The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

........................................................................................................

The Roman Missal: A New Translation of the Mass

........................................................................................................

Rev. Thomas S. Willis – Director of Liturgy, Diocese of St. Augustine

Part 9 of 12:

The Eucharistic Prayer is the central prayer of the Mass. Within it, the bread and wine that have been placed upon the altar as
offerings of the people become the offering of Jesus Himself. At Mass, the Church sacramentally offers the bread and wine which
become the very Body and Blood of Christ. This is a core part of our faith. Therefore, immediately following the consecration (or, the
words of institution), we proclaim the Mystery of Faith.

Before we look at the revised translation, we need to be sure what the Mystery of Faith is. First of all, it is the Paschal Mystery of Jesus’
passion, death and resurrection. It is in this Mystery that those who believe come to salvation and eternal life. This is the Mystery that
is celebrated in every Mass. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is renewed again and again so that we may fully partake of its grace.
As St. Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes (1 Cor 11:26).

The Mystery of Faith is, therefore, fully present to us upon the altar immediately after the words of institution. The fullness of Christ’s
sacrifice – His Body and Blood – and, therefore, the very Mystery of our Faith, is contained in the Eucharistic species before us.

So, what are the changes in the revised translation? First of all, the priest will now say, The Mystery of Faith. Instead of telling those
assembled to proclaim it, he will simply say The Mystery of Faith. The Eucharistic Prayer is directed to God the Father. When saying,
“Let us…,” the priest has turned his attention to the assembly. By no longer saying it this way, the priest is being directed to keep his
focus on who he is praying to, namely, God the Father.

The acclamations that the people will sing or say have changed, and one (Christ has died, …) is no longer available. Here are the
new ones:

We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your
Resurrection until you come again.
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we
proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and
Resurrection, you have set us free.

Notice that all of these are addressed to someone, namely Jesus Christ. That is the nature of an acclamation. This is also why
“Christ has died…” will no longer be used. It is a proclamation of faith, not an acclamation.

The revised translations of these acclamations keep the dynamic of our prayer intact at this point of the liturgy. Since the Eucharistic
Prayer is addressed to God the Father, the priest, who acts in the person of Christ the Head, is praying the prayer as if Christ Himself
were praying it. The people’s acclamation to the priest’s The Mystery of Faith is their address to Christ the Savior, remembering His
saving deeds. In turn, the very next part of the Eucharistic Prayer (called the anamnesis) is the great prayer of remembrance of the
saving actions of Christ. What the people have acclaimed, the priest now tells the Father that we, in fact, do remember so that we
may share in the fruits of salvation: namely, that we may be united with Christ and, through Him, with one another.

Back to Top

.....................

The Roman Missal:
A New Translation of the Mass

The Cathedral Basilica
St. Benedict the Moor Church
Prince of Peace Votive Church

........................................................................................................

Ministries
Schools
Events
Donations
Weddings
Gift Shop
Staff
Links
Parking / Directions
Adult Faith Formation

Part 10 of 12:

Before the distribution of Holy Communion, the priest invites the people to come forward by saying:

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.

Note that the first change is the use of the word behold instead of “This is.” In John 1:29, John the Baptist declares, “Behold the Lamb
of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The revised translation better expresses the scriptural roots of the invitation to Holy
Communion. Also, to behold someone or something implies its special nature.

Secondly, the assembly is called to the supper of the Lamb. This term is a reference to Revelation 19:9. There the angel has said to
John, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” The images of marriage and wedding
are common throughout Scripture. Since it implies the unity of husband and wife, the Church has used this image to describe the
union of God and humanity in Jesus. The “feast of the Lamb,” on the other hand, refers to the Passover. It, too, denotes a unity that
God has with His people, Israel, who He saved from slavery in Egypt. And so, to be invited to the supper of the Lamb means that
we are being invited to true communion with the One who takes away sins and, therefore, can truly unite us to God and reconcile us
with one another.

The people’s response to the priest’s invitation has changed, although, to people who remember the interim translation of the Mass
of the 1960’s, it will sound familiar.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

In Matthew 8:8, a centurion states his unworthiness to have Jesus come into his house when he says: “Lord, I am not worthy to have
you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” So, the revised translation not only is a literal one of the
Latin original, but it makes the connection to that place in Scripture that inspired these words in the Mass. The response uttered by
the people states both their unworthiness to approach and to receive the Sacrament of their Lord and God, but then acknowledges
the power only the Lord has to heal our souls.

We should also be clear about the word roof in the response. What is not meant is the roof of one’s mouth. When the centurion said
this, he certainly meant his home, i.e., the place where he lives. For Christians, we believe that we are dwelling places of the Holy
Spirit. As such, when we receive Holy Communion the gift of the indwelling of Christ in us is renewed and established again.
Because of our sinfulness, we may be unworthy for the Lord, the Holy One, to come and dwell within us. However, as we express our
humility, the Lord Jesus comes to strengthen each of us in this Sacrament of His Body and Blood.

Finally, the translation has replaced “I shall be healed” with my soul shall be healed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
the soul is created by God alone (no. 366) and “signifies the spiritual principle in man” (no. 363). Sin is what separates one’s soul
from its Creator. The spiritual healing that Jesus has won for us by his sacrifice is received in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Still,
before receiving Holy Communion, when we are conscious of any mortal or serious sins, we should go to confession in the
Sacrament of Penance. Thus, we express our reliance on the Lord for the gift of forgiveness.

Part 11 of 12:

Ite, missa est. What does this mean? Literally the Latin declaration that concludes the Mass means, “Go, it is finished.” Historically, it
seems that the command came directly from the world of the Roman Empire. Whenever any kind of public function was concluded, a
designated person would shout out, Ite, missa est. The function could have been a civil trial, a public meeting of the Roman Senate
or an appearance or speech by the Emperor. It was a nice and diplomatic way to say, “That’s all folks! You can go home now.” So, in
its origin, the phrase had little to do with Christian worship.

After 313 A.D., as Christianity took on more of a public form in the Roman Empire, certain customs came into the Church. Apparently,
this was one of them. Christians, of course, came to be able to use the Roman public buildings known as basilicas. These were the
public meeting halls (the civic auditoriums) of the day. So, once a public event was completed, it was necessary to get everyone
moving out. Ite, missa est was the direct and concise manner in which this was accomplished. Thus, when the liturgy was
concluded, a deacon would make the same announcement.

[By the way, if you have ever wondered where the word Mass comes from, it is from the Latin word missa which means “finished” or
“done.”]

There are other options for the words of the dismissal. Mark 5:34 is where the Church also finds inspiration for this part of the Mass.
The story has to do with the elderly woman who had a bad hemorrhage. All she desired was to touch Jesus’ clothing. After being
healed, she is called forth to meet Jesus who says to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your
affliction.”

In the revised translation, the deacon or priest may still use the straightforward, Go forth, the Mass is ended or Go in peace.
However, the revised Roman Missal adds two more options for the dismissal.

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
or
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

These additional forms of the dismissal were added by Pope Benedict XVI in response to the wishes of the 2008 Synod of Bishops.
In meeting on the theme of “The Word of God in the Life of the Church,” the bishops asked for consideration of new forms of the
dismissal that would emphasize the assembly’s responsibility to evangelize. This is part and parcel of what it means to be the
Church. These additions were the final revisions of the Latin text of the Misale Romanum before the final edition of the English
translation was confirmed.

The response to the dismissal has not changed. Deo gratias (“Thanks be to God”) has been a common response to the dismissal
from the early Middle Ages. This expression acknowledges not only that the message has been received, but that it has been
received in the fundamental dynamic of Christian thanksgiving. The Eucharist – the Greek word means “to give thanks” – concludes
with those assembled expressing their thanks to God.

Part 12 of 12:

Over the last several weeks, we have given an overview of the changes that will most affect the prayers and responses of the people
at Mass. However, these are not the only changes that will take place as the new translation of the Mass takes full effect on the First
Sunday of Advent.

One question that has often been asked is “Why a new translation for the Mass?” This will be the third edition of the Missale
Romanum. The previous Latin editions were published in 1970 and 1975. The first English translation was produced for use in the
USA in 1974. The second edition in English was out into use in 1984. The newest edition was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in
the Jubilee Year 2000 and the Latin edition was published in 2002. It is this latter edition which had to be translated into English.

This new edition also had many additions from the 1975 Latin edition. Some of these are:

Prayers for the newly canonized saints
Additional Prefaces
Texts for the Vigil Masses for Epiphany, Ascension and Pentecost
Additional texts for the section of Masses for Various Needs and Intentions
Changes to the rubrics (directions) for the celebrations of Holy Week, particularly the Triduum.

Over a period of 25 years, these changes had become too numerous to be included in supplementary publications. There was a real
need to bring all of the prayers and rubrics for the Mass under one volume once again.

With the new translation the Mass will sound different. The language will be more “lofty.” We will use and hear words like “ineffable,”
“oblation,” “venerate” and “beseech.” So, while there has been some catechesis ongoing during the weeks leading up to the Missal’s
use, more will be necessary as we – bishops, priests, deacons and laity – become more and more familiar with the new translation.

Another aspect that will take our getting used to will be sentences in the prayers that seem to never end. Since this translation is
determined by the Latin syntax of the prayers, the sentences can be long and grammatically complex. This means that all of us will
need to pay better attention. The majority of the prayers that the priest prays are done so in the name of those assembled for worship.
When each person in the assembly is aware of the words that are being prayed, this will allow them to become more a part of the
liturgy. This is the ultimate goal for all who are involved in the sacred liturgy – “full, active and conscious participation” (Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy, no. 14).

Finally, these are words from the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Antonio
Cardinal Cañizares Llovera:

The great challenge of our generation is not just to ensure correct and dignified liturgical celebration according to the approved forms, but to be open in
a spirit of prayer to the great mysteries of our redemption in Christ that liturgy makes present ever anew. Only by this authentic assimilation of the mystery
will we become truly Christian and so achieve the salvation that Christ lives in our midst to bring us.*

* Cardinal Llovera in the Presentation to the Vox Clara publication Roman Missal:
Excerpts from the English Language Edition of the Roman Missal. Midwest Theological Forum, 2011, p. 7.

....................

May not be reprinted without
permission of the author.

May not be reprinted without permission of the author.