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Is the
"Salve Regina" an unchristian prayer? There are very well-known prayers in the Catholic Church, such as the
"Salve Regina", which contains very problematic statements that
contradict Christian spirituality. (This prayer is sung in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Catholic
Church during the “Ordinary Time” after Vespers or after Compline. In many
regions it is customary to sing the Salve Regina at the funeral of a priest
or religious at the grave.) Traditional English Translation. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, Poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us; And after this our exile, Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has a more modern
translation: Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, Hail our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. In Latin: Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes
nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocate
nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Amen. What is the
problem with this prayer? 1. The negative understanding of the world: The world is not seen as God's good creation, but as a "valley of
tears" and life in this world can only be endured sighing, mourning and
weeping and only with the refuge to the "Mother of Mercy". The
world is a place of banishment, therefore people in this world are
" banished children of Eve”. There is no talk of turning to the world, taking responsibility for
the world and shaping the world in the Christian spirit. 2. This corresponds to a negative image of man: People are only seen as "banished children of Eve" - which
obviously refers to the also problematic 3rd chapter of the Old Testament
book of Genesis >>> (In German). We are not called "Children of God", not animated by divine
spirit, not endowed with divine dignity. Nor is there any mention of
Christian freedom and responsibility. 3. Problematic image of God: Obviously one must fear God, who is nowhere directly mentioned in the
prayer; for we need an advocate to intercede for us with God so that we may
obtain mercy. This prayer is actually a disaster and a complete distortion of the
Christian faith. This is all the worse as this prayer has found its way into
the Church's Liturgy of the Hours and is prayed daily by priests and bishops
for most of the year. The Catholic Church has many unworked construction sites,
one-sidedness and problematic forms of spirituality and structures that
should finally be consistently uncovered and worked through, e.g. through
annual "Church Days of mourning" >>> See also: "Unholy Prayers in Holy Mass" >>> Manfred
Hanglberger (www.hanglberger-manfred.de) LINK to share: https://www.hanglberger-manfred.de/en-salve-regina.htm
Other texts in English >>> |
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