Creating a ‘sacral vernacular’

By Father Randy Stice

One of the goals of the translation of the new Missal is the development of a sacred style of language, what Authentic Liturgy calls a “sacral vernacular,” a style of English that “will come to be recognized as proper to liturgical language” and “to divine worship” (Nos. 47, 25). This sacral vernacular is “characterized by a vocabulary, syntax, and grammar that are proper to divine worship” (No. 47). This means that the style of English characteristic of the new Missal will differ from that of everyday usage in both word choice and sentence structure.

The development of a sacral vernacular is an example of what linguists call “register,” a recognition that, both in speaking and in writing, we vary the style of language we use in response to the audience, topic, or situation. For example, the language we use with adults differs from the language we use with children. The English of People magazine is quite different from the English of Hemingway, which is different from that of Faulkner. And the language of casual conversation differs from the language used in formal academic or business presentations. These examples illustrate the variety of “registers” used by English speakers.

The same is true of our worship: the language used to and about God is, or ought to be, distinct from other registers. The goal of the translation is “a kind of language which is easily understandable, yet which at the same time preserves these texts’ dignity, beauty, and doctrinal precision. By means of words of praise and adoration that foster reverence and gratitude in the face of God’s majesty, his power, his mercy, and his transcendent nature, the translations will respond to the hunger and thirst for the living God that is experienced by the people of our own time, while contributing also to the dignity and beauty of the liturgical celebration itself” (No. 25).

The goal, in other words, is threefold: a translation that communicates the greatness and mercy of God, gives expression to our innate desire for God, and expresses both God’s character and our desire accurately and beautifully. Balancing all three is not easy.

Perhaps it is not surprising that this is one of the least understood and most often criticized aspects of the new translation. One critic has labeled it “elitist,” “remote from everyday speech,” “unproclaimable,” and “incomprehensible.” Another has described it as “clumsy” and “precious,” citing such phrases as “and with your spirit,” “incarnate of the Virgin Mary,” and “oblation of our service.” Such criticisms ignore, on the one hand, the reality of linguistic registers, and on the other, the fact that the development of a sacral vernacular is a gradual process that may be somewhat uncomfortable at first.

The church recognizes that this will require a period of adjustment. This is not necessarily a negative thing, however, for “a literal translation of terms which may initially sound odd in a vernacular language may for this very reason provoke inquisitiveness in the hearer and provide an occasion for catechesis” (No. 4). The new translation of the Missal is an opportunity to experience the liturgy in a new and fresh way and to reflect on and contemplate the mystery and power of our faith.

Let’s take one example that has been criticized. In the current translation of the Creed we say of Jesus, “he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became Man.” In the new Missal we will say, “he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”

The Incarnation is one of the great mysteries of our faith. The new translation invites us to reflect on this mystery by translating the Latin incarnatus est as “incarnate” instead of the current “was born.” We (including Jesus) have all been born, but only Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, became incarnate.

The Mass is a profound and mysterious encounter between God and man, between a loving Father and his beloved children—a God completely “other” who nevertheless in Christ became like us in all things but sin. The language of this encounter must, therefore, simultaneously express both God’s transcendence and his nearness, the paradox that he dwells in unapproachable light and yet brings us into intimate relationship with the Trinity. This is the purpose and goal of a sacral vernacular.

Father Stice directs the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy.