What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

The following prayer was composed by John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, in 1791.  He was the first bishop appointed for the United States in 1789 by Pope Pius VI.  He was made the first archbishop when his see of Baltimore was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.  John was a cousin of Charles Carroll of Maryland, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

I became familiar with this moving prayer at my home parish of St. Agnes in St. Paul (MN) where it was recited after all Masses on civic holidays of the USA, such as 4 July and Thanksgiving.  You might print it and bring it to your parish priests and ask them to use it sometime.

This needs no translation for Catholics who love their country!

PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

“Love is the eye and to love is to see.”  Thus taught Richard of St. Victor.  A fitting way to introduce a brief piece of a sermon by St. Augustine of Hippo about "doubting" Thomas the Apostle, whose feast is celebrated today in the reformed, post-Conciliar calendar.

In a sermon that makes up part of the Tractates on the Gospel of John the great bishop of Hippo speaks of Thomas in that supreme and dramatic moment after the Resurrection when Jesus appears and Thomas is finally present for the Lord’s appearance (tr. Io. 121.5 – my trans.):

Thomas responded and said to Him: “My Lord and my God!”   He saw and he touched the man, but he professed faith in God, whom he did not see or touch; but by the fact that he saw and touched he believed, since every doubt had been removed.  “And Jesus said to him: Because you have seen me, you believed”.  He did not say, you touched me, but rather, “you saw me”; since sight is in some way a general sense.   For sight is customarily named in conjunction with the other four (senses), as when we say: “Listen and see how good it sounds, smell and see how good it smells, taste and see how good it tastes, touch and see how well it warms.”  It is said this way everywhere: “See!” even though sight is properly belongs to the eyes alone.  And so, here also the Lord Himself said: “Reach your finger over here, and see my hands!”  What else is He saying than, “Touch and see!”  Nor did he even have eyes in his finger. Therefore, either by looking or by touching (the Lord) said: “Because you have seen me, you believed.”  Although it can be said that the disciple did not dare to touch Him, even though the Lord was offering Himself to be touched; for is it not written: “And Thomas touched Him.”?  But whether it was by gazing or by touching that he saw and believed, that which follows proclaims and commend the faith of the Gentiles rather more: “Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed (John 20:24-29).  He used the past tense, in the manner of one who knew in His predestination that what was to be in the future was already a thing that was done.  But this present sermon must be kept from being prolix; the Lord with grant that we will examine closely the other things which still remain.

Did you catch that comment on predestination?  Augustine was sore pressed on this very issue for years toward the end of his life, as he attempted to teach and clarify his teachings about God’s eternal knowledge, His will, and the things which must therefore follow of necessity without destroying or compromising our free will.

St. Thomas was blessed during the Lord’s earthly sojourn to see and hear and touch the Lord.  We can do this in the Blessed Sacrament in which we can also taste and see the Lord.  Thomas, again using Richard of St. Victor, was able to look through the visible wound to see the invisible wound of love, which drew forth from his own heart a gasp of realization that we imitate even to this day, most commonly in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or elevated at Mass: "My Lord and my God!"  There it is.  It’s all there. 

But there are consequences for one who says these words.  The love of the Lord and the profession of belief comes at the price of a wound.  The perfect Wounds are those of Jesus, each one more glorious than any merely human "perfection" or outward sign of beauty.  Those wounds which were part of the price of our salvation must draw from the Christian not only the precious words of faith exclaimed but also the deeds of faith enacted.  Remember the old phrase that we must constantly bear witness to the Lord, and sometimes even use words!  The love commanded and invited by the Lord is a two fold command: love God – love neighbor.

Perhaps you have even now an opportunity before you to look through the Wound of Christ and then see the wounds you cause to others by your sins, sins of commission and of omission.  Perhaps you can think of something which out of love you have in your power to put right.  This would be a fitting way to remember Thomas today.  No doubt about it.