Did you receive an invitation to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Neither did I. But wouldn’t it have been special if we had? Invitations to great events like weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries are chances to socialize and celebrate together the blessings that fill our lives with joy.
In the parable we just heard, Jesus observes that many guests refused to come to the wedding banquet, given by the king for his son. Some reacted rudely, coming across as ungrateful or uncaring. Snubbing the king’s invitation was Jesus’ way of pointing out that many people are too busy to find time for God in their lives. Even today, family obligations, business affairs, sports, or lack of interest have taken priority for some, so they too have put God’s invitation on hold or set it aside altogether.
What catches my attention is how the king treats one guest who comes to the wedding, because he is not properly dressed for the occasion. Evidently, more is expected of a guest than mere presence. The unwelcomed guest responded to the king’s invitation on his own terms, instead of the king’s, and for this reason he was expelled from the banquet. God is expecting us to come properly “dressed,” that is, we must be clothed with faith in Christ if we wish to be seated at the eternal banquet.
Feasting at the earthly banquet that we call the Mass is one important invitation we must not pass up. After all, Jesus told us to celebrate this in memory of him. Faith is the wedding garment we must wear in order to enter the mystery we celebrate here.
As you know, we will begin using a new translation of the Mass on the first Sunday of Advent, just weeks away. The bishops have been working on this for years, the first major change since the Mass was first prayed in the vernacular, that is, the language of the congregation, since Vatican II.
One thing that has not changed is the structure of the Mass. The sequence remains the same: the liturgy of the Word, which begins with a penitential rite, followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist. Our postures, sitting, standing, kneeling, singing, listening, and praying remain much the same. What will change are some of the words we hear and say. These new prayers should help us to pray more consciously since we will be thinking more about what we are praying. Change is hard on all of us so we will need to be patient with one another as we adjust to the new translation.
You may be wondering why changes in the present translation are even needed, considering that we have been using the current sacramentary for four decades. The revised translation will better reflect the current Latin edition, enacted by Pope John Paul. The new translation is more accurate and richer. For example, we presently begin the creed by saying, “We believe,” but the Latin text begins, “Credo,” which means “I believe.” I can only speak for myself when professing my faith in God.
The first change you will notice is your response to the celebrant’s greeting, to which you will respond, “And with your spirit.” This simple change is inspired by St. Paul’s closing line in several of his epistles. While the kyrie remains the same, the Confiteor does not, which will have us acknowledging the seriousness of our sin and the sincerity of our contrition. Like the Confiteor, the Gloria has been revised and expanded, so look forward to a new musical rendering of this prayer. The introductory rite ends with the opening prayer, also known as the collect. All of them have been completely retranslated.
To help you handle these changes, we will be placing pew cards in the hymnals. Also, we are providing every family in the parish with a pamphlet, entitled, Understanding the Revised Mass Texts, which you can pick up in the narthex after Mass. It provides a good explanation of the changes from start to finish.
The liturgy of the Word remains pretty much the same but not the Creed, known also as the Profession of Faith. This prayer is our affirmation that Jesus is both divine and human. The most striking change comes when we say that Jesus is consubstantial with the Father. That is a mouthful but we are asserting that Jesus is the same substance as God the Father. Stay tuned for part II on the liturgy of the Eucharist next week.
Change is a part of life. Nothing stays the same. Just think how much our world has changed in the past decade since 9/11. We are not the same Catholic people we were when the language of the Mass was changed from Latin to the vernacular. Hopefully, we have grown in our faith. That is what Jesus had in mind when he mandated that the Mass should be an ongoing experience that feeds us spiritually each week.
Family and business concerns, though they are good things, should not have been the ultimate concern for the guests in the parable nor should they be for us today. Leisure and relaxation are also good but these too cannot usurp the place of God in our lives. So, who or what is our God?
One way to answer that question is to consider how readily we respond to God’s many invitations in our lives, including the Eucharist. For some of us, they have become so routine that we are not fully present while the Mass is being celebrated. Thus, we sometimes forget just how special the Eucharist truly is, that our gifts become for us the real presence of God. As we begin this journey of exploring the revised translation of the Mass, may we come to appreciate that this is no ordinary invitation God has extended to us. This time together at the Lord’s Table enables us to truly thank God for all that we have been blessed with.