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

CHAP. VI. On Holy Communion, during Christ-

-

CHAP. VII.

-

mas,

On the Office of Vespers for Sundays

and Feasts, during Christmas,

CHAP. VIII. On the Office of Compline, during

--

Christmas,.

888

98

109

The Second Mass, or Mass of the Aurora,

208

December 26.-SAINT STEPHEN, the First Martyr,

PAGE

249

254

260

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

Mass,.

Vespers,

December 30.-Sunday within the Octave of Christmas,

283

290

310

314

321

339

351

358

or the Sixth Day within the

Octave,

Mass,.

Vespers,

First Vespers,

Mass,.

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

January 1.-THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD,

Second Vespers,

425

January 2.-The Octave of SAINT STEPHEN,

January 3.-The Octave of SAINT JOHN, .

434

446

January 4.-The Octave of HOLY INNOCENTS, .

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

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

memoration of St. Telesphorus,

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,1 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

22 1 St. Luke, ii. 10.

B