Without regard to whether you like or dislike the new Roman Missal, I’m wondering what your parish did in preparation for its implementation beginning next Sunday, the first week of Advent.
For the past six weeks, my pastor conducted a comprehensive catechesis on the new missal in place of his Sunday homilies. He not only instructed us in the new wording, both spoken and sung, but used the opportunity to delve deeper into the history and theology of various elements of the Mass. And, in a gentle way, he also corrected several common mistakes in practice, such as making the sign of the cross immediately after receiving the Body and Blood. It was a wonderful and moving experience for everyone, including our pastor himself, who noted tearfully at the end that he would miss several elements of the present missal, especially the words of the Domine, non sum dignus prayer. It was an important and concordant admission for me, because since my reconiliation with the Church those words – “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed” – have been the most meaningful in my own life. They have expressed my profound gratitude at finding the pearl of great price that is the Eucharist, the Mass and the entire Catholic faith. In fact, so meaningful are those words to me that my will instructs my children to inscribe those very words on my gravestone, an instruction I will not be amending regardless of the new translation.
At any rate, I’m interested in what other parishes have done in preparation for implementation of the new missal, if you’d care to share.
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