S Benedicti Abbatis ~ Duplex majus

Commemoratio: Sabbato infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima

Sat, 3/21/26:

Today is the feast of St. Benedict, Abbott, under the 1954 (double major) rubrics. Mass: Os justi of an abbot. White. Gloria. Gradual/Tract. Omit Credo. Preface of Lent. Ite. Commemoration and Last Gospel of the Lenten feria. Under 1954, in parish churches, the Mass of the Lenten feria may be offered at private (low) Masses, either in place of the Mass of the feast (if only one Mass is offered) or as a second Mass. Station church at St. Vitalis. Violet. Omit Gloria. Gradual. Tract with genuflection at Adjuva nos. Omit Credo. Preface of Lent. Prayer over the people. Benedicamus. Commemoration of St. Benedict. In cathedrals, monasteries, etc., the festal Mass of St. Benedict is sung after Terce as above, omitting commemoration of the Lenten feria. The Mass of the Lenten feria is sung after None as above, omitting commemoration of the feast and with the seasonal orations A cunctis and Omnipotens. Office: Ordinary office. White. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1st nocturn = Laudemus viros of the feast, lesson IX = of the feria). Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons of the feria (Lauds = schema I). All else from the common of a confessor not a bishop. Collect Intercessio nos of an abbot. At Lauds, commemoration of the Lenten feria (proper Benedictus antiphon and collect). Omit suffrage. No displaced psalm added at Prime. (LB236 on Twitter/X.)

Benedict was born of a noble family at Norcia, about the year of our Lord 480, and studied letters at Rome. Desiring to give himself altogether to Christ Jesus, he betook himself to a very deep cave at the place now called Subiaco. In this place he lay hid for three years, unknown to all except the monk Romanus, by means of whom he received the necessaries of life. While he was in the cave at Subiaco, the devil one day assailed him with an extraordinary storm of impure temptation, and to get it under, he rolled himself in brambles till his whole body was lacerated, and the sting of pain drove out the sallies of lust. At last the fame of his holiness spread itself abroad from the desert, and some monks came to him for guidance, but the looseness of their lives was such that they could not bear his exhortations, and they plotted together to poison him in his drink. When they gave him the cup, he made the sign of the Cross over it, whereupon it immediately broke, and Benedict left that monastery, and retired to a desert place alone. 

(Breviarium Romanum)

Introitus
Ps 36:30-31
Os justi meditábitur sapiéntiam, et lingua ejus loquétur judícium: lex Dei ejus in corde ipsíus.
Ps 36:1
Noli æmulári in malignántibus: neque zeláveris faciéntes iniquitátem.
V. Glória Patri, ...

Collect
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Benedicti, commend us to You, O Lord, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

Let us pray.
Commemoration Feria Sexta infra Hebdomadam II in Quadragesima
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that with the sacred fast to purify us, we may with sincere hearts reach the coming feast.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Matt 19:27-29
At that time, Peter said unto Jesus: Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee what shall we have therefore? And so on.

Homily by St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem.
Bk. iii. on Matth xix.
Peter was a fisherman, he was not rich, he earned his bread by his hand and skill, and nevertheless he is thus bold, and saith confidently: We have forsaken all. And because it sufficeth not to forsake only, he addeth that which to do is to be perfect: and followed thee. We have done that which Thou hast commanded us, what reward therefore wilt Thou give us? And Jesus said unto them Amen I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He said not, Ye which have forsaken all, for this did even Crates the philosopher, and they which have set nothing by riches are many, but, Ye which have followed Me. This did the Apostles, and this do believers do.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the pleading of the blessed Abbot Benedict for us, together with the partaking of Your sacrament, protect us, O Lord, so that we, mindful of his way of life, may obtain the help of his intercession.
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 Sabbato infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
May Your holy sacrament cleanse us, we beseech You, O Lord, and may its power make us pleasing to You.
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.

Feria Sexta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima

 Introitus

Ps 18:15
Meditátio cordis mei in conspéctu tuo semper: Dómine, adjútor meus, et redémptor meus.
Ps 18:2
Cœli enárrant glóriam Dei: et ópera mánuum ejus annúntiat firmaméntum.
V. Glória Patri, ...

Collect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O God, Who by your wondrous sacraments renew the world, grant that Your church may benefit from Your eternal decrees and not be deprived of temporal help.

For the Pope
O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look with favor upon Your servant (name of Pope), whom You willed to designate shepherd of Your Church; grant him, we beseech You, that by word and example he may so benefit those in his charge, that together with the flock committed to his care, he may attain life everlasting.
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.
Collect of the Saints
From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech thee, and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of blessed N. and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, thy Church may serve thee in security and freedom.

pro vivis et mortuos
Almighty and eternal God, who has dominion over both the living and the dead, and has mercy upon all whom You foreknow will be Yours by faith and good works; we humbly beseech You that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication, whether the present world home still holds them in the flesh or the world to come holds them out of the body, may, through the intercession of Your saints, obtain of Your goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins.
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.

Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John
John 11:1-45
At that time, there was a certain man sick, named Lazarus, of Bethania, of the town of Mary and Martha her sister. And so on.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
49th Tract on John
Ye remember that in our last reading we learnt how that the Lord escaped out of the hands of them which took up stones to stone Him, and went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized. John x. 31, 39, 40- While, then, the Lord still tarried there, Lazarus was sick at Bethany, which was a town near to Jerusalem. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His Feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto Him. We know already whither it was that they sent, for we know where Jesus was: He was gone away again beyond Jordan. His sisters sent unto Him, saying: Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick, in order that, if He so pleased, He might come and free him from his sickness. But Jesus healed not, that He might afterward quicken.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the reception of this sacrament, we beseech You, O Lord, always free us from sin and protect us from all that works against us.

For the Pope
May this reception of the divine sacrament, we beseech You, O Lord, be our protection, and may it safeguard and shield at all times Your servant (name of Pope), whom You willed to rule over Your Church as shepherd, and with him, the flock entrusted to his care.
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.
Of the Saints
May the offering of this divine Sacrament cleanse and protect us, O Lord we beseech thee, and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of blessed N. and all the Saints, may it purify us from all sin, and free us from all adversity.

pro vivis et mortuos
May the Sacraments which we have received purify us, we beseech Thee, O almighty and merciful Lord; and through the intercession of all the saints, grant that this Thy Sacrament may not be unto us a condemnation, but a salutory intercession for pardon; may it be the washing away of sin, the strength of the weak, a protection against all dangers of the world, and a remission of all the sins of the faithful, whether living or dead.
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.


Prayer over the people
Let us pray.
Bow your heads to God.
Grant us, we beseech You, almighty God, that, conscious of our weakness, we may place our trust in Your strength, and rejoice forever in Your fatherly love.
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.

S. Joseph Sponsi B.M.V. Confessoris ~ Duplex I. classis

Commemoratio: Feria Quinta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima

Melchior Paul von Deschwanden (1811-1881), “Saint Joseph and Jesus with John the Baptist” (photo: Public Domain)

Thurs, 3/19/26: Today is the feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of Our Lady & C under the 1954 (double of the I class) and 1962 (I class) rubrics. (Note that the title "Patron of the Universal Church" was added to this feast following the 1955 suppression of the separate feast [with octave] of St. Joseph under that title.) Mass: Pro populo. Proper Mass. White. Gloria. Gradual/Tract. Credo. Preface of St. Joseph (Et te in Festivitate). Ite. Commemoration of the Lenten feria at all Masses. Under 1954, Last Gospel of the Lenten feria. NB: The Mass of St. Joseph is obligatory under both sets of rubrics; the Mass of the feria may not be offered today. Office: Festal office. White. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (under 1954 only, lesson IX = of the Lenten feria). Te Deum. Proper psalms and antiphons at Matins. At Lauds and the hours, psalms of Sunday (schema I; Prime = 53, 118.1, 118.2) with proper antiphons. All else from the proper. Proper Benedictus antiphon and collect of the feast. At Lauds, commemoration of the Lenten feria (proper Benedictus antiphon and collect). Omit suffrage (1954 only).

(LB236 on Twitter/X.)

Introitus
Ps 91:13-14
Justus ut palma florébit: sicut cedrus Líbani multiplicábitur: plantátus in domo Dómini: in átriis domus Dei nostri.
Ps 91:2
Bonum est confitéri Dómino: et psállere nómini tuo, Altíssime.
V. Glória Patri, ...

Collect

℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the merits of Your most holy Mother’s spouse help us, we beseech You, O Lord, that through his intercession we may receive what we cannot obtain by our own efforts.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
℟. Amen

Let us pray.
Commemoration Feria Quinta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who are chastising the flesh by fasting, may rejoice in this holy practice and thus, with earthly passions subdued, we may the more readily direct our thoughts to heavenly things.
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.

Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Matt 1:18-21
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. And so on.

Homily by St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem.
Book of Commentaries, on Matth. i.
Why was the Lord conceived of an espoused virgin rather than of a free? First, for the sake of the genealogy of Mary, which we have obtained by that of Joseph. Secondly, because she was thus saved from being stoned by the Jews as an adulteress. Thirdly, that Himself and His mother might have a guardian on their journey into Egypt. To these, Ignatius, the martyr of Antioch, has added a fourth reason namely, that the birth might take place unknown to the devil, who would naturally suppose that Mary had conceived by Joseph.

Communion

P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Be with us, we beseech You, O merciful God, and by the intercession of blessed Joseph, Your Confessor, graciously keep safe the gifts You have given us.
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 Feria Quinta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
O Lord, we beseech you, do not allow the heavenly gifts, which You have given for healing Your faithful people, to become a reason for condemning those who receive them.
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.

S. Cyrilli Episcopi Hierosolymitani Confessoris et Ecclesiæ Doctoris ~ Duplex

Commemoratio: Feria Quarta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima

Wed, 3/18/26:

Today is the feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, B, C & D, under the 1954 (double) rubrics. Mass: Proper Mass (most from In medio of a doctor). White. Gloria. Gradual/Tract. Credo (for feasts of doctors). Preface of Lent. Ite. Commemoration and Last Gospel of the Lenten feria. Under 1954, in parish churches, the Mass of the Lenten feria may be offered at private (low) Masses, either in place of the Mass of the feast (if only one Mass is offered) or as a second Mass. Station church at St. Balbina. Violet. Omit Gloria. Gradual. Omit Tract. Omit Credo. Preface of Lent. Prayer over the people. Benedicamus. Commemoration of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. In cathedrals, monasteries, etc., the festal Mass of St. Cyril of Jerusalem is sung after Terce as above, omitting commemoration of the Lenten feria. The Mass of the Lenten feria is sung after None as above, omitting commemoration of the feast and with the seasonal oration A cunctis for the intercession of the saints and Omnipotens for the living and the dead. Office: Ordinary office. White. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1st nocturn = Sapientiam of the feast with proper responsories, lesson IX = of the feria). Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons of the feria (Lauds = schema I). All else from the common of a confessor bishop. Proper collect. At Lauds, commemoration of the Lenten feria (proper Benedictus antiphon and collect). Omit suffrage. No displaced psalm added at Prime.

(Source: LB236 on Twitter/X.)

Cyril of Jerusalem was given to the study of the Holy Scriptures from a child, and so learnt therein that he became an eminent champion of the orthodox faith. He embraced the monastic institute in perpetual continency, and all hardship of living. He was ordained Priest by holy Maximus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and undertook with eminent success the task of preaching the word of God to the faithful and of instructing the catechumens. Thus did he compose those truly wonderful Catecheses, wherein he has embraced, clearly and fully, all the teaching of the Church, and stoutly defended every one of her doctrines against the enemies of the faith. His treatment of these subjects was such that he has overthrown therein, not only the heresies which had then come into being, but, by a kind of foreknowledge, even those which were to arise in later times. Of this an instance is his contention for the real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the wondrous Sacrament of the Eucharist. After the death of holy Maximus, the bishops of the province chose Cyril in his place.

In his office of Bishop he had for the faith's sake, like his blessed contemporary Athanasius, to endure many wrongs and sufferings at the hands of the Arian sect. The Arians could not bear that Cyril should steadfastly withstand their heresy. They assailed him with calumnies, deposed him in a pretended council, and drove him out of his see. To escape their rage he fled to Tarsus in Cilicia, and as long as Constantius lived he bore the hardships of exile. After his death and the accession to the imperial throne of the Apostate Julian, Cyril was able to return to Jerusalem, where he set himself with burning zeal to deliver his flock from false doctrine and from sin. He was driven into exile a second time under the Emperor Valens. But when peace was restored to the Church by Theodosius the Great, and the cruelty and insolence of the Arians were restrained, Cyril was received with honour by the Emperor as one of Christ's most eminent soldiers, and was restored to his see. With what earnestness and holiness he fulfilled the duties of his exalted office was made manifest by the flourishing state of the church of Jerusalem at that time, of which a picture hath been left for us by holy Basil, who dwelt there for a while when he went to worship at the holy places.  (Breviarium Romanum)

Introitus
Eccli 15:5
In médio Ecclésiæ apéruit os ejus: et implévit eum Dóminus spíritu sapiéntiæ et intelléctus: stolam glóriæ índuit eum.
Ps 91:2
Bonum est confitéri Dómino: et psállere nómini tuo, Altíssime.
V. Glória Patri, ...

Collect
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant us, we beseech You, almighty God, through the intercession of the blessed Bishop Cyril, so to acknowledge You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent, that we may be found worthy to be forever numbered among the sheep who hear His voice.
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.
℟. Amen.

Let us pray.
Commemoration Feria Quarta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
O God, Who graciously grant to the righteous the rewards of their merits, and to sinners forgiveness through fasting, have mercy upon Your humble servants, so that, confessing our guilt, we may obtain pardon for our transgressions.
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.

From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Matt 10:23-28
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another. And so on.

Homily by St. Athanasius, Pope of Alexandria.
Defence of his own flight.
It is written in the Law, Num. xxxv. 11, Ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that in these cities they which were pursued to put them to death might enter and be safe. And in the latter days when He was come, even that very Word of the Father, Which had spoken aforetime unto Moses, He gave again the same commandment When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another. And, a while afterward, He said: “When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the Holy Place, whoso readeth, let him understand, then let them which be in Judaea flee unto the mountains; let him which is on the house-top not come down to take anything out of his house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.” Matth. xxiv. 15-18.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O Lord, Jesus Christ, may the sacrament of Your Body and Blood which we have received, make holy our minds and hearts through the prayers of blessed Bishop Cyril, and thus make us worthy to become sharers of the divine nature.
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 Feria Quarta infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
May the sacrament we have received, O Lord, both fill us with spiritual nourishment and sustain us with bodily aid.
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.

S. Patricii Episcopi et Confessoris ~ Duplex

Scriptura: Feria Secunda infra Hebdomadam II in Quadragesima

 Tues, 3/17/26:

Today is the feast of St. Patrick, B & C, under the 1954 (double) rubrics. Mass: Statuit of a confessor bishop with proper collect. White. Gloria. Gradual/Tract. Omit Credo. Preface of Lent. Ite. Commemoration and Last Gospel of the Lenten feria. In parish churches, at private (low) Masses, the Mass of the Lenten feria may be offered in place of the Mass of the feast. Proper Mass. Station church at St. Clement. Violet. Omit Gloria. Gradual. Tract with genuflection at Adjuva nos. Omit Credo. Preface of Lent. Benedicamus. Commemoration of St. Patrick. Office: Ordinary office. White. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1st nocturn = Fidelis sermo with proper responsories, IX = of the feria). Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons of the feria (Lauds = schema I). All else from the common of a confessor bishop. Proper collect. Commemoration of the Lenten feria at Lauds (proper Benedictus antiphon and collect). Omit suffrage.

Patrick, called the Apostle of Ireland, was born in Great Britain. The name of his father was Calphurnius, and that of his mother Conchessa. She is said to have been a relation of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours. When Patrick was a lad, he was several times taken prisoner by savages, and while being in their hands he was employed as a shepherd, he already showed marks of his saintliness to come. His spirit was filled with faith, and love, and fear of God, so that he would rise before the light, in snow, and frost, and rain, to make his prayers to God, being accustomed to address God in prayer an hundred times every day, and an hundred times every night. After being rescued from his third captivity, he was placed among the clergy, and for a long time exercised himself in sacred learning. To this end he travelled with much labour, through Gaul, Italy, and the islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea, but at last being called of God to work for the salvation of the Irish, and, having received from the Blessed Pope Celestine a commission to preach the gospel, and likewise being consecrated a Bishop, he betook himself to Ireland.

Collect
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O, God, Who graciously sent blessed Patrick, Your Confessor and Bishop, to preach Your glory to the nations, grant through his merits and intercession, that by Your mercy we may be able to accomplish what You command.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

Let us pray.
Commemoration Feria Tertia infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
May the sacred practice of fasting, we beseech You, O Lord, win for us increased holiness of life and the continuing help of Your mercy.
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.

Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John
John 7:14-31
In that time, about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews wondered. And so on.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
29th Tract on John
He Who had gone up unto the Feast, not openly, but as it were in secret, the Same taught, and spake openly, and no man laid hands upon Him. That He had hid Himself, was for example's sake; that He manifested Himself, was to show His power. And when He taught, the Jews marvelled. As seemeth to my mind, they all marvelled, but were not all converted. And wherefore marvelled they? Because many of them knew where He was born, and how He had been brought up. They had never seen Him learn letters; but they heard Him dispute concerning the law, and allege the testimony of the same, as no man could do who had not read it; and no man can read unless he learn; and therefore they marvelled. But their marvelling was unto the Teacher an occasion for the revealing of higher truth.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that as we thank You for the favors we have received, we may, by the intercession of blessed Patrick, Your Confessor and Bishop, obtain still greater blessings.
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 Feria Tertia infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
May the reception of this sacrament, O Lord, cleanse us from guilt and bring us to the kingdom of heaven.
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.

Feria Secunda infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima ~ Feria major

 Mon, 3/16/26:

Today is a Lenten feria under the 1954 (simple) and 1962 (III class) rubrics.

Mass: Proper Mass. Violet. Station church at the Four Holy Crowned Ones. Omit Gloria. Gradual. Tract with genuflection at Adjuva nos. Omit Credo. Preface of Lent. Prayer over the people. Benedicamus (1954)/Ite (1962). Under 1954, 2nd prayer A cunctis for the intercession of the saints. 3rd prayer Omnipotens for the living and the dead. No additional prayers under 1962.

Office: Ferial office. Violet. Matins of 1 nocturn of 3 lessons (all from occurring Scripture). Omit Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons of the feria (Lauds = schema II). All else from the ferial office for Lent. Proper Benedictus antiphon and collect. No commemorations at Lauds. Preces at Lauds and the hours (1954 only). Suffrage (1954 only). At Prime, add displaced psalm 46.

(Source: LB236 on Twitter/X.)

Introitus
Ps 53:3-4
Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac, et in virtúte tua líbera me: Deus, exáudi oratiónem meam: áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.
Ps 53:5
Quóniam aliéni insurrexérunt in me: et fortes quæsiérunt ánimam meam.
V. Glória Patri, ...

Collect
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who devoutly keep the sacred observances year by year, may be pleasing to You both in body and soul.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.


Let us pray.
Collect of the Saints
From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech thee, and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of blessed N. and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, thy Church may serve thee in security and freedom.

pro vivis et mortuos
Almighty and eternal God, who has dominion over both the living and the dead, and has mercy upon all whom You foreknow will be Yours by faith and good works; we humbly beseech You that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication, whether the present world home still holds them in the flesh or the world to come holds them out of the body, may, through the intercession of Your saints, obtain of Your goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John
John 2:13-25.
In that time, the pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves. And so on.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
10th Tract on John.
What hear we now, my brethren? Behold, that temple was still but a figure, and the Lord drove out therefrom all them that sought their own, even them that were come to deal in merchandise. And what was it that they sold there? Only such things as were needful to men for the sacrifices that then were. For your love knoweth that, because of that people's carnal-mindedness and the stoniness of their heart, there were commanded unto them such sacrifices as these, thereby to hold them back from idolatry and there, according, they offered up oxen, and sheep, and doves. This ye have read, and know.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech You, merciful God, that we may treat with sincere reverence, and consume with heartfelt faith Your sacrament, which ever fills us to overflowing.
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.
Of the Saints
May the offering of this divine Sacrament cleanse and protect us, O Lord we beseech thee, and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of blessed N. and all the Saints, may it purify us from all sin, and free us from all adversity.

pro vivis et mortuos
May the Sacraments which we have received purify us, we beseech Thee, O almighty and merciful Lord; and through the intercession of all the saints, grant that this Thy Sacrament may not be unto us a condemnation, but a salutory intercession for pardon; may it be the washing away of sin, the strength of the weak, a protection against all dangers of the world, and a remission of all the sins of the faithful, whether living or dead.
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.

Dominica IV in Quadragesima ~ "Laetare"

Semiduplex Dominica I. classis

Sunday, 3/15/26

Today is the 4th Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday) under the 1954 (semi-double Sunday of the I class) and 1962 (I class Sunday) rubrics.

Mass: Proper Mass. Station church at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Rose (violet if rose vestments are not available). Omit Gloria. Gradual/Tract. Credo. Preface of Lent. Benedicamus (1954)/Ite (1962). Under 1954, 2nd prayer A cunctis for the intercession of the saints. 3rd prayer Omnipotens for the living and the dead. No additional prayers under 1962.

Office: Sunday office. Rose. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1954)/1 nocturn of 3 lessons (1962; lesson II = II & III of the old Breviary combined, III = lesson VII of the old Breviary). Omit Te Deum. Psalms of Sunday (Lauds = schema II) with proper antiphons. All else from the proper. Proper Benedictus antiphon. Collect of the Sunday. No commemorations at Lauds. Suffrage (1954 only). At Prime, under 1954, psalms 92, 99, 118.1, 118.2. Under 1962, psalms 53, 118.1, 118.2.

Commentary by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

This Sunday, called, from the first word of the Introit, Lætare Sunday, is one of the most solemn of the year. The Church interrupts her Lenten mournfulness; the changes of the Mass speak of nothing but joy and consolation; the organ, which has been silent during the preceding three Sundays, now gives forth its melodious voice; the deacon resumes his dalmatic, and the subdeacon his tunic; and instead of purple, rose-coloured vestments are allowed to be used. These same rites were practiced in Advent, on the third Sunday, called Gaudete. The Church’s motive for introducing this expression of joy into today’s liturgy is to encourage her children to persevere fervently to the end of this holy season. The real mid-Lent was last Thursday, as we have already observed; but the Church, fearing lest the joy might lead to some infringement on the spirit of penance, has deferred her own notice of it to this Sunday, when she not only permits, but even bids, her children to rejoice!

The Station at Rome is in the basilica of Holy Cross in Jerusalem, one of the seven principal churches of the holy city. It was built in the fourth century, by the emperor Constantine, in one of his villas called Sessorius, on which account it goes also under the name of the Sessorian basilica. The emperor’s mother, St. Helena, enriched it with most precious relics, and wished to make it the Jerusalem of Rome. With this intention she ordered a great quantity of earth taken from Mount Calvary to be put on the site. Among the other relics of the instruments of the Passion which she gave to this church was the inscription which was fastened to the cross; it is still there, and is called the Title of the Cross. The name of Jerusalem, which has been given to this basilica, and which recalls to our minds the heavenly Jerusalem towards which we are tending, suggested the choice of it as today’s Station. Up to the fourteenth century, when Avignon became for a time the city of the Popes, the ceremony of the golden rose took place in this church; at present, it is blessed in the palace where the sovereign Pontiff happens to be residing at this season.

These men, whom Jesus has been feeding by a miracle of love and power, are resolved to make Him their King. They have no hesitation in proclaiming Him worthy to reign over them; for where can they find one worthier? What, then, shall we Christians do, who know the goodness and the power of Jesus incomparably better than these poor Jews? We must beseech Him to reign over us, from this day forward. We have just been reading in the Epistle, that it is He who has made us free, by delivering us from our enemies. O glorious liberty! But the only way to maintain it, is to live under His law. Jesus is not a tyrant, as are the world and the flesh; His rule is sweet and peaceful, and we are His children rather than His servants. In the court of such a King “to serve is to reign.’ What, then, have we to do with our old slavery? If some of its chains be still upon us, let us lose no time, let us break them, for the Pasch is near at hand; the great feast day begins to dawn. Onwards, then, courageously to the end of our journey! Jesus will refresh us; He will make us sit down as He did the men of the Gospel; and the Bread He has in store for us will make us forget all our past fatigues.

Introitus

Is 66:10 et 11
Lætáre, Jerúsalem: et convéntum fácite, omnes qui dilígitis eam: gaudéte cum lætítia, qui in tristítia fuístis: ut exsultétis, et satiémini ab ubéribus consolatiónis vestræ.
Ps 121:1.
Lætátus sum in his, quæ dicta sunt mihi: in domum Dómini íbimus.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Lætáre, Jerúsalem: et convéntum fácite, omnes qui dilígitis eam: gaudéte cum lætítia, qui in tristítia fuístis: ut exsultétis, et satiémini ab ubéribus consolatiónis vestræ.

Collect
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who justly suffer for our sins may find relief in the help of Your grace.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

Let us pray.
Collect of the Saints
From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech thee, and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of blessed N. and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, thy Church may serve thee in security and freedom.

pro vivis et mortuos
Almighty and eternal God, who has dominion over both the living and the dead, and has mercy upon all whom You foreknow will be Yours by faith and good works; we humbly beseech You that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication, whether the present world home still holds them in the flesh or the world to come holds them out of the body, may, through the intercession of Your saints, obtain of Your goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

From the Holy Gospel according to John
John 6:1-15
In that time, Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw the miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And so on.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
24th Tract on John
The miracles which our Lord Jesus Christ did were the very works of God, and they enlighten the mind of man by mean of things which are seen, that he may know more of God. God is Himself of such a Substance as eye cannot see, and the miracles, by the which He ruleth the whole world continually, and satisfieth the need of everything that He hath made, are by use become so common, that scarce any will vouchsafe to see that there are wonderful and amazing works of God in every grain of seed of grass. According to His mercy He kept some works to be done in their due season, but out of the common course and order of nature, that men might see them and be astonished, not because they are greater, but because they are rarer than those which they lightly esteem, since they see them day by day.

Post Communion
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech You, merciful God, that we may treat with sincere reverence, and consume with heartfelt faith Your sacrament, which ever fills us to overflowing.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen