A Straying Collect

 

 

I am not a great fan of the last English translation of the Roman Sacramentary. However, since I read the Office  in Latin I rarely see that translation. But when I do, I am often perplexed.

 

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, quem patérno nómine invocáre præsúmimus, pérfice in córdibus nostris spíritum adoptiónis filiórum, ut promíssam hereditátem íngredi mereámur.

 

Current:

 

Almighty, ever-living God,

  we confidently call you Father as well as Lord.

Renew your Spirit in our hearts:

  make us ever more perfectly your children,

  so that we may enter upon the inheritance you have promised us.

 

Liturgy Archive:

 

Almighty ever-living God,

whom, taught by the Holy Spirit,

we dare to call our Father,

bring, we pray, to perfection in our hearts

the spirit of adoption as your sons and daughters,

that we may merit to enter into the inheritance

which you have promised.

 

1.       Is it the same thing to say “confidently call” as to say “presume”?

 

2.      The ‘spirit” referred to is not the Holy Spirit but the lower case human spirit.

 

3.      There is no invocation of the Spirit in this prayer.

 

4.      Is “ever-living” really better than “eternal”.

 

5.      What a theologically powerful word is “mereamur” – “that we may be made worthy”.

 

More reasons to read the Latin office or at least to keep an eye on the Latin.