Friday, July 07, 2006

Comparison of Prayers - 14th Week "Per Annum"

Collect
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Deus, qui in Fílii tui humilitáte iacéntem mundum erexísti, fidélibus tuis sanctam concéde lætítiam, ut, quos eripuísti a servitúte peccáti, gáudiis fácias pérfrui sempitérnis.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.
Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Father, through the obedience of Jesus, your servant and your Son, you raised a fallen world. Free us from sin and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Literal Translation
Let us pray. O God, Who in the humility of Your Son, lifted up this fallen world, grant a holy rejoicing to Your faithful, so that, You might make those, whom You have snatched from the bondage of sin, to enjoy fully the eternal delights.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Oblátio nos, Dómine, tuo nómini dicáta puríficet, et de die in diem ad cæléstis vitæ tránsferat actiónem.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Lord, let this offering to the glory of your name purify us and bring us closer to eternal life.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Literal Translation
May this oblation, consecrated to Your Name, purify us, O Lord, and may it from day to day direct us to the duties of a heavenly life.
Through Christ our Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Tantis, Dómine, repléti munéribus, præsta, quaésumus, ut et salutária dona capiámus, et a tua numquam laude cessémus.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Lord, may we never fail to praise you for the fullness of life and salvation you give us in this eucharist.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Literal Translation
Let us pray. Having been replenished with these Offerings so great, O Lord, grant we beseech You, that we may acquire the gifts of salvation, and never cease from praising You.
Through Christ our Lord.

My own comments:
In general, I always have to double check to make sure I am looking at the same week in Latin and English. They are so different, I sometimes doubt I am looking at the same prayer.
Collect:
I'm not sure how they got humilitáte (humility) to be obedience. I did learn a bit about the subtleties of “lætítiam” and “gaudiis.” “Lætítia” is a joy which manifests itself externally, whereas “gáudium” is an internal joy or happiness.
Prayer Over the Gifts:
The “duties” or even more literally “action” (actiónem) are dropped in the 1973 I.C.E.L.
And, as usual, the ending of the prayer “Per Christum Dóminum nostrum” is translated rather “creatively.”
Post-Communion Prayer:
Given that “active participation” originally meant to receive Holy Communion at Mass, it is a loss that the 1973 I.C.E.L. drops the fact that we have (hopefully) just been replenished by so great an Offering. It also irritates me that “Eucharist” is not capitalized in the 1973 I.C.E.L. translation. Even Microsoft Word says it should be capitalized.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

With the new English translation of the prayers for the Mass, alea iacta est - the die is cast!

Hopefully, the language will awaken in the faithful and the unfaithful alike a desire to know more fully the purity and deep meaning of the ancient Mass texts. While not perfect, I think the new translation is a step in the right direction.

Roman Sacristan said...

I do agree that from what I have seen, a huge step has been made. The only complaint I have is that it has taken over 30 years to get just this much fixed, so we'll be stuck with any imperfections of this translation for a long time. Still, it is a vast improvement. And I am sure that everyone will have some point they could pick on any translation. Which is why I think using the actual Latin is so much better.