1st Week of Advent – Tuesday

Here is the Collect for Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent:

COLLECT:
Propitiare, Domine Deus, supplicationibus nostris,
et tribulantibus, quaesumus, tuae concede pietatis auxilium,
ut, de Filii tui venientis praesentia consolati,
nullis iam polluamur contagiis vetustatis.


This prayer has ancient origins in Rotulus 3 which is published in the edition of the Veronese Sacramentary by Mohlberg.

Remember that propitiare looks like an infinitive, but it is really a passive imperative of propitio. Another interesting point is that tribulo is transitive. So, tribulantes would refer to the things inflicting tribulation rather than those undergoing tribulation. We could probably fudge this a little, but I double checked tribulo even in Blaise/Dumas.

LITERAL VERSION:
Render our supplications favorable, O Lord God,
and, we entreat You, grant to our tribulations the aid of Your mercy,
so that, having been consoled from the presence of Your Son who is coming,
we may indeed be fouled by no contaminations of the sinful state of the old man.

 

That "tribulantibus tuae concede pietatis auxilium" is intriguing. The priest does not ask God to remove the tribulations. He prays God to put His mercy into the mix. Pietas, when referring to God, his the impact of "mercy". His mercy protects us as we are involved in the mucky details of this world.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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4 Comments

  1. Lameduck ICEL:

    God of mercy and consolation,
    help us in our weakness and free us from sin.
    Hear our prayers
    that we may rejoice at the coming of your son.

    At least, that’s what it says in my missalette.

  2. Yes, the lameduck version above is what we heard at Mass this morning, right out of the big red book. Are you sure, Father Z, that you copied the right collect in your missal?

  3. A rather dramatic translation from the UK/Ireland Breviary:
    Take pity on our distress, Lord God:
    show us your love.
    May the coming of your Son strenghten us
    and cleanse us from all trace of sin.

    Better than ICEL, but missing some nice elements…

  4. Henry: I often ask myself that question when I compare what the Latin really says and what the lame-duck ICEL version offers.

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