The Gloria

[YMNolan]

Aside from the short answer - because it's supposed to be - why in the Gloria are the word's "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to [u]His[/u] people on Earth" the only acceptable way? You cannot say "[u]God's[/u] people on earth". The Bishop has actually reprimanded the cantor at my church for replacing "His" with "God's" because he thinks it should be more PC. So what is the theological reasoning for referring to God as Him in the Gloria?

[Brother Adam]

[quote]Aside from the short answer - because it's supposed to be - why in the Gloria are the word's "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on Earth" the only acceptable way? You cannot say "God's people on earth". The Bishop has actually reprimanded the cantor at my church for replacing "His" with "God's" because he thinks it should be more PC. So what is the theological reasoning for referring to God as Him in the Gloria?[/quote]

This is one example of changing the words of the Mass to fit a political agenda, which is the only reason to eliminate the masculine. There are places throughout the Catholic world in which any reference to the masculine is removed for a gender neutral word or worse yet, a heretical word, where a feminine or other non-nonsensical choice is observed. The specific moment in the liturgy where the cantor changed the words does not matter as much as the fact that he did change the words. Your bishop was right to reprimand the cantor for using the Mass to suit his or her own agenda, and the fact that the bishop did so speaks to the gravity of the offense. At best it diminishes the sacred character of the Mass for something banal and worldly.

The theological reason for referring to God in the masculine in the liturgy is simple enough - the masculine nature of God. The first person of the Holy Trinity is the Father. Jesus says "The Father and I are one." (John 10:30). The second person of the Trinity is masculine (obviously). He is the Son of Man. "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory." (Matthew 16:27) The Spirit too, in scripture, is always referred to in masculine terms: John 16:13 is one of many examples. God is Father, He is Son, and He is Holy Spirit. The heresy of changing the masculine nature of God to a neutered or even feminine nature also effects our ecclesiology and soteriology. If there is no bridegroom, the bride has no where to take refuge.

Even if the cantor was inserting "God" for a non-political musical reason, it is a liturgical abuse not to mention grammatically incorrect. The cantor, not even the priest, not even the bishop can simply play with the liturgy and do whatever they want with it. Does it happen? Yes. Are ex-Catholics the second largest religious body in the USA? Yes.

Save the liturgy friend, save the world.