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| Icon by Aidan Hart |
In the traditional Latin Mass, St. Augustine of Canterbury, missionary to the English (feastday: May 28th), has his own orations—and what magnificent orations they are!
Collect (TLM):
O God, Who by the preaching and miracles of blessed Augustine, Thy Confessor and Bishop, didst vouchsafe to illumine the English people with the light of the true faith: grant that, through his intercession, the hearts of those who have gone astray may return to the unity of Thy truth and that we may be of one mind in doing Thy will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.
Secret:
We offer this sacrifice unto Thee, O Lord, on the solemnity of blessed Augustine, Thy bishop and confessor, humbly entreating that the sheep which are lost may return to the one fold, and be nourished by this food of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.
Postcommunion:
We who are refreshed by this saving Victim humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, that, through the intercession of blessed Augustine pleading for us, it may continually be offered in every place to the glory of Thy name. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.
Rich prayers, all three of which emphasize the ongoing mission to the English and the hope of their return to (in the words of John Henry Newman) “the one true fold of the Redeemer,” from which they have tragically fallen away. The prayers are luminously supernatural in orientation: God uses both preaching and miracles to illuminate the English people; He desires for them adherence to the truth, unity in the Church, the concord of charity. He wants those who are lost to be found so that they may be nourished by the Real Presence of Christ, which is not to be found where priestly orders are not found. He desires that the sacrifice of the Victim be offered everywhere, in fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy.
Somehow not surprisingly, in the Novus Ordo this vividly colorful lex orandi has been reduced, as in a process of blackandwhiteification, to a single lame proper collect, with a choice for the remaining two orations from multiple Commons for Missionaries or for Bishops—none of which captures anything like the spirit of the preceding prayers.
Collect (NO):
O God, who by the preaching of the Bishop Saint Augustine of Canterbury led the English peoples to the Gospel, grant, we pray, that the fruits of his labors may remain ever abundant in your Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
In this collect we find no mention of miracles (rationalists can’t abide any of that stuff), no mention that he is a confessor, no mention of illumination by the Gospel, no mention of the “true faith” and surely no mention of conversion or the return of non-Catholics to the truth of Catholicism, which is God’s will for mankind (what ecumenically incorrect notions from which we have been thankfully delivered!). It is very obviously a different prayer with different motivations altogether typical of the mentality of the reformers of the 1960s, who were all about fruits (though what kind of fruits?) and labors (from the worker priests to the glorification of activism).
Of the five possibilities given in the new missal for the “Prayer over the Offerings” and the “Prayer after Communion,” here are two typical ones:
Prayer over the Offerings:
Look upon the sacrificial gifts we offer, almighty God, on the feast day of blessed N., and grant that we, who celebrate the mysteries of the Lord’s Passion, may imitate what we now do. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer after Communion:
By the power of this mystery, O Lord, confirm your servants in the true faith, that they may everywhere profess in word and deed the faith for which blessed N. never ceased to labor and for which he spent his whole life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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| St Bede, icon by Aidan Hart |
In fairness, I might add that the redactors of the new missal found the self-control to leave untouched the proper Collects for St. Bede and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi—but then arranged them as one of three optional memorials on the same day, together with Gregory VII. The practical result is that these Collects will either rarely or never be heard by particular congregations. In the old calendar, Gregory VII, Bede, and Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi each has his or her own day on the general calendar, and none is optional (May 25, May 27, May 29).
St. Bede:
O God, Who by the learning of blessed Bede, Thy Confessor and Doctor, hast glorified Thy Church: grant that Thy servants may ever be enlightened by his wisdom and helped by his merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi:
O God, the lover of virginity, Who has enkindled in the heart of blessed Mary Magdalen, thy Virgin, a burning love for Thee, and adorned her with heavenly gifts: grant that we who celebrate her festival may imitate her in purity and love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Augustine, St. Bede, and St. Mary Magdalen: pray for us—and pray for the restoration of the sacred Latin liturgy that you loved in its pre-modern uses.
