New translation of the Mass
- The Order of Mass--a complete translation with rubrics.
- The new Ordo goes into effect on the first Sunday of Advent in 2011.
The texts below are just some of the changes made in the new Order. There are many variations in the Eucharistic Prayers and the particular prayers for each Mass.
The new translation is called The Roman Missal instead of The Sacramentary.
Background
The third edition of the [Missale Romanum was published in 1972. The first complete English translation was in 1973.
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Fifth Instruction. “For the Right Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council†(Sacrosanctum Concilium, art. 36). Liturgiam authenticam: on the Use of Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy. 28 March 2001.
Et cum spiritu tuo
This dialogue between the priest and congregation takes place five times in the Mass:
"The Lord be with you." "And with your spirit."
- Introductory Rite.
- Before the Gospel.
- In the Preface.
- Communion Rite.
- Dismissal.
Introductory Rites
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion [vs. "fellowship"] of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Confiteor
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, [And, striking their breast, they say:] through my fault, through my fault, |
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, |
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, |
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, |
[The absolution of the Priest follows:]
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Alternative Penitential Act
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
P: Have mercy on us, O Lord. | P: Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy. |
R: For we have sinned against you. | R: Lord, have mercy. |
P: Show us, O Lord, your mercy. | P: Lord, show us your mercy and love. |
R: And grant us your salvation. | R: And grant us your salvation. |
Gloria
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. |
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. |
We praise you, we bless you, |
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, |
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, |
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, |
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; |
you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; |
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; |
|
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. |
you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. |
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, |
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, |
Common ending to Collects
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, | |
your Son, | |
who lives and reigns with you | |
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, | |
one God, for ever and ever. |
Liturgy of the Word
Prayer for the Deacon
May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips
that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well,
in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Creed
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, |
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, |
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, |
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, |
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, |
by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, |
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, |
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. |
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins |
We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. |
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Offertory Prayers
Prayers over the gifts
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received
the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands,
it will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received
the wine we offer you:
fruit of the vine and work of human hands
it will become our spiritual drink.
Accept our sacrifice
With humble spirit and contrite heart
may we be accepted by you, O Lord,
and may our sacrifice in your sight this day
be pleasing to you, Lord God.
Pray, brethren
Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters),
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
Preface
P: The Lord be with you.
R: And with your spirit.
P: Lift up your hearts.
R: We lift them up to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R: It is right and just.
Sanctus
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts [vs. "power and might"].
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Consecration
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, |
Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, |
Mysterium fidei
"The mystery of faith" [vs. "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith"].
We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Or:
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
Or:
Save us, Savior of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.
Eucharistic Prayer II
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
the fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and + Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time he was betrayed
and entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took the chalice
and, once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my blood,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
do this in memory of me.
The mystery of faith. ...
Therefore, as we celebrate
the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation,
giving thanks that you have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray
that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church,
spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with N. our Pope and N. our Bishop*
and all the clergy.
[In Masses for the Dead, the following may be added:]]
Remember your servant N.,
whom you have called (today)
from this world to yourself.
Grant that he (she) who was united with your Son in a death like his,
may also be one with him in his Resurrection.
Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy:
welcome them into the light of your face.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with the blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Libera nos
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, |
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. |
Kiss of peace
New Ordo | Old Ordo |
---|---|
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles, |
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: |
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: "And with your spirit."
Communion rites
Prayers of the priest
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who by the will of the Father
and the work of the Holy Spirit,
through your Death gave life to the world;
free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood,
from all my sins and from every evil;
keep me always faithful to your commandments,
and never let me be parted from you.
Or:
May the receiving of your Body and Blood,
Lord Jesus Christ,
not bring me to judgment and condemnation,
but through your loving mercy
be for me protection in mind and body,
and a healing remedy.
Behold, the Lamb of God
Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
Communion prayers of the priest
May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Purification of the vessels
What has passed our lips as food, O Lord,
may we possess in purity of heart,
that what has been given to us in time
may be our healing for eternity.
Dismissal
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Or:
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Or:
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
Or:
Go in peace.
Commentaries
Moleski
I accept the authority of the Church to provide directions on how the sacraments are to be celebrated. I will submit to the Church's decisions with as much enthusiasm as I can muster for the project, for "God loves a cheerful giver" (1 Cor 9:7).
The obedience of faith requires me to say the Mass as the Church wants it to be said. I am not obliged to agree with the aesthetic theories advanced by advocates of the change. I retain my freedom of judgment about the quality of the translation and of the arguments advanced in its favor.
I don't believe that adjusting the language of the liturgy will renew the Church. The translation done in 1973 may well have been heavily influenced by modernism; merely undoing some small part of the work of the modernists will not root them out of the Church.
I was an English major in my undergraduate work at Boston College. My honors thesis was on poetics. I am not a poet myself, but I have some feel for how sound and sense work both in English and Latin. My heart sinks as I read the new texts. I am not thrilled by the turn to Latin roots.
Turner
Paul Turner, Understanding the Revised Mass Texts, second edition (Chicago: Archdiocese of Chicago, 2010).
- "Citizens of the United States of America ... have a well-earned worldwide reputation for being rather poor at speaking languages other than English. Many students take only the minimum number of hours required for foreign language classes. Those who speak more than one language are considered remarkable by that standard alone. States promote English-only legislation to protect citizens from having to use a second language. Americans expect a person from a different country to speak English whether they meet one another at home or abroad! This phobia concerning foreign languages probably spills into the Church, where some American Catholics regard those who possess a knowledge of Latin with a certain degree of suspicion."
- I have studied Spanish, French, Latin, Russian, Middle English, NT Greek, Hebrew, and German; I'm toying around with Italian, too, on and off. I have no "phobia concerning foreign languages." My criticisms of the liturgical pedants are based on other grounds.
- "You can count on some frustration when the revised texts appear" (6).
- This prophesy is fulfilled in my reading!
- "'And with your spirit' is inspired by passages that conclude four of the New Testament epistles: 1 Timoth 4:22, Galatians 6:18, Philippians 4:23, and Philemon 25. In almost every case, Paul addresses the words to the Christian community, not to one minister."
- In other words, we are using the phrase quite differently from Paul. He, an apostle, was addressing the community when he said "with your spirit"; he was not responding as a community member to a celebrant saying, "The Lord be with you."
- "The new translation does have us express more grandly the seriousness of our sin and the sincerity of our contrition. It offers a humbler way to collect ourselves before stepping any further into prayer."
- I don't feel the humble grandeur of the new translation nor do I picture myself 'stepping ... further into prayer' after the Penitential Act. More power to those who do see and feel things this way.
- "The word 'O' has been added throughout the Missal before words such as 'Lord' and 'God' in sentences that are prayers. It slightly lengthens the one-syllable form of address to God, and intends to show respect."
- They don't add the elegant 'O' in the Penitential Rite, which retains 'Lord, have mercy' and 'Christ, have mercy.' I guess the extraneous 'O' didn't fit in with the grand humility of that part of the new translation.
- "Catholic profess the Creed each Sunday in various languages all around the world. Especially for this part of Mass, it is important that we all say the same words; there is one faith (Ephesians 4:5)."
- If what Turner says were true, then 1) we would all be obliged to say the Creed in Greek, the original language of the New Testament and of the Council of Nicea, and 2) there would be no option to use the Apostles Creed in place of the Nicene Creed. I think that one of the greatest glories of Christianity is its commitment to being translated into any and all human languages. What must be preserved is the meaning, of the Creed, not the words.
- "'Consubstantial.' This word is a mouthful. In the entire revised translation of the Mass, this is probably the one word that will raise the most eyebrows. It replaces the expression 'one in Being,' and it describes the relationship between Jesus and the Father. In the previous translation, 'one in Being' was thought to be more comprehensible and closer to the original Greek of the Creed. However, the revised translation chooses a word that lies closer to the Latin equivalent, consubstantialis" (22).
- There are pretty good reasons for thinking that "one in Being" is "more comprehensible and closer to the original Greek of the Creed." The Greek is ομοουσιος (homoousios), meaning "same being." The Latin translation of the Greek means "substantial with." Which is "more comprehensible and closer to the original Greek"? "One in Being" or "substantial with"? "Consubstantial" necessarily was intended to mean "ομοουσιος."
- "'Consubstantial' is a very unusual word. We don't use it for anything else. But it is describing a very unusual thing--the nature of Jesus Christ. He is not like anything or anyone else" (22).
- In other words, we are inflicting a word that has no natural meaning in English in place of an excellent phrase that captures the teaching of the Nicene Creed. I think this is mere pedantry.
- Turner is also theologically inaccurate in saying that this phrase is about "the nature of Jesus Christ." It is a doctrine about the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who is one-in-being with the Father before all time because of His divine nature and who assumed a human nature when He took flesh in the Virgin's womb. Jesus Christ is a single Divine Person who possess two natures, not one. In His divine nature, He is consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit; in His human nature, He is not.
- "'Suffered death.' This replaces two verbs in the previous translation, "suffered, died." The Latin is ambiguous. Literally, it says, he suffered and was buried, and the word suffered implies his dying. Because the verb died is not there in the Latin, "suffered death" seems a better way to express what happened to Jesus. The point here is that he really died, and that is what gives his Resurrection its full meaning" (22).
- After all of Turner's praise of the precision and excellence of Latin and his insistence on the need to bend English to the patterns of the Latin language, both in word order and in the choice of vocabulary derived from Latin roots, he here defends inserting a word that is not in the Latin and in such a way that a beauty of the old translation is lost. If all that the Nicene Fathers intended to say was that Jesus died, they could have done so either in Greek or Latin. The emphasis on His real suffering on the Cross was part of the Church's rejection of docetism. Because I am not a Latinate literalist, I don't mind adding a word in English to clarify that Jesus died before He was buried; I much prefer the old translation to the new. The Church has the authority to tell me what words to say in the Creed; it does not have the authority to say, "You must believe that this is 'a better way to express what happened to Jesus.'"
- "You will notice [in the Offertory Rite] the expansion form the words 'our sacrifice' to 'my sacrifice and yours.' In keeping with the Latin text, this implies that more than one sacrifice is being offered. On the one hand, the Mass is a single sacrifice offered by all present. On the other hand, each baptized member of the assembly is offering a sacrifice, in keeping with his or her priestly role; however, each participate in the one sacrifice of Christ" (25).
- This is the second remark of Turner's with which I wholeheartedly agree.
- "The next part of the dialogue has not changed at all. The priest says, 'Lift up your hearts,' and you answer, 'We lift them up to the Lord.' There was some discussion about changing this translation. In Latin, the words are very spare, and they literally mean something like, Hearts aloft! We hold [them] up to the Lord. In the end, it was thought that the previous translation seemed to achieve the same sense. Because people know these lines so well, no change was recommended."
- I wish that the same merciful and compassionate thinking had been employed in the translation of the Creed.
- "It brings a smile to the face of many Catholics to know that in the midst of all these changes the translation of the word Amen will be the same. In fact, the word is not translated at all. It's the same word in Latin."
- Yes, I am grateful that they left unchanged a word here and there. I am not grateful for Turner's patronizing tone toward those who disagree with him about the beauty, depth, elegance, grandeur, and humility of the new translation. I think there were other places where things could well have been left alone except for the joy that the changes bring to the Latin literalists.
- "The doxology [at the end of the Eucharistic prayer] will be slightly different. The main difference here is the word order, which more nearly imitates the flow of the Latin" (35).
- From the work of such imitators, spare us, O Lord!
- "The only difference [in the Consecration] is the insertion of the words 'of' and 'for.' The meaning is basically the same, but the new translation expresses that we all share some 'of' the same bread. By partaking of one bread, we become one body in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 10:17). Furthermore, the reason we share this food is because it is the Body of Christ, given up for us. The word 'for' draws out this purpose."