The new language of the Gloria heightens the poetic
experience of this foundational hymn of our Church by echoing various Scripture
passages. When we say, “and on earth
peace to people of good will,” we remember the angels heralding the glad
tidings of Jesus’ birth, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to
those on whom his favor rests.” The
reference to “people of good will” suggests a certain responsibility: we have to belong to God, to have chosen
relationship, for peace to be ours. The U.S. Catholic Bishops’ website also notes that this phrase highlights the fact “that
the Messiah’s coming brings the world a higher order of divine peace that only
the incarnate Son of God can bestow.”
We now also have new words of homage to God: in addition to worshipping, giving thanks,
and praising God (all in the former version of the Gloria), we will include,
“we bless you, we adore you.” These two
expressions are restored from the Latin version, and the poetic repetition that
results enhances our demonstration of appreciation for God’s action in our
lives, and allows us better to express that awe.
To say that Jesus is the “Only Begotten Son” allows us to
recognize that the special relationship between God and Jesus. We, too, are children (“sons”) of God, but
Jesus is of God’s substance; they are of one essence, and the term “begotten”
better captures that reality.
We see more poetic repetition in the addition of a second,
“you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer,” which causes the
entire passage to echo the Kyrie and
the Lamb of God in its form of supplication:
“have mercy on us; receive our prayer; have mercy on us.”
(Information in this post was compiled by Fr. Pat, Jonathan, and Suzanne.)
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