www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy The Revised Divine Liturgy Why the translation of the Creed must be corrected

The other day I had some Roman rite friends join me for Divine Liturgy. At the end of liturgy they were bothered by the way we say "we EXPECT the resurrection of the dead..." I have heard others before say that it is a bit presumptous for easterns to demand God let us in heaven. Of course we all know that EXPECT would better be expressed by the word ANTICIPATE. They have the same denotation but different connotations.

Is it? I hear some Peshitta-first theorist-scholars speculate the other way...

In any case, the Syro-Chaldo-Indian-Church considers the Peshitta authoritative and binding for their purposes.

Technically, it's not a change, just a re-translation. The excuse is that in our contemporary usage, too many people will think only males were intended, so if that is not the case, then we need to express it in a way that is clear for them.

I would answer this by saying that it should be clear from the context, and that pursuing this course of action runs the risk of having young people develop the notion that the entire world before the late 20th century was monstrously mysogynistic. In other words, the more we embrace this "modern" manner of speaking, the more foreign the old manner of speaking will become to the next generation.

Simply put: can I continue to recite "and for us men" in the Creed, even though our hierarchy has now banned such expression?

I would answer this by saying that it should be clear from the context, and that pursuing this course of action runs the risk of having young people develop the notion that the entire world before the late 20th century was monstrously mysogynistic.

I would answer this by saying that it should be clear from the context, and that pursuing this course of action runs the risk of having young people develop the notion that the entire world before the late 20th century was monstrously mysogynistic. In other words, the more we embrace this "modern" manner of speaking, the more foreign the old manner of speaking will become to the next generation.

Separate from these issues, I would add a persoanl reflection. I have become convinced that the reason "men" was used in the English language to mean both "men" and "women" is that before the 20th century, "women" simply had no standing in the body politic of "mankind." They did not vote and were not expected to take part in public affairs, therefore, their status was "meaningless." In the context of the late 18th century, therefore, the statement "All men are created equal" means exactly what it says. "

Truth presupposes a clear understanding of Jesus� message transmitted by means of an intelligible, inculturated language, which must nevertheless remain faithful to the Gospel�s intent. At this time, there is an urgent need for an adequate knowledge of the faith as it is presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its accompanying Compendium. Education in Christian personal and social virtues is also an essential part of catechesis, as is education in social responsibility. Precisely because faith, life, and the celebration of the sacred liturgy�the source of faith and life�are inseparable, there is need for a more correct implementation of the liturgical principles as indicated by the Second Vatican Council, as well as those contained in the Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops (cf. 145-151), so as to restore to the liturgy its sacred character. It was with this end in view that my Venerable Predecessor on the Chair of Peter, John Paul II, wished "to appeal urgently that the liturgical norms for the celebration of the Eucharist be observed with great fidelity ... Liturgy is never anyone�s private property, be it of the celebrant or of the community in which the mysteries are celebrated" (Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 52). For Bishops, who are the "moderators of the Church�s liturgical life", the rediscovery and appreciation of obedience to liturgical norms is a form of witness to the one, universal Church, that presides in charity.

5. A leap forward in the quality of people�s Christian lives is needed, so that they can bear witness to their faith in a clear and transparent way. This faith, as it is celebrated and shared in the liturgy and in works of charity, nourishes and reinvigorates the community of the Lord�s disciples while building them up as the missionary and prophetic Church. The Brazilian Episcopate has an impressive structure based on recently revised and more easily implemented statutes which focus more directly on the good of the Church. The Pope has come to Brazil to ask that, through following the word of God, all these Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate truly become messengers of eternal salvation for all those who obey Christ (cf. Heb 5:10). If we are to stay true to our solemn commitment as successors of the Apostles, we Pastors must be faithful servants of the word, eschewing any reductive or mistaken vision of the mission entrusted to us. It is not enough to look at reality solely from the viewpoint of personal faith; we must work with the Gospel in our hands and anchor ourselves in the authentic heritage of the Apostolic Tradition, free from any interpretations motivated by rationalistic ideologies.

Indeed, "within the particular Churches, it is the Bishop�s responsibility to guard and interpret the word of God and to make authoritative judgments as to what is or is not in conformity with it" (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, 19). As the primary Teacher of faith and doctrine, the Bishop will rely on collaboration with the theologian, who, in order "to be faithful to his role of service to the truth, must take into account the proper mission of the Magisterium and collaborate with it" (ibid., 20). The duty to preserve the deposit of faith and safeguard its unity calls for strict vigilance so that the faith may be "preserved and handed down with fidelity and so that particular insights are clearly integrated into the one Gospel of Christ" (Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops, 126).

This, therefore, is the enormous responsibility you have assumed as formators of your people, and especially of the priests and religious under your care. They are you faithful co-workers. I am aware of your commitment to seeking ways of forming new vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Theological formation, as well as education in sacred sciences, needs to be constantly updated, but this must always done in accord with the Church�s authentic Magisterium.

One of the ways that proponents of horizontal inclusive language respond is to ask how we think all this theology is contained in one word or two in the liturgy? How is calling women "men" going to teach them the magisterial theology of the Body? Sound familiar?

What happens is that as the liturgy changes, so also does the catechesis change. So these lessons are not inherent in the language of the liturgy, and they are not taught in the parish halls either. The lessons make their way out of the catechetical materials, rather than flowing from the liturgy to the kitchen to the classroom and back full circle. And since there are no prompts in the most common daily prayer of the people, not even they will raise the questions.

BUT when the time comes to teach morality the only place to go now for material is the secular world, the academy, and common sense.

Pagans are always filled with common sense, natural knowledge, and it works, even to their salvation, if you read the Apostle Paul. It works because they are invincibly ignorant of revealed truth.

Do you suppose our leadership, as a class, is invincibly ignorant?

That would be the only reason to take a "fallback" position, don't you think?

Mary

I first became aware of the question with all its urgency in the beginning of my academic teaching. In the course of a dispute, a senior colleague, who was keenly aware of the plight to being Christian in our times, expressed the opinion that one should actually be grateful to God that He allows there to be so many unbelievers in good conscience. For if their eyes were opened and they became believers, they would not be capable, in this world of ours, of bearing the burden of faith with all its moral obligations. But as it is, since they can go another way in good conscience, they can reach salvation. What shocked me about this assertion was not in the first place the idea of an erroneous conscience given by God Himself in order to save men by means of such artfulness - the idea, so to speak, of a blindness sent by God for the salvation of those in question. What disturbed me was the notion that it harbored, that faith is a burden which can hardly be borne and which no doubt was intended only for stronger natures - faith almost as a kind of punishment, in any case, an imposition not easily coped with. According to this view, faith would not make salvation easier but harder. Being happy would mean not being burdened with having to believe or having to submit to the moral yoke of the faith of the Catholic church. The erroneous conscience, which makes life easier and marks a more human course, would then be a real grace, the normal way to salvation. Untruth, keeping truth at bay, would be better for man than truth. It would not be the truth that would set him free, but rather he would have to be freed from the truth. Man would be more at home in the dark than in the light. Faith would not be the good gift of the good God but instead an affliction. If this were the state of affairs, how could faith give rise to joy? Who would have the courage to pass faith on to others? Would it not be better to spare them the truth or even keep them from it? In the last few decades, notions of this sort have discernibly crippled the disposition to evangelize. The one who sees the faith as a heavy burden or as a moral imposition is unable to invite others to believe. Rather he lets them be, in the putative freedom of their good consciences.