Friday, August 22, 2008

Friday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

mp3
The soul, flood of the Spirit, brings God with itself

Adésto, rerum cónditor,
Be present, Creator of all things,
patérnæ lucis glória,
glory of Fatherly light
cuius amóta grátia
when Thy grace is taken away
nostra pavéscunt péctora.
our souls become alarmed.

Tuóque plena Spíritu,
And (our souls) filled with Thy Spirit,
secum Deum gestántia,
carrying God with them,
nil rapiéntis pérfidi
to nothing of the destroying faithless (one)
diris patéscant fráudibus,
may they be open by awful fraud

Ut inter actus saéculi
That among the deeds of the world
vitæ quos usus éxigit,
which making use of life requires,
omni caréntes crímine
may we be free from all sin
tuis vivámus légibus.
may we live by Thy laws.

Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

The author of the (earlier than) sixth century hymn is unknown, according to Fr. Lentini.

He also says that this hymn is made up of verses 4, 5, and 6 of the hymn Lucis largitor splendide which we sing on Even Mondays at Morning prayer. If you follow that link, you find out that others think this hymn was written by St. Hilary of Potiers.

The 2nd and 3rd stanzas of this hymn were exceedingly difficult. I hope I did them justice. When I go back and read through my translation of the hymn and the thoughts seems to hang together...this makes me think that I got the sense of the writer. Here is a quick schematic of each verse as I see it:

1. Be present O Lord, because our hearts are distressed without your grace,
2. but when you fill them with the Spirit, God is within us and nothing bad can harm us
3. so that even as we go about tasks which may be worldly, we can live by Your principles and stay free from sin.

A very cool prayer on this Queenship of Mary. Fiat, fiat.

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