I prayed with Eucharistic Prayer III last night for the first time in the New Age. It was admittedly very cool. Our parish priests have been using II and I exclusively. I’m finding the insistence on “chalice” to be a fussy obstacle. If “cup” is good enough for the laity to sing, it’s certainly good enough for us to hear. This insistence on the linguistic virtues of the Norman Conquest is pretty infantile.
That said, our archdiocese’s vocations awareness director is a fine liturgical presider. Fr David Schatz used Prayer III, and it was very moving. He prayed the words at a careful and stately pace. I didn’t get hung up on about three or four mis-speaks/stumbles because the rest of the proclamation was so elegant. If it were possible to make a good case for the English MR3, at least in the Eucharistic Prayers, I heard it last night.
As I reflect more on MR3, and I compare the language to my daily Lord’s Prayer, I think a good case might be made for this level of language–accurately translated and well-adapted of course–for the Eucharistic Prayers. The presidential prayers are still a jumbled mess, kind of like throwing fruit and a glass of wine into a blender to make a sangria–and including the glass.
Another word on last night’s presider. My wife and I have known him since his seminary days. It is so edifying to see a talented guy come into his own as a priest. It reminded me why I love campus ministry so much, and why I’m going to enjoy it even more in the years to come.
10 February 2012 at 2:09 pm
I have more problems with the proper orations than the Ordo Missae; at least with the Ordo, there is a fair chance of repetition that allows comprehension to be built. Not so with the orations. Hence, I would have translation principles that recognizes the difference between those categories of texts.
Chalice is a clunker. I can’t credibly say it’s an unreasonable choice (and wailing and whining that is is unreasonable doesn’t persuade me it’s unreasonable), but I am not persuaded that it is the *more* reasonable choice in this context, shall we say.
11 February 2012 at 12:31 pm
Hi Todd and Liam,
I’m happy for your experience, T. We’ve happily also had predominantly seamless recitations/cantillations from our guys, and the extraordinary joy of our 78 year old retired resident Msgr. orate with alacrity and cadence that illumines the “elevated” linguistics rather than obscures.
T, since you mentioned “chalice” (celebrant) v. “cup” (faithful), is it out of bounds to re-iterated that the former illustrates the vessel while the latter names the substance of its contents? Please correct me if this is theologically unsound.