Priest changes words of EP 4. Is this okay?

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Thomasbradley312

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My priest used EP 4 this morning which I do like, and he does on occasion, but he always changes the wording from the official text and this bothers me. It is like yah it refers to man, but if someone is offended by that it’s a problem as man does refer to all of mankind. Is it even legal for a priest to just change the words from the official prayer in the liturgical texts? He’s a very liberal priest so it doesn’t really surprise me. I can’t believe everything needs to be so politically correct like it will offend anyone.

The official text
We give you praise, Father most holy,
for you are great
and you have fashioned all your works
in wisdom and in love.
You formed man in your own image
and entrusted the whole world to his care,
so that in serving you alone, the Creator,
he might have dominion over all creatures.
And when through disobedience he had lost your friendship,
you did not abandon him to the domain of death.
For you came in mercy to the aid of all,
so that those who seek might find you.
Time and again you offered them covenants
and through the prophets
taught them to look forward to salvation.

How my priest says it
We give you praise, Father most holy,
for you are great
and you have fashioned all your works
in wisdom and in love.
You formed us in your own image
and entrusted the whole world to our care,
so that in serving you alone, the Creator,
we might have dominion over all creatures.
And when through disobedience he had lost your friendship,
you did not abandon us to the domain of death.
For you came in mercy to the aid of all,
so that those who seek might find you.
Time and again you offered them covenants
and through the prophets
taught them to look forward to salvation.
 
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Thomasbradley312 said:
I can’t believe everything needs to be so politically correct like it will offend anyone.
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Believe it or not, I’ve heard that people get offended over EP IV because of the use of the words “man” and “mankind.” I find it to be a little ridiculous.
 
To be fair, “man” hasn’t really been gender-neutral for a long time (arguably, since English dropped the “male” prefix outside of words like “werewolf” but kept the “female” one — once your wedding ceremony is saying “man and wife” you’re not really pretending “man” doesn’t mean “male human” any more.

This isn’t new, either. People have been trying to avoid using “man” generically for decades. It’s not some newfangled PC intrusion.

I mean, I’m old enough to appreciate “man” or “mankind” in the right context (like Tolkien), where it gives a sort of archaic or elevated feel. I suppose church could count for that too, but I can’t really blame the people who don’t like it.
 
Oh yes, it’s a liturgical abuse, and a grave one at that because the Eucharistic prayer is so important.

I’ve had a priest who managed to even PC up EPII, changing the “her” to “us” in “Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity…”

Say the black, do the red, that’s all we’re asking! It shouldn’t be that hard!
 
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Asinner said:
Say the black, do the red, that’s all we’re asking! It shouldn’t be that hard!
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Yeah. I think if said this in a previous thread before, but I find it absolutely amazing that simply following directions has become such an antiquated notion.
 
Well I understand the wording from Latin to English can be difficult at some points. In Latin it would just refer to mankind.
I just don’t like that priests take it on themselves and change the wording especially when it isn’t like it is some secret that he is changing it at his own will. We have missiles and missalletes at the Church so we can read along with it.
If people don’t like it petition the USCCB, but as far as changing wording and not saying the prayer according to the official text, I think is an abuse. I am considering emailing my bishop and at least voicing my concern.
 
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One thing that unites us as Catholics is that we have one liturgy and we don’t vary it according to the tastes of individuals. There are 4 main Eucharistic Prayers and a few additional ones that may be used in particular circumstances. If your priest finds EP IV insufficiently politically correct, he should use a different one. We can all make mistakes and stumble over the words, but deliberately changing them is an abuse.
 
CTBcin said:
Believe it or not, I’ve heard that people get offended over EP IV because of the use of the words “man” and “mankind.” I find it to be a little ridiculous.
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I agree. You’re supposed to use the original context. I don’t like these more modern translations that attempt to PC everything.
jimXroberts said:
We can all make mistakes and stumble over the words, but deliberately changing them is an abuse.
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I think it’s potentially a mortal sin that must be confessed. As a lector, I’d definitely consider that grave matter to intentionally change something.
Asinner said:
I’ve had a priest who managed to even PC up EPII, changing the “her” to “us” in “Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity…”
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Isn’t that her mean the church as the church (men and women alike) is the bride?
 
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The Roman Missal is not a Buffett line, there is only one Pope, not many. Whether we agree or disagree we should follow what the Missal says.

Personally I don’t like mankind, I prefer humankind and I prefer men and women instead of just men. But through humility, I trust that the Missal is created how it should be and it should be said how it is written. If the Pope wants to change it then so be it and I shall respect that.

This isn’t up for personal interpretation, we do what the Pope wants → what the Missal says
 
Church is female because it is the bride of Christ who is the bridegroom
 
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The English is copyrighted and changing the words deliberately is a violation. It’s not a matter of PC. In fact if the consecration is changed to the extent the meaning is changed, the Mass may be invalid.
 
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That’s what I’m saying.
The Pope has no issue with it obviously, otherwise he would be speaking about that like the Lords Prayer. As long as it is worded this way in the missal, it is completely inappropriate for a priest to be changing the words to anything for that matter in the liturgy.
 
Fortunately the Latin (among other languages) can distinguish between man (homo) and man (vir).
 
Yah. English is a difficult translation language for sure.

However this does not give a priest to go making up his own words. As simple as the changes sound they could be theologically heretical for all we know.
 
Thomasbradley312 said:
However this does not give a priest to go making up his own words. As simple as the changes sound they could be theologically heretical for all we know.
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If it puts your mind at ease, changing “man” to “us” isn’t herectical any more than using “humanity” would be. Still, I used EPIV at mass this morning and didn’t hear a single word of complaint from anyone afterwards. I think the idea that people will be offended tends to become overstated.

That said, spare the bishop the e-mail; while changing the words of the Eucharistic Prayer obviously isn’t something priests should do, the change is not significant in itself and is far from a capital crime! Just accept that ours is a messy Church and that’s not about to change anytime soon!
 
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