I want to begin by alerting Catholic people that there will be some
changes in the text of the Mass.
In Ireland and across the
English-speaking world, these will be introduced in the autumn.
The
most obvious change will be the response to the priest's greeting, "The
Lord be with you". Instead of saying "And also with you", the
congregation will say: "And with your spirit".
There will be some other changes in the Confiteor ("I confess"), the Gloria ("Glory be to God") and the Creed.
The Mass, however, is not changing.
The structure or shape of the Mass will remain as it has been since the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council.
The commitment of the church to celebrating Mass in the language of the people remains.
This, however, is not always easy.
The text of the Mass is the most important faith document in the life of the church.
It
is the product of a long history, beginning with the celebration of the
Eucharist in the early church, which itself is closely modelled on the
account of the Last Supper that we find in the
Gospels and in the
writings of St Paul.
It is not easy to translate every element of the Mass into the language of every day.
Changing
the language of our prayers is a sensitive issue. We get used to forms
of prayer that we have used for nearly 40 years. We feel at home with
them and can use them almost without thinking.
The Irish bishops are aware that even relatively minor changes need to be introduced with care and sensitivity.
Over
the next few months, resources of various kinds will be provided to
alert people to the coming changes.
Leaflets will be printed; booklets
will be published; a DVD has been produced to help people to prepare for
the use of the new version of the Missal. Material is available on the
internet.
The important work will be done at parish level and will
involve the congregations, as well as those who have particular roles.
The Irish Church Music Association, at its annual conference in Maynooth
this summer, will help church musicians adapt to the new texts.
While
the texts of the Mass will take some time to bed down, I believe that
over time they will open the riches of the faith of the church to a new
generation of believers and will help to enrich their faith.
- John McAreavey