ROMAN MISSAL

THE GREETING  

There will be information in the upcoming bulletins on the new translation of the Roman Missal. Many of you may have already heard that the prayer texts of the Mass are changing. However, the ritual itself will not change.

The change will take effect the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. More information regarding these changes can also be found in the upcoming newsletters. Credit for the bulletin notes goes to the St. Louis Archdiocese.

The first change experienced by the faithful will be the response to the greeting from the priest at the beginning of Mass. The priest will give the usual greeting, “The Lord be with you,” and the people will respond, “And with your spirit”. This change not only reflects a more faithful translation from the Latin, but it also employs biblical language that reminds the faithful of the origins and history of what we celebrate. Futhermore, in addressing the priest in this manner, the faithful recognize the working of the Holy Spirit in the man who has been ordained by an outpouring of the same Holy Spirit. This exchange is no mere ordinary greeting but is part of the understanding that the primary actor in the work of the sacred liturgy is Christ, and it is His Spirit, working through the priest we are greeting, that brings us together and makes effective the celebration into which we are entering.

THE HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

The opening phrase here reflects the language of the prophet Isaiah: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts!”. (Is 6:3)  The new translation reflects this biblical articulation & reminds us that not only is the Lord powerful & mighty (the language of the previous translation) but He is the Lord of hosts, the angels in heaven, expressing the infinite power & majesty of God!

Words in the Roman Missal, Third Edition ... more