Listen to the Word ity to a privileged response.


Symphony of voices O


ne voice points to Christ’s fullness,


another to his self-emptying and exaltation. God’s actions in Christ restore the cosmos and call human-


Source:This Preface was newly composed for the Missale Romanum of 1970 from several scriptural passages.


Analysis of literary forms The three parts begin with two general state- ments of the divine plan in cosmic and human terms. The second part concerns the action of Christ, and the third part describes the consequences of Christ’s actions for the Church and the Church’s response. First confession: A relative clause begins, In quo omnia instaurare tibi complacuit, “in whom you were pleased to restore all things”, given as “In him you have been pleased to renew all things”. Drawing from Paul’s letters, the divine plan was revealed when God “made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:9-10; NRSV, Vulgate throughout); and again, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:19). Second confession: The relative clause


continues et … tribuisti, “and allowed …”, restructured as a participial phrase, “giving …”. Purpose: The divine intention is given in an object sentence, de plenitudine eius nos omnes accipere, “us all to receive from his full- ness”, rephrased with nouns, “us all a share in his fullness”. This draws from the gospel of John, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Third confession:We confess our faith in


Christ’s divine origin in the concessive sen- tence, Cum enim in forma Dei esset, “For, although he was in the form of God”, given as “For though he was in the form of God”. Fourth confession. In contrast we affirm


that exinanivit semetipsum, given as “he emp- tied himself”. The third and fourth confessions are from the canticle of Philippians 2:6-7, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness”. Fifth confession: Another affirmation of faith follows, ac per sanguinem crucis suae


16 | THE TABLET | 2 July 2011


Roman Missal 2010 … Christ … In him you have been pleased to renew all things,


giving us all a share in his fullness.


For though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself


and by the blood of his Cross brought peace to all Creation.


Therefore he has been exalted above all things, and to all who obey him, has become the source of eternal salvation.


The new official English trans- lation is being finalised and will appear here when available.


pacificavit universa, “and through the blood of his Cross established all things in peace”, given as “and by the blood of his Cross brought peace to all Creation”, continuing the canti- cle from Colossians, “and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his Cross” (1:20). Sixth confession: The consequence of these saving actions is unde exaltatus est super omnia, “wherefore he was raised up above all things”, given as “Therefore he has been exalted above all things”, returning to the canticle from Philippians, “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name” (2:9). Seventh confession:Another consequence follows, et … factus est causa salutis aeternae, “and became the cause of eternal salvation”, given as “and … has become the source of eter- nal salvation”. Motor: Our corresponding action is


expressed in a participial clause, omnibus obtemperantibus sibi, “for all obeying him”, given as “to all who obey him”. These last two lines are drawn from the passage, “having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Hebrews 5:9).


Summary. The Preface begins with a passage from Colossians and presents in cosmic


Missale Romanum2008 … Christum … In quo omnia instaurare tibi complacuit,


et de plenitudine eius nos omnes accipere tribuisti. Cum enim in forma Dei esset, exinanivit semetipsum,


ac per sanguinem crucis suae pacificavit universa;


unde exaltatus est super omnia


et omnibus obtemperantibus sibi


factus est causa salutis aeternae.


The various scriptural passages in this Preface present different complementary images of the divine-human exchange, writes Daniel McCarthy


WEEKDAY PREFACE 1, ON THE UNIVERSAL RESTORATION IN CHRIST


Study text … Christ …


in whom you were pleased to restore all things and allowed us all to receive from his fullness.


For, although he was in the form of God, he emptied himself,


and through the blood of his Cross established all things in peace, wherefore he was raised up above all things


and became the cause of eternal salvation for all obeying him.


Prepared in collaboration with Frs James Leachman OSB and Reginald Foster OCD.


terms the divine plan to restore all things in Christ. Drawing from the gospel of John, the Preface next describes how God effects the cos- mic plan for humanity that we receive from Christ’s fullness. The Preface next shifts from God’s actions


to Christ’s actions. The canticle from Philippians describes how the eternally begotten Word emptied himself first in the Incarnation and then even to death upon the Cross; thereafter, God exalted Christ on high. The Preface draws from this canticle the gen- eral statement of self-emptying, without specifying any further. The Preface, however, returns to the passage from Colossians to char- acterise the Cross not as an act of self-emptying but as the way Christ actively establishes peace. Next, God Almighty is the implied actor of


two passive verbs that describe Christ. The Preface returns to the canticle from Philippians to describe Christ’s exaltation over all things in cosmic terms. Again, the specific conse- quence for humanity is given. The one person who acts directly in this part of the Preface is the person obeying Christ. Thus, this third part emphasises the consequences of God’s saving deeds in Christ for the Church and our response.


■Daniel McCarthy OSB is a monk of St Benedict’s Abbey, Kansas, who writes on and teaches liturgy.


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