Thanks Be to God?

[janman55]

I was having a conversation with my parish priest about this response to the “The mass is ended go in peace to love and serve the Lord”

He felt it was a poor interpretation of this portion of the mass and if Rome were to ask him he said it should be something to the affect of “with the help of God” Anybody understand this exchange as it is? Thanks be to God really does seem to rejoice in the end of mass rather than the request for assistance in going forward to love and serve Our Lord?

 

[jbuck919]

That’s what it’s been in the Latin Mass from time immemorial: Deo gratias. The English New Order actually provides options for the verse part of the versicle that, if I am not mistaken, are not there in even the Novus Ordo Latin, which just says what it always said: Ite, missa est (which actually means, “go, you are dismissed”).

It did always seem to me a rather perfunctory way to end as noble a ceremony as the Mass, and one could and sometimes did joke that it sounding like we were thanking God that the Mass is over. But my personal preference would be not to tinker with it any more than has been done.

 

[gelsbern]

Have you ever seen soldiers who get assigned a mission?

Some captain or burly seargant will say something like “Alright ladies, here’s the mission. You will move to these coordinates, you will seek out the perimeter sensors, you will disable them and move in and set explosives at the four corners of the weapons plant. You are likely to encounter heavy resistance and some of you may not make it back but this mission is imperitive and you are the best there is, now get out there and get it done”

The soldier usually respond with a Hoowah!, or Semper Fi!, or some other POSITIVE response to being assigned this mission.

We being the church militant which makes us soldiers of Christ are also getting our mission briefing (the Mass), and our mission has been the same mission since Christ himself gave it as recorded in Matthew 28:19

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit

To me, I think thanking God for this mission, for entrusting us, sinners but believers to such an important mission is very appropriate.

Of course, this is just my opinion and opinions are like noses.

 

[LilyM]

We say ‘thanks be to God’ just after having received him in the Eucharist, and usually the final prayer is about the Eucharist strengthening us to go about our work.

To my mind, it’s that gift of the Eucharist that Jesus has given us which is what we’re thanking him for.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Deacon Greg is nearly right on the money! The dismissal from the Latin Mass is “Ite missa est” which has been translated as “Go, the mass is ended” but it really doesn’t mean that.
More correctly, the word “missa” derives from “mitto” which means “to send.” The word “ite” is a command: go! Finally, “est” simply means “it is.” So, the Latin doesn’t translate well, but is more aptly translated as “Go, you are sent!”

Because we are charged with a mission we respond to the trust that God places in us with “Thanks be to God!” Note that this expression, “thanks be to God” is the normal Arabic response to the question “How are you?”

Deacon Ed

 

[chicago]

Deacon Ed:

Note that this expression, “thanks be to God” is the normal Arabic response to the question “How are you?”

Interesting. can you elucidate further? Why is that and how is it meant?

 

[Robin_L.in_TX]

Some interesting insights also come from Marty Barrack and Roy Schoemann,-- Jewish converts.

Some Jewish rabbis long ago felt that the Todah sacrifice, a thanksgiving sacrifice offered by someone who had come through trial, persecution, or great danger would offer a sacrifice, then eat it with friends in thanks to God for their safety, would eventually replace the sacrificial liturgy.

Ala Melchisadek, some rabbis also felt that eventually the blood sacrifices would eventually become passe, replaced by the bloodless todah, al a Melchisadek, offered with bread and wine.

This Todah sacrifice, the animal one offered by Jews ended with the words, Todah L’Adonai. Thanks be to God. Seeing the Eucharist as the fulfillment of Jewish worship, it is only right that the Christians’ liturgy ended with the same words.

The two books I’ve recently read that explains a lot of ways in which the Mass is the fulfillment of the Jewish liturgy and sacrifices are Marty Barrack’s Second Exodus and Roy Schoemann’s (sp?) Salvation is from the Jews.

In Christ’s peace and joy,

Robin L. in TX

 

[Fuerza]

Note that this expression, “thanks be to God” is the normal Arabic response to the question “How are you?”

Deacon Ed

I’ve noticed this too. in the Saudi Hijazi dialect one asks , “Qef Halak?” (How are you?) The repsonse is “Tayib, al hamdu lillah” (Well, thanks be to God).

 

[Deacon_Ed]

chicago:

Interesting. can you elucidate further? Why is that and how is it meant?

In Arabic culture, whether Christian or Muslim, the normal response to “How are you?” is generally “thanks be to God” – and the reason is that the very fact one can answer the question is a gift from God. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter if one is well or one is sick – God’s gifts are what allow us to be and we give thanks to God.

Simple, straight-forward and theologically quite accurate.

Deacon Ed

 

[janman55]

Thanks for the interesting responses to my question. There have been some interesting answers but…I still think “thanks be to God” is a difficult response to understand given its apparent intended purpose.