The New Missal – 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time

{I am very busy this weekend, and only have the comments on this week’s propers half finished. I thought I would post what we have, however, and if I get time I will complete the job with an update]

I had to make a decision about what I would do for this week’s commentary: The Solemnity of Christ the King (which is always on the last Sunday of the Church year) or the propers for the 34th Week of Ordinary Time? Well, I decided to go with the latter, since we will use these prayers for most of the rest of the week.

The Roman Missal

Entrance Antiphon (cf. Ps 85 (84):9)
The Lord speaks of peace to his people and his holy ones and to those who turn to him.

Collect
Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord,
that, striving more eagerly
to bring your divine work to fruitful completion,
they may receive in greater measure
the healing remedies your kindness bestows.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the sacred offerings
which at your bidding we dedicate to your name
and, in order that through these gifts
we may become worthy of your love,
grant us unfailing obedience to your commands.
Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon (cf. Ps 117 (116):1, 2)
O praise the Lord, all you nations, for his merciful love towards us is great.

Or:
(cf. Mt 28:20)
Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion
We pray, almighty God,
that those to whom you give
the joy of participating in divine mysteries
may never be parted from you.
Through Christ our Lord.

Missale Romanum

Ant. ad introitum (cf. Ps 84:9)
Loquétur Dóminus pacem in plebem suam,
et super sanctos suos,
et in eos qui convertúntur ad ipsum.

Collecta
Excita, quaesumus, Dómine, tuórum fidélium voluntátes,
ut, divíni óperis fructum propénsius exsequéntes,
pietátis tuæ remédia maióra percípiant.
Per Dominum…

Super oblata
Súscipe, Dómine, sacra múnera,
quæ tuo nómini iussísti dicánda,
et, ut per ea tuæ pietáti reddámur accépti,
fac nos tuis semper oboedíre mandátis.
Per Christum.
Ant. ad communionem (Ps 116, 1-2)
Laudáte Dóminum, omnes gentes,
quóniam confirmáta est super nos misericórdia eius.

Vel: (cf. Mt 28:20)
Ecce ego vobíscum sum ómnibus diébus,
usque ad consummatiónem saeculi, dicit Dóminus.

Post communionem
Quaesumus, omnípotens Deus,
ut, quos divína tríbuis participatióne gaudére,
a te numquam separári permíttas.
Per Christum…

Old ICEL

Entrance Antiphon (cf. 85 (84):9)
The Lord speaks of peace to his holy people, to those who turn to him with all their heart.

Opening Prayer
Lord,
increase our eagerness to do your will
and help us to know the saving power of your love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer over the Gifts
God of love,
may the sacrifice we offer
in obedience to your command
renew our resolution to be faithful to your word.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon (cf. Psalm )
All you nations, praise the Lord, for steadfast is his kindly mercy to us.

Or: (Mark 11:23-24)
I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world.

Prayer after Communion
Almighty God,
in this eucharist
you give us the joy of sharing your life.
Keep us in your presence.
Let us never be separated from you.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

COMMENTS

You can read all about “Stir Up Sunday” on Fr Zuhlsdorf’s blog, although I can’t find any in depth treatment on his blog of this week’s propers (he focuses on Christ the King!).

Looking at the Entrance Antiphon, it is from verse 9 (or 8 in most English bibles) from Psalm 85 (84), which was psalm from which the verse for the Introit was taken in the pre-1970 rite. Although in the latter case, the Introit uses Psalm 85:2 (or verse 1 in most English bibles), perhaps there is a connection here. As far as the new translation goes, it departs from the Revised Grail at numerous points, so as it really can’t be said to be the same. The old ICEL translation conflated “his people” and “his saints”, but the two are quite distinct in the Latin. Turning to the Lord “with all your heart” (as in Old ICEL) is a nice Hebrew phrase, but although “heart” is there in the Vulgate and the Revised Grail of the Psalm, the Hebrew of this text is unclear. The Latin antiphon in the Missal just has “eos qui convertúntur ad ipsum”, ie. “those who are turned toward /converted to him”.

The traditional title “Stir Up Sunday” comes from the opening word of the Collect, and hence the practice of preparing the Christmas puddings on this day. The Collect begins with the word “Excita” – yep, we get the word “excite” from this (are you getting excited?). In the Extraordinary form, “Excite” collects occur on the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, the First and Second Sundays in Advent, and the Friday of the Fourth Week in Advent. In the new Roman Missal, they occur on the 34th Week in Ordinary time (but not Sunday any more because of Christ the King), Thursday and Friday in the First Week of Advent and Thursday in the Second Week of Advent. In other words, no more “Excita” Collects on Sundays. What a pity, because they are really great prayers. When I was a Lutheran pastor, I really enjoyed praying, on the First Week of Advent, the rousing “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come”, which is now on the first Thursday of Advent. In this week’s Collect, it is not the power of the Lord which we are asking to be “stirred up”, but the “tuórum fidélium voluntátes”, ie. the will of God’s faithful people. The Old ICEL translation of this prayer wasn’t “exciting” at all, as it replaced “stir up” with “increase”. Dull, dull, dull. AND they got whose will wrong. It is our will that we are asking to be “stirred up”, not our “eagerness to do [God’s] will. How could they have gotten it so wrong? Well, all is corrected now.

About Schütz

I am a PhD candidate & sessional academic at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. After almost 10 years in ministry as a Lutheran pastor, I was received into the Catholic Church in 2003. I worked for the Archdiocese of Melbourne for 18 years in Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations. I have been editor of Gesher for the Council of Christians & Jews and am guest editor of the historical journal “Footprints”. I have a passion for pilgrimage and pioneered the MacKillop Woods Way.
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