Various prayers or “Orationes diversae” in the traditional Missale Romanum

I added the orations “For enemies.”  I wrote about those orations in three posts, the first of which is HERE.

I had a question in email about something I did yesterday for the live-streamed Mass at Noon.  It was a feria in the time of Epiphany and I choose a Votive Mass “for the grace of dying well” which can also be phrased as “for the grace of a good death”.  And, because I am under nasty attack right now by a group of people, I added orations “pro inimicis… for enemies“.   Some conflated that to mean that I was praying for a good death for enemies, as in, praying that my enemies would die.   No.

In praying the Mass for a good death, for the grace of dying well, I was praying for myself.  May God give me the grace to die well when it is my time.  Of course I also hope that my enemies will have a good death when it is their time.  I hope we ALL have a good death, so that we ALL go to heaven.  The issue of praying “for enemies” in the context of that Mass… no… I was praying for my own death.  I have also added prayers “for enemies” in other Votive and regular Masses of the day, as well as other prayers.

This is something that many may not know.

There are many beautiful sets of prayers available in the traditional Missale Romanum they address many different challenges and needs of daily life.  They are profound and serve as a great starting point for prayerful reflection.

In the Orationes diversae section in the Missal there are all sorts of sets of orations a priest can add to the regular orations for the day or for Votive Masses.  They are sets of three orations without other antiphons and readings as in whole Votive Masses… just the collect, secret and postcommunion:

Ad poscenda suffragia sanctorum – to ask for favors from the saints
Pro liberatate Ecclesiae – for the liberty of the Church
Pro omni gradu Ecclesiae – For every grade in the Church
Pro Papa – For the Pope
Pro Prelatis et congregationinbus eis commissis – For prelates and Congregations entrusted to them
Pro Episcopo – For a/the bishop
Pro seipso sacerdote – For the priest himself
Pro res publicas moderantibus – For public officials
Pro rege – For the King
Pro familia -For a/the family
Pro concordia servanda – For the preservation of harmony
Pro defensione ab hostibus – For defense against armed enemies
Tempore famis – In time of famine
Tempore terraemotus – In time of earthquakes
Ad petendam pluviam – To ask for rain
Ad postulandam serenitatem – To ask for good weather
Ad repellendas tempestates – To drive away storms
Tempore pestis animalium – In time of disease of animals
Pro quacumque necessitate – For whatever need
In quacumque tribulatione – In whatever distress
Ad petendam compunctionen cordis – For asking compunction of heart (“gift of tears”)
Pro remissione peccatorum  – For the remission of sins
Pro tentatis et tribulatis – For the tried and tempted
Ad repellendas malas cogitationes – To drive away bad thoughts
Ad postulandam continentiam – To ask for continence
Ad postulandam humiltatem – To ask for humility
Ad postulandam patientiam – To ask for patience
Ad postulandam caritatem – To ask for charity
Pro devotis amicis – For close friends
Pro inimicis – For enemies
Pro captivis – For captives
Pro navigantibus – For sailors
Pro salute vivorum – For the health/salvation of the living
Pro vivis et defunctis – For the “quick and the dead”

There are Votive Masses for both dire needs and for happy moments. But in the titles of these sets of prayer is a snapshot of the human condition, our challenges.  I have often used these options … some more than others.  So, you might chose to say a Votive Mass for the sick and then, because something else is going on, add a prayer asking for rain.  Or you might have a Votive Mass for and increase in vocations and then add prayers begging for humility.

Back to the Votive Mass “asking for the grace of a good death”.

Meanwhile…

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. Charivari Rob says:

    Ah, yes – the dreaded “Eats, shoots & leaves.” effect.
    Really, though… your original passage was clearly benign. Though the juxtaposition was bemusing, no panda bears made a hit on anyone.

  2. caputvero says:

    I have wondered in what circumstances a priest would use the prayers “For whatever need” versus the prayers “In whatever distress.” The answer might be all in the titles, of course, but any further guidance would be useful.

  3. Suburbanbanshee says:

    “Distress” is for problems. “Need” is for additions.

    You’re not necessarily in distress if you don’t have a car, if you’re safe at home and can get food, etc.

    But you might need one.

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