(The following is the "expanded text" of my Homily on Sunday August 13/14)
You may have heard in the press or in Catholic media that the words and prayers that we proclaim and use at Mass are changing. This will be the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal since the Second Vatican Council (held in 1962-65). For ten years, the Bishops of the English speaking world have been working on a new translation of this Roman Missal. The 11 different English language Conferences of Bishops work together under a structure known as the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL).
Translation will not change the structure of Mass, or the “flow” of Mass: Opening Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and dismissal. It will change many of the words and prayers we now pray during Mass. After praying same words for so many years, I wonder if now is an opportunity to be more conscious of the words we pray.
Words affect our lives: they make a difference in how we live, in how we pray, and what we believe. The words that Fr. Sherwin & I pray at Mass will sound different, and so will the prayers and responses that we all use. These new prayers should help us to pray more consciously, since we will be thinking more about what we are praying and not simply saying the words by rote, which I think some of could admit we often do now.
Some might ask: Why is this change in the prayers of the Mass necessary? The first and very practical reason for a new Missal was the large number of Saints that Pope John Paul II canonized in his pontificate. Each of these saints has a set of prayers for his or her feast day (Collect, Prayer over the gifts, and prayer after communion). Secondly the revised translation will reflect the current Latin edition, which was issued as part of the Jubilee celebrations in the year 2000. The previous translation does not do this as accurately. From 1965 to 2003 the principles of translating Liturgical Language changed: from trying to translate the sense or idea of a prayer (dynamic equivalence) to a more literal translation (formal equivalence) following the rhythm and structure of the original Latin.
Although this translation will sound more formal in language, it is scripturally richer in its meanings and images, and will better connecting biblical images to the images in the Mass prayers.
Here is an Example: Now, instead of hearing in EP III,
“…from east to west, a perfect offering may be made,…”
We will hear: “…from the rising of the sun to its setting,
a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.”
This text presents a richer biblical image for us to picture. That all time belongs to God, from the sun’s rising in the east to its setting in the west. There are other examples which we will point out during upcoming homilies.
We will also need to make changes to our music at Mass. The Mass parts will have new musical settings, since some of the words we sing have been changed. These new words won’t fit the current music settings that we use. The sung prayers that our assembly usually sings that will change are: the Gloria; the Holy, Holy; & the Memorial Acclamation. (The words of the Alleluia and the great Amen will not change!)
In the Gloria the first change we notice is in the second line from the proclamation of the angels at the birth of Jesus, the manifestation of God’s Glory. Currently we say or sing:
“peace to his people on earth”;
- the new translation:
“peace to people of good will.”
The phrase “good will” is new to us. The Church has always stressed the importance of the will, both human and divine. When our human will is ordered to, is in communion with, is in harmony with, the divine will – then we have what could be called a “good will” and consequently, we will experience true peace. Jesus taught us what it looks like when the human will is in perfect communion with the divine will when he prayed just before the crucifixion: “not my will be done, but yours be done”.
In the original Latin five verbs follow, flowing from this good and peaceful will: “we praise you” “we bless you”
“we adore you” “we glorify you” and finally “we give you thanks for your great glory” – this we do ultimately in Eucharistic Prayer.
Over the Summer Months our parish musicians have met and they deliberated. Following the directive of the Archbishop, they have listened to and evaluated the 4 mass settings that are approved for use in Canada, and have chosen Mass Setting A. This is from a new Resource from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) – Celebrate in Song. We have posted these new musical settings in MP3 Files on our Parish website: www.holyfamilybolton.ca so that all parishioners can listen to them before we begin the implementation in the fall. We will use this setting at all masses for one year.
The musical settings will change beginning on Sunday September 24/25, 2011. We will begin practicing these responses before Mass in early September. Why are we talking about these changes in the middle of September? Because those who return in September will need your help, and those who join us on December 24th will be counting on us all! (We will be learning the Gloria in September / October /November because there is no Gloria in Advent.) The spoken words and prayers of the new translation will change on the first Sunday of Advent: That is November 26/27. The entire English speaking world is preparing for this implementation date.
I am both excited & fearful: Excited because this may be an opportunity for us to be more conscious of what we pray – and that was the desire of the second Vatican Council. I am Fearful – because I know that change is never easy. Words, Prayers, Music.
My hope is that we will Grow Spiritually as we more consciously pray and understand that the Mass truly is thanksgiving to God.
Peace
