Be Prepared!

[Aloysius]

I thought this deserved it's own thread.

someone needs to film a trailer

"coming soon to a parish near you... SACRED ENGLISH"
A new translation of the mass. Be prepared...

[quote]Striking changes

The following analysis identifies a few of the more striking examples of change in the new translation - but there are many more.

The first indication that things are to be different will come early in the Mass with the congregation's response to "The Lord be with you" where they are to say: "And with your spirit" - not "And also with you". The original Latin reads: Et cum spiritu tuo, which is now correctly translated. The original ICEL translators appeared to have major difficulties with "soul" and "spirit", purging mention of these in a number of places, despite what the Latin edition clearly states. These are now restored across the entire Missal.

During the Confiteor, the Latin mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa is translated accurately as "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault" and not just "through my own fault". Worshippers are also reminded to strike their breast as they say these words - a practice that has fallen into general disuse, though it is called for in the present Missal.

In the Gloria, "peace to his people on earth" becomes "peace on earth to people of good will", which is literally what the Latin says, although the inclusive "people" is retained for hominibus, which is literally the generic "men".

"Sin" of the world now becomes "sins" of the world - the Latin peccata being plural. "Sin" suggests a collective guilt or "sinful structures" rather than our personal sinfulness.

The omission in the present translation of numerous expressions in the Latin text that emphasise a Catholic theological understanding has been rectified in the new translation. Examples of these include the phrases only-begotten Son, of your bounty, deigned, humbly, blessed, almighty, most merciful, glorious, graciously - and many others.

Another significant change is occurs in the Nicene Creed, where Credo is translated accurately as "I believe" rather than the present "We believe". In addition, people are reminded to bow at the words "and by the Holy Spirit became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man." This practice, while called for in the present Missal, is rarely encountered.

It seems taken for granted, even by those who should know better, that most Catholics now find the generic expression "man" - meaning the human race - jarring. Yet one continues to hear in science documentaries about the origins of man. Fortunately, there are few such lapses in the new translation.

The Orate Fratres (Pray my brothers and sisters, or more literally, brethren) translates meum ac vestrum sacrificium as "my sacrifice and yours" and not "our sacrifice", which blurs the distinct roles of the priest celebrant and worshippers.

Perhaps the most striking example of the liberties taken by the earlier ICEL translators can be found in Eucharistic Prayer I (the original Roman Canon carried over from the Tridentine Mass). Here, the present English version is almost unrecognisable when set against the Latin edition and the new draft translation, which follows the Latin text closely and restores a much-needed sense of the sacred.

A typical example of the new prose used is: "Most merciful Father, we therefore humbly pray and implore you through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, to accept and bless these gifts, these offerings, these holy, and undefiled sacrifices."

In the present Missal, this passage reads as: "We come to you Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ your Son. Through him we ask you to accept and bless these gifts we offer you in sacrifice." Instead of the priest "asking" God, he will say that we "humbly pray and implore" - a more appropriate approach for mere mortals in the presence of the Almighty.

The pattern continues throughout Eucharistic Prayer I - and to some extent in the other three Eucharistic Prayers.

The text now used during the Consecration reads: "Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said ...". The new translation follows the Latin closely: "... taking also this noble cup into his holy and venerable hands, once more giving you thanks, he blessed and gave it to his disciples, saying ...".

Following the Consecration, the present first Acclamation, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again", becomes in the new translation, "We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come" - which is what the Latin actually says.

Later, "Look with favour on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel ..." - which sounds as if the priest if telling God to do something - is correctly translated as: "Be pleased to look on them with a favorable and kindly face and to accept them, as you were pleased to accept the gifts of your just servant Abel ...".

At the beginning of Eucharistic Prayer III, the words, "From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name", become in the new translation: "... you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure oblation may be offered to your name" - with geographical space transformed into time.

In the introduction to the Our Father (the only option provided), the present words "Jesus taught us to call God our Father, and so we have the courage to say" become the more literal: "Taught by commands that bring salvation and formed by divine instruction, we have the courage to say".

The celebrant's words before Communion are currently: "Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body". The new version reads: "May receiving your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy let it be my protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy."

The priest says in the present Missal: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper".

The new version is far more striking, with the words "This is" replaced by the stronger (and more accurate) "Behold" (Ecce), while the innocuous "happy" is replaced by "blessed" (beati): "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are they who have been called to the supper of the Lamb."
Mistranslation

At this point, congregations will be made particularly aware of the extent of change as they recite the words, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed."

The present version, which is a gross mistranslation, empties the response of its scriptural echoes, reading: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed". The new text refers us to Luke 7:6-7, from which the words "come under my roof" (sub tectum meum) derive. This is the Gospel account of Our Lord's curing of the centurion's dying slave. The centurion says: "I am not worthy to have you come under my roof" (Catholic RSV edition).

Similar illustrations can be multiplied.

But what these examples demonstrate most strikingly is that English-speaking Catholics for far too long have had to put up with a poorly translated Missal text which, arguably, has eroded for many their sense of the sacred and their doctrinal understandings.

We can now look forward with keen anticipation to a new English Missal that faithfully conveys the truths of faith and inspires a sense of the sacred: lex orandi, lex credendi.[/quote]

it's being reviewed by Bishops conferences all over the English speaking world... probably will be promolgated around 2006 from the sources I've read... it's a comin... who else is excited? who else is going to plan a big party the day before attending mass for the first time with the new translation???

you know what I'm gonna do tomarrow? I'm going to get out the video camera and tape a trailer for the new mass translation. then I'm going to put it up on my website [url="http://www.chesterbel.net"]http://www.chesterbel.net[/url] just because that'll allow me to draw more people into the super-cool and fun demo that will be occuring this summer where you can play online-town

[Brother Adam]

Cool, hopefully it will be simply and charitably explained to the lay faithful who are likely to understand it as either "just a bunch of more changes" or "getting rid of Vatican II"

[Theologian in Training]

Man, now I have to get the new book of Rites. A new Sacramentary, and now unlearn what I have learned and re-learn a whole new translation.

The best thing I will ever have to do, to say the very least!

That is so cool and I am glad that they are finally looking at the way the Mass was translated from English, and now seem to be focusing putting God in charge and us as humble servants.

God Bless

[jezic]

it makes more sense now.

Thanks

[MilesChristi]

I'm very excited for this.

A more accurate and nuanced translation will allow the faithful to enter more deeply into the mysteries of the liturgy.

I'd be willing to bet that a side effect of this revised translation will be an increase in vocations to the priesthood.

Wait and see...

[iggy]

YEAH!!! I totally weirded out my whole family with my excitement (which is nothing new)

[Aloysius]

I feel bad for my Church... they just got these brand new big red books and in a year, they'll be innaccurate..

ah well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. we're one of the richest parishes around, we can handle it.

[Fidei Defensor]

People will have heart attacks...

I will, because this is so cool!

[iggy]

WOOT!!!!

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Excellent!

Now here's the bad news...we need prayers...I have it on good authority that Conception Abbey (i.e. not so orthodox) is being asked to supply hymns for the new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours...let's pray that they avoid the compositions of certain monks whom I will not name here, for the sake of avoiding gossip.

[Philippe]

sounds confusing

but cool

[Fides_et_Ratio]

let's just pray it actually gets implemented properly...

[homeschoolmom]

I'm guessing our parish will have a class explaining the changes and the theological reasoning behind it. I hope so. And I hope other parishes do too. I think people will grab on to the changes better if they understand why they are being made.

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

"My" "parish" still hasn't implimented the lst set of changes from 2 years ago or so...

[son_of_angels]

Personally, though, I think that the very translation of some parts of the Mass, the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Canon, the Pater Noster, the Domine non sum dignus, is part of the problem not the solution. They need to just get rid of the other Eucharistic Prayers any way, as well as the banal "Blessed are you, God of all creation, through your goodness...." Ahhhh. .... so annoyingly ambiguous.