Q: I was struck by this post from March 5. I’m hoping it was sent by a priest because it made me feel so much better knowing I was not alone in my thinking about how stilted and awkward the prayers sound. I subscribe to Give Us This Day so I can follow along with the prayers and readings and sometimes they make no sense! It’s so frustrating. Also, I once asked the priest about the word “merit.” He didn’t have an answer.
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A: Thanks for your message.
When I struggled with the word “merit”, it helped me to look it up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word still has problems, in my view, but there’s more to it than meets the ear.