THE

LITURGICAL YEAR.

BY THE

VERY REV. DOM PROSPER GUÉRANGER,

ABBOT OF SOLESMES.

Translated from the French,

BY THE

REV. DOM LAURENCE SHEPHERD,

MONK OF THE ENGLISH-BENEDICTINE CONGREGATION.

CHRISTMAS.

VOL. I.

DUBLIN:

JAMES DUFFY, 15, WELLINGTON-QUAY;

AND

22, PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON.

1868.

с

DUBLIN: Printed by I. M. O'Toole & Sor,

CONTENTS.

PAGE

1

7

17

34

CHRISTMAS.

CHAPTER I.— The History of Christmas,

CHAP. II. - The Mystery of Christmas,

CHAP. III. - Practice during Christmas,

CHAP. IV. Morning and Night Prayers for Christ-

mas,

CHAP. V. - On hearing Mass, during the Season

of Christmas,

CHAP. VI. - On Holy Communion, during Christ-

mas,

CHAP. VII. On the Office of Vespers for Sundays

and Feasts, during Christmas,

CHAP. VIII. – On the Office of Compline, during

Christmas, .

51

88

98

109

CHRISTMAS DAY,

Afternoon of the Eve,

First Vespers,

The Hour before Midnight Service,

Matins,

Midnight Mass,

Lauds,

The Second Mass, or Mass of the Aurora,

Early Morning, before Mass, .

The Third Mass,

Second Vespers,

120

ibid.

128

135

146

184

194

208

219

225

233

PAGE

249

254

260

December 27.-SAINT JOHN, Apostle and Evangelist,. 278

283

290

310

314

321

December 26.-SAINT STEPHEN, the First Martyr,

Mass,.

Vespers,

Mass,.

Vespers,.

December 28.—THE HOLY INNOCENTS,

Mass,.

Vespers,

Mass,.

Vespers,

December 29.-SAINT THOMAS, Archbishop of Canter-

bury, and Martyr,

Mass, .

Vespers,

December 30.-Sunday within the Octave of Christmas,

or the Sixth Day within the

Octave,

374

375

381

December 31.-SAINT SYLVESTER, Pope and Confessor, 390

January 1.-THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD,

409

414

First Vespers,

Mass, .

420

Second Vespers,

January 2.-The Octave of SAINT STEPHEN,

January 3.-The Octave of SAINT JOHN, .

January 4.-The Octave of HOLY INNOCENTS,

January 5.-The Octave of SAINT THOMAS OF CAN-

TERBURY,

Same Day.-The Vigil of the Epiphany, and Com-

memoration of St. Telesphorus,

Pope and Martyr,

Mass of the Vigil,

APPENDIX.-Adeste Fideles,

339

351

358

425

434

446

461

473

484

485

489

I

(

f

CHRISTMAS.

CHAPTER THE FIRST.

THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS.

WE apply the name of Christmas to the forty days,
which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, Decem-
ber 25th, and end with the Purification of the
Blessed Virgin, February 2nd. It is a period, which
forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as
distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other,
as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same
Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the
whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, ,
which so abound during this Season; nor the Time of
Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often
begins before Christmastide is over; seem able to
distract our Holy Mother the Church, from the im-
mense joy, of which she received the good tidings
from the Angels, on that glorious Night, for which
the world had been longing four thousand years.
The Faithful will remember, that the Liturgy com-
memorates this long expectation, by the four peni-
tential weeks of Advent.

The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our
Saviour's Nativity by a feast or commemoration of

La

i St. Luke, ii. 10.

B