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Chapter 36Ansl.1.36

ORATIO XXXVI. AD DEUM, ET AD OMNES SANCTOS.

Adoration and Supplication to the Holy Trinity

The soul adores the Triune God, confesses sin, pleads for mercy, and begs that wrath be turned away before death.

Lord God almighty, eternal and beyond all telling, without end or beginning, whom we confess as one in the Trinity, three in unity. You alone, O God, I worship; I praise you, I bless you, and I glorify you; I give you thanks; I entrust myself to you with all my devotion. Hear the voice of my prayer, Father in heaven, God, my king and my God. Son, Redeemer of the world, God, have mercy on me. Do not destroy me for my iniquities, nor in the end, being angry, reserve my punishments for me.1 Holy Spirit, kind God, breathe into me the breath of your grace, and guide me into the way of eternal salvation. Teach me to do your will. Whatever displeases you in me, remove it from me. Threefold and one, almighty, merciful and compassionate Lord, look upon me, and turn my tribulation into joy, and do not give up your inheritance.2 Most High, into destruction.3 Ruler of all and protector of those who hope in you, Lord, receive my petition; and through the intercessions of the glorious Virgin Mary, take your wrath away from me, Lord God of my salvation. Do not let my soul be taken from my body before you have forgiven all my sins.4

Mary, Mother of Mercy

The glorious Virgin Mary is invoked as mother of mercy to uphold the soul in tribulation and lead it to the heavenly kingdoms.

O glorious Mother of God, mother of mercy, Mary, ever virgin, who alone among virgins deserved to bear the Lord of all and to nurse the king of the angels, help me in the day of my tribulation, so that, upheld by your protection, I may deserve to reach the heavenly kingdoms.5

The Holy Angels as Guardians

Saint Michael and all the holy angels are called to defend the soul from the enemy and receive it in peace at death.

Holy Michael, archangel of God, guardian of paradise, come to my aid, defend me from the wicked enemy in the hour of my death, and lead my soul into the paradise of eternal joy.67 All holy angels and archangels of God, all the powers of heaven, all the ranks of blessed spirits, restrain the forces of damnation, drive back those who attack me, powerfully defend me from the savagery of the roaring enemy — me, who walks faithfully in the way of truth — guard me every hour, day and night, and in the hour of my departure receive my soul in peace, with you.8910

Patriarchs and Prophets

The holy patriarchs and prophets are asked to help the soul in its needs and to obtain virtues from God.

Holy John the Baptist, and all you holy patriarchs and prophets, I beg you with humble prayer: stretch out your hand to me, help me in all my needs and weaknesses, and ask God to grant me mercy, patience, steadfastness, justice, obedience, self-restraint, and holy perseverance.

The Apostles and Evangelists

Saint Peter and all the apostles and evangelists are asked to grant an honorable life, virtue, and eternal blessedness.

Holy Peter, most blessed prince of the apostles, and all the holy apostles and evangelists, leaders of the churches, and triumphant soldiers of the heavenly court: grant me an honorable life, greatness of virtue, a praiseworthy and eternal blessedness in its fullness; may peace flow into me through you, and strength and lasting salvation.

Confessors and Teachers

Christ's priests and confessors are asked to obtain grace and good works, a named saint is invoked, and the soul asks to be recognized among them at the judgment.

Sweetest Christ's priests, renowned teachers, and all holy confessors, who have increased the talent entrusted to you through the unfading fruit of good works — may the indulgence of sins, the abundance of every good, the desire of heavenly things, the pleasing goodwill of brothers, the reverence of morals, and the observance of God's commandments be given to me through you, by the ineffable piety of God. I pray you, blessed N. With the most devoted prayer, deign to let me be counted among your own when you sit in power as judge, about to judge the world with the Lord.

Holy Virgins and Widows

All holy virgins and widows are asked to obtain lasting grace, purity, faith, and fraternal love for the sinful soul.

All holy virgins who have clung to the heavenly Bridegroom with a steadfast mind, who have trampled on the luxury of the world, and all holy widows — obtain for me, foul with sin as I am, the gift of lasting grace, holiness of life, purity of body, innocence of heart, firmness of faith, and the love that binds brothers and sisters together.1112

All Saints: Final Intercession and Doxology

All the saints are asked to intercede so that the soul may live for God, fulfill its vows, and reach eternal salvation in everlasting joy.

Intercede for me, all you saints—every one of you who has pleased God from the beginning of the age. Shape me to carry out God's will in every good work, so that dead to sin I may live for God, and with the support of your merits may I pay in full to him the vows I made to God with my whole heart—so that I may deserve to reach the harbor of eternal salvation and in everlasting happiness rejoice with you without end. Amen.

Read the original Latin

Domine Deus omnipotens, aeterne et ineffabilis, sine fine atque initio, quem unum in Trinitate, trinum in unitate confitemur. Te solum Deum adoro, te laudo, te benedico, teque glorifico, tibi gratias ago, tibi me tota devotione committo; intende voci orationis meae, Pater de coelis Deus, rex meus et Deus meus. Fili, Redemptor mundi, Deus, miserere mei, ne perdas me cum iniquitatibus meis, neque in finem iratus reserves mala mea. Sanctus Spiritus, benigne Deus, inspira mihi spiraculum gratiae tuae, et dirige me in viam salutis aeternae: doce me voluntatem tuam facere: quidquid tibi displicet in me, remove a me. Trine et une, omnipotens, pie et misericors Domine, aspice in me, et tribulationem meam in gaudium converte, et ne des haereditatem tuam. Altissime in perditionem. Dominator omnium ac protector in te sperantium, Domine, deprecationem meam suscipe; et per intercessiones gloriosae virginis Mariae, aufer iram tuam a me, Domine Deus salutis meae nec animam meam prius a corpore suscipias, quam omnia peccata mea dimittas.

O gloriosa Dei Genitrix, mater misericordiae, virgo semper Maria, quae Dominum omnium meruisti portare, et regem angelorum sola virgo lactare, adjuva me in die tribulationis meae, ut tuis fultus patrociniis ad regna coelestia merear pervenire.

O sancte Michael, archangele Dei, praepositus paradisi, veni in adjutorium meum, et defende me ab hoste maligno in hora mortis meae, et animam meam deduc in paradisum exsultationis aeternae. Omnes sancti angeli et archangeli Dei, cunctae coelorum virtutes, omnesque sanctorum spirituum ordines, adversae damnationis vires reprimite, expugnate impugnantes me, a rugientis inimici saevitia potenter me defendite, in via veritatis fideliter gradientem omni hora, die ac nocte custodite me, et in hora exitus mei animam meam in pace vobiscum suscipite.

Sancte Joannes Baptista, omnes sancti patriarchae et prophetae, exoro vos obnoxia prece, manum mihi porrigite, auxilium mihi in cunctis necessitatibus meis et infirmitatibus praebete; poscite mihi a Deo indulgentiam, patientiam, constantiam, justitiam, obedientiam, continentiam, sanctamque perseverantiam.

Sancte Petre, princeps apostolorum beatissime, omnesque sancti apostoli et evangelistae, Ecclesiarum principes, et coelestis aulae triumphales milites, date mihi vitam honorabilem, virtutum magnitudinem, consummationem laudabilem et aeternam beatitudinem; influat mihi per vos pax, virtus et perpetua salus.

Christi dulcissimi sacerdotes, atque inclyti doctores, omnesque sancti confessores, qui ampliastis talentum vobis creditum per immarcescibilem fructum bonorum operum, Dei ineffabili pietate detur mihi per vos peccatorum indulgentia, totius boni copia, coelestium concupiscentia, grata fratrum benevolentia, morum reverentia, mandatorum Dei observantia. Precor te, beate N. devotissima prece, dignare me inter tuos agnoscere, cum sederis potens in judicio orbem judicaturus cum Domino.

Omnes sanctae virgines, quae coelesti Sponso perenni mente adhaerentes luxum calcastis saeculi, omnesque sanctae viduae impetrate mihi fetido munus perennis gratiae, vitae sanctimoniam, corporis munditiam, cordis innocentiam, fidei firmitatem, fraternitatis charitatem.

Intercedite pro me, omnes sancti, quicunque Deo placuistis ab initio saeculi. Aptate me ad voluntatem Dei peragendam in omni opere bono, ut peccatis mortuus, Deo vivam, et vota, quae Deo vovi, vestris suffragantibus meritis illi toto affectu persolvam, ut ad portum salutis aeternae merear pervenire, et in aeterna felicitate vobiscum sine fine gaudere Amen.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩cum with subjunctive perdas is rendered as causal 'for' rather than temporal 'when,' following the candidate gloss's causal reading.
  2. 2 ↩haereditatem tuam — 'your inheritance' — likely refers to the people of God or the soul as God's possession, not the believer's inheritance from God.
  3. 3 ↩This sentence is extremely brief and may be a fragment, a marginal gloss, or a truncated reading. The translation follows the normalized text as given.
  4. 4 ↩nec … prius … quam is rendered as 'not … before' to preserve the temporal-negated sequence: the soul should not be received before sins are forgiven.
  5. 5 ↩fultus (past participle of fulcio, 'to support/uphold') rendered as 'upheld' with ablative of means tuis patrociniis ('your protections/patronage').
  6. 6 ↩praepositus rendered as 'guardian' — the Latin means 'one placed over' or 'steward'; the sense here is protective oversight of paradise.
  7. 7 ↩deduc is a syncopated imperative of deduco ('lead, conduct'); rendered as 'lead' to capture the sense of being guided into paradise.
  8. 8 ↩adversae damnationis vires — 'adversae' taken as nominative plural agreeing with vires ('hostile/adverse powers of damnation').
  9. 9 ↩exitus rendered as 'departure' — the Latin can mean 'exit' or 'death'; 'departure' preserves the ambiguity while reading naturally in English.
  10. 10 ↩The participial phrase gradientem ('walking/proceeding') is rendered as a relative clause ('who walks') for natural English syntax, with dashes to preserve the prayer's direct address.
  11. 11 ↩The Latin 'fetido' (foul, stinking) modifying 'mihi' is unusual; syntax uncertain. Rendered here as 'foul with sin' to capture the likely penitential sense — the speaker confessing his spiritual wretchedness — rather than a literal physical description.
  12. 12 ↩The series of accusatives after 'munus' (gift) is syntactically ambiguous: they may be in apposition to 'munus' or a separate list of things to be obtained. Rendered as a coordinated list to preserve the prayer's cumulative force.

Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy companion

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