Sunday, October 9, 2016

An early 7th-century (or earlier) prayer written for the recitation of bishops with birthdays (or perhaps anniversaries of ordination) in the month of September

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Remember, O Lord, what you have wrought in us, and not what we may merit, but to wonder at the grace of your office conferred; that just as your worthiness instructs me to serve at the sacred altars in the episcopal office, so may it perform [the said office] worthy also in merit: through. . . .

Memento, domine, quod es operatus in nobis, et non quid mereamur, sed conlati gratiam tui muneris intuere; ut sicut me sacris altaribus tua dignatio pontificali seruire praecipit officio, ita dignum prestet et merito:  per.

     Early 7th (or earlier) Veronese (or "Leonine") sacramentary ed. Mohlberg, no. 976, Mense Septembri, In natale episcoporum (Month of September, on the birthday of bishops).  Memento is the imperative of memini, -nisse.  dignum, like muneris and officio, is a neuter.  Corpus orationum no. 3311 cites also Ps 68 (67):29b:  "quod operatus es nobis."  Thanks to Fr. Kendall Harmon for flagging the version of this below:

1979 BCP, Traditional and Contemporary:
Remember, O Lord, what thou hast wrought in us, and not what we deserve; and, as thou hast called us to thy service, make us worthy of our calling; through. .  . .

Remember, O Lord, what you have wrought in us, and not what we deserve; and, as you have called us to your service, make us worthy of our calling; through. .  . .

Fr. Roderick James Thompson back-translated this (new to the 1979 BCP) into Latin as "et quia nos vocasti in serevitutem tuam, fac nos dignos vocationis nostrae:  per" (Liber precum publicarum:  et administrationis sacramentorum aliorumque rituum caerimoniarumque ecclesiae:  cum Psalterio Davidico:  secundum usum Ecclesiae Episcopalis:  in duobus voluminibus (San Francisco:  Laud Liturgical Press, 2008 [2001])).

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