2009年6月20日星期六

感恩經與教外人士的關係(一)

日前所討論到、有關「教外亡者」與「彌撒聖祭」之間的關係,相關的資料來自彌撒經文本身。

古典羅馬禮的彌撒常用經文中,在預備呈奉祭餅的時候,神父誦念以下經文:

SÚSCIPE, Sancte Pater, omnípotens ætérne Deus, hanc immaculátam hóstiam, quam ego indígnus fámulus tuus óffero tibi Deo meo, vivo et vero, pro innumerabílibus peccátis, et offensiónibus, et negligéntiis meis, et pro ómnibus circumstántibus, sed et pro ómnibus fidélibus christiánis vivis atque defúnctis: ut mihi et illis profíciat ad salútem in vitam ætérnam. Amen.

中譯:

至聖的父,全能永生的天主,求你接納這無玷的禮品,我--你不堪的僕役,將這純潔無玷的祭餅奉獻給你。我的生活而真實的天主,為賠補我的無數罪惡、過犯、疏忽,並為所有在場參禮的人,及所有在生及已故的忠信基督徒,藉此獻儀有供於我和他們獲得救恩,共享永生。亞孟。

在這裡,司鐸奉獻彌撒的「公訂」意向是明顯的:「所有在生及已故的忠信基督徒」(pro omnibus fidelibus christianis vivis atque defunctis)。

另一線索則是羅馬正典(即現時的感恩經第一式)的經文:
... et ómnibus orthodóxis, atque Cathólicæ et apostólicæ fídei cultóribus.
根據Dom Prosper Guéranger的注釋:

... In order that all her members without exception may be named, Holy Church here speaks of all the Faithful, calling them cultóribus, that is to say, those who are faithful in observing the Faith of the Holy Church, for to be included in those mentioned here, it is necessary to be in this Faith; it is necessary to be Orthodox, as she takes care to specify, ómnibus orthodóxis, which means, those who think aright, who profess the Catholic Faith, - the Faith handed down by the Apostles. By laying such stress on these words: ómnibus orthodóxis atque Cathólicæ et apostólicæ fídei cultóribus, Holy Church would have us see, that she excludes from her prayer, on this occasion, those who are not of the household of the Faith, who do not think aright, who are not orthodox, who hold not their Faith from the Apostles.

The terms in which the Holy Church expresses herself, throughout, show very clearly how far Holy Mass is alien to private devotions. She, then, must take the precedence of all else, and her intentions must be respected ...

此外:

Meménto, Dómine, famulórum famularúmque tuárum N. et N. et ómnium circumstántium, quorum tibi fides cógnita est et nota devótio, pro quibus tibi offérimus: vel qui tibi ófferunt hoc sacrifícium laudis, pro se suísque ómnibus: pro redemptióne animárum suárum, pro spe salútis et incolumitátis suæ: tibíque reddunt vota sua ætérno Deo, vivo et vero.

中譯:
上主,求你垂念你的僕婢(某)和(某),及所有在場參禮的人;他們對你的信德,是眾所周知的;對你的虔誠亦是昭然卓著的。我們為他們,或他們為自己和親友,將這讚美之祭獻給你,以獲得靈魂的救贖及所冀望的身心安穩;他們並向你--永生真實的天主,呈獻自己的心願。
在這裡,「fides cognita」和「nota devotio」均指肉眼可見和認得出的、對天主的信仰和虔敬的態度。

Guéranger又如此解釋:

... The Priest cannot here pray either for Jews or for infidels, no more than he can for heretics, who by the very fact of heresy alone, are excommunicated, and consequently out of the pale of the Holy Catholic Church. Neither can he pray for such as, without being heretics, are excommunicated for other causes; it would be a profanation to utter the names of any such in the midst of the Holy Sacrifice. They may be prayed for in private, but not in official prayers. They are excluded from the Sacrifice, as they are out of the Church; consequently, it is impossible to mention them during the Sacred Celebration.

又有紀念亡者的部分:

Meménto étiam, Dómine, famulórum famularúmque tuárum N. et N. qui nos præcessérunt cum signo fidei, et dórmiunt in somno pacis ...

中譯:
上主,求你重念你的僕婢(某)和(某);他們帶著信德的印記先我們而去,並在和平中安睡......
而按照Guéranger的解釋:

The Priest now addresses himself to God, in behalf of these suffering members: Meménto étiam, Dómine, famulórum famularúmque tuarárum N. et N. qui nos præcessérunt cum signo fidei et dórmiunt in somno pacis. We say that we are interceding for those who have gone before us, with the sign of faith. What does the Church understand by this sign of faith? It is the sign of Baptism, and that of Confirmation, which latter makes the perfect Christian. Baptism alone already gives us the sign of faith, because in it we are marked with the Cross, so truly so that when the body of a deceased person is brought to the Church, the Priest pronounces this Prayer over it: Non intres in iudícium cum servo tuo, Dómine, ... qui, dum viveret, insignítus est signáculo sanctæ Trinitátis. Yes, it was signed with the sign of faith, signum fidei, the sign of the Trinity; it is therefore entitled, O Lord, to be taken into consideratiion by Thee, and not to be judged too severely. This expression of Holy Church, signum fidei, gives a proof, once more, that we may not here pray for infidels, as we have already noticed above, speaking of the Memento of the living, since they are not in communion with Holy Church.

由此可見,尚未與教會達致完滿共融的人士,他們的名字是不可被加入感恩經中的。

2 則留言:

Fr.Dominic 說...

Fantastic, and amazing, Edward.
I was wondering what the book of Dom Prosper Gueranger is. May I have a copy?

Edward 說...

道明神父:

小弟所徵引的,是Dom Prosper Guéranger所著的《The Holy Mass》。於亞馬遜書店有售的,詳見這個連結

Edward