Faithful Disciple

Changes in the way we celebrate the Mass

The Mass is celebrated all over the world in various languages and rites. The Latin rite is the version of the Mass with which we are most familiar. Although it is no longer in Latin, the Mass that we attend here at St. Thomas More is in the Latin Rite because it is the rite (or version) of the Mass that the Pope in Rome celebrates. In order to keep the Latin Mass the same throughout the world, a guide as to how it is supposed to be celebrated has to be used. This guide is called a “missal.” The missal is the text which lays out how the Mass is supposed to be said and includes all the prayers, movements, and responses for the Celebrant as well as those in the assembly.

A universal missal was not present throughout Church history, but rather eventually came about by taking different parts from different missals that were used during the middle ages. In 1970, Pope Paul VI made the Missale Romanum (Roman Missal) the definitive text for the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. This meant that the Latin language had to be translated into the languages of the people who were going to hear the Mass. The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) was asked to translate all the liturgical text on behalf of the conferences of bishops for English-speaking countries. The translations have gone through various revisions throughout the years trying to get as close to the original Latin text as possible. These translations have given us our General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM).

Another new translation will soon enter the Church in the next year or so with many changes in the wording of the prayers and responses. Both the priests as well as the laity are in for some getting used to as we move closer to a better translation reflecting the true theology that lays within the words we speak at Mass.

Some examples of what are to change:

Today, as the priest begins the Mass, he says, “The Lord be with you.” And the everyone responds, “And also with you.” However, with the new translation that more closely reflects the original Latin, the assembly will respond with, “And with your Spirit.”

Perhaps the change that will be most difficult for some will be the new translation of the Creed that we recite at Mass. In the Latin, the creed begins with the word “Credo.” The ‘cred’ part signifies the verb “believe” while the ‘o’ at the end designates the pronoun “I.” This means that “Credo en unum Deum” is properly translated as “I believe in One God.” It becomes a more personal statement of faith so that the person can claim the creed as his own.

Some of these changes in the wording are made in order to more closely reflect their Biblical references. For example, when the we say, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,” will be changed to say, “ Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,” in order to reference the centurion’s words in Matthew 8:8.

These changes are not an overhaul of the rite, but rather a refinement of the language used. It may be challenging to some people to accept these changes because they are slightly contrary to what we’re used to, but know that these changes are important and meaningful. For more information, visit http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/faqs.shtml.

(By Ashley Collins)