Back to the Future

The Vatican announced it has approved the use of a new translation of the mass, one that adheres more closely to the original Latin in the Missal. According to Catholic World News, some of the changes include:

At the Consecration, the priest will refer to Christ's blood which is "poured out for you and for many"-- an accurate translation of pro multis-- rather than "for all" in the current translation.

In the Nicene Creed the opening word, Credo, will be correctly translated as "I believe" rather than "we believe."

When the priest says, "The Lord be with you," the faithful respond, "And with your spirit," rather than simply, "And also with you."

In the Eucharistic prayer, references to the Church will use the pronouns "she" and "her" rather than "it."

In the Agnus Dei, the text cites the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world," rather than using the singular word "sin."

In the preferred form of the penitential rite, the faithful will acknowledge that they have sinned "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault."

Note that the new translations cited above are not only improvements, they are more accurate. One needs only slight knowledge of Latin to know that "Credo" translates to "I believe" not "We believe" ("Credimus"). Nor does one have to be a genius to discern in the response to Dominus vobiscum ("The Lord be with you"): "Et cum spiritu tuo," the word "spiritu" cries out for the English "spirit." The present translation, "And also with you," is not just wrong, it is ungainly and ugly compared with the graceful new (old) translation, "And with your spirit" (as any traditional Anglican would recognize).

The new translation of the mass, then, is further evidence the Vatican is rolling back many of the terrible "reforms" promulgated by the now-aged hippy-dippy post-Vatican II innovators. There will be much weeping and gnashing of the teeth from that quarter but the fact is their day has come and gone and all in all, they are getting off rather light for the considerable havoc they have wreaked over the years. Deo Gratias.