CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OUR LADY & ST PETER, LEATHERHEAD   THE SPIRIT OF CATHOLICISM: CONTEMPLATION & COMPASSION, COURTESY & COURAGE 'Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God'.   Micah 6:8 Ever seeking a Grace-filled culture of love.

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• New Missal

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

At last this apostolic greeting has been restored to our Mass!

The Apostle Paul concludes his second letter to Timothy, whom he had left in charge of the church at Ephesus, with the words: " The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you"; and his letter to Philemon, who owned the house in Colossae where the local Christians used to meet, concludes with: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit."

In his 'Homily on the Holy Pentecost', St John Crysostom (347 - 407 AD) wrote:

If the Holy Spirit were not in [your bishop], you would not, recently, when he ascended this holy chair and wished you all peace, have cried out with one accord, "And with your spirit."
You cry out to him like this, not only when he ascends his throne and when he speaks to you and prays for you, but also when he stands at this holy altar to offer the sacrifice. He does not touch what lies on the altar before wishing you the grace of our Lord, and before you have replied to him, "And with your spirit."
By this cry, you are reminded that he who stands at the altar does nothing of himself, and that the gifts that repose on it are not the merits of a man; but that the grace of the Holy Spirit is present and, descending on all, accomplishes this mysterious sacrifice. We indeed see a man, but it is God who acts through him. Nothing human takes place at this holy altar.

The response "Et cum spíritu tuo" or, in Greek, "καὶ μετά τοῦ πνεύματός σου" (And with your spirit) is found in the Liturgies of both East and West, from the earliest days of the Church until the present time.

This response is made only to an ordained minister. When a priest or deacon greets us with "Dominus tecum" (The Lord be with you), we reply "Et cum spíritu tuo." In so doing, we recall the gift of the Holy Spirit he received at ordination; we ask that the Lord Jesus be with the Spirit, as the minister uses the charismatic gifts given to him in ordination. As John Chrysostom wrote: "We indeed see a man, but it is God who acts through him."

The former translation's "And also with you" was clearly imprecise and did not evoke the spiritual and mystical reality of what takes place in the Mass. This, alas, was by no means the only place where the former 'translation' was imprecise, departed from biblical and apostolic language and obscured the spiritual and mystical reality of what takes place.

The new translation of the Mass restores this apostolic greeting and in all other respects is far more accurate, more scriptural and far more theologically sound. Thanks be to God!.

• Click here if (but only if) you
  - are seriously committed to showing your gratitude to our bishops for the new translation,
  - are committed to liturgical catechesis as a means of growing in your understanding and appreciation for the inestimable gift of Holy Mass,
  - and you sincerely pledge to pray earnestly for the conversion of the enemies of Holy Mother Church.

Some links for resources about the new translation:

• Click here for USCCB site the new Missal, which including links to sample texts and to the complete text of the Mass.
• Click here for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales website dedicated to the new translation; it gives text, music and much else.
• Click here for the Diocese of Arundel Brighton information about the new translation
• Click here for a resource which uses video, text, graphics and music to help the user enrich their understanding and deepen their appreciation of the Eucharist.