Orationes

ORDO CLASSICUS

Quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, vota humilium respice: atque ad defensionem nostram dexteram tuae maiestatis extende.

'We ask you, almighty God, look on the prayers of the humble; and stretch out the right hand of your majesty to defend us.'

*A modern paraphrase: Lord, we are very small, so please defend us!

ORDO RECENTIOR

Deus omnium misericordiarum et totius bonitatis auctor, qui peccatorum remedia in iuiuniis, orationibus et eleemosynis demonstrasti, hanc humilitatis nostrae confessionem propitius intuere, ut, qui inclinamur conscientia nostra, tua semper misericordia sublevemur.

"O God, Author of all mercies and of every goodness, who have shown that the remedy of sins is found in fastings, prayers, and alms, look kindly on this confession of our humility, that we who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be raised up by your mercy."

*'Bowed down by our conscience' - that is, by consciousness of our sins.
*The prayer seems over-loaded.

COMPARATIO

*The new prayer seems to take up only the idea of humility from the old; God is to have regard not for the 'prayers of the humble' but for 'this confession of our humility'.
*The second half of the new prayer seems to be a re-working of the second half of next Sunday's collect.