Blessed First Sunday of Lent!

This Lent there has been a change to the ENGLISH translation of the prayers at Mass.

How many words are changing, you ask? One. What word is changing you ask? “One.”

The opening prayer at Mass, (called the “collect” prayer) nearly always concludes as such: “Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.”

However, starting this Lent, the word “one” will be dropped from the prayer, so it will instead read: “Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen”Well woop-dee-doo! Why make this minor change? And why now?

As to why NOW, and why didn’t they change it back in 2010, with the other translation changes, I have no idea.  However as to WHY the change at all, while it does seem minor, it does matter! Here are a few reasons:

1. To be more in conformity with the universal church: The reason for doing it is because the word “ONE” is not in the original Latin from which our translations come from. In fact, even other English-speaking countries do not have the word “one” in their translation of the Liturgy. Part of the beauty of our Catholic (which means “universal”) faith, is exactly that we ARE praying the same things, the same Liturgy in whatever country, in whatever language. In a time of such divisiveness, it seems a good time to remember our unity in prayer as Catholic Christians!
2. To emphasize the Lordship in Christ: While the word ONE” in the prayer is theologically correct, because the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), ARE in fact one, the original wording of prayer was intended to emphasize the LORDSHIP of Jesus Christ, rather than emphasizing the Unity of the Trinity. “Through Our Lord Jesus Christ… GOD forever and ever.” It’s emphasizing that JESUS is GOD, not just a good teacher, or a perfect man, or someone created by God, but is HIMSELF GOD who became incarnate! During Lent, we do try and surrender our disordered and sinful selves ever more fully to the LORDSHIP, of JESUS CHRIST.
3. Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: You may be thinking, “well jeepers, Fr. Kevin, that’s all well and good, but WHY is the Church so METICULOUS and PARTICULAR about the wording of the prayers of the Mass?” The reason is because of an ancient principle from early on in Christianity that we call “Lex Orandi, (“the Law of Prayer”) Lex Credendi,(“The Law of Belief”).” That is to say, the words of WHAT we pray should accurately reflect what we believe! And furthermore, our prayer shapes our beliefs. Thus, throughout the centuries the Church has taken great care that as we formally gather in prayer as the Body of Christ, that the words we say are theologically correct!

So in summary, words matter. And the words we use in Liturgical prayer, matter! Because Liturgy is not meant to merely be prayer that we tailor to our likes and tastes, BUT RATHER, prayer that transforms our own hearts, minds, and souls, that conforms us more fully to God and His vision and Life!

Peace,
-Fr. Kevin