Dominica IV Adventus: "Genímina viperárum, quis osténdit vobis fúgere a ventúra ira? "

 ~ Semiduplex Dominica II. classis

Sun, 12/21/25

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent under the 1954 (semi-double Sunday of the II class) and 1962 (I class Sunday) rubrics. (NB: The feast of St. Thomas, Ap, is transferred to tomorrow, December 22, under the 1954 rubrics outside the U.S. [see below]; this feast is omitted entirely this year under the 1962 rubrics.)

Mass: Proper Mass. Violet. Omit Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Credo. Preface of the Most Holy Trinity (1962: optional Preface of Advent). Benedicamus (1954)/Ite (1962). Under 1954, 2nd prayer Deus qui de beatae of Our Lady. 3rd prayer either Eccleisae tuae for the Church or Deus omnium for the pope. No commemorations or additional prayers under 1962.

Office: Sunday office. Violet. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1954)/1 nocturn of 3 lessons (1962; II = II & III of the old Breviary combined, III = lesson VII of the old Breviary). Omit Te Deum. At Matins, psalms of Sunday with Advent antiphons. At Lauds and the hours, psalms of Sunday (Lauds = schema I) with proper antiphons of the 4th Sunday of Advent. All else from the proper. Proper Benedictus antiphon Nolite timere for December 21. Collect of the Sunday. No commemorations at Lauds. Omit suffrage (1954). Preces at Prime (1954 only). At Prime, V = Qui venturus es in mundum. (Source: LB236 on Twitter/X.)

Introitus
Isa 45:8
Roráte, cœli, désuper, et nubes pluant justum: aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem
Ps 18:2
Cœli enárrant glóriam Dei: et ópera mánuum ejus annúntiat firmaméntum.
V. Glória Patri,  ...

ollect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Put forth Your power, O Lord, we beseech You, and delay not: and with Your great might come to our aid, so that what is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Your merciful goodness.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
R. Amen

Let us pray.
Commemoration St. Thomas the Apostle
O Lord, grant us, we beseech You, to glory in the feast-day of blessed Thomas, Your Apostle, that we may be helped continually by his patronage and imitate his faith with a devotion like his.

de S. Maria Advent
O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, your suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with You.
Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea. And so on.

Homily by Pope St. Gregory (the Great)
20th on the Gospels
John said unto the multitude, that came forth to be baptised of him: "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" The wrath to come in one sense signifieth the great vengeance of the Latter Day the sinner that repenteth not of his sin now, will have no mean whereby to flee from punishment then. Let us remark that addressing evil children copying the example of evil parents, the Baptist calleth them a generation of vipers in that they were envious at the righteous, and persecuted them; that they repaid evil for evil; that they hunted out ways of harming their neighbours, in all these things following the pattern of carnal parents, the prophet likeneth them to a venomous brood hatched from a venomous stock.

We also have sinned, we have fallen into wicked habits. What must we do, if we would flee from the wrath to come? Let us hear John. Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. In which words let us remark that the Friend of the Bridegroom demandeth not only fruits of repentance, but fruits worthy of repentance. The former are one thing, and the latter another. In considering then what are fruits worthy of repentance, we may remark that if we had done nothing unlawful we might have had free use of things which are lawful, and been able to sanctify ourselves without abstaining from indulgence in the things of the world.

But if any one, for example, hath fallen into fornication, or perhaps, into what is much worse, adultery, he ought to make up for his lawless pleasure by abstaining in some degree from lawful enjoyments. He that hath sinned less is not bound to mortify himself as much as he that hath sinned more, nor he that is innocent like him that is guilty. Let every one hearing these words bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, proceed to judge himself by his own conscience, and the more he perceiveth that he hath sinned, the greater penance let him do.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Having received Your gifts, we beseech You, O Lord, that each partaking of this sacrament may increase within us its saving effect.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Let us pray.
Commemoration St. Thomas the Apostle
Merciful God, abide with us, and through the intercession of Your blessed Apostle Thomas, mercifully safeguard the gifts You have given us.

de S. Maria Advent
May this Communion, O Lord, cleanse us of sin, and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, may it make us sharers of heavenly healing.
Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.