How Can the Words of the Mass Be Changed?

Dear Father Kerper How can the words of the Mass be changed?

ear Father Kerper: I heard that many words of the Mass are being changed. How can the Church change things that have always been there? DYour understandable concern about prayers, almost every opening prayer upcoming changes in public prayer begins with “Deus,” the Latin word touches upon two issues that seem for God. In old Latin-English missals, to take us in opposite directions: the “Deus” was always translated as need for clear, stable, and uniform God. But in the late 1960s, after the language in worship; and the fluid Church authorized Mass in other nature of all human language, languages, the group charged with including Latin and biblical Greek. creating an official English version of How do we balance stability with the Mass generally translated “Deus” flexibility? as “Father.” Was this incorrect? For Catholics of the Latin Rite, this Those who desire a precise literal question has enormous importance. translation of Latin to English Just about all the prayers we recite or would insist that the translation is hear together at Mass are translations clearly wrong. However, translation of Latin texts, which alone are universal and “official.” Likewise, “To foster necessary unity all the biblical readings we hear are translations of the Hebrew or Greek in public prayer, the Church render “Deus” as “Father” wanted to texts, which alone are inspired. periodically determines convey God’s personal and loving These Latin prayer texts, most of uniform texts for Mass.” nature, which reflects the specifically which are very old indeed, unify Christian understanding of God. Is Catholics by binding together past, it a correct translation of the Latin? present, and future generations, is not a mechanical process of Definitely not. Is it wrong? No. all of whom draw from an ancient replacing one word with its exact Considering the totality of the prayer and fairly stable source of common equivalent from another language. and its use in Catholic worship, prayer, though translated into For one thing, many words have “Father” is a reasonable way to numerous modern languages. The no precise equivalents. Moreover, translate “Deus.” Latin provides the stability; the good translation seeks to render Now, let’s consider the fluidity modern languages offer flexibility. complete ideas, not just words. This of language. About 10 years after Perhaps a specific example will translation method is called “dynamic “Father” became the accepted help us here: the way we address equivalence.” translation of “Deus,” the insights God in the opening prayer of Mass. In the case of “Deus,” we see the of Christian feminism began to In the official Latin edition of the tension between translating ideas influence the liturgy. Some asserted Sacramentary, the book of Mass and words. Those who opted to that masculine language about God

Send your questions to: “Dear Father Kerper,” Parable Magazine, P.O. Box 310, Manchester, NH 03105 or ? e-mail [email protected]. 6 | PARABLE JULY | AUGUST 2010 Profile in Holiness somehow contributed to the inequality of women. Hence, some people — men and women — called for gender neutral language about God. They proposed replacing the masculine “Father” with the neuter “God.” Saint Bernard Some objected to this, claiming that it violated long- established liturgical tradition. However, the Latin of Clairvaux always favored “Deus” and rarely used “Father.” In a strange reversal, the “reformers” unwittingly advanced a traditionalist position. BORN: 1090, France Which, then, should it be? “Father” or “God?” If someone wants a literal translation of the Latin or a DIED: August 20, 1153, France gender-neutral term, “God” is preferred. If someone wants to express the loving and personal qualities of FEAST DAY: August 20 God, whom Jesus addressed as “Abba/Father,” then “Father” is favored. Neither word cancels out the other. Of course, when we worship together, we need a PATRON SAINT OF common form of prayer. Can you imagine the confusion Cistercians, Burgundy (France), if every worshipper addressed God with a different title beekeepers, candle makers, or name? To foster necessary unity in public prayer, the Church periodically determines uniform texts for PATRON OF St. Bernard Parish in Mass. In recent years, the Church has gradually shifted Keene. This statue of St. Bernard toward a more literal translation of the Latin, probably is located at St. Bernard Parish in because the so-called “dynamic equivalence” approach Keene. produced translations which tend to become obsolete after a few decades. The changes coming about within Born to a family of Burgundy nobility, Bernard was the year ahead reflect this shift toward a more literal the third of seven children. His parents took great pains translation. (See pages 12-13 and visit www.catholicnh. org/romanmissal.) with his education because before his birth, a devout man Recognizing the diversity of linguistic styles and predicted a great destiny for him. From the start, Bernard usages, the Church has wisely authorized great variety was singled out for his success in his studies, a love of within the liturgy. Though most of the prayers at Mass poetry, and for a great natural piety. His ambition was are official translations of the Latin and therefore to excel in literature so that he could devote himself to sound very formal to our ears, other prayers can be Sacred Scriptures. He had a special devotion to the Blessed extemporaneous or even written by the celebrant or Virgin and would later write several works about her. He is members of the local community. For example, the credited with establishing the idea of Mary as intercessor. prayers of intercession are not provided by the Church When he was 19, Bernard’s mother died and he went and can take many forms. to the monastery of Cîteaux, seeking admission into the All this, of course, reminds us that the Church Cistercian order there. Three years later, the Abbot of remains stable in the essentials because it is grounded in Cîteaux sent Bernard, along with a group of other monks, Christ, who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” to found a new house in the Vallée d’Absinthe (Valley of But the Church also forever moves forward, adapting Bitterness) which Bernard renamed the Claire Vallée, or itself to new situations and unfolding human concerns. Clairvaux (Valley of Light) and from this point on, he was Our endless efforts to establish the language of known as Bernard of Clairvaux. public prayer andand worshipworship simplysimply It was Bernard’s intention to retire from the world and arise from the creativecreative tensions live a life of solitude and prayer, but so many men came to between the Church’shurch’s stabilitystability and join and be under his direction, including his father and movement, unitynity andand diversity.diversity. As his five brothers, that it soon became overcrowded. Bernard such, we shouldld welcomewelcome thesethese sent out small groups of monks to found additional tensions as blessings,essings, not curses, monasteries. In all, they founded 163 monasteries in for they requirere us to ponderponder anew different parts of Europe. the ineffable mysterymystery ofof God and Bernard’s writing and thoughtful speeches earned the wonder of human language.language. him a great deal of respect. He became one of the most recognized figures of the twelfth century and was given the honorary title of Doctor of the Church. At the Council Father Michael of Troyes in 1128 he outlined the Rule of the Knights Kerper is the Templar, which became the ideal of French nobility. He was pastor of Corpus offered several bishoprics, but refused them all. Christi Parish in Bernard died on August 20, 1153. He was canonized Portsmouth on January 18, 1174, by Alexander III and is the first Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of saints.