Discover the beauty of sacred Scriptures with Hodder’s new Sunday Missal
Back in 2017, Brenda from Bristol captured the hearts – and the mood – of the nation when she was asked her opinion about the snap General Election called by Prime Minister Theresa May. Brenda was out and about, and hadn’t heard anything about it, so her surprise at the news erupted in her acclamation which has been the stuff of Internet memes ever since: “You’re joking – Not another one?!”
I wonder if you had a similar reaction when you heard the missal you bought a few years ago was going to be out of date? “Why does She need to do it?” we might say with Brenda. She – the Church, in this case – has good reason, but it might not be immediately obvious. And – if we’re not following ecclesiastical developments closely because, like Brenda, we have other things to be doing – we might have heard relatively little about it up until a couple of months ago.
But although this all seems to have happened rather suddenly, it is actually the latest development in a long period of planned ‘Liturgical Renewal’ which has been in progress since the Second Vatican Council. I say ‘long’ – and, to some, the 1960s does seem like a long time ago — but in church terms, this is top speed. In the great sweep of church history, Vatican II has “just” finished and we are still in the throes of implementing its teaching. The vision of Vatican II was, in the words of Pope John XXIII, to “throw open the windows of the church so that we can see out and the people can see in.” Among many things newly visible, the Mass was to be said in the vernacular – that is, in our own, everyday language – rather than in Latin, and with the Priest facing the people. And rather than continuing with their own private devotions during Mass, those in the pews were now expected to “participate”.
Participation had always been the expectation, of course, but it was now recognised that “a general restoration of the liturgy” ought to take place so that the Christian people “should be enabled to understand [the rites] with ease and to take part in them fully, actively.” That meant joining in with the acclamations and responses, the songs and gestures. Although the Mass was immediately put into English, the translation was revised in 2011 to render the original Latin more faithfully. And now, in 2024, the Church in England and Wales, and Scotland, is adopting a new version of the scriptures which not only takes account of the latest biblical scholarship, but also is suitable for public proclamation. Attention to scripture is vital in the Christian life. It is “of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy” says the Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium.
Missals and other participation aids exist at the interface between the pilgrim Christian and the God for whom he or she searches. In their very organisation and structure, and even in the layout of the liturgical and scriptural text on the page, a missal should never ‘get in the way’ of your prayer or your relationship with God. The new missal produced at Hodder is designed with exactly this in mind. If you are already in the habit of using a missal, you will naturally want to replace yours for one with the new scriptural text. But if you do not currently use one, think about how it might help you attend more closely to Scripture as you seek to become accustomed to the sounds and cadences of the new translations we are using. Consider using it to read through the Sunday Scriptures in advance and begin a habit of praying with the Readings. If you do this even just a little, you will notice God speaking to you through Scripture with much more clarity than before.
The Hodder Sunday Missal: The Order of Mass
for Sundays publishes on 21 November 2024