The Revised Roman Missal: A Deeper Meaning, but the Same Mass

The Roman Missal, Third Edition, the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, is now being prepared for publication. In the United States, seven publishers (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., Liturgical Press, Liturgy Training Publications, Magnificat, Midwest Theological Forum, USCCB Communications, and World Library Publications) will publish ritual editions and are now advertising their plans and will soon accept pre-orders. The Roman Missal will be implemented in the United States of America on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.  The ritual editions should start arriving in parishes around October 1. - http://usccb.org/romanmissal/

Coverage Provided by the St. Louis Review

The St. Louis Review will be providing extensive coverage of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, as it is implemented in parishes beginning the first weekend of Advent, Nov. 27, 2011. Check for frequent updates, including stories, photos, links to resources, multimedia presentations and more.

Why Change the Words?

A significant change is the revision of the current phrase, “shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven,” to “poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” The imagery of Blood being “poured out” is more vivid than “shed” — it portrays His Blood as true drink (Jn 6:55) and accentuates that Jesus entirely emptied Himself (Phil 2:7) out of love for us.

However, the most noticeable revision in those same lines is the replacement of “for all” with “for many.” At the most basic level, “for many” is a faithful translation of the original Latin phrase, “pro multis.” Moreover, Isaiah 53:12 prophesied that the Messiah would take away “the sins of many,” and Christ Himself also said His Blood would be shed for “many” (Mt 26:28, Mk 14:24). This does not mean that Christ did not die for the sake of all humanity, for that is indisputable from Scripture. Rather, it upholds the reality that each individual must also accept and abide in the grace won by Christ in order to attain eternal life. The recovery of the wording, “for many,” affirms that salvation is not completely automatic.

Nonetheless, it should not be interpreted as overly restrictive, either. The fact that Jesus was addressing only the Apostles in the Upper Room while saying, “for you and for many,” implies far-reaching inclusion — that many more besides the Twelve would benefit from this new covenant.

So, the revised translation of “pro multis” is important, but may require some of the most careful catechesis, due to potential misunderstandings. - www.todayscatholicnews.org/category/missal/