GOD MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR AND REFLECTIONS ON SAINT JOSEPH'S EXTRAORDINARY MASS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

I post this again, as I reflect on what I see and experience by watching it and then offering my opinions in my comments below it:

First for the humor. The "Blip" format of showing the video on this blog usually has an advertisement prior to the actual video. Sometimes the advertisements are somewhat questionable but not outrageous. But I've notice that prior to the Extraordinary Form Mass, there is an advertisement for the Mormon Church! How funny is that? I don't know how one purchases ads for these sorts of things, but maybe the Catholic Church should start doing so. The Mormons are way ahead of us in their advertisements, although we almost caught up with "Catholic Come Home."

Now for the Extraordinary Form Mass. You may find this odd, but I have not attended an EF Mass in choir or from the congregation since about 1965 or whenever it ceased completely in my parish where I grew up. Since 2007 I've only celebrated it and experienced it from that point of view. However, I think our video of the EF Immaculate Conception Mass is the first we've videoed of one of our EF Masses, although I've videoed the Schubert Sung Mass but that was an Ordinary Form ad orientem.

So as I watched this Mass, I'm struck by a number of things that prick my memory about why so many adults shortly after the changes in the Mass did not like the changes in the Mass and were quite disturbed by them. As a disclaimer, there were many who liked the changes, but normally that revolved around the vernacular and the Mass being simplified, which meant, it was becoming shorter. Children in particular like shorter Masses!

I think there are some very legitimate critiques of the way the Reformed Mass was/is celebrated and I'm afraid it is somewhat intrinsic to the reform and not always based upon the idiosyncrasies of the priest.

1. The loss of the sense of the sacred, the Mystery: What strikes me about our IC Mass is that from the very beginning there is a sense of awe and mystery and it is accomplished very simply though actions that are quiet and capture the spiritual imagination. The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar said quietly by the priest and servers as the Introit is overlaid captures that these people are preparing themselves to enter the "holy of holies" and the congregation participates in that by also kneeling, following these prayers if they wish, or simply observing through active participation what is happening, simply by the quietness of it overlaid with chanting.

2. The Latin gives meaning to what it means for us to be "Latin Rite Catholics." Immediately we know that is the Rite to which we belong. We are not Anglo Catholics, or Eastern Rite, Greek, Slavic or Russian Catholics, we are Latin Rite and the words prove it.

3. The quietness of the prayers, for example the Secret and Roman Canon elevate these prayers and make clear that the priest is praying publicly something that is very intimate, holy and awesome. It is not a loud "proclamation" as though it is made in the form of a brash announcement at a sporting event, or a reading of Shakespeare.

Unfortunately, in the OF Mass, the prayers that are said quietly are usually considered unimportant and thus have the option of being quiet, such as the preparation prayers. The quietness of these don't elevate them at all.

4. The postures of the priests, ministers and congregation and frequent standing, kneeling, genuflecting and sitting all contribute to the active participation of the body and make the Mass not only an intense spiritual exercise but a physical one also, there is the melding of the body and the soul, the physical and the spiritual more so in the EF Mass then the OF Mass.

5. Kneeling for Holy Communion certainly promotes respect for the Holy One we receive as it is an act of adoration before our Lord and just as importantly an act of humility in humble adoration. We are creature before God and whether we stand, sit or kneel to receive Him in Holy Communion, or lying on our back dying, we are raised up with Him though our worthy, humble reception of our Salvation.

6. I think many Catholics today absent themselves from Mass precisely because there is for them no sense of the sacred; they view themselves on an equal footing with God and so there is a haughtiness and arrogance of heart, both in attitude and body postures. This arrogance is visible both spiritually and physically in other words and I'm afraid it is intrinsic to the OF Mass that has made so many of us Catholics so haughty, arrogant and casually disrespectful. The law of prayer is truly the law of belief in this regard.

7. Kneeling too, for the final blessing, makes us as Catholics realize that we are to show reverence for God and appreciate all His gifts even the physical blessings bestowed upon us by the priest which we receive in a physical way by kneeling and making the sign of the cross.

MY LAST COMMENT:

I think we can recover all of the above and make authentic, traditional Catholic piety and attitudes of humility present in all Catholics again, for clergy, religious and laity, by simply doing the following to the Ordinary Form Mass:

1. Kneel for the Penitential Act (Sing the Official Introit before the Introductory Rite).

2. Kneel starting with the chanting of the Sanctus and the Eucharistic Prayer, whichever one is used, prayed in a low voice.

3. The Liturgy of the Eucharist celebrated Ad Orientem

4. Add the triple "Lord, I am not worthy" to the Communion Rite

5. Kneel for Holy Communion

6. Kneel for the Final Blessing

7. Remain for the singing of the recessional hymn and depart in silence