This coming first Sunday in advent we will start praying the new translation of the Roman Missal in the English speaking world. I, and most of the priests with whom I associate, are taking it rather in stride. Most do not think it all that insurmountable of a problem and many believe it to be a great thing. But perhaps that is because we have been so exposed to it that it already seems like a done deal. There will be a few tricky pieces to the puzzle. The first year will be difficult when we go to say Mass at the nursing home or Scout camp or the like where we will have to remember to bring worship aids with us if we expect people to respond, but other than that it should be an implementation that will just require a little more attention for us while praying at Mass for us.
Many of us are, however, completely at a loss on how this change is perceived by others. By far the most common comment I have heard thus far is, “Father, why are we making such a big fuss about this? It is no big deal.” But that comment is largely from people who are very involved. A couple people are concerned about certain parts of the translation. One person did say, “When they change the ‘Our Father’ we are joining the Anglicans down the street.” “I think that was said in jest.So what do you think? Take the quiz in the column to the right. I would find it helpful.
11 comments:
I think that lay responses are "no big deal", but the impact will be, for the laity and the priests, the praying of the Canon. We will be hearing for the first time the beautiful, rich language and phrasing that will really improve our prayer as we prepare to receive Communion.
It will have an effect on the priest, too, as his voice rings out in the church in words he never heard in this way before. It will be a great prayerful time for all involved. I fully expect to have an emotional response; I'm bringing tissues.
I've been working on changing the wording of materials since I'm a CGS catechist and I am loving the changes! Maybe I'm drawn to them because they remind me of the wording used in Germany when I was a kid, but semantics are important to me and the chance to really reflect on the wording been really meaningful.
I'm one of those who don't understand what the fuss is about. But I realize that what it boils down to is that people don't like change. The funny thing is, by next Advent or certainly by the following one, the new words will be second nature. People just need time to adjust.
People will need time to adjust but the changes will be a really good thing for the Church. The new richer, deeper language will help in the ongoing renewal of the Church.
Loved the headline of the blog!
Yesterday I was introducing my college freshmen to some of the many ways in which we encounter Scripture. I discovered, as I elaborated upon the use of Scripture in liturgy, than not one of the Catholic students (the majority of the class this particular semester) had any idea that changes are coming.
I think that it will be an incremental step towards restoration. The rug was pulled out from under the Church and they have finally gotten around to picking up the pieces.
I'm kind of one of those young traditional Catholics. I bounce between an Anglican Use, NO mass, and a traditional Latin mass so the changes will actually be more of a stream lining for me. I already have a tendency to respond "And with Thy Spirit." on occasion when I don't realize I'm at the NO or start reciting a different translation (Anglican Use) of the creed. All I really care about is a nice Catholic mass that is well done (that means no liturgical abuses). I love our Catholic traditions and hope that the new translation will inspire more young people to discover the forgotten treasures that the catholic church holds.
The changes regarding the Missal will be less drastic for me as I converted to Catholicism only 2 years ago. As I study the changes upcoming on apps such as Catholic One or iBreviary I find this interesting/intriguing.
What is drastic is the changes being made to the daily mass music. The previous "Gloria" once brought tears to my Protestant Mom's eyes when she was attending a Mass before my Son's Baptism years ago. The Catholic mass is a beautiful thing. And the Music is a big part of it. The changes being made to the music (not just Gloria, but also "Alleluia", "Hosanna", etc.), all created from the same composer, would be comparable to taking white spray paint to our wonderful stained glass windows. The changes remove a lot of the beauty of the Mass. It's been a month and I still cringe when we sing the new renditions. And I am surprised that these changes were made. Just my two cents.....
I'm with Erik on this. As a Protestant who frequently attends Mass, I am really disconcerted by the changes in the music. I can't say that I find the new arrangements appealing in any way jarring is the descriptor I would probably use -- and I usually go to mass in a parish with a fantastic music program. Music is such an evocative and important part of prayer for me that to have its beauty and prior associations removed is a significant loss.
I think that I have good news for you Erik and Robin! I too CANNOT STAND the new musical settings that we are using to launch this effort in our diocese. To me it sounds like a marching band arrangement of some elevator music of a 1970's bad pop tune.
For the record, this is just the first setting being used in our diocese so that everybody knows at least one setting for when we all get together such as at ordinarions. (Chant was considered but withdrawn since it can be so widely enterpretted.)
The same problem occured when the Mass was first translated into the vernacular. Things will work out! More music will be produced! Hang tough! Let us just get past this first blush and give composers some real time to work on this!
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