The New Translation Part 9: Liturgy of the Eucharist

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 on November 27! 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.

We continue our review of the upcoming translation by starting into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After the presentation of the gifts, the priest quietly recites prayers for humility and purity, and then he washes his hands and extends this invitation to prayer:

Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters),
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.

Where the old translation has “our sacrifice”, the new translation has “my sacrifice and yours”. This small change, found in the original Latin, reminds us that the priest and the people offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass in different ways. The priest offers it in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), by virtue of his ordination.

But we the pews are not idle spectators! The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says that the faithful should be conscious participants “by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him…” This call to join ourselves to the action of the priest is answered when we stand and make the following response:

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.

The addition of “holy” reminds us that the Church belongs to Christ, and it is founded on His grace. Afterwards comes the priest’s “Prayer over the Offerings” – part of the proper prayers that change depending on the liturgical day.

The Eucharistic Prayer itself then begins with this dialogue:

Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right and just.

The phrase, “It is right and just,” is from the Latin, Dignum et iustum est. This response comes from an early Greek Christian tradition, when it was an acclamation of agreement. This dialogue is followed by the Preface, a more lengthy prayer that varies depending on the liturgical occasion. Most Prefaces expand on the words of the preceding dialogue by beginning, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.”

Next time: Sanctus and the Eucharistic Prayers.

(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 in Seattle)