Though he died in 2005, the presence of Pope John Paul II is still very much in the air, not only with the some 1.5 million pilgrims who flooded St Peter’s Square last Sunday for his beatification, but with the changes that an estimated 69 million U.S. Catholics will notice in their church Missals, beginning November 27, 2011, the first Sunday of Advent.
The English translation of the Roman Missal received its recognitio, or approval, from the Vatican in June and July of 2010.
The changes for the new Roman Missal (Third Edition) were ordered by Pope John Paul II as a way to encourage more devotion to the Latin texts of the Mass. John Paul always felt the changes to the Missal after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) was assembled too hastily with the result the final translations were not as thorough as they should have been.
Many church scholars are expecting some grumbling from Catholics to these changes when they are put into practice. ``Change generally brings some form of resistance.’’, Terri Bednarz, Assistant Professor of the New Testament from the Department of Religious Studies at Loyola University says. `` Many Catholics know the current Roman Missal by heart. The proposed changes will require re-learning many of the responses. For the most part, the initial resistance has more to do with the loss of the familiar than with the textual changes.’’
But it’s not as if the Catholic Church is new to instituting changes. As many as eight former Popes issued new Missal editions between 1604 and 2002; but the most significant change came in April, 1967, when the American Bishops introduced an all English-Mass that simplified the liturgy as well as making it shorter.
Liturgical reforms to the church back then first met with some deep skepticism. A March 20, 1967 Newsweek poll showed, for example, that nearly one-third of the Catholic population worried that the proposed reforms would blur "the distinctiveness of Roman Catholicism."
Church scholars point out the changes to the Roman Missal is an attempt familiarize congregants with much of the rhythm and poetry of the old Latin masses, which were lost in the post-Vatican English translations.
Whether the liturgical changes proposed will spark similar skepticism is doubtful, but not everyone is welcoming the changes either.
Bruce T. Morrill from the Theology Department at Boston College thinks`` The idea behind all this was that the English should "literally" follow the Latin, in terminology and syntax. Like many others, I find this an inadequate way to go about translating from one language to another.’’
Professor Bednarz points out that many of the translations are a little clumsy without a smooth flow to it. `` In the Ecce Agnus Dei, the people’s response, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof (see Matt 8:8)…” will strike some of Catholics as awkward, and not very poetic at all’’
But overall, Bednarz believes many of the changes will resonate with older Catholics who will remember these responses from the pre-Vatican era, such as in the Penitential Act (Form A)… “through my fault, through my fault, through my grievous fault.”
And when the priest says ``The Lord be with you’’ during the opening greeting of the Mass, instead of responding ``And also with you’’, parishioners will now respond, ``And with your spirit’’, a phrase that was sung and recited in the United States between 1966 and 1970.
In addition to the Missal changes, new prayers will be introduced specifically tailored toward American traditions, such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day, along with prayers to U.S. saints, including St. Damien of Hawaii, St. Katharine Drexel and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. And a new mass will be introduced as well, which will be celebrated on January 22nd, marking the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. This special mass will be called: ``Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life."
In order to familiarize Catholics with the new changes, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has dedicated a new Web Site, which describes text passages and answers many questions about the changes taking place.
What follows are some samples of text changes Catholics will see in their Missals in November.
I.) Greeting
Current Text: Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you
New Text: Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
II.) Penitential Act, Form B
Current Text: Priest: Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Lord, show us your mercy and love.
People: And grant us your salvation
New Text: Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
People: For we have sinned against you.
Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
People: And grant us your salvation.
III.) Gloria
Current Text: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
New Text: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
IV.) Nicene Creed
Current Text: We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father
New Text: I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.
Current Text: For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures.
New Text: For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven
V.) Apostles Creed
Current Text: He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead .
New Text: He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
VI.) Preface Dialogue
Current Text: Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
New Text: Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
VII.) Sign of Peace
Current Text: Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: And also with you
New Text: Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: And with your spirit.
VIII.) Ecce Agnus Dei
Current Text: Priest: This is the Lamb of God who takes away
the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.
All: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.
New Text: Priest: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
IX.) Concluding Rites
Current Text: Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you
New Text: Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit
-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
May 5, 2011
November 27, 2011 is the day that my church dies.
I will NEVER say these new words.
Posted by: John Watkins | 05/29/2011 at 10:25 PM