What Does The Prayer (Hymn) Really Say? Iesu Redemptor Omnium

Posted on 3 September 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here’s an experiment.

Today in the Vetus Ordo we honor St. Pius X, of happy memory.  For Lauds, we have the hymn Iesu Redemptor Omnium.   I spotted something in it which made me want to drill a bit.   Let’s see what we can do with this.

This is for the Common of a Confessor Bishop and version we have goes back to Urban VIII’s tinkerings in the 1632 Breviarum Romanum.  Some have attributed it originally to St. Martin of Tours, but… well….  The mediaeval versions differ.

In any event, what we have here are five quatrains of iambic dimeter.  Each line has eight syllables.  The line of thought is 1) Invocation of Christ, 2) Commemoration of the saint, 3) his renunciation of the earthly and reward in Heaven, 4) Petition for intercession, 5) Trinitarian doxology.

LATINENGLISHCOMMENTARY
Iesu Redémptor ómnium,
Perpes coróna Pr?sulum,
In hac die cleméntius
Indúlgeas precántibus.		Jesus, Redeemer of all,
Everlasting crown of bishops,
on this day show greater mercy
to those who pray,		Christ has two titles here: Redeemer and Crown.  Christ crowns His own merits in us and He is the “crown” of the blessed in Heaven.  Note: unfading crown of glory in 1 Peter 5 for faithful pastors
Tui sacri qua nóminis
Conféssor almus cláruit:
Huius celébrat ánnua
Devóta plebs solémnia.		On which the gracious Confessor
of Thy sacred name shone forth;
whose yearly solemnities
the devout people celebrates.		Latin qua refers to die in the last quatrain.  “Confessor” here is someone who professes the Faith.
Qui rite mundi gáudia
Huius cadúca réspuens,
Æternitátis pr?mio
Potítur inter Ángelos.		He, duly spurning the fleeting
joys of this world,
possesses the reward of eternity
among the Angels.		Potitur, “possesses,” “enjoys, has obtained”.  Cf Matt 19:21
Huius benígnus ánnue
Nobis sequi vestígia:
Huius precátu, sérvulis
Dimítte noxam críminis.		Graciously grant us
to follow in his footsteps:
at his prayer, forgive
Thy little servants the guilt of sin.		Dimitte invokes the Our Father
Sit Christe, Rex piíssime,
Tibi, Patríque glória,
Cum Spíritu Paráclito,
Nunc, et per omne s?culum.
Amen.		To Thee, O Christ, most loving King,
and to the Father, be glory,
together with the Spirit, the Paraclete,
now and throughout every age.
Amen.		The Church’s praise raised now echoes into eternity.

So, there it is.  The hymn’s driving image is the ascent from time into eternity. The bishop, in this case Pius X, renounces the world’s fleeting pleasures, shines forth on the anniversary of his dies natalis – heavenly birth, receives Christ as his crown, lives among the angels, and leaves a path, “vestigia…footprints” for the faithful below who praise the Holy Trinity in advance.

There!  Now I have a fuller grasp of this hymn, which comes along pretty often.  Gotta keep drilling.

If you are wondering, Yes, Iesu, Redemptor omnium was retained in the post-Conciliar Latin Liturgia Horarum, but in a revised and expanded form and in the “Common of Holy Men” for one saint.  Some things from before Urban VIII’s tinkerings were restored.  (I rather like it more.) It may be used at First Vespers, the Office of Readings, and Second Vespers. At Lauds, the corresponding hymn is Iesu, corona celsior.

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Daily Rome Shot 1695

Posted on 3 September 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Right click for larger.

Who wants to tell us what this says?  What is its significance?

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance, utilities, groceries, and now also my late mother’s place.  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.  

Also, I can take some intentions.  Always use the form HERE.  Thanks.

Meanwhile…

And…

And…

Black to move. Mate in 4.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

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St. Teresa of Avila’s “Prayer to Redeem Lost Time” and the Purification of Memory

Posted on 3 September 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Have you seen this?   I hadn’t for some years, but it came across my screen today.

St. Teresa of Avila’s “Prayer to Redeem Lost Time”

O my God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in “wedding garments.” Amen.

I frequently lament to myself about the time I’ve wasted in my life.  Hence, this prayer caught my eye.  And because it seemed a good prayer, I wanted to know its provenance.  As it turns out, some rather famous things are attributed to this or that writer… and they never wrote them.  For example, the old chestnut that St. John Chrysostom said that hell is paved with the skulls of bishop… nope.  It might very well be true, but that’s not John Chrysostom.  Or, attributed to St. Augustine, “he who sings, prays twice”.  Frankly, it should read “he who sings well, prays twice”… but again… nope.  What Augustine wrote was “cantare amantis est… singing belongs to one who loves”.  I could multiply examples, but let’s get to the point.

I did some digging about the aforementioned prayer.  Although it is attributed to St. Teresa of Avila the English version is an expanded adaptation of her words rather than a strictly literal translation.  It is substantially authentic in its main content, but it is not what St. Teresa wrote.

The source for the prayer is the fourth of her Exclamaciones del alma a Dios, usually dated to about 1569.  According to the tradition recorded by Fray Luis de León, Teresa sometimes composed ardent meditations after receiving Holy Communion. The complete Spanish work is available through the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes and in a modernized text at Teresavila.

The key passage that interests us reads:

¡Oh Dios mío! ¿Cómo padecéis que haya quien se precie en cosa tan miserable? Procurad Vos, Señor, que no nos entendamos. ¡Oh, qué tarde se han encendido mis deseos y qué temprano andabais Vos, Señor, granjeando y llamando para que toda me emplease en Vos! ¿Por ventura, Señor, desechasteis al miserable o apartasteis al pobre mendigo? ¿Por ventura, Señor, tienen término vuestras grandezas o vuestras magníficas obras? ¡Oh Dios mío y misericordia mía! ¡Y cómo las podéis mostrar ahora en vuestra sierva! Poderoso sois, gran Dios. Ahora se podrá entender si mi alma se engaña cuando mira el tiempo perdido. Recuperad, Dios mío, el tiempo perdido con darme gracia en el presente y porvenir, para que parezca delante de Vos con vestiduras de bodas, pues si queréis podéis.

O my God, how can You suffer anyone to take pride in so miserable a thing? Grant, Lord, that we may cease to misunderstand ourselves. O how late my desires have been enkindled, while You, Lord, began so early to win me and call me, so that I might employ myself wholly in You! Have You ever rejected the wretched or turned away the poor beggar? Do Your great works or magnificence have any limit? O my God and my mercy, how wonderfully You can manifest them now in Your servant! You are powerful, great God. Now it will be seen whether my soul deceives itself when it considers the time it has lost. Recover for me, my God, the time lost, by giving me grace in the present and in the future, so that I may appear before You clothed in the wedding garment, for, if You will it, You can do so.

The paraphrase form of the prayer begins:

O my God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Thy sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that Thou, Lord, canst in an instant turn this loss to gain…

That version faithfully communicates Teresa’s intention, but expressions such as “source of all mercy,” “sovereign power,” and “turn this loss to gain” are expansions.

What’s going on in this prayer?

Teresa is not asking God literally to reverse the passage of time.  She asks Him to redeem its spiritual consequences.

Years wasted through tepidity, distraction, vanity, or sin cannot be lived again, but grace can supply what was lacking by producing deeper humility, gratitude, penance, charity, and renewed fervor.

Past failure can be the occasion for holiness.

Her image of the “wedding garment” comes from Matthew 22:11–14. She prays that, whatever the poverty of her past, God will clothe her soul in the grace necessary to stand before Him at the heavenly banquet.

Thus the prayer combines contrition with immense confidence.

Teresa looks backward without despair and forward without presumption.

The past belongs to divine mercy; the present and future must be surrendered to divine grace.

This points to …

Purification of memory.  

We have to purify our memories, or rather allow God to purify them, and learn not to hold onto things that can hinder us.  That doesn’t mean “forget”.  It means putting them in the right context.  Seeing them in a Christ-centered way, not a self-centered way.  In a sense, clinging to injuries, wallowing in past sins is a form of “vanity” because it is all about “me”.  It shoves Christ to the side, when He has to be at the center of those memories.   Consider than continuing to rub one’s face with the mire of sins that you have sincerely confessed and been absolved for is a kind of denial of Christ’s power to forgive.

The Enemy demons cannot read our minds, but they have access to our memories.   Moreover, they remember what we have forgotten.  The Enemy can throw obstacles in our path of spiritual growth through keeping us distracted by our memories…. of past accidents, of injuries and of our own sins.

Of course there is a balance to be achieved with the help of grace and the development of virtues which helps us to do penance for past sins and acts of reparation for others while leaving the “mess” we are or were in to the ministration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Do yourselves a favor.

Here is a link to a talk given by a good friend of mine, Fr. Cliff Ermatinger, a gifted speaker and writer.  I’ve mentioned his books here, though not often enough.  This talk is about:

The Goal of the Spiritual Life: Memory and Virtue.

It is the third part of a series.  He provides the audio and a careful outline of the talk:

HERE

If you are troubled by past injuries or your own past sins, I implore you to listen to it.  I am confident that this talk will be beneficial for you no matter what stage you are at in your spiritual life.  40 minutes of your life very well spent.

And… need it be said?

GO TO CONFESSION!

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Daily Rome Shot 1694

Posted on 2 September 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Welcome registrant:

TrueBlue63

Hey! *******900@charter.net – My thank you note was kicked back as undeliverable.

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance, utilities, groceries, and now also my late mother’s place.  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.  

White to move and mate in 4.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

I owe this man more than I can describe in words.

And…

And…

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ASK FATHER: My territorial parish is awful. I’ve tried. But I have my family to think of. Should I say or should I go?

Posted on 31 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Hello Father, I was raised (although not Catholic, I am a convert) to believe that you support your territorial parish no matter what, and attend their services and volunteer for their ministries, because even if the parish has a bad pastor and bad liturgy and bad catechesis, these things will never improve for those who remain, or are otherwise stuck, as long as the faithful leave for greener pastures. So I stay in my parish and attend the awful novus ordo mass offered because I believe I have a duty and an obligation to my church regardless of how I feel about it. I volunteer for RCIA but have no authority over the catechesis and sit and cringe as false doctrine is proffered. I pray and fast for our catechumens, and catechist, and the pastors, and these ridiculous “eucharistic ministers” as the priest has taken to calling the laity who hand out the host like hors d’oeuvres at the world’s worst cocktail party. Nobody likes me very much although I do my best to keep my head down. I am starting to question the wisdom of this approach because the whole thing is making me miserable. I can not save the church and I want my family to be inculturated into the true faith, not whatever this is. There is a much more orthodox parish nearby enough, although not territorially ours. Please advise. Thank you for your attention.

How sorry I am that you are in this pickle. One priest whom I consulted before answering … I wrote to several, including a bishop or two… wrote back:

Immediately upon reading this inquiry I felt a profound sadness to think that a man who takes his faith seriously, and is concerned about his family’s faith, should be put in this position by a brother priest. I cannot pass judgement on the priest’s conscience, but it would appear that his actions are disturbing.

My sentiments, too.

Your instinct to support your territorial parish is noble, generous and Catholic.

Ordinarily, the local parish should provide a community in which the faithful worship, receive instruction, serve neighbors, and help remedy lesser defects patiently.

Nevertheless, this principle does not impose an absolute duty to remain where liturgy, preaching, and catechesis endanger your peace or your family’s formation.

Canon law obliges the faithful to support the needs of the Church (can. 222 §1), but does not require exclusive attendance at, or financial support of, one’s territorial parish.

The faithful have a right to receive the Church’s spiritual goods (can. 213), and pastors must ensure that God’s word is proclaimed in its entirety and sound catechetical formation provided (can. 528).

Your responsibility is to safeguard and nourish your family’s Catholic faith, especially that of your children.

You have made a sincere effort. Remaining amid false doctrine while lacking the ability to correct it exposes you to occasions for anger, discouragement, and resentment. You cannot repair a parish single-handedly.

Go, therefore, with a clear conscience to the parish where doctrine is sound, worship reverent, and your family can grow in faith. Offer that parish your presence, abilities, prayers, volunteer work, and financial support.

You may courteously tell your present pastor why you are leaving, without accusation or bitterness. Registration and sacramental arrangements vary by parish or diocese, so ask the pastor of the other about requirements about reception of services there.  Remember also that registration at a parish that is not your territorial parish or “personal” or “national” parish doesn’t make you a parishioner there.  However registration is important for future needs and opportunities.

Depart peacefully, pray for those remaining, and seek the place where your family can flourish in Christ.

That said, I had a couple responses from my priestly consultants which merit posting because they were just too good.  For example,

Some will lament the notion of “parish shopping” arguing that if every orthodox and pious person left the local “Catholic Community of the Servant Leader and Hugs” and drove 30 miles to “St. Athanasius,” it would deprive CCSLH of the opportunity to reform. Sorry, but some places need to be shut down, and can’t be reformed.  In a reasonable world, if CCSLH hemorrhaged parishioners by the boatload and St. Athanasius grew by leaps and bounds, the wise solons of the chancery would look and say, “We need more priests like that pastor of St. Athanasius, and someone really needs to talk to that Servant Leader chap.”

Another:

There is a scene in the marvelous movie, A Man for All Seasons, in which Sir Thomas More says to the character, Richard Rich, “A man should go where he won’t be tempted.”

Another:

One is not required to be a passive participant in a situation that likely will cause spiritual harm.

And:

It is a noble thing to remain in once territorial parish, and if that is tolerable, it is the ideal. It sounds more like your faith is being assaulted. My advice in one word? Run!

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Daily Rome Shot 1693 – MASSIVE COOLNESS

Posted on 31 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Restored side chapels at The Parish™.

  • The last day of August already. Whew.  I’ll need to start a Roman Sojourn campaign soon.
  • Pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Michael Duesterhaus, who died last week. His funeral is today. TWO people contacted me with Mass intentions for him. Since today is the day of his burial, I’ll say a Requiem for him this afternoon at 1700 EDT for the live stream.
  • I sold my mother’s car this morning. Another piece of the puzzle.

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance, utilities, groceries, and now also my late mother’s place.  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.  

Mate in 4. White to move.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

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Are we caught in a culture of pervasive lies? VIDEO

Posted on 31 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Not asking the right questions can also be a form of lying.

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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 26-07-22 – Fr Kevin caught embezzling

Posted on 31 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

EDITOR’S NOTE: Recent entries were delayed because the bishop began locking his diary in a drawer. Fortunately, he is both lazy and forgetful.

July 22nd, 2026

Dear Diary,

Had to remove Fr Kevin Flaherty from St. Mildred of Thanet’s today.  The word for a while has been that everything at St M’s is weirder than it should be.  Get it?

Not because of the liturgy, pretty weird, which was Msgr. Tommy’s constant gripe. Kevin goofed around for years. Puppets, “inclusive” creeds, dancing girls with streamers, and something last Pentecost involving a leaf blower. People complained. Lots. Both Tommy and then Fr. Gilbert kept a folder. I told him every parish has a few rigid types who resist pastoral creativity.  And it wasn’t because of the crazy homilies.  Kevin probably hasn’t said anything recognizably Catholic since… maybe ever. Maybe that’s because he went to CTU in Chicago.  Once preached that the Resurrection was “the disciples’ shared experience of renewed possibility.” Tommy said that was heresy. I said we should accompany Kevin and avoid labels.

But money sure has labels!  In one of the FCFH* meetings I was pretty much beaten into ordering all the parish books to be audited.  They found that Kevin and his secretary, Ms. Crenshaw, had been accompanying nearly 180K into a condominium at Spring Lake. Also restaurant bills, jewelry, and something called a “wellness cruise”.  Turns out they have been carrying on for years. Everybody knew except me and apparently Fr. Gilbert, who went pale and said, “But she always called him Father.”

Kevin blew his stack when I confronted him. Said the money represented “reparative compensation for uncompensated emotional labor.” The VG said it represented embezzlement. Kevin demanded a synodal process. Tommy said the police were already conducting one.

The diocesan statement says that Father has been placed on administrative leave because of “financial irregularities and boundary concerns.”

The finance people say some of the money may be recovered. The condo has a hot tub. I asked whether it could become a diocesan retreat center. Tommy said “no” before I finished the sentence.  Maybe he’s right.

We went to Razzo’s afterward. I needed something settling, so I had the lasagna, garlic bread, and tiramisu. Tommy had soup.  Finally he said, “We warned you about him for years.” “Okay, but nobody mentioned the money.”

*Finance Council From Hell

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KaBOOM – Fr. Joseph Gelineau: “The Roman rite as we knew it no longer exists. It is destroyed.”

Posted on 31 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This deserves its own post rather that to be mixed in with the Daily Rome Shot.

Frankly, I posted about this, with this quote, some years ago, also with material by Aidan Nichols and the late and much lamented Fr. Hunwicke (back in the day when I regularly made scones… I should do that again…).  HERE

To anyone who has celebrated Holy Mass with both the Novus Ordo and the Vetus Ordo (Usus Antiquior) this is obvious.

KaBOOM

And HERE.

Fr. Joseph Gelineau, a favorite of Archbishop Bugnini and consultant to his Consilium responsible for creating the New Mass, admitted in his essay ‘Tomorrow the Liturgy’ that the New Mass destroyed the Roman Rite: “In truth, it [the Novus Ordo] is a different liturgy of the Mass. This must be stated without ambiguities: The Roman rite as we knew it no longer exists. It is destroyed. The walls of the original edifice have fallen, while others have changed in appearance to the point that the structure today resembles either the ruins or the partial foundation of another building. The point is neither to weep over the ruins nor to dream of a historical reconstruction.”

 
Let’s be clear: Gelineau was a Jesuit and a poster boy for why they ought to be suppressed… retroactively. And, he was a Jesuit liturgist, which means that he got things wrong…. mostly. What ironic is that he didn’t get this wrong. He just got it right for the wrong reason.

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Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 14th Sunday after Pentecost (N.O.: 22nd Ordinary)

Posted on 31 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

My Mass intention today is for my benefactors, those of you who donate regularly, ad hoc, or send things.

Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Mass of obligation for this 14th Sunday after Pentecost in the Vetus Ordo (22nd Ordinary Sunday in the Novus Ordo)?

Tell us about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

A taste of what I offered at 1 Peter 5 this week.

[…]

Christian freedom, however, grants freedom to love and serve God, not license to sin. The moral foundation remains. “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (v. 14). Love of God summarizes the first tablet of the Decalogue. Love of neighbor gathers up the second. The liberty of God’s children consists in possessing the grace to live according to that love.

Hence Paul commands: “Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (v. 16). Two kingdoms contend within the human heart, the kingdom of grace founded by the Holy Ghost and the realm of disordered flesh wounded by sin. Their trenches scar the interior man. Baptism has regenerated us, yet concupiscence remains. Grace heals, elevates, and strengthens nature while our lower appetites continue to rebel. Christian life therefore involves struggle, vigilance, mortification, confession, and repeated recourse to divine assistance.

[…]

 

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