The fact is that the “battle” now beginning over the introduction of the new translation is little more, by comparison with the warfare of the past few years, than a final skirmish, virtually over before it has started. It is, quite openly, the last gasp of those whose watchword has been “The Spirit of Vatican II” (“Spirit”, in quotes, rather than reality), the final faltering assault of the hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture. But these people have already lost.
Some small group of Catholic dissenters loosely organized under an official sounding name, or perhaps even a single left-leaning individual with an impressive pedigree (ideally clerical in both cases), raises a red flag or two about the new translation. In neither instance can the case be made that the opinions expressed are representative of the broader Catholic population much less the hierarchy, but undaunted, sympathetic media types seize the opportunity to create the illusion that some sort of popular uprising is in the offing.What's your take on criticism of the new translation?
Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco spoke about the implementation of the revised Roman Missal at a summit meeting on the new translation Tuesday at the archdiocese's St. Mary's Cathedral. In the keynote address, the archbishop called on priests and catechetical leaders to "work together conscientiously, cooperatively and responsibly" in leading the implementation of the changes, despite the fact that some Catholics have expressed concerns over the translation:I believe that we can work together honestly and with integrity as we implement the new Roman Missal. In order to do that let us first consider the catholicity of our Church. We cannot leave it up to each celebrant or each congregation to fashion their own texts. If it’s every presider for himself and every parish for itself, then each personnel change can mean a change in Mass texts for the congregation. As Msgr. Phil Murnion liked to say, “Ordination is not a license for private practice.” We are called and sent to do what the Church does in the way the Church calls us to do it. That does not make us robots or automatons, but ministers responsive to Christ, who is leading us together in the Spirit.I admit that we have work to do as we implement the new Missal, but I believe it is largely a work of catechesis. We should not overestimate the changes themselves: there are no changes of gesture, posture, or movement. The textual changes are not wholesale departures from familiar texts, and we will get used to them.
One reason the universal Church is giving special care to the English translation of the Missal is that English is the dominant international language at present. The Vatican understands that many of those who translate the new Missal into other languages and dialects are likely to be much more familiar with English than with Latin. Consequently, as they translate they are likely to look to the English translation as a standard and a guide. With popularity and near-universality goes a sense of responsibility to be as accurate and faithful as possible in translating the original Latin.
It is wrong to believe that the universal Church is imposing this translation on the English-speaking Churches in an insensitive and unsympathetic manner, with no concern for our own pastoral situations. On April 28, 2010, Pope Benedict addressed the Vox Clara group on the subject of the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, in words that sound sensitive and caring to me. Listen to what our Holy Father said:
A new task will then present itself…which in one way or another will involve all of you – the task of preparing for the reception of the new translation by clergy and lay faithful. Many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation. The change will need to be introduced with due sensitivity, and the opportunity for catechesis that it presents will need to be firmly grasped. I pray that in this way any risk of confusion or bewilderment will be averted, and the change will serve instead as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world.
"What we're doing in church in these prayers is addressing the ultimate mystery with a capital 'M' and addressing ultimate love with a capital 'L.' "So there is a little more complexity in the phrasing. We're not addressing something that is ordinary. We're looking at something extraordinary here."
Read more.
"There have been some real stinkers. I miss the hymns and I miss people in the pew singing four-part harmony. … We have a great opportunity to do better music, to do something that is both contemporary and ancient, something that is functional and that is elegant."
On Monday, we told you about how non-Catholic sources were covering the recent Southwest Liturgical Conference, which took place last week in Salt Lake City. Now, the Intermountain Catholic, the diocesan paper of Salt Lake City, has published its coverage of the conference, which included an introduction of new music composed for the Revised Roman Missal.
The paper also published the welcome address of Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester, who discussed the upcoming revisions to the Roman Missal, making two points about the translation and its implementation in relation to the topic of justice:
First of all, it was decided that there was to be one English translation of the missal for the entire English-speaking world. This in itself is a somewhat controversial decision; not done, for example, in regard to translations of the Bible. And it’s one source of the tension and debates surrounding the new translation. But it also means that all English-speaking Catholics will be praying in the same words, which does bear witness to a unity of faith, a unity that promotes right relationships and therefore, justice.
“Secondly, 2,000 years of history teach us that there has never been a perfect liturgy, in one sense. The Mass of the Roman Rite has maintained its integral core, but it has been through many permutations. It is an organic reality, and living organisms change. Our attempts will always be deficient, probably because people are different and no two people or groups of people will always find the same words equally pleasing. But this deficiency also lies in the fact that we’re attempting to express, with the very imperfect tool of speech, our worship and our relation to God. We will always fall short. So we should approach the liturgy with humility and not let its defects – real or apparent – distract us from the deeper reality of what we are doing.
Click HERE to read all of the bishop's remarks.
Also from the Intermountain Catholic:
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson on liturgical leadership in a time of change.
A roundup of the conference, and its emphasis on the Roman Missal changes, which included a quote from Msgr. Anthony Sherman, head of the USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship, encouraging parishes to start prepping for the implemenation that we really liked:
Even if it’s a tiny, itsy-bitsy thing, like you put something in your bulletin. Right now the important thing is, as we say in Brooklyn, ‘Don’t do nothin’. At least do something. It’s very important."
This is why I am not that optimistic about the new translation making Catholic worship more reverent. To understand the irreverence in much Catholic worship we have to probe much deeper than the form of words we use for worship. Catholic worship is too often irreverent because Catholics (priests and people) have stopped really believing the Catholic faith.
I'm sorry to call a spade a spade, but far too many Catholics don't actually believe in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They believe in the fellowship meal. They don't believe in transubstantiation. They believe in 'the real presence' (a vague and flexible term which can mean practically anything) That's why Mass is irreverent--because they've changed it from a participation in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which takes them into the very presence of the throne room of the King of Kings to a cross between a protest march and a pot luck supper at which we sing campfire songs.
"I hope we will see it as a moment to bring together the household of faith and to heal some of the division that exists. The introduction of the third Roman Missal could be an opportunity to shake us from our tiredness and shake us from our lack of confidence as a church."
It’s going to be a hard sell, but we’re going to be doing our part to help. The attitude is: ‘This is a translation, not the translation.’ ... We have to be respectful of the bishops’ committee and the I.C.E.L. and the [Vox Clara Committee], but this is probably not the definitive translation.
The USCCB Roman Missal, Third Edition books will be available for pre-order starting March 1, at www.usccbpublishing.org. Pre-orders can also be placed by telephone, e-mail, U.S. mail or fax. More details can be learned by contacting a Customer Service representative toll free at 800-235-8722 or through e-mail: Customer Service at CSS@usccb.org. (Roman Missal Altar Edition, Pub. No. 7-100; Roman Missal Chapel Edition, Pub. No. 7-192)
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., has just released a new book, "The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition," written with popular Catholic writer Mike Aquilina (author of several OSV titles). “I think we all know that there are many, many of our Catholic faithful who have been, through no fault of their own, under-catechized. They simply never had the opportunity to learn the richness, the beauty, the wonder of the holy sacrifice of the Mass.”
“The Mass is the “source and summit of the whole Christian life”; in it Heaven and earth meet. Yet many Catholics seem unaware of the profound depths and infinite beauty of the Liturgy. They remain partial participants in the Eucharist or even just spectators. In The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina address this problem head on. Here we find the Mass accurately and lovingly explained down the last prayer – indeed, the last gesture. Using excellent historical and biblical references as well as quotations from the Fathers of the Church, the authors lead the reader step by step into the great mystery of God’s love for us that is the Mass. This book would be of great benefit to any Catholic and indeed to any Christian.”
