USCCB amendments to ICEL translation of the Missal

USCCB amendments to ICEL translation of the Missal

Gerald has the text of the amendments approved by the US bishops for the new translation of the Roman Missal. Many of them are minor changes in word order or selection or words that have the same literal meaning from the Latin. Others, however, are changes from the literal that, I think, stray from the literal. For example, there’s this change in Eucharistic Prayer I:

Two changes were introduced to the translation of the Proper forms of the Communicantes (OM, no. 86), changing the final lines of the forms for the Nativity of the Lord and throughout the Octave, the Epiphany of the Lord, the Mass of the Paschal Vigil until the Second Sunday of Easter, the Ascension of the Lord, and Pentecost
Sunday:
ICEL: Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ
USCCB: Mother of God and our Lord, Jesus Christ

I think the USCCB rendering makes it seem like she’s Mother of God and Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as if we’re talking about two separate people. Other amendments were reversals of the new translation back to the way it is now. For example:

Eucharistic Prayer III
Only one amendment was made to the translation of the third Eucharistic Prayer (OM, no. 113):
ICEL: Look, we pray, upon your Church’s offering
USCCB: Look, with favor on your Church’s offering

Few, if any, of the amendments are earthshaking, although I am in agreement with others that some of the objections that precipitated the amendments miss the point. Some very qualified commentators, for instance, have pointed out that the use of “dew” in Eucharistic Prayer II has a solid connection to Eucharistic theology and a Scriptural connection the manna in the desert in Exodus.

ICEL: Therefore, make holy these gifts, we pray,
by the dew of your Spirit,
USCCB: Therefore, make holy these gifts, we pray,
by the outpouring of your Spirit,

It will be interesting to see what the Vatican makes of these amendments.

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