by Chris McDonnell
The letter from Gerald O’Collins SJ, published recently in the Tablet Journal, has reignited the debate on the impact of the 2011 translation.
Foreign Secretary Gromyko, during the years of the USSR – Western standoff, is reputed to have told the US president during a discussion “But Mr President, I was there.” He had been around so long that he knew the detailed background to many conversations.
O’Collins speaks from a similar position of strength. His Open Letter to the Bishops comes after long years teaching in Rome, in many instances teaching as young men those who are now Bishops in the English-speaking world. He was in Rome during those critical post-Vatican II years and knows well the geography of the place. His plea that they listen to the needs of their people is a welcome voice of support for those who during the time since Advent 2011 have been expressing real concern over the text we have been given. Sacral style is one thing but appreciation of prayer in a language that is reasonable is something else. Prayer should be a welcome into an open space for listening, not a struggle to complete an obstacle course through a dense language jungle.
We have an alternative available in the 1998 text, already agreed by the English speaking bishops until they rolled over in the face of Vox Clara and accepted the present translation. O’Collins notes that “You all know that your Episcopal conferences approved a revised translation completed after 17 years work by the ICEL.” Maybe as a sign of Mercy in the coming designated year of Mercy, we will be freed from the yoke of language that rather than lead us to listen to the merciful Lord acts as a barrier on the way. One practical suggestion I came across on the net was that we should copy the Tablet letter, which is further strongly supported by the Tablet Editorial this week, and send it to our diocesan bishops. Just a thought.
Turning to another matter. It would appear that with the Autumn Synod on the family, moves are already under way in England to put in place a back stop to discussions. Two letters are in circulation signed by a dozen priests, one of which is shortly to be released to the press. They reinforce the traditional doctrines of marriage and sexuality. This coincides with a visit to the UK by Cardinal Raymond Burke when he said any shift in Church teaching on marriage and sexuality was “confused and erroneous.” Maybe this is a gathering of like-minded men who are fearful of reality and who just cannot adjust to a merciful Church that goes beyond the hardened black and white edges and attends to the needs of a pilgrim people. The link to the Tablet article can be found at here.
We are now into the start of the third year of the pontificate of Francis, Bishop of Rome. It has been a momentous period in the life of the Church. People ask when the tipping point comes, when the changes that have been introduced, be they organizational or cultural can no longer be reversed. In some instances that point has already been passed. Elsewhere, there is still a struggle in process to secure the foundations of the 21st Century Church.
Let me conclude with a quotation from Anthony Ruff OSB posted on Pray Tell. After the Papal Mass to mark the 50th anniversary of using the vernacular, Francis reportedly said: “Let us thank the Lord for what he has done in his Church in these 50 years of liturgical reform. It was truly a courageous gesture for the Church to draw near to the people of God so that they are able to understand well what they are doing. This is important for us, to follow the Mass in this way. It is not possible to go backwards. We must always go forward.”
Going forward is important; it is not possible to go back. Maybe we can recover from the stutter on our journey by picking up the threads of the 1998 text. We are where we are, let’s move on together in charity.
Chris McDonnell is a regular reader and commenter at Pray Tell.
Please leave a reply.