Glory to God in the highest, and on earth...

Now you're gonna think it every time.

Ineffable: It finally happened

From back in 2008:
(Erie Bishop Donald) Trautman said the draft (of the Roman Missal) includes words such as "ineffable" that would not be in the ordinary vocabulary of people.
"This should be the prayer of the people," Trautman said. "I'm not for having street language. ... We should certainly have elevated tone, but words like that are just beyond the common comprehension."
Catholics coming out of a lunchtime Mass at Erie's St. Peter Cathedral weren't familiar with "ineffable."

Welp, today I finally got to use the word that lunchtime Massgoers in Erie, PA cannot understand. The collect reads:


O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin received through
the message of an Angel
and so became the dwelling-place of divinity,
filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant, we pray, by her example
we may in humility hold fast to your will.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ....

No complaints. No worries. No confusion. The early Massgoers in Oxford, MS listened to the collect probably about as closely as they have in the past.

"Beyond common comprehension"? Ineffa-believable!

Changes are a comin'

The collect (i.e. opening prayer) that we heard at yesterday's Mass (1st Sunday in Lent) was:

"Father, through our observance of Lent, 
help us to understand the meaning 
of your Son's death and resurrection, 
and teach us to reflect it in our lives."

Meh.... okay. Definitely bland compared to the new, more accurate (and much more rich) translation of the collect that we'll pray on the 1st Sunday of Lent starting next year:

"Grant, almighty God,
through the yearly observance of holy Lent,
that we may grow in understanding
of the riches hidden in Christ
and by worthy conduct pursue their effects."

Coming Advent 2011!

To arms, Christians!

"Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up the battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint."
- Collect for Ash Wednesday ( from the new translation of the Roman Missal, coming Advent of 2011)

Wow. This prayer really makes you think about the spiritual struggle and holy fighting we have to do as Christians here on earth. After all, we (the part of the Church alive at this time) are called the Church Militant, those who are still "fighting the good fight" and, with God's help, are working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Sometimes, the fighting really gets fierce. In Lent, we are entering just such a time.

We cannot forget that there is a very real war going on - a spiritual war. Our weapons are prayer and fasting. Our objective is the salvation of our souls. We can only win through diligence, perseverance and a good dose of suffering... and only through the merits of Christ Jesus. The prayer above is perfectly suited to remind us of this spiritual reality. It is war, and everything is on the line.


Sidenote

By the way, I almost titled this post "Reason #23,127 that we need the new translation of the Roman Missal" because instead of the stirring words we read above, prodding us onward into the necessary spiritual battle to come and asking for God's assistance in our struggle, today at Mass we heard this:

"Father in heaven, protect us in our struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make the season holy by our self-denial."
- Collect for Ash Wednesday (from the current version of the Roman Missal)

Thanks be to God for improvements like this in the Church's liturgy!