Thoughts on The New Translation of the Mass

So yesterday came and went without major seismic activity. No one left the mass early, had a seizure or insisted they were going to change their religion because they didn't like the new prayers and responses of the the new translation of the liturgy. What I did notice, is that the folks seemed to pay more attention to the words and many people were using the translation cue cards left in the pews from our training sessions during the last several months. The changes for the congregational responses to me, at least, were really not that dramatic. But most impressive were the prayers of the priest. There was definitely a new emphasis on the Eucharistic sacrifice that comes through this translation that was not as obvious in the old one. There was also a more reverent sense in the way the priest related to and addressed God. There was more of a sense of imploring and asking God instead of telling God what to do.

             So what effect is this ultimately going to have on the faith lives of the average Catholic?

1) It will cause us to not take the liturgy for granted. The word liturgy means "work of the people" so now we will have to work a little bit to follow, respond and understand. Before this new Mass, for some, there may have been a tendency to "zone out." When the responses and prayers are new and fresh, Lord willing the faithful will take a deeper look into the words and what they mean. (BTW,  "zoning out" is not just a Catholic phenomenon. After 31 years as an evangelical in charismatic and more liturgical gatherings, trust me, there was plenty of "zoning out" going on!  It's human nature and not just the by-product of liturgical worship. After all, liturgical worship was the normative way of worshiping God for almost 1600 years.)

2) The true meaning and purpose of the Mass will be brought to the fore. Over the past 40 years, the previous translation used tended to de-emphasize the sacrificial nature of the Mass, in some, not all parts. The more accurate new translation returns the focus of the liturgy back on the re-presenting(not recrucifying) Christ's sacrifice to the Father on our behalf. We will understand that we are not just observers but active participants in the sacrifice offering ourselves to God as well,  uniting our sadness, joys, sins, triumphs with Christ's sacrifice. 

3) Lives will be transformed as Jesus life, death and resurrection are more profoundly expressed in the prayers of the Liturgy and the faithful are once again confronted with the truth of the gospel in a new and fresh fashion.

Here's a link to some examples of the changes from the USCCB.