As we come to the ending of the creed there are still  new translations of key words to reflect upon.  

…adored replaces the word worshipped. It is a direct
translation that more closely brings the intent of the creed’s language into a clear focus.

The phrase “I confess” one baptism (with the emphasis on the word confess), replacing “we acknowledge” is a more forceful expression. In this context confess means “professes belief in” – not “express sorrow for sins”. It is a stronger word than acknowledge because it involves the heart not just the head.

At the end of the creed we now say I look forward to the resurrection instead that merely we look to the resurrection.
This is a clearer translation of the Latin, reflecting a sincere desire and a confidence. The original Latin exspecto conveys a sense of anxious waiting and expectation. With confidence we state belief in God who gives us faith.

The creed is a liturgical prayer, in a sense, you can say, it is one of the earliest examples of liturgical catechesis. It is recited after the liturgy of the word as a response to what preceded it. With this in mind the reciting of this prayer should not be rushed, nor is it a prayer that is proclaimed only by the celebrant. This prayer is the creed of all the baptized.

Bill Bischoff
Director of Catechetical Ministry

By the Holy Spirit was incarnate...The simple change from
“born” to “incarnate” is one of the most important improvements
in the new translation of the Creed, because it more  accurately conveys the truth of the Incarnation – the moment when the Son of God took flesh. This wording more accurately reflects the Latin text of the Mass which includes the word incarnates (incarnate).

There was concern that the previous wording/translation could be interpreted to mean that Christ did not actually become man until the moment he was born. The reality is that the Son of God took on human nature from the moment of his conception. The Blessed Virgin Mary’s yes to the Archangel  Gabriel at the Annunciation is the moment when the Son first “came down from heaven” to dwell among us. In using the term, incarnate the new translation removes all ambiguity in our professing our faith in the Creed. The significance of this line is liturgically emphasized by the fact that we bow while saying it, as an expression of reverence to the mystery of the Incarnation.

Suffered death…this replaces two verbs in the previous
translation, suffered died. The Latin is somewhat ambiguous;
literally it is he suffered and was buried, and the word suffered
implies his dying. Because the verb died is not in the Latin text suffered death is seen as a better way to express what happened to Jesus. The point is that he really died, and that is what gives his Resurrection its full meaning.

Describing the Resurrection as being in accordance with  the Scriptures speaks inclusively of the New Testament in addition to fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. 

Coming Next Time:  The next and last part of the Nicene Creed “Adored”

Bill Bischoff, Director of Catechetical Ministry

The new translation recovers Christ’s ancient title, “Only
Begotten Son” (Fili Unigenite) which is also in the Gloria. To
say the Son is “born of the Father before all ages” is a profound
theological truth, for the Son is not “born” in the human  sense of beginning one’s life, but eternally proceeds from the Father while being always fully God.

Another and very notable change in the language of the
Nicene Creed is the use of the word consubstantial in place
of the phrase one in being. The Latin word consubstantialis
is difficult to translate because it is so unique. But it describes
a unique reality: the relationship between the Father and the Son. Consubstantial is not a word we use in normal conversation. However the Fathers at the Council of
Nicaea worked hard and long over this word in 325, so the
closer the vernacular is to the original the more faithful it
will be to a clarified/clear Christian belief.

The term one in being was adapted by the Anglican Church in the translation of the Creed by Thomas Cranmer at the time the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Following the Second Vatican Council as part of collaborative ecumenical efforts to come to an agreement on some texts to be used in their liturgical celebrations, this translation one in being was accepted by some Christian churches including our own for use in the Nicene Creed.

However as the accuracy of translations was examined for this new translation it was decided that the Roman Church would adopt the direct translation of consubstantialem Patrem, e.i. consubstantial with the Father. The reason for this is that from the standpoint of theology, one in being does not accurately reflect the full meaning of consubstantialem  i.e. that Christ is one nature, not simply one in being with the Father. He is not of a lesser substance: He has always existed. St. Anhanasius summed it up “there was a time he never was not.”

One advantage of the word “consubstantial” is that it reminds us that there is something about the inner life of God that is beyond our normal terminology.

Next week: The Nicene Creed Part 3 “was Incarnate.”

The creed is a Profession of Faith. The earliest forms of the
Creed we find in the Rites of Baptism, and Christian Initiation.
Later the Creed was expanded by the Church to include more
specific truths that made clear what the Church believed at
times when there were heresies or confusion.

The Nicene Creed dates to year 325, at the Council of Nicaea
where it proclaimed a clear declaration of the teachings
of the Church against a heresy that denied Jesus being truly
God and truly man.

In the current changes to the translation of the Creed most
were brought about because the previous translation used
paraphrases rather than more literal wording. Following the
standards set for the new translation we are provided with a
more “precise rendering” of the Latin, seen as critically important
in the Creed, which is a liturgical statement of the
beliefs held by the Church.

In place of We believe in one God the translation now reads
I believe in one God. The Latin word Credo with which the
Creed begins is literally translated I believe. The new translation
emphasizes that there can be no we believe unless one
can first say I believe.  The translation also emphasizes that
the proclamation of the Creed at Mass comes from the one
Body of Christ, an understanding reflected in the words of St.
Thomas Acquinas who wrote that the Church proclaims the
Creed as a single person, made one by faith.

We now say “invisible” not just “unseen”. The use of the
word “invisible” helps clarify what we are referring to, “the
entire spiritual order of angels and the human soul. These
things are not only ‘unseen’ but not capable of being seen.”

Roman Missal Formation Material USCCB

QUESTION:
From several highly agitated parishioners; why have we gone back to saying the Confiteor? “That belonged to the Old Mass. I thought we had moved away from this doom & gloom!!”

RESPONSE:
The word Confiteor is the Latin for the words ‘I confess’ at the beginning of Form A of the Penitential Act. Prior to the Novus Ordo, the Mass of Vatican II, both the Confiteor and the sign of the cross were not in the proper of the Mass, but were recited at the foot of the altar. The sense of the prayer is heavily penitential and was originally attended to help the priest maintain his “contrite demeanor.”

At the Vatican Council the prayer was incorporated into the Mass itself and became part of the first Penitential Rite and recited by everyone.  

This part of the Mass is now the Penitential Act, not the
Penitential Rite. This change may have happened to reserve
the reference to the “Penitential Rite” to the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.   

In the Penitential Act, the priest calls for the act, the act is done by the community and the priest offers a concluding absolution. This absolution is not the same type as given in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The absolution given in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a declaration. The priest declares “I absolve you
from your sins.”

In the Penitential Act of the Mass, the manner is a request
(not a declaration); “May almighty God have  mercy on us.”
The Confiteor has a strong devotional and individualistic
nature, which makes it suitable for the penitential seasons of the liturgical year. It also has a communal thrust in our acknowledgement for the assembly “to pray for us.”

As for the doom and gloom? I’ll reserve it for the next  NFL season.

Bill Bischoff, Director of Catechetical Ministry

QUESTION:
In the previous translation, at the end of the Consecration
of the cup, (now Chalice) the missal’s text reads: “shed for you and for all”, now it reads “poured out for you and for many.” Why the change in language from “all” to “many”? Are we denying some people the opportunity for salvation?

RESPONSE:
This new and literal translation causes us to pause and  question what we hear prayed and proclaimed at Mass. This is not necessarily a bad thing. We are confronted with the question: “What did the Lord mean when saying he shed his Blood “for many?” The accuracy of the new language is evident in both the Greek and Latin translations. In the Greek, the word is pollon which translates “many”. In Latin, Pro multis which also translates “for many”.

The line is a quotation from the words of the Lord at the Last Supper from Mark 14:24 and Matthew 26:28. The former translation was written under the policy of dynamic equivalence, not as the use of a literal translation we are now using.

From the New Jerome Biblical Commentary: “The phrase hyper pollon “for many” is based on the Hebrew of Isaiah 53:12 it means for all not just for one or a few (pg 626 ). The Hebrew text uses the plural form “many” in order to teach that the OT sacrifice is not just for any one person or group, (Kings or Temple Priests) but for all who avail themselves of the sacrifice.
In this understanding the word “many” in its  proper scriptural meaning is not the same as our current common understanding of the word, as meaning a “limited” number. Pope Benedict made the change in the final line of the words of consecration to be translated pro multis as “for many” after consultation with
the Bishops of the English-speaking communities of the
Catholic Church.

Elements of the New Translation, such as this, lead us to pause and to question, and this is our challenge as Catholics. We as Catholics do not have a biblical tradition of fundamentalism or literary interpretation. When a phrase or word in the New Translation causes us to pause and question we (that means all of us) must do more than just that. We need to ask questions,
we need to study the “whys” and to use the answers we find to enter more fully into the Liturgy. The role of the liturgy is to shake us awake to our faith especially in times such as now, when the witness of faith is so badly needed.

So to answer the question “are we denying all people salvation?” The answer is a definite, No! The unconditional gift of grace that can lead a person to faith is always present in our world. The Vatican Council repeats this statement over and over again in its many documents.

The bottom line is this, no translation can ever fully describe God’s love for us and others. It is up to each of us to be examples of that love which we experience each time we go to Mass and take it into our world as we leave.

Bill Bischoff, Director of Faith Formation

Many questions are being asked now, that we are celebrating
the Mass with the new translation of the Roman  Missal. Every other week a question will be addressed and answered (hopefully).

Question #1
In the consecration we are now using the word chalice
instead of cup as we did before. Why?

Answer
There are two words for drinking vessel in Latin: “poculum” is the generic term for any kind of drinking vessel and is usually translated as “cup”. The Latin word “calix” meaning “chalice” however is used more exclusively for a vessel of communion, destined to be shared with other drinkers.*

In the Latin translation of the bible, the vulgate by St.
Jerome, the Greek word proterion in the words of consecration
translates as calix, as a communal dimension is present.
Similarly, the texts of the Missal have always used calix
(“chalice”) rather than poculum (“cup”) in the words of institution
and consecration.


This decision is reinforced by the practice of certain protestant
reformers in intentionally removing the word chalice from their translations due to a perceived connection between the word chalice, and the sacrificial nature of the Mass.

*The importance of the communal dimension of the chalice
is evident on the quick retraction by the Diocese of Phoenix
on statements from their Liturgy Office concerning possible
restrictions on the reception of communion under both
species. In the United States, communion being received
under both species “is the norm and to be celebrated as
such.”

Bill Bischoff, DCM

We have arrived. Our journey of preparing for the “New Translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal is over. Articles have been written, workshops given and talks & classes completed. Yet, the “real work” now begins.

Our work is now to listen to the language of this translation  and enter into the act of “praying the Mass.” Above all other descriptions, the Liturgy is our most solemn prayer and we should allow ourselves to be open to its invitation to enter into a relationship with our risen Lord. This new revision is  not creating something new, but its aim is to deepen our awareness of the riches of our ancient Latin prayers, and to discover their meaning in our lives today.

Our role, as the people of God, has not changed.  We are still  charged with the responsibility to fully enter into a “whole and complete participation in the Sunday Liturgy.” This means we come to Mass attentive (on time), open to the
Word (listen to the readings), and ready to celebrate and  receive the Eucharist (Holy Communion.)  It will take time to become as comfortable with this text as
we are now with the older translation, but time and participation  will cause this to take place. It is the same Mass from the original source. It has been “recast” with new sound and words, and it will hopefully invite from us a more profound
praise of God. This praise is found in the richness of this new  translation allowing us to richly pray and praise God “from the rising of the sun to its setting” (the third Eucharistic Prayer).

Bill Bischoff
Director of Catechetical Ministry

The byzantine-style San Damiano Cross hung in the church of San  Damiano, a small simple chapel outside the walls of Assisi. It was while kneeling  in prayer before the cross, unsure of what to do with his life and troubled,  that St. Francis heard the voice of Our  Lord speak to his heart. “Francis,” Jesus
whispered, “go and repair my house, which as you can see is falling into ruins.”

Francis immediately began to repair San Damiano which had been abandoned and was falling down.

Later, Francis would  come to understand  that the calling was  to repair the  household of God, the family of the  Church, calling people to peace, reconciliation and Gospel simplicity.  The cross is painted. Christ is portrayed
as standing peacefully in the foreground.  His facial expression and upright position  emphasized his ascension into  heaven. Detailed renderings of characters and events in the Passion of Christ  surround his image. 

The design of the San Damiano Cross  symbolizes love overcoming the agony
of crucifixion.  The Basilica of Santa Chiara in Assisi  houses the original wooden cross in a  special chapel where people can pray  before it today as St. Francis did over  800 years ago.

In 2001 the congregation for Divine Worship, in Rome, issued a new instruction regarding preparation of translations of liturgical texts. Looking at the thirty years’ experience of the liturgy in the vernacular (the language of the people), new guidelines for liturgical transactions were presented, including the new English translation of the Roman missal. The use of these guidelines in the new translations uses more formal language creating a liturgical language that reflects the dignity of the Sacred Liturgy.
This new liturgical language will be different from the
language used in ordinary conversations. It uses words filled
with meaning, drawing on the Scriptures and the Church’s rich traditions. Many people will find it awkward to pray revised texts that conflict with the ones we have memorized from use. Yet, this very awkwardness will be met with care and intention, with a catechesis that will hopefully lead us to a renewed understanding and appreciation of the Eucharistic Liturgy and the role it has in the foundation of the Christian life.

The New Missal
By Bill Bischoff

Much has been said in response to the new configuration for Mass in the Serra Center! Most voices heard are positive; there are also some who do not like it, and others not quite sure one way or the other. But everyone has an opinion!

There has been a great deal of discussion on the new location of the Presidential Chair. “Why so far from the altar?”, “I cannot find the priest!” I think these and other questions can be answered by looking at three important elements of the Eucharist:

In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated at the Second Vatican Council that one of the key points is, the Presence of Christ is found in: the Presider of the Assembly, in the Proclamation of the Word, and most especially in the the Body & Blood of Christ celebrated at the
altar.

In our new configuration for worship it is very clear that these three essential elements of the Sacred Liturgy have been placed as the focus of our parish worship.

- The Presider’s Chair is now placed by itself facing the community and is a point of focus for the assembly as we are led in our worship. The members of the assembly (that is all of us!) must learn to sit not for convenience or, out of habit, but in place to see and participate in the fullness of the Mass.

- The Word is proclaimed from the Ambo and is now placed so that the entire assembly can see and listen to the readings. It is from the Ambo we are also led in song for the Responsorial Psalm. This teaches us that the music of the Sacred Liturgy is part of the Mass not an addition or option.

- The Altar is now fully central in the middle of the assembly; the very placement of the altar reflects the
Eucharist as the core of our Catholic identity and sacramental life. The altar in its location can now be
seen from all parts of the Serra Center and we can all enter into full and active participation in the Liturgy.

Another important element of the new configuration is the placement of the cantor and choir. With its proximity to the ambo and central location, the essential role of music in the Sacred Liturgy is emphasized. It is in and through the music of the Mass we are led in both prayer and song. Participation
in the singing of the psalms and prayers of the Mass is not an option in a true understanding of our Roman Liturgy.

These key elements are for the active and full participation of the Sacred Liturgy as we prepare for the implementation of the new Roman Missal.

“It is our hope that this time of catechesis will deepen our participation in the Lord’s sacrifice and nurture our Christian commitment, so that we may celebrate forever at the table of the Lord” - Guide to the Roman Missal, USCCB.

In the past several weeks people have come to me and asked “I heard we are going back to the old Mass?, The Church is walking away from Vatican II, Father is going to have his back to us, and What is going to change?” These questions all arise from what people have read about the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

Fasting (the eating of one main meal and two smaller meals with no in between snacks) applies to those between ages 21-59 who are in good health and would not be hampered in their work by fasting. The only days that are legislated by church law are Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday. The other days of Lent and/or all Fridays are encouraged but not obligated by law.

Abstinence (the exclusion of meat for the entire day) includes anyone from age 7 and up to any age where the loss of meat for one day would not be harmful to one’s health. The days of full Abstinence are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The other Fridays and possibly Wednesdays of Lent are encouraged but not obligated by law!

Lent is a time for us to voluntarily choose to do penance and mortification as an expression of gratitude for God for what Christ did for us through His Own Suffering and Death. It is an attempt to respond to the love that He so willingly gave to us.

In the past, the Bible often divided Catholics and Protestants.  When differences in understanding Scripture occur now, they are more likely the result of the method used in reading the Bible than of the Church to which one belongs.

Today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the official end of Christmastide in our Liturgical Year. Yet, there will be for many Catholics a Christmas gift (one of our greatest gifts) that is still unopened by most Roman Catholics. What is this gift?   Simple, the Sacred Scriptures, the Word of God, the Bible.

Let’s take a look at some data (courtesy of America Magazine):

- Only half of US adults can name a single Gospel. Do you know how many there are?

- Most do not know the name of the first book of the Bible. - 60 percent of Evangelicals (who are “sola scriptura”) state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem and not that “little town of Bethlehem”.

- Despite all the battles over posting the Ten Commandments, six in ten Americans cannot name five of them.

- For good measure, half of high school students think that Sodom & Gomorrah were married!

- And, the Acts of the Apostles is a play that was written by the Apostles.

So where are we? You are in a parish that offers weekly Bible studies. There are Small Christian Communities that
weekly break open the Word of God for spiritual nourishment and study. There is a parish library which offers  much in the way of books on the scriptures. Our diocese offers classes held all over the county for serious Scripture Study. There are many other resources available. The question now falls to you. Will you open your remaining Christmas gift?

Bill Bischoff

The image of the Magi kneeling before the infant Jesus
and opening their treasure chests for Him is an image that
we should all try to embrace. Each of us is called to open our
gifts before Jesus, offering Him what He needs. We can remember
that we are called to share our gifts by keeping one
of the Magi from our Nativity set on our desk or dresser as a
year-round a reminder to bring our gifts to Jesus.

The term Magi refers to the unknown wise men who followed a star until it led them to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12). While in Luke’s
gospel shepherds come to worship the child,  Matthew’s gospel also tells of the three gifts  they brought. This has given rise to the
tradition there were three, although the eastern Christian
tradition gives their number as twelve. Originally, they were
often pictured as astrologers. But since the early Middle Ages,
kings became more the common image what with the various
regal Old Testament texts and the fact that they seem to
speak with King Herod as an equal.
 

Because the Venerable Bede considered them representatives of the three continents of Europe, Africa and Asia, we often see them as racially white, yellow, and black. About them colorful stories have grown. Bede states their names were: Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar.

Melchior was a long-bearded, white haired old man who brought Jesus gold to signify his royalty. Gaspar was a beardless, red faced young man who brought incense to Jesus, signifying His divinity.
Baltasar was a heavy bearded black man who brought myrrh
to Jesus, signifying His humanity and death.
 

About their lives after leaving that day, Scripture says nothing. However, never has a loss, legend has filled the space. Many years after Christmas, Saint Thomas the Apostle visited the Magi. After catechizing them, he initiated them into the Christian faith. They were ordained priests and later bishops. Toward the end of their lives, the Christmas star visited them again, this time leading them to one another for a reunion. The city of Sewa in the Orient is
said to be the place of their burial.
 

According to Medieval legend, in the sixth century, their
venerable relics were brought from Constantinople to Milan. From there in 1164, Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa, took them to Cologne, where pilgrimages have honored them for centuries.

In our time however, the emphasis and symbolism has changed. In the United States, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord marks the beginning of the National Migration Week. The Magi were on the move, pilgrims following a star. In the face of Herod’s fury, Joseph, Mary and Jesus would become refugees, fleeing into Egypt. The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops offers us suggestions for raising our awareness and understanding of the plight of
migrants, and refugees (www.usccb.org/mrs).
 

Here at the community of Mission San Luis Rey we can
identify with these “Wise men” as each of us come to the
Crèche bringing with ourselves the riches of each of our
cultures as gifts, for the Christ Child, for themselves, and for
the parish community of Mission San Luis Rey. Perhaps one of
the greatest lessons of this ancient solemnity is the realization
that each of us has a gift to leave before the newborn king.

Bill Bischoff

This Sunday is the feast of the Holy Family, which comes on the first Sunday after Christmas Day. Today's feast celebrates how the humanity of Jesus (including his entire family life) has brought saving significance into the daily rhythms of our human family life.
The scriptures offer instruction and encouragement on how to share--within our families, parish families, and the  wider human family--the love that God shares with us in  Jesus.

Selections from Sirach, Psalm 128, and Colossians  encourage us to reflect divine love and thus find holiness in all our human relationships.

The reading from Matthew's Gospel offers a living example of love in the actions Joseph took to protect his young family from danger and to nurture them within the larger family of faith of their time.

(c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.

 
TRUST IN GOD: On this final Sunday of Advent our  scriptures focus on the historical birth of Jesus, who is son of David and Son of God, child and king, Jesus and Emmanuel. 

Isaiah the prophet begs Ahaz to ask for a sign, to allow God to offer him reassurance of the survival of the Davidic dynasty. The king hypocritically refuses to "tempt the LORD" in that way (Isaiah 7:12), but the prophet foretells the birth of a son, an heir to the throne, who will prove the Lord's enduring protection of God's chosen lineage on the throne of David. The child will be called Emmanuel.
 

Matthew's reference to this history in his description of the
birth of Jesus highlights the contrast between the faithless
refusal of trust shown by Ahaz, and the complete trust in God
shown by Mary and Joseph in bringing about the birth of
Jesus Christ.

(c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.