Below, we look at changes to the texts within the Liturgy of the Word. More general questions and answers on the new translation of the Roman Missal are available here, and we have also considered the changes to the Introductory Rites of the Mass.

The Word of the Lord/The Gospel of the Lord
At the end of the First and Second Reading the reader acclaims: “The Word of the Lord” – a direct translation of the Latin “Verbum Domini”. Likewise in the Gospel we see the omission of the words “This is…” making what is proclaimed a very simple acknowledgement of what we have just encountered in the readings and the Gospel – God’s living word to us.

The Creed
The Creed we usually say at Mass is called the Nicene Creed, though the shorter Apostle’s Creed is also included in the Missal. The Nicene Creed was drawn up by a council held in Nicea in the fourth century. In the new edition of the Missal, many changes to this prayer can be noticed. The new translation aims to reflect the original Latin text more faithfully. As the prayer that professes our faith and that is professed by Catholics each Sunday across the world, it is important that we say the same words. Here we note some of the changes.

I believe is a literal translation of the Latin “credo”. In the English translation, unlike in the Latin, this phrase is repeated three times in the course of the prayer to help the flow of the text. While the Creed professes the faith of the entire Church, the use of “I” in this prayer invites us to join our personal faith with that of other believers.

Consubstantial with the Father is an example of a re-introduction of a theological term that may be unfamiliar to many people. What does it mean? At Nicea when they talked about the relationship between the Father and the Son they used the Greek term “homoousios” to describe the unique nature of Jesus. The term expresses our belief that the Son is of the same essential Being and substance as the Father. The Latin term is “consubstantialis” – hence the use of “consubstantial” in the new translation.

By the Holy Spirit was incarnate again reintroduces a time-honoured word that may be unfamiliar to many today. The birth of Jesus has a significance beyond that of any other human birth. The Word became flesh in the womb of Mary, the Son of God was incarnate, assumed human nature.