Previous parts in this series:
Part 1: Introduction to the traditional Divine Office
Part 2: Matins
Part 3: Lauds
Part 4: Prime
Part 5: Terce, Sext, and None
In the evening, at the conclusion of our day's work, we offer the solemn hour of Vespers. Vespers has its origins in the Old Covenant, when the Jews would gather in the evening to offer prayers and sacrifice. The apostles continued this tradition. At Vespers, we give thanks to God for the gifts of the day. Vespers also has a special connection to the Mass, since it was in the evening, the hour of Vespers, that our Lord celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. In addition, our Lord's body was taken down from the Cross in the evening, and after his Resurrection, our Lord appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus in the evening. Thus, although the Mass has always traditionally been offered in the morning, after Terce, the evening is also a sacred time, observed by the hour of Vespers.
Part 1: Introduction to the traditional Divine Office
Part 2: Matins
Part 3: Lauds
Part 4: Prime
Part 5: Terce, Sext, and None
In the evening, at the conclusion of our day's work, we offer the solemn hour of Vespers. Vespers has its origins in the Old Covenant, when the Jews would gather in the evening to offer prayers and sacrifice. The apostles continued this tradition. At Vespers, we give thanks to God for the gifts of the day. Vespers also has a special connection to the Mass, since it was in the evening, the hour of Vespers, that our Lord celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. In addition, our Lord's body was taken down from the Cross in the evening, and after his Resurrection, our Lord appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus in the evening. Thus, although the Mass has always traditionally been offered in the morning, after Terce, the evening is also a sacred time, observed by the hour of Vespers.
Culturally,
evening is when
we come home from our day's work to
participate in social or family events. Thus,
although Matins is theologically
the most important hour of the Divine Office,
Vespers has the greatest cultural significance. Because
it is in the evening, Vespers
is the hour of the Divine Office that common people are most likely
to be able to participate in. In some places, it used to be the
custom to gather on Sunday evening for a period of worship that might
have included Vespers, the Rosary, or other devotions.
In
Judaism, the day began at sundown. Thus, the observance of all major
feasts began the previous evening. The
Catholic Church continues to observe this tradition for certain
feasts. Christmas, Easter,
Pentecost, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Ss. Peter and Paul,
St. Lawrence, and Assumption are all preceded by a vigil the day
before, on which Mass is traditionally offered after None. In
addition, the liturgical celebrations of all Sundays, all first class
feasts, and some second class
feasts begin with first
Vespers
the previous evening. The
evening of the feast
itself, second
Vespers
of
that feast
is offered. The
Liturgical Ordo indicates when first or second Vespers is offered.
On
Sundays
and major feasts,
Vespers may take the form of Solemn
Vespers.
Solemn Vespers is offered in choir by a priest, wearing a surplice
and a cope of the color of the day. The
ceremonies parallel those of a Solemn Mass.
The
priest
is assisted by two, four, or six assistants
also wearing surplices and copes, though their copes are usually less
elaborate than the priest's cope. These
assistants represent the deacon and subdeacon at Mass.
There
are also two acolytes, a
thurifer,
two
cantors,
and a choir.
Everything is
sung, incense is used, and
six candles are lit on the altar,
just like at Solemn Mass. Although
Solemn Vespers parallels Solemn Mass, it is not necessarily the ideal
form of Vespers like Solemn Mass is the ideal form of the Mass.
The
hour of Vespers has
the same structure as Lauds. It
traditionally begins with the prayers Aperi
Domine,
Our Father, and Hail Mary, though since 1956, these three
prayers
are no longer required at any of the hours. These
are followed by the usual opening verse.
Deus
☩ in adjutórium meum inténde.
Dómine,
ad adjuvándum me festína.Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen. Allelúia. |
O
God, ☩ come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. |
Next
are the psalms, the most important part of Vespers. Five psalms are
sung, each with its own antiphon sung before and after the psalm. At
Solemn Vespers, the priest sings the first few words of the first
antiphon, and the choir sings the rest. Like at the other hours of
the Divine Office, the psalms are dependent on the day of the week,
so that over the course of the week, all 150 psalms are sung. On
first and second class feasts, the Sunday psalms are sung. The
antiphons are proper to the day. During Eastertide, the only antiphon
at any of the hours of the Divine Office is “Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia.”
After
the psalms, the capitulum is
sung, which is proper to the day. At
Solemn Vespers, the ceremony for the capitulum
is similar to that of the Gospel at Mass. The priest sings the
capitulum while the
acolytes hold lighted candles on either side. Incense
is not used. Even though the
capitulum is usually
from an epistle or occasionally from the Old Testament, this ceremony
exists to connect Solemn Vespers to Solemn Mass and more broadly to
connect the Divine Office to the Mass.
After
the priest has sung the capitulum
and the choir has responded, “Deo gratias,” the priest sings the
first line of the hymn proper to the day, which the choir continues.
On ferias outside the major
liturgical seasons, the hymns appointed for each day of the week tell
the story of the creation. On
Sunday at second Vespers,
the hymn Lucis
Creator optime mentions the
creation of light. On Monday, the hymn Immense caeli
Conditor mentions the division
of the waters and the creation of the sky. On
Tuesday, the hymn Telluris alme Conditor
mentions the creation of dry land and
plants. On
Wednesday, the hymn Caeli Deus sanctissime
mentions the creation of the sun and moon. On
Thursday, the hymn Magnae Deus potentiae
mentions the creation of sea creatures and birds. On Friday, the hymn
Hominis supernae Conditor
mentions the creation of the beasts of the earth and men. Finally,
Saturday is the day that God
blessed and sanctified as a day of rest, and Vespers on Saturday is
first Vespers of the Sunday to follow. Thus, on Saturday, the hymn
Jam sol recedit igneus
is a hymn of praise to the Holy Trinity. On
feast days and during the seasons of Advent, Christmastide, Lent, and
Paschaltide, proper hymns are appointed. After
the hymn, a versicle and response are sung.
At
Lauds, we sing the Benedictus
or Canticle of Zechariah, which is Zechariah's hymn of praise when
his son, St. John the Baptist, was circumcised. At Vespers, we sing
the Magnificat
or Canticle of Mary,
the Blessed Virgin Mary's
hymn of praise when she
visited her cousin Elizabeth.
It is taken from Luke
1:46-55. The
Magnificat has been
part of Vespers since at least the sixth century, and it is just as
essential to Vespers as are
the psalms. Before and after
the Magnificat, an
antiphon proper to the day is sung. At the first verse of the
Magnificat, we make
the Sign of the Cross. (The
asterisk marks where to alter the pitch when singing.)
1:46
Magníficat ☩ * ánima mea Dóminum. 1:47 Et exsultávit spíritus meus: * in Deo, salutári meo. 1:48 Quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllæ suæ: * ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent omnes generatiónes. 1:49 Quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est: * et sanctum nomen eius. 1:50 Et misericórdia eius, a progénie in progénies: * timéntibus eum. 1:51 Fecit poténtiam in brácchio suo: * dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui. 1:52 Depósuit poténtes de sede: * et exaltávit húmiles. 1:53 Esuriéntes implévit bonis: * et dívites dimísit inánes. 1:54 Suscépit Israël púerum suum: * recordátus misericórdiæ suæ. 1:55 Sicut locútus est ad patres nostros: * Ábraham, et sémini eius in sǽcula. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen. |
1:46
My soul ☩ * doth magnify the Lord. 1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced * in God my Saviour. 1:48 Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; * for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 1:49 Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; * and holy is his name. 1:50 And his mercy is from generation unto generations, * to them that fear him. 1:51 He hath shewed might in his arm: * he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. 1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble. 1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich he hath sent empty away. 1:54 He hath received Israel his servant, * being mindful of his mercy: 1:55 As he spoke to our fathers, * to Abraham and to his seed forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
At
Solemn Vespers, the priest sings the first few words of the antiphon,
with the choir continuing. He
then comes to the altar with the assistants, puts incense in the
thurible, and blesses it with
the prayer Ab illo benedicaris,
as at Mass. The
priest incenses the altar
while the choir sings the Magnificat.
This again displays the connection between the Divine Office and the
Mass. The entire Divine Office honors the Holy Mass, so at the
Benedictus at Lauds
and the Magnificat at
Vespers, we honor the altar on which the Mass is offered with
incense. On
particularly solemn occasions, other altars in the church may also be
incensed. Any altar that is incensed should have six candles lit.
After incensing the altar or
altars, the priest, the
assistants, the choir, the acolytes, and the people are all incensed,
like at the Offertory at Mass. If
necessary, the organ may be played between verses of the Magnificat
to make sure it is long enough to accommodate the incensations. After
the incensations are done, the choir sings the Gloria
Patri.
The
preces feriales
are sung at Vespers on certain
penitential occasions. They
are identical to the preces
at Lauds, praying for ourselves, the pope, the local bishop, souls
in purgatory, and anyone in need.
Kýrie,
eléison. Christe, eléison. Kýrie, eléison. Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificétur nomen tuum: advéniat regnum tuum: fiat volúntas tua, sicut in cælo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidiánum da nobis hódie: et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris: Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: Sed líbera nos a malo. Ego dixi: Dómine, miserére mei. Sana ánimam meam quia peccávi tibi. Convértere, Dómine, úsquequo? Et deprecábilis esto super servos tuos. Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos. Quemádmodum sperávimus in te. Sacerdótes tui induántur iustítiam. Et sancti tui exsúltent. Orémus pro beatíssimo Papa nostro Francisco. Dóminus consérvet eum, et vivíficet eum, et beátum fáciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in ánimam inimicórum eius. Orémus et pro Antístite nostro __. Stet et pascat in fortitúdine tua, Dómine, in sublimitáte nóminis tui.
Dómine,
salvum fac regem.
Et
exáudi nos in die, qua invocavérimus te.
Salvum
fac pópulum tuum, Dómine, et bénedic hereditáti tuæ.
Et
rege eos, et extólle illos usque in ætérnum.
Meménto
Congregatiónis tuæ.
Quam
possedísti ab inítio.
Fiat
pax in virtúte tua.
Et
abundántia in túrribus tuis.
Orémus
pro benefactóribus nostris.
Retribúere
dignáre, Dómine, ómnibus, nobis bona faciéntibus propter nomen
tuum, vitam ætérnam. Amen.
Orémus
pro fidélibus defúnctis.
Réquiem
ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Requiéscant
in pace.
Amen.
Pro
frátribus nostris abséntibus.
Salvos
fac servos tuos, Deus meus, sperántes in te.
Pro
afflíctis et captívis.
Líbera
eos, Deus Israël, ex ómnibus tribulatiónibus suis.
Mitte
eis, Dómine, auxílium de sancto.
Et
de Sion tuére eos.
Dómine,
Deus virtútum, convérte nos.
Et
osténde fáciem tuam, et salvi érimus.
Exsúrge,
Christe, ádiuva nos.
Et
líbera nos propter nomen tuum.
Dómine,
exáudi oratiónem meam.
Et
clamor meus ad te véniat. |
Lord,
have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy
upon us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: But deliver us from evil. I said: Lord, be merciful unto me: Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. Turn thee again, O Lord; how long will it be? And be gracious unto thy servants. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us. As we have hoped in thee. Let thy priests be clothed with justice: And may thy saints rejoice. Let us pray for our most blessed Pope Francis. The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. Let us pray for our bishop __. May he stand firm and care for us in the strength of the Lord, in the might of thy name.
O
Lord, save our leaders.
And
mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
O
Lord, save thy people, and bless thine inheritance:
Govern
them and lift them up for ever.
Remember
thy congregation,
Which
thou hast possessed from the beginning.
Let
peace be in thy strength.
And
abundance in thy towers.
Let
us pray for our benefactors.
O
Lord, for thy name's sake, deign to reward with eternal life all
who do us good. Amen.
Let
us pray for the faithful departed.
Eternal
rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon
them.
May
they rest in peace.
Amen.
Let
us pray for our absent brothers.
Save
thy servants, O God, who put their trust in thee.
Let
us pray for the afflicted and imprisoned.
Deliver
them, God of Israel, from all their tribulations.
O
Lord, send them help from thy sanctuary.
And
defend them out of Sion.
Turn
us again, O Lord, God of Hosts.
Show
us thy face, and we shall be whole.
Arise,
O Christ, and help us.
And
redeem us for thy name's sake.
O
Lord, hear my prayer.
And
let my cry come unto thee.
|
After
the Magnificat,
or the preces
if they are sung, the collect
of the Mass of the day
is sung. Thus, for each
liturgical day, its proper collect is sung between six and eight
times in the liturgy. In
addition, commemorations may be made at Vespers. There
is a curious distinction in the 1960
rubrics, not present in any
previous editions, between “privileged commemorations,” which
are made at Lauds, Vespers, and all Masses,
and “ordinary commemorations,” which
are made only at Lauds and Low Masses.
Commemorations at Vespers
have the same form as commemorations at Lauds. The commemorated
feast's Magnificat
antiphon is sung, followed by the versicle and response after the
hymn, and then the collect. Before
1956, suffrages—additional
commemorations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Cross, the
saints, etc.—would be made
at Vespers just like at Lauds.
Vespers
then has the same conclusion as the other hours of the Divine Office.
(As always, someone who is
not a priest uses “Domine, exaudi orationem meam” instead of
“Dominus vobiscum.”)
Dóminus
vobíscum. Et cum spíritu tuo. Benedicámus Dómino. Deo grátias. Fidélium ánimæ per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace. Amen. |
The
Lord be with you. And with thy spirit. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. |
New
terms
-
first Vespers – Vespers offered the evening before a Sunday or major feast, the beginning of the day's liturgical celebration.
-
second Vespers – Vespers offered on the day of a feast.
-
Solemn Vespers – Vespers offered in choir by a priest with two, four, or six assistants in copes, with music and incense.
-
Magnificat or Canticle of Mary – The hymn of praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary when she visited her cousin Elizbeth, taken from Luke 1:46-55, sung at Vespers every day.
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