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| Codex Amiatinus, early c8th |
When the fourth responsory
is finished, let the abbot intone the hymn Te Deum laudamus. When that has been
said, the abbot shall read the lesson from the book of the Gospels, all
standing with fear and reverence. That having been read, let all answer Amen,
and then let the abbot go on with the hymn Te decet laus, and the blessing
having been given let them begin Lauds.
Rule of St Benedict, ch 11
In the last post, I looked at the hymns of Matins, two of which are in the concluding section of the hour on Sundays and feasts. There really isn't much to the rest of the concluding section of the hour, so I thought it might be sensible to cover the rubrics for this now rather than coming back to it later.
And just to help you keep track, the table below summarises the elements of Matins, with the things the series has covered so far bolded, and the elements covered in this post highlighted in yellow.
ELEMENTS OF MATINS
|
OPENING SECTION
|
Opening prayer – Domine labia mea
aperies
|
Psalm 3
|
Invitatory antiphon and Psalm 94
|
Hymn
|
NOCTURNS
|
Antiphons
|
Psalms of the day of the week
|
Psalms of Commons and feasts
|
Canticles
|
Versicle, Our Father and
absolution
|
Blessings for the reader
|
Readings
|
Responsories
|
CONCLUDING SECTION
|
Te Deum (hymn)
|
Gospel
|
Te Decet Laus (hymn)
|
Concluding Prayers
|
Why include the Gospel?
The inclusion of a Gospel reading in Matins on Sundays is one of the ways in which the Benedictine Office differs from the Roman. It is unclear just why St Benedict included it though.
One possibility is that it was included lest the monks not be able to attend Mass. As a hermit St Benedict famously didn't even know if was Easter Sunday when a priest was sent by God to share his meal for the feast after all! And in more than a few monasteries at this time, the monks were not priests, but simply went to the local Church on Sundays. In addition, although the Rule is written for monks, St Benedict surely envisaged nuns, including those under his sister, following it as well, so this may have been a consideration.
Another possibility is that it simply reflects contemporary practice: the monastic offices of the time that we know about generally had a lot more emphasis on readings than St Benedict's, and so including it in his longer SundayVigil might have seemed appropriate, and consistent with the twelve other readings of the day.
The most intriguing possibility, though, is that the three Nocturn and Gospel structure was borrowed from Eastern models of a weekly Resurrection Vigil of the kind described by the fourth century pilgrim to the Holy Land, Egeria. In this concept, the three Nocturns stand for the three days between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, and the Gospel itself might have been one of the Resurrection accounts. Indeed, the Office described by St Benedict's contemporary Caesarius of Arles, in a rule finalised in 534 AD, used the four Gospel accounts on a rotating basis on Sundays. If that was the original practice, though, it has long since been lost. Instead the Gospel is the same as at the (1963 calendar) Mass of the day.
The rubrics for the Gospel
In choir, all stand for the reading of the Gospel, and if a priest or deacon is presiding he says:
V: Dominus vobiscum (the Lord be with you)
To which everyone replies, as normal:
R: Et cum spiritu tuo (And with your spirit).
If you are saying the Office alone, or in a group without a priest or deacon, this is omitted and nothing is said to replace it.
The reader then says:
Sequentia (or Initium) Sancti Evangelii secundum [insert name of Gospel]
The response is:
R: Gloria tibi Domine (Glory to you Lord)
And at the end of the reading, everyone says Amen.
Note that although the words are the same as at the Mass, the rubrics do not actually specify that a sign of the cross is made (though I suspect that most monasteries actually do so regardless!).
The rubrics for the concluding section - Sundays and feasts
The hymn Te decet laus is then sung, and then the collect of the day (with appropriate concluding phrase, and an Amen at the end).
If Matins and Lauds are being said together, Lauds then follows immediately, starting from the 'Deus in adjutorium' as usual.
If however, the two hours are separated, then you add on the final prayers from the standard conclusion to all of the hours, as set out in the table below.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam
(or Dominus
vobiscum...if a priest or deacon)
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat. V. Benedicámus Dómino. R. Deo grátias. V. Fidélium ánimæ per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace. R. Amen. |
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee. V. Let us bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace R. Amen. |
Note: Divinum Officium adds another Our Father at the end, but that is not part of the 1963 rubrics (or in my 1892 breviary either).
The rubrics for the concluding section - weekdays
The concluding section of Matins on weekdays is quite different.
After the last antiphon for the psalms is said ((Nocturn II), a short chapter verse for the season or type of feast is said (to which a Deo Gratias/Thanks be to God is always added, as at the other hours of the Office). This is then followed by the same standard closing prayers for all of the other hours, starting with Kyrie eleison...
If you need a refresher on these, go here.
