Homily 6: “Behold the Lamb of God.”
We are used to hearing the priest say This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper. In the new translation of the Missal it will be different. The priest will say: Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. What is behind this change?
These words are all words of Scripture. First comes John 1:29 where John the Baptist identifies Christ: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Then comes Apocalypse 19:9, where the Angel speaks to John about the Martyrs, who have shed their blood for Christ. Their glorious destiny is a wedding, the Marriage of the Lamb has come and his Bride has made herself ready, .. Blessed are those who are invited to the Marriage supper of the Lamb!
When the Missal was being translated, the translators were asked to keep as close as possible to the sense and shape of the Latin text, and especially to render Scriptural imagery accurately. This is what has been done here.
These words are full of meaning about what Holy Communion is. It is the real, true and substantial presence of Christ, the Lamb sacrificed for the life of the world, the Lamb victorious in the life of heaven. It is quite correct to say “This is the Lamb ...” However, Behold, the Lamb of God catches the Scriptural tone better. It is not teaching about something – “this is ..” but “behold!” - an announcement of someone being present. It is an invitation to receive, adore and worship Christ.
Holy Communion looks to the future, to the kingdom of heaven. In Holy Communion we anticipate the day when Christ will make all things new and call his faithful to his eternal supper, the wedding feast of the Lamb. The Latin says: Blessed are those ... The Current version “Happy ..” doesn’t catch the spirit of the Scriptural text. For us, “happy” does not mean “Favoured by God.” It is normally taken to signify contentment. In Holy Communion we are talking about eternal life.
In conveying the Scriptural basis of this invitation to Communion, the new translation also raises the tone of the words, makes them more solemn, more joyful and better able to look forward to what we all hope for, a place at Christ’s eternal wedding banquet.
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