Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Change in the Mass

The mass is changing. A new translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, is coming out this November with the start of Advent. This is huge. Why change it after all these years? So that the mass more closely follows the original Latin text. And who says the Catholic church is old fashion & unchanging? :)

"Lectio divina, the practice of prayerfully reading over and meditating upon the words of Scripture, an ancient Catholic tradition, is recommended by the wisest of spiritual directors. It's also a practice one can apply to reading the Roman Missal." OSV Aug 2011.

"The entire Church in the United States has been blessed with this opportunity to deepen its understanding of the Sacred Liturgy, and to appreciate its meaning and importance in our lives."
Here's a web site that was recommended by OSV (Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly) to prepare oneself for this change.
http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/

If you look at the mass without wondering what we do why we do it, all you see is kneeling, standing, recited prayers, blah, blah, blah, it's boring. But, if you learn the why, it's actually quite moving and beautiful. The bells ring to signify transubstantiation. We genuflect & kneel to signify respect & adoration to our king of kings. We recite the aords Jesus taught us to pray.

My favorite of all is the Stations of the Cross. Nothing throughout the year touches me to the core of my being as the 12 Stations. Whether you're Catholic or not, I'd highly encourage you to attend one of these Stations on a Friday night during Lent. It goes through the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus.

So, back to my point, check out the website mentioned above and gear yourself up with the changes that will be taking place Nov. 27th. And learn for yourself the why to dig into a more rich and meaningful prayer life.

No comments:

Post a Comment