So, the Sovereign Pontiff suggests the Pater Noster needs a rewrite, well we know from the Superior General of the Jesuits no-one had a tape recorder, so it is not possible to know what Jesus actually said, in the same way we don't haver a video of his life, so we have to rely on the Church's collective memory, guided by the Holy Sprit to lead us into all truth.The Gospels though they give slightly different versions of this prayer, they concur with the ancient liturgical form of the prayer which ends, "Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo." in Greek, "καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ." So it is not just the translation the Pope has problems with but the actual text itself. His problem therefore is not with ICEL or some other body but with the Son of God himself.
The Greek means “to bring into” or “to lead into”: it’s in the active voice not the passive therefore it certainly does not mean “do not let”, the Pope's preferred translation. There is an important truth here, God does not merely permit temptation as though we live in a world where Satan is as powerful God and good and evil struggle together, and mankind is pulled hither and thither.
The new French translation uses the passive voice, "let us not fall into temptation", is far from accurate, it suggests that falling into temptation is some kind of unfortunate accident. For a Christian, that is those empowered by the Holy Spirit, to "cry out, "Abba, Father"", a new relationship has been formed, in whichthrough Grace we are empowered by God and no longer in sway of the Tempter, in short, we can resist sin and temptation, even the temptation in the Last Days to defect from the faith.
Regrettably, there seems to be trait in much of His Holinesses theology, where human beings do not receive sufficient grace to overcome sin or live Christian lives: the Blessed Virgin cries out to God that she has been decieved or Jesus has to beg forgiveness from Mary, and the Grace of marriage does not give the strength to live according to Jesus' teaching.
An alteration will obviously add to a sense of change within the Church. Protestant churches seem to have their own translation but what His Holinesses seems to want to do is to change, not merely change words but the very theology, the words, of Christ.
The problem is that the Orthodox Churches will continue with what has been given and the un-Churched will continue with what has always been but the cavalier attitude of the Pope to the explicit teaching of Jesus Christ will wound the Catholic Church for generations and set precedents for further rejection and sidelining of Christ.
If we can't have a Pope fluent in the major liturgical languages, God grant us one who knows when to keep silent!
11 comments:
As I mumble my way through the Rosary I am afraid that more than likely I will use the words of the Our Father as taught me by my mother and also stick with the Holy Ghost when it comes to the Gloria. Mea Culpa.
There is no need for the Pope to start yet another controversy. For hundreds of years we have been saying the same words without any problem. Of course God does not lead us into temptation. We all know that. So why stir up more trouble?. I think he is just an attention seeker tinkering with the Faith for his own vanity.
This Pope is a real problem. The best way to deal with him is to just ignore him as we do with a badly behaved child. Sorry but The Dictator Pope did it for me.
A large Amen (anyone need a translation of that?) to your last sentence, Father.
"Ne nous laissez pas entrer en tentation"
Do not let us enter temptation -
I am entering and not falling (enter - a decisive and voluntary step.
There is something extremely tiresome about a certain type of person constantly lecturing about preserving and respecting the cultural heritage of every group on earth but, at the same time, incessantly tinkering with all of our own traditions.
So very true,And at the same time so sad.God Bless you.
How can we respect a man who introduced the world to the hitherto unknown word 'Coprophagia' I am shocked that he being the Pope could utter such a word.
Here is a man in the chair of Peter saying adulterers can receive Holy Communion. Now he thinks he is qualified to change the words of Our Lord even though they have not caused a problem for hundreds of years
Why should he have anything to say about Scripture? And why should anyone listen to him? His election was defective in that the rules about special interest groups were ignored.
So he is on shaky ground.
I do so like your last sentence Father!I'm with "poly carped" on this one.
Thanks for that Fr Ray. It is useful guidance.
"The problem is that the Orthodox Churches will continue with what has been given"
I suppose we ought not to be surprised that PF rejects that verse of Matt.6, as he has already attempted to set aside Our Lord's teaching on adultery in Matt.5.
Maybe PF doesn't approve of the Sermon on the Mount in general? In which case, surely the Beatitudes will surely be up for personal papal 'amendment'.
Blessed are the Cultural Marxists, for theirs is the Dominant Discourse.
Sorry, I meant to write: " In which case, surely the Beatitudes will *soon* be up for personal papal 'amendment'."
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