And with your Spirit

Excerpts from the book, A Guide to the New Translation of The Mass written by Edward Sri, S.T.D. and printed by Ascension Press in 2011.

One of the most noticeable changes in the Mass is the people’s response to the priest’s greeting, “The Lord be with you.” This new response more adequately reflects the Latin text of the Mass and the language of St. Paul (see Galatians 6:18; Philippians 4:23, and 2 Timothy 4:22). It also more fully expresses an important theological point. When we said, “And also with you”, our response seemed to express an exchange of personal greetings or reciprocal good will.

There is much more to this response. When a man is ordained a priest, the Holy Spirit comes upon him in a unique way, enabling him to perform the sacred rites of the Mass and consecrate the Eucharist. By responding, “And with your spirit”, we acknowledge the Spirit’s activity through the priest during the sacred liturgy.

Begining on the 5th of November, I'll present an indepth look at the Mass in a new section below the Written Assignments section in the right hand column. For now, I'll continue presenting short weekly posts detailing some of the more obvious changes.