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

I see that there is a blurb going around from a Reuters story that His Eminence Card. Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, Archpriest of the Basilica, "belittled" reporters.

What happened in the conference was that one reporter after another was asking the very same question and, get this, the Cardinal was giving the very same answer. The reporters seemed to fixate on the idea of opening the tomb of the Apostle and then didn’t seem to hear the answer. After enduring this several times, the Cardinal said to one woman unfortunately to do it again, "I think I have adequately responded to all these questions".

That’s belittling? HA!

I should introduce them to a few of my old profs!

I think the journalists were a little miffed, however, since there wasn’t really all that much new information (interesting to them, that is, though I found most of it fascinating). It was all about archeology and dating stratas, etc. There are a few bits that were newsworthy and I posted a couple already in other entries. But I can say we were a little irritated that they wouldn’t share any decent photos of what was done. They made some rather dismal photo copies of photos for distribution… about a third the number of reporters, which didn’t help either. So, there were some things that could have been done better (as is the usual state of affairs), but the Cardinal did not belittle anyone.

I attended the press conference today about the excavations of the tomb of St. Paul in the Basilica St. Paul’s outside the walls.

The presser was interesting, but there was nothing really earth shattering about the excavation.

What was interesting was the announcement on the part of His Eminence Card. Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, Archpriest of the Basilica, that the four Major Roman Basilicas will no longer be called "Patriarchal" but rather "Papal".

Remember that Pope Benedict dropped his title "Patriarch of the West". This had an ecumenical twist to it and the decision caused a lot of controversy. Read here and here.

I think the newest move also has ecumenical meaning. This Pope is not doing things at random. He has thought a lot and is now taking careful steps.

La Repubblica had an article that the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" will meet in plenary session tomorrow (12 Dec) to discuss the derestricting of the older form of Mass. Here is my translation of the article:

The Pope: Time drawing near for reconciliation with Lefebvre

Benedict XVI is narrowing the timeframe for the reconcilation of the followers of [Archbishop] Marcel Lefebvre. The Commission "Ecclesia Dei", instituted for this purpose by John Paul II, will meet as a matter of fact tomorrow in a first plenary session to discuss the question of the liberalizaton of the Mass in Latin [sic]. This is being reported by the French Catholic "I.Media", which made it clear that Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux and President of the French Bishops’ Conference has come to Rome to participate in the meeting. During their meeting, from 4-9 November the French bishops had expressed concern about the project to derestrict the Mass in Latin [sic] and "their attachment to the liturgy desired by Vatican II", even
reinforcing in a message to the Pontiff "their Communion" with Benedict XVI, e their desire "to open up to reconciliation in the truth and in charity."

We see here the usual problem of people who do not understand that the issue is not Mass in Latin, but rather the rite of Mass, the so-called "Tridentine" rite of Mass.

There might be nothing special about this meeting other than the fact that the President of the Commission, His Eminence Card. Castrillon Hoyos, no longer need split his attention between being Prefect of Clergy, and heading up "Ecclesia Dei". He can apply his good will and more energy to the Commission than he could before.

Here is the Collect for Monday of the 2nd Week of Advent

COLLECT:
Dirigatur, quaesumus, Domine,
in conspectu tuo nostrae petitionis oratio,
ut ad magnum incarnationis Unigeniti tui mysterium
nostrae vota servitutis illibata puritate perveniant.

This prayer is in Rotulus 13 which is published together with the ancient Veronese Sacramentary.

The dictionary we call Blaise/Dumas is helpful here. The verb dirigo in the passive is often used in Latin prayers as "bring onto a good path".  It is a good Advent verb, for sure. It also has the connotation of rising straight upward.  Conspectus, again from Blaise/Dumas, indictes the Lord’s "sight" and therefore, His presence, with a meaning of "favorable regard".  A votum can be a "prayer" but it signals also "praise", something due. 

LITERAL VERSION:
O Lord, we beseech You, may the prayer of our petition,
be brought into Your favorable regard,
so that the praises of our submissive service
may with unstained purity reach unto the great mystery of the incarnation of Your Only-Begotten.

SMOOTHER VERSION:
O Lord, we earnestly entreat
You to receive our prayerful petitions
so that the praises we raise in our service,
may reach even unto the great mystery who is the Your Only Son, God incarnate.

No, that doesn’t really do it either, but Father is tired today and has a lot on his mind. 

There are a lot of directions we can go wtih this prayer, since each word is packed and the Latin is very "styled".  The Latin is super hierarchical.  Everything having to do with God is "upward".  It is "courtly", as well, and sounds like the way we would come up and into the presence of a king.  Being in His "sight" means being in near enough to be "regarded".  References are indirect: We speak of the vota servitutis… things owed, or praises, due because of our state of being servants.  We want our prayers to be heard, but we don’t just say we "praise Christ".  We want our pure praises to reach the "mystery of the incarnation".  Also, we start with petition, to make sure that God is seeing to it that what we offer is good enough.  Then we move into praise, after purity has been established.  So, this whole thing smacks of our hope to enter into the Beatific Vision, together with the realization that we must be pure to do so and only God can complete our purity.  Interesting prayer. 

Take a stab at it.

Blogger John Sonnen at Orbis Catholicus as photos of an interesting Mass at the Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere, in Rome.  I directed a Gregorian chant schola there years ago and was ordained deacon in that basilica.  Sonnen has a photo of the dalmatic(s)used for my ordaination and which which I was vested.

I am back from my little jaunt to Tuscany, where there was good scenery, good food, less noise and far better air than Rome.  A priest friend from my residence and I rented a car and drove around for a few says.  Here are a couple image from the trip.

We didn’t get the "indult" yet, but do not fear.   I am leaving Rome again on 13 December and, as I have been saying, with my luck it will be issued when I am away.