medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Offertorium - 5a Ember Days - Ember Wednesday
Despite there being three Ember Days in Advent, the Liber Usualis only gives
texts for Ember Saturday. The Ember Days traditionally follow St Lucy's Day
(13 December), but the Sarum Use they are always kept in the third week of
Advent irrespective of the day on which Christmas Day falls. It is left as
an exercise for the student to determine what difference this might make :-)
The Introit for Ember Wednesday in the third week of Advent begins with a
text from Isaiah 45:8:
A. Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justum: aperietur terra, et
germinet Salvatorem.
The psalm verse of the Introit, is taken not from any psalm, but from the
remainder of Isaiah 45:8:
Et justitia oriatur simul: ego Dominus creavi eum.
The Offertorium Response is simply the Angelic Salutation, from Luke 1:28
R. Ave, Maria, gratia plena: Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et
benedictus fructus ventris tui.
The Verse is from Luke 1:30:
V. Ideoque quod nascetur ex te sanctum vocabitur Filius Dei.
And the Communion is the familiar text from Isaiah 7:14
Ecce Virgo concipiet, et pariet filium; et vocabitur nomen eius Emmanuel.
There remain the two Graduals. The first adapted from three verses (7/9 and
3&4) of psalm 23:
R. Tollite. Tollite portas, principes, vestras: et elevamini, portae
aeternales: et introibit rex gloriae.
V. Quis ascendet in montem Domini? Aut quis stabit in loco sancto ejus?
Innocens manibus et mundo corde.
The second consists of two verses (18 and 21) of psalm 144, and its opening
words 'Prope est Dominus' - the Lord is near - are a sufficient
justification for its use before Christmas:
R. Prope. Prope est Dominus omnibus invocantibus eum: omnibus qui invocant
eum in veritate.
V. Laudem Domini loquetur os meum: et benedicat omnis caro nomen sanctum
ejus.
John Briggs
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