He gave an example from the new translation of the Communion Rite, which says, “Blessed are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.”
“For the last 40 years we have erased this heavenly reference in the Communion Rite with our bland translation: Happy are those who are called to his Supper,” he said.
“The Mass is truly a partaking in the worship that St. John saw around the throne and the altar of God,” Bishop Conley noted. “This is not a beautiful idea, but a sacred reality.”
He went on to emphasize that the “essential matter” of the Eucharist is its participation in the liturgy of heaven. “In other words, that’s what the Eucharist is all about. The Eucharist we celebrate on earth has its source in the heavenly liturgy.”
“Yet how many of our people in the pews – how many of our priests at the altar – feel that they are being lifted up to partake in the heavenly liturgy?” he asked. “This is why this new translation is so important.”
The Mass is “not only about praying beautiful words,” Bishop Conley said. “In the liturgy, we are praying to God in the very words of God.”
“They are not words alone, but words that have the power to do great deeds. They are words that can accomplish what they speak of.”
“As Pope Benedict has said, our Eucharistic mystagogy must inspire 'an awareness that one’s life is being progressively transformed by the holy mysteries being celebrated,'” Bishop Conley said.
“That is the great promise of this new translation and new edition of the Missal. The promise of a people nourished and transformed by the sacred mysteries they celebrate.”
Marianne is a journalist with a background in writing and Catholic theology. When not elaborating on the cinematic arts, she enjoys spending time with people, reading thick books and traveling anywhere and everywhere.