Monday, June 22, 2015

June 22: Blessed Innocent V, P, C, O.P., Comm.

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the commemoration of Blessed Innocent V, one of the four Dominican Popes.  The ferial office is prayed, and a commemoration is made of Bl. Innocent at Lauds only.

File:C o a Innocenzo V.svg
Coat of Arms of Bl. Innocent V
We anticipated his feast yesterday at Pretiosa, during the reading of the Martyrology:

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Feast of the Most Holy Body of Christ (1st Class)

At the end of the propers for Wednesday after Trinity Sunday, in the Dominican Breviary, the following rubric appears:
The feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated.  The Office was composed by St. Thomas Aquinas.
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As Dominicans, it is a source of supreme pride that a member of our holy Order was tapped to compose the liturgical office for such an important feast in the calendar of the Church.  In his book “The History of the Dominican Liturgy”, Fr. Bonniwell, O.P., relates the tale of how there was much confusion, in modern times, over whether or not St. Thomas actually composed the office for the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Thankfully, the controversy was settled in favor of St. Thomas' authorship of the Office for the Feast.  As Dr. Martin Grabmann concluded,
"We can therefore regard the office of Corpus Christi as the genuine composition of St. Thomas Aquinas, it being in regard to its contents and constituent parts the product of his genius and intellect" (Bonniwell, p. 226, footnote).

Some of the distinctive features of the Office of the Feast of Corpus Christi, in the Dominican Breviary are:

The responsory at 1st Vespers:
.  A man once gave a great banquet, and sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come * for all is now ready” .  Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. – For all is now ready. – Glory. – For all is now ready.
The Nunc dimittis antiphon at Compline:
Alleluia.  The bread which I shall give, alleluia, is my flesh, for the life of the world, alleluia, alleluia.
The versicle and response at the beginning of Lauds:
. I eat my honeycomb with my honey, alleluia. .  I drink my wine with my milk, alleluia.
During these days, when belief in the Real Presence is at tragically low levels among even Catholics who attend Mass regularly, we implore you, St. Thomas Aquinas, to pray for us.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

June 2: BB Sadoc and Companions, M., O.P., Commemoration

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we commemorate the feast of Blessed Sadoc and his companions, martyrs of Poland.   The ferial office is prayed, according to the rubrics and at Lauds and Vespers, the commemoration of Blessed Sadoc and his companions is made.  A second commemoration is made of Ss. Marcellinus, Priest and Peter, Exorcist, both of whom were martyrs.

The joy of Ascension-tide is pierced through by the back-to-back feasts of Dominican martyrs, celebrated today and tomorrow.  However, we should recall the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, regarding the perfect charity of those who shed their blood, or indeed forfeit their lives, for our Lord's sake: