The new translation changes the passage from three sentences to one.

In last month’s column we started looking at the changes in the introduction to Eucharistic Prayer III. To make it easier to see the changes, I have placed them side by side (below) and indicated the changes in bold italics.

As I noted last month, the present translation divides this passage into three sentences, whereas the new Missal translates it as one sentence. In the new Missal, “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise” is followed by the word “for,” which is in the Latin original but not in the current text.

This small word expresses an important connection in the thought. Why does all creation rightly give God praise? Because he gives life and holiness to all things, through Christ and the Holy Spirit.

This is an example of why Authentic Liturgy (Liturgiam Authenticam [LA]) insists on the accurate translation of words that express the connection between different ideas: “The theological significance of words expressing causality, purpose, or consequence (such as ut, ideo, enim, and quia) is to be maintained, though different languages may employ varying means for doing so” (No. 57c).

Another difference is the reference to the Holy Spirit. The present text refers to the “the working” of the Spirit; the new Missal refers to “the power and working.” Again, faithfulness to the original Latin highlights an important aspect of the Spirit. St. Paul, for example, refers several times to “the power of the Spirit” (Romans 15:13, 15:19; 1 Corinthians 2:4). One understands why the Church insists that “the original text, insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses” (LA, No. 20).

A little further down, the phrase “all life, all holiness comes from you” has been changed to “you give life to all things and make them holy.” This parallels a change we discussed last month—from “all creation” to “all you have created.”

Both changes emphasize the personal action of God: he creates, he gives life, he sanctifies. The same principle is evident in the phrase “from age to age,” which is now translated as “you never cease,” thus emphasizing God’s constant care and activity, he who “never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121:4).

A final change in this passage is the phrase “from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.” This is a reference to Malachi 1:11: “For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, my name is great among the nations; And everywhere they bring sacrifice to my name, and a pure offering; for great is my name among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

The reference to Malachi is much clearer in the new Missal: “from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.” This is an example of the principle that “the manner of translating the liturgical books should foster a correspondence between the biblical text itself and the liturgical texts of ecclesiastical composition which contain biblical words or allusions” (LA, No. 49).

The introduction to Eucharistic Prayer III in the new Missal enriches our celebration of the Eucharist in a number of ways. It clarifies our motive for praising God. It emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit and the personal action of God in the Mass. Finally, it makes more explicit the reference to Malachi’s prophecy that a pure sacrifice will be offered to the glory of God in every time and place, a prophecy that is fulfilled each time we offer the sacrifice of the Mass.

Present text
Father, you are holy indeed, and all creation rightly gives you praise. All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit. From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.

New text
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.

Father Stice directs the diocesan Worship and Liturgy Office. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.

Tags: The new missal