Hey there everyone. As you all know, I studied abroad last semester and have been away from this blog because of that. I'm writing today about the new changes to the Catholic mass. After you read this, I would love your comments!
I have several issues with the new translation of the mass. The way we went about making the changes hurt the cause of being the universal church we claim to be. Let's start with the beginning. The priest says "the Lord be with you" as a form of greeting to the congregation. The logical thing to say when someone gives such a greeting is "you too" or, as it were, "and also with you." We once believed as Catholics that the priest was our advocate, and therefore one of us. Human. With the change to "and with your spirit," we place the priest on a different level. He is no longer our advocate, but a different spiritual being we cannot comprehend or relate with on a personal level.
The changes don't stop there. The Penitential Rite places Catholic guilt out in the open. "through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault"?! We get it. We have found fault with the Lord. We don't need to repeat the fact that we sinned through our own fault a hundred times to feel bad for what we've done. Doing so makes it seem like we are hopeless for our own salvation. Christians supposedly believe in hope and salvation for all people equally through Jesus. This guilty rambling seems to say "salvation for the worthy but not for me, I'm too guilty." but even this isn't the biggest flaw in the new mass.
When I have talked to people about the new mass and mentioned my final argument as to why it's not Catholic, many people have not even noticed this change. When the priest lifts the cup and is telling the story of the Last Supper, he used to say "...this is the cup of my blood, ... It will be shed for you and for ALL so that sins will be forgiven." Now, the words are "...this is the chalice of my blood, ... It will be shed for you and for MANY for the forgiveness of sins." MANY?! What?! Not the Jesus I know. Not the Jesus I learned and taught about in Sunday school. Jesus didn't pick and choose who to die for and who to leave to rot in hell. He died so we wouldn't. I asked a priest about this, who shall remain nameless, and he said "well, this is implying that some people won't get in." Sorry, father. I don't believe in that. And neither should this church. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't change His mind on us from heaven this last year. "Catholic" means "universal." It's time we started acting like it.
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Hi Mindy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughtful post. I hope you'll let me share my own thoughts here.
You write, "Catholic" means "universal."" It actually doesn't. Just to give you the context of where I'm coming from, I took a semester of biblical Greek at Scotland's University of Edinburgh Divinity School.
During my studies there, I learned that the word "universal" is a really bad Latin corruption which evidently didn't translate the original Greek well. κατα ολικος, "Kata holikos", is a Greek composite which means 'according to the whole", literally "by the total". This refers to the wholeness, the internal unity and truth, of the orthodox (correct) faith.
Catholic doesn't mean "universal" as in something that applies to everyone. Rather, it specifically refers to the wholeness and internal unity of the faith of the early Church as those beliefs held by orthodox (right-believing) Christians against the early heretics. This is why the first Church ecumenical councils were called, and why the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed was produced: as a rebuttal to several major Christological heresies. Thus, the statement of faith is just that: it's intended as a proclamation of our beliefs, the most basic teachings of the Church.
You also mention that you don't like the reintroduction of "And with your spirit" in the people's response to the priest. This response was used exclusively for the entirety of the Church's history before the introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae in English. "And with your spirit" is still used in all non-English language Catholic liturgies today. "Y con tu espiritu", "E con tuo spirito", etc.
The Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world also use only "And with your spirit". So actually, "And also with you" is something that *only* English-speaking Catholics used, along with mainline Protestant denominations. Why is this, that the Catholic Mass in English started using a Protestant-inspired response to the priest's greeting of peace? The Vatican Commission that was charged with implementing the New Order Mass in English-speaking countries had several Protestants on it.
(Continued)
ReplyDeleteSo if you want to talk about the universal witness of the Church, the response "and also with you" is a departure from that universal witness. You contend that "The logical thing to say when someone gives such a greeting is "you too" or, as it were, "and also with you." While that is correct in ordinary day conversation, "peace dude!", the Eucharist is not an ordinary experience-- at least, it's not meant to be. A priest isn't just a guy you say "you too" to, or else, what is the point of having priests? (This falls into the Lutheran argument of the 'priesthood of all believers').
You write, "We once believed as Catholics that the priest was our advocate, and therefore one of us." The priest very much is still our advocate, which is why, when we wish peace to his spirit, we are honoring in him his dignity as a priest, a servant of God, as someone whose soul is wrapped up in love of God and love for us.
It is your view that "With the change to "and with your spirit," we place the priest on a different level. He is no longer our advocate, but a different spiritual being we cannot comprehend." I'm very surprised by these words, since I actually feel the opposite. By referencing the spirit of the priest, we are reminded that all existence has a spiritual dimension.
If you respond "and also with you", this greeting basically implies that the priest is just another "guy", and this casualness reduces the reverence offered to God by the respect we give to the office of the priest who offers the Mass for the whole Church, living and departed.
By wishing peace to your priest's spirit, you are actually addressing a much higher spiritual dimension than you would by saying "and also with you", which, colloquially, could be substituted with "You too, buddy!"
You're in the Mass, the divine liturgy where bread and wine are miraculously, mysteriously transformed into Christ's body and blood. When we partake of the Eucharist, thus, we imbibe Christ, we partake directly of our Savior. In this atmosphere, to me at least, why would we not speak only in a spiritual mindset, when we are in the direct presence of our God?
Just some food for thought.
Peace in Christ,
-Ryan
The new translation of the new mass was made to be closer to the Latin which is the standard form- and it is closer. You need to ask yourself why you prefer an inaccurate translation to a good one. The new one reflects what the Church wants the mass to say. Perhaps your idea of what it ought to say is mistaken?
ReplyDeleteThe language of liturgy is not supposed to be the natural thing one would say, but is always more formal. "And with your spirit" is the ancient response in the liturgies of the Church both East and West. Since that is so, we would be false to tradition, arrogant and shallow, to change it. What we need to do is try to understand what the Church says in saying that. I am not sure I do. I though it was meant to deepen the intent of the phrase, to say how God is with us. I am not sure it singles out the priest. But if it does, the priest is set apart, which is one meaning for ordained, for his role in offering the eucharistic sacrifice. His specialness exists as a gift to us, not for himself.
As for all and many, the Latin word is multis, which means many, not all. The use of many in this place goes back at least 15 centuries! It is not up to us to change it but to understand it. Yes, Jesus Christ died for all in that He wills for all men to be saved and offers His Salvation to all. Yet He also knows that not all will accept it. For those who do not accept it His death will not be efficacious- it will not save them, because they will have refused the gift. And although all have the freedom to accept or refuse it, God in His place outside of time knows what choices will have/ already have been made, and all is finally in His will because he gave those who refused the freedom to refuse, and gave those who accepted the grace to accept. This is a great mystery which is ultimately beyond our understanding. But in saying " for many" the mass refers to those for whom Christ's death will be efficacious, all of whom He already knew.
As for "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault" this too is ancient. It is repetitive because that is one of the characteristics of liturgy, to make a point by repetition. It emphasizes this because it is true. We are all great sinners and it is our fault. That is why it is so wonderful that our sins ate forgiven through the cross. But if we do not know we are sinners and continue to be sinners, what will Christ's death, which the mass makes present to us, mean to us. The mass puts us at the foot of the cross. If you stood there seeing what Our Lord suffered for your sins, would you not lament those sins and feel they are grievous? Would you not want to beg His forgiveness? Again, the joy of salvation can be known only by those who know they are sinners.