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

In another entry we discussed the actual color of Roman liturgical rosacea.

It occured to me that we might like seeing what vestments are out there.

Send those photos!

WDTPRS reader Fr. K sent me a photo of a rose vestment used at his parish.

The great church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini has over the main altar one of the truly great paintings in Rome: Most Holy Trinity by Guido Reni.

The church is a treasure with a rich history.  This is where St. Philip Neri, co-patron of Rome with St. Peter, had his confraternity to care for pilgrims to the holy City.

I celebrated my third Mass there and helped with other solemn liturgies in years past.

And, friends, you should see the sacristy and the vestments.  Unbelievable.

Now I learn that the FSSP may be given this church as a personal parish for those who desire the older use of the Roman Rite! 

I just got off the phone with Fr. Kramer, the priest who is in charge of the FSSP mission in Rome.  He is hopeful and asks for your prayers that everything be done according to God’s will.  [BTW… to the right is a photo of your’s truly as celebrant at little San Gregorio for the 8 December Solemn Mass and Fr. Kramer is the subdeacon.]

With Summorum Pontificum in effect, and having seen tha the FSSP has made a real go fo things in Rome even in tough conditions, Card. Ruini is seeing the whole situation favorably.  The Diocese of Rome will be taking action.

The FSSP guys might inevitably have to share a some space with the Communità di Sant’Egidio, (I am conjuring imagees of Felix and Oscar as I write).   But since the Communità doesn’t use the church for very much, that shouldn’t be a problem.

The guys from the super-tiny S. Gregorio ai Muratori, where the FSSP is now in Rome, will be at Ss. Trinità (or Tirnità in Roman dialect) for Christmas Eve.  It should be wonderful to see a glorious Solemn Mass at the altar with that painting. 

The church will need some cleaning and fixing, but it is a glorious space, a classic Roman church.

Yes… it’s a lot bigger.

The O Antiphons: 18 December – O Adonai

LATIN: O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

ENGLISH: O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms.

Scripture References:
Exodus 3
Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:6

Relevant verse of  Veni, Veni Emmanuel:

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty, and awe.

"Adonai" is "LORD."  It was the Hebrew word that the Jews used when they found the four-lettered word for God’s name which they held to be too sacred to pronounce aloud. 

Christ is Lord of Creation. We sang this yesterday in the antiphon "O Sapientia". Christ is also Lord of the Covenant with the People He chose.

The Lord made covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses. He guided them and all the People. He gave them Law. He protected and feed them. The Lord delivered them from bondage to Pharaoh and unending slavery. He went before them with arm outstretched.

This was all a pre-figuring of the great work of redemptions that Christ would work on the Cross. He redeemed us His People from Satan and the eternal damnation of hell. He once appeared clothed in the burning bush that was not consumed by fire. He is about to appear again clothed in flesh in our liturgical celebration of Christmas.  He will appear again one day in the future to judge the living and the dead.  Each day He appears to us in the person of our neighbor.

What amazing contrasts we find in our Lord! He came in thunder and lightening to give the Law on Mt. Sinai. He comes now in swaddling clothes.  He will come again in glory.  He comes humbly in the appearance of Bread and Wine.

He still goes before us with outstretched arm and our foes are put to flight at the sight of His banner.

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.

A PROPOSED VERSION:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, weighed down by ancient slavery
beneath the yoke of sin,
we may be set free by the long-awaited new birth
of your Only-begotten Son.

I got a very nice note this morning from a faithful reader of blog and all around good person. 

Here are my boys serving at their first usus antiquior...very early this morning.  I hope you don’t mind my sending you snapshots of life here and our progress in living the life post-Summorum Pontificum.  I will cherish this moment which a year ago we had prayed for and today is a reality.