Classic Catholic

And to illustrate my previous point...
There is this guy who sits behind me in Mass who doesn't like the words that are printed in the missal, so he says his own. No, I'm not talking about changes to so-called "inclusive" language, I'm talking about using some translation of a prayer that is more literal than the ICEL we are saddled with.

It sounds something like this: "May the Lord accept this holy sacrifice from your hands, to the praise and glory of his Holy Name, for our good, and for the good of His Holy, Catholic Church." And then there are those who say, "Lord, I am not worthy to take you under my roof; only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

You probably know by now I don't much like ICEL translations, but I don't think there is any more warrant for a worshipper to change the words we are given than there is for a priest to do so. I'm not arguing the merits of the ideosyncratic translations. Often they are in fact better than the one that ICEL has made. But, we have an office (munus) when we participate in the Mass, and that is to use the text we are given, not to use the text we wish we had been given.

And keep praying for a better translation. Or, where appropriate, a return to Latin.