Electric Prayer

This newsletter took a break in August, but behind the scenes we have not been idle.

The Collects

The Collect at Mass is the prayer the priest says before we all sit down to listen to the readings.

That description, while true, also highlights the trouble that not very attentive people have with the Collects. We have all been tempted by this distraction: treating the Collect (or indeed almost any part of the Mass) as ‘the thing before the next thing’. Instead of immersing ourselves in what is happening, we just wait for it to be over so that ‘the next thing’ can take its place. Thus we are always a little bit in the future instead of living in the present, where we ought to be living because all life is there. It is a universal human failing.

This is especially a pity where the Collects are concerned because we are missing a gem. Almost literally so, because just as a skilled jeweller can carve an intricate and balanced design on one face of a gemstone, so the Collect packs a great deal into a short space. In a very few words it evokes an aspect of God’s action or of the saint of the day; it connects that to us; and from this connection it evolves a simple petition which ties the whole thing together. For instance, on September 9, the memorial of St Peter Claver, we recall his vocation as ‘the slave of the slaves’, unpack what that really meant in terms of the exercise of heroic virtue, and then come down to our own level to ask that we, in our own little way, may exercise that same virtue in our own lives.

Something so beautifully encapsulated needs a minute or so for us to unpack it, and for this reason we have now added the Collect of the day to the About Today page in Universalis.

The About Today page is the natural home for non-liturgical reflection. It is something to dip into when you are not in a situation where you can say ‘I am now going to sit down and concentrate and pray.’ If you like, it is guerrilla nourishment for the soul. So it contains short biographies of the saints of the day, and even pictures, and from now on it will contain the Collect also. Of course the Collect already appears in the Readings at Mass page, and it is already the concluding prayer at certain hours. But we are offering it in ‘About Today’ as well so that you can have the opportunity to focus on it exclusively.

The choice of saints

Mentioning the saints reminds me that from time to time people ask us to include this or that saint in Universalis, or at least ask us why we don’t.

The answer is that we are following the Church’s calendar. Universalis contains all the saints who are listed as being celebrated in the General Calendar of the Church, and also in many calendars around the world, for the continents (such as Europe or the Americas), for countries, and in many cases for individual dioceses as well. As far as I know this feature is unique to Universalis and it is why we have ‘universal’ in our name. You can choose to have all the pages tailored to the exact liturgy of where you live.

Since the Church is universal, even though we may as individuals be following the calendar of Arundel diocese, in the country of England, in the continent of Europe, it is good and heartening and enlightening to see what people in other parts of the world are up to. So although, if you are in Arundel, the Mass and the Hours offered to you are those for Arundel in England in Europe, the About Today lists every saint who is celebrated that day anywhere in the world; or at least in any of the calendars we have data for.

So wherever you are, you can read about Blessed Isidore Bakanja on August 12 without having to be in Africa, or Blessed Lucien Botovasoa on April 14 (an amazing story) without having to be in Madagascar, or Saint Erik of Sweden on May 18 without having to be in Scandinavia.

To return to the question I started with: our decision with Universalis is that we don’t decide. The bishops of the various dioceses round the world decide for us when they decide their calendars; and if, sometimes, this means that a really splendid saint does not get mentioned – that is better than Universalis setting itself up as an authority to decide who does and does not appear.

A new English lectionary

In England and Wales a new translation of the readings at Mass will come into use from Advent 2024. This is based on the Catholic Edition of the English Standard Version Bible.

We plan to provide this translation just as we have been providing the Jerusalem Bible version currently in use. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales will liaise with publishers, including Universalis, to ensure the texts are available ready for the publication date.

In Scotland the National Liturgical Commission has announced that the same version will be used.

Ireland is remaining with the Jerusalem Bible and will probably move to the Revised New Jerusalem Bible at some time in the future.

Thank you all for using Universalis. If you have trouble or questions, or suggestions, do write to us at universalis@universalis.com or use the Contact Us button in one of the apps.

Let us all keep one another in our prayers, as always.