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THIRD EDITION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL 5 MINUTE CATECHESIS

Segment 1

Introduction to the Roman Missal

What is the Roman Missal and why are we going to have a new one?

When Roman Catholics celebrate Mass, all the prayer texts, the readings from Scripture, and the directives that tell us how Mass is to be celebrated, may all be found in a collection of books called the Roman Missal. There are three primary books used at Mass each Sunday: 1) the Lectionary containing the Scripture readings selected for Mass; 2) the Book of the Gospels which has the Gospel reading for each Sunday and Holy Day within it, and 3) the book containing the prayer texts of the Mass, both the prayers the priest voices and the common prayers of the people with the dialogues that come before and after these prayers. Of these three books, this last one, the book of prayer texts, now to be called the Roman Missal, is the only one of these three books that will be new for us on the first Sunday of Advent.

All the books that make up the Roman Missal are written in Latin, the official language of the Roman Catholic Church. With the extraordinary work of the Second Vatican Council in 1963, new liturgical guidelines stressed the importance of “full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy” by all the people. In order to accomplish this, permission was given to translate the entire Roman Missal into the vernacular or mother tongue of each country. Here in the United States we received the first English translation of the complete Roman Missal in 1974 with a revision in 1985.

Why do we need a new missal?

There are a number of reasons for this need. First, there is a need for new prayer texts to be added to the missal. When new saints are canonized, new prayers are composed for use at the liturgy in which we honor them. Secondly, as new rituals are developed or revised, such as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, there is a need for these new prayers to be included in the body of the missal, and lastly, when particular prayers or directives are used over time, it can become apparent that there is a need for adjustment to the wording for clarification or for accuracy.

Over the centuries the Roman Missal has undergone many revisions. For example, there were six revisions of the Tridentine Missal, the missal used prior to the Second Vatican Council. In 2000, Pope John Paul II called for a revision of the Second Edition of the Roman Missal in response to the needs already stated. But what impacted this process profoundly was the fact that in 2001 new guidelines for translation were also issued by the Holy See. These new guidelines stressed the importance of a more formal or direct translation from the Latin. The two previous English translations did not use a word for word translation but tried to capture the meaning of the texts without using the exact wording. The new guidelines intend to recapture what has been lost in translation. Although some of our prayer texts, such as the Lord’s Prayer will remain exactly the same, other prayers will undergo significant revision.

This new English translation will not only be used by Roman Catholics in the United States but also in eleven other English speaking countries: Australia, Canada, England, Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland and South Africa. For ease of translation the English version is used in some countries to translate into their mother tongue as well, making the necessity of an accurate, direct translation imperative.

There is something quite extraordinary about Catholics in all these countries praying the same prayer. We all express our faith together with one voice while still honoring our diversity and the plentiful gifts of each culture. Let us begin our preparation to receive this new missal with great joy.


 

 

 

 

 

 

THIRD EDITION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL 5 MINUTE CATECHESIS

Segment 2

What will Change in the Roman Missal?

What changes are we going to find in the new English translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal?

Before we examine the individual parts of the Mass that will be new for us, let’s first look at some general characteristics of the new missal.

An increase in the references from Scripture

One of the most significant changes in the new missal will be the inclusion and expansion of direct references and quotes from Scripture. Rather than just making an allusion to an account from Scripture, this new missal will quote more directly from Scripture and expand the quotes that we will voice in prayer. These direct references will enhance our knowledge of the Scriptures and will make a direct connection between the Word of God and the Celebration of the Eucharist. For example, the new text of the Glory to God will give a more literal translation of Luke 2:14 quoting the angels song in the infancy narrative. The Invitation to Communion and the people’s response will quote the centurion’s words from Scripture, Luke 7:6-7, enhancing our understanding of this act of faith we make before receiving Holy Communion. The addition of these texts from Scripture is one of this missal’s greatest assets.

The vocabulary will be more varied and enriched

The vocabulary used in the new missal will be enlarged and enriched. For example, in the present translation the Latin words: pietas, consortio, amor, caritas, and dilectio were all translated into English with the same word “love.” In the new missal, these Latin words are translated each according to their specific meaning, more accurately translating the Latin text, “parental affection, sharing, love, charity, and delight.” This expansive vocabulary will enrich our prayer and our ability to express our faith. Many texts of the new missal will also be more poetic, making them more easily set to song.

The language in the missal will be more formal and more respectful

The prayers in the new missal use a language that is more formal and respectful when addressing God. Instead of telling God what to do, as in “Strengthen in faith” or “Advance the peace and salvation of all the world,” the new missal will use phrases such as “we pray, O Lord,” or “be pleased to” or “listen graciously to,” where we are asking God and not giving God demands.

The word order in many prayers will emphasize the most important things

The word order in Latin places the most important point or focus of the sentence at the end. The new translation, honoring this word order, will be unfamiliar to our ears yet will draw attention to the most important things.

The new missal provides the opportunity for learning more about the prayer we pray in order to deepen our faith

Perhaps the most important asset of the new missal will be the fact that with new texts we will all be more attentive to each prayer. Instead of letting the very familiar words pass over us unheard or reciting them without need for much thought, we will now hear them anew. Preparing these new texts also provides the opportunity for a much needed catechesis on the meaning of each part of the liturgy. Let these new texts enhance our prayer, deepen our faith and contribute to the “full, conscious, active participation called for by the very nature of the liturgy.”


  

 

THIRD EDITION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL 5 MINUTE CATECHESIS

Segment 3

The Greetings at Mass

Each Celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) begins with an opening song, hymn or entrance antiphon. The Sign of the Cross and Greeting follow. In the new missal there are three options for the text of the Greeting.

a. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

b. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

c. “The Lord be with you.”

These new translations of Options A and B are only slightly altered from the previous texts. The phrase “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” has been replaced by “communion of the Holy Spirit.” This new translation expresses the meaning of this exchange far more adequately than “fellowship” which for many of us may only mean “coffee and doughnuts.” Communion with God and the Body of Christ is at the heart of the celebration of the liturgy.

For the faithful, our response to each of the greetings from the priest will be new. Instead of “And also with you” we will now respond “And with your spirit.”

There are some very important reasons for this change of text:

1. The new response will translate the Latin more accurately.

In Latin the response is “Et cum spiritu tuo.” The word for word translation from the Latin is et=and; cum=with; spiritu=spirit; tuo=your. The new translation will reflect the new guidelines for translation by giving us a direct word for word translation, unifying our response with all the countries around the world.

2. The new texts are more closely related to the Scripture

This accurate Latin translation has the added benefit of expressing the theological meaning of this dialogue and refers more directly to the Scriptural accounts where it originates.

3. The new text now acknowledges the presence of the spirit.

The new text now mentions the spirit in the people’s response. There is a recognition that we cannot expect to celebrate these awesome mysteries without the presence of God’s spirit. The dialogue, “The Lord be with you” and people’s response, “And with your spirit.” is repeated at three other important times during the Mass, before the proclamation of the Gospel, at the beginning of the great Eucharistic Prayer and finally before we are sent out to live the Gospel.

4. There is a connection to the Rite of Ordination.

This dialogue between the priest and the people also recalls the ordination rite where the bishop voices the prayer of the entire church asking God to send the Holy Spirit on this man in order that he may be Christ in our midst and lead us in the celebration of these awesome mysteries. At these crucial moments in the liturgy this dialogue is a reminder of this relationship between Christ and his Church.

5. There is an emphasis on singing the dialogues of the Mass.

In the bishops’ document on music in the liturgy, there is a renewed emphasis on singing the texts of the Mass, especially the dialogues. Singing these dialogues with the new wording can help to unite us as one body and will have the additional advantage of breaking our pattern of response with the old text.