And With Thy Spirit



Dominus Vobiscum

Et Cum Spiritu Tuo

We 99.9% of the time attend the TLM but just the same I am very intrigued by the more literally correct translation of the NOM that is coming out with the New Church Year, Advent.  My quandary today was over "And with thy spirit" and what this meant.... which of course is throughout the TLM.  Sadly, sometimes we take for granted the little things and don't realize that every word has a specific meaning that we need to contemplate.  The former NOM "And also with you." gives us that horizontal conversation between the priest and me.  The part that is forgotten is that the priest I am looking at is no longer Fr. Friend.  He is Christ.  The minute a priest ascends the steps to the Altar of God (not the table the Altar of God) that priest is "in persona Christi" in the person of Christ.  So this sheds a much more beautiful light to "And with thy spirit". I'm neither a theologian nor a great thinker but sometimes I'm a good butcherer of great thoughts so with that I will send you to a blog post on this topic at Fr. Z's blog.  Lot's to ponder....

Though not nearly so much to ponder as the very thought that God, Our Omnipotent God Who is really and truly Present in the Sacred Host.  Which, in case anyone has forgotten.... is why we are at Mass in the first place. If the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is "just a meal" it's a pretty scanty one.  But that is not what it is... it is the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord.  He wished to be with us, to give us Himself to us, really and truly.   I digress....