Wherever They May Be Redux

Tonight at dinner we were talking about my blog post from yesterday and someone had the bright idea to check the new translations of the eucharistic prayers, which are supposed to offer more literal translations of the original Latin. (Why Eucharistic Prayer III, which was crafted in the 1960s, would ever have been written in Latin in the first place is a whole 'nother issue...)

Here's the translation they give for the passage I cited yesterday:

In your compassion, O merciful Father,
gather to yourself all your children
scattered throughout the earth.

So I guess the point really was just geography. It fits, too; the lines directly before speak about the community gathered here in this place. The passage I've cited thus broadens our view; it's a gentle reminder that at every liturgy we're part of a much bigger family before the Lord.