From "And also with you" to "And with your spirit"

From “And also with you” to “And with your spirit” Albert Benedict B. Soliman

IV-St. Andrew

July 16, 2011 was a day of great importance for the Catholic Church in the Philippines. At that time, at the CBCP Secretariat in Intramuros, the former CBCP president, Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, signed a decree for the implementation of the 3rd English editio typica (official text) of the Roman Missal in the Philippines starting December 2, 2012, the start of a new liturgical year. What, then, is this that they regard as a ‘new translation’? The 3rd English translation of the Roman Missal is more faithful to its original Latin edition. It follows mostly literal translation instead of the sense translation (usage of idioms, structures and typical ways of speaking of the target language) used by the 1975 English edition in accordance to Liturgiam authenticam, a Holy See instruction which requires a word-by-word translation of liturgical texts to be closer to the original Latin in content and syntax. The ICEL (Int’l Committee on English in the Liturgy) and the Vatican’s Vox Clara Committee worked together to come up with a most accurate translation of the original Latin version. The Pope approved it in 2010 and will be implemented in the Philippines starting December 2, 2012, the 1 st Sunday of Advent. Why the changes? In a hidden reason, Bl. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI expressed their desire to restore greater mystery, transcendence, and reverence to the celebration of the Mass through, for example, stressing the unique role of the Priest, receiving Communion on the tongue while kneeling, greater use of Latin in the liturgy and the restoration of Gregorian chant. In a very obvious perspective, it is because of the promulgations of Liturgiam authenticam and of the 3rd Latin editio typica, from which all translations should be directly taken. This new translation obviously affects us, negatively (interruption, cost, displeasure, consequence to the Pampango translation) and positively (opportunities for catechesis, a formal introduction of the 3 rd edition typica, Philippine edition of the Roman Missal). Hence, this liturgical year preceding its implementation (which will end in December 1, 2012) has been set by the CBCP as a period of preparation by way of catechesis. In this article, I want like to give you a copy of some of the changes. Parts of the Mass that are not tackled here are usually retained. Catecheses and analyses are in bold format. Here they are: GREETING Priest/Deacon: The Lord be with you, Peace be with you, The peace of the Lord be with you always, etc.

All: And with your spirit.

In each greeting, the Priest wishes that the Lord‟s presence may fill the assembly. In the same way, the people wish that that same presence may also fill the Priest‟s spirit, the highest level in a human being, according to Greek philosophy. CONFÍTEOR: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (And, striking their breast, they say:) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask the blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Before we start with the Holy Mass, we first acknowledge our failures and those of our brethren. Yet take care that this triple mea culpa may not grow into a negative view of ourselves and the world. We should then remember also that though we fall again and again, we can, like the Prodigal Son, rise again and again through the mercy of God. GLÓRIA: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins 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. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Peace is God‟s gracious gift to the world. Not one of us can claim to deserve it. It is therefore not a reward to people of goodwill but a benevolent act of God. THE READINGS Lector: (after the Reading) The Word of the Lord.

P/D: The Gospel of the Lord.

A: Thanks be to God.

A: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

The acclamations of the reader (The Word/Gospel of the Lord) have two functions: to signal the end of the reading and to remind the assembly that what they have heard is God‟s living Word. The original Latin acclamation of the reader, Verbum Dómini, means The Word of the Lord in English. This, then, should also be what the Deacon (or Priest) should say at the end of the Gospel Reading, but its sense translation, The Gospel of the Lord is retained so as to tell that the Gospels are the most dignified Biblical Books, as they tell about Jesus‟ Life. APOSTLES’ CREED: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, (At the words that follow up to, and including, the Virgin Mary, all bow.) who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Christ descending to hell is an ancient tradition that he died in order to visit the dead and raise them up with himself. Today, Christ descends into our hell in order to impart to us the virtue of Christian optimism and hope in God. OFFERTORY P: Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

A: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of His holy Church.

Though the Priest says my sacrifice and yours in the new translation, it still means one sacrifice, although there are different ministers and functions. PREFACE P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

A: It is right and just.

It is right, because God is worthy of all thanks. It is just, because God, the Just One, shares with us his own righteousness and thus we become holy and righteous in His sight. SANCTUS: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. 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. The Sanctus signifies that heaven and earth, filled with God‟s glory, truly meets on the Altar.

Care should be taken that hosts do not mean the hosts used at Mass. It means an army of heavenly spirits. ON THE CONSECRATION (The following was taken from Eucharistic Prayer II. Only the Priest, not the faithful, recites the Eucharistic Prayer and says the words of consecration, as he was given authority to do so when he was ordained.) P: 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. The “breaking of the bread” symbolizes Jesus‟ violent death on the Cross, where his Body is broken. We are then called to be „broken‟ in order to „share‟ and to „love‟. P: 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 word chalice is used instead of cup to uphold the liturgy‟s sacred language. At the front of the Altar, we should all humbly kneel so that the Blood that pours down from the Cross may bathe us and clean us from the stain of sin. The phrase for many interprets for all and vice–versa. The phrase for many is used to challenge us to do our best to welcome that gift of salvation which we have freely acquired. P: The mystery of faith. A: 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. From now on, until the end of the Mass, when we gaze at the consecrated Bread and Wine, we should remember that what we now see is the visible manifestation of the Paschal Mystery, the mystery of faith, which we cannot understand fully as it defies human reason and logic, and profess it with the memorial acclamations. DOXOLOGY AND THE LORD’S PRAYER (Only the Priest, not the faithful, says the doxology, as he was given authority to do so when he was ordained. Our response then is only Amen.) P: 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, forever and ever. A: Amen. This Eucharistic doxology is the hymn of creation, the canticle of the universe, thanking and praising the almighty Father through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. P: At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say: P&A: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from evil.

The Lord‟s Prayer is a prayer for all seasons. Our Lord composed it in such a way that we may pray it in any circumstances, or when we pray but cannot find the right words to say. P: (after the Lord’s Prayer) Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The world is not a place where people are shielded from dangers to life and property. Evil still continues to roam around the world in search of helpless victims. We therefore ask God to deliver us from evil, to graciously grant peace in our days, to be always free from sin and to be safe from all distress. INVITATION TO HOLY COMMUNION P: 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. A: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. The centurion‟s humility and faith in the Gospel (Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10) to express his unworthiness to receive Jesus under his roof should be imitated by those who will receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, for He had given us the privilege to accept Him in Holy Communion, unworthy servants though we are. CONCLUDING RITES P: 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. The root word of the Mass or Missa is mittere, meaning to send. In that case, the dismissal actually means Go, you are sent. We are then sent as Christian missionaries, within the Church vicinity and outside of it, to proclaim the Gospel in word and in deed, which must resonate not only on Sunday but on every day of our life. For more information, I suggest that you get a copy of my resources: a PowerPoint presentation that Rev. Fr. Oliver G. Yalung, SLL used when I attended a conference regarding this phenomenon or a book entitled THE NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL: A CATECHETICAL PRIMER written by Rev. Fr. Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB, a, if not the, foremost expert on liturgy in the Philippines. There are also P5 pew cards of the changes for the people available at ST PAULS. You may also get resources directly from Fr. Oliver. (His office is at the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary) or from the Internet about this as well. If you have any other questions regarding this, you may ask me (that is, if I have my resources and if I can answer it). May this article help you in being aware of what the Catholic Church is doing on these changes and that these changes increase your devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. I pray that blessings, in good measure and flowing over (siksik, liglig, umaapaw pa), will be poured out to you through more attention and reverence whenever the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being commemorated, wherein what is made present is no longer ordinary bread and wine but the Body and Blood of the Son of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.