And with your spirit?

In 2024, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a new translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside of Mass (HC). That book contains a ritual for Distributing Holy Communion outside Mass. The introductory rite (found in no. 27) states the following.

When the faithful are gathered and everything has been arranged as noted above (nos. 19–20), the minister begins with the Sign of the Cross, then greets those present.

If he is a Priest or Deacon, he says:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

All reply:

And with your spirit.

Or:

The Lord be with you.

All reply:

And with your spirit.

In January 2026, the USCCB released a new translation of the ritual book for Anointing of the Sick: the Order of the Anointing of the Sick and of Their Pastoral Care (OAS). Among other things, this book includes the ritual for providing Viaticum to the dying outside of Mass. The introductory rite (found in no. 101) states the following.

Wearing vestments appropriate for this sacred ministry, after approaching the sick person, the Priest warmly greets them and the others present, using, if appropriate, the greeting:

Peace to this house and all here.

Or:

The peace of the Lord be with you.

Other formulas of greeting, nos. 230 and 231.

Notably, no. 101 does not include a response from the sick person or others who may be present for the celebration of Viaticum, even though provision of Viaticum outside Mass is a subset of distributing Communion outside Mass. Indeed, the other suggested greetings in OAS 230 and 231 are as follows.

230.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

℟. And with your spirit.

231.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

℟. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

℟. And with your spirit.

In the grand scheme of things, the omission of a response in OAS 101 may be a small thing. However, it hearkens back to a time when ritual books, notably the Missal of 1570, provided direction for actions or words almost exclusively to the ordained. That is not a happy memory.

Timothy Brunk

Dr. Timothy Brunk is Associate Professor of Liturgical and Sacramental Theology in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University.  He holds a doctorate from Marquette University, a Master of Arts degree in pastoral studies from Seattle University, a Master of Arts in theology from Boston College, and a Bachelor’s degree from Amherst College.  He is the author of fifteen journal articles and two books, including The Sacraments and Consumer Culture (Liturgical Press, 2020), which the Catholic Media Association recognized at its annual meeting as the first-place winner in the category of books on the sacraments.

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Comments

2 responses to “And with your spirit?”

  1. Joshua Vas

    I think using this as an instance of harkening back to pre-conciliar liturgy is comparing apples and oranges. Ritual directions in pre-conciliar books may have been largely directed to the clergy, but their editors were usually quite careful about the textual integrity of the rites themselves, including what “responses” had to be made.

    If anything, this is really an example of post-conciliar rubrical and editorial sloppiness (alas, not the only one!), thanks to the hasty roll-out of sacramental books in the decade after 1967. I supect it is linked to a debate about *what* response should be made (Amen? A blessing of God? And with your spirit?) that was possibly “resolved” only at the eleventh hour before being rushed off to the printers. It would be interesting to take a peek at the notes of the Study Group 23 to see if they shed any light on this omission.

    Reply
  2. Fritz Bauerschmidt

    I think the option of no response shows a certain pastoral wisdom. There are many occasions where the person, due to age or illness, is unable to make a response, so it makes sense to offer an option that does not expect one.

    Reply

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