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

The master of the Valle Adurni blog has commented on the defective, lame-duck ICEL verison still in use of the Collect for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. WDTPRS has over the years looked at that one twice. Here is the last entry, which I here below excerpt, with some of Valle Adurni’s comments. First, Valle Adurni who does an interlinear fisk:

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus
Almighty everlasting God
Father

qui caelestia simul et terra moderaris
who rule over things of heaven and of earth together
of heaven and earth

supplicationes populi tui clemente exaudi
listen kindly to the prayers of your people
hear our prayers

et pacem tuam nostris concede temporibus.
and give us your peace in our days.
and show us the way to peace in the world.

And now our own WDTPRS look:

COLLECT - LATIN TEXT (2002MR):
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui caelestia simul et terrena moderaris,
supplicationibus populi tui clementer exaudi,
et pacem tuam nostris concede temporibus.

This prayer was the Collect for the Second Sunday after Epiphany in the 1962MR.

LITERAL TRANSLATION:
Almighty eternal God,
who at the same time do govern things heavenly and earthly,
mercifully harken to the supplications of Your people,
and grant Your peace in our temporal affairs.

ICEL (1973 translation of the 1970MR):
Father of heaven and earth,
hear our prayers, and show us the way
to peace in the world.

Here is an informal poll about how you receive Holy Communion.

Of course, there may be those occasions when you do something somewhat differently than your usual way of receiving so, but make your best answer.

If you want to explain what happens at your parishes, be factual and respectful. Feel free to add your reasons why you do what you do.

Holy Communion on the tongue remains the norm for the Catholic Church. However, the Holy See permitted conferences of bishops to make exceptions to this norm and allow Communion in the hand under certain circumstances.

Keep in mind that Eastern Catholics receive on the tongue under both species from a small spoon. Also, include Communion by intinction as "on the tongue", since that is the only licit way to receive. And if you are self-intinging (and you are not a priest celebrating Mass) then knock it off because it is forbidden.

I usually receive Holy Communion...

• in the hand
• on the tongue
• on the tongue (Eastern style)

View Results

Occasionally I will post here some Q&A from the ASK FATHER Question Box, which I moderate. Here is an interesting question which I have handled in the past and have actually used as a support. But that’s not the end of the story…

Jewish Tradition & Receiving on the Tongue

AFQB - The ASK FATHER Question Box: Liturgy, Music & The Seven Sacraments: Jewish Tradition & Receiving on the Tongue
By Anonymous on Saturday, January 13, 2007 – 6:11 pm

I read somewhere that a Jewish tradition existed which required the host of a meal to feed his honored guests the first bite of food. Following this, it would actually be the norm for Jesus to have placed His Body on the tongues of the Apostles at the Last Supper. Is this true? Is it still a Jewish practice?

Many. many thanks!

By Fr. J.T. Zuhlsdorf (father_z) on Monday, January 15, 2007 – 9:53 am:

I have mentioned this myself in other answers, having heard the same thing. However, I did try once to confirm this and was unable to find anyone to back it up reliably. I even submitted a question about this to a couple "Ask the Rabbi" Question Boxes. They knew nothing of this. So… while this is asserted, it seems to be asserted without proof. We shall have to keep digging.

Here’s the deal. Some people want to shore up their arguments against Communion in the hand and for Communion on the tongue by citing an alleged ancient Jewish practice of a host placing a morsel of food directly into the mouth of a guest. I admit that I have actually cited that in my own answers to questions in the dim past. However, I cannot find any support for this claim.

Moreover, it does really matter one way or another if this was an ancient practice or not: over the centuries our understanding of the Eucharist has deepened so as to include the reverent and prudent practice of receiving directly on the tongue. This is not to say that even in the Apostolic Church people did not believe they were receiving the Lord when they participated in the Eucharistic meals. In any event, reception on the tongue is, to my mind, far more in keeping with our now deeper understanding of the Real Presence. We have had many centuries to contemplate the Eucharist, after all.

Therefore, I am giving you all some homework, much as I did in the matter of the claim that St. Teresa said that souls were falling into hell like snowflakes. See if you can find something concrete about this question.

Mind you… it is not enough of a confirmation of this alleged practice merely to state that Fr. Pio Übertrad, KIA¹, of the SDEOW², wrote it in his pamphlet entitled They Are All Wrong And I Know Better. What we need is sturdier stuff.

And so… I am tossing this out onto the floor for you all to research.

Don’t even think of posting comments not relevant to this topic or my entry. I will delete them.

Have fun!

¹Know It All… a special, self-conferred degree, granting omniscence to certain types of people.

²Society for Doing Everything The Old Way