(I'd like to share with you a letter I recently sent to Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon, OP; DD, Bishop of Nottingham in light of the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. For those of you interested to air your concerns to your own bishops regarding the same issue, I hope you find this letter inspiring.)
Your Reverence,
I am writing to you as a matured believer and a parent whose primary duty is to pass on the Catholic faith to his children.
I have always believed that the Church is always undergoing change; however I am very much concerned with the forthcoming implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal.
Reading samples of these changes made available in various websites, I find them confusing and archaic which would put off parishioners, especially the youth and the illiterate. I am now worried how I will teach this to my daughter as she grows and learns how to pray and participate in the Mass.
I feel that if the new translation would be implemented now, we will be witnessing more people getting disenchanted with the Mass and treat it as something that is “out of this world”. In effect, people would be detached from Jesus whom we call as Emmanuel ("God-with-us").
If our faith tells us that He is here with us then our prayers as a community (i.e. the Mass) should enhance that belief. The words we use to communicate with each other could either build or weaken relationships. The current translation uses plain, appropriate and sound English so each of us, regardless of our background could relate more with the Lord whom we encounter in the Eucharist.
When Vatican II’s constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium was implemented, the Church was geared for changes ahead. We saw national conferences of bishops sharing a common language collaborating to produce a common translation.
It is unfortunate that Rome (through the Congregation for Divine Worship) is now imposing a uniformity of the English translation when this language, though spoken across the world, varies among countries that speak it. It is sad that Rome is going backward than forward by imposing such changes rather than entrusting these to the people who would be in a better position to introduce and effect changes – the bishops.
I share the observation by Fr Michael Ryan , founder of “What if we just said wait?” that the Congregation for Divine Worship’s move is “one more assault on the (Vatican II) council, and sadly, one more blow to episcopal collegiality.”
The Church has more pressing and important issues to attend to such as the sexual abuse scandal, shortage of priests, low turnout of Mass attendees, national legislation against Church teachings, etc. Introducing the new translation now will make a bad impression of the Church.
As a devoted member of the Church, I am humbly imploring Your Reverence to consider these concerns and allow more time to reflect on and ‘test drive’ these changes.
I believe there is no harm at this point in time to say wait or, if necessary, no.
May Jesus the Good Shepherd, who always sought the good of His flock, bless you.
Showing posts with label Roman Missal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roman Missal. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
More Pressing Issue
I read with interest an article published in March 2010 issue of the Far East (a magazine of the Columban Missionaries I subscribe to) entitled “What Would You Do?” which featured Chinese Christians’ creativity given the political and religious challenges experienced in their country. Let me mention three out of eight various cases featured.
One example was about a young Catholic mother who was pregnant for the second time. Because China implements ‘one child policy’, the mother is faced with three options: abortion, bribing a sterile woman to say that she is the baby’s mother, or move to Hong Kong. She opted for the last one. The child’s future is secured by having a Hong Kong identity card.
“Not much of a difficulty”, you might say. Well, here’s another one.
There was a young priest serving a community of ‘unofficial’ Catholics (Chinese government has broken ties with the Vatican which resulted in the division of the local Church. ‘Official’ Catholics are those sanctioned by the government and do not recognize the Pope’s authority. ‘Unofficial’ Catholics remain loyal to Rome and have therefore gone underground.). He got a scholarship to study in a neighboring country, but still requires a passport. To obtain one, he has to answer various questions including his profession. If he says he is a priest he will not be allowed to leave. If he states a different job he needs to prove it. He decided to bribe the officials. Catholics refused to lend him as this would mean condoning corruption. However he managed to find the money. He thinks that he has a valid reason for doing this as his aim was “…to better serve the Church”.
“A priest, bribing? That’s impossible! That’s against our faith!” you would complain. Alright, read on.
A bishop was asked by his visitors from Western countries if he will give cash donations to the victims of an earthquake that rocked a province in 2008. He said no, but added that he gave a huge amount of money to the officials. His explanation: “Because one does not the right to short-circuit the authorities in charge!” He added that if he didn’t give money to these officials (whom he accepted to be corrupt), the development of his diocese (e.g. planning permissions) would be doomed. He concedes that “one gives and gives.”
I’m hearing you shouting: “Now you’re talking about a bishop resigned to the existence of evil instead of fighting against it!”
The writer of the article cautions readers not to be easily led into criticizing our Chinese brothers and sisters in the faith. “For many Catholics in China the only way to survive is to be resourceful.”
As we celebrate the Solemnity of St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, let us keep in our prayers the Church in China that its members would continue to keep that faith alive. Let us also take this occasion as an opportunity to thank the Lord for the gift of faith and for the privilege of professing it without any fear whatsoever. Let this feast also be a time for us all to work together for the Church. Indeed, the problems besetting Catholics in China is one issue that the Church, especially the hierarchy has to deal with. A pressing issue that needs more attention than this new English translation of the Roman Missal!
One example was about a young Catholic mother who was pregnant for the second time. Because China implements ‘one child policy’, the mother is faced with three options: abortion, bribing a sterile woman to say that she is the baby’s mother, or move to Hong Kong. She opted for the last one. The child’s future is secured by having a Hong Kong identity card.
“Not much of a difficulty”, you might say. Well, here’s another one.
There was a young priest serving a community of ‘unofficial’ Catholics (Chinese government has broken ties with the Vatican which resulted in the division of the local Church. ‘Official’ Catholics are those sanctioned by the government and do not recognize the Pope’s authority. ‘Unofficial’ Catholics remain loyal to Rome and have therefore gone underground.). He got a scholarship to study in a neighboring country, but still requires a passport. To obtain one, he has to answer various questions including his profession. If he says he is a priest he will not be allowed to leave. If he states a different job he needs to prove it. He decided to bribe the officials. Catholics refused to lend him as this would mean condoning corruption. However he managed to find the money. He thinks that he has a valid reason for doing this as his aim was “…to better serve the Church”.
“A priest, bribing? That’s impossible! That’s against our faith!” you would complain. Alright, read on.
A bishop was asked by his visitors from Western countries if he will give cash donations to the victims of an earthquake that rocked a province in 2008. He said no, but added that he gave a huge amount of money to the officials. His explanation: “Because one does not the right to short-circuit the authorities in charge!” He added that if he didn’t give money to these officials (whom he accepted to be corrupt), the development of his diocese (e.g. planning permissions) would be doomed. He concedes that “one gives and gives.”
I’m hearing you shouting: “Now you’re talking about a bishop resigned to the existence of evil instead of fighting against it!”
The writer of the article cautions readers not to be easily led into criticizing our Chinese brothers and sisters in the faith. “For many Catholics in China the only way to survive is to be resourceful.”
As we celebrate the Solemnity of St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, let us keep in our prayers the Church in China that its members would continue to keep that faith alive. Let us also take this occasion as an opportunity to thank the Lord for the gift of faith and for the privilege of professing it without any fear whatsoever. Let this feast also be a time for us all to work together for the Church. Indeed, the problems besetting Catholics in China is one issue that the Church, especially the hierarchy has to deal with. A pressing issue that needs more attention than this new English translation of the Roman Missal!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Be A Tiger!
January derives its name from this mythical god called Janus who has been depicted to have two heads each facing a different direction: the old and the new year. Indeed, this first month of the New Year is a time to look back at 2009 and then face 2010(using the lessons from the old year). Hmmm...2009 wasn't a bad year at all for me: Chiara turned one, we bought a car (Sandy's her name by the way!), I completed a course on leadership and management with flying colours, Kristina (my youngest sister) got married, our web had its successful events, staff promotions and recruitments, we held the first ever rosary devotion in our Pinoy neighbourhood in Nottingham, etc.
I thank God for these and other blessings that I might have unnoticed and look forward to 2010 as a better and brighter year. I found out that this year is, according to the Lunar Calendar, the Year of the Tiger which makes it more exciting for me since I was born in the Year of the Tiger.
As a kid, my parents bought me a white shirt with a staring tiger printed in front. I donned this in one of our class pictures in 'Playhouse' (equivalent to Nursery) at the Angelicum School (now College).
Tigers are said to be ferocious and suspicious. Perhaps these two attributes (regardless of being negative) are what we need for this new year. Ferocious could mean being assertive and proactive in making things happen, in moving forward to achieve that long-time dream (of course without hurting others).
A few days before 2009 came to a close, I was thinking of my New Year's resolution. Suddenly I thought of Sandy whose official brand name is actually Fiat (abbreviation for the Italian car manufacturer). Now the word fiat in Latin means 'Let it be'. In very simple language fiat means 'Yes'. Following the tiger's assertiveness, I am saying Yes to life, to my family, to my career progression, to my service to God.
A tiger's suspiciousness could mean being discriminative. To filter the good from the bad, the true from the false, the essential from the excess baggage. Nowadays, one has to be careful in making decisions, to weigh the costs, to consider various factors, to spend on what's only important. Indeed, I may sound 'suplado' if I were to be discriminate, but you must maintain your 'taste' for things if you wish to succeed. Again, without sacrificing what is good and those you hold dear in your heart.
I believe that if we are assertive, proactive, and discriminative, we'll spare ourselves the troubles we may have encountered in 2009. Let's welcome and walk through 2010 with a growl!
One thing upcoming in 2010 is the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. I heard that in England and Wales, the new translation would come in force in Advent.
Examples: the people's response to the priest's 'The Lord be with you' will be 'And with your spirit' (from the original Latin 'Et cum spiritu tuo') and the response to 'Let us give thanks to the Lord our God' will be 'It is right and just'(Latin: 'Dignum et justum est'). By the way, 'And with your spirit' and 'It is right and just' were the text used in the Mass before the current English translation was enforced.
It has been said that the current translation wasn't that faithful to the original Latin text and have lost the 'solemnity' that was there in the original. There have been concerns that this new translation is one step backward from the gains of Vatican II. Then first time I heard of this new translation was five years ago and a priest friend aired his misgivings in the change that would happen. I must admit that decisions are made by the Church hierarchy, however it doesn't mean not communicating with and consulting the majority of the faithful who would definitely ask 'What's in it for me?'
Talking about being discriminative, the Church hierarchy should realize that it's best to delay it so we could reflect more on it and, like anything new, pilot test it. If there would be any flaws then it's best to deal with it on a small scale rather than a full-blown one.
I love the Mass and what I would hate to see is more people getting disillusioned from it because of these proposed changes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)