And with your spirit.

Having traveled a good deal over the last year or so I have attended mass in Cathedrals and churches across the United States. And, I noticed a curious thing: in several churches, there was a minor difference in the people's response to certain of the mass parts. In particular, when the priest says at the sign of peace: "The peace of the Lord be with you always." In some places, the people respond: "And with your spirit."

This was new to me. I was raised (having been born not too long after the promulgation of the 1970 Roman Missal) saying: "And also with you." The first time I heard this, I thought that the pastor of the particular parish must have been a stickler for his Latin translations. However, after hearing it in another church in a different state, I decided to look into the matter.

As many are no doubt aware, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops is working on an English translation of the new Roman Missal promulgated by the great Pope John Paul II in 2000. The USCCB, in fact, has a web portal that has just been rolled out to introduce the faithful to the new English translation. There are also a number of articles that can be found that indicate the Bishops engaged in a pretty lively debate over this new translation.

For our episcopal shepherds, let us pray that the Holy Spirit guide the minds and hearts of all those who are working on the English translation.

IMAGE: from The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (www.fssp.org)