Q: Is it permissible for the Paschal Candle to be lit on the Commemoration of all the Faithfully Departed, with memorial candles for the deceased to be lit from it? Please advise. A: There is no legislation permitting it – or forbidding it. We are to light the paschal candle throughout Easter Time and for baptisms and funerals. Some parishes have the custom of lighting it for All Souls Day because it is a commemoration of the faithful departed. The practice is in keeping with the usage of the candle, but if you’re looking for an official “permission”, I cannot …
Koine Greek
Q: Which Greek is used in the original bible scrolls, and where can I learn it? Also, I know there are bibles that have the original Greek with the English transitions right next to it, but which is the best and most reliable edition? A: It’s called Koine Greek, and in Kansas city Rockhurst University offers a class TH3130: http://www.rockhurst.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/theology-religious-studies/courses/ We use the New American Bible Revised Edition for mass, but I’m not sure if it comes with an interlinear translation. There is a Revised New Standard Version interlinear, and it would be fine.
Apologetics
Q: What is “Catholic apologetics”? A: That is generally understood to be a defense of Catholic teaching against those who challenge it. Within the liturgy, apologetics do not have a specific place. We proclaim the scriptures so that people can hear divine revelation. We offer prayers that express the faith of the church. According to the introduction to the lectionary, during the year “the homily sets forth the mysteries of faith and the standards of the Christian life on the basis of the sacred text.” Although some preachers may include apologetics in their homilies, the nature of the homily is less …
Purifying the vessels
Q: We have a new pastor who prefers purifying the vessels after communion at the altar. While I understand that this is an option, he takes between 3-4 minutes to accomplish this. In the meantime, song has ended and the people remain kneeling. He argues that this is a perfect time to close our eyes and be alone with Jesus. Do you have any thoughts regarding this? A: Well, it’s not the way I do things, but it is within the range of possibilities. GIRM 279 says that the credence table is the preferred place for cleansing the vessels, but …
Altar cloth
Q: I have a question about the altar cloth. Our parish’s practice has been to have the wooden altar bare at the start of Mass (other than the seasonally appropriate color strip of cloth that overhangs the altar) then to place the white altar cloth over that as the altar is prepared for the liturgy of the Eucharist. Then a corporal is placed over the altar cloth. After communion the corporal and altar cloth are removed. Is this within the realm of the rubrics or does the altar cloth need to be in place before the beginning of Mass? A: …
Take or receive
Q. In the marriage rite, the revised translation still has the couple say “I take you” but the word in the giving of rings is “accept this ring.” What are the words in Latin? Wouldn’t “I receive you” be better for the consent? A. In Latin, Ego N. accípio te N. in uxórem meam et promítto… I think that the word “take” is retained because of the antiquity of the formula in English. In Colombia, there are 6 different options for the consent. One of them is, “I N., give myself to you, N., as your spouse, and I …
“Dignity” of orders
Q: In the election of the candidates in the ordination rite, what is the Latin word that is translated as “worthy” in English? What are the shades of meaning here? In English, “worthy” has a Pelagian ring to it…. A: It’s dignos. There are other places where the rite speaks of the “dignity” of orders.
Psalm translations
Q: I have a question: the new psalm translations. I take it they will be coming out soon. I hope there will be some time for implementation. A: The psalms are available on the GIA web site: http://www.giamusic.com/sacred_music/RGP/psalmDisplay.cfm. Some musical settings in subscription participation aids are already using them, but we won’t see them in a new lectionary anytime soon.
Easter Vigil Candles
Q: At the Easter Vigil, since now all the lights in the church are turned on at the close of the procession, before the Exultet, is it acceptable for there to be no candles used by the faithful in the pews lighted from the Paschal candle? According to the Roman Missal, the candles are lighted after the second “The Light of Christ” and supposedly are extinguished as soon as the church lights are turned on — which happens even before all the assembly have their candles lighted. Is it permissible to not have the assembly lighting their candles — that …
Reverence for the Altar
Q: For readers approaching the sanctuary in order to go to the ambo: They have already given either a profound bow or a genuflection when in the Entrance procession they approach the sanctuary before going to their pew. (They “mirror” what the presider does.) After the Collect, when the reader leaves his/her pew to approach the sanctuary in order to go to the ambo, do they again give a profound bow to the altar or a simple bow, or to the tabernacle if it is in the sanctuary? When completing the reading, do they bow to the ambo, or the …