Collect
Encyclopedia
In Christian liturgy
, a collect (stressed on the first syllable: ˈkɒlɛkt) is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer
. In the Middle Ages, the prayer was referred to in Latin as collectio, but in the more ancient sources, as oratio. In English, and in this usage, "collect" is pronounced with the stress
on the first syllable
. Collects appear in the liturgy of the Mass
of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and some other rites.
", if used) after the opening of the service, with a greeting by the celebrant "The Lord be with you", to which the people respond "And also with you" or "And with your spirit." The celebrant invites all to pray with "Let us pray
". In the more ancient practice, an invitation to kneel was given, and the people spend some short time in silent prayer, after which they were invited to stand. Then, the celebrant concluded the time of prayer by "collecting" their prayers in a unified petition of a general form, referred to as a collect. Many of these still in use by churches of the West were originally composed in Latin, wherein they adhere to a flowing chanted style. Traditionally, a collect consisted of a single sentence, although this was often accomplished through non-standard punctuation, with a colon or semi-colon taking the place of a period. In some contemporary liturgical texts, this practice has been discontinued in favor of more standard sentence constructions.
In contemporary Catholic usage
, the collect corresponds to the Opening Prayer. It is sung or recited audibly throughout by the celebrant, and follows the invocation "Let us pray" usually without a (significant) period of silent prayer, and may or may not employ the greeting dialog ("The Lord be with you / And also with you" or "The Lord be with you / And with your spirit").
Typically two or three collects may be used in a traditional Roman Mass
.
For the Anglican rite, Thomas Cranmer
(d. 1556) translated into English and retained collects for each Sunday of the year in the Book of Common Prayer
; they have been part of subsequent alternative liturgies.
Similarly, Lutheran liturgies have typically retained traditional collects for each Sunday of the liturgical year. In the newly released Evangelical Lutheran Worship
, however, the set of prayers has been expanded to incorporate different Sunday collects for each year of the lectionary cycle, so that the prayers more closely coordinate with the lectionary scripture readings for the day. In order to achieve this expansion from one year's worth of Sunday collects to three years, modern prayer texts have been added to the existing traditional set.
English translation
English translation in the Book of Common Prayer, 1662
Analysis
Analysis
Christian liturgy
A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....
, a collect (stressed on the first syllable: ˈkɒlɛkt) is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
. In the Middle Ages, the prayer was referred to in Latin as collectio, but in the more ancient sources, as oratio. In English, and in this usage, "collect" is pronounced with the stress
Stress (linguistics)
In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. The term is also used for similar patterns of phonetic prominence inside syllables. The word accent is sometimes also used with this sense.The stress placed...
on the first syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
. Collects appear in the liturgy of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and some other rites.
Liturgical collect
Traditionally, the liturgical collect was a dialog between the celebrant and the people. It followed a hymn of praise (such as the "Gloria in Excelsis DeoGloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
", if used) after the opening of the service, with a greeting by the celebrant "The Lord be with you", to which the people respond "And also with you" or "And with your spirit." The celebrant invites all to pray with "Let us pray
Oremus
Oremus is the invitation to pray, said before short prayers in the Roman Catholic Mass and the Lutheran Divine Service, as well as other Western liturgies....
". In the more ancient practice, an invitation to kneel was given, and the people spend some short time in silent prayer, after which they were invited to stand. Then, the celebrant concluded the time of prayer by "collecting" their prayers in a unified petition of a general form, referred to as a collect. Many of these still in use by churches of the West were originally composed in Latin, wherein they adhere to a flowing chanted style. Traditionally, a collect consisted of a single sentence, although this was often accomplished through non-standard punctuation, with a colon or semi-colon taking the place of a period. In some contemporary liturgical texts, this practice has been discontinued in favor of more standard sentence constructions.
In contemporary Catholic usage
Mass of Paul VI
The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
, the collect corresponds to the Opening Prayer. It is sung or recited audibly throughout by the celebrant, and follows the invocation "Let us pray" usually without a (significant) period of silent prayer, and may or may not employ the greeting dialog ("The Lord be with you / And also with you" or "The Lord be with you / And with your spirit").
Typically two or three collects may be used in a traditional Roman Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
.
For the Anglican rite, Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
(d. 1556) translated into English and retained collects for each Sunday of the year in the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
; they have been part of subsequent alternative liturgies.
Similarly, Lutheran liturgies have typically retained traditional collects for each Sunday of the liturgical year. In the newly released Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Evangelical Lutheran Worship or ELW is the current, primary liturgical and worship guidebook and hymnal for use in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, replacing its three predecessors, the Lutheran Book of Worship , the Hymnal Supplemental , and...
, however, the set of prayers has been expanded to incorporate different Sunday collects for each year of the lectionary cycle, so that the prayers more closely coordinate with the lectionary scripture readings for the day. In order to achieve this expansion from one year's worth of Sunday collects to three years, modern prayer texts have been added to the existing traditional set.
Form
Collects (the liturgical action and the prayer) have a recognizable form:- Invitation ("Oremus" - Let us pray)
- Address (the person of the TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
who is being addressed, but usually the Father) - An attribute or quality of the deity, which relates to the petition (often "qui ..." - who)
- The Petition (the matter being asked about or requested)
- The Reason or Result expected (begins with the word "ut" - that)
- Christian conclusion ("per Christum Dominum nostrum" - through Christ our Lord), or other longer doxologiesDoxologyA doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns...
- General affirmation ("AmenAmenThe word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
.", untranslated from the Hebrew)
"A Collect for Purity"
Latin composition- Deus, cui omne cor patet et omnis uoluntas loquitur, et quem nullum latet secretum: purifica per infusionem Sancti Spiritus cogitationes cordis nostri, ut perfecte te diligere et digne laudare mereamur, per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum. Amen.
English translation
- Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known and from you no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
English translation in the Book of Common Prayer, 1662
- Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Analysis
- 2) Almighty God,
- 3) to you all hearts are open, all desires known and from you no secrets are hid:
- 4) cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
- 5) that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name,
- 6) through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- 7) Amen.
"A Collect for the Renewal of Life"
English composition- O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AmenAmenThe word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
.
Analysis
- 2) O God, the King eternal,
- 3) whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning:
- 4) Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace;
- 5) that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks;
- 6) through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- 7) Amen.
See also
- KontakionKontakionKontakion is a form of hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The word derives from the Greek word kontax , meaning pole, specifically the pole around which a scroll is wound. The term describes the way in which the words on a scroll unfurl as it is read...