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Mass translation shows Vatican
needs to reprioritize its agenda
I was disappointed to read about the
latest edict coming from the Vatican
regarding the new translations of
prayers used at Mass.
Particularly strange seems the change
from “Lord, I am not worthy to receive
you” to “Lord, I am not worthy that you
should enter under my roof.”
During the celebration of the
Eucharist, these are not the words that
convey to me the spirituality of that
moment.
Father Richard McBrien, professor of
theology at the University of Notre
Dame, stated that Jesuit theologian
Father Karl Rahner once pointed out
that the Church becomes most visible
during the celebration of the Eucharist.
Also, a poll taken during a meeting of
U.S. bishops last November found that
56 percent of the bishops were opposed
to the “under my roof” revision.
Furthermore, Father McBrien writes
that the words “Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof”
have nothing to do with the Eucharist or
the reception of Holy Communion.
He adds that this was the response
given to Jesus by the centurion after he
had begged Jesus to come to his home
to cure his gravely ill servant. Father
McBrien states that “Lord, I am not
worthy to receive you” is far more
appropriate, given the liturgical context.
The new translations also do not take
into account the cultural differences of
the two-thirds of the 1.1 billion Roman
Catholics on earth who live in the
global south and for whom these
translations could have an entirely
different meaning.
During a meeting of Catholic ethicists
held in July in Padua, Italy, an African
theologian viewed the liturgical
translation debates as “fiddling while
Rome burns” given the poverty and
violence that are daily realities in his
country. Theologians spoke of being “less preoccupied with internal debates
for Church reform and more energized
about changing the world.”
The laity has not been consulted on
what is seen as another control issue
from Rome.
As the writer in the Aug. 11 issue of
The Criterion stated, “in a world with so
many issues—starvation, war,
terrorism”—perhaps the Vatican’s
Congregation for Divine Worship and
the Discipline of the Sacraments needs
to not only reprioritize its agenda but
also redirect its energies.
- Judy Harpenau, Columbus