Vesting Prayers

[presbyter]

Ad stolam, dum impontur collo:

Redde mihi, Domine, stolam immortalitatis, quam perdidi in praevaricatione primi parentis: et, quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sacrum mysterium, merear tamen gaudium sempiterum.

As he puts the stole around his neck:

Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy.

What does this prayer mean? What is "the stole of immortality"? Does this prayer imply that Baptism has no effect whatsoever? Discuss!

[musicus]

Taken at face value, this is a prayer for priests who have not been (or might not have been) baptised. The stole can, apparently, impart the grace of baptism.

[NorthernTenor]

Perhaps it refers to the process of the individual's salvation?

[JW]

As NT, says, "immortality" would seem to be a reference to the priest's individual destiny in heaven. It does seem an odd word to choose as all of us have immortal souls, wherever we may end up.

Do priests still say these prayers, and in Latin? The priest is far more accessible to the people and there are far more involved with Masses now compared with 1962. How do they manage with the distractions of all the various goings-on in the sacristy before a Sunday Mass? Most priests I know seem to recollect themselves for a few minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament well before the church begins to fill up.

[NorthernTenor]

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life (John 6, 52).

I guess the corollary of that is that everalsting life is in some sense conditional on what we do in this life, irrespective of baptism.

ps sorry about that, JW - it just slipped out. One of the hazards of a Protestant upbringing is a sometimes uncontrollable urge to quote scripture. It annoys me as much as it must do others. I've used a Catholic translation, though.

[JW]

ps sorry about that, JW - it just slipped out. One of the hazards of a Protestant upbringing is a sometimes uncontrollable urge to quote scripture. It annoys me as much as it must do others. I've used a Catholic translation, though.

No apogogy needed NorthernTenor - at least you didn't use John 3:16!

I suppose that anyone who doesn't have everlasting life has everlasting something else!

[Lakelark]

The stola was originally a long folded garment, worn, in accordance with Roman law, only by married women in classical Roman times. It was a symbol of marital fidelity. In Christian terms, this signifies the fidelity of the priest to Christ the Bridegroom. The virtue of lifelong fidelity is not far removed from the idea of immortality. Much depends, for the validity of this interpretation, on how old the prayer is. If it cannot be traced back to at least the post-classical period, this interpretation won't carry much weight. The Latin version seems to indicate a (historically) late origin, with its verbs transferred to the early part of their clause. Does anyone know how long this prayer has featured in the Latin rite? I have tried to get an opinion on this, but without success.

[JW]

http://www.archive.org/stream/churchofsarum00unknuoft#page/n45/mode/2up

This source suggests that these vesting prayers weren't part of the Sarum Rite.

[FrGareth]

I suspect there is an allusion here to I Cor 15:53 - "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality."

The logic goes like this:

i) The priest must put on an item of liturgical clothing.

ii) What verse of scripture can I pray that refers to clothing? I Cor 15:53!

iii) How can I turn that scripture into a prayer? By expressing the hope that my mortal flesh will be clothed with immortality.

Actually, there's no need to petition God for this because all who have ever lived will share in the Resurrection of the Body, even if they go on to perdition. Jesus not only saves us from Hell (by offering forgiveness of sins) but also (as I Pt recounts) freed those in the 'hell' more properly called the Limbo of the Fathers.

The "stole of immortality" is therefore nothing to do with priesthood per se but refers to the resurrected body.

Perhaps the Vesting prayer could be rendered as:

"Lord, I place my hope in you, trusting that you will transform my flesh on the Day of Resurrection. If Christ had not died for our sins, I would be condemned to the Limbo of the Fathers as a bodiless soul for all eternity. I didn't deserve to have Christ die to save myself and all humankind from such a fate, but since I am about to celebrate the Sacrament which makes present the Saving Sacrifice of Your Son, please make me appreciate what you did and fill me with great and abounding joy!"

[JW]

Ah! Limbo!

[FrGareth]

Limbo of the Fathers!

Not to be confused with the Limbo of Unbaptised Infants!

[JW]

That's odd - I had edited my yesterday's post to take out all reference to the Limbo dance and substituted a rant on the Vatican website's page about vestments and vesting prayers to avoid any possibility of this going off subject. Perhaps the Spirit blows wherever he wills or maybe there are gremlins in the Edit Function?