St Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist congregation, was a renowned teacher of prayer. He wrote a short book titled Praying to God as a Friend in which he instructs us to approach God with confidence and trust and to share with God as we would with our dearest friend.
But the new English translation of the liturgy, to be implemented in a few days, directs us to do the opposite as a worshipping community. We are to abase ourselves before God, address God as sinful suppliants unworthy to be in God’s presence. The emphasis in the theology of the translation is on the distance between God and humanity.
This theological approach contradicts the New Testament in significant ways. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who labour…for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11:28-29). Jesus’ message is one of love (Jn 15:8-9) and the First Letter of John describes God as love, not as fear (1 Jn 4:16).
In a family, if a child hears messages of love, she or he will grow up confident of their own goodness. But if they repeatedly hear “Obey me or else” from their parents they will learn only fear.
As the theology of this new and much-contested translation penetrates the psyches of English-speaking Catholics around the world year after year, we will absorb a message of fear and distance in relation to God. Our collective image of God will be exactly the opposite of St Alphonsus’ understanding of God. I wonder whose negative images of God are being projected upon us through this translation.
So we need to pray that the Holy Spirit inspires enough people to say “No—this God is not the God of the New Testament, not the Abba of Jesus. The People of God are loved by God.” And hopefully a few bishops will also open their ears and realise that this translation is not Good News to the People of God.
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