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

Today is the commemoration of St. Malachi, prophet of the Old Testament.  Here is his entry in the Martyrologium Romanum.

1. Commemoratio sancti Malachiae, prophetae, qui, post transmigrationem Babylonis diem magnum Domini eiusque adventum in templum nuntiavit semperque et ubique mundum oblationem nomini eius offerendam.  ...  The commemoration of Saint Malachi, prophet, who, after the migration of Babylon announced the great day of the Lord and of His Coming in the temple, and the pure sacrifical offering that was to be offered always in everywhere in His name.

In these final days of Advent preparation, the Church prays with great intensity.  Here is today’s

COLLECT:
Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus,
ut, qui sub peccati iugo ex vetusta servitute deprimimur,
expectata Unigeniti tui nova nativitate liberemur.

This was in the 1962MR on Ember Saturday of Advent.  It was before that in the Veronese, Gelasian and Gregorian Sacramentaries.  These advent prayers often refer to the "state of oldness", which pertains to the "old man" afflicted by the sin of our First Parents. 

LITERAL VERSION:
Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God,
that we who are oppressed under the yoke of sin from the servitude of the old man,
may be freed bu the long awaited new Nativity of Your Only-Begotten.

Here is the Collect for the Monday of the 3rd week of Advent.

COLLECT:
Voci nostrae, quaesumus, Domine,
aures tuae pietati accomoda,
et cordis nostri tenebras
gratia Filii tui nos visitantis illustra.

This was in the 1962MR on the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  It was also in the Gelasian Sacramentary and in the Gregorian.

The verb accommodo is very cool.  It means "to fit or adapt one thing to another, to lay, put, or hang on".  When we apply pietas to God, it means "mercy".  Visito if you look closely at it has a root similar to "vision".  Visito means most basically "to go to see, to visit any one" but it also comes to mean "to punish" in the Christian Latin, such as the Vulgate (Psalms and Jeremiah).  Think of "visiting" vengence oon someone.

LITERAL VERSION:
O Lord, we entreat You,
attune the ears of Your mercy to our voice,
and illuminate the shadows of our heart
with the grace of Your Son coming to see us.

This prayer reminds us that the Lord is coming as Judge.  When He comes He will SEE us to the roots of our being.  All things will be laid bare before His sight.  At the end, all things will be laid bare before the sight of all who have ever lived. 

Notice also the profound connection between "voice" and "illumination".  What we are talking about here is the logos which illumines the mind. 

In the midst of this prayer, however, is God’s mercy.

We will get His judgment whether we want it or not.  His mercy, if we ask for it, is ours.