?I remember speaking to an Anglican priest in Rome some 40 years ago as the bishops of the Second Vatican Council decreed that portions of the church’s liturgy could be translated into the vernacular languages of the people. “You think that your problems are over?” he asked with a smile; “They are just beginning!” How right he was!

In the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the bishops wrote “[The church’s] purpose has been to adapt the Gospel to the grasp of all as well as to the needs of the learned, in so far as such was appropriate. Indeed this accommodated preaching of the revealed word ought to remain the law of all evangelization” (Lumen Gentium §44).

In the early 1970s, the Holy See suggested the bishops of the United States prepare a special Lectionary for Masses with Children, having that mandate in mind. The bishops chose the translation of the Scriptures known as the Contemporary English Version (CEV). It was readily available, and had recently been developed by the American Bible Society with a special eye toward younger children aged 6 to 8. A great deal of research in linguistics had gone into that translation. The same knowledge is now available to computer composers, for example, who wish to target a certain level of verbal comprehension. Thus there exist programs for setting a text at the fifth grade level of comprehension. These are remarkable advances in communication. The language of the CEV is aimed at grades one through three.

This translation is known as a dynamic equivalent version, namely translating every concept though not necessarily every word. The translation is carefully expressed in a manner especially adapted for easy understanding by that age level when proclaimed aloud. Younger children are hearers, not readers of the inspired text itself. The wording of the translation should aid that experience, not complicate it. The CEV is perfect for that purpose.

The CEV was also developed for use by people for whom English is a second language. It is clear and uncomplicated in its sentence structure. Unfortunately the translation was quickly marketed by publishers for adults who appreciated the simplicity of the text, but lost the richness of the Word as a result.

Another less helpful characteristic of the CEV is that its authors decided to eliminate some of the more technical religious vocabulary associated with the mystery of salvation such as “redemption” or “righteousness” or “justifica-tion.” I myself understood the concern, but over the years I have objected to the decision, even when made on the grounds that people were not familiar with the terms, because it seemed to me that the very omission of the language contributed to the ignorance it was trying to combat.

The Holy See approved the experimental use of the CEV for the Lectionary for Masses with Children, and its usage has become very popular, especially among catechists at the parish level. It has provided a simple text which is easy to comprehend, especially for youngsters at the lower elementary level.

More recently, however, experts in child liturgical development have raised questions about the practice of allowing other upper levels of our primary schools to use such a translation. We are told the current use of the CEV keeps children at an elementary biblical level and does not adequately prepare them for participating in truly adult celebrations of the Eucharist.

I’ve been involved in the review and restudy of the Lectionary for Masses with Children for the past two years. There is a growing consensus on this question among the experts who truly know children as well as the Eucharistic liturgy. They are convinced that another translation probably should be developed for use with our children that would better prepare them for the young adult experience of the Word of God.

The Revised New American Bible has been selected as the preferred translation for the next edition of the Lectionary for Masses with Children, but shortened and simplified as needed. Its use was proposed because children would experience this translation employing the very same expressions as the text used with the entire parish family at Eucharist.

This coming November the bishops of the country will be asked to vote on this new text. It may be helpful to know that it is the catechetical specialists in child faith development who have made this recommendation to the bishops of the country. I can only hope that this edition will accomplish the purposes it attempts to address.

In any case it is more obvious than ever: our problems in the vernacular, even for children, have just begun!

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Postscript: Christian Br. Jeff Gros has written a very valuable little book of 83 pages (at $12 per copy), entitled “Handing on the Faith in an Ecumenical World.” Published by the National Catholic Educational Association earlier this year, the book is intended for all religious educators, both teachers in our Catholic day schools and volunteer catechists in our parish programs. I would recommend this text for everyone’s library.