The Anchoress
…our new missal translation, to debut in Advent of 2011. They will be very similar to the earliest translations of the Latin, which some of us learned and loved as children:
My memory of the Traditional Mass is cloudy and vague, and I suspect a bit romantic, but I recollect the first translations of the Novus Ordo very well; they were more exact, and more spiritually focused than what eventually followed. We easily learned our vernacular responses, which were pretty nice:
“The Lord be with you.”
“And with your spirit.”
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; speak but the word, and my soul shall be healed.”
And then we learned them again:
“The Lord be with you.”
“And also with you.”
“Lord I am not worthy to receive you; but only say the word, and I shall be healed.”
Small differences brought significant changes in meaning, and we sensed it. The liturgy kept evolving, the emphases kept changing, and every reform and bizarre new experiment was described as being “in the spirit of Vatican II.”
Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, writing at the USCCB media blog notes:
The last major liturgical change was in the mid-Sixties, when Roman Catholics went from the Mass in Latin to Mass in the vernacular, with words and phrases common to our ears. For many, it was the first time they knew exactly what they and the priest were praying. While the Mass in English-speaking countries was essentially the same, the United States had one version, Great Britain another, Australia still another. Now we have a text that is the same for all the English-speaking nations. Seems appropriate as the world grows closer together.
We’ll also have language that is less commonplace, which will sound like church language, certainly not inappropriate given that this is for church. It’s not unusual for us to have different language styles in different parts of our lives. How we speak in the ballpark isn’t how we speak in the classroom or how we speak in oratory from a stage. Why not a different language style for church? Processing up to Communion isn’t sliding into home plate. “Give me five” on the basketball court isn’t the same as “Peace be with you” at Mass.
The USCCB has a very good site put together to get the faithful familiar with the newly-wrought prayers and responses.
Fr. James Martin has an excellent and clear piece at America.
There is a language-geek comparison chart here
Don’t forget to check out the word of the day, which, sadly, is not “missal.”
Also writing:
“Some last-minute changes”
“A step backwards”
The new dismissal
O/T but noteworthy:
The Bible in the Public Square
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