THE CONSECRATION QUESTION from Elizabeth Gerard October 7, 2001
Our new assistant swings the Host around during the words of consecration instead of bending over... He does not genuflect after the consecration or any other time for that matter.. He says ''the Lord 'is' with you instead of the Lord be with you..
Please respong..
God bless.
Elizabeth
ANSWER by Mr. Jacob Slavek on October 1, 2001
Dear Mrs. Gerard,
Sounds like he wasn't properly instructed in Liturgy. Either that or he just doesn't care.
ANYWAY, all of these except for the last are answered in the rubrics, which are the instructions printed in the missal among the text for the Mass. They are printed in red (red is ruber in Latin) to distinguish them from the spoken text. They are NOT optional, unless specifically stated so.
During the words of consecration, He bows slightly, having earlier raising it a little above the altar. NOT swinging it around. I have heard the some priests like to make believe that the faithful are the apostles at the last supper, and swinging the host around makes it more real for them. It is simply stated after the consecration, He shows the consecrated host to the people No swinging motion is called for at this point either. Then, after each consecration, it is stated that he genuflects in adoration. Additionally, The priest genuflects before facing the people saying This is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
This priest may have decided that it is more theologically correct to say The Lord IS with you rather than BE. Maybe he decided that his way is a better translation of the Latin Dominus vobiscum which most literally means The Lord with you It doesn't really work without a verb in English like it does in Latin.
But, there is NO QUESTION AT ALL what the priest is to use at Mass, no matter how smart he is. I am certain that the translaters have carefully considered their work. Rome has approved. Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium, among other documents, state:

Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority. (n.22) Mr. Slavek
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