Please note that I have shifted my pontificating renaming of the two formS of the ONE MASS to the following:
ANCIENT MASS (AM) and REVISED ANCIENT MASS (RAM).
The Holy Father has allowed for the liberal celebration of the Ancient Mass (AM) but he himself has not modeled it and in my most humble opinion, I don't think we will see him model it. The Divine Liturgy of the Latin Rite has always had two natures, divine and human. The Ancient Mass shows in a very powerful way the divine nature of Christ but with such rigid uniformity, formality and robotic rubrical actions, it neglects almost entirely the human nature of Christ and of the liturgy and those who participate in the divine liturgy.
On the other hand, the Revised Ancient Mass (RAM), wrongly implemented, seems to neglect the divinity of Christ and appears often as only a Human Liturgy what Pope Benedict has called the enclosed circle of the horizontal and human aspect of liturgy emphasized to the neglect and denigration of the Divine or vertical.
The Divine Liturgy Revised Ancient Mass (AM) is meant to show forth both the divine and human aspect of the one Divine Liturgy but never to the denigration of either. The same is true of Jesus Christ, The Second Divine Person of the Most Holy Trinity but who has two natures when "incarnate of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary" and "born in time, divine and human, but conceived, born and died without sin--like us in all things but sin!"
As I type this post I am watching and listening to the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Pope Benedict (live) at an air field outside of Milan, Italy. Once again he models for the universal Church the proper implementation of the revised rites of the Ancient Mass. This is what we should watch and implement in every parish throughout the world. The congregation is multi-cultural and the liturgy is being celebrated as follows:
1. The Propers, Introit, Offertory and Communion Antiphons using the traditional chant of the Ambrosian Rite in Latin (stunningly beautiful and slightly different than Gregorian Chant). But other anthems/chants are sung too, some more modern in nature!
2. The Sign of the Cross, Greeting and Collect are in Italian (from the throne); the Liturgy of the Word in various vernaculars, the Gospel in Italian. The Credo sung in a combination of Latin Chant, the Universal Prayers in a variety of languages by lay readers, but the deacon chanting the "Let us pray to the Lord" in Latin with its Latin response.
3. The Offertory Procession is very human, warm and friendly and a number of large families with young children approach the Holy Father for a brief exchange of pleasantries and a blessing--this is totally lacking in the Ancient Mass and is rightly recovered in the Reformed or Modern Mass as is the Universal Prayer with its more human touch and visuals.
4. The Prayer over the Offerings is in Italian but the Preface Dialogue, Preface and Eucharistic Prayer and acclamations are in Latin. The Holy Father models the praying of Eucharistic Prayer II, the shortest, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, which of course is on Sunday. He does not use exclusively the Roman Canon which is a powerful sign to those who are attached only to the Roman Canon.
5. The altar is facing the people but with the traditional set-up, what is now called the "Benedictine Altar Arrangement" but really is the Ancient Mass Arrangement!
6. The Pater Noster is in Latin Chant but its embolism and doxology is in Italian.
7. The invitation to Holy Communion and the "Lord I am not worthy" is in Italian.
8. Holy Communion from the Holy Father is by way of a kneeler in front of the pope with the communicants kneeling and receiving exclusively on the tongue. Well over one million faithful are at this Mass!!!!!!!
9. The Prayer after Holy Communion is at the throne and in Italian, but the Blessing and dismissal in Italian.
10. After the Prayer after Holy Communion but before the Blessing and Dismissal another bishop recognizes all who are present with thunderous applause each time, another example of the human aspect of the one Divine Liturgy but in the appropriate place for it! Finally the Holy Father is once again recognized to thunderous, raucous cheering and applause and extended for several moments, the Holy Father visibly moved and smiling! This is a truly moving tribute under the circumstances of today's Church. The Holy Father gives a wonderful thank you to everyone prior to the blessing in addition to more acknowledgements.
THIS DIVINE LITURGY WITH BOTH ITS DIVINE AND HUMAN NATURES IS WHAT VATICAN II ENVISIONED FOR THE ANCIENT MASS, MEANING FORMALITY BUT IN A LESS RIGID OR ROBOTIC FORM, UNDERSTATED, NOBLE SIMPLICITY GESTURES AS THE HOLY FATHER MODELS MAGNIFICENTLY, A MIX OF VERNACULAR AND LATIN, THE LATIN BINDING THE MULTI-ETHNIC AND LINGUAL NATURE OF THE CONGREGATION OF WELL OVER A MILLION FAITHFUL. THE ECCLESIOLOGY OF THE EMERGING POST-VATICAN II REFORM OF THE REFORM WITHIN CONTINUITY WITH THE 2000 YEAR TRADITION OF THE CHURCH IS EVIDENT TOO WITH LAY LECTORS AND LAITY PRAYING THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER AND BRINGING FORTH THE OFFERINGS.
IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT FOLKS. THE HOLY FATHER IS MODELING THE LITURGY THAT SHOULD BE AND MAYBE ONE DAY WILL BE IN EVERY PARISH IN THE WORLD--AND IT IS THE REFORMED MASS OR THE MODERN MASS.
I BELIEVE THE LONDON ORATORY ALREADY HAS IT, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
THERE IS A POWERFUL SIGN TO THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL IN THE LATIN RITE HERE. THE ANCIENT MASS IS PRECISELY THAT THE PATRIMONY OF THE CHURCH AND HELD IN REVERENCE BUT NOW THE EXTRAORDINARY (OUT OF THE ORDINARY) FORM OF THE ONE DIVINE LITURGY THAT IN NO WAY IS HINDERED BY THE HIERARCHY OF THE CHURCH. HOWEVER, THE NORMAL, ORDINARY AND USUAL FORM OF THE LITURGY IS WHAT THE HOLY FATHER MODELS AND CELEBRATES EXCLUSIVELY IN THE PUBLIC FORUM IS THE REVISED ANCIENT MASS (RAM).
17 comments:
I abhor the offertory procession and universal prayer.
Just saying.
And oh my God did you see the chasubles that the concelebrants wore at this Mass? They were RAINBOW chasubles!
I am in solidarity with ytc on that. About as bad as the handshake before the introit.
What is really abhorrent, tiresome and debilitating remains the largest obstacle to progress: the inclination to assume that one mind presumes to solve a perceived problem just by expressing distate for a circumstance, like it or not, that was crafted as part and parcel by conventional wisdom over decades and even centuries. To set oneself above Tradition, the Magisterium, not to mention the Holy Spirit, is at the least hubris maximus.
The Lord, in His Passion, said "I thirst" and is offered common vinegar-that is essentially how much worth such assertions amount to.
The "RAM" was created by a committee. It has bares almost no resemblance to the "AM".
And RAM is a apt name for it, since it has been RAMMED down our throats as a fait accompli rather than as a natural organic development of the Ancient Latin Rite.
Let's be fair, this was a beautiful Mass. The voice of the choir boy who led the Psalm reminded me of the movie "A Time to Remember". The Pope's homily linking the family with the Holy Trinity was one the whole world needs to hear.
And the vestments were NOT rainbow. They were purple, red, orange, and yellow- a warm spectrum which represents the warmth that the family radiates to society.
If we nit-pic about small non-issues, we will be ignored when we bring up issues of importance, like kneeling for communion.
Carol is correct.
~SL
I'm sorry but this was simply one of the worst papal Masses in the past three years or so, in my opinion.
Apparently the Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Marini, wanted to have a different choir, pure Ambrosian. But the Secretariat of State (ie Cardinal Bertone) derailed those plans and used their own "show choir." The music wasn't bad, admittedly, but it could have been significantly better.
And the Papal MC really needs to look into getting a set of about 100 or so matching, respectable concelebration chasubles in each liturgical color, if concelebration simply must continue to be part of papal Masses. They always end up using these potato sack-like ponchos with no shape which are truly hideous. There is nothing wrong with Gothic vestments, but these are not really Gothic vestments. The concelebration chasubles used at this Mass were absolutely disgusting, which they usually are for Masses outside of Rome.
This is a true Gothic chasuble: http://www.susanmaria.com/i/Gold%20Vestments/newGoldGothicChasuble_Solo_with_IHS_inset.JPG Notice that it actually has a shape of its own. It looks quite dapper. This is the shape that the Pope used, thank God.
This is a fake Gothic chasuble which is in fact a 60 gallon Hefty trash bag in disguise: http://www.amreligiousgifts.com/images/D/1078249142__1-80.gif It has no shape of its own, and a man would have to be about eight feet tall to make it look decent. Unfortunately this is the style that most priests seem to be so enamored with, and is the style that was used in this Mass for concelebrants.
Templar: "And RAM is a apt name for it, since it has been RAMMED down our throats as a fait accompli rather than as a natural organic development of the Ancient Latin Rite."
I must admit this is what I immediately thought when I saw the acronym RAM.
But why not "ancient Mass" and "new Mass", if you want to be perfectly clear without the appearance of trying to make some ridiculous point.
Or perhaps FAB for "new Mass", if you want to let the hearer choose between FABulous and FABricated. (The latter choice provided for those who think like Pope Benedict.)
ytc, it would not be necessary to invest Vatican funds in hundreds of matching but likely unattractive chasubles ... If a pope who reportedly is uneasy about them, simply did away with these spectacles involving gaggles of concelebrants standing around, seemingly contrary to the predominant historical ethos of the Roman rite with a single priest mediating between God and man, offering sacrifice for the propitiation of sin. Surely the idea of perhaps hundreds of concelebrants--some of whom cannot even see the hosts they are presuming to consecrate--is a troublesome invention of our time, aside from frivoulous-sounding (but possibly serious) questions as to which of the hundreds of spoken or unspoken consecrations finds (like a laser beam) which of the thousands of hosts--when traditionally a host to be consecrated had to be in a ciborium on or at least touching the corporal on the altar--or who is really offering the sacrifice when so many are participating in novel fashions, sometimes seemingly scripted for the occasion.
Maybe Post Ancient Mass in hopes it won't stick.
I've been thinking, and I have had an epiphany. The Novus Ordo was created or fabricated in the 1960s, and debuted in the 1970s, with some tweaking during the decade.
You know, the 60s and 70s had a lot of drug use. LSD and pot in the 60s... coke and heroin in the 70s. It was very wide spread. Almost everyone in those days experimented with it. What if Bugnini and his team fabricating the Novus Ordo were using drugs... on their off time, of course. But that would explain so much, wouldn't it?
"Hey, Anni... did you try this weed from Columbia yet?"
"No, I'm still riding high on this coke... but back to business... let's not kneel, man... I'll fall down and won't be able to get back up (giggles)... I'll just want to lay there and be cool."
"(laughter) I dig you, Anni... I'm not sticking my toung out... I'll start drooling (laughter)... let's just have the celebont.. er, celebrake..., aw, change it to president... lets have him give it in the hand".
"Right on... right on... lets get rid of those statues... man I might have a LSD flashback, and they'll come to life (giggles). Lets have some really far out and groovy felt banners instead."
"You're on a roll Anni... let's hold hands for the Our Father... that would be so communial... now let's talk music... hey someone put on a Pete Seeger record to get us in the mood, man... and get me a bag of chips, for God's sake... I'm starving!"
This has been your Vatican II 50th Anniversary Flashback Moment, proving once again that what is called "contemporary" in Liturgy and sacred architecture, is really as contemporary as a Ford Pinto.
ytc,
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has concerns about Cardinal Bertone and the office of the Vatican Secretary of State! I think they should stick to being diplomats for the Vatican City-State and leave the Papal liturgies to Marini.
I know this may be seen by some as more "nit-picking" but I didn't like the concelebration vestments either--especially the episcopal versions with the multi-colored orphrey stripe. I just don't think that modern art style helps.
In defense of what they wore, however, I will say that the "potato sack" fit may be due to cost factors. The concelebration vestments were probably cheaper, unlined, versions with no real tailoring involved. Comparing them to the Pope's vestments would be like comparing a cheaply made polyester-cotton, unlined, snap-front, untailored, altar server cassock to a nicely tailored light woolen one with cloth-covered shank buttons and piped edges made by Gamarelli or Barbiconi. I just don't know if the budget would permit something better (but the art could still be better!).
Now, for some real "nit-picking!" I (as well as my brother, who watched the Mass with me) was quite disturbed and dissapointed by some of the vested priests' headwear! Modernist Catholics can say what they want about the biretta being strictly choir or clerical dress but what about a baseball cap, a sailor hat worn turned down "Gilligan" style, or a floppy cloth beach hat being worn with Mass vestments? I actually saw all of these things, mostly baseball caps, worn by vested priests at the Mass. Don't get me wrong--I understand the need for some to wear something in the sun (and I love hats--I just love the traditional ones--the kind that usually cost more and require some care, which were once common in daily life and in various occupations).
Of course, for priests, two hat styles came to mind between my brother and myself--the biretta and the black straw (summer version) Saturno! Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The collapsible biretta provides protection for the head only and is easily folded up into a little rectangle and easily put away when not needed. The saturno has a wide brim (better than that cloth beach hat I saw) for better sun protection but must be carried around or stowed somewhere when not worn. Both look much more respectable and the biretta has historically seen use with vestments in outdoor processions even if it is, technically, a part of "choir dress."
Every priest should at least own a folding biretta!
Now, for more truly serious matters, check out the Rorate Caeli article regarding more Papal letters leaks. Some of this, apparently, postdates the arrest of the Pope's butler.
Allow me to second Carol's good advice. If the Mass is not for my entertainment, then it is not for my comfort. I can put up with a parade of cuteness and pleas for politicians to increase my debt when the rest of the Mass is conducted in a dignified manner.
Joseph Johnson:
Yes, there might not have been a huge budget for concelebration chasubles but there are two solutions.
1) Cut the chasubles smaller, which would presumably SAVE money.
OR
2) BEST OPTION! Do not have concelebration. Concelebration is a fabrication in the Roman Rite. It is foreign to the Latin Church and belongs properly in the East. A whole "gaggle" of priests just looks disgusting.
Now, with that said, hats. The cappello Romano is, strictly speaking, a non-liturgical hat for daily wear. It has giant tassels on it (which liberals HATE!!!!!) in varying colors, but for priests either black or amaranth. The biretta is, strictly speaking, a purely liturgical headdress.
God forbid that anyone should be inconvenienced or uncomfortable...
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