Everyone’s getting in on the act on this universal Indult story. The Washington Post reviews the latest rumors and reports from unnamed sources that Pope Benedict is on his third draft of the coming motu proprio. I do think, like other bloggers, that the mainstream media has focused too much on ideology and politics and not enough on the theology, but then most mainstream reporters are hesitant to wade into internecine theological disputes.
In general, the thesis seems to be that the Pope is offering the Indult in order to appeal to Traditionalists who have abandoned the Church, but I think that’s oversimplistic. Pope Benedict knows that the issues involved in the Traditionalist debates go far beyond the Mass and rest primarily on doctrinal disputes arising out of Vatican II. Those won’t be solved easily by this motu proprio.
Wider use of the Tridentine Mass is a cause dear to the hearts of many Catholics, for both esthetic and ideological reasons. It was codified in 1570 and remained the standard Roman Catholic liturgy for nearly four centuries, until the gathering of church leaders known as the Second Vatican Council ushered in major reforms from 1962 to 1965.
To some Catholics, the return of the old Latin Mass is symbolic of a conservative turn away from what they view as the “excesses” that followed the Second Vatican Council, said the Rev. Thomas J. Scirghi, who teaches liturgical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif.
I think what it boils down to for many is that the Mass as celebrated in 99 percent of parishes just strikes them as so much banality and lacking in transcendence. Even Hollywood knows that the Mass should have incense and candles and bells and chant and reverence, not schlocky music and hand-holding and a swaying congregation.
Still, I don’t think a return to the Tridentine is necessarily the answer. Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s a great first step, especially for those for whom Tridentine is a comfort. But the Tridentine Mass needed its reforms. I like the three-year cycle of readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles, and Gospels. I like the readings in English. I like being able to pray along with the priest and being able to hear the prayers said. I would prefer to have the Mass chanted, to have the priest ad orientem, and to hear the Roman Canon as a norm and not the exception, and to use our universal language, Latin. But you don’t have to have the Tridetine to have those things.
There are great Novus Ordo parishes where the Mass is celebrated this way. I’m finding out that St. Agnes in Minneapolis is one of them.
What I’m really hoping for is that this motu proprio doesn’t stand alone, but is part of a much bigger reform. While a universal indult will make the Tridentine Mass more widely available, it still will affect only a small percentage of Catholics, because few priests will take advantage of the permission and few people will leave their parish for it.
Amy Welborn relates a conversation she had with someone from a particular diocese about what people want.
One of those in charge, who’d attended every session, told me that the most frequently mentioned suggestion for liturgy in these sessions was “Bring back Latin.” Now, I’ll tell you what this person said about this - and I think he’s right. He said that in his view (and he’s not unsympathetic to Latin, mind you), that was expressive of something deeper - people wanted more reverence and less nonsense in liturgy, and talking about “Latin” was the most helpful way for them to articulate that desire.
I think that’s exactly the point. What sets many people on a journey that today ends at a Tridentine Mass (not everyone, but some) is a desire for a more reverent Mass and if there was a “reform of the reform” that was a true organic development as opposed to the mishmash prone to abuse we have today, this motu proprio may in fact be the least significant change overall.
I first heard the Mass when I was 12 years old and not Catholic. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard and seen. It was in Latin, but I had a missal which I could follow. I had no trouble at all.
For those of you too young to remember, please google a direct translation of the Tridentine and put it alongside the NO. You will be in for a shock. The NO sounds like a Burger King jingle next to the direct translation.
And with all manner of nonsense—people running all over trying to get into the act and “be represented” (and all that phony crap) it’s a mess.
How are you supposed to participate in prayer and understanding with all that going on? It’s like Grand Central Station at high noon!
Perhaps the biggest criticism that can be leveled at the Novus Ordo is that it is not an ‘organic development of the liturgy’ (there is a book by the same name with a preface written by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger). In my understanding, The Tridentine Mass (and the Masses of the Eastern Rites) are organic developments dating back to the Mass of the Apostolic Age. The Pauline Rite, while obviously valid, cannot lay claim to that important continuity of development (and, as michigancatholic points out, this goes beyond the Latin). Who could argue against the fact that the NO was manufactured more than it was developed?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/14/06 at 01:37 PM
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Is a universal Indult what people really want?
Everyone’s getting in on the act on this universal Indult story. The Washington Post reviews the latest rumors and reports from unnamed sources that Pope Benedict is on his third draft of the coming motu proprio. I do think, like other bloggers, that the mainstream media has focused too much on ideology and politics and not enough on the theology, but then most mainstream reporters are hesitant to wade into internecine theological disputes.
In general, the thesis seems to be that the Pope is offering the Indult in order to appeal to Traditionalists who have abandoned the Church, but I think that’s oversimplistic. Pope Benedict knows that the issues involved in the Traditionalist debates go far beyond the Mass and rest primarily on doctrinal disputes arising out of Vatican II. Those won’t be solved easily by this motu proprio.
I think what it boils down to for many is that the Mass as celebrated in 99 percent of parishes just strikes them as so much banality and lacking in transcendence. Even Hollywood knows that the Mass should have incense and candles and bells and chant and reverence, not schlocky music and hand-holding and a swaying congregation.
The ultimate answer is not a universal Indult
Technorati Tags:Latin, Mass, Pope, pope benedict xvi, Traditionalist, Tridentine, Vatican
Still, I don’t think a return to the Tridentine is necessarily the answer. Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s a great first step, especially for those for whom Tridentine is a comfort. But the Tridentine Mass needed its reforms. I like the three-year cycle of readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles, and Gospels. I like the readings in English. I like being able to pray along with the priest and being able to hear the prayers said. I would prefer to have the Mass chanted, to have the priest ad orientem, and to hear the Roman Canon as a norm and not the exception, and to use our universal language, Latin. But you don’t have to have the Tridetine to have those things.
There are great Novus Ordo parishes where the Mass is celebrated this way. I’m finding out that St. Agnes in Minneapolis is one of them.
What I’m really hoping for is that this motu proprio doesn’t stand alone, but is part of a much bigger reform. While a universal indult will make the Tridentine Mass more widely available, it still will affect only a small percentage of Catholics, because few priests will take advantage of the permission and few people will leave their parish for it.
Amy Welborn relates a conversation she had with someone from a particular diocese about what people want.
I think that’s exactly the point. What sets many people on a journey that today ends at a Tridentine Mass (not everyone, but some) is a desire for a more reverent Mass and if there was a “reform of the reform” that was a true organic development as opposed to the mishmash prone to abuse we have today, this motu proprio may in fact be the least significant change overall.
COMMENTS
I first heard the Mass when I was 12 years old and not Catholic. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard and seen. It was in Latin, but I had a missal which I could follow. I had no trouble at all.
For those of you too young to remember, please google a direct translation of the Tridentine and put it alongside the NO. You will be in for a shock. The NO sounds like a Burger King jingle next to the direct translation.
And with all manner of nonsense—people running all over trying to get into the act and “be represented” (and all that phony crap) it’s a mess.
How are you supposed to participate in prayer and understanding with all that going on? It’s like Grand Central Station at high noon!
Posted by michigancatholic on 10/13/06 at 11:53 PM
Perhaps the biggest criticism that can be leveled at the Novus Ordo is that it is not an ‘organic development of the liturgy’ (there is a book by the same name with a preface written by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger). In my understanding, The Tridentine Mass (and the Masses of the Eastern Rites) are organic developments dating back to the Mass of the Apostolic Age. The Pauline Rite, while obviously valid, cannot lay claim to that important continuity of development (and, as michigancatholic points out, this goes beyond the Latin). Who could argue against the fact that the NO was manufactured more than it was developed?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/14/06 at 01:37 PM
Comments are being moderated. After you submit your comment it could take up to a couple hours, but usually only a few minutes, before it will appear. Thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, you may contact Domenico Bettinelli.