Q: I’m looking at the Gospel acclamation for L368, and the Gospel Acclamation listed on the USCCB site reads “You have received a spirit of adoption as sons through which we cry: Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15c) but when I click through to the NAB scripture it links to, that reads “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!”
I’m wondering why the acclamation doesn’t match the scripture, and ultimately where the acclamations come from?
Thank you!
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A: There are several reasons for the discrepancy.
When you click the link, it gives you the entire verse, but the lectionary gives only part of the verse. “8:15bc” means if you could carve the verse up into thirds, the first third is omitted in the versicle.
More tellingly, the translation is different. This is one of the challenges across the liturgical books in English that the USCCB is now prepared to address. The bishops have approved a liturgical bible to be used as the source for all such instances. Just this week we learned that the Vatican has approved the translation, so the bible may now go into production. That will gradually bring cohesion in all instances where Romans 8:15 appears—along with every other verse in the bible. It will lead to a new English translation of the Lectionary for Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, and all other ritual books to come.
Where do these acclamations come from? The versicle appears in the typical edition of the Lectionary for Mass, meaning the original book in Latin, which contains a list of such citations. The English translation is made against it. Throughout Ordinary Time—on weekdays and on Sundays—the versicle is a suggestion. The ones on weekdays such as you cite may be replaced by any other versicle at LM 509. However, I think the suggestions are generally really good.
For more detailed information on the development of the lectionary, see my book Words Without Alloy.