Advent 2: Populus Sion

This is the Introit for the Second Sunday in Advent; in English: "People of Zion." Here it's sung by the Congregation of St. Lazarus Autun.



Here's an mp3 of the chant, too, thanks to the Brazilian Benedictines - and  the score:

The first part of the text is from Isaiah 30; the second half is taken from Psalm 80, Qui Regis Israel. Here's one translation of this Introit:

People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart. Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.

I'm not sure exactly what the relationship is between the Isaiah and the Psalm; perhaps the "voice of the Lord" in the Isaiah passage is an allusion to the sheep - who in Christ's later metaphor, know the shepherd's voice - in the Psalm.

In any case, this is about the people of Zion and the Reign of God; my friend the Postulant says that "Regis...is the same verb as in Dominus regit me, 'The Lord is my shepherd.'"


The collect for the day is this one:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This is a new collect, about which Marion Hatchett says, in his Commentary on the American Prayer Book:

This new collect is based on that for the third Sunday of Advent in the Book of Common Worship of the Church of South India; the theme is "The Fore-runner":

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare the way before thee: Grant that we, paying urgent heed to the message of repentance, may with hearts prepared await they final coming to judge the world; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

The petition is similar to that of the first of the collects for the Nativity: Christmas Day. The prayer might be compared to this collect for the third Sunday in Advent which entered the Prayer Book in 1662, generally attributed to John Cosin:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send they messenger to prepare the way before thee: Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

The essential difference between Bishop Cosin's collect and that in the present revision lies in the placing of responsibility not only upon the ministers and stewards but upon all of us to be prepared for Christ's coming again.

Here are all the propers for today, from ChristusRex.org and sung by the monks of St. Benedict's Monastery, Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Hebdomada secunda adventus
Dominica Introitus: Cf. Is. 30, 19.30; Ps. 79 Populus Sion (3m15.8s - 3061 kb) score
Graduale: Ps. 40, 2.3. V. 5 Ex Sion (2m50.7s - 2675 kb) score
Alleluia: Ps. 121, 1 Lætatus sum (2m11.2s - 2057 kb) score
Offertorium: Ps. 84, 7.8 Deus, tu convertens (2m01.6s - 1901 kb) score
Communio: Bar. 5, 5; 4, 36 Ierusalem, surge cum Ps. 147, 12.13 (1m56.7s - 1825 kb) score

Here are posts on Chantblog for today's Propers:

• The Introit:  Advent 2: Populus Sion ("People of Zion")
• The Advent 2 Gradual: Ex Sion ("Out of Zion")
• The Advent 2 Alleluia: Laetatus sum ("I was glad")
• The Advent 2 Offertory: Deus, tu convertens ("God, wilt Thou not turn again?")
•  The Communio:  Advent 2: Ierusalem Surge ("Arise, Jerusalem")
•  The Advent Office