The New Translation Part 12: Behold!

It’s a cold, clear Saturday morning as I post this, the last of the short articles I wrote/adapted/edited for my parish bulletin. I actually submitted two different versions of this final article for considerations of space. Here I will post the longer version.

Twenty-three days remain until the revised and corrected translation of the Missale Romanum takes effect in the parishes of the United States.

I ask you to pray for the success of the new translation, and for priests everywhere who will speak the unfamiliar words beginning on the First Sunday in Advent.

The new Mass translation is just weeks away!

After the Lord’s Prayer and the sign of peace, we sing the Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”) as the priest breaks the sacred Host.

Then, bowing before the consecrated elements, the priest prays silently and then elevates the host and chalice, saying:

Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away
the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called
to the supper of the Lamb.

The first part of this invitation, which takes up the words of the Agnus Dei we have just sung, comes from words of John the Baptist as he heralds Christ’s arrival at the River Jordan: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). The new translation recovers the word, “behold,” which also evokes the words of Pilate to the crowd in presenting the scourged Jesus: “Behold, the man” (Ecce homo – Jn 19:5).

The second part comes from the vision of the heavenly liturgy in the book of Revelation: “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb’” (Rv 19:9). In the Eucharist we join for a moment in the heavenly liturgy. The Eucharist is a re-presentation of that same sacrificial Victim who stood before Pilate, and our partaking in it is a foretaste of the Lamb’s heavenly wedding banquet.

Our response is also based on Scripture, from the Gospel account of the healing of the centurion’s servant, which appears both in Matthew and in Luke (Mt 8:8, Lk 7:6).

Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.

The replacement of “not worthy to receive you” with “not worthy that you should enter under my roof” is a significant change. In the Gospel, 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 a Biblical text that conveys humanity’s unworthiness due to sin, and our need for sincere humility before receiving the Holy Eucharist. 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.

This brings us to the end of our series on the new translation of the Roman Missal. We hope it’s been both helpful and interesting. If you want to find out more, there are a number of great resources on the Internet.

We especially recommend the USCCB site at www.usccb.org/romanmissal. Many links to additional resources can be found at the Archdiocese of Seattle site at www.seattlearchdiocese.org/Liturgy/rmresources.aspx.

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