Ocampo-Washburn THE1000c   Tags: christian perspectives, theology  

The New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)

Released on March 9, 2011, the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) is the culmination of nearly 20 years of work by a group of nearly 100 scholars and theologians, including bishops, revisers and editors. The NABRE includes a newly revised translation of the entire Old Testament (including the Book of Psalms) along with the 1986 edition of the New Testament. -USCCB

 New Changes to the Roman Missal Can Be Spiritually Uplifting

Bill Gates whose wife Melinda is Catholic might somehow know that the Catholic Church in the entire United States of America would be implementing the new English translation of the  Roman Missal on the first Sunday of Advent, the last weekend of November this year.

If asked to comment on the new changes, Bill Gates might repeat the same words he uttered regarding change but of a different kind: “People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn't they? People feared coal; they feared gas-powered engines... There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear. But with time, people will come to accept their silicon masters.” 

In the same breath, Catholics, sooner or later, will come to accept their new English translation of the Roman Missal, whether wholeheartedly or halfheartedly.  As for me, I cannot waste my precious time on earth getting into arguments and counterarguments over the merits and demerits alone of having to make changes to the Roman Missal.  

Admittedly, there are many Catholics - clergy and laity, theologians, liturgists, and ordinary people of the pew – who have expressed disapproval, disappointment, disagreement, and disgust over the new translation.  If Lao Tzu were here, alive, he would say ever so wisely, “If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.” And he would be right. Many of those who have shown frustration and scorn over the matter of the new Roman Missal have since settled down in quiet resignation.

When asked about my thoughts on the New Roman Missal, I have to say that, in all humility, I have taken a stance that I think would coincide with some very highly spiritual members of the Christian Church from of old.  I get my inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi, 12^th century, two women doctors of the Church – St. Catherine of Siena, 14^th century, St. Teresa of Avila, 16^th century, and a Father of the Church, St. Cyprian of Carthage, 3^rd century.  I feel I am in good company.  

St. Francis of Assisi founded a mendicant order called the Order of Friar Minors. Mendicant comes from the Latin word, mendicans, which means “to beg.” St. Francis and those loyal to his vision were called the Franciscan Spirituals to distinguish them from the Franciscan Conventuals who did not fully embrace the ideals of St. Francis. Bonaventure describes Francis as the “living and actual example of the theology of the cross.” No one came closest to the life and suffering of Jesus than St. Francis of Assisi did.

What Jesus would do, Francis literally did – sold his possessions, gave his money to the poor, and followed Christ.  And for all his saintliness, Francis never wavered in his loyalty to the office of the Pope as the tangible sign of his love for Christ’s Church. In understanding where Francis was coming from, I could not entertain any feelings of frustration towards the new Roman Missal.

St. Catherine of Siena, a Dominican tertiary who lived all her life in the shadow of the Avignon papacy and the Great Schism of the West, spent all her energies in the pursuit of the return of normalcy to the papacy. For Catherine, having the papacy in Avignon, France made a mockery of apostolic succession and worse, when another pope was installed in Rome resulting in two papal seats, Catherine was livid. Catherine’s firm insistence on the unity of the Church as the source of the Church’s identity as the very Church that Christ founded was one reason why I cannot offer any oppositional arguments surrounding the circumstances of the New Roman Missal.   

St. Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, founder of the Discalced Carmelites was a prolific writer for the Counter Reformation. She expended her energies not only in perfecting her own understanding of contemplative prayer but also in actively involving herself towards restoring the moral and spiritual validity of the Catholic Church. To Teresa, the wholeness and oneness of the Church was of extreme importance in its mission of transmitting faithfully the message of Christ.  

The following words of St. Teresa’s provided me with the inspiration to be grateful for the new Roman Missal:  “One of the greatest graces for which I feel myself indebted to Our Lord is, that His Divine Majesty has given me the desire to be obedient; for in this virtue I find most consolation and contentment, it being that which Our Lord recommended by His own example more than any other, and on this account I desire to possess it more than anything else in the world.”  

St. Cyprian was a Bishop of Carthage, described by his biographers as “a mixture of kindness and courage, vigor and steadiness... cheerful but serious,” and very fiercely protective of the purity and unity of the Church. He was highly educated, skilled at oratory, was a prolific and passionate writer and commentator, and died a martyr at the time of the Decian persecution.  

Cyprian wrote “You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother.... God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body.... If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace.”  I am convinced that the sooner we as a church gather around our new Roman Missal in a spirit of gratefulness, the sooner we can achieve the new normal. 

One very involved observer noted about the new translation: “This is only a translation. It is not the translation.”  One last word of wisdom from Niccolo Machiavelli - “One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.”

In other words, the New Roman Missal is not the definitive word. Christianity has flourished for centuries and centuries.  Just when you think Christianity would disappear from the face of the earth, someone or something would come along to change all that.   Paul, Constantine the Great, Augustine, Charles Martel, his grandson Charles the Great (Charlemagne), Justinian, Boniface, Dominic Guzman, and Thomas Aquinas come to mind.   

Change is what you make of it. I choose to adopt and adapt to the best of my faculties, physical and spiritual, the changes that had been implemented in the New Roman Missal. So help me God.  

Perspectives on Christianity is a core course and encompasses many aspects of Christianity with emphasis on the Catholic tradition. This course can be very broad but we will concentrate on the development of Christianity as it parallels the unfolding of Western civilization. Most students take to this historical approach with a more comprehensive understanding of Christianity versus just going directly into doctrine and ritual, worship and morals, etc. without so much as having a cursory knowledge of how Christianity unfolded. In the process, we will speak of many other aspects of Christianity - its foundation, belief system, liturgy, sacred writings and art, various traditions, and related contemporary issues. 

Apart from hard copies distributed in the classroom, the syllabi are posted here in case you misplace your copy. Please choose that which pertains to your class although they are similar. The syllabus is where you will find everything you ever need to know and have to keep in mind regarding this course.

If you have any questions, you can reach me at the proper channels.

Welcome again, and with your cooperation and resolve, this course can fly as smoothly as a kite on any given wind-caressed day.

Sincerely,

Prof. Ocampo-Washburn  

The entire Catholic Church in the US is anticipating the use for the first time of the Revised Roman Missal. This blessed event will be on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.   

The US Catholic Bishops tell us that it was Pope John Paul II who called for a third edition of the Roman Missal during the Jubilee Year 2000.  The revised Missale Romanum will have updated instructions and translations of existing prayers and responses for the celebration of the Mass. In addition, this 3rd edition contains prayers in observance of the feast days of recently canonized saints, additional Prefaces to Eucharistic Prayers, Votive Masses, and other prayers for Various Intentions and Occasions.  

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/roman-missal/

Loyola Press has created a very efficient way of presenting the changes that have been incorporated into the Revised Roman Missal which will start to be used in the United States on November 27.

http://www.loyolapress.com/assets/lp/RomanMissal-changes.pdf

Moreover, Loyola Press has on its website a webinar in 3 parts which anyone can watch to learn about the changes to the Roman Missal. The webinar by Joe Paprocki, DMin is simple and easy to understand. He discusses why and how the changes were being made, and surveys the specific texts that are being revised and the revisions done.   

http://www.loyolapress.com/roman-missal-changes-webinar.htm