SEE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION

November 27
WHY THIS CHANGE . . .
“The Lord be with you. And with your Spirit” –This dialogue taken from scripture is an exchange whereby all present – both priest and congregation – ask that the Holy Spirit establish a stronger communion among us. In addition, for the congregation in answering the priest, “And with your spirit,” we affirm his transformation through Holy Orders and pray for his ministry.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
Contrite: To be repentant with one’s heart and mind for sins committed and to resolve not to sin again.

December 4
WHY THIS CHANGE . . .
In the Creed: “I believe” instead of “We believe.” -- Other language groups have been using “I believe” in the vernacular, because it is a straightforward translation of the Latin “Credo.” This offers each one of us a recurring opportunity to reaffirm our own personal faith as we each do when renewing our baptismal promises. It is easy to join in a statement of “we” – it takes conviction, strength and thought to say “I”.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
Godhead: The mystery of one God in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

December 11
WHY THIS CHANGE . . .
In the Creed: “seen and unseen” to “visible and invisible.”-- The Latin “visibilium” and “invisibilium” convey a more specific demarcation between this bodily world and the spiritual realm. For instance, a child playing hide-and-seek may be unseen yet is still considered visible, whereas an angel is indeed invisible by nature.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
Temporal: What pertains to this world of time and history, as opposed to what pertains to God, such as our new life in Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

December 18
WHY THIS CHANGE and WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
In the Creed: “one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father” to “one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.”-- The new translation recovers Christ’s title, “Only Begotten Son” (“Fili Unigenite”) which speaks of the fact of the unique and eternal relationship of Jesus Christ to God his Father: he is the only Son of the Father and he is God himself. Jesus is the Son of God not by adoption but by nature. To say the Son is “born of the Father before all ages” is a profound theological truth, for the Son is not “born” in the human sense of beginning one’s life, but eternally proceeds from the Father while being always fully God.

December 25
WHY THIS CHANGE . . .
In the Creed: “born of the Virgin Mary, and became man” to “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” The current wording of “born of the Virgin Mary, and became man” can easily be misinterpreted to mean that Christ did not actually become man until the time He was born and that his birth has no significance beyond that of any other human birth. Of course, the reality is that the Son of God took on human nature from the moment of His conception in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb, at the Annunciation. By using the term, “incarnate,” the new translation leaves no ambiguity!

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
Incarnation: Jesus, the Son of God assumed human nature and became man by being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus is true God and true human. As a human being, the Son of God obtained our salvation.

January 1
WHY THIS CHANGE and WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
In the Creed: “one in being” to “consubstantial with the Father.” “Consubstantial” (“consubstantialem” in the Latin text) is a crucial early theological term, asserting that the Son is of the “same substance” with the Father – meaning He equally shares the Father’s divinity as a Person of the Holy Trinity. Although it carries the same basic meaning as “one in being,” the more precise use of “consubstantial” is an acknowledgement of how the Greek equivalent of the word was so important for safeguarding orthodoxy in the early Church. In the Fourth Century, the description “homoousios” (“same substance”) was affirmed over “homoiousios” (“like substance”). The reality of who Christ – same as God not just like God -- is thus hinged upon a single letter!

January 8
WHY THESE CHANGES . . .
In the Gloria: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth” to “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” -- the first lines are derived from the Angels heralding the glad tidings of Christ’s birth in Luke 2:14. The new translation of the Gloria is a richer reference to the fact that the Messiah’s coming brings the world a higher order of divine peace that only the incarnate Son of God can bestow. Those who live in accordance with God’s will and receive His grace shall experience the fullness of this peace.

In the Gloria: “we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory” to “We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory.” -- In a general sense, it is true that these all convey the same idea of worshiping God. But liturgical prayer is enhanced by poetic repetition, and these five descriptions of worship do hold subtle distinctions. Together, they combine to express the extent to which it is our Christian duty to give “glory to God.”

January 15
WHY THESE CHANGES . . .
In the Eucharistic Prayer: “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith,” to “The mystery of faith” (“Mysterium fidei”). It will be a declarative statement about the Eucharist now present. Blessed John Paul II wrote that the very thought of the mysterious gift of the Holy Eucharist should fill us with “profound amazement and gratitude”. In response, the people shall make one of three revised acclamations. All three are rooted in Scripture. Option A, and especially option B, are derived from 1 Corinthians 11:26 – “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” And Christ’s title in option C is found in John 4:42, when the woman who met Jesus at the well is told by her fellow Samaritans, “we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” The most commonly used “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” is not longer an option. This line, although powerful, is not found in the Latin. In addition, unlike the other acclamations, it does not directly address Christ made present in the Blessed Sacrament, nor does it speak of our relationship with Him.

January 22
WHY THIS CHANGE and WHAT DOES THAT MEAN . . .
“not worthy to receive you” to “I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” The new line comes directly from the Gospels, particularly Matthew 8:8, in which the faith-filled centurion begs Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” It is therefore a Biblical text that conveys humanity’s unworthiness on account of sin, and our need for sincere humility before receiving the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, when Jesus encounters the centurion’s humility, he says, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Mt 8:10). Nonetheless, despite these Biblical origins, speaking of “my roof” may seem strange before Holy Communion, since Christ is coming to us in the form of food – not literally entering into our houses. Certainly, the clear association with Matthew, chapter 8, has a figurative intent, but it may also be helpful to recall that Saint Paul says, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you” (1 Cor 6:19). We are therefore to make our bodies into fitting homes for God’s grace to dwell within our souls. The Eucharist is true food that provides spiritual nourishment, which is why we refer more specifically to heal “my soul” in the last line. This sacramental strength for our souls in turn informs both our mental and physical deeds, such that the totality of our bodies, souls, and lives may become suitable instruments of the Lord.

If you have a group who would like to view the DVD Series: A Pastor’s Take on the Roman Missal Third Edition with Fr. Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (120 minutes) please contact Joanne Bibeau at the rectory to schedule a time (or times) to do so.

On 9/25/2011 in all of our bulletins we had a special insert entitled A WALK THROUGH THE MASS, a word picture of what we do and why we do what we do. This will help to serve as a foundation for a clearer understanding of why the upcoming changes are taking place. Worship together with Jesus and one another is our act of thanksgiving to God, our Father. It offers Him due honor and praise. We want to do that well with genuine dignity and heartfelt enthusiasm.

In the following weeks we have had the following inserts:

What's a Missal, Anyway?
Liturgy: It's How We Pray
I Believe - the Creed(s)
The Eucharistic Prayer
Communion Rite
Words in the Roman Missal, Third Edition

IF YOU DID NOT RECEIVE A BULLETIN, CONTACT THE RECTORY -- WE HAVE EXTRAS OF ALL INSERTS. They are thorough and readable reviews of what we are doing and why, when we gather at the table of our Father each weekend to do what Jesus commanded us to do in His memory
as well as the Roman Missale and the upcoming changes.

The appropriate understanding becomes then the incentive to not just “be at Mass”, but to participate in word and song in such a way that we are truly engaged in prayer and song that honors the God in whom we believe and enriches the relationship between ourselves and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The genuine enrichment comes only from our personal engagement in what we do once we get to church, what we allow our Father, His Son and their Spirit to do for us
and what we do for one another as well.