If asked to do so, many priests and laypeople could name at least some of the prayers and responses at Mass that changed in wording with the revision of the translation of the Roman Missal from Latin to English some years ago. We went from answering "The Lord be with you," with "And with your spirit" instead of "And also with you," which to me is the most obvious change. These changes sought to reflect a more "literal" translation than what was first done after Vatican Council II decreed for the Mass to be in the vernacular (the native language of a country or region). Most laypeople and perhaps many priests do not realize that the prayer after the Gloria (the Collect) as well as the Offertory Prayer and the Prayer After Communion also were revised. I noticed this after praying "Morning Prayer" and finding that the closing prayer of that ritual of prayer is often (especially on Sundays) the same as the opening prayer of Mass that day.
This past Sunday (the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time), the prayer from the previous translation prayed to the Father, "Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth." The new translation, which many of you heard at Mass, was almost the same EXCEPT it leaves out the "your" and just says "the radiance of truth."
We live in times where some people like to relativize truth and claim that each person can have and live by their "own truth" whatever they decide "the truth" is for them. This is a dangerous and wrong thing to do and certainly goes against what is promised by those who are witnesses at a trail who are required to say "I do" to the question "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God." Christians believe and hopefully strive to live by a faith that tells us "the" truth that everyone should follow is that spoken and lived perfectly by Jesus Christ who was and is "God among us." Knowing, continually reflecting on, and following the truth will not only help us to reject all those "false truths" that are spoken by others, but hopefully we will respond to God's grace in such a way that others we encounter will come to follow and live the truth and we have the peace of knowing that we have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth FROM God. Amen!
This past Sunday (the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time), the prayer from the previous translation prayed to the Father, "Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth." The new translation, which many of you heard at Mass, was almost the same EXCEPT it leaves out the "your" and just says "the radiance of truth."
We live in times where some people like to relativize truth and claim that each person can have and live by their "own truth" whatever they decide "the truth" is for them. This is a dangerous and wrong thing to do and certainly goes against what is promised by those who are witnesses at a trail who are required to say "I do" to the question "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God." Christians believe and hopefully strive to live by a faith that tells us "the" truth that everyone should follow is that spoken and lived perfectly by Jesus Christ who was and is "God among us." Knowing, continually reflecting on, and following the truth will not only help us to reject all those "false truths" that are spoken by others, but hopefully we will respond to God's grace in such a way that others we encounter will come to follow and live the truth and we have the peace of knowing that we have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth FROM God. Amen!