Wordsmithing the Mass

The Eucharist in the Mass is the center of a Catholic's life.  It is the best prayer, our best community, and the epitome of our expression of love to God.  IOW, it's how we who are gathered to pray together commune with each other to unite ourselves in worship.  It stands to reason that we should want to do this in the best way possible, right?  So how we say, what we say, is important, right?  Right.

This is the reasoning behind the changes in the Mass.  There are going to be changes in the wording of the Mass.  Amen will stay the same.  The Our Father will too.  That's about it.  Oh, the sign of the cross will remain.  The change will be done by Nov. 27, 2011--the First Sunday of Advent, which is apropos since Advent is the new liturgical year.

What do you think?  "Deja vu all over again."   This is reminiscent of the changes after Vatican II, and will certainly boost the sales of Magnificat and missals.

Actually, the priest is affected the most.  It's the Sacramentary that has the most change.  If the people can hear the priest praying they will appreciate the beauty of the mystery through this more precise translation.  "Lex orandi, lex credendi."  The new words will show us the relationship between what we pray and what we believe.

The Mass will be more poetic, more inspiring and more theological.  What more could you want?  Start looking for the changes. This will be a good time to start thinking about what you're saying.  Meditate on the prayers at Mass.  We will learn to love the Mass even more.    Deo Gratias.