Liturgical Language

Last year about this time

I started posting entries in this blog

about my trip to Juquila

in Oaxaca, Mexico.

My “Road to Juquila” blog entries

will continue this year

as I’ve just recently returned

from a 2nd pilgrimage

to Our Lady’s holy sanctuary.

And,

as always,

my trips to Mexico

fill me with thoughts,

my trips renew and boost my faith,

and visits to various ruins

(this year, Tula and Mitla)

always serve to move me to action.

So,

in the months to come

I’ll post pictures

and generous

Rubi Ramblings

on all of the above.

But right now. . .

. . well. . . right now. ..

let’s discuss Liturgical Language.

Or even,

language in general.

You know,

language changes.

When I was growing up

we never “Googled” anything.

Texting while driving wasn’t a problem.

Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, 

Zune, Wii,

email, hotmail, gmail, 

Skype

blog, blogger, blogging, blogged, blogosphere .. .

. . .none of these words existed.

How about,

using some of those words in a sentence:

"Today I Googled tethering an Iphone to an Ipad."

Although in English,

some in the English speaking world

might not have a clue

as to what that even means!

And when I was growing up

the words to the song were:

“. . and we’ll all feel gay

when Johnny comes marching home.”

When my son sang it in school

a few years back

the language had changed:

“and we’ll all be glad.”

Yes,

language changes.

Vocabulary grows.

And there is an identity

in language.

I’ve worked with immigrants

all of my adult life.

And while those in the mainstream

complain that

“If they want come here

they need to learn English,”

some compassion really needs to take place.

It’s not a resistance

to learning a new language.

It’s about one’s sense of identity.

And this,

for both those in the so called “mainstream”

as well as for those

living in the margins.

There is identity in language.

Language

is a touchy, touchy subject.

The Liturgy has a language all its own.

Really.

It’s not just the words we speak

or listen to,

but the symbols speak.

Even our gestures speak.

Still,

until this week,

I haven’t given much thought

to the changes in liturgical language

for the English speaking world.

OK.

That’s a lie.

I have.

But not in the proper pastoral context.

To tell the truth,

I have been absolutely frustrated

and even angered

by the whole idea.

Only I just didn’t realize it.

I placed a phone call

to a friend of mine

who also works in the area of liturgy.

She put into words

some of those things

that have been hiding in my thoughts.

The change in language

will bear a dollar sign.

New hymnals, new Roman Missals,

workshops and training, etc.

Publishers

will begin to advertise

so as to beat out other publishers in sales.

And there will be work,

much work,

for those

who have already done so much

to make our worship so wonderful.

Liturgical composers

will need to rewrite their works

if they hope to be included

in the next edition

of hymnals and songbooks.

Basically,

they will have to do the work

they have already done

all over again.

We will be asking creative and talented people

to stop their creativity

for a do-over.

The Church certainly has

more than her share of crises right now. . .

. . .declining clergy. . .

. . .church closures. . . abuse scandals. . .

Not to even mention the fact

that the church seems to be dividing herself

into two factions:

liberal and conservative.

And text translation

is what we are worried about???

That’s not logical, Captain Kirk.

Now,

I currently serve in a parish

that is primarily Spanish speaking.

That may be another reason

that I haven’t given serious

pastoral thought

to these changes.

But enough of my inner thoughts

and on to the world of  Church.

There are translation changes

and those who preside,

those who lead music,

those who in any way are involved

in liturgical ministries

need to prepare

and then implement these changes.

The changes are real

and I consider myself

to be among those

who need to prepare

for said change.

It’s time to leave the world

of personal opinion

and travel the road

to Pastoral Thought.

I received an email the other day

and I followed a link in that email.

And,

as things go,

several links later

I was at a parish website

where they actually have a

team for

The Implementation of The Roman Missal.

Well,

they certainly seem to be on the ball!

But that link

was an evangelizing moment for me.

“Everything happens for a reason,”

my friend, Marcy, always says.

There’s a reason I landed at the website.

There’s a reason

(or maybe several reasons)

why the simple title of that committee or team

moved me to write this blog entry.

But more,

I realize that I will play a key role

in the implementation of these changes,

which,

in turn,

means that I have quite a bit of homework before me.

Yeah,

that simple text on that website

was what I call a Juan Diego moment:

Evangelizing those

who think they are already Evangelized.

And, as always,

things that frustrate at first,

things that anger me at first,

are the very things

that move me into action.

I’m an affective person.

Strong emotions

usually bring about creativity

and action.

At least,

it does for me.

And so while I do not understand

what the logic is

that put text translation

above some of the other crises

the Church faces,

I’m also not going to worry about it

too much anymore.

Everything happens for a reason.

And while the reason isn’t clear to me

at this moment in time and space,

I am certain

that the reason or reasons

will be abundantly clear

in the course of Salvation History.

So be it.

“And with your spirit.”

We already respond in this fashion

for the Spanish language liturgy,

“.. .y con tu Espíritu.”

Yeah,

homework.