(Part II)...
This is a continuation of the explanation of the U. S. Catholic Bishops regarding the changes of certain texts of the Mass.
What's new or particularly different about the revised translation?
The unique style of the Roman Rite should be maintained in translation. By "style" is meant here the distinctive way in which the prayers of the Roman Rite are expressed. The principal elements of such a style include a certain conciseness in addressing, praising, and entreating God, as well as distinctive syntactical patterns, a noble tone, a variety of less complex rhetorical devices, concreteness of images, repetition, parallelism, and rhythm as measured through the cursus, or ancient standards for stressing syllables of Latin words in prose or poetry. (no. 112)
The texts of the revised translation of the Roman Missal are marked by a heightened style of English speech and a grammatical structure that is based on the Latin text. In addition, many biblical and poetic images, such as "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof..." (Communion Rite) and "...from the rising of the sun to its setting" (Eucharistic Prayer III) have been restored.
What is the significance of the translation “for many” (pro multis) in the words of Institution of the Eucharistic Prayer?
In October 2006 (after the bishops of the United States approved the Gray Book text of the Order of Mass), Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, communicated to Conferences of Bishops the desire of the Holy Father for a faithful translation of pro multis as "for many" in the formula for the consecration of the Precious Blood at Mass. The use of "for many" renders a translation more faithful to the accounts of the Last Supper found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. The phrase "for many" does not mean to imply that Christ did not come to save all, but that salvation rests in part on personal acceptance of the salvation freely offered by Christ.
Continued next week.
Fr. Stanley
