J
japhy
Guest
May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for even now,
as we walk amid passing things,
you teach us by them
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
There’s been some discussion over the past month (and more) as to what this prayer means, how accurate a translation of the Latin it is, how good an English composition it is, etc.
The Latin of the prayer makes it clear what the meaning is:
Prosint nobis, quaesumus, Domine,
frequentata mysteria,
quibus nos, inter praetereuntia ambulantes,
iam nunc instituis
amare caelestia
et inhaerere mansuris.
The prayer is asking God that we may be taught by the mysteries in which we participate (i.e. the Sacrament of the Eucharist) to love the things of heaven and cling to things that last, even as walk amid (earthly) things that do not last.
The new English translation can be misunderstood to mean that “you teach us by them” is referring to the passing things we walk amid, rather than the mysteries we frequent. The “them” refers back to a plural noun, but the nearest plural noun is “passing things”, even though its actual target is “these mysteries”.
There are ways the prayer could have been translated (or edited) to avoid this possible misunderstanding. (In fact, the way the prayer was written in 2008 before the final edits it received in Rome did avoid this shortcoming.) Here are two such ways, edits in bold:
May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for you teach us by them,
even now, as we walk amid passing things,
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
or:
May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for even now, as we walk in the midst of this passing world,
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
The first suggestion moves “them” before the second plural noun, “passing things”. The second suggestion translates praetereuntia as a singular noun, “this passing world”, thus preventing “them” (plural) from being able to refer to it.
There are ways this prayer could have been written, within the bounds of Liturgiam Authenticam, without the shortcoming it has in the official translation.
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for even now,
as we walk amid passing things,
you teach us by them
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
There’s been some discussion over the past month (and more) as to what this prayer means, how accurate a translation of the Latin it is, how good an English composition it is, etc.
The Latin of the prayer makes it clear what the meaning is:
Prosint nobis, quaesumus, Domine,
frequentata mysteria,
quibus nos, inter praetereuntia ambulantes,
iam nunc instituis
amare caelestia
et inhaerere mansuris.
The prayer is asking God that we may be taught by the mysteries in which we participate (i.e. the Sacrament of the Eucharist) to love the things of heaven and cling to things that last, even as walk amid (earthly) things that do not last.
The new English translation can be misunderstood to mean that “you teach us by them” is referring to the passing things we walk amid, rather than the mysteries we frequent. The “them” refers back to a plural noun, but the nearest plural noun is “passing things”, even though its actual target is “these mysteries”.
There are ways the prayer could have been translated (or edited) to avoid this possible misunderstanding. (In fact, the way the prayer was written in 2008 before the final edits it received in Rome did avoid this shortcoming.) Here are two such ways, edits in bold:
May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for you teach us by them,
even now, as we walk amid passing things,
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
or:
May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for even now, as we walk in the midst of this passing world,
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
The first suggestion moves “them” before the second plural noun, “passing things”. The second suggestion translates praetereuntia as a singular noun, “this passing world”, thus preventing “them” (plural) from being able to refer to it.
There are ways this prayer could have been written, within the bounds of Liturgiam Authenticam, without the shortcoming it has in the official translation.