Last Days of Advent: 20 December

Posted on 20 December 2006 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is the Collect for 20 December, during this period of intense prayer and longing for the Lord’s Coming.

COLLECT:
Deus, cuius ineffabile Verbum,
Angelo nuntiante, Virgo immaculata suscepit,
et, domus divinitatis effecta,
Sancti Spiritus luce repletur,
quaesumus, ut nos, eius exemplo,
voluntati tuae humiliter adhaerere valeamus.

This is from Rotulus 30 published together with the Veronese Sacramentary. It is not in any previous edition of the Missale Romanum.

LITERAL VERSION:
O God, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin took up when the herald Angel was speaking,
and, having been made the dwelling of divinity,
was filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
we beseech You, that, by her example,
we may be able humbly to adhere to Your will.

In this prayer we taking a moment to look back to the moment of the Incarnation, which made the Coming to light of the Incarnate Word possible for us.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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2 Comments

  1. Henry Edwards says:
    21 December 2006 at 1:42 AM

    ICEL version:

    God of love and mercy,
    help us to follow the example of Mary,
    always ready to do your will.
    At the message of an angel
    she welcomed your eternal Son
    and, filled with the light of your Spirit,
    she became the temple of you Word.

    Not a really bad prayer, aside from the gratuitous “mercy and love”, but I wonder whether there is a whiff of Pelagianism in that “help us”.

  2. Tom says:
    21 December 2006 at 10:14 PM

    NLC translation:

    O God, when the angel brought Your message, the sinless Virgin received within herself your Divine Word; she was filled with the light of the Holy Spirit and became the home of God. Grant that, like her, we may steadfastly obey Your will.

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