Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades

  • The Immaculate Conception

    On Thursday, December 8th, the universal Church will celebrate the beautiful Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. This feast has special significance for us since the Immaculate Conception is both the patroness of the United States and the patroness of our diocese.

    The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, at the request of the Bishops of the United States in 1846, was declared patroness of the United States by Pope Pius IX the following year, seven years before the same pontiff proclaimed the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, in 1854. Six years later, on December 8, 1860, when our cathedral in Fort Wayne was consecrated, it was given the title of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

    Lourdes

    As we approach December 8th, my thoughts go back to World Youth Day this past August. On our way to Madrid, the young pilgrims from our diocese and I spent 2 ½ beautiful days in Lourdes as spiritual preparation for World Youth Day. Many of our young people have told me that our time in Lourdes was the highlight of their pilgrimage. It was truly a highlight for me, especially celebrating Holy Mass at the grotto where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette.

    The apparitions in Lourdes took place in 1858. The young Bernadette did not know the identity of the beautiful lady who appeared to her 18 times. When Our Lady appeared to her on March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette asked her name. Mary’s reply, in Bernadette’s native dialect, was I am the Immaculate Conception. In a way, this reply was a kind of confirmation of the dogma defined by Pope Pius IX just four years earlier.

    Lourdes had a powerful impact on me and our young people. It is a holy place where we experienced the joy of our faith in Christ and our spiritual closeness to His Immaculate Mother. It is a place where many miraculous physical cures have occurred. It is also a place where there is much spiritual healing, a place where the sinless Mother of God continues to bring strength and consolation to her beloved children.

    Meaning of the dogma

    These are the words of Blessed (Pope) Pius IX in defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854:

    We declare, proclaim, and define that this dogma is revealed by God and therefore to be firmly and unremittingly believed by all the faithful: namely, the dogma which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege from Almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, was kept free of every stain of original sin.

    Though this dogma was not defined until the 19th century, Mary’s absolute holiness was a belief of Christians since the early centuries of the Church. In the East, there was a feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary celebrated as early as the 7th century. All agreed that Mary was preserved from all personal sin, but through the centuries, especially in the Middle Ages, there was much debate about whether or not Mary had contracted original sin. Some felt that immunity from original sin would compromise the important teaching that original sin had to be remitted by Christ, the Redeemer, and no one could be redeemed apart from Him.

    A theological solution to this dilemma was proposed by Blessed Duns Scotus, a Franciscan theologian of the 13th century. He defended Mary’s privilege of immunity from original sin from the moment of her conception. He explained that this did not detract from the Redemption brought by Christ. Mary too was included in the Redemption and she received it from her Son at the moment of her conception. This is called “preservative redemption.” That is why in the dogmatic definition, the Pope said that Mary’s Immaculate Conception was “a singular grace and privilege from Almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ.” This settled the controversy. The universality of the redemption remains intact. Mary was really redeemed by her Son at the first moment of her existence.

    Mary was truly, as the angel Gabriel announced, “full of grace.” She was accorded the grace of redemption “in view of the merits of her Son.” Why was this? It was part of God’s plan. God destined Mary to become the Mother of his Son. How could she, even for a moment, have been in the power of the devil? The one who was to bring forth the Savior could not have been subject to the corruption that derives from original sin.

    Mary always by our side

    Mary’s holiness is an encouragement for us to seek her help and her protection in our efforts to overcome sin and to grow in holiness. Like us, she has been redeemed by Christ, but in an eminent and a privileged way. In this, she is like a sister to us, as well as our spiritual mother.

    The Blessed Mother is with us in the concrete situations of our lives. She helps and comforts us to face the trials and challenges of daily life. She watches over us from heaven. She guides our steps in the way of her Son. She helps us to make progress in our Christian lives, helps us with her motherly care to follow Jesus.

    May Mary Immaculate accompany us on our Advent journey! May she lead us to know, love, and adore the Son of God who became man in her holy womb!

    Posted on November 30, 2011, to:

  • Africa, Baltimore, Rome

    Archbishop Michael Blume

    As you may have seen in the news, last week (November 18-20), our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, made his second trip as Pope to Africa. He visited the country of Benin. While there, the Holy Father presented an important document, an apostolic exhortation, to the Church in Africa. This exhortation came as a result of the 2009 special Synod of Bishops for Africa. It contains important guidance for the Catholic Church in Africa where the Catholic population has nearly doubled in the past 30 years.

    You may know that the Apostolic Nuncio to Benin (and also to Togo), Archbishop Michael Blume, SVD, is a native of our diocese. He was born and raised in South Bend. He grew up in Our Lady of Hungary Parish and attended Our Lady of Hungary School. At age 14, he entered the seminary and was ordained a priest of the Society of the Divine Word, in 1972.

    As a priest, Archbishop Blume served as a missionary in Ghana, from 1974 to 1990, followed by service in Rome as secretary general of the Society of the Divine Word and then undersecretary to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. He was ordained an archbishop in 2005 when he was appointed apostolic nuncio to Benin and Togo. In this position, Archbishop Blume represents the Holy Father in relations with the Church and the governments in both countries.

    Last summer, while visiting home, Archbishop Blume shared with me some of the busy preparations he was making for the Holy Father’s apostolic visit to Benin. We can be proud that one of the native sons of our diocese is serving the Church and the Holy Father in this important ministry. Let us pray for Archbishop Blume and for our brothers and sisters in the Church in Africa.

    USCCB

    Last week, we had the Plenary Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. Both Bishop D’Arcy and I attended the Assembly meetings. As always, it was good to meet with our brother bishops in prayer, reflection, and collaboration for the good of the Church in our country.

    As usual, we had a full agenda. As Chair of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, I gave an oral report to the bishops on our efforts to strengthen marriage and family life, one of the five Conference priority goals the past few years.

    I reported on the variety of resources we have developed, based on the understanding that protecting and defending marriage as an institution goes hand in hand with strengthening and supporting all those husbands and wives who are trying to live in a relationship that is faithful, fruitful and forever.

    I would like to highlight the 2009 Pastoral Letter of the U.S. Bishops entitled Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan. I highly recommend it for your reading. I would also like to highlight two major public awareness and education campaigns in both English and Spanish. They are the “For Your Marriage” campaign and the “Por Tu Matrimonio” campaign. These campaigns make use of a dedicated website, a Facebook page, a monthly e-newsletter, and a series of radio and television public service announcements. I highly recommend the “For Your Marriage” website to all our married couples and to those preparing for marriage. Since it was launched four years ago, this website has attracted over a million visitors with more than six million page views.

    Though we dealt with several topics during our Baltimore assembly, the most prominent was that of religious liberty. As bishops, we are deeply concerned about threats to religious liberty across our nation, at the federal level and in various states.

    Religious freedom is a basic human right, part of our human dignity. It involves more than being able to worship freely, but also the right to live and express our faith in works of charity, education, and health care. The Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of educational, social, charitable, and health care services in our nation. These services are part of our mission. Increasingly, our freedom to offer these services in accord with our beliefs and values is being threatened. There are many examples on both the state and federal levels. One example: sadly, in several states, diocesan Catholic Charities have had to withdraw from adoption and foster care services because of our fidelity to the Church’s teaching on marriage and family. Another example: the regulations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human services that would mandate coverage of sterilization and contraception, including abortifacients, in all private health care plans. There are many other examples. We must oppose the growing threats to religious liberty in our nation and defend the free exercise of our religion as envisioned by our Founding Fathers and enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution.

    Rome

    Finally, I ask for your prayers as I go to Rome this week to make a presentation at the Vatican on health care in North America. I was called to Rome by the Pontifical Council for Health Care to deliver this address at a meeting during the International Conference on Health Care sponsored by this Council. I am happy that Mr. Albert Gutierrez, President and CEO of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, will also be attending.

    In these early days of Advent, may Our Lord bless you with His grace and peace!

    Posted on November 21, 2011, to:

  • One more week

    New translation

    In the last two issues of our newspaper, I have written about the new English translation of the Mass which we will begin to use next weekend, the First Sunday of Advent. I reflected particularly on the Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass.

    After many years of hard work in preparing the new translation, the Church in English-speaking countries will begin to pray with the new translation of the sacred texts. As you know, the new translation is a more accurate and authentic translation of the Latin text of the Roman Missal. You will notice the more sacral tone, somewhat different from our secular mode of everyday speech. The heightened sense of the sacred in the new translation will hopefully help all of us to experience more fully the Mystery we celebrate at the Eucharist.

    It will take some time to become accustomed to the new translation. It will take practice as well. I think it will give all of us the opportunity to encounter the words of the liturgy afresh.

    The prayers of the sacred liturgy are often steeped in Sacred Scripture. This is even more evident in the new translation, which brings back many passages of Scripture that were removed or modified in the former translation. I think, for example, of the words the priest will now say when he elevates the Sacred Host before Holy Communion: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. The first sentence contains the words of Saint John the Baptist when he announced the coming of Christ (cf. John 1:29). How appropriate it is that, as he shows us the Eucharist, the priest repeats the words of the Precursor of the Lord. As we gaze on the Sacred Host, we are invited to recognize the One who is the Lamb of sacrifice, the Lamb who was slain, who gave his life for us on the cross, whom we are about to receive in Holy Communion.

    Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slain, is also the glorious and victorious Lamb. This is brought to our attention in the second sentence the priest pronounces: Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. These words recall the words of the angel recorded by Saint John in the Book of Revelation: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). The Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the heavenly banquet to be celebrated in the communion of saints. As the Catechism teaches, it is an anticipation of the heavenly glory.

    The response of the people to the priest’s words also comes from Sacred Scripture. The people say together with the priest: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. In these words, we speak to Christ using the faith-filled words of the humble centurion in the Gospel who begged Jesus to heal his dying servant (cf. Luke 7:6-7).  Saying these words, we express our own sentiments before receiving Holy Communion. We strive to have the faith-filled and humble disposition of the centurion as we prepare for Jesus to enter under our roof, our soul. He comes under our roof when we receive him in the Holy Eucharist; he heals us and fills us with grace.

    Advent

    On the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. In this holy season, we ponder again the mystery of our redemption, the coming of Christ, our Redeemer, into the world. The liturgies of Advent direct our attention to both the first coming of the Son of God as a man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the second coming of Christ in glory at the end of time.

    Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, a bishop from the 4th century, wrote the following about the twofold coming of Christ:

    At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels. We look then beyond the first coming and await the second.

    Saint Bernard, an abbot of the 12th century, wrote about a third coming of Christ, an “intermediate” or “middle” coming. This is his coming to us in the present. The Son of God comes to us now in word and in sacrament. He comes to us in the Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Saint Bernard wrote:

    Keep God’s word in this way. Let it enter into your very being, let it take possession of your desires and your whole way of life. Feed on goodness, and your soul will delight in its richness. Remember to eat your bread, or you heart will wither away. Fill your soul with richness and strength.

    If you keep the word of God in this way, it will also keep you. The Son with the Father will come to you.

    As we begin this holy season, let us try to focus on the coming of Christ: His threefold coming. Daily Mass during Advent is a wonderful way to enter into the beauty of this season of grace. Another way is to take some time each day to read the daily readings of the Advent liturgy prayerfully. The daily rosary is another great way to enter into the spirit of the season. It is very easy during December to get caught up in the materialism and frenetic pace of the holiday season, to succumb to the secularization of Christmas. I invite all to make this a truly “holy” season, one in which Christ is at the center of our preparations for Christmas. Then we will be able to celebrate Christmas not just as a “happy holiday,” but as a “blessed feast.”

    I conclude with the Solemn Blessing from the Roman Missal for the season of Advent (the new translation):

    May the almighty and merciful God, by whose grace you have placed your faith in the First Coming of his Only Begotten Son and yearn for his coming again, sanctify you by the radiance of Christ’s Advent and enrich you with his blessing.

    As you run the race of this present life, may he make you firm in faith, joyful in hope and active in charity.

    So that, rejoicing now with devotion at the Redeemer’s coming in the flesh, you may be endowed with the rich reward of eternal life when he comes again in majesty.

    Posted on November 16, 2011, to:

  • Two weeks away

    A page from the new Roman Missal shows a change in the people’s response when the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” The congregation responds, “And with your spirit.” New missals are on the way to parishes throughout the United States for use beginning the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27.

    In just two weeks, we will begin using the beautiful new English translation of the Roman Missal. In last week’s column, I began a reflection on the new translation of the Eucharistic Prayers. As I mentioned, “with the Eucharistic Prayer — the prayer of thanksgiving and consecration — we come to the heart and summit of the celebration” of Mass (CCC 1352).

    I ended last week’s column with a commentary on the new translation of the Institution Narrative (the consecration). I continue now with the words the priest says or chants immediately after the words of consecration: “The mystery of faith.” The priest is inviting the people to affirm that the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice is now present on the altar. The people (not the priest) then respond with one of the three acclamations (which cannot be substituted by any other song, acclamation, or response).

    Here are the words of the three possible acclamations:

    1) “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.”

    2) “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.”

    3) “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.”

    In all three acclamations, the faithful are addressing the Lord and acclaiming the mystery of His saving action that has become present on the altar. Notice that the former acclamation: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again” may no longer be used.

    After the Memorial Acclamation, the priest continues with the part of the Eucharistic Prayer called the “anamnesis,” a Greek word meaning “memorial.” At the end of the Institution Narrative, the priest had repeated the words of Jesus: “Do this in memory of me.” “In the anamnesis … the Church calls to mind the Passion, resurrection, and glorious return of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering of his Son which reconciles us with him” (CCC 1354). The prayer of anamnesis includes a prayer of oblation, the offering of ourselves together with the offering of Christ, the pure and holy victim of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

    Here is the new translation of the Anamnesis prayer from Eucharistic Prayer II:

    “Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you.”

    After the anamnesis come the intercessions. “In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the bishops of the whole world together with their Churches” (CCC 1354).

    I find it very consoling and very important that at every Mass we pray for the faithful departed. At that moment of the Eucharistic Prayer, I always remember my own beloved loved ones who have died. We also pray for the living. At that moment, I often present to the Lord all the people who have asked for my prayers or whom I have promised to pray for.

    The prayers of intercession for the living and the dead, the prayers for the Pope and bishops, as well as the recollection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, remind us of our identity as the Mystical Body of Christ. We are all brothers and sisters united as members of Christ’s Body, giving praise and thanks to God in the celebration of the Eucharist. The new translation of these prayers of intercession is very rich. Here follows the new translation from Eucharist Prayer II:

    Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Benedict our Pope and Kevin our Bishop and all the clergy.

    Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy: welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.”

    It is important to be aware that the Eucharist is never celebrated in isolation. It is always celebrated “in communion with the whole Church, of both heaven and of earth, and that the oblation is made for her and for all her members, living and dead, who are called to participate in the redemption and the salvation purchased by the Body and Blood of Christ” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal #79).

    The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the Doxology, said or sung by the priest, followed by the people acclaiming “Amen.” While announcing the Doxology, the priest lifts up the chalice and paten, a gesture of presenting the sacrifice of Christ and His Church to the Father.

    Here is the new translation of the Doxology:

    Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.”

    When the people acclaim “Amen,” they are giving their assent. As you may know, the word “Amen” is from the Hebrew and means “So be it!”

    I encourage all to continue to prepare well for the use of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, which will begin in just two weeks, on the first Sunday of Advent. May God bless you!

    Posted on November 9, 2011, to:

  • Just three more weeks

    In just three weeks, on the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year, we will begin using the long-anticipated new English translation of the Roman Missal. I look forward with joy and excitement to the beautiful new translation we will be using in our celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

    We need to be ready to pray the new translation which uses language so rich in meaning and content, a truly sacred and sacramental language. It is the language of liturgical prayer, a more elevated language than we use in our ordinary everyday speech.

    Recently, I and many of our priests have been reflecting particularly on the new translations of the Eucharistic Prayers. This is important since we are so accustomed to the present translation, knowing most of the Eucharistic Prayers by heart.

    The Eucharistic Prayer and the Preface

    The Eucharistic Prayer, also called the anaphora, is “the heart and summit of the celebration of the Eucharist” (CCC 1352). It is also referred to as “the Canon of the Mass.” It contains the prayer of thanksgiving and consecration. It begins with the Preface. The new, third edition of the Roman Missal contains some new Prefaces. In these great prayers which introduce the Eucharistic Prayer “the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and sanctification.” (CCC 1352). At the end of the Preface, the whole assembly sings the Sanctus (the Holy, Holy, Holy). To give you a sense of the new translation in comparison to the former translation, here follows the old translation of the Preface, followed by the new translation we will hear on the First Sunday of Advent:

    1970 Translation

    Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. When he humbled himself to come among us as a man, he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago and opened for us the way to salvation. Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in his glory. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise:

    New Translation

    It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago, and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, that, when he comes again in glory and majesty and all is at last made manifest, we who watch for that day may inherit the great promise in which now we dare to hope. And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

    The Epiclesis

    An important part of the Eucharistic Prayers is the Epiclesis (a Greek word meaning “to call upon”), the prayer asking God to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and wine may become the Body and Blood of Christ. Later in the Eucharistic Prayer, after the consecration, the Holy Spirit is invoked again, this time upon the people, petitioning that we become one in the Mystical Body of Christ.

    When the Holy Spirit is called upon the gifts, the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine, a sacramental gesture signifying the descent of the Holy Spirit.

    To give you a sense of the new translation in comparison to the former translation, here follows the old translation of the Epiclesis from the Second Eucharistic Prayer followed by the new translation:

    1970 Translation

    Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

    New Translation

    Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    The mention of dewfall, which is in the Latin text, was dropped in the former translation. It is back and brings to mind several allusions from the Bible. One thinks, for example, of the dew that fell upon the camp of the Israelite people on their journey to the Promised Land. When it evaporated, the manna, the bread from heaven, was revealed. The Eucharist is the new manna, Jesus Christ, the true bread come down from heaven.

    The Institution Narrative

    The Consecration at Mass is that part of the Eucharistic Prayer during which the priest recites Our Lord’s words at the Last Supper instituting the Holy Eucharist. When these words are said, Christ, through the priest, makes His Body and Blood sacramentally present by the power of the Holy Spirit. His sacrifice on the cross offered once for all becomes present on the altar.

    Again, I place here the old translation of the Institution Narrative from the Second Eucharistic Prayer, followed by the new translation:

    1970 Translation

    Before he was given up to death, a death he freely accepted, he took bread and gave you thanks. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you.

    When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.

    New Translation

    At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.

    In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

    Perhaps you immediately notice that the translation has changed from “cup” to “chalice.” Of course, the Latin says “calix,” literally translated as “chalice.” Why this change to the more literal translation? When we hear the word “cup,” we think of an ordinary drinking vessel that we use, for example, for our morning coffee. The vessel used at Mass is more than any ordinary cup. It is something precious, made precious by its contents: the Lord’s Most Precious Blood. Some may object: but Jesus used just an ordinary cup at the Last Supper! We must remember that the Mass is not a mere re-enactment of the Last Supper. As one author states, “While the Mass and its Eucharistic Prayer hearken back to actions of Christ in the upper room some two thousand years ago, that historical action currently exists in heavenly splendor, which is why it can be made present to us at all. The cup of the first Paschal meal in time is now furnished with divine splendors and is ‘the chalice of great joy, of the true feast, for which we all long,’ and it is this divine chalice that our sacramental chalice emulates.”

    Another significant change in translation in the text of the Institution Narrative is the use of “for many,” rather than “for all,” in reference to the Blood Christ poured out. “For many” is a literal translation of the Latin “pro multis,” which is a translation from the institution accounts in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, which say “for many.” Saint Luke’s account says “for you.”

    Does this new translation mean that Christ did not shed his Blood for all people? No. The new translation, however, emphasizes that not everybody accepts the gift of salvation that Christ offers us by the shedding of his Blood. In 2006, the then-Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Francis Arinze, gave this explanation:

    “The expression ‘for many,’ while remaining open to the inclusion of each human person, is reflective also of the fact that this salvation is not brought about in some mechanistic way, without one’s own willing or participation; rather, the believer is invited to accept in faith the gift that is being offered and to receive the supernatural life that is given to those who participate in this mystery, living it out in their lives as well so as to be numbered among the ‘many’ to whom the text refers.”

    I have run out of space and hope to continue reflecting on the new translation of the Eucharistic Prayers in my column next week.

    Posted on November 2, 2011, to: