Prayer: Roman Missal “God, for ever and ever.” Divine Worship “ever one God, world without end.”

In the Ordinariates, we are fortunate to have clear guidance on the language of worship. Anyone who has attended Divine Worship will recognize the traditional ‘thee/thou’ language woven throughout the sacred Liturgy. This elevated style helps focus our hearts and minds on the worship of God, offering a tone that is both intimate and reverent, perfectly suited for communication between creature and Creator.

Let's take a brief look at the instruction concerning the concluding doxology that accompanies prayers. Notice the respect given to the language used in the Roman Missal, the book of the typical diocesan or Ordinary Form liturgy. Notice, too, how the language of the Ordinariate Form liturgy complements the language of the Roman Missal.

5. Regarding “Ever One God” in the Divine Worship Collects

In May 2020, the Congregation for Divine Worship wrote to the English-speaking conferences of bishops regarding the concluding doxology of the Collects in the Roman Missal. Specifically, the Congregation modified the English translation of the doxology, omitting the word “one” so that the conclusion now reads: …through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. This change was effective in the United States on Ash Wednesday, 2021, for all Masses celebrated in English according to the Roman Missal.

The change does not apply to Divine Worship.

On the one hand, the change in the translation of the Roman Missal brings the English into greater conformity with the Latin […Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum, not “unus Deus”]. But this is not simply a matter of strict adherence to the Latin but of liturgical logic, and hence the difference between the Roman and Anglican liturgical traditions. 

Christology

Theologically, the logic of the Roman ending to the collect is meant to be understood in a Christological context...it is a statement about Christ’s divinity: Per Iesum Christum Filium tuum, qui vivet et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, [qui est] Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Grammatically, the Deus appears as a second modifier of Iesum after his living and reigning. So, the whole prayer is made through Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. And about Christ, we add that (1) he is the Father’s [your] Son; (2) that he lives and reigns with the Father in the communion of the Holy Spirit; and (3) and that this Jesus Christ is himself God for ever and ever.

Patrimonial Logic

The Anglican and Byzantine logic is different in that it is explicitly a Trinitarian affirmation. Having named the divine Persons, this logic then underscores the unicity of the Blessed Trinity as God. And it is noteworthy that this has been the case since the very first articulations of what we call now the Anglican liturgical tradition, since already the 1549 Prayer Book “doubles down” on the Trinitarian logic by adding ever one God.

Catholic Complementarity

Obviously these two readings of the conclusion of the Collect are not opposed or contradictory and can sit happily side-by-side. It is also a subtle and interesting example about how the Roman and Anglican logic differ, while each underscores an important aspect of the Mystery into which we have been baptized. Bottom line: when celebrating Mass according to the Roman Missal, it’s “God, for ever and ever.” When celebrating according to Divine Worship, it’s “ever one God, world without end.”

Excerpt from Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter: ordo2026-1.pdf