Prayer of St. Augustine

November 7, 2024

Introduction

These are the notes of my attempt to trace the origins of a prayer known to me as the Prayer of St. Augustine. This page will be updated with any further progress.

Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962

The prayer appears on page 90 in the section “Prayers After Communion” as such:

PRAYER OF ST. AUGUSTINE (†430)
BEFORE Thine eyes, O Lord, we bring our sins, and we compare them with the stripes we have received.
If we examine the evil we have wrought, what we suffer is little, what we deserve is great.
What we have committed is very grievous, what we have suffered is very slight.
We feel the punishment of sin, yet withdraw not from the obstinacy of sinning.
Under Thy lash our inconstancy is visited, but our sinfulness is not changed.
Our suffering soul is tormented, but our neck is not bent.
Our life groans under sorrow, yet amends not in deed.
If Thou spare us, we correct not our ways; if Thou punish, we cannot endure it.
In time of correction we confess our wrongdoing; after Thy visitation we forget that we have wept.
If Thou stretchest forth Thy hand, we promise amendment; if Thou withholdest the sword, we keep not our promise.
If Thou strikest, we cry out for mercy; if Thou sparest, we again provoke Thee to strike.
Here we are before Thee, O Lord, confessedly guilty; we know that unless Thou pardon we shall deservedly perish.
Grant then, O almighty Father, without our deserving it, the pardon we ask; Thou Who madest out of nothing those who ask Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
℣. Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins.
℟. Neither reward us according to our iniquities.
Let us pray.
O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people, and turn away the scourges of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through Christ our Lord. ℟. Amen.

The prayer appears only in English with no additional information.

St. Andrew Daily Missal, 1953

Searching the internet for the prayer in English turns up surprisingly few results, given the supposed age of the prayer. One site that includes the prayer mentions that it was copied from the Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Thanks to the Internet Archive, we can find a version of the Missal published in 1953 available for borrowing (Link). The prayer is found on pages 959-960 in a section of prayers for “Thanksgiving After Mass”. It appears worded very similar to the previous source, but is prefaced with the note that it was “Made public by order of Pope Urban VII.”

It’s unclear yet if the note about Pope Urban VII is accurate, given that the Pope only reigned for 13 days before his death.

Interestingly, the prayer does not seem to appear in the 1949 edition of St. Andrew Daily Missal (expected around page 575).

The Liturgia Latina Project

Searching the internet for various portions of the prayer, both in English and rough translations to Latin, provide different results with variations in the wording. One that caught my attention is The Liturgia Latina Project which aims “to make available in electronic form some of the major texts of the traditional Latin liturgy of the Roman Catholic church”. It includes the prayer in a section about The Raccolta, specifically the page containing Section XVI - Holy Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, duplicated below.

NOTE.- Pope Urban VIII., in his Constitution Inter primarias, Nov. 15, 1630 (Bullar. Basil. Vatic., tom. iii. p. 242, edit. Rom. 1752), granted to all faithful Christians who, devoutly visiting the sacred Confession of St. Peter the Apostle in the Vatican Basilica, shall say the prayer, “Ante oculos tuos, Domine,” &c., or who, not being able to do so from not knowing how to read, shall say twelve Pater noster’s and twelve Ave Maria’s to implore the divine mercy -
i. A plenary indulgence, after Confession and Communion, on all the following festivals, viz.
The Most Holy Trinity. All the Feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Feast of St. John Baptist
The Feast of the holy Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, and the Feasts of all the other holy Apostles.
The Feast of All Saints.
All the Fridays in March.
ii. An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines, on all other days, to those who have a firm purpose of confessing.
To this Prayer, composed by St. Augustine in a time of grievous public calamity, the same Pope Urban VIII. added the versicles, &c., recommending then to be inserted at the end of all Roman breviaries. The prayer hangs on a board by the side of the altar of the said Confession.
THE PRAYER, EXTRACTED FROM THE ROMAN BREVIARY.
(As this prayer is little known, it is here given at length in Latin and English, though only referred to in the Roman Raccolta.)
Ante oculos tuos, Domine, culpas nostras ferimus; et plagas quas accepimus, conferimus.
Si pensamus malum quod fecimus, minus est quod patimur, majus est quod meremur.
Gravius est quod commisimus, levius est quod toleramus.
Peccati poenam sentimus, et peccandi pertinaciam non vitamus.
In flagellis tuis infirmitas nostra teritur, et iniquitas non mutatur.
Mens aegra torquetur, et cervix non flectitur.
Vita in dolore suspirat, et in opere non se emendat.
Si expectas, non corrigimur; si vindicas, non duramus.
Confitemur in correctione quod egimus; obliviscimur post visitationem quod flevimus.
Si extenderis manum, facienda promittimus; si suspenderis gladium, promissa non solvimus.
Si ferias, clamamus ut parras; si peperceris, iterum provocamus ut ferias.
Habes, Domine, confitentes reos; novimus quod nisi dimittas, recte nos perimus.
Praesta, Pater omnipotens, sine merito quod rogamus, qui fecisti ex nihilo qui te rogarent. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
V. Gregem tuam, Pastor aeterne, non deseras.
R. Sed inter beatos Apostolos tuos perpetua defensione custodias.
V. Protege, Domine, populum tuum ad te clainantem, et Apostolorum tuorum patrocinio confidentem.
R. Perpetua defensione custodias.
V. Orate pro nobis, sancti Apostoli Dei.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
ORATIO.
Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut nullis nos permittas perturbationis concuti, quos in Apostolicae confessionis petra solidasti. Per Dominum. R. Amen.
Imploret, clementissime Domine, nostris opportunam necessitatibus opem devote a nobis prolata meditatio, qua sanctus olim Joannes Chrysostomus, in hac basilica conditus, te cum beatissimis Apostolis Petro et Paulo repraesentavit sic colloquentem: “Circumdate hanc novam Sion et cirumvallate eam: hoc est, custodite, munite, precibus firmante; ut quando irascor in tempore, et orbem terrae concutio, aspiciens sepulcrum vestrum numquam desiturum, et quae libenter propter me geritis stigmata, iram misericordia vincam, et ob hanc te percipiam vestram intercessionem. Etenim quando Sacerdotium et Regnum video lacryimari, statim quasi compatiens ad commiserationem flector, et illius meae vocis remniscor: ‘Protegam urbem hanc propter David servum tuum et Aaron sanctum tuum.’” Domine, fiat, fiat. Amen, Amen.
TRANSLATION
Lord, before Thine eyes we bring our sins, and with them we compare the stripes which we have received.
When we think of the evil we have done, little is that which we suffer, great that which we deserve.
Heaviest are our offences, lightest our burden.
We are afflicted by the punishment of our sin, yet we avoid not the obstinate desire of sinning.
The weakness of our flesh faints under Thy scourges, yet is not our iniquity changed.
The sick soul is sore tormented, yet is not the neck bent.
In pain our life sighs heavily; yet are its deeds in no wise amended.
If Thou waitest for us, we are not corrected; if Thou takest vengeance, we bear it not.
When we are corrected, we confess our shortcomings; after Thou hast visited us, we forget that which we bewailed.
If Thou stretchest forth Thy hand, we promise what we will do; if Thou delayest to draw Thy sword, we perform not our promises.
If Thou strikest us, we cry unto Thee to spare; if Thou sparest, we provoke Thee again to strike.
Lord, hear the confession of Thy guilty people; for we know well that unless Thou shouldest pardon, Thou dost righteously consume us.
Almighty Father, grant us that which though we pray we do not deserve to obtain; Thou who didst create men of nothing, that they might pray to Thee. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. Eternal Shepherd, desert not Thy flock.
R. But by thy blessed Apostles guard and defend it evermore.
V. Protect, O Lord, Thy people, who cry unto Thee, trusting in the patronage of Thy Apostles.
R. Yea, guard them with an everlasting defence.
V. Pray for us, O holy Apostles of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O Almighty God, we beseech Thee, suffer us not, whom Thou hast firmly founded upon the rock of the apostolical confession, ever to be shaken by any storms of the enemy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
O most merciful God, let us obtain timely help in our necessity, whilst we devoutly proffer to Thee the meditation which blessed John Chrysostom, who lies buried in this basilica, has represented Thee thus addressing Thy most holy Apostles Peter and Paul: “Surround this new city of Zion, and compass it about; guard it, fortify it, establish it with your prayers; that when, in time to come, My wrath is kindled within Me, and I begin to shake terribly the earth, I may look on the place where your bodies are lying, and beholding the wounds which ye willingly bear in them for My sake, I may overcome anger with mercy, and so accept your intercession. For indeed, when I behold the tears of the Kingdom and of the Priesthood, straightway My heart is moved to compassion, and I call to mind the words of my mouth: ‘I will protect this city for the sake of David My servant, and Aaron My holy one.’" Amen, O Lord, and Amen.

According to the site, they are quoting from “The Raccolta - full English edition, 1866”.

Also notice that this source ties the prayer to Pope Urban VIII, which is much more plausible than Urban VII, reigning 21 years.