Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Meme: Sentences 6-8 of page 123 of the nearest book

Adoro te devote tagged me, because I pray for priests. (I always knew praying for priests would be a burden!)
  1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
  2. Open the book to page 123.
  3. Find the fifth sentence.
  4. Post the next three sentences.
  5. Tag five people.
Here is my contribution. The book is (surprise, surprise) the current English translation of the Roman Missal (a.k.a. the Sacramentary). Page 123 has the prayers over the palm branches, from Sunday of Holy Week (Passion or Palm Sunday) for the "First Form: The Procession". By my estimation, sentences 6 through 8 are:

Lord,
increase the faith of your people
and listen to our prayers.
Today we honor Christ our triumphant King
by carrying these branches.
May we honor you ever day
by living always in him,
for he is Lord for ever and ever.

Yes, it's the alternative prayer over the palm branches. If I may editorialize for a moment before feebly tagging five people... compare that prayer over the palms with the first option:

Almighty God,
we pray you
bless + these branches
and make them holy.
Today we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King.
May we reach one day the happiness of the new and everlasting Jerusalem
by faithfully following him
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Note that the alternative doesn't ask for the branches to be blessed (though they are sprinkled with holy water afterwards, regardless of the prayer used). Note that the alternative doesn't name Jesus as Christ. Note that the alternative is focused a bit more on us (our faith, our prayers). Note that the alternative makes no connection to the heavenly Jerusalem in juxtaposition to the worldly Jerusalem, the entrance into which we are celebrating.

Does anyone have the Latin Roman Missal for the Ordinary Form of Mass? I'd really like to know what the prayer over the branches (in Latin) is.

I like the first prayer better.

I tag the first five bloggers who read this blog and are courageous enough to admit they've been tagged. You know who you are. (Because I don't.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well I read it but were there five or more before me. This question will haunt me for the rest of the day.

At any rate, I cant do it right now - I'll do it when I get home assuming I'm one of the five. I'll just pick the closest book to my computer.