Sunday Homily - New Translation Check-up, Part II

Sunday Homily - New Translation Check-up, Part I

Musings on the Mass - The New Translation (Part II)

Over the past week I have had the opportunity to not only celebrate the Mass using the texts of the new translation, but also to observe several other priests celebrate as well, and I could not help but note something, which is perhaps so obvious as to be overlooked.  In my last posting on the new translation, I observed that the new words carried a certain passion about them, something which I was very glad to see and experience.  The implication of course being, that seeing the passion in the new words, it became that much more painfully obvious that the old translation was very much bereft of passion.  That being said, there is (and I'm sure just about everyone would agree on this point) also a high level of solemnity to the new translation, a gravitas to the new words, a level of formality to the prayers not experienced since the introduction of the Missal of Paul VI into the vernacular.  Having observed several of my brother priests celebrating with this new translation something becomes apparent.  The old translation begot (in some priests) a rather casual manner of celebrating the Mass, congruent with the more casual language of the text.  Having that same causal manner of celebrating imported into the new text now causes a rather significant incongruity, I think.  Similarly, the hymns which have accompanied the celebration of Mass for the last several decades, especially those by the triumvirate of Marty Haugen, David Hass, and Lucien Deiss, now seem rather out of place, as we seem to be constantly switching back and forth between sing-songy hymns and the elevated language praising the transcendent God of the Missal.  Perhaps the new translation will begin now to have an ever broader effect, both to the ars celebrandi of priests, and to the musical selections by choirs, as we look towards the future of the Roman Rite, and the way we celebrate the praise and worship of our Almighty God.

Musings on the Mass - the New Translation

Today the English speaking world inaugurated the new translation of the Roman Missal, in full.  In some places the new parts of the Mass have been practiced with congregations for some months already, some places in the world are still using the old translation for a little while yet, but here in Canada, the Missal came in full force today.  Presently I find myself in a situation where I don't have the opportunity to preside at Mass with a congregation on a regular basis, but I did have the chance today, and so I thought I'd just offer a couple of my own thoughts about the experience.  Some months back I was taking some holidays and went to visit some of my classmates who live and work on the east coast of Canada.  As I was travelling with one classmate from New Brunswick to visit two others in Nova Scotia, I decided to pull out the copy of the old Roman Ritual I had brought with me, to offer a prayer for our journey.  As I prayed that prayer aloud, and recited a few others for my friend he commented that I was praying with a passion he had not seen before.  He actually likened it to a Baptist minister who was 'on fire' in his preaching.  The only comment I could make in reply was that it was the words of the text, that the text itself had a passion to it, that it had "teeth" so to speak, that it was not a neutered or watered down text, but it was the Roman Rite in all its splendor and glory.  Today, as I prayed the new translation of the Mass for the first time, I noticed something.  Certainly I was a little befuddled having heard nothing and prayed nothing but the old translation since my father first brought me to Mass as a child.  I was having to navigate new texts and a new book after all.  But as the Mass unfolded I found myself saying and praying the texts with a new passion, one which I had not had before.  The only thing I could attribute it to was the text.  That no longer did we have a neutered and watered down text, but now we had to Roman Rite in splendor and glory (or at least a much better approximation of the original text).  I know that there have been many concerns about the new text, it seems much more exalted, the language may be more formal and more complicated.  Some have suggested that it will turn more people away from the Church. But I suspect that the opposite may be true, especially if many of my brother priests have a similar experience to my own.  If the new text inspires true passion for the liturgy in the priests, that passion will spill out into their congregations.  Therefore I urge my brothers to enter into the new words of the text, to find the passion in them, let that passion enter you, and that passion for the text will become a true passion for God, a passion shared with God's people.

Prayers for the Asian Earthquake Victims

Greetings friends, I'm sure the whole world knows about the devestating events that have taken place in China and Japan, and the suffering that continues.   I'm also sure that many of us are joined in prayer for all those affected.  What you may not know is that there are Mass texts found in the Roman Missal for just such occasions.  The section is entitled "Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions", and I just offer three texts found in that section (from the 1975 Missal, not the new translation yet) to aid in our prayer for the victims of the natural disasters (the prayers are really meant for those directly affected, but I'm sure you can modify them as you see fit):

In Time of Earthquake:

God our Father,
you set the earth on its foundation.
Keep us safe from the danger of earthquakes
and let us always feel the presence of your love.
May we be secure in your protection
and serve you with grateful hearts.

For Fine Weather:

All-powerful and ever-living God,
we find security in your forgiveness.
Give us the fine weather we pray for
so that we may rejoice in your gifts of kindness
and use them always for your glory and our good.

To Avert Storms:

Father,
all the elements of nature obey your command.
Calm the storms that threaten us
and turn our fear of your power
into praise of your goodness.

New Translation Finally Approved

The new translation of the Roman Missal has finally received the Recognitio for implementation in Canada.  For those unfamiliar with the process, each Conference of Bishops must submit requests for local adaptations for the Missal, such as the inclusion of local saints not celebrated universally, or other local adaptations.  Most other English speaking jurisdictions in the world received their Recognitio some time ago, but Canada has still been waiting.  This means that we can implement the new translation on the First Sunday of Advent along with the rest of the English speaking world.  If you don't believe me, the following is an excerpt from the Bishop of Hamilton's weekly communiqué:

"THE CCCB RECEIVED THE 'RECOGNITIO' FOR THE ROMAN MISSAL recently. At meetings of the Executive and Permanent Council is was decided that the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (posture, etc.) will be implemented on September 25^th and the Roman Missal itself will be implemented on the First Sunday of Advent."