Now that the period of government matching for contributions to the East Africa Famine Relief effort have come to a close, we reflect with thanks for the generous hearts within this congregation who contributed $24,856.31 toward helping those in need.
Now, we turn our attention to the implementation of the revised Roman Missal, which will be upon us before we know it. This week`s homily is the first in a series of explanations which will be provided to the people in this place about the reasoning behind the changes. It is my hope that through these homilies and a series of other catechetical tools, we will be able to help our people understand the changes, and more that this will be an occasion of deep grace for all those who may come to appreciate the Eucharist as an invitation to grow in our love for God, and our willingness to be of service to our neighbour.
Listen in, or read on for the first installment, entitled
The usual daily wage
People come through the doors of this church at all times of the day, all week long, just to utter a silent prayer or two. Each of these people is in his or her own way seeking the Lord where He may be found, for that is the essence of prayer. The words we use for our private prayers can be as varied as the people who utter them, but the words we use for common prayer, such as the recitation of the Mass are usually a bit more fixed, so that no matter where we go (whether it's this church or another building) we will know what to expect.
On November 27 of this year, the first Sunday of Advent, we will begin to use a new translation of the Mass we celebrate each day. Like the workers in the vineyard, mentioned in today's gospel who grumbled and muttered because they thought they were being cheated, some, if not many of you may be wondering why the words we have used for almost 40 years have to change? The answer to this question dates back a few decades, to the early 1970s. Officially, the language of the Mass we celebrate is Latin, but the Second Vatican Council (which took place in the mid-1960s) gave permission for other languages to be used as well. The work of translating began almost immediately, and English was one of the first to be completed. The words we speak during the Mass today were written down and published in 1974, but this translation was hastily done, and therefore was always meant to be only a temporary measure, until the refined translation was completed.
The work of refining the English translation of the Mass began in earnest in 1989. In the meanwhile, there was also a revised version of the Latin text published in 2001 in order to incorporate the newly-named saints proclaimed by Blessed John Paul II. The English translation was finally approved last year, and is now being implemented throughout the world, in all English-speaking countries.
Because this is a new translation of the entire Mass, almost every prayer and response has been changed in some way. On the walls of the church, you will find posters that outline the changes that will affect the responses that you, the people will say at various points during the Mass. Some of these changes are minor. For example, when the priest says, The Lord be with you, we are used to answering, And also with you, but this response will change to and with your spirit. There are also changes that will be made to the texts we pray and sing together, such as the Glory to God, the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation, and the dialogues that take place between the priest and people at the beginning of the proclamation of the Gospel, the beginning of the preface to the Eucharistic prayer and at the time of the final blessing.
Over the next couple of months, we will try to outline some of the changes, as well as the reasoning behind them. Know that all Catholic churches throughout the English-speaking world are also experiencing these changes at the present time. Change is never easy. We may indeed find ourselves reacting like the workers in the vineyard, quarreling with the land owner but we hope that you will understand that this particular adaptation has been a long time in coming, and is finally here. Please feel free to examine the charts on the walls of the church at your leisure. In the coming weeks, we will also provide cards in each of the pews which will allow us to become familiar with the changes, and we will also introduce a new Mass setting written by a priest from the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, including music for the Penitential Act, the Glory to God, the Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation, the Great Amen and the Lamb of God.
Throughout this process, it is my hope that we will all come to a deeper understanding that the Eucharist is a gift from Christ, in order that with Him, we may give praise to God our Father and continue His work of salvation in the world.
Now, we turn our attention to the implementation of the revised Roman Missal, which will be upon us before we know it. This week`s homily is the first in a series of explanations which will be provided to the people in this place about the reasoning behind the changes. It is my hope that through these homilies and a series of other catechetical tools, we will be able to help our people understand the changes, and more that this will be an occasion of deep grace for all those who may come to appreciate the Eucharist as an invitation to grow in our love for God, and our willingness to be of service to our neighbour.
Listen in, or read on for the first installment, entitled
The usual daily wage
People come through the doors of this church at all times of the day, all week long, just to utter a silent prayer or two. Each of these people is in his or her own way seeking the Lord where He may be found, for that is the essence of prayer. The words we use for our private prayers can be as varied as the people who utter them, but the words we use for common prayer, such as the recitation of the Mass are usually a bit more fixed, so that no matter where we go (whether it's this church or another building) we will know what to expect.
On November 27 of this year, the first Sunday of Advent, we will begin to use a new translation of the Mass we celebrate each day. Like the workers in the vineyard, mentioned in today's gospel who grumbled and muttered because they thought they were being cheated, some, if not many of you may be wondering why the words we have used for almost 40 years have to change? The answer to this question dates back a few decades, to the early 1970s. Officially, the language of the Mass we celebrate is Latin, but the Second Vatican Council (which took place in the mid-1960s) gave permission for other languages to be used as well. The work of translating began almost immediately, and English was one of the first to be completed. The words we speak during the Mass today were written down and published in 1974, but this translation was hastily done, and therefore was always meant to be only a temporary measure, until the refined translation was completed.
The work of refining the English translation of the Mass began in earnest in 1989. In the meanwhile, there was also a revised version of the Latin text published in 2001 in order to incorporate the newly-named saints proclaimed by Blessed John Paul II. The English translation was finally approved last year, and is now being implemented throughout the world, in all English-speaking countries.
Because this is a new translation of the entire Mass, almost every prayer and response has been changed in some way. On the walls of the church, you will find posters that outline the changes that will affect the responses that you, the people will say at various points during the Mass. Some of these changes are minor. For example, when the priest says, The Lord be with you, we are used to answering, And also with you, but this response will change to and with your spirit. There are also changes that will be made to the texts we pray and sing together, such as the Glory to God, the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation, and the dialogues that take place between the priest and people at the beginning of the proclamation of the Gospel, the beginning of the preface to the Eucharistic prayer and at the time of the final blessing.
Over the next couple of months, we will try to outline some of the changes, as well as the reasoning behind them. Know that all Catholic churches throughout the English-speaking world are also experiencing these changes at the present time. Change is never easy. We may indeed find ourselves reacting like the workers in the vineyard, quarreling with the land owner but we hope that you will understand that this particular adaptation has been a long time in coming, and is finally here. Please feel free to examine the charts on the walls of the church at your leisure. In the coming weeks, we will also provide cards in each of the pews which will allow us to become familiar with the changes, and we will also introduce a new Mass setting written by a priest from the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, including music for the Penitential Act, the Glory to God, the Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation, the Great Amen and the Lamb of God.
Throughout this process, it is my hope that we will all come to a deeper understanding that the Eucharist is a gift from Christ, in order that with Him, we may give praise to God our Father and continue His work of salvation in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment