What ICEL did to the Novus Ordo Latin Mass

One blog I read regularly (especially for the podcasts which are excellent meditations on the Office of Readings 2nd Reading for the Day from the Fathers) is Fr. Z’s (Zee? Zed?) “What does the prayer really say?”. Since Paul McCain asked for examples of the differences of the Novus Ordo, the 1962 Mass and the ICEL translation of the Novus Ordo, here is a bloody good example of what ICEL did to the new (Novus) latin Mass. He takes this example from the Mass for the Vigil of St John the Baptist (coming up next Sunday night):

POST COMMUNIONEM (ad Missam in Vigilia):
Sacris dapibus satiatos,
beati Ioannis Baptistae nos, Domine,
praeclara comitetur oratio,
et, quem Agnum nostra ablaturum crimina nuntiavit,
ipsum Filium tuum poscat nobis fore placatum.

LITERAL VERSION:
O Lord, may the excellent prayer of blessed John the Baptist
accompany us, filled to satiety with the sacred sacrificial meal,
and may it urge that Your Son Himself,
whom it declared was the Lamb about to take away our offenses,
will be appeased in our regard.

Then Fr Z. gives the ICEL translation and especially warns us: “Keep in mind in follows that I am not making this up”:

ICEL (1973 translation of the 1970MR):
Father,
may the prayers of John the Baptist
lead us to the Lamb of God.
May this eucharist bring us the mercy of Christ.

What a stark example. I can’t wait for the new translations.

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One Response to What ICEL did to the Novus Ordo Latin Mass

  1. Christine says:

    Indeed, it is an exciting time. I, too await the new translations with eagerness.

    It is now widely acknowledged that the vernacular liturgy was compiled hastily in an effort to get it out to the people. Now, the richness of the Latin texts will be restored to the generations that have been deprived of them far too long.

    I was very edified by the comments of Archbishop Coleridge regarding the new Roman Missal.

    Deo gratias!

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