Embolism

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EMBOLISM

Means insertion, interpolation. In the liturgy, although used of other formulas, it usually refers to the prayer appended to the Lord's Prayer. A comparison with other liturgies shows that the Embolism to the Lord's Prayer is very ancient. In Gallican rites, as in the Roman Mass, the Embolism amplified only the last petition of the Our Father. Eastern liturgies (except the Byzantine, which has no Embolism but only a doxology) stress the last two petitions, often by a marked expansion.

In the Roman Rite of the Mass, the Embolism enlarges upon the last petition of the Our Father. The current translation reads: "Deliver us, Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ."

Bibliography: j. a. jungmann, The Mass of the Roman Rite, tr. f. a. brunner, 2 v. (New York 1951–55) 2:284–285, 289.

[f. a. brunner/eds.]

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