Among its many, many unjust prescriptions, Traditionis custodes says that the readings at the usus antiquior are now to be “proclaimed in the vernacular language, using translations of the Sacred Scripture approved for liturgical use by the respective Episcopal Conferences” (n. 3, § 3). Quite aside from what this actually means in practice (e.g., would chanting the lections in Latin, then reading them in the vernacular before the homily suffice?), it is clear that this demand has, like the rest of the document, been drafted by someone totally unfamiliar with the traditional Latin Mass.
For things are not as simple as just grabbing a Bible off the shelf, or getting a copy of the Novus Ordo lectionary, consulting its index and marking the relevant pages, which I suspect is what the Pope and those behind the motu proprio had in mind. This coming Sunday’s epistle reading (for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost), 1 Corinthians 10:6b-13, makes this very clear.
Brethren: (6b) We should not desire evil things as they did. (7) Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (8) We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. (9) We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, (10) nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. (11) Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (12) Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (13) No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. [1]
Most of this reading does not occur in the post-Vatican II lectionary. The closest we get is 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12, read on the 3rd Sunday of Lent, in Year C – though it should be noted that, as the Year A readings for the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent can always be used ad libitum, there is no guarantee that this lection will ever be read in the Novus Ordo!
Here is that reading, with the omitted verses (which are all part of the traditional lectionary!) struck out, and in red text:
(1) I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, (2) and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (3) and all ate the same spiritual food, (4) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (5) Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (6) Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.(7) Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (8) We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. (9) We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,(10)nor[We must not] grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. (11) Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (12) Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.(13) No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
I will let readers come to their own conclusions about why vv. 7-9 and 13 were omitted from the reformed lectionary. [2] The point here is that the post-Vatican II lectionary cannot be used to proclaim this coming Sunday’s epistle reading, as it does not exist in it!
Even for those readings that are in the Novus Ordo lectionary, such as this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 19:41-47), it would be difficult to use the reformed books. In this instance, one would have to combine the Gospel readings for Thursday and Friday of Week 33 per annum (Luke 19:41-44, then 45-48), remembering to omit the incipit [3] for Friday’s reading as well as its last verse.
Neither is it possible to just read from the approved vernacular translation of the Bible – at least, not without difficulties. Adjustments need to be made for the incipits and other small changes made in the liturgy to the biblical text. For this coming Sunday, the epistle begins Fratres: Non simus concupiscentes malorum, whereas the Vulgate text begins Hæc autem in figura facta sunt nostri, ut non simus concupiscentes malorum. [4] This means that the vernacular text needs adjusting from “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” to “Brethren: We should not desire evil things as they did” (ESV-CE) in order to make sense. Further complications in all of this are the many differences in both the Latin text and verse numbering of the Clementine and Neo Vulgates, particularly in books such as Tobit, Esther and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus). [5] And then what about the celebration of sung Masses? Adaptation of the chant tones to the particular vernacular would be required, and this is long and difficult work—longer and more difficult depending on the vernacular language in question.
These sorts of thorny issues and details face bishops’ conferences who may wish to prepare a vernacular lectionary for the TLM (though I doubt many are interested in doing this). It is not possible to just ‘drop in’ one’s Bible translation of choice and call it a day. This section of the motu proprio is, like the rest of it, hastily and sloppily drafted, ignorant of the traditional Missal, and completely unjust: the faithful attached to the usus antiquior, wherever they live, were just expected on Friday 16th July to “immediately” have a vernacular lectionary ready to use, as if these books just fall out of the sky and do not need detailed and meticulous preparation.
Still, if it is currently impossible to accurately proclaim or chant the lections in the vernacular at the traditional Latin Mass due to the proper books not existing, then surely it need not be done. After all, no matter how much he might wish to, not even the Pope can demand the impossible!
NOTES
[1] I have here used the ESV-CE translation, which is the version due to replace the Jerusalem Bible at Novus Ordo Masses in England and Wales soon.
[2] 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 was assigned to Wednesday of Week 12 per annum in the Consilium’s draft lectionary sent out for consultation: see Schema 233 (De Missali, 39), July 1967, p. 237. 10:1-6 was assigned to the 3rd Sunday of Lent in Year B (ibid., p. 50). Verses 12-13 do not occur anywhere in this draft, and it seems obvious that some comments from the consultation caused vv. 7-9 to be deleted entirely, with vv. 10-12 then being added to the Lenten Sunday reading (which was also moved to Year C).
[3] It should be noted that the Praenotanda to the Ordo lectionum Missae actually allows the incipit to be omitted from its vernacular editions if the bishops’ conference so desires (see n. 124: Pro singulis linguis popularibus tales formulae mutari vel omitti possunt ex decreta Auctoritatum competentium), which just adds another practical problem with trying to use the reformed lectionary to proclaim the traditional readings in the vernacular!
[4] There happen to be only very minor differences between the Clementine Vulgate and Nova Vulgata texts of 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (specifically in vv. 5a, 6a, 13b); v. 6a in the Nova Vulgata reads Haec autem figurae fuerunt nostrae, ut non simus concupiscentes malorum.
[5] Among the numerous good points made by Dr Peter Kwasniewski in “TLM Celebrants: Keep Doing the Readings in Latin — Add Vernacular as Appropriate”.
