Pre-conciliar prayers for the laity during the Holy Mass
Pre-conciliar lay liturgical participation in Poland and awareness of the symbolic significance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as seen through an interwar Polish devotional book.
Introduction: One has undoubtedly heard the old canard repeated ad nauseam, that prior to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the laity was left to twiddle their thumbs, hardly aware of what was happening upon the altar in front of them, in a language they didn’t understand. The more pious old ladies may have prayed their rosaries, but otherwise, the liturgy was a somewhat alienating experience, universally lacking the “active” participation of the faithful. This is, largely, a Whig history-esque fiction. I’d like to provide at least one small data point against this historiographic fiction. I was recently made aware by a family member of a wonderful Polish devotional book they had found, filled with various vernacular prayers, likely printed in the Interwar period, although I have not yet been able to verify the exact date. (This scarcely matters, it is evident the following genre of vernacular texts saw some level of popularity in Poland even earlier, as evidenced by a different devotional book – see particularly starting at p.45 – printed in 1879, featuring altogether different spiritual reading but just as well describing the ceremonies of the Roman rite allegorically, alongside spiritual reading.) One section of this book is a spiritual aid for experiencing the Holy Mass with reverence and devotion. This section is remarkable in that it betrays at least two things: 1) Much of the lay faithful, prior to the post-conciliar reforms, had an intimate knowledge of the parts of the Mass, the ceremonies of the Roman rite, their Latin names – as the below text will show, the book presumes a knowledge of what the Introit is, the Confiteor, etc. Or, at least, this knowledge was certainly highly accessible and not shrouded in mystery. Moreover, thanks to texts like the one below, they could understand the symbolic depth of the ceremonies happening before them in both a concrete and spiritual sense. 2) The lay faithful truly, “actively” participated (despite what was and is said of pre-conciliar religious culture) in a deeply spiritual sense during the pre-conciliar Holy Sacrifice. The below text, translated from the Polish original, had incredibly solemn, emotional, and spiritually fruitful meditations on the Mass. The richness with which the symbolic and Scriptural significance of the ceremonies of the Roman rite were described fed the layperson with liturgical knowledge very few have today. And thus, the lay faithful were able to enter deeply and truly into the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I dare say, it is undoubtful that the average reader of the below text would have had a far deeper ability to understand and appreciate the Mass than the average lay faithful in the pews today, despite the didactic priority of the Novus ordo missae.
If one glances at the example page from the hand book/missal from which the following text is found, one notices the three things that create the structure for this guided reflection for the laity during the Mass. First, in italics, there is a Scriptural reference given to a moment in the Passion of Christ. Second, the relevant moment of the Mass is provided and described, to show how the Mass is modeled on and reflects the events of Christ’s Passion. Third, the text of the prayer allows the layperson to reflect upon both throughout that certain moment of the Roman rite. I have translated the text from the original Polish and provided it below.
Lord Jesus and His disciples go to the Garden.
The priest goes to the altar.
PRAYER
Dearest Savior! all the sufferings to which You were to be exposed were long known to You, and yet You willingly submitted Yourself to these torments. You did it out of love for us poor people! We, ungrateful sinners, do not want to be tempted to abandon sin and start the Way of the Cross with courage. At the slightest suffering, we lose our spirit and start to complain! Henceforth, O Jesus! I want to bear the cross patiently with You, as God, Your Father, wills it. Only do not deny me Your grace, You who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The priest prays at the foot of the altar.
PRAYER
Sad, my dearest Jesus! Your soul was when you began to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. In prayer, You sought consolation and strength, and You made a firm resolution to submit completely to the will of Your Heavenly Father, that it should only happen as He wills it. The cause of this sadness was our sins.
Allow me, O Redeemer, to share Your sorrow and through prayers go to You in all my needs, so that I may one day be a participant in Your wedding, prepared for You by Your Father, who lives and reigns with You forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus is covered with sweat of blood.
The priest prays: Confiteor.
PRAYER
Who, O Jesus, can understand the fear that filled your heart when in the Garden of Gethsemane You contemplated the fall of sinful man and Your Father's justice! Your bloody sweat shows us that there was never any pain that would equal your pain. There You saw Your Father's Majesty offended, the misery of the ungrateful human race, and the great number of those who, despising Your love, perish eternally. Fix Your sufferings deep in my heart, so that Your pain may be my consolation, so that Your fear may be my trust, at the end of days. Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Judas kisses the Lord Jesus.
The priest kisses the altar.
PRAYER
O Jesus! You did not immediately condemn the false and ungrateful Judas, who with his treacherous kiss delivered You to torment. How great was Your love and mercy then, how much did You do to soften the heart of the unfaithful apostle possessed by greed, to show him Your love, cover his anger and to forgive. He did not want it, he despised the call of Your love and ended up in unparalleled despair. The love You have shown also fills me with hope that You will not push me away from You, but that You will grant me grace and forgiveness if I sincerely convert and humbly beg for Your mercy. Amen.
Lord Jesus is captured and bound.
The priest goes toward the left side of the altar.
PRAYER
I love You and thank You, dearest Jesus! Who let the Jews take You captive and brought You to Annas, and who patiently endured all the insults of the high priest. There You endured reproach, contempt, and all kinds of wrongs; there You were treated as if You were a criminal, as if You were the worst and most wicked man. You suffered all this out of Your great love for us. Support me when I am humiliated and despised, so that I may bear everything patiently and do not become indignant, or complain of my persecutors, but always say with joy: "Lord, not my will, but Yours be done." Amen.
Lord Jesus is questioned by Annas.
The priest recites the Introit.
PRAYER
Now, together with the priest, I begin to remember Your bitter Passion and Your death. Now I want to consider how much Your love and mercy suffered for us wretched sinners, in order to free and save us from the power of satan and his snares. And that is why I am asking You, O most beloved Jesus! have mercy on me, help me, so that I may listen to the great sacrifice of Your infinite love with the same pious concentration of mind with which I began to listen to it. Preserve in me the grace of patience in every suffering, that I may never become angry, but that, always taught by Your holy gentleness, I may imitate You to the end. Amen.
Lord Jesus is sent from Annas to Caiaphas.
The priest goes to the center of the altar and says “Kyrie eleison”.
PRAYER
I adore You and I thank You, my Savior, for Your infinite love and for Your mercy with which You allowed Yourself to be led from the impious Annas to Caiaphas. He received You with reproach and inquired contemptuously about Your life, trying to find any reason to support the most shameful sentence of death against You, the Lamb of God. Quiet every movement of anger in me, that I may never think of revenge, even if I am most severely offended, but that I may endure all wrongs with a humble heart out of love for You. Amen.
Lord Jesus converts with a single glance Peter, who denied him.
The priest turns to the people, saying: “The Lord be with you! Dominus vobiscum”.
PRAYER
O dearest Jesus! You did not reject the sinful Peter, although in the house of Caiaphas he denied You three times. Only one glance of Yours converted the apostle, who then entered with joy on the hard way of penance. Since then, he never stopped crying with humiliation and a contrite heart: have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; before You I have sinned and done wrong! Look also upon me, a sinner, so that, moved and provoked, I may guard against every sin, and in penance, I will look to You, O suffering Redeemer! and not succumb to temptation. Amen.
Lord Jesus is sent from Caiaphas to Pilate.
The priest goes toward the left side of the altar.
PRAYER
How comforted I feel, O my Jesus! when in distress I look at You and reflect on the painful ways in which Your malicious enemies dragged You back and forth in the most merciless way to satisfy their hatred and anger. Grant me, most good Jesus! through Your most painful suffering, graces, that I may bear every contempt and every insult patiently and in pious suffering. Amen.
Lord Jesus is sent from Pilate to Herod, and mocked by him.
The priest goes toward the right side of the altar.
PRAYER
With a humble heart I adore Thee, despised and shamefully mocked Savior! I thank You for Your incomprehensible patience with which You endured every mockery that Your enraged enemies threw at You, when Pilate showed You to the people to bring them to pity and compassion, and to set You free, innocent Jesus. Therefore, grant me also the grace not to become angry when I am sneered at or mocked on account of those things which I do out of love for You. This I ask of You through all Your infinite merits. Amen.
Lord Jesus is sent away from Herod again to Pilate.
The priest reads the Gospel.
PRAYER
How much suffering You had to endure for me, O good Jesus! How many mocking words You must have heard out of love for me! Could I hesitate in the future, even for a moment, to confess You before men? Could I fear the petty mockery of the ignorant that I must endure for openly professing Your love for us on the cross? Strengthen me always in the hour of temptation, and be with me at all times and with Your grace; so I will surely know no complete peace anywhere except in Your cross. Amen.
Lord Jesus is stripped of His garments.
The priest uncovers the chalice.
PRAYER
Forgive me, O dearest Jesus! all the sins against chastity I have committed up to this hour, and help me, at least in the future, never to be defiled again, or to never lose the garment of innocence. Also, defend me from every temptation, from this terrible sin, and always remind me of Your love and Your words: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they see God. Have mercy on me in life and be merciful to me at the hour of death; this is what I ask of You through Your infinite merits, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus is scourged.
The priest offers up to God the bread and wine.
PRAYER
I adore You, O Jesus! and I thank You with all my heart that for me, a wretched sinner, You allowed Yourself to be tied to a post and be scourged so mercilessly. Help me, that every day of my life I may remember Your torments, which You suffered during the scourging, and that I may cheerfully endure all my pains out of love for You, humbly accept all the floggings of Your fatherly hand, and persevere in good until the end; support me when I am sometimes visited by great worries and the many cares of my state, and when they threaten me with abuse; this I ask of You through Your glorious merits. Amen.
Lord Jesus is crowned with thorns.
The priest covers the chalice with the pall.
PRAYER
I adore You and thank You as much as I can, O my most patient Jesus, who, out of love for me, gave Your holy head to be painfully crowned with thorns, and in holy silence You endured the mockery of those who did not know what they were doing and at the same time thought that they were doing something very reasonable. How easily I would endure every pain if I always thought of love and what a painful crown of thorns You bore, with which your enemies crowned You. Help me so that I may become worthy of the eternal crown, which You promised for Christian patience, who lives and reigns in the glory of the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Pilate washes his hands.
The priest similarly washes his hands.
PRAYER
Save me, O patient Redeemer! always from an erring conscience, remove all selfishness from my heart and protect me from every lie, from all hypocrisy and from all pretense, by which I deceive myself more than others; at the same time grant me the grace to always keep a pure heart and an uncontaminated body. Protect me from those who appear pious and think evil, and enlighten me so that I may know Your holy ways, adore Your love and thus become more and more worthy of obtaining eternal happiness, in which You live and reign forever with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all ages. Amen.
Pilate shows the scourged Savior to the aggravated Jews, saying: Behold the man! “Ecce homo!”
The priest turns toward the people and says: Pray, brethren! “Orate fratres”.
PRAYER
With what amazing patience You, O our Savior, endured the disgrace which Your enemies have inflicted on You! How easily you could have destroyed them all and damned them forever! But You loved and acquitted them until the last moment of Your life. Could I complain when unfeeling people insult me or unfaithful friends beat me? Make it so that in every persecution, the words of Your love will come to my mind, so that I, like You, my Divine Savior, may pray for my malicious enemies. Amen.
Lord Jesus is sentenced to death.
The priest recites the Preface before the Sanctus.
PRAYER
O most loving Jesus! I now think with sorrow of the Jews, who, before Your solemn entry from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, not long ago, spreading palm branches at Your feet, cried out: Glory to the son of David, and then shouted fiercely to Pilate: Crucify Him, crucify Him! Lamb of God, who was condemned to death for us, give us a living memory of Your passion, when we have someone to judge, so that we do not remember the mistakes and imperfections of others, but first remove the plank from our own eyes before we think about the speck in the eye of our neighbor, lest we be condemned. Amen.
Lord Jesus carries his Cross and goes unto Mount Calvary.
The priest recites the remembrance for the living “Memento”.
PRAYER
I adore You, my Jesus! and I beg You, grant me the grace that I may understand well and accurately how to fulfill Your words: Whoever wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Harsh, but important words. Enlighten me, that I may know exactly and thoroughly what You are asking of me with these words. With joy I will follow You, my Savior, to the mount of Calvary, so that one day I can also join Your company on the mount of Olives and rejoice with you, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Veronica hands the Lord Jesus on the road her veil.
The priest extends his hands over the offering.
PRAYER
I will praise and adore You my Jesus! as far as I can, You who rushed to the place of Your death in the company of the women of Jerusalem and spoke to them who wept so bitterly, that they should weep not for You, but rather for themselves and their children, on account of the sins they have committed, for which this was allowed because for You and for Your glory they have taken on so little. Have mercy on me and touch my heart, so that I may also weep for my sins every time and with my tears wash the defiled dress of innocence, and then be able to sit without fear to the wedding feast to which You invite all Your chosen ones. Amen.
The soldiers nail the Lord Jesus to the cross.
The priest makes the sign of the cross over the offering and the altar server gives the signal for the elevation.
PRAYER
O benevolent God, how deeply I am moved to see those torments which You suffered when Your hands and feet were so cruelly stretched out and nailed to the cross! What a love such wounds show to me! what gentleness Your patience teaches me! You did not complain, You did not grumble, You endured everything because it pleased Your Father! O good Jesus, fix Your pains deep in my heart, so that I will cease to sin and wish for nothing else than to suffer for love of You and to die with You one day! This I ask of You through Your infinite merits. Amen.
Lord Jesus on the cross is raised.
The priest elevates the Blessed Sacrament in remembrance.
PRAYER
Draw my wretched self and my heart to You, and take away all joy from earthly and ephemeral things. Make me poor in spirit and separate my heart from everything that could distance me from You, so that I may only love You, seek You, long for You, wish to unite with You, who in the form of bread, truly as God and truly as man with a body and soul, You are truly and always present! Have mercy on me and forgive me all my sins, so that I may overcome all my passions for evil and continue to lead my life according to Your will. This I ask of You through Your infinite merits. Amen.
Lord Jesus spills His precious blood on the cross for us wretched sinners.
The priest elevates the Blood of Lord Jesus in remembrance.
PRAYER
O precious Blood of Jesus Christ, flowing from the holy wounds of my Redeemer, cleanse my sinful soul from every stain of sin and obtain for me the mercy and grace of Your Father. And You, our Father! through the power of the merits of Your only begotten Son have mercy on all the sinners in the whole world, lead them to a true knowledge of their misery, grant them the grace of sincere repentance and save the souls detained in purgatory, so that after the sufferings of this world, we may all reunite with You, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus prays for his enemies.
The priest recites remembrance prayers for the dead.
PRAYER
Have mercy, O Jesus! over all the dead, my friends and enemies, who await Your mercy in purgatory, just as You had mercy on us at Your crucifixion and prayed for us. Do not remember their sins, but be considerate of their faults and imperfections. Give them eternal rest as soon as possible, and let the perpetual light shine upon them, for in You, my Jesus! they have always hoped and, despite their failures, have died in Your love, so forgive them, O Redeemer of the world! This I ask of You through Your infinite love, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus forgives the repentant thief.
The priest strikes his breast.
PRAYER
How happy that thief was when he heard these words from Your holy mouth: Today you will be with me in Paradise! From then on he was patient and endured all pains in silence and in the spirit of the most sincere penance. O Lord, let me also hear these words of consolation at the hour of my death and support me when, tormented by many sufferings, I think of You on the cross; that my courage, renewed by faith and Your love, may see clearly. This I ask of You through Your infinite merits, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus dying, entrusts His mother to the beloved apostle.
The priest recites (Our Father) “Pater noster”.
PRAYER
Entrust me, O suffering Savior, to Your Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, just as You recommended Your disciple John to Her, that I may have a Comforter in my affliction, and a refuge in sin, and that in the time of severe trials, I may not give in, nor be doubting, nor weakened in spirit, nor against the wise dispositions of Your Divine will, but that I may always joyfully exclaim: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, a sinner, now and at the hour of my death. Amen.
Lord Jesus says: "I thirst”.
The priest makes the sign of the cross on himself with the paten.
PRAYER
Almighty, eternal God, who sent Your most beloved Son to connect earth with heaven and who deigned to lead us wretched sinners to a true thirst for justice, make us all sincerely and constantly desire to break away from earthly things, and increasingly care for heavenly goods. Enliven us also with the burning desire to gain as many people as possible for Your glory and your kingdom, so that one day we will all be together after the sufferings of this world, with You and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in pure joy praising and adoring, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Lord Jesus cries out: “My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? It is finished. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!” and dies.
The priest fractures the Blessed Sacrament.
PRAYER
What am I to think, my Jesus, contemplating Your death? The sun darkens, rocks crack, the dead rise, and the veil of the temple of Jerusalem is torn from top to bottom. Even heartless Jews, remorseful, beat their breasts and go home in sorrow. And should I remain unmoved, meditating on Your Passion? Could I remain so, having decided to love You with all my heart so many times, that I might one day be eternally united to You, my Savior? Enlighten my mind, so that I may understand Your sufferings well, meditate on them with care, then live sincerely and with perseverance, and one day I will die for You. Amen.
The Soul of Lord Jesus enters the Limbo of pious Patriarchs.
The priest dips one part of the host in the chalice.
PRAYER
How long, my Jesus! the righteous Patriarchs of the old order had to wait for Your coming, that they might be most closely united to their God and Lord. What joy they must have felt when You heralded their redemption! O God and Lord! let me also one day participate in their wedding feast and call me soon from this place that separates me from Your love, so that I will soon experience the happiness of being united to You, my Lord Jesus, as closely as the visible form of bread unites with the form of wine, You who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns in unity, forever and ever. Amen.
Many of those who stood under the Cross are converted after the death of Lord Jesus.
The priest strikes his breast, saying: “Agnus Dei” (Lamb of God).
PRAYER
Have mercy, Lord, on my wretched soul, touch my hardened heart, show me also Your justice and Your infinite love, that I may sincerely repent of my sins, pay careful attention to present things, and guard against every sin in the future. Grant, Lord, that at the sight of Your countenance and contemplating Your death on the cross, I will be filled with true sorrow and sincere pain, and that with the tears of repentance I may wash away all my sins and one day obtain the happiness of those who here on earth belong to the mourning, and those whom You promised eternal blessedness. Amen.
The body of Lord Jesus is laid to rest with reverence in the tomb.
The priest communes himself.
PRAYER
My heart, O Jesus, is ready, my heart is ready, enter it with Your grace and unite Yourself to it completely, so that I may never be separated from You again, so that without ceasing I may never know of any greater glory than the glory of Your cross, on which you deigned to die for us, that we might rejoice eternally with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Help me always, so that when I remember your holy tomb, I desire nothing more than when the time comes to die in you, to likewise participate in Your great glory, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
The body of Jesus Christ is anointed with spices.
The priest cleans the chalice.
PRAYER
O my only and dearest Divine Redeemer, who abhors sin so much and desires my pure soul with such longing, grant me the grace to prepare for You a heart as pure as Your love desires, purify me more and more from all evil lusts and all love for the world, that I may desire nothing more on earth than your holy love, union with you. O my only good and all my hope, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, as true God, lives and reigns in the light, for all ages, forever and ever. Amen.
The Resurrection of Jesus.
The priest recites a prayer after Communion [the Communion verse].
PRAYER
You have indeed risen, O Jesus Christ, and You confirmed incontrovertibly that Your word is infallible truth and that You faithfully keep to all that You promise. Revive my faith more and more, that I may not doubt any truth which Your holy Church commands me to believe, give me the strength to always live as so many of Your faithful servants did with all their zeal until the end of their lives, and that I may always live for You, O Jesus, and die in You. Amen.
Lord Jesus appears to His apostles and disciples so that they would be entirely convinced of His resurrection.
The priest says: “The Lord be with you”. Dominus vobiscum.
PRAYER
I adore You and thank You, dearest Jesus, who, after Your resurrection, appeared to Your holy Mother Mary and Your apostles and filled them with unspeakable joy. Grant to me also Your special grace now, that I may adore You with a very lively faith, sincerely consider Your eternal glory and infinite love, and thus become more and more worthy of seeing You face to face and possessing You endlessly with the elect. This I ask of You through Your infinite merits, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus Christ appears to St Thomas the Apostle.
The priest recites the final collect [the post-communion prayer].
PRAYER
How very happy You, O risen Savior, made your beloved Mother and your disciples, showing Yourself to them and speaking with them so often and for such a long period of time. How easy it was for them to show their love to You. Support me, so that I too can care for You in spirit as often as possible and only entertain You. Grant me, through the Holy Spirit, the grace of true piety, that I may sincerely begin to live only with You, Jesus, that I may be happy to die in Your grace and enter eternal life, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus sends down the Holy Spirit.
The priest gives the final blessing.
PRAYER
Deign to fill me, my God and benevolent Lord, with Your Spirit, who would give me the gift of understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety and fear of God. Guide and protect me, my parents, friends and enemies with Your omnipotent power, so that we may not be overcome by any temptation, so that we may always do what pleases Your Divine will and willingly do all that You command by law, and thus be able to obtain eternal happiness, which You purchased for us by Your death on the cross, and by Your resurrection, You assured in the most undeniable way, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit God for all eternity. Amen.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving after Mass
Thank You, my Jesus, for all the graces You gave me during the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. Forgive me if I have offended You by distraction and inattention. Before I leave Your house, I offer to You once again all that I have done and will do. Receive me graciously and aid me in my doings, make it that I always act as in Your presence, and become increasingly perfect and worthy of Your care, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit in unity, God forever and ever. Amen.
These prayers are so moving - thank you for the translations.
Many thanks for sharing this insight into the life of prayer (and of liturgical prayer) in the 19th and early 20th centuries in Poland, and for your English version. I haven't yet read much of the text but look forward to doing so. Pax et bonum!