MONDAY DIARY: YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN - IF YOU NEED TO

By and large the transition to the new translations have been rolling out rather well in these parts. There have been a couple of hic-ups on my part. I missed “prevenient” in my pre-reading and ran into it like a dog I once was taking care of ran into a glass sliding door when he saw a squirrel outside. I chuckle to think how priests all over the English speaking world are sounding like 5th graders in their public reading made difficult because we keep wanting to go in one direction and our eyes keep informing us that we should be going somewhere else.

I celebrated my first nuptial Mass last weekend. We spend so much time in our preparations with the Missal on the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer #1) that not much else was given much attention and among those things was the wedding ritual. The priest celebrant and I were flipping through the Missal to read through the prayers before the Mass when we came upon a new rubric. (I was under the false impression that no rubrics were being changed.) The new rubric states, “The penitential Act is omitted. The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is said.”

This was surprise. So we debated. “It is Advent – should we do it? But it doesn’t say, “unless it is advent – or lent for that matter.” So we did it. I think reviewing the rubrics (which were not easy to follow,) it seems to be prohibited UNLESS you read the ordo which says that ritual Masses may be said during advent weekdays (that are not already solemnities) which WOULD include the Gloria. (Time to call the liturgist of the diocese.)

There are also additional prayers that fit into the Eucharist prayers I, II, and III that were not previously there. So instead of flipping back and forth he copied the prayer and pasted it into the book. “So you say this prayer,” he informed me and I commented that I was glad my first wedding was there as I had two this coming week and I can work out all of kinks before I have to do it.

At this point the groom, already a little pale, came up and with a slight smile and nervous laugh said, “You guys are not inspiring confidence in me.” Poor chap.

This morning I had the Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There is a part in the preface where there are a whole lot more choices than there used to be. I thought I had it down cold but I was concentrating so hard on the new words that when I got there it was a train wreck. It looks like this:

“. . . and to praise, bless, and glorify Your name (on the Solemnity of the Motherhood/on the feast day/on the Nativity/in veneration) of the Blessed every-Virgin Mary.”

Next time I’ll use a stick’m note. It was if I completely forgot how to read. I had to do it three times to get it right.



Is this what it was like during the changes following Vatican II? The uncertainty – the excitement of the new – new discoveries – breaking old habits and starting new ones? I am sure it was much more difficult then – and good – this is about the level of fun I want.