I got this question via e-mail from a reader:
Father, I have a question.
At the Invitation to Prayer part of the Mass one of our priests substitutes the word "God" for the word "Him": Instead of "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name…" and "It is right to give him thanks and praise" he says instead "for the praise and glory of God’s name" "it is right to give God thanks and praise,"
Is this allowed and proper? It drives me nuts.
No, it is not proper.
This is, of course, a two edged sword.
The priest ought to use the texts provided by ecclesiastical authority and not make changes according to his own insights.
"But Father! But Father!" some of you are, without a doubt nearly shouting at the screen, "What if the texts we have now are so bad that we can’t stand them?!? Wouldn’t it be better to make a few changes to make the texts stick closer the the Latin original? Isn’t it the Latin that counts and not the vernacular?"
A good point.
For example, we all know that "pro multis" in the consecration of the Precious Blood does NOT mean "for all"! In the past I have , I admit, taken it upon myself to change that "for many" when saying Mass in English. I am pretty sure I shouldn’t have and I don’t anymore. But I did. I just can’t stand that "for all", nor can I stand many other howling problems in the truly wretched lame-duck ICEL version we are still being forced to use.
But I think we have to stick to the rule of law as much as possible in this.
If we say that a "conservative" priest can make changes according to his insights, then it is harder to argue that a "liberal" priest cannot make his own changes.
Alas, I was told in December by Card. Arinze and by Archbp. Ranjith that the new translation probably won’t be ready and released for use for a few more years. Yes, years. Maybe 2011.
This is a real problem and I am a little impatient about this. I cannot see that it should have to take that long. But that is a decision far above my pay grade… just as the approval of the texts presently in use was above my pay grade.
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