New Translation of Mass Reflection #3: Gloria

Regarding the Gloria, there are 4 key translation updates in the Third Roman Missal for our purposes here.  New versions are in bold and underlined below.

1.) The new translation will say: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will."

The previous translation: "Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth."

Reflection: The biblical foundations for this line are from Lk. 2.  This is the birth of Jesus.  Angels appeared to shepherds tending their flock glorifying God.

First point: peace.  There seems to be more of a more spiritual sense of the word "peace" as an interior quality in the new translation use of Lk. 2.  While indeed we should seek world peace on earth (particularly through the period of peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary as spoken of by Our Lady of Fatima), a general peace to his people on earth can connote an external socio-political peace as it is used in the old translation.  The peace of God is not the same as the peace of men. 

Second point: the term "people of good will" receives the emphasis more than God's "people on earth".  God's People -- or People of God -- has a unique sense and meaning in the Old Testament.  For the old covenant, it means the Chosen Race of Israel; for the new covenant, as Vatican II mentioned in Lumen Gentium, it is the baptized New People of God in the Church, the New Israel.  Thus, the People of God are not the same as "people of good will".  There are people of good will who are not necessarily part of the Church or the old Israel.  People of good will typically are those who have not yet heard of Christ yet seek the truth in the dictates of their consciences.

2.) The new translation uses a litany of praises instead of just the following:

"Lord God,
heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you,
we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory."

The old translation above had  3 acts of the Church glorifying God followed by 3 (maybe 4) titles for God.

The new translation has 5 acts of the Church glorifying God followed by 4 titles for God.  It says:

"We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, 
heavenly King,
O God,
almighty Father."

Reflection: This new translation shows the litany of praises and glory for God the Father that is intended to have a sense of being long.  We adore you!  We glorify you!  Et cetera.

When earthly kings are given titles and names, their titles and names are so long....on purpose.  For example, they aren't just a regular "Joe Smith" that you grab a beer with on the weekend, but rather they are "your honorable, excellent, magistrate of the great palace Joseph Smith of some grand land or powerful order of this or that."  You get the idea.

When we are in love with someone for the first time, we rave constantly about them and give them so many honorific titles and honors and just speak the world of them, don't we?  For example, we say something like she is beautiful, wonderful, intelligent, talented, etc.  We just don't leave it at one summarizing word.  We use tons of statements to describe this person's beauty.

One doesn't stop honoring that person over and over and over.  And over and over.  And over.

The idea is kind of the same in the Gloria.

We glorify God since we are a Church in love with the Father.  We give Him glory.


3.) The third update is "Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father...," instead of  "Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God..."


Reflection:

First, "Only Begotten Son" expresses the ancient description of the Son's relationship with the Father.  The Son is the Only Begotten Son.  Even though there is a Pauline sense of us being a "son of God" or even a "daughter of God," we are God's son or daughter by adoption.  Jesus is the "Only Begotten Son," not by adoption like us, but because of who He is as the Father's unique Son.

This describes Jesus's divinity.

Notice how "Only" and "Begotten" are capitalized instead of lower-cased.  This capitalization gives added meaning to the Person of Jesus Christ in relation to His Father.  For us men and women of the world, we have a lower-cased status.  Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of the Father.

No other human being can ever say this.  The new translation highlights Him -- Jesus -- more than us adopted sons and daughters of the Father.  We are not "Only Begotten" because this is reserved for Jesus Christ.

Jesus is Son of the Father the way no one else is a Son of the Father.

4.) The 4th reflection pertains to the following:

"you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us."

Compare the new Third Roman Missal with the translation from the previous Roman Missal which was:

"you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
receive our prayer."

Other than the new lines which are obvious, what is not so obvious to a cursory reading is that the new translation is the plural "sins of the world"  instead of the singular "sin of the world".

Reflection: There are two meanings between "sins" of the world vs. "sin" of the world.

The sins of the world are the individual sins of each person, whereas the singular sin of the world is the collective united sin of the world.  Yes, Jesus takes away the sin of the world, but in this translation the reflection is on Jesus taking away the individual sins of each human person in the world.


CLOSING THOUGHT

I recently heard the Gloria sung using the Third Roman Missal.  For the majority of us who attend Mass in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo), it will sound odd at first singing/chanting it.  But in time, we will acclimate to it.

Glory to God!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

For the Greater Glory of God!

HW: Study the new translations.  Love the Holy Mass!

FULL TEXT OF NEW TRANSLATION OF GLORIA:

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Class dismissed.

A.M.D.G.