We come to the high point of the Order of Mass, known in Greek as the ἀναφορά, the anaphora (which means "carrying up" or "carrying back," hence also for "offering"). Its particulars may vary in certain characteristics among Eastern and Western rites, but all follow the same general pattern, as gleaned from Saint Paul in the New Testament, as well as from the earliest Apostolic and Post-Apostolic writings:For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And giving thanks, broke, and said: ”Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me.” (1 Cor 11:23–24)
Is it “anaphoras” or “anaphorae”?
The new Roman Missal has, in addition to the four standard Eucharistic Prayers, the inclusion in the appendix of the two "Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation" which ...
... may be used in Masses in which the mystery of reconciliation is conveyed to the faithful in a special way, as, for example, in the Masses for Promoting Harmony, For Reconciliation, For the Preservation of Peace and Justice, In Time of War or Civil Disturbance ...
... and so on. Not only that, but it also includes four "Eucharistic Prayers for Use in Masses for Various Needs" which are "appropriately used" for particular occasions, the title for each categorizing them thus:
1. The Church on the Path of Unity
2. God Guides His Church along the Way of Salvation
3. Jesus, the Way to the Father
4. Jesus, Who Went About Doing Good.
Such would call for a lot of tabs, as this image of one such new edition would suggest.While the occasions are specifically listed in the introductory rubrics, it would have been prudent to use stronger language -- simply saying "the following are to be used ..." which simply presumes as much, rather than suggests it -- to avoid the unnecessary confusion, given that only the Four Eucharistic Prayers themselves are likely to ever be published in hand missals and other liturgical aids. But take heart, dear reader, there is GOOD news: the three "Eucharistic Prayers for Children" are NOT included in the new Roman Missal. What was a problematic experiment from the offset, has now been relegated to the dustbin of history, leaving children with the prospect of having their sensibilities uplifted, if only at this point in their lives.
Still, between an expanded foreword section of the new Missal (with norms for Communion under both kinds now provided, in addition to the General Instruction and norms for the Calendar year), ten Eucharistic Prayers, and numerous additional commemorations of saints, it is small wonder that the new Roman Missal has gone from nearly 1200 to more than 1500 pages!
Lifting Up Our Hearts
In this installment of our series, we will show highlights of various changes in the standard four Eucharistic Prayers. That said, our analysis for the most part will be making use of Eucharistic Prayer I (the Roman Canon), which in its essential features, dates to the third or fourth century. It begins in the same manner for all such models, as it has since the third century.
Dòminus vobìscum
Et cum spiritu tuo.
Sursum Corda.
Habèmus ad Dòminum.
Gràtias agàmus Dòmino Deo nostro.
Dignum et justum est.
+ + +
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
Then follows the preface, where the priest expounds on how "truly right and just" it is to give thanks to the Almighty through His Son. The 1973 translation lacked the sense of continuity essential to this quality of the prayer. Such continuity has been restored in the 2010 translation. Witness the following comparison, using the opening lines common to most prefaces:
Vere dignum et justum est,
aequum et salutáre,
nos tibi semper et ubique grátias ágere:
Dómine, sancte Pater, omnipotens aetérne Deus:
per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
+ + +
Father, all powerful and ever living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
+ + +
It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
By opening with "It is truly right and just," the priest is responding to the faithful, echoing their affirmation, as both unite their sacrifice to God.
A Cautionary Tale
Following the brief use of a provisional text beginning in 1970, the first editio typica of the Novus Ordo Missae was given recognitio in 1973, and was published in the USA the following year. By this time, the three new Eucharistic Prayers had already taken their place alongside the traditional Roman Canon (henceforth known as "Eucharistic Prayer I"). The one known as "Eucharistic Prayer IV" had a standard preface which was required for use with that prayer. It began in the Latin text:
Vere dignum est tibi gratias agere
vere justum est te glorificare, Pater sancte,
quia unus es Deus vivus et verus ...
Note that the last line in this excerpt is given emphasis for our consideration, as at first it was translated thus:
Father in heaven, it is right
that we should give you thanks and glory:
you alone are God, living and true ...
Leaving aside for the moment, the extent of variance from the Latin text (again, for no apparent reason), take a GOOD look at that last line, mindful that this is addressed only to God the Father. I don't see “tu solus” in the Latin original, do you? I see “quia unus.” Where does this leave the other two Persons of the Blessed Trinity? That's right, kids, we've got a heresy waiting to happen.
It was corrected in the second editio typica of 1985:
Father in heaven, it is right
that we should give you thanks and glory:
you are the one God, living and true ...
... which corrects the error, as God the Father is "the one God," albeit one of three Divine Persons. (What's that, you say you don't get it? Hey, this is the Trinity; you're not supposed to get it.) So now, all that remains is to actually translate the whole thing correctly:
It is truly right to give you thanks,
truly just to give you glory, Father most holy,
for you are the one God living and true ...
"Vere dignum": truly right. "Vere justum": truly just. Now, is that so hard?
Sanctus
The priest ends the preface with a reference to the choirs of angels in heaven who are present for every celebration of Mass, culminating in a vision of the throne of God surrounded by the six-winged seraphim (Isaiah 6:3), joined with the cry of the people of Jerusalem upon the Lord's entry (Matthew 21:9):
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dóminus Deus Sábbaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra glória tua.
Hosánna in excélsis.
Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini.
Hosánna in excélsis.
+ + +
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
"Sabbaoth" is now translated as "hosts," which is what it means, rather than "power and might," which it does not.
As we have mentioned before in this series, the new Roman Missal is characterized by an increase in emphasis on the use of plainchant as the norm, even in the main text of the Order of Mass itself. Not only is the chant for the Sanctus rendered in English, but in Latin as well, Latin being the normative language of the Roman Missal. Notice how the vernacular is modeled after Sanctus XVIII, from in the 1974 "Jubilate Deo" compilation of Pope Paul VI.
(NOTA BENE: The first page of the Roman Canon is traditionally flanked by an image of the Crucifixion, as the illustration which begins this installment would also suggest. Some editions of the new Roman Missal retained this custom. Sadly, and inexplicably, a few did not.)
The Sanctus is followed by a continuation of praise and thanksgiving, in keeping with the literary style of the orations, that of "extended subordination." This style is expanded as a continuum, leading one prayer to the next. In comparing the Latin with the 1973 and 2010 translations, we see how this literary device is made clearer.Te igitur, clementissime Pater,
per Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, Dominum nostrum,
supplices rogamus ac petimus,
uti accepta habeas et benedicas
+ haec dona,
haec munera,
haec sancta sacrificia illibata ...
+ + +
We come to you, Father,
with praise and thanksgiving,
through Jesus Christ your Son.
Through him we ask you
to accept and bless
+ these gifts we offer you
in sacrifice ...
+ + +
To you, therefore, most merciful Father,
we make humble prayer and petition
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord:
that you accept and bless
+ these gifts,
these offerings,
these holy and unblemished sacrifices ...
This part of the Eucharistic Prayer also serves as a prelude for any requests or supplications that follow.
Institution Narrative (Including That “Pro Multis” Thing)
We come to that portion of the Mass, the essential text of which is approved by the Holy Father personally, whatever the language.
Accípite et manducate
ex hoc omnes:
hoc est enim Corpus meum,
quod pro vobis tradétur.
+ + +
Take this, all of you,
and eat of it:
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.
The words of consecration themselves -- “This is my body ...” “This is the chalice of my blood ...” must be free of error, to ensure their validity, so that what the Church intends to do actually happens, which is that the bread and wine literally become the Body and Blood of Christ Himself.
Accípite et bibite
ex eo omnes:
hic est enim calix Sanguinis mei
novi et aeterni testamenti,
qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur
in remissionem peccatorum.
Hoc fácite in meam commemorationem.
+ + +
Take this all of you
and drink from it:
for this is the chalice of my blood,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
The changes underlined in the above example, as elsewhere in the Order of Mass, provide not only for theological clarity, but fidelity to the Latin text. It was not merely a cup, but a chalice, not merely an everlasting covenant, but one with neither a beginning nor an end, hence one which is eternal. Our Lord did more than shed His Blood, he "poured [it] out" for the remission of sins.
But the most controversial change is with the words "pro multis," which literally means "for many." Previously it had been rendered "for all." While not all will accept the salvation of Christ through His Church, Saint Paul says that Christ would nonetheless have all men be saved (1 Tim 2:4). Further, the "many" in the original language is not a finite term, as we understand this word, but is a "many" without an end. Although either word is accurate, the Church decided in favor of fidelity to the Latin text.
Mysterium Fidei
In the 1973 editio typica, there were four options for the Memorial Acclamation. As the revisions were underway in the 1980s and 1990s, it was proposed that each option would have its own introduction, one of many so-called "American adaptations" attempted by the ancien regime, so that we would all know which one to sing. They had already been published for use in Canada (a country whose bishops generally fail to grasp the meaning of "no, you can't do this").
Great is the mystery of faith.
Christ has died ...
+ + +
Praise to you, Lord Jesus.
Dying you destroyed our death ...
+ + +
Christ is the bread of life.
When we eat this bread and drink this cup ...
+ + +
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Lord, by your cross and resurrection ...
Of the four, the first one never appears in the Latin text at all, and only the second one was commonly used for celebrations of the Novus Ordo Missae in Latin. In the 2010 translation, the first one is removed from authorized use, as it is rather sophomoric anyway. The other three are more accurately rendered, including this one, as we see by comparison of the 1973 and 2010 versions.
Mysterium fidei.
Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine,
et tuam resurrectionem confitemur,
donec venias.
+ + +
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life.
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
+ + +
The mystery of faith.
We proclaim your death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
We are no longer asked to "proclaim" the mystery of faith, as such is less a proclamation than it is an acknowledgement (which is not the same thing). We also see that the options for introductions are not being implemented -- this means you, too, Canada -- so we poor pewsitters will have to be on our toes for this one.
This would never be necessary if -- duh! -- they had only stuck to one option (namely "Mortem tuam ...") The other re-translated responses can be found in the accompanying video clip above.
The principles that dictate this revision do not necessarily call so much for fidelity to the original as "line by line," so much as "meaning by meaning." As the Roman Canon continues, so its language ties it with what has been said previously, which we have referenced before, and which is a literary device inherent to the Latin text, which once was lost, and now is found in re-translation.
Unde et memores, Domine,
nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta,
eiusdem Christi, Filii Tui, Domini nostri,
tam beatae passionis,
necnon et ab inferis resurrectionis,
sed et in caelos gloriosae ascensionis ...
+ + +
Father, we celebrate the memory
of Christ, your Son.
We, your people and your ministers,
recall his passion,
his resurrection from the dead,
and his ascension into glory ...
+ + +
Therefore, O Lord,
as we celebrate the memorial
of the blessed Passion,
the Resurrection from the dead,
and the glorious Ascension into heaven
of Christ, your Son, our Lord ...
Following the Commemoration of the dead, and just before a second rendition of the names of saints (the first occurring before the Words of Institution), the priest calls to mind his own sinfulness. In fact, the traditional form of the Roman Mass calls for him to say the first three words ("Nobis quoque peccatoribus" which means literally "We who are also sinners") in an audible voice, amidst an otherwise inaudible Roman Canon, striking his breast as he does so. (This later became a practical cue for attending ministers to move into position for the end of the Canon.) In the 1973 translation, the relevant words "Though we are sinners ..." at which point the priest strikes his breast, appear after the reading of the saints, where in the original Latin text it appears before ...Nobis quoque peccatoribus famulis tuis,
de multitudine miserationum tuarum sperantibus,
partem aliquam et societatem donare digneris
cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus:
+ + +
For ourselves, too,
we ask some share in the fellowship
of your apostles and martyrs ...
... Though we are sinners,
we trust in your mercy and love.
+ + +
To us, also, your servants, who, though sinners,
hope in your abundant mercies,
graciously grant some share and fellowship
with your holy Apostles and Martyrs ...
And so, continuity returns, as the priest now strikes his breast at the same place in both the original and the translation. For those to whom this seem a trivial matter, we are reminded of the words of Teresa of Avila: “Trifles make for holiness, and holiness is no trifle.”
Variations on a Theme
Eucharistic Prayer I is said to be "especially suited for use on days to which a proper text for the Communicantes (In communion with those whose memory we venerate) is assigned or in Masses endowed with a proper form of the Hanc igitur (Therefore, Lord, we pray) and also in the celebrations of the Apostles and of the Saints mentioned in the Prayer itself; likewise it is especially suited for use on Sundays ..." (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 365a)
Eucharistic Prayer II is said to be based on the third century "Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition" (also known as the "Anaphora of Hippolytus," named for a third century Roman priest said to be its author), although you wouldn't know it from reading the original text. Its brevity is such that it is "more appropriately used on weekdays or in special circumstances ..." (GIRM, 365b), which in some places is practically always. This underscores not only the problem of numerous options at various times in the Order of Mass, but the rather vague guidance, never mind the lack of directive, accompanying them. For all the effort at theological and linguistic clarity, the message to priests and faithful, is that the mix-and-match game of "liturgy planning" is still with us, with little or no regard to the welfare of the faithful.
Eucharistic Prayer III is an entirely original composition, attributed to the Benedictine Father Cyprian Vagaggini, and approved by Pope Paul VI in 1967. In his book The Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (1986, Liturgical Press) Enrico Mazza describes it as using various Eastern themes as well as those of the Roman tradition, and finds it especially suited for festal days. The GIRM refers to its appropriateness for Sundays as well (365c). What is particularly interesting in this text, especially in regard to what was revised, can be found in the opening paragraph following the Sanctus. Please note the portion emphasized in bold type.
Vere Sanctus es, Domine,
et merito te laudat
omnis a te condita creatura,
quia per Filium tuum, Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum,
Spiritus Sancti operante virtute,
vivificas et sanctificas universa,
et populum tibi congregare non desinis,
ut a solis ortu usque ad occasum
oblatio munda offeratur nomini tuo.
+ + +
Father, you are holy indeed,
and all creation
rightly gives you praise.
All life, all holiness comes from you
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
by the working of the Holy Spirit.
From age to age you gather a people to yourself,
so that from east to west
a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.
+ + +
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
and all you have created
rightly gives you praise,
for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power and working of the Holy Spirit,
you give life to all things and make them holy,
and you never cease to gather a people to yourself,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
A few of the more "creative" priests have taken to saying "from east to west, from north to south," as if to invoke the Spirit of the Four Winds in certain Native American traditions. Not only is this reference theologically problematic in itself, the text itself never intended to refer to points on a compass, a matter set right in the 2010 translation.
Eucharistic Prayer IV is another original composition, based on a fourth-century anaphora attributed to Saint Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia, and with Saint John Chrysostom, the supposed co-author of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy. This prayer "has an invariable Preface and gives a fuller summary of salvation history. It may be used when a Mass has no Preface of its own and on Sundays in Ordinary Time." (GIRM, 365d) It has never been commonly used, possibly due to its dedicated preface, but most probably because of the frequent use of the male pronoun in referring to humanity, a practice common to the English language for over a thousand years, but unacceptable to certain elitists of the Catholic intelligensia.
Confitemur tibi, Pater sancte,
quia magnus
es et omnia opera tua
in sapientia et caritate fecisti.
Hominem ad tuam imaginem condidisti,
eique commisisti mundi curam universi ...
+ + +
Father, we acknowledge
your greatness:
all your actions show
your wisdom and love.
You formed man in your own likeness
and set him over the whole world ...
+ + +
We give you praise, Father most holy,
for you are great
and you have fashioned all your works
in wisdom and in love.
You formed man in your own image
and entrusted the whole world to his care ...
As one can see here, and further in the text, the 2010 revision makes no attempt to change this.
Per Ipsum
The eucharistic prayer in all of its forms, is brought to an end with what used to be known as "The Minor Elevation."
Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso,
est tibi Deo Patri omnipoténti,
in unitáte Spíritus Sancti,
omnis honor et glória
per ómnia saecula saeculórum.
Amen.
+ + +
Through him, with him, in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
almighty Father,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
+ + +
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
With a little shuffling around of phrases, a more faithful rendition of the Latin is restored, although ... shouldn't it be "all glory and honor are yours"?
Our next installment, the eighth in our series on the new Roman Missal, will cover the third part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, that of the Communion.
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