{"id":1427,"date":"2006-06-23T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2006-06-23T10:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/?p=1427"},"modified":"2012-03-29T20:50:52","modified_gmt":"2012-03-29T20:50:52","slug":"liturgical-fidelity-the-anchor-june-23-2006","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/liturgical-fidelity-the-anchor-june-23-2006\/","title":{"rendered":"Liturgical Fidelity, The Anchor, June 23, 2006"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fr. Roger J. Landry
\nThe Landing
\n<\/em>Editorial
\n<\/em>The Anchor
\nJune 23, 2006<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many Catholics were startled last week when they learned, mainly through secular news outlets, that the U.S. Bishops had voted to change the prayers of the Mass. Provocative headlines on several national television news programs portrayed the story as if some huge revolution were afoot. Local columnists, like Susan Pawlak-Seaman of The New Bedford Standard Times, openly decried that changes would be made and queried, \u201cGiven all the huge issues and challenges facing the Catholic Church today\u2026 why would church leaders choose now to force-feed the faithful something totally unnecessary?\u201d She answered her question by scurvily suggesting that it was nothing other than a raw exercise of power by out-of-touch bishops intent on putting the laity in their place. \u201cThere\u2019s only one reason I can think of,\u201d she said: \u201cBecause they can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Informed Catholic observers should easily be able to come up with more charitable and accurate explanations.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Bishops are now several years into a project to bring the English translation of the Mass into harmony with the Latin texts of the Roman Missal, revised in 2000, and with the various vernacular translations that have been made from it. Working with the other English-speaking episcopal conferences, they are seeking to translate some relatively minor revisions to the Latin original as well as more accurately to render some of the original English translations of the Latin prayers done almost four decades ago.<\/p>\n

In 2003, parishes in the Diocese of Fall River incorporated some minor changes in this ongoing project when, as a result of the translation of the instruction to the Missal, Catholics began to stand at, rather than after, the words, \u201cPray, brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father,\u201d and were asked to make a profound and reverential bow before receiving holy Communion.<\/p>\n

The motivation behind this translation work, which every language group of the Church is doing, is to make the Church\u2019s liturgy more faithful to the Latin original and thereby more \u201ccatholic\u201d in the sense of universal. When the new order of the Mass was translated into the vernacular in 1970, several things were lost in the translation. One of the most important casualties was a sense of the universality of the rite of the Mass in the various languages.<\/p>\n

For example, at the beginning of the Mass, when the priest greets the people in one of several Biblical expressions, in English the people respond \u201cand also with you,\u201d in Spanish, \u201cand with thy spirit,\u201d and in Portuguese, \u201cblessed be God who has reunited us in the love of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the penitential rite, English and French speakers will say \u201cthrough my own fault\u201d and strike their breast once; Portuguese speakers will twice say the expression and twice strike their breast; Spanish and Italian speakers will do both three times.<\/p>\n

At the end of the offertory, when English speaking priests say \u201cPray, brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father\u201d and the faithful respond, \u201cMay the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church,\u201d French priests say instead, \u201cLet us pray together as we offer the sacrifice of the whole Church\u201d and French faithful respond \u201cfor the glory of God and the salvation of the world.\u201d In German, the most popular option for this important dialogue is for the priest and people to skip it all together, with the priest\u2019s simply saying \u201cLet us pray\u201d and the people responding nothing.<\/p>\n

These changes, both individually and collectively, are not minor or inconsequential. Because the vernacular translations vary so much \u2014veering from the Latin standard in assorted ways and to different degrees \u2014 the experience of the Mass in the various languages varies well beyond the change in idiom. This was never intended and is one of the items that the bishops throughout the world are trying to remedy in these revisions.<\/p>\n

They are also trying to rectify another important element lost in the various translations: the link between liturgical language and Sacred Scripture. In the Latin Missal, many of the Mass texts are taken verbatim from the inspired words of the Bible, which provide the full context for them. Many of these biblical-liturgical links were lost in the original vernacular renderings. One example of this, in English, happens with the prayer, \u201cLord, I am not worthy to receive you.\u201d The new translation, approved by the U.S. Bishops and awaiting Vatican ratification, will conclude \u201c\u2026under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.\u201d This literal translation from the Latin is taken directly from the humble prayer of the Centurion when he asked Jesus to heal his servant (Mt 8:8). In praying these words, we are explicitly calling to mind that we are addressing the same omnipotent and merciful Jesus he addressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another biblical-liturgical link will be restored in the most commented upon change. Instead of saying \u201cand also with you,\u201d we will begin to say \u201cand with thy spirit.\u201d St. Paul, on several occasions, used to greet Christians with that phrase (see Gal 6:18; Phil 4:23; 2Tim 4:22; Philemon 25). His words illustrate that St. Paul was doing more than giving a salutation; he was expressly addressing someone close to God, who has God\u2019s spirit within. When we begin to use it at Mass, it will give a much stronger witness that we are part of a spiritual community, gathered together by God\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n

As Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, England, the head of the team of international translators, told the U.S. Bishops last week in Los Angeles, \u201cIn using a translation that is more faithful to Sacred Scripture, we are teaching ourselves and our people to speak [the] Bible! Lex orandi, lex credendi.\u201d Since what we believe is formed by the way we pray, the more we pray with the words of the Bible, the more our faith will be grounded in that saving revelation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While these changes will likely not take effect for a couple of years \u2014 as the other parts of the project are completed and sent to the Vatican for approval \u2014 now is the time for faithful Catholics and their pastors to prepare for them. By doing so, we will much more fully appreciate them as well as be able to recognize that there is no revolution underway, no episcopal powerplay, and no desire to force-feed the faithful anything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fr. Roger J. Landry The Landing Editorial The Anchor June 23, 2006   Many Catholics were startled last week when they learned, mainly through secular news outlets, that the U.S. Bishops had voted to change the prayers of the Mass. 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Roger J. Landry The Landing Editorial The Anchor June 23, 2006   Many Catholics were startled last week when they learned, mainly through secular news outlets, that the U.S. Bishops had voted to change the prayers of the Mass. 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