III Sunday- Mass Changes

MASS CHANGES- continuation..

Advent is the time calling us for change. This advent we are called in a special way to accept some changes we almost never had it before- accepting the changes of the Mass.

Some of the Changes made in our Mass prayers are:
1. The most important one that unsettles us is the “And with your spirit.”. We are so used to saying “and also with you” that it is almost difficult to get it right all the time. It is currently foreign to the ear, but to the mind of the Church, it is infused with an unseen truth. It reflects the biblical language of St.Paul in his letters (Gal.6:18; Phil.4:23; 2 Tim.4:22) and recognizes the unique work of the Holy Spirit though the ordained priest to celebrate the Eucharist. When a man is ordained a priest, the Holy Spirit comes upon him in a unique way, enabling him to perform the sacred rites of the Mass and consecrate the Eucharist. By responding “And with your Spirit”, we acknowledge the Spirit’s activity through the priest during the sacred liturgy. It is Jesus Christ who is the head of the community gathered for Mass and it is his Spirit who is the primary actor in the liturgy, regardless who the particular priest celebrating Mass may be. That is why the priest is able to say this is My body, instead of His body.

2. The Confiteor ( I confess to almighty God…)
Instead of simply saying that I have sinned “through my own fault”, we now repeat it three times while striking our breasts in a sign of repentance saying: “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”. When we are at fault over something small, we might simply say to the person whom we have wronged, “I am sorry.” But if it is a more serious matter and we deeply feel sorrow over our actions, we sometimes apologize several times and in varying ways: “I am so sorry.. I really regret doing that.. please forgive me.” This prayer in the liturgy helps us recognize that sinning against God is no light matter. The gesture of making a fist and striking our breast three times, is not to be seen as an accusatory “finger pointing,” but should be seen as a rock crushing the sin within us — destroying those stumbling blocks that keep us from the Lord and His Altar.

3. The Gloria:

In the new translation Jesus is addressed as the “Only Begotten Son,”. This more closely follows the theological language used in the early Church to highlight how Jesus is uniquely God’s Son, sharing in the same divine nature as the Father. In studying the text closely one will notice that in addition to being a hymn of praise, it is also a basic creedal statement about the Church's belief in who God is and what He has done through the person of Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we believe in One God, who is a communion of three persons — the Almighty Father to whom the praise of the Sacred Liturgy is always directed; the Only Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become the sacrificial Lamb of God and takes away the sins of the world; and the Holy Spirit who is alone holy with the Son while radiating the glory of the Father. Because the Gloria is more than a hymn, the rubrics or rules that govern the Sacred Liturgy mandate that "the text of this hymn may not be replaced by any other text." (GIRM 53)

4.The Creed:
The opening words of the Nicene creed is changed from “We believe.. into I believe in one God”, a more personal expression of faith- as well as a more literal translation of the Latin text of the creed. After the Vat.II, English was the only Western language that translated the opening Latin word of the Creed (Credo, “I believe) with the plural “We believe”. The singular “I” however, makes the creed more personal and challenges each individual to interiorize the faith.

“One in being with the Father” is now “Consubstantial with the Father. This wording closely reflects the theological language of the bishops at the Council of Nicea (AD 325) who wanted to safeguard that Jesus was acknowledged as the eternal Son of God, equal to the Father. The council condemned the false teaching of a man named Arius who held that there was a time when the Son did not exist. According to Arius, God created the Son and then adopted him. He said the Son was “from another substance” than that of the Father (Ccc.465).

In opposition to this, the Council of Nicea taught that the Son is “God from God, light from light, true God from true God” and of the same substance (homoousios in Greek) as the Father. Homoousios was translated from Greek into English as “Consubstiantial”.
“Was born of the Virgin Mary” is now “Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary”. The Latin word “incarnatus (“incarnate”) means that Jesus was not just born but “took on human flesh”, the Word became flesh (Jn.1:14) as John’s gospel tells.

5. The Sanctus

The opening line of the Sanctus is not taken from a hymn book, but from the angels’ worship of God in heaven. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah was given a vision of the angels praising God, crying out, “Holy, Holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Is.6:3). The word “hosts” here refers to the heavenly army of angels. The previous translation of this prayer referred to the Lord as “God of power and might.” In the new translation we address him as “Lord God of hosts”. This underscores the infinite breadth of God’s power.

6. The words of Institution.
While the previous translation of the Words of Institution referred to the “cup” of Christ’s blood, the new translation renders it “chalice”. This is more accurate and more formal rendering of the Latin text of the Mass and one that underscores the liturgical nature of this vessel. This is no ordinary cup, but the Eucharistic cup (Lk.22:20; 1 Cor.11:25ff), that the Lord consecrated at the Last supper.

“For all” is now “For Many”. The previous translation of the Mass referred to Jesus’ blood having redemptive value “for all”. But the new translation replaces the words “for all” with “ for many”. This revision remains closer to Jesus’ actual words of institution in the gospels (Mt.26:28). It is also more harmonious with the Latin text of the Mass- and with wording that has been used in the liturgy for centuries. The new rending also has implications for understanding how Christ’s saving work is applied to our lives. Some hold that the new wording gives the impression that Jesus did not die on the cross for everyone- that he offered his blood on Calvary not “for all” but just for a group of people, “for many”. This is a misunderstanding of the text.

The new translation points to the reality that while Jesus died for all, not everyone chooses to accept this gift. Each individual must choose to welcome the gift of salvation in Christ and live according to that grace, so that they may be among “the many” who are described in this text.

Moreover, a number of Scripture scholars have observed that Jesus’ language at the Last supper about his blood being poured out “for many” recalls “the many” that are three times mentioned in Is.53:11-12. In this prophecy, Isaiah foretold that God one day would send his servant who would make himself “an offering for sin”, bearing the sin of “many” and making “many” righteous (Is.53:10-12). Jesus, by speaking at the last supper about his own blood bring poured out “for many”, was associating himself with this “suffering servant” figure prophesied by Isaiah. Jesus is the one who offers his life for the “many”. This should not be understood in opposition to the fact that Jesus died “for all” (1 Tim.2:6). The other prophecies of Isaiah about the Servant of the Lord make clear that he has a universal mission, one that announces salvation to all humanity (Is.42:1-10, 49:6,52:10).

7.MYSTERY OF FAITH.

The priest no longer would say :Let’s proclaim the mystery of faith, after the consecration. Instead he will simply announce: The mystery of faith”, equivalent to the Latin rendering “mysterium fidei”. Theological reason for this subtle change is that it is not a proclamation but an acclamation. The words “the mystery of faith” have been part of the institution narrative since the 7th century. Before the second Vatican council’s reform of the liturgy, they were said by the priest inaudibly as part of the consecration of the wine. With the liturgical revisions in 1969, the formula was moved to its present position and made audible. The purpose is not proclamation but the priest invite the people to make an acclamation. Unlike a proclamation, an acclamation is addressed directly to someone: it is spoken in the second person, not the third person. The present response “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” is not an acclamation. So it is no longer going to be used.

8. Ecce Agnus Dei (“Behold the Lamb of God..”
“Happy are those who are called to his supper” is now “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb”.
This new translation highlights how this Eucharist is no ordinary meal. The new words more directly recall a climactic moment in the book of Revelation when Jesus comes to unite himself to his people in a great heavenly wedding feast. In this scene, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is depicted as a bridegroom intimately joining himself to his bride, the Church. An angel announces this loving union by saying, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev.19:9).

In this new translation, we see how the Eucharist we are about to receive involves an intimate, loving communion with our Lord Jesus- one that is likened to the union shared between a husband and a wife. Indeed, holy communion is a participation in that heavenly wedding supper of the Lamb, which celebrates the union of Jesus with his bride, the Church.

9. “Lord I am not worthy to receive you” is now “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof”.
These new words reflect the humility and trust of the Roman centurion in the gospels who asked Jesus to heal his servant who is at his house, paralyzed and in distress. He believes Jesus can heal from afar, simply by speaking his word: “But only say the word, and my servant shall be healed” (Mt.8:8; Lk.7:6-7). Jesus praises this man for his faith.

Like the centurion, we at this moment in the Mass, recognizes our unworthiness to have Jesus come sacramentally under the “roof” of our souls in holy communion. Yet just as the centurion believed Jesus was able to heal his servant, so do we trust that Jesus can heal us as he becomes the most intimate guest of our souls in the Eucharist.