Thursday, July 11, 2013

And with your spirit


The Church has released a new English Translation of the Roman Missal. It shall be implemented in the Philippine Church starting in the Advent Season of 2012. One of the few changes brought about by the new translation in the way we celebrate the Holy Mass is that the response “And also with you” is replaced by “And with your spirit.”

In some parts of the Holy Mass, the priest greets us by saying “The Lord be with you”. This greeting affirms the presence of the Lord in our midst as a people gathered in worship. It is also a prayerful wish that the Lord continue to abide with us. Our response returns the greeting to the priest with the same prayerful affirmation of the Lord’s presence in him.
The response “And with your spirit” is nearer and more faithful to the original Latin and Greek language of the Liturgy. In Greek, the term “spirit” evokes the best and the most noble in a person. It is, therefore, the most courteous way of addressing a person. “And with your spirit” simply means “and also with you”, but it is the more holistic, more respectful way of returning a greeting, especially in solemn and prayerful occasions like the Holy Mass.

No comments:

Post a Comment