What is the "secret prayer?"

[EphelDuath]

I was reading a translation of the Latin Mass when I saw this.

The Secret*
(The Priest here says the day’s Secret prayer

(At the end of the Secret, the Priest says audibly*

P. …forever and ever.
S. Amen.

Is it still present in the Novus Order Mass? What is its purpose and its origin?

 

[porthos11]

I was reading a translation of the Latin Mass when I saw this.

Is it still present in the Novus Order Mass? What is its purpose and its origin?

There are still secret prayers in the Ordinary Form Mass, but they are all part of the Ordinary. There are no more proper Secrets.

The Secret prayers of the Mass are during the Offertory, when the priest says,

“Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread/wine to offer, fruit of the earth/vine, and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life/our spiritual drink.”

and also,

"By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. "

and at the washing of hands,

“Lord, wash away my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin.”

and before Communion:

“Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy, I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body.”

 

[kleary]

There are some few silent prayers in the Novus Ordo, but very few and i even think they are optional.

Anyway…

The Secret (Latin Secreta, sc. oratio secreta) is the prayer said in a low voice by the celebrant at the end of the Offertory in the Roman Liturgy. It is the original and for a long time was the only offertory prayer. It is said in a low voice merely because at the same time the choir sings the Offertory, and it has inherited the special name of Secret as being the only prayer said in that way at the beginning. The silent recital of the Canon (which is sometimes called “Secreta”, as by Durandus, “Rat. div. off.”, IV, xxxv), did not begin earlier than the sixth or seventh century, Cardinal Bona thinks not till the tenth (Rer. liturg., II, 13, §1). Moreover all our present offertory prayers are late additions, not made in Rome till the fourteenth century (see OFFERTORY). Till then the offertory act was made in silence, the corresponding prayer that followed it was our Secret. Already in “Apostolic Const.”, VIII, XII, 4, the celebrant receiving the bread and wine, prays “silently” (Brightman “Eastern Liturgies”, p. 14), doubtless for the same reason, because a psalm was being sung. Since it is said silently the Secret is not introduced by the invitation to the people: “Oremus”. It is part of the Proper of the Mass, changing for each feast or occasion, and is built up in the same way as the Collect (q.v.). The Secret too alludes to the saint or occasion of the day. But it keeps its special character inasmuch as it nearly always (always in the case of the old ones) asks God to receive these present gifts, to sanctify them, etc. All this is found exactly as now in the earliest Secrets we know, those of the Leonine Sacramentary. Already there the Collect, Secret, Postcommunion, and “Oratio ad populum” form a connected and homogeneous group of prayers. So the multiplication of Collects in one Mass (see COLLECT) entailed a corresponding multiplication of Secrets. For every Collect the corresponding Secret is said.

newadvent.org/cathen/13673b.htm

 

[scriabin]

From “This is the Mass” by Henri Daniel-Rops, Fulton Sheen:

“…The Prayer over the Oblations was formerly called the Secreta. Many explanations were offered for this: one suggested that in contrast to the Collect–the prayer of the plebs collecta–this was a prayer proper to the chosen ones, to the faithful, as distinct from the greater assembly which had, until an earlier point in the Mass, included the catechumens as well. Another suggested that it should rather be taken as having reference to the oblations of bread and wine which are now set apart, or secreted, from the other offerings (the Latin word secernere, of which *secreta *is the past participle, means to separate, to set apart from). Still another took the name to indicate that what we have here is a prayer of introduction to the secret things, to the King’s mysteries.”

From “The Heart of the Mass” by ‘various approved sources’ :

“…The Secret is a prayer of petition, wherein we beseech God to deign graciously to accept the oblation…”

So in today’s NO Mass this prayer would correspond to:

“May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all His Church.”

The Secret was in the Propers but now this petition is in the Ordinary.

 

[porthos11]

There are some few silent prayers in the Novus Ordo, but very few and i even think they are optional.

Anyway…

The Secret (Latin Secreta, sc. oratio secreta) is the prayer said in a low voice by the celebrant at the end of the Offertory in the Roman Liturgy. It is the original and for a long time was the only offertory prayer. It is said in a low voice merely because at the same time the choir sings the Offertory, and it has inherited the special name of Secret as being the only prayer said in that way at the beginning. The silent recital of the Canon (which is sometimes called “Secreta”, as by Durandus, “Rat. div. off.”, IV, xxxv), did not begin earlier than the sixth or seventh century, Cardinal Bona thinks not till the tenth (Rer. liturg., II, 13, §1). Moreover all our present offertory prayers are late additions, not made in Rome till the fourteenth century (see OFFERTORY). Till then the offertory act was made in silence, the corresponding prayer that followed it was our Secret. Already in “Apostolic Const.”, VIII, XII, 4, the celebrant receiving the bread and wine, prays “silently” (Brightman “Eastern Liturgies”, p. 14), doubtless for the same reason, because a psalm was being sung. Since it is said silently the Secret is not introduced by the invitation to the people: “Oremus”. It is part of the Proper of the Mass, changing for each feast or occasion, and is built up in the same way as the Collect (q.v.). The Secret too alludes to the saint or occasion of the day. But it keeps its special character inasmuch as it nearly always (always in the case of the old ones) asks God to receive these present gifts, to sanctify them, etc. All this is found exactly as now in the earliest Secrets we know, those of the Leonine Sacramentary. Already there the Collect, Secret, Postcommunion, and “Oratio ad populum” form a connected and homogeneous group of prayers. So the multiplication of Collects in one Mass (see COLLECT) entailed a corresponding multiplication of Secrets. For every Collect the corresponding Secret is said.

newadvent.org/cathen/13673b.htm

All of those secret prayers I mentioned earlier are not optional; they are required, but the priest actually has a choice of two secret prayers before communion. He must say one, but may not omit.

 

[bpbasilphx]

What at one time was called the Secret (Secreta–actually meaning separated) is now called the Prayer over the Gifts.

 

[AJV]

From “The Heart of the Mass” by ‘various approved sources’ :

“…The Secret is a prayer of petition, wherein we beseech God to deign graciously to accept the oblation…”

So in today’s NO Mass this prayer would correspond to:

“May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all His Church.”

The Secret was in the Propers but now this petition is in the Ordinary.

No, the Orate Fratres (with the response “May the Lord accept…”) was present in the Ordinary previously also. It is like an expnaded “Oremus”, Let us pray.

The Secret as bpbasilphx pointed out is now titled “Super oblata” in the Latin missal, or in the English Sacramentary “Prayer over the Gifts” (formerly, “Prayer over the Offerings”). There are two main changes:

• it is now said audibly
• it uses the shorter conclusion “Grant this through Christ our Lord” (or similar, in English translations) rather than the long conclusion found in the Opening Prayer “We ask this (Grant this) throguh our Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”

Today’s (Friday, Advent II) was

Lord we are nothing without You. As you sustain us with Your mercy, receive our prayers and offerings. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

This is the interim version of the same prayer that was in use in Eng.& Wales before the current ICEL translation came out in 1973

Be moved to pity, Lord, by the prayers and offerings which we unworthy sinners make to You; and though of ourselves we have no claim on Your favour, in Your mercy help and strengthen us. Through Christ our Lord.