[The new English translation of the Roman Missal (Photos by CNS/Archbishop Terrence Prendergast) Among
changes in the congregational responses to the priest at Mass, perhaps the most
obvious will be "And with your spirit" as the people's response to the
celebrant's "The Lord be with you" and "The peace of the Lord be with you
always." The current response to both those invitations is, "And also with you."
Words in the Gloria, Creed and other significant parts of the Mass will also be
changed.]
MANILA, NOVEMBER 27, 2011
(PHILSTAR) GOD'S WORD TODAY By Francis Alvarez, S.J. -
"And with your spirit."
Though I am already trying to prepare for it, I know I will still be somewhat
surprised when I hear a churchful of the faithful say those words in December
2012. In the United States, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, the
new translation of the Mass will be implemented today. In the Philippines, we
still have one year to prepare. And hopefully, that will be enough.
"And with your spirit."
I will be taken aback for sure when I hear those words, but I think I will
also be taking a step back to tell myself: "I am not just a body that hungers
for food; I am not just flesh that desires other flesh. I am also a spirit that
hungers for Love; I am also a soul that desires intimacy with my Creator." Maybe
change can be good.
It will feel strange at first - like putting on a new pair of shoes, or
worse, wearing shoes made for someone else's feet. But maybe we need to limp a
while just to be more conscious of how we are walking and where we are going.
I have often wondered how we can have corrupt politicians when every morning,
as grade school and high school students, we began with "Aming ligaya… ang
mamatay nang dahil sa iyo" and "Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino sa
isip, sa salita, at sa gawa." I guess even powerful words can lose their meaning
when we become too familiar with them. They fade into the background as static
noise droned out by impersonal sound systems. Has the same thing happened to the
Mass? Maybe a change in translation can be good if it can make us more aware of
what we are actually saying when we pray.
"…that I have greatly sinned… through my fault, through my fault, through my
most grievous fault…"
The rebel in me asks, "Isn't this repetition a regression? Are we going back
to the time when we were more occupied with sin than we were with love?" But the
real rebels are those that are truly radical - in the original sense of that
word: not just pushing for something new but going back to the radix, the root
of the matter.
That reminds me of how I was when I first fell in love with God. I remember
that one of my greatest sources of sadness then was finding out how sinful I
was. The more I tried to get closer to God, the more I saw myself as unworthy. I
had no one to blame but myself. It was my fault, my fault, my most grievous
fault. Why did I seem to get worse and worse when I was sincerely trying to be
better?
A wise spiritual guide told me, "That is to be expected. The more you
approach Perfection, the more you see your brokenness in contrast. Surrounded by
white, even the tiniest black spots get magnified. But rather than discourage
you, this should tell you that you are on the right path. See the bigger
picture: You are being surrounded by white."
Growing awareness of one's sin can be a good sign. I look at myself now, a
religious since 1997, very much like a tired husband fourteen years married.
Have I grown more aware of my weaknesses since the time of my courtship? No.
Instead, I have learned how to rationalize my sinfulness and sweep my
shortcomings under the rug of "Well, generally, I'm still trying to follow the
Lord." Where is the romance of those first few years when I was smitten? I have
taken my Love for granted. In such a sorry state, maybe change can be good.
Those who have come to be so at home in the Mass will feel lost in the new
words for a while. But maybe feeling out of place can be good. Liturgy is
supposed to be a gateway to another world, and good liturgy should remind us
that the world we see is not the only world there is. Something better is
waiting for us. So maybe we should not be so at home in what we have. Maybe
change can be good if it can shake us up and wake us up to what we can expect.
I am not going to go through all the revisions in the Mass. We do not have
the time nor the space here. But today, with the First Sunday of Advent, we
begin a new liturgical year.
Perhaps a good New (Church) Year's resolution can be to start giving the new
translation time and space.
Let phrases like "consubstantial with the Father" begin to grow on you as you
prepare for December 2012.
Who knows? You may find yourself growing in the faith when you try to find
out what it really means. Then we can say that change can be good.
Fr. Francis was ordained in 2009 and served
in the PGH until May
2011. He is currently
taking further studies in Sacred Scripture.
For
feedback on this column, email tinigloyola@yahoo.com.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE
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