There are interesting comments at Praytell about Ash Wednesday and those who receive ashes.
The comment section devolves into when the ashes should be imposed. One says at the beginning of Mass, another at the end of Mass to keep the Catholics in attendance from leaving too early when they get their ashes.
Another one says that you have to hear the Word of God first in order to receive the ashes with the proper disposition. Another says the same thing about the Penitential Act, it should be after the Word of God not before.
O my! It's as though, we multitude of unwashed masses, are unconverted and need to be treated as the unbaptized or worse yet. We simply are greatly ignorant and have to be force fed, controlled and manipulated by those in the know about these sorts of things and God forbid you call them out on their clericalism.
Folks, ashes are a sacramental like Holy Water and can be sprinkled on anyone and wherever and without a prayer service just as Holy Water is and even on inanimate objects.
Sheesh!
16 comments:
Yet another example of what I've pointed out before: even people who claim to LOVE the Novus Ordo really don't; they always want to re-arrange it.
As far as where the Penitential Rite is situated, I think the words in the Missal (from memory) explain everything: In order to prepare ourselves for the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins. I.e., the rest of the Mass is not a series of parts to be re-arranged, but a single unity: "The Sacred Mystery." As I explained at a daily Mass this week, there is a parallel between the Lent-Easter season and the Mass: we move to the Cross and to the Tomb. Actually, Mass recapitulates ALL of what our Savior did for us: several aspects recall his Incarnation, and lots of it is about our final destination.
Father Fox,
An excellent reminder!
Fr. Fox, you hit the nail on the head. Those who profess they love the post-Vatican II Mass are constantly suggesting ways to change it and make it as more unlike what it is and from where it came. And I suspect that what they would like they have tried to do as far as they had some control to do it. It's like two people who are in love but one or the other is constantly trying to improve the other. In other words, they aren't lovable enough!
The mid-20th century reformers had a fixation about interpolating sacraments and sacramentals into the Mass, between the Gospel and the Offertory. In the case of Ash Wednesday this means that the Introit 'Misereris omnium', which assures us that the Lord is merciful to all, overlooking their sins and sparing them, actually comes before the admonitory 'Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return' and the responsory 'Emendemus in melius' which warns us to repent before it is too late.
Yet another example of how the older rite, which imposes the ashes before Mass, gets it right and the Novus Ordo gets it wrong.
Maybe those who love the post-Vatican Two mass, clerics and laity, do so because it has so many options and because it is adjustable to various circumstances. Maybe they prefer a little variety Sunday after Sunday and are happy to see those variations throughout the year.
Some people go to the same restaurant regularly and order the same thing every time. Some look forward to seeing what the Special of the Day is and relish the opportunity not to eat the same things again.
As for the original post, it is troubling that many come for ashes - a number who are seen very often throughout the year - and depart after the distribution thereof following the homily.
No, they should not be berated. Yes, they should be challenged.
Oh, and just wait for Palm Sunday...
That’s wonderful new about liking variety and options and thus I know that within that context you love to celebrate the older Traditional Latin Mass to have yet another option to mix into it. I knew you supported the EF Mass for that reason.
Some priests are truly delusional - about only 30 percent of the OF attendees believe in the Real Presence so all of the “options” are failing. The entire Ordo Missae needs a serious revision
Fr K:
But you are missing the point: the 1970 Missal is chock full of options. Many options for how it begins; many options, most days, for Mass texts -- even on a Sunday in Ordinary Time, you can substitute another set of Mass prayers under certain circumstances. You can substitute the gradual for the psalm. You can sub in all manner of texts in place of the proper antiphons. You can sub in the Apostles Creed in some cases. Endless choices for the petitions and the intro and conclusion can be ad-libbed; you can do a number of prayers silent or aloud. Lots of prefaces. TEN Eucharistic Prayers, not counting those "for children"; lots of different chant settings; Holy Communion can be one form or both, distributed separately or by intinction; and more, but HERE'S THE POINT...
After ALL THOSE OPTIONS, lots of people who claim to love the 1970 Missal are STILL NOT HAPPY! Still not enough options! There are still a good number of such folk moaning and mourning over the misbegotten 1998 edition of the Missal, which -- you guessed it! Had EVEN MORE OPTIONS!
No, Father, they don't love the 1970 Missal. They want it to be something else; I'm not sure what.
They want it to be something else, just like Pope Paul VI's committee to create a new Mass, or "reimagine" it want the 1962 Missal to be something else. That virus began with them and it was and is more contagious than Covid-19 and has caused the spiritual deaths of millions of once practicing Roman Catholics. Yet, they continue to profess their love for the Vatican II Mass and its fruits. Somehow, I just can't wrap my head around their mentality other than they truly have a death wish for the Church.
Fathers Fox and McDonald,
Please click on this link. This is the most unbelievable thing I have seen in a Catholic Church in my lifetime. But remember, the EF is the problem. Heads should roll, but they won't.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/austrian-bishop-hangs-banner-of-nude-trans-activist-over-main-altar-for-lent/
Fr. MARTIN Fox - I wonder if "Lots of people" isn't actually "a small number of people who comment in a small number of blog comments sections."
I don't want "something else." I'm quite happy with the missal we have, although here and there the stilted translations need some tweaking. But that's a translation issue, not a rubric issue.
I know I'm free to not read these posts and free to not read this blog however, this Sunday, the first of the Great Fast, ironically also the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" when the iconoclastic heresy ended and venerated images were restored into the churches of the East, finds our Catholic brothers and sisters in Ukraine hiding in shelters and basements. Priests are celebrating Divine Liturgy underground in spaces where they cannot even stand up straight. Almost 300 Russian Orthodox priests signed an open letter regarding the ending of "fratricide". At this juncture, it wouldn't take much for this to devolve into a global conflict with Western Europe and the Western World perhaps becoming involved. I suppose, for the time being, the agony of the Eastern Church this is out of sight and mind within the Western Church. When I consider the aforementioned, then, look at the focus of the dialogue here, I do shake my head in puzzlement. In part, critical discussion such as this could well be contributing to the collapse of faith in the west. Supposition. I know. Apologies if this sounds like a correction, you are free to discuss what you wish. It just comes off as tone deaf.
Our resident poster continues to live in his dream world and flaut Church law by
"improving" the translations without any basic understanding of the language he is attempting to translate. I think your bishop would not approve. I know Sacrosanctum Concilium forbids it
ByzRus, our pastor commented today on the war and reminded us of the greater context. I do think this is haunted by differences in Liturgy as well as theology that we should strive to resolve. There are many western Catholics who have come to admire Putin because of his statements regarding Faith. This is a time for great caution and we are in this situation for a lack of it.
To the topic, as I understand it, the variable nature of the New Mass is the undoing of the Church through confusion of meaning and purpose. One of the most memorable, and for me disturbing, exchanges on this blog was Fr Kavanaugh correcting me that the Mass is not a method of catechesis. The sequence of the ceremony of distributing ashes and the controversy among adherents of the New Mass indicates the desire for some ‘tradition’ as well as a lack of understanding. This is a teaching point for the congregation that has great value. Whatever one thinks of the Old Form, its parts have a sequence and content that instruct the Faith and offer opportunity to delve as deeply as one has the capacity and desire.
Rcg,
Father K is the last person anyone on this blog should give credence to on any subject. He insults our genial host regularly and votes for a Party that believes abortion is “healthcare” and a man can identify as a woman. He is tedious
I noticed that on campus here at Arizona State University, they had distribution of ashes on the hour every hour from 9 AM to 9 PM in addition to the scheduled masses.
Yes, they are a sacramental not a way to draw people into staying at mass. If you really wanted to use "something" to draw people to mass certainly free coffee and donuts would work better than ashes LOL
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