WDTPRS: Saturday 1st Week of Lent – Post communionem (2002MR)

We continue our project of looking at the Post communions of Lent:

Saturday – 1st Week of Lent

There is something pretty outrageous to note about this day’s prayer.  Read to the end.

This prayer is found in the ancient Gelasian Sacramentary on "Feria septima" of Lent, the 7th day of Lent.  In the Veronese this prayer is found among the prayers for the admonition during September month to fast during the 10th month (October).  Remember how the numbering of the months got screwed up in earlier centuries. It has an interesting spelling variation in the Veronese.  Whereas the Gelasian had "fauore", nothing unusual there, the Veronese has "fabore".  These variations show us something about how Latin was pronouced.  The intervocalic v, u, b sounds are related, with differences of lip rounding and closing the lips to make the sounds.  Try it!  favore fauore fabore

This prayer was not in the pre-Conciliar Missale Romanum.

POST COMMUNIONEM
Perpetuo, Domine, favore prosequere,
quos reficis divino mysterio,
et, quos imbuisti caelestibus institutis,
salutaribus comitare solaciis.

Do not be fooled by prosequere, which is an imperative, not an infinitive.  Prosequor is deponent and means "to follow" or "to accompany".  It can also be "to follow up".   The same goes for comitare, which is from the deponent comitor, "to join one’s self to any one as an attendant, to accompany, attend, follow".  So, two verbs of accompanying, both deponent imperatives.  An elegant hand wrote this.  Note also the devision of salutaribus… solaciis with comitare.

SLAVISHLY LITERAL VERSION:
O Lord, with perpetual good will follow up on those
whom you are refreshing by means of the divine mystery,
and
accompany with saving consolations
those whom you have imbued with heavenly things that were instituted.

I literally tripled-checked to make sure I had the right day, after I read what follows.

Lame-Duck ICEL Version (1973):
Lord,
may the word we share
be our guide to peace in your kingdom.
May the food we receive
assure us of your constant love.

Okay folks… can you do better than the Lame-Duck ICEL Version?

(And don’t try to take credit for your 7-year old’s work.  I’ll know.)

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. Raphaela says:

    “Okay folks… can you do better than the Lame-Duck ICEL Version?”

    Er… “Kumbaya”?

  2. Laura Lowder says:

    I am so disgusted with the attempt by U.S. Church officials in charge of this stuff treating me and all the faithful as if we were less intelligent than the average 4-year old. The more I learn, the more indignant I grow. Yes, I am praying for the conversion of the American Church!

  3. Athelstane says:

    Wow.

    That’s…remarkable, even by ICEL standards.

    They got “Lord” right. That’s about it.

  4. Mila says:

    It’s pathetic. Not a word from what the Latin says. I’m trying my hand, but I admit to cheating because I’m going by the Spanish version which, while not literal, does say what the Latin says (my translation follows):

    Assist, oh Lord, with your continual help
    those you have nourished with the Eucharist,
    and accompany those you have enlightened with the gift of your word
    by providing them with the consolations of your grace.
    Through Christ our Lord.

  5. Cygnus says:

    Carey Landry, call your office.

  6. QMJ says:

    The only Latin I know is the “Agnus Dei,” but even I can see it is a major stretch to call
    what the ICEL did a translation.

  7. Ioannes Andreades says:

    Wow, they can’t even be bothered to translate “et”!!!

  8. Clayton says:

    Perpetuo, Domine, favore prosequere,
    quos reficis divino mysterio,
    et, quos imbuisti caelestibus institutis,
    salutaribus comitare solaciis.

    O Lord, with continual care, guide those whom you refresh by this Holy Sacrament, and with needful support accompany those you have imbued with your heavenly doctrines.

  9. Patricia says:

    Thank you, Father Z, for paying attention to this (should be) important prayer. I very much appreciate having access to the Latin. It has been impossible for me to find the Novus Ordo Latin of propers, for some reason. Hope you will put at least the Latin up for the Sundays. Thanks, in case you do so.

    After some cooking in my little brain, and consultations with my trusty paperback Latin-English, here is my entry:

    Lord our God, Keep us in your care
    whom you nourish with your divine mystery,
    and shower/renew/continue us with encouragement and hope
    as we are filled with your heavenly gifts.

  10. gedsmk says:

    excellent translations! two of the three should be signed up by ICEL immediately!

  11. gedsmk says:

    ICEL 1998 was an improvement: Lord God, let your constant blessings descend on those whom you nourish with these divine mysteries, and let your comfort surround those you have instructed in the things of heaven.

  12. theology reader says:

    Your rendition appears very well translated and written although I am not a great expert- perhaps they should take you as a director.
    Before I have been fairly convinced that most of the ICEL translators did not know either Latin very well or theology or they had an agenda separated from the true teachings of the holy see. The particular prayer seems that the man either had a very bad day or wished to keep something that is more of a protestant theology or religious pluralism- he speaks of the word rather than the divine mysteries- reminiscent of the sola scriptura thesis, or that which centers only on the bible. And rather than present the celestial divinely instituted of the divine mysteries that calls to mind the whole signficance of the Paraklesis (the role of the Holy Spirit) and presence of the celestial hierarchy, he speaks of the bread we share making it a more mundane earthly social sharing. It also seems a bit Palagian and tending toward commonplace and worldly. This is why we have to go to the sources of scripture and doctrine and the liturgy in order to survive the watered down questionable liturgy that no doubt could easily easily lead to various types of agnosticism.

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