Friday 28 March 2014

Prayers while vesting for Mass

I have just been re-reading the prayers that used to be said by the priest while vesting for Mass.  

They speak beautifully of the significance of the liturgical vestments.

I do wonder how many priests retain any of these prayers - or indeed any sense that the vestments have any real meaning.

I found these here, which is another site with the complete texts of the Mass: it opens to today's Mass every time you visit, which is helpful; and it has Masses for all weekdays and feasts (I understand: I haven't checked).


CUM SACERDOS INDUITUR 

Cum lavat manus: 
Da, Dómine, virtútem mánibus meis ad abstergéndam omnem máculam; ut sine pollutióne mentis et córporis váleam tibi servíre.


Ad Amictum:
Impóne, Dómine, cápiti meo gáleam salútis, ad expugnándos diabólicos incúrsus.


Ad Albam: 
Deálba me, Dómine, et munda cor meum; ut, in Sánguine Agni dealbátus, gáudiis pérfruar sempitérnis.


Ad Cingulum: 
Præcínge me, Dómine, cíngulo puritátis, et exstíngue in lumbis meis humórem libídinis; ut máneat in me virtus continéntiæ et castitátis.


Ad Manipulum: 
Mérear, Dómine, portáre manípulum fletus et dolóris; ut cum exsultatióne recípiam mercédem labóris.


Ad Stolam:
Redde mihi, Dómine, stolam immortalitátis, quam pérdidi in prævaricatióne primi paréntis: et, quamvis indígnus accédo ad tuum sacrum mystérium, mérear tamen gáudium sempitérnum.


Ad Casulam: 
Dómine, qui dixísti: Jugum meum suáve est et onus meum leve: fac, ut istud portáre sic váleam, quod cónsequar tuam grátiam. Amen.

PRAYERS WHILE VESTMENTS ARE TAKEN

While he washes his hands:

Give strength to my hands, Lord, to wipe away all stain, so that I may be able to serve Thee in purity of mind and body.


For the amice:
Lord, set the helmet of salvation on my head to fend off all the assaults of the devil.


For the alb:
Purify me, Lord, and cleanse my heart so that, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, I may enjoy eternal bliss.


For the cincture:
Lord, gird me with the cincture of purity and extinguish my fleshly desires, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide within me.


For the maniple:
Lord, may I worthily bear the maniple of tears and sorrow so as to receive the reward of my labour with rejoicing.


For the stole:
Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy.


For the chasuble:
O Lord, Who hast said, "My yoke is sweet and My burden light," grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace. Amen.

3 comments:

Marc in Eugene said...

Thanks for this post! Hope you all are having a good Lent!

I use that lovely DO.com site on my tablet when I'm able to go to Mass in the vetus ordo (forty mile round trip plus the car hire for three hours...) since I don't have a printed missal. So far, Father's missal and the DO.com 1960 version have coincided. :-)

And have used it for the office, too (although I finally found a used, affordable breviarium romanum just before Lent). Read the 1910 office from Pentecost last through the Purification. :-)

Don't know who maintains the site following Mr Laszlo Kiss (r.i.p.), but the couple of times I was suspicious that something was erroneous in the text, I had quick replies that settled my doubts.

Ben Trovato said...

Marc, thanks for your comment. I agree it is a beautifully laid-out and very useful site.

However, I do have one reservation, and that is about the text in red.

There are four problems, as I see it.

One is that the English (in red) is not an accurate translation of the Latin (in red). The second is that it makes no distinction between rubrics and commentary. The third is that some of the commentary is opinion, not fact. The fourth is that it contains some errors.

Having noticed which, I think I'll drop them an email.

Marc in Eugene said...

Do notice (now that you mention it-- I don't think I've ever used DO at Mass with the English turned on) that the English isn't just a translation of the MR's rubrics; the texts are assembled from different sources that are available online, I believe, which will doubtless vary in accuracy.

I will say that when it comes to the propria of the day's Mass, DO has been 'right' each time I've used it-- two dozen or more times in the last year. The best scenario may be a beautifully bound printed missal but, failing that, DO serves well.

Hope the DO people respond to your concerns!