Mea Culpa

[delallan]

I had dinner last evening with someone who suggested that the Holy Father is considering the re-introduction of the Mea Culpa (“through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”) into the Mass. Has anyone else heard this?
Peace

 

[FrDavid96]

I had dinner last evening with someone who suggested that the Holy Father is considering the re-introduction of the Mea Culpa (“through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”) into the Mass. Has anyone else heard this?
Peace

Yes. That’s exactly what’s coming. See the USCCB website www.usccb.org for an advance look at the new translation of the Mass which will be used sometime in the future (hopefully, the near future!) By the way, it’s always been that way in the Latin. It’s a matter of a deficient English translation that we’ve been using.

 

[benedictgal]

Yes. That’s exactly what’s coming. See the USCCB website www.usccb.org for an advance look at the new translation of the Mass which will be used sometime in the future (hopefully, the near future!) By the way, it’s always been that way in the Latin. It’s a matter of a deficient English translation that we’ve been using.

In fact, the Spanish version retained the mea culpa:

Por mi culpa, por mi culpa, por mi gran culpa.

I wish that they would have gone a step further and brought back the original confiteor with the references to Blesseds Peter and Paul, Blessed John the Baptist, etc. The only time I get to hear it is when I watch Gone With the Wind and the O’Haras are all doing their examination of conscience.

 

[muffinmojo]

Well, technically, the ‘Through my fault’ is still in the Mass, in the rarely used option for the penitential rite. However, the proposed ICEL translation still retains the options for the others, which do not use the confiteor.

 

[Snowy]

I think that when my parishioners (I haven’t learned that part yet) say before taking the Eucharist something like “I don’t deserve it but say the word and I’ll take it”, they are doing the English version of the meaculpa.

 

[benedictus2]

I think that when my parishioners (I haven’t learned that part yet) say before taking the Eucharist something like “I don’t deserve it but say the word and I’ll take it”, they are doing the English version of the meaculpa.

“Lord I am not worthy to recieve you but only say the word and I shall be healed”. This an echo of the centurion who told Jesus that he is not worthy for Him to come under his roof and is recited after the Lamb of God and prior to going for communion.

The Mea Culpa (which is Latin for my fault) is part of the penitential rite which goes " I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sister that I have sinned through my own fault… in my thoughts, in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do…"

The original goes :

"I confess to Omnipotent God, to Blessed Mary ever Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to Blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the angels and Saints, and to you father: that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and you, Father, to pray for me to the Lord our God. "
I think it’s great if it is true that the three fold acknowledge of fault will be brought back into the liturgy.

 

[MarieVeronica]

Hadn’t heard it… no. But I’m glad it’s coming soon. :yup:

We have a wonderful Sheperd in Pope Benedict XVI. Praise God.

 

[FrDavid96]

I think that when my parishioners (I haven’t learned that part yet) say before taking the Eucharist something like “I don’t deserve it but say the word and I’ll take it”, they are doing the English version of the meaculpa.

Those are not the words which are said before Communion. I’m hoping here that since you haven’t seen the Communion Rite yet, you’re going from your own memories of what people tell you will happen, rather than what actually is happening in your parish. If what you describe is what is happening, there is yet another very very serious liturgical abuse occuring in your parish at that point in the Mass as well as what you’ve described in other threads.

 

[Joannm]

Hadn’t heard it… no. But I’m glad it’s coming soon. :yup:

We have a wonderful Sheperd in Pope Benedict XVI. Praise God.

This came about before Benedict was elected pope. The call for accurate translations of the Latin came during JPII’s pontificate and was well in the works before Benedict.

 

[benedictus2]

We have a wonderful Sheperd in Pope Benedict XVI. Praise God.

.
You can say that again and agan again…

 

[Snowy]

Those are not the words which are said before Communion. I’m hoping here that since you haven’t seen the Communion Rite yet, you’re going from your own memories of what people tell you will happen, rather than what actually is happening in your parish. If what you describe is what is happening, there is yet another very very serious liturgical abuse occuring in your parish at that point in the Mass as well as what you’ve described in other threads.

In the last 8 weeks I’ve been to about 12 American Masses (4 of those at the Cathedral downtown) and 3 Mexican Masses, and I’m pretty sure that Americans say the “Lord I’m not worthy” at the same point where Mexicans beat their chests and say “por mi culpa”, (right before Communion), but I could be mistaken, after all I don’t take notes and it’s not so easy for me to remember the whole sequence. It made sense to me that they would be sort of equivalent.

 

[benedictus2]

In the last 8 weeks I’ve been to about 12 American Masses (4 of those at the Cathedral downtown) and 3 Mexican Masses, and I’m pretty sure that Americans say the “Lord I’m not worthy” at the same point where Mexicans beat their chests and say “por mi culpa”, (right before Communion), but I could be mistaken, after all I don’t take notes and it’s not so easy for me to remember the whole sequence. It made sense to me that they would be sort of equivalent.

Actually I think it is because of the gestures.

Where I came from, we beat our breasts at the mea culpa and also at the “Lord I am not worthy to receive you”.

 

[muffinmojo]

You see the chest-beating at both parts, because in the EF Mass one uses the gesture three times at the mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa and three times when the domine non sum dignus is repeated(three times).

 

[Snowy]

Thanks for correcting me, I didn’t mean to confuse anyone. Does EF Mass stand for extraordinary form? Is that Mass in Latin for pre-Counciliar nostalgics?

 

[benedictgal]

In the last 8 weeks I’ve been to about 12 American Masses (4 of those at the Cathedral downtown) and 3 Mexican Masses, and I’m pretty sure that Americans say the “Lord I’m not worthy” at the same point where Mexicans beat their chests and say “por mi culpa”, (right before Communion), but I could be mistaken, after all I don’t take notes and it’s not so easy for me to remember the whole sequence. It made sense to me that they would be sort of equivalent.

Snowy, if you re-read one of my earlier posts, you will note that in Spanish, the faithful pray this during the Confiteor:

…por mi culpa, por mi culpa, por mi gran culpa

which is the same as through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.

The striking at the breast that you noticed during the Agnus Dei is done at the double invocation to the Lamb of God for mercy.

 

[Snowy]

Thanks again, buddies in Christ, I was clearly getting mixed up the *Confiteor Deo sum dignus *with the Domine non sum omnipotenti, which happens much earlier.