Some years ago, prior to my visit to Cologne, its Cathedral, and a pious veneration therein of the relics of the Magi, I posted a Litany of the Three Kings. A commenter once asked for a translation: now, years later, I've finally made one, which I subjoin below:
LITANY OF THE THREE HOLY KINGS OR MAGI OF THE GOSPEL
Lord,
have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ,
have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord,
have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ,
hear us.
Christ,
graciously hear us.
God
the Father of heaven, Have mercy on
us.
God
the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have
mercy on us.
God
the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy
Trinity, one God, Have mercy on
us.
Jesu,
King of Kings, Have mercy on us.
1.
Holy Mary, Queen of Queens, Pray for
us.
Saint
Joseph, tutor of the King of all, Pray
for us.
Holy
King Gaspar, Pray for us.
Holy
King Melchior, Pray for us.
5.
Holy King Balthazar, Pray for us.
1.
Most Holy Three Kings, Pray ye for us.
Most
Holy Three Magi of the East, Pray ye for
us.
Kings
of Tharsis, Pray ye for us.
Kings
of the Arabians and of Saba, Pray ye
for us.
Patriarchs
of the faithful, Pray ye for us.
6.
First-fruits of the nations, Pray ye for
us.
Princes
of the peoples, Pray ye for us.
Whose
expectation was Jesus, Pray ye
for us.
Whose
desire was Jesus, Pray ye for us.
Whose
perfect joy was Jesus, Pray ye
for us.
11.
Most illuminated by faith, Pray
ye for us.
Most
robust in hope, Pray ye for us.
Most
fervent in charity, Pray ye for us.
Most
splendid with the gold of love, Pray ye
for us.
Most
religious with the incense of devotion, Pray
ye for us.
16. Most
incorrupt with the myrrh of patience, Pray
ye for us.
Most
profound in humility, Pray ye for us.
Strongest
in constancy, Pray ye for us.
Most
abundant in gratitude, Pray ye for us.
Most
liberal in munificence, Pray ye for us.
21. Mirrors
of all virtues, Pray ye for us.
1. Who,
seeing the star, reverently admitted divine inspiration, Pray ye for us.
Who by
free will obeyed, prompted by efficacious grace, Pray ye for us.
Who
departed your land, relations and friends for love of the heavenly King,
Pray ye for us.
Who nothing
dreaded the troubles and difficulties of the journey, Pray ye for us.
Who
in Jerusalem sought the new-born King of the Jews, Pray ye for us.
6. Who
before Herod intrepidly confessed faith in Christ, Pray ye for us.
Who
were taught by the Scribes and Pharisees from the Scriptures about the place
where the Messias was to be born, Pray
ye for us.
Who
were sent away by Herod to Bethlehem, Pray
ye for us.
Who,
the star again appearing, with great joy greatly rejoiced, Pray ye for us.
Who
followed the same preceding you, until it stopped above where the Child was,
Pray ye for us.
11. Who
entering the house, found the Child with Mary his Mother, Pray ye for us.
Who
falling down worshipped the Infant abiding on her virginal lap, Pray ye for us.
Who
opening your treasures offered gold, incense and myrrh to the Child Jesus,
Pray ye for us.
Who
by mystic gifts demonstrated your faith to the whole world, Pray ye for us.
Who
declared the Child Jesus by gold to be King, by incense to be God, by myrrh to
be Man doomed to die, Pray ye for us.
16. Who
provided provisions for the Child Jesus to be conveyed to Egypt,
Pray ye for us.
Who
by your kneeling worship provided for us an example of all virtues,
Pray ye for us.
Who
taught us to offer to God the gold of charity, the incense of prayer and the
myrrh of patience, Pray ye for us.
Who
after adoring the Lord and offering gifts, humbly saluted the Most Holy Virgin
Mother and Joseph her Spouse, Pray ye
for us.
Who
received from the same Most Holy Virgin Mary and her Virginal Spouse Joseph
thanks with joy for the offered gifts, Pray
ye for us.
21. Who
commended yourselves, and your kingdoms and the peoples of the nations to
Christ, and to the Most Holy Virgin, and to her Spouse, Pray ye for us.
Who
departed from the same Most Holy Virgin and her Spouse with a most felicitous appreciation
of all goods, Pray ye for us.
Who,
forbidden by angelic address in dreams to return to Herod, were returned by
another way to your country, Pray
ye for us.
Who
wisely deceived Herod by divine command, Pray
ye for us.
Who
prudently delivered the Child Jesus from peril of murder, Pray ye for us.
26.
Holy Three Kings, Pray ye for
us.
1.
We sinners, We beseech you,
hear ye us.
That
you would obtain for us true and perfect contrition, We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
courteously you would assume patronage over us, We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
you would choose to reconcile, commend and present us to the King of Kings,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
you would brighten our souls with your virtues, We beseech you, hear ye us.
6.
That you would procure for us the gold of charity, the incense of devotion and
the myrrh of mortification, We
beseech you, hear ye us.
That
we may deserve ever to seek and find Christ the Lord our King with you,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
before heretics and infidels we may intrepidly confess the faith of Christ,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
to Herod, that is, the blandishments of the world and its noxious desires,
where Christ is not found, we may never return, We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
finally we may return by another way with you to the heavenly fatherland,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
11. That
you would assist us in death's agony, and in abandoning all,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
you would enrich our poverty with your precious gifts,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
you would excite the Church militant, especially the [Holy] Roman Empire [i.e., Germany], to a more abundant love
and cult towards you, We beseech
you, hear ye us.
That
by your patronage you would safeguard, defend and protect your devout clients,
and the place established for your cult, from the snares of adversaries, the
tumults of wars, the insults of enemies, hunger besides and plague, and other
perils,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
you would drive far off all pertinacious heretics from this province [i.e. of the Rhine], We beseech you, hear ye us.
16. That
you would procure for all those, whosoever are able to accomplish this, the
help of efficacious grace, We beseech
you, hear ye us.
That
persuaded by the prayers and good customs of the people, you would never desert
that famous place [of your relics, i.e. Cologne], We beseech you, hear ye us.
That
you would obtain the grace of final perseverance for your votaries,
We beseech you, hear ye us.
19. That
you would vouchsafe graciously to hear us, We
beseech you, hear ye us.
Lamb
of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare
us, O Lord.
Lamb
of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously
hear us, O Lord.
Lamb
of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have
mercy on us.
Lord,
have mercy.
Christ,
have mercy.
Lord,
have mercy.
Our
Father…
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil. (Mt 6:9-13)
V. Three were the precious gifts.
R. Which the Magi offered to the Lord.
V. The kings of Tharsis and the islands
shall offer presents.
R. The kings of the Arabians and of Saba
shall bring gifts. (Ps. 71:10)
Let
us pray.
Collect. O God, who didst wondrously
enlighten the three Magi of the East and Holy Kings Gaspar, Melchior and
Balthasar, that they might visit and honour thy Son recently born in Bethlehem:
grant, we beseech thee, that aided by their example and intercession, and in
the darkness of this world illumined by the true faith, we may acknowledge
thee, the eternal light, and advance securely between favourable and adverse
things, until, all impediments being removed, we may readily attain unto thee,
who inhabitest light unapproachable. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment