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Sunday, January 7, 2018

AHHHH ORIENTEM! ONCE AGAIN, POPE FRANCIS IN CONTINUITY WITH POPE BENEDICT, ENDORSES IN THE MOST PUBLIC WAY IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL THE CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS IN THE ORDINARY FORM AD ORIENTEM! AND THIS AD ORIENTEM PAPAL MASS AT THE VATICAN IS AS CLOSE AS THE VATICAN CAN COME TO HAVING A NORMAL PARISH MASS AND SOME 50 YEARS AFTER VATICAN II, ONE WOULD THINK THAT THIS STYLE OF CELEBRATION OF THE ORDINARY FORM MASS WITH GREGORIAN CHANT, VERNACULAR AND AD ORIENTEM WOULD BE THE NORM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD! WHY ISN'T IT?


There is no reason why some 50 years after Vatican II that this form of the celebration of the Mass isn't more common throughout the world! For all practical purposes, this is as close as it comes for a papal Mass at the Vatican to be a parish Mass:



(To those offended by the naked man in the outdoor nativity at the Vatican, will want to look away from the Sistine Chapel's painting of the Last Judgement above the ad orientem altar! Oh how I wish I had a good coat of white wash and do to it what so many did to churches in the 1970's!)




Mass with Baptisms in Sistine Chapel Mass with Baptisms in Sistine Chapel  (Vatican Media)

Pope’s Homily at Mass with Baptisms in Sistine Chapel: Full text

You have brought your children to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. This is the first step in the task you have to fulfil: the task of transmitting the Faith. But we need the Holy Spirit to transmit the Faith, we cannot do it alone. Transmitting the Faith is a grace that comes from the Holy Spirit and this is why you bring your children here to receive the Holy Spirit, to receive the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who will dwell in their hearts.

There is just one thing I want to tell you, something that is up to you: the transmission of the Faith can only be done in “dialect”, in the “language” of the family, the “dialect” or “language” used by the father and mother, the grandfather and grandmother. The catechists will come later and develop this first transmission of the Faith, with ideas and explanations

But do not forget this: if the “dialect” is missing, if at home you do not speak the language of love between parents, the transmission of the Faith is not so easy, it cannot be done. Do not forget. Your task is to transmit the Faith, but to do it with the language of the love of your home, the language of the Family.

Children too have their own dialect, and it makes us feel good! Now they are all quiet but if just one sets the tone, then the orchestra will follow! The language of children! And Jesus asks us to be like them, to speak like them. We must not forget this language of children, to communicate like they do.

It is a language that Jesus appreciates so, in your prayers, be simple like they are: tell Jesus what is in your heart, like they do. Today they say it with tears but, yes, be like children. The language of parents must be the love with which they transmit the Faith, and the language of children must be to receive that Faith from their parents and to grow in Faith.

Now we will continue with the ceremony and if the children start the concert (by crying), it is because they are uncomfortable or because they are too hot or feel hungry. If they are hungry, feed them. Don’t be afraid. Go ahead and feed them. This too is the language of love.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

“AHHHH ORIENTEM! ONCE AGAIN, POPE FRANCIS IN CONTINUITY WITH POPE BENEDICT......”

How can you write that and expect to be taken seriously. When Cardinal Sarah mentioned that priests might want to begin celebrating Mass ad orientem it was Pope Francis who took the unprecedented action of correcting the Cardinal immediately and publicly stating that he was wrong. There is no way that Pope Francis is in continuity with a man like Pope Benedict. To continue to make such statements are I am sorry to say just absurd.

TJM said...

Are the liturgical “progressives” at PraySniff on suicide watch? It really takes a lot of gall for a bishop to out Pope the Pope by forbidding a priest to celebrate Mass ad orientem in light of this example.

Henry said...

Anonymous - Pope Francis did not--repeat NOT say that it's wrong for priests to celebrate Mass ad orientem. Plainly, it is not wrong, as it has been the Church's practice (in both East and West) from time immemorial. The pope merely said that Card. Sarah was speaking as an individual--not on behalf of the pope--as the cardinal had stated explicitly in his address. Specifically, in recommending then--as he still does to this day, that priests consider celebrating Mass ad orientem, he said that

"Even though I serve as the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, I do so in all humility as a priest and a bishop ... ."

To repeat, Pope Francis has never said, then or otherwise, that priests should not consider it.

Even so, you are correct in saying that Pope Francis is certainly not in continuity with the great and good Pope Benedict XVI. For the welfare of Church and Faith and the Papacy, would that he were.

Rood Screen said...

Anonymous,

Pope Francis is obviously adopting the ad orientem posture for Mass on the same annual feast on which Pope Benedict adopted this posture. Therefore, on this point there is clearly continuity between the two pontiffs.

ByzRus said...

Agree with Rood Screen - on this point, there is continuity however, it would need to extend much beyond this to warrant the suggested balloon drop/back clap.

Mark Thomas said...

Anonymous said..."There is no way that Pope Francis is in continuity with a man like Pope Benedict."

Pope Benedict XVI...

-- Praised Martin Luther.

-- Was a Green Pope.

"The Green Pope isn't who you think it is."

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-green-pope-isnt-who-you-think-it-is-30552

During the World Day of Peace celebration in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI chose the theme “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.” “We are all responsible for the protection and care of the environment,” he said.

-- Worshiped at Rome's Lutheran church.

-- Prayed in a synagogue.

-- Prayed in a mosque.

-- Insisted that the Novus Ordo would remain as the Latin Church's primary Mass.

-- Insisted upon allegiance to Vatican II.

-- Unrelenting commitment to the Ecumenical Movement.

-- Unrelenting commitment to interfaith dialogue.

-- Accepted Communion in the hand.

-- Accepted the presence of women within the Sanctuary.

-- Approved Assisi III, which included a witch doctor who chanted a prayer to a strange god.

-- Promoted liturgical inculturation.

-- Promoted "liberal" Cardinals and bishops.

-- Upheld Catholic Social and economic teachings as does Pope Francis.

Rorate Caeli:

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/06/truth-be-told-pope-francis-more-often.html

"Once again, the Traditional Catholic voice went unheeded. Very few indeed have been making the case, a case that is true, that the positions stated by Pope Francis on economic and social matters are much closer to the Traditional Catholic position on the economy and the State than not.

"Indeed, it can be said unhesitatingly that this is one area in which the Pope will find mostly allies in Traditional Catholics."

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Henry said...

Actually, Pope Francis merely celebrates Mass ad orientem at (and only at) altars that do not admit versus populum celebration.

Rood Screen said...

Henry,

Quite true, but it is certainly within his power and temperament to alter such altars.

TJM said...

Henry,

Under prior Popes, the Cranmer table was set up in the Sistine Chapel for Mass.

ByzRus said...

Mark Thomas -

Christ is baptized!

You neglected to mention that Pope Francis also breathes, blinks and swallows like Pope Benedict XVI. Sounds like perfect continuity to me!

And now, back to matters spiritual please.

TJM said...

The resident papalator should read this before commenting again:


https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishop-schneider-interview-catholics-must-not-become-victims-of-an-insane-p?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=8f3cb73c21-Catholic_1_9_2018&utm_medium=ema

ByzRus said...

TJM -

Good article. I believe I mentioned something similar in a separate post:

"“Third”, he emphasized, “the Pope cannot be the focal point of the daily life of the faith of a Catholic faithful. The focal point must instead be Christ.”

“Otherwise, we become victims of an insane pope-centrism or of a kind of popalatry, an attitude which is alien to the tradition of the Apostles, of the Church Fathers and of the greater tradition of the Church.”"

In all seriousness and for the good and well-being of those inclined to follow the Pope almost to an excess, careful consideration should be given to the words of the Bishop. We are called to worship Christ and that worship shouldn't be overshadowed by following the words/actions of a man-representative here on Earth.

TJM said...

ByzRC,

You and I are on the same page. Unfortunately we have a poster here who has gone off the rails. Kind of like Democrats who worshiped Obama!