EF vs. OF --- December 24 2017
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    I have just learned (from Rorate Caeli) and confirmed (through the Institute of Christ the King's website) that there are only 3 Sundays in Advent this year in the EF.

    Gaudete Sunday is followed by the Vigil of the Nativity, not the 4th Sunday of Advent.
    Thanked by 2Ryan Murphy JonathanLC
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    Even at 7am? That seems odd.
    Our 4th Sunday evening Missa Cantata was replaced by a NO Christmas Vigil, anyway.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    The Vigil of the Nativity is almost a whole liturgical day from Matins to None inclusive; its office ends with None, because Vespers is of course First Vespers of Christmas. A Vigil is a preparative day of fasting before a great feast, not the anticipation of the feast; therefore the vigils are all celebrated in violet (except those when you don't fast, such as Epiphany and Ascension vigil, being in the Christmas/Easter season; but they were abolished under Pius XII, anyway).

    The Vigil of the Nativity is special in that it has ferial Matins (or dominical Matins in years like this), but festal Lauds with the Sunday psalms (although still violet). [Before the new Codex rubricarum of 1960, it was also distinguished by being of simple or (on Sundays) semidouble rite during Matins, but of double rite from Lauds onwards.]
    Thanked by 3Incardination Joseph Mendes Ryan Murphy
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Corinne,

    There's a debate going on in my house this morning. One (knowledgable) soul is sure that the Vigil can't be celebrated until after Vespers.... but I think that's mistaken in this case. Vigils in the EF are not anticipations of the next day, in the way that they are in the OF. Saturday evening, for example, in the OF anticipates the next day, and satisfies the obligation, on a regular basis.... but as Protasius points out, such is most emphatically not the case in the EF. Still, I'm willing to be corrected if (in fact) I'm misunderstanding the situation.
  • rarty
    Posts: 96
    This was a pretty big change with the new calendar. They added a ferial Mass for the morning of December 24 and dropped it below the rank of the Sunday.

    Also, from Calendarium Romanum (1969, ICEL 1975):

    The medieval notion of a vigil as a day of penance before a feast has been completely abolished. With the exception of the Easter Vigil which is celebrated sometime during the night, the term "Mass of the vigil" now refers to the Mass which can be celebrated in a festive way in the evening, before or after Evening Prayer I of certain solemnities.


    So there is surely some continued confusion from the fact that the traditional (if not ancient) definition of 'vigil' was abolished and replaced with a contrary definition.
  • Incardination
    Posts: 832
    In the EF, Christmas Vigil is a 1st Class feast and supersedes Advent IV.
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    1st Class.PNG
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    Thanked by 1mmeladirectress
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    It makes sense. I just hadn't put any thought into it, because I already knew that we had lost our Latin Mass for that day. It will be pretty close to a Latin Mass, anyway, though. =)

    The Traditional calendars that I have and the specific ones I use as online references also say "Vigil of Christmas."

    For some reason, though, the iPieta app says "Sunday in Christmas Octave," as does the Sunday following Christmas...
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Corinne,

    Another mistake in another app. Oh well.

    Might be (isn't, but might be) why I don't use apps, and don't have a "smart" phone.
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    I only downloaded it recently because I'd heard great things about it. *shrug* Ah, well...
  • Joseph MendesJoseph Mendes
    Posts: 99
    This year also has the shortest possible Advent.
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,945
    In the OF, it's also the shortest possible Advent-Christmastide.

    http://www.praytellblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2016-12-15-at-8.49.37-PM.png
    Thanked by 1Joseph Mendes
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    Incardination,
    The list of first class days made me wonder: What should we do for (EF) Vespers on Saturday evening December 23? Usually on Saturdays, it's first vespers for the following Sunday. But I wouldn't think a vigil would have a first vespers, even if it's a first class day.

    The FSSP ordo shows first vespers of the 4th Sunday of Advent, even though the next morning we have the Vigil of Christmas office and Mass, not 4th Sunday of Advent.
  • Incardination
    Posts: 832
    That's a good question. I would assume the Ordo is correct, although that really doesn't make much sense liturgically! I'll do some digging...
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,048
    I just had a friend ask about this, I started looking into it, and figured I'd check here. And what was the first topic?

    I'm really embarrassed. But not as embarrassed as I would have been if I'd started singing Rorate coeli....
    Thanked by 1Ryan Murphy
  • Incardination
    Posts: 832
    From the breviary:
    If the vigil of Christmas comes on Sunday, the Office is said as follows:
    • On the Saturday preceding, all is said as at 1st Vespers of the 4th Sunday of Advent 1126.
    • At Matins a single Nocturn is said, with the invitatory of the vigil, the hymn from the Ordinary for Advent, nine antiphons and nine psalms of the Sunday for the Advent season, the verse and the three lessons with their responsories of the vigil.
    • At Lauds and at the Little Hours the festive Office of the vigil is said, as in the Proper,
      without any commemoration of the Sunday.

    Thanked by 2David Sullivan JonathanLC
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