The New Translation Part 10: Sanctus and Eucharistic Prayers

This is the latest installment in a series of short articles I wrote/adapted/edited for my parish bulletin. I will publish the others as they they appear.

The new Mass translation is coming in just a few weeks! Back in 2000, Blessed Pope John Paul II issued the third edition of the Roman Missal. After more than ten years of consultation and work, the new English translation is finally ready.

This week we move on to the Sanctus:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

The only change is that “God of power and might” becomes “God of hosts.” The word “hosts” refers to the heavenly host of angelic armies. This is found in Isaiah 6:1-3, “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne… Seraphim were stationed above… ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!’ they cried one to the other. ‘All the earth is filled with his glory!’” and in the Gospel, a “multitude of the heavenly host” announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds (Lk 2:13).

The Sanctus reminds us that all on “heaven and earth” owe thanks to God. If we truly believe that the angels are present and worshiping with us as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, then every fiber of our being should reflect the utmost reverence. Therefore, immediately after the Sanctus, we kneel. Kneeling is a distinctly human sign of respect and humility – something even the angels, being pure spirit, cannot do.

Then it’s on to the Eucharistic Prayer. It’s here that the new translation might be at its most poetic and evocative. We can only mention a couple of examples.

In Eucharistic Prayer II, we hear, “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall.” Dewfall is a powerful Biblical image. In Exodus 16, the Lord tells Moses that He will rain down manna, which would appear as dew in the morning. In Numbers 11:9 we find, “When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.” The manna could only be gathered as a daily portion – their daily bread – to cultivate complete trust in the Lord. The Eucharist, as the fulfillment of the manna, is our constant recourse and sustenance.

A second great example is in Eucharistic Prayer III, where we have heard “… so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made”. This now becomes a more faithful rendering of the imagery found in Malachi 1:11 and Psalm 113: “from the rising of the sun to its setting, a pure sacrifice may be offered…” with the movement of the sun indicating both space and time. The new translation conveys the sense that the Holy Mass and the one Sacrifice of Jesus Christ are truly eternal.

Next time: Consecration and Mystery.

(Based on Roman Missal Formational Materials provided by the Secretariat for the Liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010, and by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend)