Friday, July 4, 2008

St Irenæus

One of my favourite saints had his annual feast day yesterday, according to the 1962 Missal and Breviary: having had his feast on the 28th of June for long years, sharing it with the Vigil of the Apostles, St Irenæus was moved to the 3rd of July, only to be returned to the 28th in the Novus Ordo! So I kept his feast with the Office from my Breviary.

His name Εἰρηναίος means "peaceful", and by a delightful play on words the Church down the ages has sought to emphasise in her prayers how he, by his combatting of Gnostic error and defence of Gospel truth, brought peace to the Church. The orations of the Traditional Rite, taking up phrases from the Mass for Peace, ask for peace as the fruit of deliverance from foes. Interestingly, the OF Missal has derived its Collect alone from the EF, while it has taken up its "prayer over the gifts [lege "oblations"]" and "prayer after communion" from the Neo-Gallican 1738 Paris Missal, as follows:

MISSALE ROMANUM 1962

Deus, qui beato Irenaeo Martyri tuo atque Pontifici tribuisti, ut et veritate doctrinae expugnaret haereses, et pacem Ecclesiae feliciter confirmaret: da, quaesumus, plebi tuae in sancta religione constantiam; et pacem tuam nostris concede temporibus.


Deus, qui credentes in te populos nullis sinis concuti terroribus: dignare preces et hostias dicatae tibi plebis suscipere; ut pax a tua pietate concessa, christianorum fines ab omni hoste faciat esse securos.


Deus, auctor pacis et amator, quem nosse, vivere, cui servire, regnare est: protege ab omnibus impugnationibus supplices tuos; ut, qui in defensione tua confidimus, beati Irenaei Martyris tui atque Pontificis intercessione, nullius hostilitatis arma timeamus.


MISSALE PARISIENSE 1738

Deus, invisibilis fortitudo certantium, adesto, quaesumus, nobis supplicantibus: ut qui hodierna die sanctorum Martyrum tuorum Irenaei et sociorum gloriosum triumphum recolimus, eorum meritis et precibus, contra spiritualia nequitiae muniamur.

Per hanc, quam offerimus hostiam in beati Irenaei et Sociorum Martyrum Solemnitate, da nobis, Domine, veritatem et pacem diligere; ut et inviolatam teneamus Ecclesiae fidem; et indivisam servemus unitatem.

Per haec sacra mysteria, quaesumus Domine, da nobis fidei miseratus augmentum; ut quae sanctos Martyres tuos Irenaeum et socios usque ad sanguinem retenta glorificat, nos etiam iustificet veraciter hanc sequentes.


MISSALE ROMANUM 2004

Deus, qui beato Irenaeo episcopo tribuisti, ut veritatem doctrinae pacemque Ecclesiae feliciter confirmaret, concede, quaesumus, eius intercessione, ut nos, fide et caritate renovati, ad unitatem concordiamque fovendam semper simus intenti.



Gloriam tibi, Domine, conferat sacrificium, quod in natali beati Irenaei tibi laetanter offerimus, et praebeat nobis diligere veritatem, ut et inviolatam Ecclesiae fidem teneamus, et stabilem unitatem.


Per haec sacra mysteria, quaesumus, Domine, da nobis fidei miseratus augmentum, ut, quae beatum Irenaeum episcopum usque ad mortem retenta glorificat, nos etiam iustificet veraciter hanc sequentes.

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