Gained in Translation

Every year, the latter days of October bring me startling reminders of time’s rapid movement. Fall break is two weeks in the past, Thanksgiving is four weeks from today, and Advent begins in a month. Days are growing shorter, nights are lengthening, and the World Series will be concluded by the weekend. This rapid pace brings plenty of activity on a daily basis, even as it carries towards some significant events and changes in the near future.

One such change getting a fair amount of attention in the Catholic Church here in the United States is the new translation of the Roman Missal, which comprises the ritual language used by priests, deacons, and the laity for worship. The product of many years of effort, it will be introduced on the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Catholic Church’s liturgical year, which falls this year on the Sunday following Thanksgiving. These changes will likely seem sudden; I know that I’ll need some time to adjust to them, even though I’ve been looking over the new texts for several weeks. Yet in worshipping with a Spanish-speaking congregation in St. Louis for three years, I found that adopting their liturgical translations drew me into the spirit of their community, and forged a connection that went deeper than simply speaking Spanish. The words I and my fellow parishioners used to describe our belief in God, the Eucharist, our sinful yet redeemed nature, and our relationships with one another carried meanings crafted to shape the reality that they expressed.

I believe that the new English translation being introduced in one month’s time strives to do the same, and holds the potential to bring us into closer connection with other linguistic translations based on the same original document. Already I’m noticing echoes of my years with Spanish-speaking Latino Catholics when I study and pray with the new prayers and responses. To be sure, this time of transition for the language of Catholic worship may have its fair share of clumsiness, and these changes will have various effects, from reassurance to discomfort, on members of each parish community.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Shrine

St. Louis MO

I, for one, see this as an opportunity to (re)create community amid a time of change that goes beyond a weekly gathering in church. A quick glance around our cities, our nation, and the world easily reveals no small amount of struggle, upheaval, and uncertainty– protests over social inequality, natural disasters and climate change (after several warm weeks, it's snowing in Worcester tonight), precarious financial situations at home and abroad. There’s measurable anxiety about how and where all this will end, especially for those who feel that they face such issues and challenges alone.

A key theme of Thanksgiving celebrations is the bond of gratitude and mutual support that families and communities strive to honor at harvest time. The Church’s season of Advent is a period to reflect upon God’s promise to not only sustain our world and our lives, but also to be deeply present within them. The language of our worship and the actions of our faith community hopefully reflects our belief in this truth, and grounds our ability to enact it in our lives. Ideally, all this and more will be found and appreciated in this new translation, and in the communities who gather to use it.