The ashes should be imposed before Mass. The formula, which could be in the vernacular even before V2, is 'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.' It is accompanied by the antiphon 'Emendemus in melius' which urges us to repent before it is too late. Very bleak.
The Introit of the Mass which follows (Misereris omnium) strikes a very different note - one of optimism that God in his mercy will overlook our sins.
The reversal of these in the Novus Ordo is one of the worst aspects of the Bugnini reform, both theologically, liturgically and psychologically.
Always standing. I read somewhere that the Italian tradition was to sprinkle ashes onto someone’s head. The latest fad has been to make a slurry (aka paint) with the ashes so that a nice big dark cross can be drawn on the forehead. I don’t like that at all.
At St. John Cantius it's kneeling at the rail, which is wonderful. And the priest who gave me ashes said the traditional, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (I wish he had said, "Remember man you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Even though I'm a woman, it seems being addressed as "man" takes on a meaning of "created flesh" to me. "Remember, created flesh, you are dust, and to dust you shall return.")
I attended the Novus Ordo Mass today, and the blessing and then imposition of ashes took place right after the homily. I felt it disrupted the Mass itself, but don't know if that's the rubrics or not.
I watched as moms brought kids and babies up with them, and the priest impose the ashes on the children too. I remember those days, as a kid, before I could receive Communion, getting ashes, and feeling like it was a quasi-sacraement for me.
Nice.
May God inspire you to greater holiness this Lenten season. God bless. Bee
'Memento homo quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.'
'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.'
The iambic rhythm of the 'traditional' translation is very telling here. Imposing ashes after the Gospel is in the rubrics of the Novus Ordo - for some reason Bugnini thought that sacraments and sacramentals should be inserted at this point. He first did it in 1955 with the foot-washing on Maundy Thursday. Yes, it's reprehensible, but we're stuck with it in the OF for the foreseeable future.
Well, in the modern Mass and knowing I mainly kneel at Masses for Jesus and not because priests or deacons are standing or cleansing vessels, I see no cause to kneel for ashes.
Now, at a Tridentine Mass with rail where priest can best reach folk while they kneel, kneeling is the way to go, if for no other reason such as rubric.
And as a supplicant begging for mercy at imposition of ashes, kneeling is certainly fitting if the priest can reach and see what he is doing...which is not often when possibly elevated and supplicant kneeling at floor level in the majority of what are parishes not set up for kneeling today.
Kneeling is nice, but neither easy or required in the newer rite, and so I have no strong feeling either way. With communion in these type parishes, I often must content self with a serious genuflection prior to receiving on tongue while standing for same reason, lest I receive the blessed host in my eye.
6 comments:
The ashes should be imposed before Mass. The formula, which could be in the vernacular even before V2, is 'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.' It is accompanied by the antiphon 'Emendemus in melius' which urges us to repent before it is too late. Very bleak.
The Introit of the Mass which follows (Misereris omnium) strikes a very different note - one of optimism that God in his mercy will overlook our sins.
The reversal of these in the Novus Ordo is one of the worst aspects of the Bugnini reform, both theologically, liturgically and psychologically.
Always standing. I read somewhere that the Italian tradition was to sprinkle ashes onto someone’s head. The latest fad has been to make a slurry (aka paint) with the ashes so that a nice big dark cross can be drawn on the forehead. I don’t like that at all.
Bee here:
At St. John Cantius it's kneeling at the rail, which is wonderful. And the priest who gave me ashes said the traditional, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (I wish he had said, "Remember man you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Even though I'm a woman, it seems being addressed as "man" takes on a meaning of "created flesh" to me. "Remember, created flesh, you are dust, and to dust you shall return.")
I attended the Novus Ordo Mass today, and the blessing and then imposition of ashes took place right after the homily. I felt it disrupted the Mass itself, but don't know if that's the rubrics or not.
I watched as moms brought kids and babies up with them, and the priest impose the ashes on the children too. I remember those days, as a kid, before I could receive Communion, getting ashes, and feeling like it was a quasi-sacraement for me.
Nice.
May God inspire you to greater holiness this Lenten season.
God bless.
Bee
Bee
'Memento homo quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.'
'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.'
The iambic rhythm of the 'traditional' translation is very telling here. Imposing ashes after the Gospel is in the rubrics of the Novus Ordo - for some reason Bugnini thought that sacraments and sacramentals should be inserted at this point. He first did it in 1955 with the foot-washing on Maundy Thursday. Yes, it's reprehensible, but we're stuck with it in the OF for the foreseeable future.
Well, in the modern Mass and knowing I mainly kneel at Masses for Jesus and not because priests or deacons are standing or cleansing vessels, I see no cause to kneel for ashes.
Now, at a Tridentine Mass with rail where priest can best reach folk while they kneel, kneeling is the way to go, if for no other reason such as rubric.
And as a supplicant begging for mercy at imposition of ashes, kneeling is certainly fitting if the priest can reach and see what he is doing...which is not often when possibly elevated and supplicant kneeling at floor level in the majority of what are parishes not set up for kneeling today.
Kneeling is nice, but neither easy or required in the newer rite, and so I have no strong feeling either way. With communion in these type parishes, I often must content self with a serious genuflection prior to receiving on tongue while standing for same reason, lest I receive the blessed host in my eye.
Bee here:
Thank you, John Nolan. The Latin is beautiful. I hadn't thought to look it up.
"Pulvis." What a great word!
God bless.
Bee
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