I think too that there was too much experimentation and inculturation that has placed a wedge between Catholics of other cultures with each other--we lost some universalism with much of this. But let me reiterate, I am in favor of all kinds of inculturation with popular devotions including music. I just think we need more strictness concerning the Mass and what can or cannot be done there.
Also I am very grateful for the privilege of having once again the Missal of 1962, the Mass that was celebrated according to it since the Council of Trent called for it and even the Second Vatican Council used. At this point, I only pray that some vernacular be allowed for this missal as the Vatican II's document on the Liturgy asks as well as more lavish use of Scritpures for that. My suggestion has always been the following:
1. Prayers at the Foot of the Altar with a vernacular option
2. All prayers that change with a vernacular option, such as the introit and other antiphons, the collect, secret and Post Communion Prayer and the prefaces
3. The use of the revised post-Vatican II Lectionary
Or
The 2011 English Roman Missal with an Extraordinary Form Order of the Mass and in English.
But even if there are no further changes to the Mass than what we have already for the Ordinary Form, I think there needs to be clarification on inculturation and styles of music and the return of the mandated Introit and other antiphons and a new emphasis on Gregorian Chant and music that is in keeping with chant, polyphony and even Anglican Chant and chants of other Liturgical Protestant churches.
Simply requiring kneeling as the norm and standing as the exception for Holy Communion will go a long way in recapturing a sense of the sacred that was so powerful prior to the revisions of the Mass.
Finally there needs to be a renewal of preaching that enables preachers at Mass to address the content of the Catholic Faith found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There needs to be an official syllabus of what must be covered every year and in an organized, methodical fashion.
Relying solely on the Gospel and other readings for the content of preaching has not passed onto our Catholic faithful the content of the Church's complete teachings nor inspired them to live Catholics lives by giving them concrete ways to do that. This may well suggest why a majority of Catholics support what President Obama is trying to do to the Catholic Church and other faith based institutions--remove religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Catholics should be the most sensitive to this kind of dictatorship.
But there is hope that we are officially in the era of the post Vatican II Church where we are rediscovering what came before the Council and that the Council was not a rupture with that, but in continuity.
Our spiritual battle with the world will be enhanced with this rediscovery and also with the EF Mass and the revised Ordinary Form of the Mass both of which will wonderfully lead to the law of prayer making for the law of belief.
11 comments:
Much as I would like to kneel to receive, Father, until I am at a church with the communion rail intact, or at least one which offers a prie-dieu, it simply isn't practical. Since my hips were replaced, I have never recovered the strength in my legs to arise without assistance from a piece of furniture.
Oh, and it finally dawned on me why my parish always has a mob of EHMCs. At least, I think I know now. I believe their notion is that with 11 EMHCs and the deacon, plus a priest in persona Christi, that it serves to represent our Lord and the Apostles.
That's not to say that I accept that their notion should override a correct interpretation of extraordinary... I'm just saying.
William, I think it's a matter of the proper order of things. FIRST, require kneeling for communion (except for those unable to kneel, who are able to receive standing at EF Masses). THEN, parishes will get their acts together as necessary to accommodate kneeling--use the first row, set up prie dieux, reinstall ripped-out communion rails, etc. But if you wait for parishes to act unilaterally to restore the sacred, it won't happen generally.
You don't even need to make kneeling mandatory. Reverse the silliness we have now, make Kneeling once again the US "norm" as it is the Universal Norm, but allow standing as an option. That alone would allow Pastors to act to facilitate kneeling, which would in turn immediately see at least half the faithful start kneeling, and with preaching on the subject eventually almost all would kneel. Deus Volt!
Henry, I agree. However, in my own parish, the list of things in need of attention is as long as both my arms. And the number of those who will resist any change is very large.
Actually, William, over the last 50 years I've been incarcerated in some very liberal parishes (including one of the "worst" ones in the Archdiocese of Atlanta). And in each it has seemed to me that the largest single group of parishioners were those who longed for more sacral worship. While a much smaller but more vocal group has generally been politically dominant in the parish.
I have often speculated (probably here also) that if the priest did something particularly good at Mass one Sunday (like some prayers in Latin, or encouraging kneeling, etc.) then 1000 people might not even notice, 100 would approve but say nothing about it, whereas 10 would complain loudly and write letters to the bishop, who would assume that those 10 spoke for the whole parish.
Henry, you are probably correct. I confess I do not know enough of the parishioners to take an accurate read of their preferences. And you are certainly right about the most vocal ones.
I'm curious which parish was "one of the 'worst'" in Atl. E-mail me, if you will, as meyer.wil on gmail.
We have a reprint of an old picture book children's Missal (which I used to train my kids when they were smaller--even though it was EF--I used it in the OF). In the part where the Homily is preached it used the word "Sermon."
I have long thought that we should actually have "sermons" which teach doctrine and that references to the day's Scripture readings should preferably be used (whenever possible) to reinforce Catechesis (teaching of doctrine).
Most Catholics don't go to the adult ed classes or special weeknight classes taught by dedicated priests so the Homily (or, preferably Sermon) is the best opportunity and this opportunity has been squandered often over the last 40 or so years.
Ad Orientem should be the norm for Mass (EF or OF) with perhaps one Mass per Sunday Versus Populum for educational purposes. Ad Orientem would do so much to clean up the NO Masses that other directives would not even be necessary. After seeing a Versus Populum scenario a few dozen times all would know what goes on when the Priest faces God, with us united in Prayer at the Altar. Following a Priest would be quite easy after seeing it from the other side a few times. A Latin Consecration would be a good way to preserve Latin and unify all the Catholic world during the most important part of the Mass. It was Vat II which stated that Priests are to see to it that the Faithful know the parts of the Ordinary in Latin that pertain to them. I often wonder how many parishes takes this instuction from the Council and have Latin workshops to facilitate that learning. I prefer the EF Mass but attend the NO as well. Bringing the OF Mass closer to the EF and essentially the history of the Mass is paramount in order to demonstrate that there is no rupture with the past. I do think the EF could benefit from being audible to all who attend. After many years of suppression and peoples unfamiliarity with Latin it makes learning and following along in the Missal that much easier until a time comes where we are steady enough to bring about a return of "sotto voice" for parts where they Holy See has deemed appropriate.
I wish the Holy Father would wear the Tiara during the Easter and Christmas Blessings at the least. The bring the theory of Continuity into reality. Perhaps not the same or frequent usage as before, but at least visible to the Faithful who see it as a external sign of out Faith manifested in the Pope. It, along with the EF Mass should not be consigned to the museums. It is a part of the living Church today. This Pontificate has done very well in explaining to people why external sings are a necessary part of out Catholic identity. We are learning, so show us how the use of the Tiara does not have any temporal meanings of power at all. Remove the stigma.
Those who are not secure in Christ cast about for spiritual life preservers with which to support their confidence, and in their frantic search they cling not only to the shreds of ability and righteousness they find in themselves, but they fix upon their race, their membership in a party, their familiar social of ecclesiastical patters, and their culture as a means of self-recommendation.
Their culture is put on as though it were armor against self-doubt, but it becomes a mental starightjacket which cleaves to the flesh and can never be removed except through comprehensive faith in the saving work of Christ.
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