Praytell has an article on blessings that are a part of the Mass. As with all the options in the Modern Roman Missal, the priest is the one who chooses them. He doesn’t have to explain himself to the assembly before him why he made the choices he made and he doesn’t have to inform the assembly of the choices he is making before hand, such as which of the multitude of Eucharistic Prayers he will use (although number II, more than likely will be the choice). And he certainly doesn’t have to tell anyone if he will use a solemn blessing at the end of Mass, either the single petition or the three-fold blessing
This is the built-in clericalism of the Modern Mass, too many options and the priest is the one making the choice without informing anyone why he has chosen this, that or the other.
The only remedy is to reduce the options and make some things mandatory. As it concerns blessings, the reformed Roman Missal of 2003 includes a “Prayer over the People, for every Mass, Sunday or weekday, during the Season of Lent. It is borrowed from the TLM Missal. Unfortunately, it is optional. Guess who makes the choice to use or not use it?
One of the reasons so many priests choose the shortest Eucharistic Prayer, number 2, is that they like brevity. However, the General Intercessions, which are in fact, specific and tell God what He must do and babel on like pagans do in prayer, often with a political or ideological twists and turns, makes the intercessions of the Roman Canon redundant.
If the Roman Canon is prayed, there is no reason for the useless General Intercessions, with all its political and ideological babbling on like pagans praying.
But then, you have the three fold blessing option which are petitions too. We don’t need more petitions, but I would say a prayer over the people during Lent, Easter, Advent and the Christmas Seasons would be a good idea and not optional.
Get rid of the three fold blessings.
Yes the reform of the reform in continuity with the TLM is desperately needed. Will it happen? Only God knows.
You can read the Praytell article here:
Do Solemn Blessings need work?
NEIL XAVIER O’DONOGHUE — In light of the controversy provoked by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Declaration Fiducia Supplicans On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings, I don’t think anyone can deny that the theology of blessings needs more elaboration. In this sense I would like to point out a particular aspect of…
2 comments:
You get more out of watching Looney Tunes than reading Praytell. Way more!
The Prayers Over the People during Lent have the word "optional" only on the weekday Masses. So, should one assume they are mandatory on Sundays in Lent, despite the fact that most priests ignore them? In the FIFTY years with the "new" Missal, I've heard Eucharistic Prayer IV once ONCE! The two Eucharistic Prayers of Reconciliation can be used during Lent and at certain other times, but I have yet to hear either ever used.
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