor Saint Patrick but this is omitted this year because of Passion Sunday (or, in some churches, commemorated only)-- except of course in Ireland and dioceses and churches under his patronage, where I believe it is moved to tomorrow. Also, the feast of Saint Joseph of Arimathaea and that of Saint Gertrude de Nivelles, who is heavenly patroness of cats. Evidently, she began as patroness of those people who had to defend against rats and mice and other rodents in the fields and barns and granaries etc and then her patronage became extended to cats. It occurs to me that I ought to pray to her more sedulously that I've been wont to do.

Statio ad S. Petrum

At the entrance of the clergy at Saint-Eugène, La Croix ouvre l’entrée au trône de la gloire, a canticle of Pierre Corneille (1606-1684), taken from his versified translation of the Imitation of Christ (book II, chapter 12) sung to a melody of Charles Gounod and harmonised by M de Villiers.  

 

Introitus. Ps. 42, 1-2. Júdica me, Deus, et discérne causam meam de gente non sancta: ab homine iníquo et dolóso éripe me: quia tu es Deus meus et fortitúdo mea. Ps. ibid., 3. Emítte lucem tuam et veritátem tuam: ipsa me de duxérunt et adduxérunt in montem sanctum tuum et in tabernácula tua. Júdica me.

Kyrie.

Oratio. Quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus, familiam tuam propítius réspice: ut, te largiénte, regátur in córpore; et, te servánte, custodiátur in mente. Per Dóminum.

Léctio Epístolæ beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Hebrǽos.
Hebr. 9, 11-15.
Fatres: Christus assístens Pontifex futurórum bonórum, per ámplius et perféctius tabernáculum non manufáctum, id est, non hujus creatiónis: neque per sánguinem hircórum aut vitulórum, sed per próprium sánguinem introívit semel in Sancta, ætérna redemptione invénta. Si enim sanguis hircórum et taurórum, et cinis vitulae aspérsus, inquinátos sanctíficat ad emundatiónem carnis: quanto magis sanguis Christi, qui per Spíritum Sanctum semetípsum óbtulit immaculátum Deo, emundábit consciéntiam nostram ab opéribus mórtuis, ad serviéndum Deo vivénti? Et ideo novi Testaménti mediátor est: ut, morte intercedénte, in redemptiónem eárum prævaricatiónum, quæ erant sub prióri Testaménto, repromissionem accípiant, qui vocáti sunt ætérnæ hereditátis, in Christo Jesu, Dómino nostro.

Unhappily, at Le Barroux, there was a glitch of some sort and the audio was working normally only at the voluntatem tuam.

Graduale. Ps. 142, 9 et 10. Eripe me, Dómine, de inimícis meis: doce me fácere voluntátem tuam. ℣. Ps. 17, 48-49. Liberátor meus, Dómine, de géntibus iracúndis: ab insurgéntibus in me exaltábis me: a viro iníquo erípies me.

Tractus. Ps. 128, 1-4. Sæpe expugnavérunt me a juventúte mea. ℣. Dicat nunc Israël: sæpe expugnavérunt me a juventúte mea. ℣. Etenim non potuérunt mihi: supra dorsum meum fabricavérunt peccatóres. ℣. Prolongavérunt iniquitátes suas: Dóminus justus cóncidit cervíces peccatórum.

✠ Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndum Joánnem.
Joann. 8, 46-59.
In illo témpore: Dicébat Jesus turbis Judæórum: Quis ex vobis árguet me de peccáto? Si veritátem dico vobis, quare non créditis mihi? Qui ex Deo est, verba Dei audit. Proptérea vos non audítis, quia ex Deo non estis. Respondérunt ergo Judǽi et dixérunt ei: Nonne bene dícimus nos, quia Samaritánus es tu, et dæmónium habes? Respóndit Jesus: Ego dæmónium non hábeo, sed honorífico Patrem meum, et vos inhonorástis me. Ego autem non quæro glóriam meam: est, qui quærat et júdicet. Amen, amen, dico vobis: si quis sermónem meum serváverit, mortem non vidébit in ætérnum. Dixérunt ergo Judǽi: Nunc cognóvimus, quia dæmónium habes. Abraham mórtuus est et Prophétæ; et tu dicis: Si quis sermónem meum serváverit, non gustábit mortem in ætérnum. Numquid tu major es patre nostro Abraham, qui mórtuus est? et Prophétæ mórtui sunt. Quem teipsum facis? Respóndit Jesus: Si ego glorífico meípsum, glória mea nihil est: est Pater meus, qui gloríficat me, quem vos dícitis, quia Deus vester est, et non cognovístis eum: ego autem novi eum: et si díxero, quia non scio eum, ero símilis vobis, mendax. Sed scio eum et sermónem ejus servo. Abraham pater vester exsultávit, ut vidéret diem meum: vidit, et gavísus est. Dixérunt ergo Judǽi ad eum: Quinquagínta annos nondum habes, et Abraham vidísti? Dixit eis Jesus: Amen, amen, dico vobis, antequam Abraham fíeret, ego sum. Tulérunt ergo lápides, ut jácerent in eum: Jesus autem abscóndit se, et exívit de templo.

At Saint-Eugène, Mons Dominique Catta, one of the Vicars-General of the Paris archdiocese, is giving the homily, ahem, the first part of which I missed, alas. The presence of prelates from l'Evêché always raises apprehensions, tsk (what a sad commentary on the state of the Church! or, anyway, on my apprehensions about the state of the Church). He is also officiating at Vespers.

Credo.

This antiphon is a perfect gem and I see that the Neumz folks have devoted today's email to it. I'll get to that after I return from Mass.

Offertorium. Ps.118, 17 et 107. Confitébor tibi, Dómine, in toto corde meo: retríbue servo tuo: vivam, et custódiam sermónes tuos: vivífica me secúndum verbum tuum, Dómine.

Secreta. Hæc múnera, quǽsumus Dómine, ei víncula nostrae pravitátis absólvant, et tuæ nobis misericórdiæ dona concílient. Per Dóminum.

Præfatio de Cruce; quæ dicitur usque ad Feriam V in Cena Domini inclusive.

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper, et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnípotens, ætérne Deus: Qui salútem humáni géneris in ligno Crucis constituísti: ut unde mors oriebátur, inde vita resúrgeret: et qui in ligno vincébat, in ligno quoque vincerétur: per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Per quem majestátem tuam laudant Angeli, adórant Dominatiónes, tremunt Potestátes, Cæli, cælorúmque Virtútes, ac beáta Séraphim, sócia exsultatióne concélebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admítti júbeas, deprecámur, súpplici confessióne dicéntes:

Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei.

At Saint-Eugène, at the Communio, Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Stabat Mater dolorosa H 15. (The Schola sang this at Vespers, also, although then alternating the strophes of Charpentier with those sung in cantus planus.)

*This antiphon Hoc corpus is sung on Holy Thursday in the solemn Mass in Cena Domini in the Pauline Rite; I don't know if the liturgical mages thought it appropriate to reserve its use to that holy night or if they simply wanted to provide novelty on this, their 5th Sunday in Lent, in order to take account of the novelty of their three year cycle of lessons. 

Communio. 1 Cor. 11, 24 et 25. Hoc corpus, quod pro vobis tradétur: hic calix novi Testaménti est in meo sánguine, dicit Dóminus: hoc fácite, quotiescúmque súmitis, in meam commemoratiónem.

Postcommunio. Adésto nobis, Dómine, Deus noster: et, quos tuis mystériis recreásti, perpétuis defénde subsidiis. Per Dóminum.

At Saint-Eugène at the end of Mass, the canticle Au sang qu’un Dieu va répandre of Amédée Gastoué, setting the text of the venerable François de Salignac de La Mothe Fénelon (1651-1715), Archbishop of Cambrai.

At Saint-Eugène, Mons Dominique Catta also officiated at Vespers, the video-recording of which I'll add when it becomes available. Good work, Mons Catta! It did become evident, I think, that he doesn't often celebrate Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

LDVM

Loyset Compère, Saint Venantius Fortunatus, Anthoine Bertrand, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Amédée Gastoué, François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon