Friday, May 04, 2007

Comparison of Prayers - 5th Sunday of Easter

"The Last Supper" by Pieter Pourbus

I chose this picture because it mentions Judas having left the Last Supper, and this picture has an interesting "character" coming towards Judas in the picture ... you know who it is. (You can click the picture for more detail.)

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, semper in nobis paschále pérfice sacraméntum, ut, quos sacro baptísmate dignátus es renováre, sub tuæ protectiónis auxílio multos fructus áfferant, et ad ætérnæ vitæ gáudia perveníre concédas.
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. God our Father, look upon us with love. You redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised.
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.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Almighty and Eternal God, always bring to perfection in us this Paschal Sacrament, that those whom You willed to renew by Holy Baptism, may bear much fruit through the help of Your protection, and that You may grant them to come to the joys of eternal life.
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
Deus, qui nos, per huius sacrifícii veneránda commércia, uníus summaéque divinitátis partícipes effecísti, præsta, quaésumus, ut, sicut tuam cognóvimus veritátem, sic eam dignis móribus assequámur.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Lord God, by this holy exchange of gifts you share with us your divine life. Grant that everything we do may be directed by the knowledge of your truth.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
O God, You Who, through the venerable exchange of this Sacrifice, have made us participants in the one and most-high Godhead, grant we beseech You, that just as we have learned Your Truth, we may follow It in a worthy manner.
Through Christ our Lord.

Preface
Preface I of Easter (form for Easter outside of the Octave)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Vere dignum et iustum est, æquum et salutáre: Te quidem, Dómine, omni témpore confitéri, sed in hoc potíssimum gloriósus prædicáre, cum Pascha nostrum immolátus est Christus.
Ipse enim verus est Agnus qui ábstulit peccáta mundi. Qui mortem nostram moriéndo destrúxit, et vitam resurgéndo reparávit.
Quaprópter, profúsis paschálibus gáudiis, totus in orbe terrárum mundus exsúltat. Sed et supérnæ virtútes atque angélicæ potestátes hymnum glóriæ tuæ cóncinunt, sine fine dicéntes:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus ...

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. We praise you with greater joy than ever in this Easter season, when Christ became our paschal sacrifice.
He is the true Lamb who took away the sins of the world. By dying he destroyed our death; by rising he restored our life.
And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise.
Holy, holy, holy ...

My Own Literal Translation
It is truly right and just, proper and availing unto salvation: You, Lord, are indeed confessed at all times, but most especially in this glorious time, when Christ was offered up as our Paschal Sacrifice.
For He Himself is the true Lamb who took away the sins of the world. Who destroyed our death by dying, and restored our life by rising.
Therefore, with an outpouring of Paschal joy, all on earth exult. And the Supreme Virtues and the Angelic Powers sing together the hymn of Your glory, saying without end:
Holy, Holy, Holy ...

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Pópulo tuo, quaésumus, Dómine, adésto propítius, et, quem mystériis cæléstibus imbuísti, fac ad novitátem vitæ de vetustáte transíre.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Merciful Father, may these mysteries give us new purpose and bring us to a new life in you.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. We beseech You, O Lord, graciously be present to Your people, whom You have filled with these Heavenly Mysteries, and make them to pass from the old way to newness of life.
Through Christ our Lord.

RS

1 comment:

Caeremonarius said...

Wow. Hmmm. Where to begin?

Prayer Over the Gifts
sic eam dignis móribus assequámur.

Assequor, assequi,
while derived from sequor, sequi has more a meaning of "attain," "gain," or "achieve" than "follow."

Te quidem, Dómine, omni témpore confitéri, sed in hoc potíssimum gloriósus [sic] prædicáre, cum Pascha nostrum immolátus est Christus.

First, confitéri is a deponent verb (just like assequi above): it’s passive in form, but active in meaning. (E.g., consider the first word of the Confiteor: the translation is “I confess,” not “I am confessed.”) You incorrectly appear to be translating confitéri in the preface as a passive: “You are indeed confessed at all times.” In reality, this should read, “It is truly right, etc., indeed to praise (or confess) You, Lord, at all times…”

The word in the Easter prefaces after potíssimum is not the adjective gloriósus, but gloriósius, a comparative adjective: “more gloriously.” In your translation, you seem to want to make it agree with in hoc, which would be impossible, since gloriósus, (as you have written) is nominative masculine singular, and hoc is in the ablative (following in), specifically neuter to agree with témpore.

So, the adverb gloriósius, goes with the infinitive prædicáre: “to proclaim You more gloriously.”

A corrected translation should read:

“It is truly right and just, proper and availing unto salvation: indeed to confess You, Lord, at all times, but most especially to proclaim You more gloriously at this time, when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed.”

Quaprópter, profúsis paschálibus gáudiis, totus in orbe terrárum mundus exsúltat. Sed et supérnæ virtútes atque angélicæ potestátes hymnum glóriæ tuæ cóncinunt, sine fine dicéntes:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus ...


It’s not clear from your translation that it’s the actual world that’s doing the exulting. Totus mundus is clearly subject of the sentence beginning Quaprópter — it’s the only nominative in the sentence.

I don’t see where you get “supreme” out of supérnæ: supérnus, -a, -um means “from above,” or “heavenly.” If the writer wanted to say “supreme,” he would have used the Latin word, summus, -a, -um. There’s a clear contrast and comparison of what’s going on here in orbe terrárum, and what’s happening in heaven (alluded to in the word supérnæ): hence the Sed et, “But also,” which doesn’t translate well into English … maybe, “likewise”?

Finally, all the translations in the older missals I have give glóriæ tuæ as a dative, not a genitive, as you’ve interpreted. The angels are singing a hymn “to [God’s] glory.”

So, an accurate translation would read:

“Therefore, with Paschal joys poured out, the whole world exults on earth. Likewise, the heavenly Virtues and the Angelic Powers sing together the hymn to Your glory, saying without end:”