St. Bernadette R. C. Church

5930 South Abbott Road

Orchard Park, New York 14127-4597

716-649-3090

New Roman Missal Information

September 18th Bulletin Article

 

“The Roman Missal, Third Edition, the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, will be implemented in the United States of America on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.  Pope John Paul II announced a revised version of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year 2000. Among other things, the revised edition of the Missale Romanum contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. The English translation of the Roman Missal will also include updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well-known responses and acclamations of the people.  The entire Church in the United States has been blessed with this opportunity to deepen its understanding of the Sacred Liturgy, and to appreciate its meaning and importance in our lives.  Now is the time to seize the opportunity given to us for all Catholics in the United States to deepen, nurture, and celebrate our faith through the renewal of our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.” (Based upon Roman Missal Formational Materials provided by the Secretariat for the Liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010.)

 

Our St Bernadette Parish Community started preparations for the new Roman Missal with a meeting of parish ministries on Aug. 23.  Our next meeting will be held on Sept. 21 at 7 pm, in the Community Room.  All parishioners are invited to attend. 

 

Each week, this column will provide more information about coming changes to prayers and music.  You are also encouraged to explore the Roman Missal resources available on the St Bernadette, Diocese of Buffalo and US Conference of Catholic Bishops websites.

                                                                              — Steve Schumer

 

Each week, this column will provide more information about coming changes to prayers and music.  You are also encouraged to explore the Roman Missal resources available on the Diocese of Buffalo and US Conference of Catholic Bishops websites, linked below.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all articles are based upon Roman Missal Formational Materials provided by the Secretariat for the Liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010.

September 25th Bulletin Article

“AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT”

 

Celebrant: “The Lord be with you.”

 

As a part of the revised translation of the Roman Missal, the translation of people’s response has been revised to read:

 

People: “And with your spirit.”

 

1. Why has the response “et cum spiritu tuo” been translated as “And with your spirit”? This is a more precise translation. English is the only major language of the Roman Rite which did not translate the word “spiritu.” The Italian, French, Spanish and German renderings of 1970 all translated the Latin word “spiritu” precisely.

 

2. What does the priest mean when he says “The Lord be with you”? By greeting the people with the words,  the priest expresses his desire that the dynamic activity of God’s spirit be given to the people of God, enabling them to do the work of transforming the world that God has entrusted to them.

 

3. What do the people mean when they respond “and with your spirit”? This response is only addressed to an ordained minister. Some scholars have suggested that “spiritu” refers to the gift of the spirit he received at ordination. In their response, the people assure the priest of the same divine assistance of God’s spirit and, more specifically, help for the priest to use the charismatic gifts given to him in ordination and in so doing to fulfill his prophetic function in the Church.

October 2nd Bulletin Article

“THE PENITENTIAL ACT”

 

The first form of the Penitential Act is called the “Confiteor” which is Latin for “I confess.” There are two key modifications to this prayer. The first replaces our current wording of “I have sinned through my own fault” with “I have greatly sinned.” The new text reflects the Latin wording by incorporating the adverb “nimis,” which means “very much.” The second set of changes is more significant. The words removed from the first section (“through my own fault”) are being returned to their proper place here, but with the expression’s full content. “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” is a direct translation of the Latin phrase “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.” Some might wonder, why this seemingly heavier emphasis on sin in the revised English Confiteor? Looking beyond simple fidelity to the Latin, language that calls to mind our fallen human nature is actually very important in the Sacred Liturgy. It is good to acknowledge our sinfulness at particular times, just as we should do at sacramental Confession. Unlike Reconciliation, we are not sacramentally absolved of our sins at this point during the Holy Mass. Nevertheless, it is an appropriate way to “prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries,” as the

Priest says at the beginning of the Penitential Act. During the Confiteor, the faithful should “strike their breast” while saying, “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” This prescribed “striking‟ is a symbolic tapping of the chest with a clenched fist over one’s heart, signifying remorse. This is part of the beauty of our Catholic liturgy - sacramental words are complemented by sacramental actions. This action also recalls the penitent tax collector in Luke, chapter 18, who “beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’” The Confiteor ends with the individual asking for the prayers of the rest of the assembly and the Saints, led by the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose sinlessness and humility are the perfect model for our own Christian lives.

October 9th Bulletin Article

“THE GLORIA”

 

Much of the text of the Gloria comes from Scripture.  The first lines are derived from the Angels heralding the glad tidings of Christ’s birth in Luke 2:14.  The opening words correspond to the Latin, “Gloria in excelsis Deo” – a phrase universally familiar from the popular Christmas carol, “Angels We Have Heard on High.”  The current text reads, “peace to his people on earth,” which the new text expands to “on earth peace to people of good will.”  The new translation of the Gloria is a richer reference to the fact that the Messiah’s coming brings the world a higher order of divine peace that only the incarnate Son of God can bestow.  Those who live in accordance with God’s will and receive His grace shall experience the fullness of this peace.

 

Right now, we sing, “we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.”  However, the Latin text of the hymn offers five successive ways in which we should pay homage to God: “We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory.”  In a general sense, it is true that these all convey the same idea of worshiping God.  But liturgical prayer is enhanced by poetic repetition, and these five descriptions of worship do hold subtle distinctions.  Together, they combine to express the extent to which it is our Christian duty to give “glory to God.”

 

Unlike our current translation, the new text includes two lines (rather than one) that begin with “you take away the sins of the world,” thereby reflecting the Latin text.  By regaining this line and an additional “have mercy on us” in the next line, the new translation features a classic threefold structure of supplication: “have mercy on us… receive our prayer… have mercy on us.”  We also see this sort of structure in the Kyrie and Lamb of God.

October 16th Bulletin Article

“THE PROFESSION OF FAITH”

Part 1 of 2

 

Both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed contain new translations. We will now say “I believe” instead of “We believe.”  Other language groups have been using “I believe” in the vernacular, because it is a straightforward translation of the Latin “Credo.”  This offers a recurring opportunity to reaffirm one’s personal faith, just as when individuals respond, “I do,” if there is a renewal of baptismal promises during Mass.

 

The next change is from “seen and unseen” to “visible and invisible.”  The Latin “visibilium” and “invisibilium” convey a more specific demarcation between the bodily and the spiritual realms.  For instance, a child playing hide-and-seek may be unseen yet is still considered visible, whereas one’s guardian angel is indeed invisible by nature.

 

The new Creed translation also recovers Christ’s title, “Only Begotten Son” (“Fili Unigenite”), which we see in the revised Gloria.  To say the Son is “born of the Father before all ages” is a profound theological truth, for the Son is not “born” in the human sense of beginning one’s life, but eternally proceeds from the Father while being always fully God.  Therefore, we profess that Jesus Christ is “begotten, not made.”

 

Following this comes a major wording change: from “one in being” to “consubstantial with the Father.”  “Consubstantial” (“consubstantialem” in the Latin text) is an unusual word that will require some catechesis, but it is a crucial early theological term, asserting that the Son is of the “same substance” with the Father – meaning He equally shares the Father’s divinity as a Person of the Holy Trinity.

 

Although it carries the same basic meaning as “one in being,” the more precise use of “consubstantial” is an acknowledgement of how the Greek equivalent of the word was so important for safeguarding orthodoxy in the early Church.  In the Fourth Century, the description “homoousios” (“same substance”) was affirmed over “homoiousios” (“like substance”).  The reality of who Christ is thus hinged upon a single letter!

October 23rd Bulletin Article

“THE PROFESSION OF FAITH”

Part 2 of 2

 

Both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed contain new translations. This week, we continue our discussion of changes to the translations of these prayers. 

 

There is an important change in the middle of the Nicene Creed: “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” The current wording of “born of the Virgin Mary, and became man” can easily be misinterpreted to mean that Christ did not actually become man until the time He was born. Of course, the reality is that the Son of God took on human nature from the moment of His conception in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb, at the Annunciation. By using the term, “incarnate,” the new translation leaves no ambiguity.

 

Another minor change in the new Nicene Creed translation is “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,” by which one expresses a sincere desire, rather than simply “looking for” the resurrection. The Latin “exspecto” conveys a sense of anxious waiting and expectation!

October 30th Bulletin Article

“SANCTUS”

                 

At the conclusion of the Preface comes the Sanctus, which in Latin means “Holy.” The only textual difference from our current version is that “God of power and might” becomes “God of hosts.” The word “hosts” refers to a great gathering or multitude, and speaks here of God’s command over the heavenly host of angelic armies. This reference has a Biblical foundation in Isaiah 6:1-3, where the prophet writes, “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne...Seraphim were stationed above…’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!’ they cried one to the other. ‘All the earth is filled with his glory!’” And in Luke 2:13, a “multitude of the heavenly host” also announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. The words of the final three lines of the Sanctus can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, during the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem before His Passion, as the people shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (Mt 21:9).

 

The Sanctus reminds us that all creatures on “heaven and earth” owe thanksgiving to God (“Eucharist” actually means “thanksgiving”). And because we truly believe that the Angels are also present and worshiping with us as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, then evry fiber of our being is made to reflect the utmost reverence. Therefore, immediately after the Sanctus, we kneel. Kneeling is a sign of respect and humility that is distinctly human and bodily - it is something that even the Angels, being pure spirit, cannot do.   

November 6th Bulletin Article

                 

“THE MYSTERY OF FAITH”

 

As part of the new Mass translation, after the consecration, rather than saying, “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith,” the Priest will simply announce, “The mystery of faith” (“Mysterium fidei”). It will be a declarative statement about the Eucharist now present. Blessed John Paul II reflected on these words in his encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, writing that the very though of the mysterious gift of the Holy Eucharist should fill us with “profound amazement and gratitude” (no. 5).

 

The people will respond with one of three revised acclamations. All three are rooted in Scripture. The three acclamations all incorporate familiar elements, although some of the phrases have been rearranged when compared to our present text. One acclamation that we use now - “Dying you destroyed our death…” -has been substantially amended to shift the emphasis more upon Christ’s own death and Resurrection.

What is conspicuously absent is the popular current acclamation, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” This line, although powerful, is not found in the Latin. In addition, unlike the acclamations, it does not directly address Christ made present in the Blessed Sacrament, nor does it speak of our relationship with Him.

November 20th Bulletin Article

                 

“INVITATION TO COMMUNION”

 

The words we pray before the distribution of Holy Communion will soon change from “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you” to “...I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof”.  The new translation comes directly from the Gospels, in which the centurion begs Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”  This text conveys humanity’s unworthiness on account of sin, and our need for sincere humility before receiving the Holy Eucharist.