"New Translation Thursday" greetings to all. Feels like a week with two Mondays, doesn't it?
This morning I received the latest edition (May-June 2012) of the Newsletter from the Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship. It contains a short article, "Understanding the Grammar of the Roman Missal, Third Edition."
I think this is a helpful article. It attempts to explain two issues that have apparently been the source of complaints received by the committee. "The Secretariat for Divine Worship offers commentary on two frequently-raised issues: the qui clauses (relative or dependent clauses beginning with the relative pronoun “who”), which are found not only in the proper orations of the Missal but also in the Order of Mass, and the expression quaesumus (usually translated as “we pray”)."
The article goes on to explain the reasons why these particular words were translated as they were from Latin to English, beginning with this: "The complex grammatical structure of the orations was one of the major changes in the style of English used in the new translation of the Missal."
I spent time poring through this article, which was quite complex itself at times. The challenge here, though, is finding ways to help people in our congregations understand the "complex grammatical structure" of these prayers. I can't imagine printing something like this in the parish bulletin. I think the majority of Catholics would get lost or simply lose interest. This is more than a little frustrating for many people. Obviously for some of these prayers, the meaning cannot be instantly grasped upon a first hearing. This is a sad fact. Now we need to set about explaining why the use of the word "who" is actually correct when, to many ears, it just doesn't sound correct. Am I way off base here? While I appreciate the article in the newsletter, it just seems regrettable that such an article needs to have been written in the first place.
I guess I am having one of my "liturgical curmudgeon" days.
Gotta sing. Gotta pray.