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FAQ's ABOUT THE NEW TRANSLATION
† In the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, why has "one in being with the Father" been changed to "consubstantial with the Father?"
The new translation is more in keeping with the ancient Latin text of the Creed and a more accurate translation. The bishops at the Council of Nicea (AD 325), in order to ensure that Jesus was professed as the eternal Son of God, equal to the Father, stated that he is "the Son of God, begotten from the Father, the onlybegotten, that is from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, the same substance ( homoousion) with the Father..." The Creed of the Council of Constantinople (381), which is professed at all Sunday Masses and Solemnities within the Catholic Church, similarly stated: "We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same substance ( homoousion) with the Father."
When these two ancient creeds were translated into Latin, the term " homoousion" was rendered as "consubstantialem," that is, "the same substance of the Father." Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Latin "consubstantialem" was rendered as "consubstantial" within the English translation of the Creed. Many theologians and the Holy See thought that the term "consubstantial" was more in keeping with the Latin tradition and a more literal and accurate translation than the more recent "one in being."
This is in keeping with the mind of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which published an Instruction, entitled Liturgiam Authenticam. It stated: "Certain expressions that belong to the heritage of the whole or of a great part of the ancient Church, as well as others that have become part of the general human patrimony, are to be respected by a translation that is as literal as possible" (no. 56).
To read more about the new translation visit: www.usccb.org
† What Will Be Happening with the Prayers at Mass?
The Roman Missal is the large book that we are accustomed to seeing the priest use at our Eucharistic liturgies. It contains the official prayers of the Mass. In the early part of this century, the late Blessed Pope John Paul II called for the original Latin Missal (the official prayer book for Mass for the entire Catholic Church worldwide) to be re-translated into the various languages prayed throughout the world. He and other Church leaders felt that our current English translation could be improved. He called for new translations that would be much more faithful to the original Latin texts, so that all Catholics throughout the world would become more closely united by praying translations that were closer to the original. The words that we pray at Mass express our beliefs; it is important that the translations capture and express these beliefs clearly. The translation process has come to a culmination now, and on the First Sunday of Advent we will begin using this new translation at Mass.
† What Is a Roman Missal?
The Roman Missal contains what the Church refers to as the "proper" antiphons for entrance and Communion time (in the United States, with the approval of our bishops, we commonly substitute hymns and songs for these "proper" antiphons). The Missal also contains prayers such as the Sign of the Cross and the greetings used at Mass. The opening prayer or Collect, the prayer over the bread and wine at the preparation of the gifts, and the Prayer after Communion are all found in the Missal, as are the different Eucharistic Prayers that are used at Mass and the blessings at the end of the liturgy. The Missal also contains all of the parts of the Mass that the people say or sing, such as the "I confess," the Gloria, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Lamb of God, and our other responses. Some of these prayers are changed with the new translation; others remain the same.
† Why a New Translation?
Many people have wondered why the Church is implementing a new translation of the prayers of the Mass. The Mass is the very core of Catholic life; its prayers express our Catholic beliefs. The more clearly we can express those beliefs, the more our faith can grow and be nourished. When the Mass was first translated into English some forty years ago, it was understood that the translation would have to be assessed and revised from time to time. Since then, a number of Church leaders, most prominently the late Blessed Pope John Paul II, have expressed the opinion that the 1960s translations of the Latin were done in haste. After the Second Vatican Council, when the Church throughout the world began praying the Mass in the languages of the people rather than in Latin, translations from the Latin were in immediate demand. In contrast, the new translation that we will now be using has taken nearly a decade to produce and, as Pope John Paul II desired, it is closer to the original Latin.
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