Holy week and the Benedictine Office pt 2 - The Easter Vigil and the weekly Sunday Resurrection Vigil

Over the next few days, we trace, in the liturgy, Our Lord's final days on earth, and above all, look forward to the Resurrection. But, as I suggested in my previous post, it is worth keeping in mind that the early Christians regularly retraced these events each week.  

The weekly cycle of the life of Our Lord

No where was this more true than in Rome, as Pope Innocent I (401/2 - 417), in a famous letter to Bishop Decentius of Gubbio, advocating for some of Rome's unique liturgical practices, makes clear:

...If in fact we celebrate the Lord's Day because of Our Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection - doing so not only at Easter but each week renewing the image of this feast - and if we fast on Friday because of the Lord's suffering, then we should not omit Saturday which appears to be enclosed between a time of sorrow and a time of joy. in fact, it is evident that during these two days the apostles were in sorrow and hid themselves, doing so because of their fear of the Jews. In any case, there can be no doubt that their fasting during these two days has been remembered to such an extent that, according to the Church's tradition, the sacraments are no celebrated during these two days.  This practice is to be observed each week so that the commemoration of this day be always observed....On Friday the Lord suffered his passion and went to the nether world in order to rise on the third day, thereby restoring joy after the sadness of the preceding two days...Those who rejoiced on the Lord's day, desired not only that this day be very festive, but also that it should be repeated each week...(trans Lawrence J Johnson, worship in the Early Church, vol 3).

The Divine Office also reflects this idea, particularly with the longer, more elaborate Vigil Office, or Matins, of Sunday.

Benedictine vs Roman Sunday Matins

It has long been argued that the Benedictine Office was largely based on the Roman Office.  

When it comes to Sunday Matins, however, the liturgists have long conceded that the more likely influence is the Jerusalem weekly 'Resurrection Vigil' first described by the fourth century Western pilgrim Egeria.

The Roman Sunday Office as it stood in the ninth century, it should be noted, consisted of an invitatory hymn (Ps 94) plus eighteen psalms, nine readings and nine responsories, with no hymns whatsoever.

The sixth century Benedictine Sunday Matins, by contrast, retained its standard form of two invitatory psalms and a hymn; and two nocturns consisting of six psalms each.  But it adds to that an extra Nocturn consisting of three canticles; as well as having four readings and responsories in each nocturn; the Te Deum; a Gospel reading; and the hymn Te decet laus.

There are indeed good reasons for thinking that many of these elements originated in the overnight vigil section of the extremely influential Jerusalem Resurrection Office (which had a set of rotating Resurrection Gospels): the psalms of Saturday Vespers in the Benedictine Office seems to mirror the 'antiphon' of psalms used at Vespers in the Jerusalem office; the use of canticles and the twelve psalm structure of Benedictine Matins are both features of the Jerusalem Office, as is the inclusion of a Gospel reading.

The psalms of Benedictine Sunday Matins

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of Benedictine Matins though, is that St Benedict starts the week at Sunday Matins with Psalm 20, not Psalm 1 as you would expect (and is the Roman practice).

Although most commentators have dismissed this oddity as not having any particular meaning, I want to disagree.

One of the key features of a Vigil is that they typically recapitulate the events leading up to the event being celebrated: at Easter, of course, the Vigil starts with an account of the creation of the world, and works forward through salvation history.

The first three psalms of the Benedictine weekly resurrection Vigil, I want to suggest, are a recapitulation of the Triduum.

In particular, verse 2 of Psalm 20 (see below) says, 'Thou hast given him his heart’s desire'.

The Fathers, using the standard technique of interpreting the psalms in the light of the rest of Scripture, saw this as a reference to Luke 22:15's description of  the Last Supper.  St Augustine for example, commented:

You have given him the desire of his soul: He desired to eat the Passover, (Luke 22:15: And he said to them: With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you, before I suffer) and to lay down his life when he would...

The Fathers, in other words, interpreted Christ's words as a deliberate quotation of the psalm, and as pointing to its fulfillment in the Last Supper.

Psalm 21, the quintessential suffering servant psalm, takes us to the Passion.

And Psalm 22, The Lord is my shepherd, with its reference to walking in the midst of the shadow of death, and the shepherd leading his flock to bounteous pasture and water, can arguably be interpreted as appropriate to the harrowing of hell on Holy Saturday.

With the fourth psalm of the set we reach the Resurrection, with Psalm 23's 'Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in'.

But more on this and some of the other Office connections to the Triduum anon. 

 Psalm 20

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David.	Unto the end. A psalm for David.
1 Dómine, in virtúte tua lætábitur rex: * et super salutáre tuum exsultábit veheménter.	In your strength, O Lord, the king shall joy; and in your salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly.
2  Desidérium cordis ejus tribuísti ei: * et voluntáte labiórum ejus non fraudásti eum.	3 You have given him his heart's desire: and have not withholden from him the will of his lips.
3  Quóniam prævenísti eum in benedictiónibus dulcédinis: * posuísti in cápite ejus corónam de lápide pretióso.	4 For you have prevented him with blessings of sweetness: you have set on his head a crown of precious stones.
4  Vitam pétiit a te: * et tribuísti ei longitúdinem diérum in sæculum, et in sæculum sæculi.	5 He asked life of you: and you have given him length of days for ever and ever.
5  Magna est glória ejus in salutári tuo: * glóriam et magnum decórem impónes super eum.	6 His glory is great in your salvation: glory and great beauty shall you lay upon him.
6  Quóniam dabis eum in benedictiónem in sæculum sæculi: * lætificábis eum in gáudio cum vultu tuo.	7 For you shall give him to be a blessing for ever and ever: you shall make him joyful in gladness with your countenance.
7  Quóniam rex sperat in Dómino: * et in misericórdia Altíssimi non commovébitur.	8 For the king hopes in the Lord: and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved
8  Inveniátur manus tua ómnibus inimícis tuis: * déxtera tua invéniat omnes, qui te odérunt.	9 Let your hand be found by all your enemies: let your right hand find out all them that hate you.
9  Pones eos ut clíbanum ignis in témpore vultus tui: * Dóminus in ira sua conturbábit eos, et devorábit eos ignis.	10 You shall make them as an oven of fire, in the time of your anger: the Lord shall trouble them in his wrath, and fire shall devour them.
10  Fructum eórum de terra perdes: * et semen eórum a fíliis hóminum.	11 Their fruit shall you destroy from the earth: and their seed from among the children of men.
11  Quóniam declinavérunt in te mala: * cogitavérunt consília, quæ non potuérunt stabilíre.	12 For they have intended evils against you: they have devised counsels which they have not been able to establish.
12  Quóniam pones eos dorsum: * in relíquiis tuis præparábis vultum eórum.	13 For you shall make them turn their back: in your remnants you shall prepare their face.
13  Exaltáre, Dómine, in virtúte tua: * cantábimus et psallémus virtútes tuas.	14 Be exalted, O Lord, in your own strength: we will sing and praise your power.