Q: During the Consecration of the
Mass, the priest speaks in Jesus'
name and says: "Take this, all of you, and
drink from it: this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting
covenant. It will be shed for you and for all
so that sins may be forgiven."
Someone told me that the recently
approved translation of this prayer in the
Roman Missal says, "It will be shed for
you and for many so that sins may be forgiven."
Is that true? Why the change? When
will it become effective?
A: This Mass prayer is based on
Mark 14:24 and Matthew 26:28,
both of which use a Greek expression
that means "for many." This Greek
phrase does not appear in Luke's
account of the Last Supper. Although
the Gospel of John has a Last Supper
account, it makes no explicit mention
of the Eucharist because John places
that teaching in Chapter Six of his
Gospel.
Even though the expressions "for
all" and "for many" are different, in
effect they mean the same thing: for all
people. To interpret the phrase "for
many" in some other way would border
on heresy because it would suggest
that Jesus died for the salvation of some
people but not for the salvation of others.
He died for the salvation of each
person. Whether all of them will accept
that salvation is another matter. God's
intention is clear. The expression "for
all" never gave a guarantee of universal
salvation.
Under "Resources" at www.usccb.org/romanmissal, you can find the
Order of the Mass text approved by the
U.S. bishops in 2006 and confirmed
by the Holy See's Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments on June 23, 2008. This
new text is to be used at Mass only
after the Holy See confirms the Roman
Missal's entire third edition, which had
not happened as this column went to
press (late January).
The final set of English translations
for use in the United States was
approved by the U.S. bishops last
November. The U.S. bishops' Office for
Divine Worship estimates that there
will be a year between official confirmation
and the date to begin using the
third edition of the Roman Missal in
the United States.
This interval will enable dioceses to
organize and implement workshops to
explain these changes. In some places,
there were clergy workshops last fall
and more have been scheduled this
spring. All the eucharistic prayers
approved for the United States remain
approved—in new translations.
At the same link cited above, readers
can access the October 17, 2006, letter
of Cardinal Francis Arinze, then prefect
of the congregation, on translating the
expression pro multis ("for many" in
Latin). The cardinal cites a 1974 declaration
of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith that affirms the
validity of Masses celebrated without
using the expression "for many." Some
people had denied that.
The cardinal goes on to note:
"Indeed, the formula 'for all' would
undoubtedly correspond to a correct
interpretation of the Lord's intention
expressed in the text. It is a dogma of
faith that Christ died on the Cross for
all men and women (cf. John 11:52; 2
Corinthians 5:14-15; Titus 2:11; 1 John
2:2)."
The cardinal cites five biblical, liturgical
and theological reasons to use
"for many" and notes the congregation's
instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (2001). It stressed the need for
translations to reflect as closely as possible
the Latin original.
Changes in the third edition of the
Roman Missal will involve not only
the eucharistic prayers but also, for
example, responses by the people
("And with your spirit" instead of "And
also with you") and other prayers, such
as the Nicene Creed ("consubstantial
with the Father" rather than "one in
being with the Father").
This same link notes key events
regarding Mass translations between
Vatican II's Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy (1963) and the present.
Mass prayers have changed over the
centuries, but they have all celebrated
the same paschal mystery of Jesus' passion,
death and resurrection for the
salvation of all people—past, present
and future.
Q: Does the Catholic Church have a
formal position on the Quran,
Islam's holy book? If so, where can I
find that statement?
A: I cannot find an official position
on the Quran as such, but
Vatican II's Declaration on the Relationship
of the Church to Non-Christian Religions states, "The Church has also a
high regard for the Muslims" (#3) and
goes on to explain that statement. Letters
and speeches to Muslim leaders
from Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul
II can be found at www.vatican.va.
Q: I have noticed that some priests
pray aloud some Mass prayers
that other priests pray silently. For example,
I have heard some priests say aloud
while pouring water into the chalice at
the offertory, "By the mystery of this
water and wine may we come to share
in the divinity of Christ, who humbled
himself to share in our humanity." Why
the difference in practice from priest to
priest?
A: In most of the Mass prayers, the
celebrant prays in the name of
the entire assembly—for example, the
opening prayer, the prayer over the
gifts, the prayer after Communion,
plus the preface and the eucharistic
prayer.
The rubrics (directions for celebrating
Mass) in the Sacramentary indicate five
prayers that are to be prayed inaudibly.
The first of them is the one that you
cited. The second is prayed immediately
after offering up the chalice: "Lord
God, we ask you to receive us and be
pleased with the sacrifice we offer you
with humble and contrite hearts." The
third one is prayed immediately before
the priest washes his hands, "Lord,
wash away my iniquity; cleanse me
from my sin."
After the Lamb of God, when the
priest breaks off part of the host and
drops it into the chalice, he says, "May
this mingling of the body and blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life
to us who receive it."
For the fifth prayer, there are two
options. The priest may say: "Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of the living God, by the
will of the Father and the work of the
Holy Spirit your death brought life to
the world. By your holy body and
blood free me from all my sins, and
from every evil. Keep me faithful to
your teaching, and never let me be
parted from you." Or he may say: "Lord
Jesus Christ, with faith in your love
and mercy, I eat your body and drink
your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation,
but health in mind and
body."
This combination of prayers spoken
audibly or inaudibly reminds the priest
that, while he prays in the name of
the entire assembly, he also needs to
pray in his own name—that he not
contradict by personal action what he
is proclaiming in public prayer.
Q: When I pray to Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the saints, I have mental
images of them in order to help me concentrate. That is easy
enough because they have bodies. When I pray to God the Father
or God the Holy Spirit, however, I have difficulty because they have
no bodies.
A: Christian artists, including Michelangelo, have sometimes represented
God the Father as an old man with a white beard.
This might be based on the Ancient One in Daniel 7:9. As you note, God
cannot have a body. In fact, God cannot have gender either because that
would be a limitation on God. Even so, the Bible applies masculine
imagery to God the Father.
The Gospel accounts of Jesus' baptism speak of a voice from heaven
(God the Father—Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22) and a dove (God
the Holy Spirit—Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22). John the Baptist
speaks of a dove coming upon Jesus (John 1:32) and a voice telling him
that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit (1:33). Acts of the Apostles
speaks of the Holy Spirit as coming to the apostles on Pentecost in
tongues of fire that rested on each of them (2:3). The Holy Spirit can also
be symbolized by wind or by water.
God understands how helpful mental images can be for our prayer. As
long as these are rooted in the Bible and we recognize their limits, they
are fine.
If you have a question for Father Pat, please submit it here.
Include your street address for personal replies enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, please. Some answer material must be
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'Shed for All'? 'For Many'?
