Of course, for the covering of the statues and crucifix, one needs to hear or read the Gospel from the lectionary of the TLM for the 5th Sunday in Lent, for the rationale behind this quaint tradition. But alas, not even one of the A, B, C, cycles in the MVM includes it. š¢
4 comments:
Yes! Ever since I realised that it makes little sense to follow this tradition in the Novus Ordo with its lectionary directed towards the residents of Academia rather than the common faithful in the pews, I have found it strange and uninformed. By this I mean that before the Council, people and clergy did things because that was the way it was done and many of it was in the rubrics just to be followed, a thoughtlessness in the approach to the TLM, often making it a stale liturgy. This was what Dom GuƩranger was trying to point out, that there is an almost infinite spiritual treasure in the Latin liturgy which had to be brought to the attention of everyone, but alas, he was not headed much. One the great results from the few of the Council is certainly not the Novus Ordo, but the way Dom GuƩranger's discovery is being passed on in the TLM today. Those attending the TLM tend to appreciated its riches much more than before the Council because the clergy, whether FSSP or SPPX, instruct the faithful about them. This is so unlike the Novus Ordo, which was the result of elite academics watering down the spiritual treasures to suit the ability of what they thought the common man in the pew had, which was little compared to them it seems.
The best Gueranger could do in explaining the name of the day was to say there was increased focus on the passion, which is really not much in evidence in the readings, nor much obvious in the gospel reading to explain the custom of shrouding statues.
Daily devotions/meditations such as Challoner's have focused on the passion for all this prior week, and continue right up to Easter. It seems mostly simply to be accrual and the answer to the question "why?" relegated to "because", which actually is just fine, and no real reason to change things except to change things in egotistical arrogance.
Even the worthy Catholic Encyclopedia is silent on the actual origin of the name Passion Sunday, and tidings/news of it does not truly begin until next week for those whose only Masses are Sundays and so the passion one Sunday and Easter the next.
Veiling crosses and images? Heck, in my parish, they're not even beginning the Easter Vigil when they're supposed to (after 8:25 pm), but instead at the "usual" Saturday vigil time of 4:00 pm!
4pm? That is absurd. In the Episcopal Church, sometimes the vigil begins early in the morning, like 6am, and as you proceed thru the service, daylight! They did not have the vigil in the 1928 prayer book but greatly influence by Vatican 2, the current 1979 Prayer Book in use has it. Years ago, you could start it earlier when we did not go to the time change until late April---that would mean for instance in Augusta, darkness in early April would come around 7pm , not 8 as is the case in early April. Of course the time change to March means the Masters does not have to start as early as the old days!
Post a Comment