The New Translation of the Roman Missal Teaching Mass




New Translation Sending Forth

Week Five Bulletin Insert: New Translation of the Roman Missal

 

The Ecumenical Council of Trent (1562 AD) encouraged teaching at Mass: “Lest Christ’s flock go hungry . . . the Holy Synod commands pastors and all others having the care of souls to give frequent instructions during the celebration of Mass, either personally or through others. . . . Among other things, they should include some explanation of the mystery of this most holy Sacrifice, #11.”  We will now fulfill this command as we introduce the New Translation of the Roman Missal.  This weekend we focus on the Concluding Rites.  According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal; “The concluding rites consist of:  brief announcements, if they are necessary; the priest’s greeting and blessing, which on certain days and occasions is enriched and expressed in the prayer over the People or another more solemn formula; the dismissal of the people by the deacon or the priest, so that each may go out to do good works, praising and blessing God; the kissing of the altar by the priest and the deacon, followed by a profound bow to the altar by the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers, #90.”

 

Announcements - The proper place for the announcements is following the Prayer after Communion and before the Concluding Rite.  Announcements should be about public worship or a brief explanation of events found on the parish calendar.  They should be brief and not distract from the sacred character of the Mass.  Sometimes announcements become unduly long and could be shortened if more people took the time to read the church bulletin carefully.

 

The Priest’s Greeting and Final Blessing - “The priest, extending his hands, greets the people, saying, The Lord be with you.  They answer, And with your spirit, #167.”  “Since the celebration of Mass by its nature has a ‘communitarian’ character, both the dialogues between the priest and the faithful gathered together, and the acclamation are of great significance; in fact, they are not simply outward signs of communal celebration but foster and bring about communion between priest and people, #34.”  “The acclamation and the responses of the faithful to the priest’s greetings and prayers constitute that level of active participation that the gathered faithful are to contribute in every form of the Mass, so that the action of the entire community may be clearly expressed and fostered, #35.”

 

The Final Blessing before the Dismissal asks for blessings to come upon those who have partaken of the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.  Jesus prayed a final blessing over his disciples before he Ascended into heaven.  “Then [Jesus] led [the Disciples] out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them.  As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.  They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God,” (Luke 24:50-53).

The Dismissal of the People by the deacon or the priest, so that each may go out to do good works, praising and blessing God - What is meant by the priest telling us to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord?”

 

In the celebration of the Mass . . . “the mysteries of redemption are recalled so as in some way to be made present.  Furthermore, the other sacred actions and all the activities of the Christian life are bound up with it, flow from it, and are ordered to it, #16.”  “Christians who have participated in the Sacrifice of their Lord, which was offered for the salvation of all human beings, and offered with the Church which is the Sacrament of salvation for the world, cannot be content with just going back home, satisfied at having accomplished their duty and obeying the law. . . . They must strive to radiate justice and charity around them,” (Dictionary of the Liturgy, page 164).

 

“The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church: it must be preceded by evangelization, faith, and conversion.  It can then produce its fruits in the lives of the faithful: new life in the Spirit, involvement in the mission of the Church, and service to her unity,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1072).  “The fidelity of the baptized is a primordial condition for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the Church’s mission in the world.  In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians.  The witness of a Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have great power to draw men to the faith and to God,” (CCC, 2044).  “The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it.  This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds,” (CCC, 2472).

 

The Reverencing of the Altar - “The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered, #42.”  “Indeed, they form one body, whether by hearing the word of God, or by joining in the prayers and the singing, or above all by the common offering of Sacrifice and by a common partaking at the Lord’s table, [the altar].  This unity is beautifully apparent from the gestures and postures observed in common by the faithful, #96.”

 Print New Translation Sending Forth Bulletin Insert
 

 

The Code of Canon Law, Canon Law Society of America, Paulist Press, 1983.

 

Dictionary of the Liturgy, Rev. Jovian P. Lang, OFM, Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, 1989.

 

Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1982.

 

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C., 2003.

 

Servant of the Sacred Liturgy: Liturgical Regulations for the Diocese of Baker, Oregon, February 2004.