The NEW Missal Makes a Direct Hit

This past weekend, the New Roman Missal made a direct hit on english-speaking parishes around the world. A new and what is thought to be a more vibrant and formal translation of the Mass landed in a pew near you. I am sure that some of my initial observations in my own parish are very similar to what greeted the Church around the world...

A LITTLE CONFUSION, BUT CERTAINLY NOT CHAOS:  Like most parishes, ours has a new hymnal with everything you need to follow along.  We've even added the follow along,  "red letter marks the changed language" script and the Mass Music Assembly Booklet.  Its all there, and its probably a tad too much to navigate, but it seemed to have taken only a small portion of the hour for folks to figure out where to look and what to follow.  The fun part was watching the faces of many, many well intended people simply fall back into the routine... "The Lord be with you"... And also with y--, oh.. um... your... And with your spirit!" :)

EVERY BIT OF THE PREPARATION WAS WORTH EVERY SECOND:  I'm sure many parishes within the Church worked very hard for many, many months to prepare for the weekend debut of the New Missal.  Some chose to begin practicing months ago, and others have been studying the reasons behind the changes for a year.  Our parish, like many others, worked throughout the last year praying and deciding on what to do, but began the using the new translation only within the past few weeks, focusing on the Gloria, the Confiteor, and the Nicene Creed.  We made the decision not to debut any new music until this past weekend as well.  I believe that like us, the parishes who waited until the official start time of this past weekend to "do the new Mass" were treated to the value of what comes with that newness and how it compliments the season of Advent.

"WHAT ABOUT THOSE BELLS?"  There a certainly a few nay-sayers in the pews, and some people that just aren't happy with the changes in the New Roman Missal.  Our parish has maintained a relatively "middle of the road" approach when it comes to celebrating the Mass.  The ringing of the bells has not been a usual practice at my parish.  While the use of the bells is certainly NOT part of the change of the Roman Missal, in other words, it is not a required element within the liturgy; adding the ringing of the bells at the two "elevations" of the Eucharistic Prayer came as a little bit of a shock to many in our congregation.  I would say that 85%-90% were pleasantly shocked, and enjoyed or could live with their return.  But like the usual "Bell Curve" (no pun intended), 10% just couldn't believe it.  When confronted by the unhappy, I was challenged to have to defend their re-placement within the liturgy because frankly I don't lose too much sleep over such things, but this is a great example of just how much we have to respect the 10%.  No, this isn't some "Occupy Rally", it's just a simple fact.  Many of our faithful, truly thought through, and have owned their style of worship.  No amount of training or prep classes in understanding the "New Stuff" was gonna make things any easier for these folks.  Their Mass was giving way to a new Mass!  One of our staff members put it quite nicely.  "I am now feeling what some of the older folks must have felt when I was younger, and those changes in the Missal "turned everything around".

So, I'll end by saying that while change is difficult, it is a part of growth, and that is exactly what's happening here... We, the living Body of Christ continues to grow!  We seek to perfect our worship because that's what is asked of us... Not by the Vatican, but by God.  We were created to love and worship Him.  He who fashioned us from the dust, and gave us the breath of life, has given us a chance to express our faith in the best way we know how... And that is what we'll do!

Remain Calm

A note... I have been invited to be a "Guest Responder" in an Online Course on Youth Ministry and the Transition of the New Translation of the Roman Missal (Wow, thats a mouthful) sponsored by my very good friends at the Ministry Training Source. I am reposting my blogs and responses here on the GregBlog... I hope they are useful!

In my almost 23 years in Youth Ministry, and now into my second year in serving the Liturgy, I have certainly learned of the fine line between best laid plans and actual outcomes. I've also been a part of those awesome prayer opportunities and those less than stellar experiences as well, where I solidified the young person's mindset that "church IS boring". Nevertheless, I am excited about the opportunity that lies before us to truly break open what the MASS can truly be for our young people and the many that serve them, especially their families!

Recently I was sent an article by famed composer David Haas. Entitled "Beyond Words", this article is really rooted in an attitude that calls us to "remain calm", and let the Spirit begin to do its work in bringing the english speaking Church towards a greater sense of connection with the power of the Eucharistic Feast, and the fullness of how God will speak to us through His Word, and from His table! I encourage you to read the article and comment on the following basic areas of concern when planning this transition that begins in a few shorts months.

1. Think about the power of words, especially from the perspective of young people... How can we identify the differences between casual and formal language in our ministry? What prayers and programs can we offer that identifies and utilizes each to break open the depths of God's Word and His message to all?

2. The article challenges us "not to over catechize"! How are we to break open the rich heritage of the Mass and the opportunity that comes with this New Translation without over doing it?

3. Brainstorm some ways that we can establish a long-term plan and approach to aiding our youth in growing with this New Translation. A

lso, brainstorm some ideas that could meet Hass' challenge to "celebrate the liturgy well", including opportunities within youth group, mentoring and scripture study settings that can embrace the nature of the purpose for the New Translation.

One of my weakness in ministry is that I tend to over-simplify things, neglecting the possibility that young people (and old alike) really do thirst for the specifics, and the reasons behind change. That baboon in the Lion King, Rafiki, when he hits Simba on the head with his really cool stick, reassures him (and us) that "change is difficult". And while this may be true, and I while may be over simplifying it all, a workshop I attended on the subject labeled the transition as "eating in the dining room"! That helped it all make sense to me. I don't know about your family, but when I was growing up, we only used the dining room on special occasions. This meant we had to dress nice, put those special napkins on out laps, use the nice plates, and of course "sit up straight"! When I was a kid, this all seemed a little silly, so I know how young people (and old alike) will feel when we're asked to use the fancy words, when its easier to just use a word that everyone understands. But, there in lies the opportunity... We enter a special place, where we can seize the opportunity to help make worship something extra special!

David Hass reminds us that participating in the wonderful transition is truly "More Than Words", which, if you recall, was also an awesome song by the early 90's "One Hit Wonder" group Extreme. Enjoy the course! :)