A recent poll discovered that only 23% of Catholics know that the English Mass prayers are about to change. I bet you are one of that 23%, but I bet you don’t know exactly what will change in the New Roman Missal, and why it will change. The most obvious difference will be the response to the priest’s greeting, “The Lord be with you.” After November 27, we are to respond “And with your spirit” rather than “And also with you.” I must say: I’ve been waiting for this better translation of the Mass for 25 years. As seminarians, in 1988, we learned how poor some parts of the current translation is. Since we are so used to them, most of us don’t realize how flat, uninspiring, and in some cases downright incorrect the current prayers can be. The translation from the Latin was done quickly, and let us say, with charity and understanding, that the translators in the 1970s did the best they could with what they had. But over the last ten years, the Church has applied the resources necessary to produce a translation that appropriately communicates the beauty and dignity of the Latin original. We will begin learning and using it in Advent this year. When people say “Mass is boring,” much of it is due to the “boring” translation we’ve been using all these years. I know we will all come to love the new prayers, once we understand them. I encourage you to attend the workshop on the new Mass prayers that I will give this Wednesday at 6:30. Come and hear the beauty of these new prayers we will begin praying at our Masses.

   I write from Madrid, where we have joined 2 million young people for Holy Mass with Pope Benedict. Some of my pictures: