Thanks to The hermeneutic of continuity for alerting me to this marvellous juxtaposition of carven prayer to Christ and His Vicar sprinkling holy water, as if in answer to the petition - for God delights to work through secondary causes to distribute blessings and deliver His flock from evil:
Christ conquers:
Christ reigns:
Christ rules:
Christ from every evil
his people
defend.
******
Christ reigns:
Christ rules:
Christ from every evil
his people
defend.
******
This evening, having gone to Low Mass of St Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor, I then had some dinner with Fr Rowe and got a copy of the new music roster from him, then came home and have just sung Compline with my housemates: a good end to a very tiring week (which is why there haven't been any posts since Monday).
Hi Josh - love your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe translation of the inscription on the stone should be "defends". Its a statement.
Cheers
No, I think you'll find it's a jussive subjunctive, meaning "may He defend": the verb is deféndere (3rd conjugation), not *defendare [sic], and so the 3rd person singular present active would be defendit, while the inscription has defendat, which is instead indeed the 3rd person singular present subjunctive. The sentence is a confession of Christ's puissant power, and a prayerful aspiration that He use His power to save His people from every evil.
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