A First Time for the New Roman Missal

Last Sunday, we used the new translation of the Roman Missal for the first time.    For many months, we have been preparing to celebrate well with this new text.   Most people reacted positively to the new translation, and made earnest attempts to learn the prayer responses.   Father George Kane, Father Scott, and I met long ago to discuss how we could implement the new texts in the best way.   I would like to thank them for their expertise and their pastoral sensibility.  We all tried to be as positive as possible about the translation and did our best to present these new texts and prayers to you.   That does not mean that the new missal is without problems.  I do have some serious reservations about the texts on a number of different levels.

First of all, reading the texts is not easy when the major concern of the translations was fidelity to Latin syntax and sentence structure.  The awkwardness of the text became clear to me when I read the opening prayer for the First Sunday of Advent:  “Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that, gathered at his right hand, they (I am not sure if this refers to the faithful or the prayers) may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever.”   The nuns who taught me in grade school would have probably given me an F if I turned in a run-on sentence like that one.

The Opening Prayer or Collect for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ reads:  “O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament, have left us a memorial….”   When you read this passage, you will notice that God and have do not agree in number.  Once again the nuns who taught me would have circled this grammar error in red.   In the new Roman Missal, sentence structure like this example is intentional if you can believe it.   Rome thought adherence to the Latin syntax of the sentence was more important than using correct English sentence structure.  That is really awful.  Please understand that this type of mistake is plentiful in the new translation.    I told Fr. George that we have to adopt a new English concept – the concept of the understood “you.”   When the presider adds “you” before the verb “have,” the English is now supposedly correct.  I am saddened over the fact that a correct grammatical translation was not done  the first time.

The Prayer over the People for Ash Wednesday reads:  “Pour out a spirit of compunction, O God…”  I had to look that one up in the dictionary and I have been speaking English for a long time.  Compunction means sorrow or guilt.

The missal also eliminates some of the inclusive language we previously had, but we can fix that on our own.  The very formal language will be hard for us to utilize. 

Don’t get me wrong, the text is not all bad.  Some of the language is beautiful and much more scripturally accurate. 

The new Missal is not a very good prayer text.  A prayer text should be understandable and accessible to the people who are using the text as prayer.  It should allow people to voice praise and thanksgiving to God in an easy and conversational.  A  better translation of the missal could have made our formal conversations with God much more accessible.

We will continue to struggle with this text, as imperfect as it may be, as we use it to show our unity with Catholics all over the world.

I invite your comments.

First Sunday of Advent

This Sunday, we have the First Sunday of Advent, a beautiful time of preparation for Christmas.  Rather than focusing on presents, trees and holiday parties, the Church asks us to reflect on the goodness of God.  The readings for the First Sunday of Advent invite us to think about how we have been living the faith.

First Reading – Isaiah 63.  This reading is a cry for help and a history of Israel wrapped up into one.  The people feel abandoned by God and pray for a remedy to their suffering.  The second sentence is funny to me. “Why do you let us wander, O Lord…,” which blames God for their wandering.  “God let us get off track;  it’s his fault.”  Then at the end the tone changes.  “Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you the potter:  we are all the works of your hands.”  God will mold us if we let ourselves be pliable to His touch.  We are works in progress and God is working hard on us.

Reflection questions:  If God can mold us when we are pliable, what are the parts of our lives that resist God’s touch?  How has God molded you or made you change throughout your life?  How are you the work of God’s hands?  What work still needs to be done for you?

Second Reading – 1Cor 1:3-9.  This is just a simple greeting from the first part of one of Paul’s letters.  Notice how positive and confident the tone is.  He is sure that we are “enriched in every way.”  Read this letter OUT LOUD a couple of times.  How does it sound to you? 

Reflection questions:  Can you resonate with Paul’s confidence and hope?  Are there any spiritual gifts that you are lacking?  How have you been “enriched in every way?”

Gospel – Mk 13:33-37  In this short gospel reading the word “watch” is used four times.  This gospel comes just before Jesus is taken into custody by the soldiers.  It is odd that we begin a new year with this gospel that is “late” in Jesus’ life but it foreshadows the kind of life and death Jesus will have.  Scholars say that the first “ watch” refers to the people in the story – man traveling abroad, the servants and the gatekeeper.  The second and third “watch”es are written in the second person plural – addressed to the reader/listener of the Gospel.

Reflection questions:  How watchful are you?  Will you set aside time to “watch” (pray and reflect) with Jesus in Advent?  What should we watch out for?

I invite your comments.

Christ The King

When I met with the young people of that parish, they asked me to use this blog as a way to share ideas about the readings at Mass.  Many of them said they did not understand what the readings were about.  My homily is supposed to explain the readings.  Sorry if I have not done that well enough.  I offer now a few thoughts about the Feast of Christ the King coming up on November 20.

First reading – Ezekiel 34.  Ezekiel criticizes constantly the leadership of the Israelite people.  In Ezekiel’s estimation they have been bad shepherds for their people Israel.  The “I” in the reading is God saying that He will gather everyone together, will bind their wounds and take care of them. 

Prayer questions:  Have you ever felt really cared for by God?  When?  What was that like?  OR have you ever felt forgotten by God?  Or felt God doesn’t care for you?  Jesus felt that way once so it is ok to feel that way.

Second reading – 1 Cor 15.  Paul is talking to the people in Corinth who question the resurrection from the dead.  They believed in Jesus’ resurrection but could not understand their own resurrection.   Christ is referred to as the “firstfruits” of the harvest.  That word refers to the first part of the harvest which is dedicated to God.  When the farmers harvested the crop, the first part was donated to the poor or to the synagogue as a sign that all good gifts come from God and return to him.  This reading says that Jesus rises first (firstfruits) then we rise after Him whenever our time may come.  All belongs to God, including us and the power of death does not change that.

Prayer questions:  Do we give part of our “harvest” to God?  What can I give to God to show my appreciation for all I have?  What do I think about the resurrection of the dead?  What will that be like?

Gospel – Matthew 25.   This Gospel passage comes after two parables that tell us to be prepared for Jesus’ coming.  This passage tells us that we will be judged by the actions we have done for those less fortunate than ourselves – the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, etc.  This passage calls us to be people for others. 

Prayer questions:  What can I do to fulfill this passage in my own life?  When I see the stranger (someone different from me) what do I do?  How do I treat that person?  What have you done when you have seen the hungry, thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the prisoner?  This week, perhaps seek out one person who fits that category and strike up a conversation.  I can imagine that there is at least one person who fits that category in your school or work.

I invite your comments.