Diocese of Covington - Messenger at 402 E. 21st Street, Covington, KY 41015 US - Orate, Fratres & Suscipiat Dominus
| Orate, Fratres & Suscipiat Dominus |
This article is one in a weekly series offering insight to the theology of the Mass and the new translation of the Roman Missal. The articles prepare us for the use of the new Roman Missal at Mass beginning Nov. 27, 2011, the first Sunday of Advent. The articles are provided by the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy and written by Father Daniel Schomaker, assistant director. (Note: Words in bold indicate the new translation.) Priest: Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father People: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for our good and the good of all his holy Church. Orate, Fratres & Suscipiat Dominus The fathers of the Second Vatican Council remind us in <<Sacrosanctum Concilium>> that the liturgy is the source and summit of the Christian life, with the Eucharist at the heart of all liturgical prayer. As such, the fully conscious and active participation of the People of God in the liturgy “is the aim to be considered before all else; for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit …” (SC 14) As Catholics, we know that our faith is not devoid of reason, which is why the Council Fathers call on the pastors of souls to “zealously instruct” their people. The Sacred Liturgy is known as the <<theologia prima>> (the first of all theology), for contained within it is the entire deposit of faith. As the community prays the great prayer of the Church, it not only offers the highest form of praise to God, but it also receives the highest form of instruction – in the Sacred Liturgy God visits His people, and they come to know Him. The English translation of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal strives to instruct the faithful more completely about the belief of the Church by using more specific language. In studying the <<Orate, fratres>> one will notice a change from “our sacrifice” to “my sacrifice and yours.” The revised translation separates the priest’s sacrifice from that of the lay faithful in order, first, to express the distinction of roles of those participating the Sacred Liturgy and second, to convey the presence of Jesus Christ in His minister. The priest before the Altar, stands <<in persona Christi capitis>> (in the person of Christ the head), and as such the “my sacrifice” of the priest is truly the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, offered for the redemption of the world. The people’s response in the <<Suscipiat Dominus>> changes very little, only with the addition of the adjective “holy.” However, by changing the statement from “… the good of all his Church” to “… the good of all his holy Church,” the two-fold nature of the liturgy (the glorification of God and the sanctification of His People) finds full expression. Not only do God’s faithful people gather to give praise and glory to the Father, but they also gather in order to be sanctified, to be made holy, so that when our pilgrimage through this life is concluded we may feast at the banquet of the Lamb in Heaven.
for the praise and glory of his name,