Catholic Mass Handbook: We don’t say that any more?
Getting the most out of Mass, pt 1.
I attended a wonderful “Teaching Mass” recently, for the first time. It was truly eye-opening. As it enveloped, I looked around and felt immediately inspired to write a “Catholic Mass Handbook” series.
Honestly, what I saw was a sea of perplexed faces just trying to make sense of it all. The common vibe: confusion. The silence screamed: we don’t say that anymore?!
Consequently, our synchronization was completely off that day. What seemed like an entire congregation froze; everyone’s concentration was off. No singing in unison. People kneeling at odd times. Mumbling prayers.
It was awkward; but, also clear that many faithfuls had missed the changes to the Catholic Mass. The inherent risk for Seasonal Catholics.
“About 39 percent of Catholics reported attending church in any given week, according to data collected between 2014 and 2017…”
American Catholic Gallup 2018
Like anything else in life, getting the most out of Catholic Mass begins with understanding what it is all about. And today we’re talking changes made to the Mass.
Birdseye View
In 2011, there were a few vernacular changes made to the people’s parts of the Catholic Mass. It was the first major change to the new translation of the Mass since the Novus Ordi Missae was introduced in 1969.
The bottom line is that the form of the Mass was not changed, only the details of the translation. Most of the changes are within the prayers the priests say with some key differences in the responses by the congregation.
The Why
There was the desire to restore the Traditional Latin Mass as well as ensure the most accurate translation was being rendered. Which makes total sense. As a result, we have a new translation considered to be a more accurate rendering in English of the third edition of the Missale Romanum implemented by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2001.
And those changes ring true from the moment the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” Instead of the familiar “And also with you,” the congregation responds, “And with your spirit” (considered a literal translation of the Latin “Et cum spiritu tuo” found in both forms of the Catholic Mass).
Catholic Mass Changes
Beginning of Mass
PART OF THE MASS
OLD TRANSLATION
NEW TRANSLATION
Greeting
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Confiteor
(Penitential Rite)
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.
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,
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.
**restoring the physical action of striking one’s breast three times with the right hand when saying “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault”
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of goodwill. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
Before the Gospel
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Nicene
Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake
he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is
seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds
from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the
Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection
of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary,
and became man.
For our sake
he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is
seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life, who proceeds
from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the
prophets.
And one, holy, catholic
and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the
resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Preparation
of the Altar
and the
Gifts
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good, and the good of all his Church.
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good, and the good of all his holy Church.
Before the Preface
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People:And with your spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right and just.
Sanctus
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Mystery of Faith
Priest: Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
People:
A: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
(No longer available in new translation)
B: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life.
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
(Response A in new translation)
C: Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free.
You are the Savior of the World.
(Response C in new translation)
D: When we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus,
until you come in glory.
(Response B in new translation)
Priest: The mystery of faith:
People:
A: We proclaim your death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
B: When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your death, O Lord,
until you come again.
C: Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection, you have set us free.
Communion Rite
Sign of
Peace
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: And also with you.
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: And with your spirit.
Communion
Priest:This is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.
People: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and Ishall be healed.
Priest: Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
People: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soulshall be healed.
Mass Ends
Concluding
Rite
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Regardless of where you are in your faith, it’s important for you to know that you are not alone. Follow my four part series as I dive into all aspects of the Catholic Mass. We’ll uncover some cool Catholic intel together.
And if it’s been a while, don’t worry – click here for some great Catholic Mass tips to get you started. But first, hit the comment section below and leave me your thoughts. I love hearing from you!
xoxo
Interesting read! I’m far from religious myself but it’s interesting to read posts that are different to my usual read ?
Love Lozza xo
http://girlygabble.com
Hey there gorgeous!! I really do appreciate you stopping by! I totally agree about reading outside of the usual. I love your website by the way, very girly! 🙂
You know, believe it or not, I was just thinking about this topic not too long ago. I lost my way a long time ago from the church. My mother is an avid mass goer (every day) and had been on top of me to get back into church. She recently came to visit me from way out of state and I decided to attend Mass with her. I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic School when I was younger so I was taught to memorize the entire mass. When I recently went with my mom, I was so surprised at those changes! I kept asking myself, “Did I miss something!?”
Your post has completely answered my question about why the changes! Fantastic post! Thank you very much for sharing!
Thank you so much!!! I too am a cradle Catholic from the 70s and boy has the Mass changed! The whole shebang – makes you excited to be a Catholic these days. Hope you keep reading my other posts about this 🙂 God bless YOU!
Will definitely keep reading! I find it so interesting even though I haven’t been as religious as I was back in the day. I’ll also be sharing your site with my mother. I’m sure she’ll love you and your posts! God bless you too!!
Oh my gosh – thank you so much!!! Tell your mom “hi” for me! 🙂