Q: A point of clarification, please – thanks!
Recently in conversation, the question arose about the liturgical use of Alleluias in Eastertime.
My understanding is this:
Liturgy of the Hours – in many, if not all antiphons throughout – for 50 days
at Dismissal – only in Easter Octave days,
and Pentecost itself (?) (incl. Vigil) (?)
Mass – Entrance and Communion antiphons of the day – throughout the 50 days
Responsorial Psalm – as an option throughout the season
Dismissal – – only in Easter Octave days, and Pentecost itself (incl. Vigil)
(not for days in the season other than these…)
Yes? No?
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A: In the Liturgy of the Hours, the ordinary calls for the double alleluia to conclude the dismissal dialogue of morning and evening prayer on Easter and throughout the octave. On Pentecost Day it appears only at the end of Evening Prayer II.
Regarding the antiphons, the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours says that the alleluia is added to all antiphons “unless it would clash with the meaning” (120). The English translation overreached and added alleluias to all antiphons, including those that DO clash with the meaning—like on Friday of the 3rd week, when, in the office of readings, the antiphon is about receiving vinegar to drink in one’s thirst. There’s no “alleluia” in the typical edition, but it’s there in English.
At Mass, the same applies to the entrance and communion antiphons, even when celebrating a Mass for Various Needs and Occasions. It is omitted if it clashes with the meaning.
Yes, alleluia is an optional refrain for the psalm throughout Easter. The lectionary notes it day by day.
Yes, the dismissal alleluias apply to Easter and its octave, and to Pentecost and its vigil. Notations are found on those days in the missal.