Notice Change in Catholic Ash Wednesday Liturgy ? - It 's WAR !!

I was struck last night that the Ash Wednesday service sounded a tad different from last year. A tad more robust a tad more it's war on the devil. A more CALL TO ARMS!!

I could not hit on what was different till I read Father Z's piece today.

See WDTPRS – Ash Wednesday (2002MR) – WAR! which focuses on the the Collect and the new Liturgy translation.

It appears the old translation of the collect we were using said:

Father in Heaven,Protect us in our struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent,make this season holy by our self-denial.

NOW NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE! From last night:

NEW CORRECTED ICEL (2011):Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

Wow so much better ,and even as just to the collect I am struck how it affected the tone of my outlook of the liturgy and indeed Lent itself.

Father looks at the literal translation of the Latin which would read :

Grant us, O Lord, to commence the defenses of the Christian field campaign by means of holy fasts,so that, we who are about to do battle against spiritual negligences,may be fortified by the support of continence.

Kind of wish " Christian campaign" was in the new translated corrected correct. I like the word continence too. As Father Z points out

the virtue of continence is described with the same word used to describe the auxiliary troops that supported the legion’s regulars. While it could simply refer to “abstinence”, continence is the virtue which restrains the will from consenting to strong impulses of sexual desire.

Anyway read all his post where he examines all the military like language . I also agree that , besides it being spiritually a lot more meaty, this is an example of how the old translations really missed the mark.

So here is hoping we do our part to make "war" during lent