Essays on the New English Missal: Approach

[This is the final entry concerning the New Translation of the English Missal. This, and the previous two essays, were written for a Liturgical Theology class I took last semester at St. Meinrad Seminary. The purpose of the proceeding paper is a general and pastoral approach to the laity in the months leading up to the introduction of the new translation. Enjoy!]

Within a few months, one of the most evident changes in liturgical celebration since the Second Vatican Council will be met by you and me. I’m talking about the new translation of the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal. The translation is hoped to refresh our understanding of and vigor for the Holy Mass. This small article is meant to bring awareness and give encouragement as we face this next chapter in the life of the Church together.

You might be asking: “Why is this happening? Didn’t Vatican II take care of the language of the Mass? Will this be a complicated change?” These are good questions that are well worth asking. In order to answer these and other very pertinent questions, let’s take a look at this liturgical translation in the context of history and implementation.

Following the lead of the Council of Trent, which sought to unify the liturgical practices of the Church in the 16^th Century, the current age has seen the Church renew the Liturgy in ways appropriate to modern understandings and practices within the perspective of the Second Vatican Council, principally its document entitled “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” which expressly deals with liturgy. One of the key issues addressed was its accessibility to the laity. Implementations were made to the Mass that encouraged full, conscious and active participation among all the faithful. The most obvious change to liturgy at the time of the Council was the introduction of vernacular. For the first time in centuries, the official rite of Mass for the Roman Church began to be celebrated in the native tongue of millions of faithful throughout the world. While this was a wonderful first step toward active participation by all Catholics in the Mass, it came with its own inherent difficulties. One such difficulty was retaining the unity of the liturgy throughout the world while also fostering local devotion and awareness. Obviously, translating Latin text into hundreds of others languages posed problems of continuity that had to be faced, and, indeed, were by the bishops of the world.

After the promulgation of Paul VI’s New Missal, those in charge of translating it into English opted for a conceptual translation of the text, rather than a formally literal translation, in hopes that by expressing meaning, it would better facilitate an awareness of the Mass in the faithful. This has, in many respects, been a success, and the Church has reaped benefits of the vernacular that had been lost before Vatican II, principally a more intimate understanding of the text.

In order to continue the spiritual growth of the faithful, and the organic growth of the Mass, our late Holy Father, John Paul II, inaugurated the further development of the Roman Missal in 2001 with it’s 3^rd typical edition. Since then, bishops throughout the world have again worked tirelessly to bring about a quality translation. With regard to the English-speaking world, steps have been taken to bring conceptual translation and more formal translation together, creating a text that is congruent with history and with other languages of the world while also expounding on the conceptual truths of the Paschal Mystery.

The New translation of the Roman Missal has been created, not as a stumbling block, but as a bridge to a more full understanding and appreciation of the Eucharistic Celebration. It will, initially, be a bit strange and unfamiliar in parts, but these changes are only made to give clarity to what we, as Catholics, already have in the Mass. When preparing for this new translation, it should be remembered that it is still the timeless Word proclaimed, the timeless re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice, and the timeless thanksgiving given by the Church to Her Bridegroom. For more information or clarification, I encourage you to visit: http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/. May God bless our endeavors to pursue Him and give Him praise!