Selfish Catholics whine lyrical about the English New Mass Translation a year later.

It never ceases to amaze me. People who call themselves Catholic end up turning on the Church when She flexes her authoritative muscles.

An internet article from the U.S. Catholic published early last month reported about a survey they conducted which illustrated that 49% of English-speaking Catholics worldwide find the new translation as, "wooden, tortured, terrible, ridiculous, inaccessible" and, my personal favorite, "abominable." However, from reading this article, it quickly becomes obvious that this apparent 49% of Catholics have deeper issues that they need to deal with, on a host of different levels, before they can even attempt to sully the Holy Mass.

It would seem that these Catholics have three major gripes with the New Translation, according to the article:

"Catholics feel betrayed by church leadership and treated like children thanks to the way the translations were implemented; they're concerned about the theology implied in some of the new wording; and the new words themselves make it difficult to be prayerful because they don't feel natural and are difficult to memorize."

So, they feel betrayed and have been treated like children due to the new translation? I'm going to go out on a limb here and easily state the obvious: the vast majority of these Catholics did no homework outside of church with regards to the new translaton. As a CCD teacher, I am privy to the level of Catholic education that the parents of my students have, time and time again, I've seen several (not all) parents ask me why do we know say "with your spirit" or, my favorite, what does "consubstantial" mean? Was it a big secret that this new translation (which is actually a misnomer since we are now more in line with the original Latin then before) was to become the norm? Didn't anybody inform them of the new differences? Did they just show up to Mass one Sunday and, BOOM, something different? I hardly think that this is the case, what really happened here is very simple: Faithful Catholics forgot to be faithful.

What do I mean by this? Well, this minority of Catholics failed to keep up with the teachings of our Church, period. They didn't proactively engage themselves in finding out why Holy Mother Church is doing what she is doing. Indeed, I had some difficulties with it but, when I researched the reasons behind the changes, it made perfect sense. Ironically, the New Translation is only "new" for English speakers. As a Hispanic-American, all of the Spanish-speaking Masses that I have ever attended, before the new English translation implementaiton, HAVE ALWAYS HAD ALL OF THESE CHANGES! The reason being is that Spanish and Latin have a lot in common so there was never any need to change certain verbiage from Latin to Spanish. Think of it this way, if it sounds weird to say "and with your spirit," ask any Spanish Mass attending Catholic how have they always said it and you'll see that it HAS ALWAYS been, "y con tu espiritu." Here's the same phrase in Latin: "Et cum espiritu tu o," so similar that it was DIRECTLY translated from the original wording to Spanish. This is precisely what the Vatican and the USCCB have done; they have better translated the original words to better reflect the English language.

So, what we have here is simple ignorance of fact coupled with laziness from behind the pew. The article quotes several of these wayward Catholics and what they have to say. Here are some quotes of these disenfranchised "c"atholics. I've added my rebuttals in bold.

Rosemary Keenan of Gwelup, Western Australia:
"I have been disappointed from the outset that so little consultation has been organized between the church leaders and laypeople" In other words, the Shepherds should first consult with the sheep as to how they should be shepherded! What an insult to the dignity of the Magisterium. 

Eric Brown of Louisville, Kentucky:
"The new translation was presented as an edict. The official catechesis looked suspiciously like political propaganda." Really? Political propaganda? Come on! What this "c"atholic is objecting to is the mere fact that the Church has gone, over the last several years toward a more traditionalistic and less heterodox practices (thank God!). Since this new liturgy wording now demands more of him, Mr. Brown has not only taken it as a religious insult but has somehow managed to make the new wording of the Mass more political. What a crock.

Joseph Weber of Arlington Heights, Illinois:
"The new translations have placed the laity further from the center of the eucharistic celebration. We have again become spectators to a 'magic show.'" In other words, the center of the eucharistic celebration is the laity, not Christ, and Mr. Weber hates the traditional Latin Mass! Once again, how insulting. 

At this point, let me make this simple observation: Just how selfish are these people??? Listen to their responses and you'll soon see that the problem isn't in what the Church has done as much as it is what the Church is asking them do! How selfish of Ms. Keenan to make the preposterous and haughty assumption that the bishops need her permission to do right by the faithful! How selfish of Mr. Brown to interject HIS PERSONAL POLITICAL opinions into the Mass, way to make this about you Mr. Brown! And, just how selfish is Mr. Weber in thinking that the Eucharistic Celebration has to be centered around him and everybody else?!?

This is the reason of discontent that these "c"atholics have, they want Jesus and the Mass their way. Let's look at the second excuse they're using to pout about and thumb their nose at the Church.

The second point of malcontent follows the first: 49% of Catholics dislike the wording because of the theology behind it. That's right, the words used mean something that they don't personally like! As if they had a say in the theology itself! According to the article, the main reason why these "c"atholics hate the new translation is because it "doesn't accurately express their relationship to God or what the Mass is about." Again we see that the issue here isn't the Mass' language but, the notion that the Mass should revolve around the laity's whims! According to the 49%, the Mass should there for express their personal relationship with God and, the Mass should be about what they personally like. Let's analyze some more quotes, shall we?

Christina Ross (no country info given):
"The new words take away from the 'we' of celebrating the Eucharist communally to 'I'..." So, now there is no sense of community because the word "we" has been replaced by "I." Well Ms. Ross, riddle me this, are you alone culpable for your eternal destination or, is the whole group supposed to get you to heaven? The reason why we say "I" instead of "we" is because we are proclaiming, not only our faith but, our personal conviction of the truths as taught by the Catholic Church. Don't even think for a minute that any of the dozen set of hands that you shake during the sign of peace will ever get you into Christ's eternal presence, that is up to YOU; through YOUR faith within the Grace of God and as well as by YOUR works and actions, only YOU are responsible for your eternal fate. It is up to the individual "I" to workout their salvation, the group, "we," has no bearing! So, if you choose not to proclaim that YOU personally believe in God the Father Almighty, the Holy Spirit, in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church or if you don't confess that there is only one baptism for the forgiveness of sins as well as looking forward to the resurrection, well then Ms. Ross, what makes you think that the group can make YOU believe it?

Joan Jennings of Baltimore, Maryland:
"I don't like the words for the consecration...Jesus did not use a chalice. It was a cup." Notice how Ms. Jennings says "I don't like," reinforcing yet again my position against these selfish "c"atholics. What Ms. Jennings isn't understanding is that by saying chalice something more is conveyed about Christ, anybody can have a cup but, who are the owners of chalices? Princes, kings and nobility, that is what is being proclaimed here, that Christ is THE king not a common man. 

Eileen Amatrudo of Dowingtown, Pennsylvania:
"Consubstantial! Who talks like that?" Allow me to introduce Ms. Amatrudo to other "crazy" Catholic words that she is all to familiar with:

- Transubstantiation - used by the Church to describe the change in state of the 2 species at consection
- Trinity - a doctrine divised by the early Catholic Church to describe God's communal nature
- Purgatory - a place where souls are purged of their sins before entering heaven (Rev 21:27)
- Homousios - a key term made up in 325 A.D. to describe Christ's Trinitarian nature with God the Father; Homo - "same," ousios - "substance"
- Mass - from the Latin, ite missa est. This literally means, "go, you're dismissed." Why would we call the name of our liturgy as some sort of dismissal? Because it isn't simply a sending away of as much as it is a commissioning! The Mass is a commissioning of the lay faithful to go and spread the good news, the Gospel of Christ.

Therefore, Ms. Amatrudo, in response to your question, it is Christ's ONE and ONLY Church that has the authority to speak, proclaim and talk like that.


Lastly, the final complaint is by far the lynch pin of my argument here. By stating that the new words are difficult to pray to, aren't natural and can't be easily memorized is to simply state the obvious: you're a lazy and apathetic Catholic who only knows one way to pray and depends on memorizing words an motions just to get through Mass. How selfish. To relegate the liturgy to something that you have to memorize instead of know and understand? Really? How pitiful.

Let me ask one last question to all of you "49%ers" out there: what happens when a child simply memorizes a school lesson in preference to actually comprehending and incorporating the lesson? Will that child fully grasp the fundamentals needed to build upon to reach other learning plateaus or, will that child simply slide by with the minimal knowledge that is required in order to pass and, ultimately, never really know why the lesson was taught?

Congratulations, now you know that what you are doing is not spiritually profitable. Don't be a child who memorizes, be an adult who knows and, if you're still a spiritual baby, put away all of your personal and obstructive bulwarks and come to know and accept the truth of the Catholic Church and Her teachings. As St. Peter told the churches of Asia Minor:

"Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander; like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation"

2012 Election...a prelude to the upcoming persecution.

With the election over and done with, it is now time for all devout and practical Catholics - not "c"atholics - to take stock of our current situation. To begin with, the American people have elected a man who, for all intents and purposes, is pro-gay marriage and pro-abortion. Additionally we have the Obama Administration's HHS contraception mandate which directly effects the Catholic Church's 1st Amendment right to believe in what She has always taught. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church in the U.S. is currently embroiled in one of the largest federal lawsuits in U.S. history with over 50 different Catholic institutions listed in the lawsuit itself.

Couple this upcoming storm with several facts: 1) Obama just won re-election, which only serves to emboldens his ideological resolve. 2) Several states, for the first time in history, passed gay marriage via the electorate; which only serves to embolden Obama's ideological resolve. 3) With the prospect of choosing 1 or 2 new Supreme Court Justices, Obama has all the ammunition needed to bend the courts of the U.S. towards pro-death and anti-religious sentiment for at least one generation; which - as you may have already guessed - only serves to embolden his ideological resolve.

Indeed, the time has come for all men and women of the Catholic faith to stand up for the truth no matter how uncomfortable or socially unacceptable it may be, as well as, standing up for the truth that has been proclaimed by Christ's one and only Church for over 2 millennia; The clouds on the horizon might seem a little greyer then they did yesterday but we mustn't quake nor tremble for with us abides the Spirit of Truth and it is our responsibility as the Ecclesia Militans here on earth to fight for our Holy Mother Church, give testament to the Gospel and, if need be, give up our lives for Christ Himself.

As Ephesians 6:12 proclaims:

"For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens."

Our battle as Christians may seem to be against an earthly foe but the real enemy are the powers of darkness and evil which seek our end, blur our vision and hurl us towards destruction. But we shouldn't be afraid, on the contrary, as St. Paul wrote to the Roman church:

"...If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Without a doubt, if the Creator of all is with us in our fight against evil then we cannot fail and, as members of the Catholic Church we can take solace in the words that Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18:

"...you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."

This is my clarion call to all Catholics. Get right with the Church or, get out. For far to long too many cafeteria "c"atholics have been able to find a cozy home within the confines of our Church - picking and choosing what they like from the faith and conveniently doing away with what they don't - it is now time to call them out for what they really are: ignorant and lazy christians. Because as Revelation 3:15-16 demonstrates, halfhearted commitment to the faith is nauseating to Christ:

"I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."

There will be a persecution of us faithful, the question ultimately is whether you stand with Christ or with the persecutors. Whether you choose to stand up for what's right or whether you deem it inappropriate to take action for fear of what people will think about you. Will you defend the right of any religion to practice as they always have or, would you much rather see them changed established dogma to accommodate the current status quo or societal trend?

A choice is soon in coming; choose wisely and know why you've chosen as such, because sooner or later - in this world or in the next - you'll have to give an account as to why you believe what you've chosen to believe and you better be sure that you're right...your eternal destiny might depend on it.