For His Friends

First, a confession. I spent all day in a clinic and in doctors’ offices for regular post-op visits. All went very well on that front. What I was not able to do was watch the live video of the second day of the annual Fall meeting so for these reflections, I am dependent on news reports from CNS and other sources. As you know, EWTN is not carrying the bishops’ meeting this year, gavel to gavel, so it was not possible  for me to record the meeting and watch it this evening. Anyway, here goes.

Most all the action items passed with sizable majorities. While almost every action item had one or two votes against, this preventing a unanimous action of the assembly, I have always held that if the Nicene Creed  (the one we recite and pray at Mass) were placed before the bishops, it too would garner two or three negative votes.

One item which had the largest number of “no” votes was a proposed pastoral letter on marriage. Although the bishops’ National Advisory Council encouraged a “yes” vote on the proposed pastoral, bishops who spoke today felt that while there was nothing wrong with the proposed text, there were some issues and passages which could have been rendered better . The pastoral received five more votes than necessary for passage. The bishops also overwhelmingly approved a revision in the “Ethical and Religious Directives” which guide local bishops, health care facilities, doctors and nurses in hard decisions about medical treatment in an age when technology allows life to be maintained and sustained for years. The Pro-Life Committee saw their work product, a statement on life and birth in a technological age pass by a wide margin. All of these actions are available to you now on the USCCB web site.

The long work on a new translation of the Roman Missal is over and now Rome’s approval is awaited. Sometime in 2011, the new Missal will be implemented in the English speaking world. We will have to get use to some new language and there will be a period of catechesis in 2010 and early 2011 which I and our priests will lead to get you ready for the changes.

Finally, several bishops came to the defense of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development whose collection will be taken up this coming week-end in churches throughout the U.S. Founded about 30 years ago, CCHD has given grants to many organizations and agencies and sponsored an education program on the roots of poverty. Conservatively oriented Catholics have beeb taking shots at CCHD since its inception. Several years ago it was learned that a grant recipient was ACORN which was involved in projects not in accord with Catholic teaching. Several years ago before the US Government and Congress became aware of ACORN’s malfeasance, CCHD had dropped all support for this organization. I personally believe in and support CCHD and feel that our bishops’ committee  has acted responsibly with regard to this challenge.

That’s it from m perspective. Some final thoughts and notes on the meeting tomorrow.

+RNL

I had occasion this Sunday to attend Mass where the new translations of the Order of Mass were in use already. Or perhaps I should say that the new translation of the Nicene Creed was being used. After the homily the priest presider took his seat and when he stood up to begin the Creed, he and everyone in the Church scurried to find the text of the now familiar prayer. Directed to follow a slavish translation of the Latin text, “Credo in unum Deum” which for years we have been saying, “We believe in one God” is now “I believe in one God….” and thereby becomes a personal faith affirmation rather than an affirmation of the whole assembly. “One in being with the Father” is now translated “Consubstantial with the Father” and so on. One nice change is that “for us men and our salvation” is rendered “for us and for our salvation.” When the Creed was ended, everyone including the priest scurried to put away the “cheat sheet” until next it would be needed.

I have no delusions that in time the new translation will be a part and parcel of the praying community’s memory just as the prayers are now to which we have grown so accustomed but I am not sure I will live long enough in my case.

At the end of the Eucharist I asked the priest what he and his people thought of the new translation. His response, speaking for himself and for the people, is not printable here.

Nonetheless, it is coming and coming soon to the United States. At this November’s meeting the bishops of the United States will be asked to approve the final segments of the translation and submit them to Rome for what is called a “recognitio” and then a date, maybe the first Sunday of Advent in 2010 0r some other time in 2011 we will begin to use them in our celebrations of the Mass. The Our Father remains unchanged but we will have to get used to some other things. I predict windfall profits for the missaelette people, missal people and others who will produce, distribute and sell the “cheat sheets” which we will all need for some time.

+RNL

Today publicly began at 630am for me with a concelebrated Mass followed by a 90 minute breakfast meeting and it ended at 615pm when the final public session of this meeting was gaveled to a conclusion. It was a long and tedious day for all the bishops with very focused discussions among ourselves and then some action items and elections voted on. On the day when the Conference usually votes on elected offices and action items, it has been the recent custom to engage an electronic voting service whereby each bishop is allocated one wireless voting machine and the results are calculated and announced almost instantaneously. Well, shortly into our first vote, the machines malfunctioned and we had to use paper ballots. We Florida bishops were blamed by some for the voting irregularities and the length of time it took to announce results.

(more…)