The Introductory Rites

April 4th, 2011 in Uncategorized by Charlie Brown0 Comments

Introducing the Roman Missal, Third Edition. Volume II — The Introductory Rites.

Although some of the words at Mass are undergoing a revised translation, the flow of Mass is not changing at all. It will still take place in four parts: Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Concluding Rites. This article will examine the first two parts of the Introductory Rites.

The Ritual Greeting

The first change that we will experience is in the greeting to the people.

Current Translation
priest: The Lord be with you.
response: And also with you.

New Translation
priest: The Lord be with you.
response: And with your spirit.

Use of the word “spirit” is a closer translation of the Latin “et cum spiritu tuo,” and it matches the response that already exists in most other major languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, and German. This ritual dialogue is heard in three other places in the Mass: before the proclamation of the Gospel, at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, and before the final blessing at the end of Mass. In the case of the Ritual Greeting, this dialogue is not just a way to say “hello” back to the priest, but allows us to better focus and prepare to embark on a task of great importance.

A great hallmark of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council was the re-establishment of sacred scripture in every celebration of the Church’s liturgy, calling for the treasures of the bible to be opened up more lavishly, so that a richer share of God’s Word may be experienced. Throughout this new translation you can notice that the scriptural allusions are more exact and obvious, and this is one of the benefits of the upcoming changes.

For example, let’s consider the response “and with your spirit.” The concept of the spirit of the Christian person is used fairly often in the New Testament. A few examples include:

· Stephen praying “Lord, receive my spirit” as he becomes the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:59);

· Paul’s statement to the Christian community in Rome that “God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit” (Rom. 1:9);

· and the fourteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth, including when he says “if I pray in a tongue, my spirit is at prayer” (1 Cor. 14:14).

The personal spirit of the believer was a concept familiar to the Church of the Apostles, and this new translation offers us an opportunity to express it in our liturgy.

The Penitential Act (formerly Penitential Rite)

The second change that we encounter is in the translation and use of text we know as the Confiteor.

Current Translation
I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters
to pray for me to the Lord, our God.

New Translation
I confess to almighty God,
and to you my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault, (striking breast 3 times)
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary, ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

These changes are not intended to make us look more sinful. Again the translation is a closer adherence to the Latin “mea maxima culpa.” Striking our breast is a symbol of humility, like the humble tax collector in scripture (Luke 18:9-14), physically expressing his repentance.

Jesus then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Repeating phrases three times for emphasis is common in the Mass. We see this in other forms of the Penitential Act when we say “Lord have mercy” or “Kyrie eleison,” and also just before communion at the “Lamb of God.”