New Liturgical Prayers

The New Liturgical Movement, a liturgy website, has gathered together some of the new translations of the “Propers” for Mass here in this online article. 

1st Sunday of Advent
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that your faithful may resolve
to run forth with righteous deeds,
to meet your Christ who is coming,
so that gathered at His right hand
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.

Prayer after Communion
May the mysteries we have celebrated profit us, we pray, O Lord,
for even now, as we journey through the passing world,
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what will endure.

2nd Sunday of Advent
Friday
Collect
Grant your people, we pray, almighty God,
to keep wide awake for the coming of your Only-Begotten Son,
that as He Himself, the author of our salvation, has taught,
we may be alert, with lamps alight,
and hurry out to greet Him as He comes.

4th Sunday of Advent
Collect
Stir up your power, we pray, O Lord, and come,
that with you to protect us
we may find rescue
from the looming dangers of our sins,
and with you to set us free,
be found worthy of salvation.

Not bad.  But somehow they seem more English than American, especially the “even now,” and the phrase about meeting “your Christ.”  Anyway, we won’t know until we see the whole translation. My greatest hope is that the priest at Mass doesn’t come out sounding like this, one of my favorite Monty Python bits, above, from “The Meaning of Life.”

James Martin, SJ