WDTPRS – Wednesday 1st Week of Lent – Oratio super populum (2002MR)

Posted on 24 February 2010 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

ORATIO SUPER POPULUM (2002MR):
Tuere, Domine, populum tuum,
et ab omnibus peccatis clementer emunda,
quia nulla ei nocebit adversitas,
si nulla ei dominetur iniquitas.

This "Prayer over the people" was in the Liber sacramentorum Augustodunensis for Ash Wednesday, and it seems to have been inspired in some measure by St. Leo the Great’s s. 57.

SLAVISHLY LITERAL VERSION:
Protect your people, O Lord,
and mercifully cleanse it from all sins,
for no adversity will harm it,
if it is dominated by no iniquity.

OR:
O Lord, protect Your people,
and cleanse us from every sin,
because no adversity can harm us,
if we are not dominated by sin.

This comes at the end of a Mass in which we hear also of the Sign of Jonah and hear Christ’s words about the evil generation, how the men of Nineveh will arise in judgment.

I think you have probably heard the darkly facetious quip that if God does not punish us now, He will owe Sodom and Gomorrah and apology.

Do penance.  

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. Dr. Eric says:
    24 February 2010 at 11:37 AM

    I agree, repent. But, there are usually more than 50 righteous people in our cities which hold back Our Lord’s anger. The question is, for how long…

  2. Dr. Eric says:
    24 February 2010 at 11:37 AM

    Hmmm, how do I delete that post? I don’t like how it was written.

  3. Timbot2000 says:
    24 February 2010 at 12:05 PM

    Interesting, It would be helpful if English still had an operative word like “Volk” that could be used singularly in the place of “populum”, as it is “people” is a plural in modern English and using “it” with it, while true to the Latin, does sound very strange. Modern English speakers would say “them”.

  4. AJP says:
    24 February 2010 at 12:56 PM

    speaking of penance, is this the week of the Lenten ember days? Or were they last week?

  5. Dr. Eric says:
    24 February 2010 at 1:36 PM

    AJP,

    Today is the first of the Lenten Ember Days according to the internet sources I checked.

  6. Gabriella says:
    24 February 2010 at 1:56 PM

    Do penance!

    Fr. Z., I’m so happy to come accross a priest that ‘orders’ us to do penance ;)
    Something very rare nowadays!

  7. Random Friar says:
    24 February 2010 at 2:58 PM

    Not only penance, but think of it. When people see us, they should see something that causes them to repentance and conversion as well. They should see the power of God shining through our weakness.

    At the Eucharistic table and in all the Sacraments we receive something far greater than all the Wisdom of Solomon or the Temple of Jerusalem. We are called to be living Monstrances in the world.

  8. TomB says:
    24 February 2010 at 4:25 PM

    Ember Days are Wed., Fri., and Sat. this week.

  9. JonM says:
    24 February 2010 at 5:40 PM

    Question for those who know…

    I am trying to follow the previous law (one meal a day, meat only once a day except Friday and Saturday when meat is forbidden.)

    I know that Ember Days had stricker penances; can anyone tell me A) What were they and B) When are these days?

    Thanks in advance.

  10. wanda says:
    24 February 2010 at 10:27 PM

    Oh, Random Friar..”We are called to be living Monstrances.” I have much work, prayer and penance to do. Thank you for this stunning comment. It stopped me in my tracks.

  11. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf says:
    24 February 2010 at 10:37 PM

    TomB Thanks for the reminder about Ember Days.

Comments are closed.