the bishops will also have to vote on a new translation of Scripture currently underway, which will become the approved liturgical version of the Bible."
-My biggest question is "Will they be fixing the abysmal state of the Notes and Commentary within the NAB?" Some of them are so awful that I know of several people, personally, who questioned their faith due to the modern "historical-critical scholar" positions stated within that translation. It takes a ton of effort and research presentation to break people out of the hole of disbelief that these notes create.
A great book related to the priest/Candy Crush debacle is Scarcity Brain, by Michael Easter. Very insightful and with much application to the Christian life.
Great Stuff as always. You have my prayers..to keep this going.. as always. Nice picture of the dunes I shall have to be contnent.. as I have chosen NOT to travel for now ( since 2020) - maybe to visit a son far away- but he is coming to see me ...soon... so maybe not. Manipulation of the body ? Money dwindling for Big Projects ( Pharma Church State ) makes the "Life" we knew - "OTHER " legally anyway
I'm delighted JD and Ed take seriously St. Paul's teaching to "pray unceasingly: "rest assured that Ed and I will find our way towards some Old Fashioneds — and that will be praying for you."
I only hope that my pursuit of the perfect old "Fashioned" could be considered an act of prayer.
We spent three nights camping at Great Sand Dunes NP a couple of years ago--campground is at 8500 feet. The stars were awesome since it is so dark there. I hope it doesn't get too crowded. I do remember that the sand gets really, really hot and that it is easy to get lost in the dunes. Fantastic place.
JD - really appreciate your work (and the team). There are numerous places to sample Old Fashions - If you are staying downtown, the bars of the Sealbach and Brown Hotels are nice period pieces.
And please visit St. Louis Bertrand Church 1104 S. 4th Street for 7am or noon Mass and Confessions herard from 11:30 weekdays and Wednesday 6-7pm. Adoration Wednesday 12:30 - 7pm.
JD, you’re certainly correct about snowboarding and skiing being rich men’s sports but it wasn’t always the case. When we started skiing in Aspen in the late 60s, lift tickets were $7.50/day. I get that inflation plays a role, but if even you factor that in, today’s lift ticket should run $64, not a bad deal for a full day’s worth of fun. But Aspen’s one-day tickets are now $244(!), indeed weeding out the average Joe from being able to enjoy a truly exhilarating experience. A real shame.
The ICEL has been one of the biggest problems for Evangelism, Catechesis, and simple Catholic piety in the U.S.A. I offer just one example: “Thomas, called DidyMouse….” Really!??? He was called “the Twin” - because he was IN FACT a twin. A western British (aka Irish) priest said DidyMouse “was his name” (in the British translation of the Gospel). But, you see Fr. West Brit, we translate (or should!) names and other words in Scripture: We call the first Pope… Peter, NOT Cephas, we call Jesus’ Mom … Mary, NOT Miryam. It’s the Gospel of John, NOT Iannis.
This example shows what’s wrong with the ICEL approach - it is very, very british: 10 of the 11 bishops on that committee are british speaking - (heck, maybe the only American on it is, too).
This means the group doesn’t speak or write in American English. In fact, it appears they detest our language. It should be called the International Committee on British in the Liturgy.
Having taught adolescents and young adults the Faith since the 70s, I found they don’t know what terms like ‘before’, ‘divine’, ‘people of God’, (nor DidyMouse) mean when used in the liturgy. “We come before you, Lord” is understood as “we get to church sooner than God does”, “divine” they understand to mean “nice” (as in that dress is divine), and “people of God” doesn’t mean “God’s People”, but only “people about God”. “Our Fawther who art in Heaven “ really does NOT mean an old guy drawing pictures in the clouds.
Once the actual meanings are give to them, the young can:
1- Understand them
2- Consciously (and conscientiously) choose to be Catholic
I, personally, have nothing against the britch language - in its place. (I am very fluent in both britch and SAE, and enjoy British authors (esp. Chesterton and Kipling!). But MY language is NOT britch - it is ‘Standard American English’. It is the language I ‘live’ in - in conversation, debate, combat, love making, economics, in ‘confession wording’ (like when I stub my toe or hammer my thumb). And it is the language I talk to my God in. And the more I talk to God - in MY language! - the less sinful do I speak when engaged in other talk. Being forced to pray at Mass (or in the Breviary) in a foreign language does two bad things: it mentally disjuncts my ‘prayer life’ from my ‘everyday life’ - which should be the same! And it risks consigning God to a small liturgical box on Sunday morning - there to be conveniently ignored the rest of the week (Biden or Pelosi come to mind?).
Liturgical ‘Britophilism’ is Ok - in the British Isles!!!
While I continue to fervently pray (yeah, in SAE) for us to be allowed to pray the Mass in our own language (300 million are all wrong? And to be forced into linguistic jingoism?) I have very little hope that the britch bishops on that committee will allow that. Especially under this America hating pope.
On the other hand, it is good to mentally, intellectually and spiritually distinguish between the profane, vulgar world in which we live as pilgrims and the Kingdom of God in which we ought to live as citizens.
I believe language plays a role in that distinction. And I rather like the more dignified, Roman Missal Third Edition, for example, over the editions immediately following the Second Vatican Council. The Divine Office hymnal is a welcome advancement, and the revised Liturgy of the Hours can't come too soon.
“More dignified” is subjective, and a conversation topic for you and me. My point is that what we might refer to as “dignified” (or pompous according to some) is simply gibberish to many young Americans.
“Leadeth us not into temptation” is a prime example of the problem.
I don't see that phrase in current use in Roman Catholic liturgy.
I appreciate your fervent desire to make Christianity (Catholicism, assumedly) appealing to young people. I believe the problem lies more with parents not providing a religious environment at home and allowing children to be exposed to a rotten culture. Perhaps most importantly, parents ought to instill a love of learning in their children as far as is possible. Discipleship has to ultimately mature into an adult vocation per Saint Paul: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways."
As a successful parent, I agree with the importance of their role in education. Problem is that is not so in our current culture. And one reason is the parents themselves never hear the “Good News” in our language either.
The rottenness in our culture can only be successfully countered with the Good News. Referring to it in an ancient british (Gospel) effectively camouflages it.
In our language that word has come to merely mean “true” or “honest”. See the problem with hiding our Faith in a foreign language?
I honestly don't understand your concern, Stephen.
I simply don't find any good reason to adopt things from the popular culture that degrade Christianity. I find Scripture and the history of Christianity often portrays separating oneself from the popular culture and attaching oneself to a religious community and its culture.
Then we should stop conversing - as I said, I agree with you regarding our Faith standing against cultural corruption (caused by sin).
My ONLY point is that using foreign languages to try and make it better has failed - catastrophically!
And the idea that if we ‘holier than everyone else’ types just more fervently pray in hocus-pocus foreign tongues society will somehow be evangelized is silly.
One of the main reasons for praying in ‘our own’ language is that it has a sanctifying effect on the one who prays.
And that, of course, is the goal of our Faith.
And as St.Paul also wrote, we are not to withdraw from the world, but to engage it so as to evangelize it. And he said he was the servant of the “Good News” (he did not write “gospel”). He communicated the Good News in the everyday language of his hearers. I’m simply advocating for doing that also.
Sorry, everyday language doesn't necessarily educate or inspire. Every field of endeavor has its unique vocabulary. But "gospel" is the everyday word for "euangelion" for most Christians. This conversation could be a Seinfeld episode. It seems to be about nothing!
I’ll follow St.Paul’s example and keep using plain American English to communicate the Good News. Saying “gawspel” doesn’t make it clearer, more profound, nor impressive.
And “most Christians”
Under 40 do NOT know ‘Gospel’ means Good News.
You see, in Britain (East and West) Britglish IS the everyday language. They don’t consider it special. Copying them doesn’t make us special, it just makes us sound pompous.
And here I have been calling the disaster of the current Mass texts latglish, because they certainly aren't in modern American English and are basically unintelligible. Thank you for correcting me, since I do like Latin in its classical place. Britglish it is.
Hi Stephen, I have two major concerns about the argument you put forward. The first, and less serious, is that the translation is somehow very British, to the point it is unintelligible to an American audience. Of the very many valid critiques of the current translation used in Mass, I’m not sure this one is accurate. If individuals are unable to understand the faith because of the usage of “before, of, and divine” as described above, in charity, it is not the translation that is the source of the problem. Those happen to be perfectly acceptable usages in American English. And in the case of divine, that’s actually it’s primary use.
Now, if the ancient Israelites transported the 10 commandments in the boot of a lorry, we might want to table that issue. But until then, I don’t think that’s the problem.
My bigger complaint would be about your demand that all names be translated. This is actually a much trickier subject than you made it appear. Among the examples you provided was Mary, not Miryam. Except that we keep Miriam as Moses’s sister, so your explanation cannot be sufficient. What if, for example, in a polyglot region, Thomas was literally called Didymus by fellow speakers of Aramaic? In that case, it wouldn’t be proper to call him “the twin” because that would lose the author’s intent. Similarly, Barnabas is not translated as “son of encouragement” everywhere, they stick with the transliteration. The largest example of this, however, is the choice of how to translate the name of the prophet Moses said would follow him. Two men fit the description who both have the same name. The first we call Joshua. The Second we call Jesus. But it’s the same name, and yet we expect it to be translated differently.
As a proud colonialist rebel, I am more than willing to consider examples of the Britishness of the current translation that show a disdain for Americans. I’m just not seeing it from your post or my “lived experience” (😂).
Critique accepted. My lived experience was what I listed. The translation prior to the one currently in use did say “twin”. Sticking to transliterations rather than translating is a problem. The point made was that we do not have a good American English translation in our liturgy - and we should, for the points made. Another example that has confused young people here is “deliver us from evil” - which is neither a translation nor a transliteration. In our language it means to take something to somewhere or to give birth. The actual meaning is “rescue us from the evil one”. Seriously, we don’t say that firefighters “deliver” a baby from a burning house when we mean “rescue”. When young people hear “rescue” it grabs their attention because they don’t know that we NEED to be rescued. It goes deeper - pedophilic clergy prefer kids to not understand the Faith in their own language - it facilitated molestation. I will admit that my career in law enforcement amped my desire for intended victims of all kinds of evil to know they need rescuing, and by whom.
The Lord does not require people to worship in only one language. High time we got one of our own.
"Save us from the evil one" is found in various Eastern liturgical texts. Though more often it is "Deliver us from the evil one."
I'm more concerned about the the awful translation "Lead us not into temptation..." The regularly elicits questions, especially from younger folks as to why God would lead us into temptation.
Yes, I know the usage is enshrined in popular piety and has centuries of vernacular use. It is still misleading.
This is opposed to what the original text actually says, "Save us in time of trial..." or "Do not let us be tempted beyond our strength..."
Terrific post and I hope you two get to enjoy Louisville between all the reporting! Although the minor league team is away this week perhaps JD can convince Ed to get his picture next to the 3-story Louisville Slugger bat. The bat factory tour is well worth a visit while there, even if just for the souvenir Slugger mini-bat each visitor gets.
Try to visit the Shrine of St Martin of Tours (https://stmartinoftourslouisville.org/) too...it has the full skeletons of St Magnus and St Bonosa in glass cases under the side alters and 24-hr Eucharistic Adoration! It was also nearly burned to the ground by a mob of Know-Nothings during the Bloody Monday riots of 1855. Last I checked the rector was also the archdiocesan judicial vicar which may explain why the church was recently elevated to a shrine...the canon law around that is interesting in its own right.
I was just going to suggest St Martin's for these reasons! From what I've heard (a friend is friends with one of the cannons of the shrine), the archbishop made it a shrine so they could keep the Latin Mass. And that was justified and possible largely due to the relics of the ancient Roman saints. In any case, it's a beautiful church, well worth a visit, and supposedly the longest continually open Adoration in the country.
I don't know about breakdancing, but here's a sport you can really get into, JD: 𝗣𝗲́𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲. Being the pastime supreme in Le Midi, there was a failed push to get it included at the Paris Olympics.
What's wonderful about pétanque is that it is designed to be played by anyone: men, women, children, athletically-fit, athletically-challenged, and people who don't like to sweat too much.
As a huge plus, if you happen to be drinking an Pastis (or maybe an Old-Fashioned, if you prefer) while playing, that even better.
I have two very practical questions regarding the Liturgy of the Hours translation. Does anyone know if they are going to be or have been addressed?
1. The current translation of the Te Deum reads, "...The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you." It should be "praises" or, to match the Latin, make it all one sentence and retain the 3rd person plural verb.
2. Concluding the citation of Hebrews 8 at verse 3a changes the clear meaning of the Scriptural text (cf., Monday within the Octave of Easter, Evening Prayer, Heb. 8:1b-3a).
The version in the recently published Divine Office Hymnal, which contains the English translations of the Latin hymns from the LofH that were approved as part of the new edition, reads as follows:
"The glorious choir of Apostles sings to you, the the noble company of prophets praises you, the white-robed army of martyrs glorifies you, Holy Church throughout the earth proclaims you, Father of boundless majesty", etc.
Glad I could help. I've been using the Divine Office Hymnal more regularly when I pray the office, it's been great. The only downside is the publisher's use of modern musical notation instead of neumes for the chant melodies.
Thanks so much for the picture of the Sand Dunes, JD. I was a little kid when we lived in the San Luis Valley, in the tiny town of Center. We spent a lot of time there in the years before it was a National Park. Tumbling down those dunes or sliding down them on a piece of cardboard was indeed a lot of fun (it was the 70’s - no such thing as snowboarding, let alone sandboarding). When we move back to northern New Mexico, it was many, many years before I ventured back to El Valle. And it would finally be the summer before I entered seminary in which I would actually summit Blanca, the third highest peak in Colorado, and I believe the state’s southernmost Fourteener. It’s a little slice God’s Country indeed. Thanks for little stroll down Memory Lane.
I will tell a story of a mother (this mother represents us, but I am also writing about a literal family and we have probably all had to deal with inviting literal guests to a literal wedding who refuse to be in the same room), and she has two sons. The older brother has basically rejected the younger brother, who unlike the prodigal son has done nothing to merit this except to have been born, and to take up a lot of attention that used to be his, and to have a voice the older brother cannot bear to hear, and a countenance that the older brother cannot bear to look upon. The older brother silences him whenever they are together, and one will not enter the room if the other is there without a serious reason. Since their mother is a Christian this conduct alarms her and she has said pointedly to the older brother "if you die and your brother is already in heaven will you say: I'm not going, because he is there?" When he answers that he does want to go to heaven and not to hell, she says "well, you had better start practicing now." I can understand the temptation to give snappish answers. But this is no help to him, because she does not tell him how to practice enduring the presence of this brother who affronts all of his senses, and she does not tell him first to love God and then to beg of Him His own love for this brother. It is a problem that can only be solved by grace and divine patience (willingness to suffer.)
I will tell a story also of a mother (this mother represents us again, but I am also writing about a literal family, less common than one which is feuding so I think fewer people have seen it), and she has a daughter who wants to be a man. This daughter has the gentle heart of a woman, which is evident to anyone from the outside, so I don't think people take her seriously when she says it. It's evident to me that a dissatisfaction with one's body is not something a person chooses to feel (these feelings come into one's head: a sadness at gray hair, or wrinkles, or fat, when one looks at oneself, or a sadness at some physical incapacity such as infertility or the loss of a limb, ... or a sadness at brown vs blond hair, straight vs curly hair, small breasts vs larger ones which are not true deficits. It is just a feeling and an unbidden thought.) But when we have feelings and thoughts we choose what to do about them, beginning with whether we dwell on them. In the same way that the older brother dwells on his dislike of every aspect of the physical presence of the younger brother it is possible to dwell on one's dislike of every aspect of one's own physical presence. We might say to this daughter: "O woman! if you die and your little sister the body is already in heaven will you say: I'm not going, because she is there?"
But what are we to say to these children? "You cannot live in this house (the Church) until you love as God does"? There is nowhere else to go. They have to begin as they are now. But with what baby steps are we to help them to grow into Christ? How are we to help them ultimately to embrace and to love what to them *now* is the cross? The only answer that I have is that the mother (this is us, so you should replace every "her" with "your/you") is to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and in great humility to pray "God, when I do the wrong thing (I do not want to, but I know that I will), I demand that you bring a greater good from it than if I had done the right thing (You know You want to)", and to do her best to become a saint, i.e. to allow God to make her into a saint and to thereby transform everyone around her as well. This sounds like a total cop-out and even if you do it it seems deeply frustrating and ineffective 99% of the time (judging by lives of saints and also the actual passion and death of Christ), but it is the only way.
the bishops will also have to vote on a new translation of Scripture currently underway, which will become the approved liturgical version of the Bible."
-My biggest question is "Will they be fixing the abysmal state of the Notes and Commentary within the NAB?" Some of them are so awful that I know of several people, personally, who questioned their faith due to the modern "historical-critical scholar" positions stated within that translation. It takes a ton of effort and research presentation to break people out of the hole of disbelief that these notes create.
How many times and how many different ways are we going to have re-translations of the Scriptures?
Each time we need new lectionaries.for the parishes, new Gospel Books and new compositions for the responsorial psalms and chants.
Well it’s happened once? Since the vulgate?
So a second time (and fifty ish years later) isn’t really going to break too many budgets. 😁
A great book related to the priest/Candy Crush debacle is Scarcity Brain, by Michael Easter. Very insightful and with much application to the Christian life.
Great Stuff as always. You have my prayers..to keep this going.. as always. Nice picture of the dunes I shall have to be contnent.. as I have chosen NOT to travel for now ( since 2020) - maybe to visit a son far away- but he is coming to see me ...soon... so maybe not. Manipulation of the body ? Money dwindling for Big Projects ( Pharma Church State ) makes the "Life" we knew - "OTHER " legally anyway
I have it on a good source* that the youth ministry pastoral plan document will be titled “Pizza and Side-hugs”
[*the source is that it was once revealed to me in a dream]
I'm delighted JD and Ed take seriously St. Paul's teaching to "pray unceasingly: "rest assured that Ed and I will find our way towards some Old Fashioneds — and that will be praying for you."
I only hope that my pursuit of the perfect old "Fashioned" could be considered an act of prayer.
Here's to hoping!
We spent three nights camping at Great Sand Dunes NP a couple of years ago--campground is at 8500 feet. The stars were awesome since it is so dark there. I hope it doesn't get too crowded. I do remember that the sand gets really, really hot and that it is easy to get lost in the dunes. Fantastic place.
JD - really appreciate your work (and the team). There are numerous places to sample Old Fashions - If you are staying downtown, the bars of the Sealbach and Brown Hotels are nice period pieces.
And please visit St. Louis Bertrand Church 1104 S. 4th Street for 7am or noon Mass and Confessions herard from 11:30 weekdays and Wednesday 6-7pm. Adoration Wednesday 12:30 - 7pm.
Enjoy your stay and good luck getting the scoops!
JD, you’re certainly correct about snowboarding and skiing being rich men’s sports but it wasn’t always the case. When we started skiing in Aspen in the late 60s, lift tickets were $7.50/day. I get that inflation plays a role, but if even you factor that in, today’s lift ticket should run $64, not a bad deal for a full day’s worth of fun. But Aspen’s one-day tickets are now $244(!), indeed weeding out the average Joe from being able to enjoy a truly exhilarating experience. A real shame.
That’s per person and you still have to pay to do the actual skiing and buy/rent the gear and clothing and eat and having lodging? Wowzers.
The ICEL has been one of the biggest problems for Evangelism, Catechesis, and simple Catholic piety in the U.S.A. I offer just one example: “Thomas, called DidyMouse….” Really!??? He was called “the Twin” - because he was IN FACT a twin. A western British (aka Irish) priest said DidyMouse “was his name” (in the British translation of the Gospel). But, you see Fr. West Brit, we translate (or should!) names and other words in Scripture: We call the first Pope… Peter, NOT Cephas, we call Jesus’ Mom … Mary, NOT Miryam. It’s the Gospel of John, NOT Iannis.
This example shows what’s wrong with the ICEL approach - it is very, very british: 10 of the 11 bishops on that committee are british speaking - (heck, maybe the only American on it is, too).
This means the group doesn’t speak or write in American English. In fact, it appears they detest our language. It should be called the International Committee on British in the Liturgy.
Having taught adolescents and young adults the Faith since the 70s, I found they don’t know what terms like ‘before’, ‘divine’, ‘people of God’, (nor DidyMouse) mean when used in the liturgy. “We come before you, Lord” is understood as “we get to church sooner than God does”, “divine” they understand to mean “nice” (as in that dress is divine), and “people of God” doesn’t mean “God’s People”, but only “people about God”. “Our Fawther who art in Heaven “ really does NOT mean an old guy drawing pictures in the clouds.
Once the actual meanings are give to them, the young can:
1- Understand them
2- Consciously (and conscientiously) choose to be Catholic
I, personally, have nothing against the britch language - in its place. (I am very fluent in both britch and SAE, and enjoy British authors (esp. Chesterton and Kipling!). But MY language is NOT britch - it is ‘Standard American English’. It is the language I ‘live’ in - in conversation, debate, combat, love making, economics, in ‘confession wording’ (like when I stub my toe or hammer my thumb). And it is the language I talk to my God in. And the more I talk to God - in MY language! - the less sinful do I speak when engaged in other talk. Being forced to pray at Mass (or in the Breviary) in a foreign language does two bad things: it mentally disjuncts my ‘prayer life’ from my ‘everyday life’ - which should be the same! And it risks consigning God to a small liturgical box on Sunday morning - there to be conveniently ignored the rest of the week (Biden or Pelosi come to mind?).
Liturgical ‘Britophilism’ is Ok - in the British Isles!!!
While I continue to fervently pray (yeah, in SAE) for us to be allowed to pray the Mass in our own language (300 million are all wrong? And to be forced into linguistic jingoism?) I have very little hope that the britch bishops on that committee will allow that. Especially under this America hating pope.
On the other hand, it is good to mentally, intellectually and spiritually distinguish between the profane, vulgar world in which we live as pilgrims and the Kingdom of God in which we ought to live as citizens.
I believe language plays a role in that distinction. And I rather like the more dignified, Roman Missal Third Edition, for example, over the editions immediately following the Second Vatican Council. The Divine Office hymnal is a welcome advancement, and the revised Liturgy of the Hours can't come too soon.
“More dignified” is subjective, and a conversation topic for you and me. My point is that what we might refer to as “dignified” (or pompous according to some) is simply gibberish to many young Americans.
“Leadeth us not into temptation” is a prime example of the problem.
I don't see that phrase in current use in Roman Catholic liturgy.
I appreciate your fervent desire to make Christianity (Catholicism, assumedly) appealing to young people. I believe the problem lies more with parents not providing a religious environment at home and allowing children to be exposed to a rotten culture. Perhaps most importantly, parents ought to instill a love of learning in their children as far as is possible. Discipleship has to ultimately mature into an adult vocation per Saint Paul: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways."
It was - obviously - hyperbole.
As a successful parent, I agree with the importance of their role in education. Problem is that is not so in our current culture. And one reason is the parents themselves never hear the “Good News” in our language either.
The rottenness in our culture can only be successfully countered with the Good News. Referring to it in an ancient british (Gospel) effectively camouflages it.
In our language that word has come to merely mean “true” or “honest”. See the problem with hiding our Faith in a foreign language?
I honestly don't understand your concern, Stephen.
I simply don't find any good reason to adopt things from the popular culture that degrade Christianity. I find Scripture and the history of Christianity often portrays separating oneself from the popular culture and attaching oneself to a religious community and its culture.
Then we should stop conversing - as I said, I agree with you regarding our Faith standing against cultural corruption (caused by sin).
My ONLY point is that using foreign languages to try and make it better has failed - catastrophically!
And the idea that if we ‘holier than everyone else’ types just more fervently pray in hocus-pocus foreign tongues society will somehow be evangelized is silly.
One of the main reasons for praying in ‘our own’ language is that it has a sanctifying effect on the one who prays.
And that, of course, is the goal of our Faith.
And as St.Paul also wrote, we are not to withdraw from the world, but to engage it so as to evangelize it. And he said he was the servant of the “Good News” (he did not write “gospel”). He communicated the Good News in the everyday language of his hearers. I’m simply advocating for doing that also.
Sorry, everyday language doesn't necessarily educate or inspire. Every field of endeavor has its unique vocabulary. But "gospel" is the everyday word for "euangelion" for most Christians. This conversation could be a Seinfeld episode. It seems to be about nothing!
I’ll follow St.Paul’s example and keep using plain American English to communicate the Good News. Saying “gawspel” doesn’t make it clearer, more profound, nor impressive.
And “most Christians”
Under 40 do NOT know ‘Gospel’ means Good News.
You see, in Britain (East and West) Britglish IS the everyday language. They don’t consider it special. Copying them doesn’t make us special, it just makes us sound pompous.
And here I have been calling the disaster of the current Mass texts latglish, because they certainly aren't in modern American English and are basically unintelligible. Thank you for correcting me, since I do like Latin in its classical place. Britglish it is.
Brilliant neologism - I’m adding it to my vocabulary!
Hi Stephen, I have two major concerns about the argument you put forward. The first, and less serious, is that the translation is somehow very British, to the point it is unintelligible to an American audience. Of the very many valid critiques of the current translation used in Mass, I’m not sure this one is accurate. If individuals are unable to understand the faith because of the usage of “before, of, and divine” as described above, in charity, it is not the translation that is the source of the problem. Those happen to be perfectly acceptable usages in American English. And in the case of divine, that’s actually it’s primary use.
Now, if the ancient Israelites transported the 10 commandments in the boot of a lorry, we might want to table that issue. But until then, I don’t think that’s the problem.
My bigger complaint would be about your demand that all names be translated. This is actually a much trickier subject than you made it appear. Among the examples you provided was Mary, not Miryam. Except that we keep Miriam as Moses’s sister, so your explanation cannot be sufficient. What if, for example, in a polyglot region, Thomas was literally called Didymus by fellow speakers of Aramaic? In that case, it wouldn’t be proper to call him “the twin” because that would lose the author’s intent. Similarly, Barnabas is not translated as “son of encouragement” everywhere, they stick with the transliteration. The largest example of this, however, is the choice of how to translate the name of the prophet Moses said would follow him. Two men fit the description who both have the same name. The first we call Joshua. The Second we call Jesus. But it’s the same name, and yet we expect it to be translated differently.
As a proud colonialist rebel, I am more than willing to consider examples of the Britishness of the current translation that show a disdain for Americans. I’m just not seeing it from your post or my “lived experience” (😂).
Critique accepted. My lived experience was what I listed. The translation prior to the one currently in use did say “twin”. Sticking to transliterations rather than translating is a problem. The point made was that we do not have a good American English translation in our liturgy - and we should, for the points made. Another example that has confused young people here is “deliver us from evil” - which is neither a translation nor a transliteration. In our language it means to take something to somewhere or to give birth. The actual meaning is “rescue us from the evil one”. Seriously, we don’t say that firefighters “deliver” a baby from a burning house when we mean “rescue”. When young people hear “rescue” it grabs their attention because they don’t know that we NEED to be rescued. It goes deeper - pedophilic clergy prefer kids to not understand the Faith in their own language - it facilitated molestation. I will admit that my career in law enforcement amped my desire for intended victims of all kinds of evil to know they need rescuing, and by whom.
The Lord does not require people to worship in only one language. High time we got one of our own.
"Save us from the evil one" is found in various Eastern liturgical texts. Though more often it is "Deliver us from the evil one."
I'm more concerned about the the awful translation "Lead us not into temptation..." The regularly elicits questions, especially from younger folks as to why God would lead us into temptation.
Yes, I know the usage is enshrined in popular piety and has centuries of vernacular use. It is still misleading.
This is opposed to what the original text actually says, "Save us in time of trial..." or "Do not let us be tempted beyond our strength..."
I pray: “Don’t let us be tested…”
Terrific post and I hope you two get to enjoy Louisville between all the reporting! Although the minor league team is away this week perhaps JD can convince Ed to get his picture next to the 3-story Louisville Slugger bat. The bat factory tour is well worth a visit while there, even if just for the souvenir Slugger mini-bat each visitor gets.
Try to visit the Shrine of St Martin of Tours (https://stmartinoftourslouisville.org/) too...it has the full skeletons of St Magnus and St Bonosa in glass cases under the side alters and 24-hr Eucharistic Adoration! It was also nearly burned to the ground by a mob of Know-Nothings during the Bloody Monday riots of 1855. Last I checked the rector was also the archdiocesan judicial vicar which may explain why the church was recently elevated to a shrine...the canon law around that is interesting in its own right.
I was just going to suggest St Martin's for these reasons! From what I've heard (a friend is friends with one of the cannons of the shrine), the archbishop made it a shrine so they could keep the Latin Mass. And that was justified and possible largely due to the relics of the ancient Roman saints. In any case, it's a beautiful church, well worth a visit, and supposedly the longest continually open Adoration in the country.
I don't know about breakdancing, but here's a sport you can really get into, JD: 𝗣𝗲́𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲. Being the pastime supreme in Le Midi, there was a failed push to get it included at the Paris Olympics.
What's wonderful about pétanque is that it is designed to be played by anyone: men, women, children, athletically-fit, athletically-challenged, and people who don't like to sweat too much.
As a huge plus, if you happen to be drinking an Pastis (or maybe an Old-Fashioned, if you prefer) while playing, that even better.
If only Norm Macdonald were still alive to do a bit about Olympic breakdancing.
I have two very practical questions regarding the Liturgy of the Hours translation. Does anyone know if they are going to be or have been addressed?
1. The current translation of the Te Deum reads, "...The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you." It should be "praises" or, to match the Latin, make it all one sentence and retain the 3rd person plural verb.
2. Concluding the citation of Hebrews 8 at verse 3a changes the clear meaning of the Scriptural text (cf., Monday within the Octave of Easter, Evening Prayer, Heb. 8:1b-3a).
The version in the recently published Divine Office Hymnal, which contains the English translations of the Latin hymns from the LofH that were approved as part of the new edition, reads as follows:
"The glorious choir of Apostles sings to you, the the noble company of prophets praises you, the white-robed army of martyrs glorifies you, Holy Church throughout the earth proclaims you, Father of boundless majesty", etc.
Thank you. You've made me very happy. The first thing that came to mind was, "Te Deum, laudamus. Te Dominum confitemur."
Glad I could help. I've been using the Divine Office Hymnal more regularly when I pray the office, it's been great. The only downside is the publisher's use of modern musical notation instead of neumes for the chant melodies.
JD:
When and where is the meetup during the NEC?
Thanks so much for the picture of the Sand Dunes, JD. I was a little kid when we lived in the San Luis Valley, in the tiny town of Center. We spent a lot of time there in the years before it was a National Park. Tumbling down those dunes or sliding down them on a piece of cardboard was indeed a lot of fun (it was the 70’s - no such thing as snowboarding, let alone sandboarding). When we move back to northern New Mexico, it was many, many years before I ventured back to El Valle. And it would finally be the summer before I entered seminary in which I would actually summit Blanca, the third highest peak in Colorado, and I believe the state’s southernmost Fourteener. It’s a little slice God’s Country indeed. Thanks for little stroll down Memory Lane.
I look forward to coverage of the hermit.
I will tell a story of a mother (this mother represents us, but I am also writing about a literal family and we have probably all had to deal with inviting literal guests to a literal wedding who refuse to be in the same room), and she has two sons. The older brother has basically rejected the younger brother, who unlike the prodigal son has done nothing to merit this except to have been born, and to take up a lot of attention that used to be his, and to have a voice the older brother cannot bear to hear, and a countenance that the older brother cannot bear to look upon. The older brother silences him whenever they are together, and one will not enter the room if the other is there without a serious reason. Since their mother is a Christian this conduct alarms her and she has said pointedly to the older brother "if you die and your brother is already in heaven will you say: I'm not going, because he is there?" When he answers that he does want to go to heaven and not to hell, she says "well, you had better start practicing now." I can understand the temptation to give snappish answers. But this is no help to him, because she does not tell him how to practice enduring the presence of this brother who affronts all of his senses, and she does not tell him first to love God and then to beg of Him His own love for this brother. It is a problem that can only be solved by grace and divine patience (willingness to suffer.)
I will tell a story also of a mother (this mother represents us again, but I am also writing about a literal family, less common than one which is feuding so I think fewer people have seen it), and she has a daughter who wants to be a man. This daughter has the gentle heart of a woman, which is evident to anyone from the outside, so I don't think people take her seriously when she says it. It's evident to me that a dissatisfaction with one's body is not something a person chooses to feel (these feelings come into one's head: a sadness at gray hair, or wrinkles, or fat, when one looks at oneself, or a sadness at some physical incapacity such as infertility or the loss of a limb, ... or a sadness at brown vs blond hair, straight vs curly hair, small breasts vs larger ones which are not true deficits. It is just a feeling and an unbidden thought.) But when we have feelings and thoughts we choose what to do about them, beginning with whether we dwell on them. In the same way that the older brother dwells on his dislike of every aspect of the physical presence of the younger brother it is possible to dwell on one's dislike of every aspect of one's own physical presence. We might say to this daughter: "O woman! if you die and your little sister the body is already in heaven will you say: I'm not going, because she is there?"
But what are we to say to these children? "You cannot live in this house (the Church) until you love as God does"? There is nowhere else to go. They have to begin as they are now. But with what baby steps are we to help them to grow into Christ? How are we to help them ultimately to embrace and to love what to them *now* is the cross? The only answer that I have is that the mother (this is us, so you should replace every "her" with "your/you") is to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and in great humility to pray "God, when I do the wrong thing (I do not want to, but I know that I will), I demand that you bring a greater good from it than if I had done the right thing (You know You want to)", and to do her best to become a saint, i.e. to allow God to make her into a saint and to thereby transform everyone around her as well. This sounds like a total cop-out and even if you do it it seems deeply frustrating and ineffective 99% of the time (judging by lives of saints and also the actual passion and death of Christ), but it is the only way.