Change

I suppose I am a reverse reactionary when it comes to institutional Church changes in protocols, prayers and procedures. Anything that feels pre-Vatican II immediately gets my sneer and rejection, pretty much out of hand. Two recent changes really made me anxious. The first was the introduction of the new English translation of the Roman Missal – new words for Mass, that were to be more faithful to the original Latin text – yikes! Next we’ll be back to celebrating the Mass in Latin. My parish began using the new text a few weeks ago, and it was sensitively introduced by our terrific priest – he was aware people would be uncomfortable with the new words, if for no other reason than that most of us can pray the Mass by rote. And that was my first thought that maybe it wasn’t all bad – having to think about prayer rather than just reflexively go through the motions could really add meaning to the liturgy. We went through the translation before Mass (and were given no homily, just to keep us all on side). Upon reflection and a few weeks of getting used to it, there’s still a lot that troubles me – the penitential rite goes back to the old mea culpa of “my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault” – ah yes, the drumbeat of Catholic guilt. But some parts are truly beautiful – the reply of “And with your spirit” rather than “And also with you” for one. I think switching to “I” rather than “we” in the Creed is good – definitely makes me think about what I do believe rather than hiding behind shared declaration. In all, thinking about the words we pray and learning about the why rather than just arriving at an opinion reminds me why participating in this blog is so important for me, too – I am woefully under-informed when it comes to Scripture and tend to duck around the passages that make me uncomfortable – having to confront the text of the faith I purport to believe in is essential if I am ever to move anywhere in my faith journey.

The second change is social rather than doctrinal, and still leaves me unsure. Starting in mid-September, the practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays was reinstated for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. I find it uncomfortable even writing this, largely because one of the reasons behind this was to solidify a more Catholic identity – for example, if you were with friends on a Friday, you’d have to mention you couldn’t eat meat. Even during Lent, not eating meat and getting ashes often feels like a showy substitute for real action – it’s not much of a sacrifice, and I’m not sure it has meaning in modern society. But perhaps it does – certainly a large part of the reason I find this uncomfortable is the public identification of Catholicism. But there are aspects of making a more regular sacrifice that feel very important – I live such a privileged and easy life while so many suffer. I’m not sure what the answer for me is, but I am incredibly impressed by the movements in some segments of the Church to live sustainably and in solidarity with the poor (for example, http://www.cafod.org.uk/livesimply). Maybe I need to think about my Friday penance more in that direction, and maybe for a change, try to turn that thinking into doing …