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Sunday, September 3, 2023

SUNDAY MASS WITH POPE FRANCIS IN MONGOLIA…

For a Modern Vernacular Mass (but whose vernacular, though?) this wasn’t too bad. 

Some observations though:

Pope Francis celebrates most of the Mass in English! I presume Mongolians know English as one of their vernaculars???? I have a novel suggestion, if the pope can’t speak the vernacular and there are people present of a multitude of vernaculars, why not choose a dead language, like Latin or Ancient Greek?

Silence after readings and the homily (this deserves an elongated response):

In the 1970’s there was an awareness that the Modern Mass was too wordy with no silences unlike the Ancient Latin Mass. In the ancient Mass, many parts of the priest are prayed in a very low voice, like the Roman Canon. But the silences, truly sacred awe-inspiring silences, were within the context of active prayer and sacramental actions. Something great is happening in these grand silences!

But for the Modern Mass, liturgists contrived places for silence. After the readings, after the homily, after Holy Communion. These contrived silences are silence for the sake of silence, like before Mass and after Mass. No liturgical prayer or liturgical actions are taking place within this silence. 

I can remember some parishes demanding a full minute of silence after each reading and after the homily. Wow! How boring and out of touch with liturgical grand silence of the TLM! Often many thought someone forgot what happens next in the contrived silences of the Modern Mass.

I celebrated the 7 AM Mass at St. Gregory the Great in Bluffton, SC for the Feast of Saint Gregory the Great, September 3. Their 7 AM has no singing or instrumental accompaniment. All is spoken.

The only liturgical silence with liturgical action took place during the offertory which I prayed silently, a prescribed option for the Modern Mass. And it meant something. I was praying silently and offering a liturgical action silently as people participated by watching and praying silently. That’s Sacred Silence, not prolonged silences during Mass in lieu of nothing else happening. 

6 comments:

Bob said...

Most masses today have very little to do with, or time for, encountering the Living God. Instead, they are studies in the performative arts and their stars.

TJM said...

Bob,

Mainly boring and uninspiring!

ByzRus said...

These papal masses seem to be spectacles of parading costumes, smiling faces and applause. Seems more "Up with people" than that to which I'm accustomed. "Liturgists" will always win these days in their endless quest to impose meaningfulness.

Anonymous said...

Father McDonald said..."Pope Francis celebrates most of the Mass in English! I presume Mongolians know English as one of their vernaculars????"

Father, I have just read the following:

-- The Rise of English in Mongolia

October 3, 2021 A.D.

https://www.mongoliaweekly.org/post/the-rise-of-english-in-mongolia

"The collapse of communism in 1990 brought innumerable changes to Mongolia, but one of the most significant has been the increasing popularity of English as a foreign language, particularly in Ulaanbaatar."

"For most of the past century Russian has been the predominant foreign language in Mongolia, facilitated by political ties to the Soviet Union and the movement of people to and from Russia."

"Now, however, English has taken over from Russian as the dominant foreign language in Mongolia, particularly in Ulaanbaatar."

"But since 1990, Mongolia has opened itself to the world and has become much closer to the West, meaning English has become the main foreign language in Mongolia. It has almost completely replaced the value of Russian.

"Everybody knows the value of English..."

"In the 2000s, the Mongolian government under former president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj tried to accelerate the uptake of English and even floated the idea of making it Mongolia's official second language."

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Православный физик said...

The very fact that things have to be imposed upon the Modern Liturgy, really explains so much.

TJM said...

ByzRus,

Unlike our resident sycophant, you get it, which is truly sad. MT is just another, post-Concilar, malformed, Catholic.