Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Asperges

His Blood Be On Us and Our Children!

What an odd acclamation to begin a post about the "sprinkling rite", but it's apt.  

The Asperges (ah-sper-jes) Rite, named after the first few words of the intonation (nota bene: we name so many things after the first few words of a prayer or document in the Latin Church, such as Humanae Vitae (PP Paul VI Encyclical), Pater Noster (Our Father), Ave Mary (Hail Mary), Credo (I Believe in one God...) and so on)., is the beginning of the principal Sunday Mass, aside from Eastertide, in which the Vidi Aquam is sung--but that's for another post.

What does this have to do with blood being all over us and our children?  Well, the Jews shouted this to Pilate when they were clamoring for Jesus's death.  Ironically, this is exactly what they would have wanted--being sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb makes one white as snow.

And hence we begin the opening words of the Asperges: 

Asperges me, Domine, et hyssopo et mundabor...
Full credit where due: this pic is from http://totustuusfamily.blogspot.com/, but one of the best I found on Google image search.

What Happens During This Rite?

The priest begins at the foot of the altar; he does not approach, but is on the lower steps.  He kneels and sings the first few words of the antiphon, Asperges me.  Then the choir takes over.

The priest then uses the aspergilium, or a little bulb on a rod which is dipped in a bucket of holy water, to toss sprinkles of water on the altar, and then the servers.

He then leaves the sanctuary and shakes the aspergilium in the air, sending holy water upon the congregation.  Depending on the priest, he can either alternate sides as he goes, or choose to sprinkle one side of the congregation while he retreats the sanctuary, and then sprinkle the other side as he approaches again.

I find this to be a very intimate way to begin the Holy Mass.  Each one of us (OK, some might not get splashed with water) is particularly touched with holy water that comes from one source: the aspergilium, used by the priest.  Out of one bucket is thrown droplets.  Great symbolism there.  Out of one becomes many, and then out of many becomes one.  Christ died and sprouted the life of souls, which is made up of many who become the Church.

Also, I like that the aspergilium looks very much like a scepter, being wielded by those that stand in the person of Christ.

The Prayers

(I take my translation from the Baronius Press edition of the 1962 Missal) 
"Thou shalt sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed.  Thou shalt wash me, and I shall become whiter than snow."

A beautiful way to begin the High Mass.  Obviously, we would be remiss if we did not mention the baptismal character that this really imparts, for we are sprinkled with holy water, in remembrance of baptism.  How does this tie into the sprinkling of blood, above?
  • Blood and water flowed out of the side of Christ on the cross, symbolizing the Eucharist and Holy Baptism.  Although water is seen as being sanctified for baptism by Christ's own baptism, there is really no Eucharist without Baptism, for Baptism opens the way to the Eucharist. 
  • We see many times in Holy Scripture that both blood and water are cleansing, and supernaturally so.
  • The language here of cleansing and white as snow is a good mix between washing the robes in the blood of the Lamb and being made white as snow, and also sprinkling and washing in Baptism.  They're inseparable.
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy."

This is from Psalm 51.  Notice how God is framed in this sentence, and indeed, in the Latin.  Mercy, God, Mercy.  We ask for mercy, and God gives it, because He is mercy on account  of His love.  Mercy flows out from Him from all sides.  Mercy, God, Mercy.

This Psalm is very appropriate for this sort of pre-Mass ceremony.  We get dirty between Masses, when we're not in the direct present of Our Lord--dirty with sin.  We need mercy.  Although venial sins don't kill the life of God within us, they are still repugnant against an infinite God.  So we need His mercy at all times, especially before we approach Him in Mass, the Most Holy Sacrifice.

In that sense, it is only appropriate that we wash our uncleanliness with holy water in the sprinkling.  Holy water can forgive venial sins.  

After this, we pray the Glory be, and repeat the antiphon, Asperges Me.

"Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy."
Response: "And grant us Thy salvation."
"O Lord, hear my prayer."
Response: "And let my cry come unto Thee."
"Dominus vobiscum."
Response: "And with thy spirit."

More emphasis on mercy here.  There can be no salvation without mercy, and there can be no mercy without love.  But lest we emphasize one side too much to the detriment of the other, we must also realize that only sinners cry for mercy.  

And when we do cry, we cry out in prayer.  And our prayers don't necessarily "automatically" go to God--we even ask that our cries be allowed to reach God's ear in the first place!  Many collects in the Extraordinary Form, particularly during Lent, ask for God to "incline His ear."

I think this is in a sense jarring to our modern ear.  "God won't listen to me?  Of course He will--He's God, He loves me!" we think nowadays.  Yes, this is all true--but it's only by God's love and grace that He is pleased to listen to us in the first place!  We must never take advantage of or assume God's mercy (i.e. the sin of presumption), whether for ourselves individually or collectively during the Mass.

"Let us pray.  Hear us, holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, and vouchsafe to send Thy holy Angel from heaven, to guard, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all that are assembled in this place.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

This is the final prayer before the priest begins the Mass in earnest.  We have just washed ourselves and been sprinkled to become white as snow.  We ask God to send an angel--traditionally the Church teaches that many things have a guardian Angel, from each individual, to each house, church, city, state, country, planet, and even stars.    So it's only fitting that we ask the Angel of the church we worship in to come, as the Heavens are about to be open and descend upon us, and:
  • Guard: so that we may be protected from outside evils
  • Cherish: look upon us as God does
  • Protect: Again, to protect us
  • Visit: minister
  • Defend: perhaps from all evils and snares of the devil during the Mass (see St. Michael's prayer).
Notice we are asking to be guarded, or some variation of that word, three out of the five petitions.  I'd like to suggest from the world, the flesh, and the devil is to which each of the three slightly different petitions refer.  We constantly battle these from within and without, even during the Mass.

Also, it is said by some that the Ite, missa est at the end of the Mass refers to that "it [the sacrifice] has been sent."  We will also see later that we ask that the hands of angels bear the sacrifice of the altar to God.  Perhaps we are petitioning here the same angel.

In closing, the "Through Christ Our Lord"--in the Latin, per Christum Dominum nostrum, is something that you'll notice is used very frequently through the Extraordinary Form.  It is very important to close prayers through Christ, our mediator--through Him, and with Him, and in Him, after all.



Mass of the Catechumens

It's time for the Mass of the Catechumens to formally begin with the preparatory prayers at the foot of the altar.  In the Extraordinary Form, the altars are a stronger reflection of the altars in the Old Testament--they have stairs on which the priest and servers continually ascend and descend.  And thus we begin as though we are about to ascend a mountain, which we are--the mountain of Calvary, of Golgotha, the place of the skull where humiliation has brought forth victory and salvation.  


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Vestments and the Vesting Prayers

Careful.  The unprepared can kill themselves when approaching the source of life.

Imagine the following: you're in a ship, hurtling through the heavens.  Your planet is dying, and your people are failing.  You are tasked with approaching the sun, in order to get its light, its power, its essence, and bring it down from the heavens to give to your people.  

It's the only thing that will save them.  It's the only thing that they need.

You're not sure if you can approach.  You're just a human in a tin can.  The sun is intense.  It's hot.  An everlasting flame.  A small mistake and you might come out unscathed, but if you approach and make a big mistake, it's over.  You're toast.  It's very tricky, very delicate.  The situation demands respect.

The most amazing part that fills you with fear?  You have to go straight up to it and touch it with your hands.  

It would be suicide to approach such an awesome force without the proper suit.

Garbs of grace.  Protection guaranteed.
Vestments
When we approach the altar to begin Holy Mass, we are doing exactly what I described above, although even more specifically it is the clergy that does so.  Especially if a tabernacle is present behind the altar, the Holy of Holies is dwelling right there.  That is immense.  Think about that for a second.  

No, really think.  Don't just go over the dogmatic definition in your head and acknowledge that you believe it, as a good Catholic should.  Really think about what that means.

The One who upholds our individual and corporate existence by His mere thought.  The One who can simply speak and give or take away life.  The One who is the First and Last, Alpha and Omega.  Firstborn of all creation.  King of the Cosmos.  The Son of Man.  The Just Judge.  The One whose mouth sends forth a sword.  The One who makes all things new, He Who Has Been Pierced, the Lamb Who Stands As Though Slain.  The only One who can see into your very being, the fibers of your soul, the sinews that makes you a man.  He knows all about you, what you think, what you did then, and that day, and that one time, that nobody knows...and you will face Him to explain these things, and there will be nothing hidden from His Light, and the truth will be known before all, and He will place you with the sheep or goats, the wheat or chaff.

Does that strike you deeply?  GOD dwells in our midst.  A refreshing reminder.

It is by God's grace that we can approach Him and His might without being obliterated.  We should not forget this, yet it is something we easily forget. The world has desensitized us.  Our minds are mired in modernism.  It is no wonder that, even the thought of angels, let alone God, being in our presence in a Church, did (and do) women veil their heads in Church, and men wear fine clothes, and all conduct themselves solemnly in the presence of God, praying and speaking in whispers before and after Mass.  It is a wonder that we don't remove our shoes, like Moses did.  

For clergy who handle God Himself, and servers who enter the Holy of Holies with them, it is only fitting that they wear garbs that not only distinguish their purpose but also show a sign of reverence and protection--and signify the habit of sanctifying grace, the only thing that will allow us to be in God's presence at the end.

Recall in Genesis, that Adam and Eve were created with a pre-lapsarian body (pre-fall...so better than our own, but probably not as good as we will have after the Resurrection), and with a soul full of sanctifying grace--the life of God himself.  They walked naked with God.  Immediately after the fall, they were shamed and hid themselves.  God, out of his mercy, then clothes them.  There is a first level reading of this, but I think you could see a parallel between God clothing them and the symbolism of the vestments.

Isaiah 61:10 also speaks of being clothed with garments of salvation and robes of righteousness.

What are the Vestments?

Traditional Roman Catholic vestments are as follows, in order from inner to outer layer:

  • The Cassock: the non-liturgical garb of priests.  33 buttons represent the 33 years of Our Lord's life.  Although not in favor today, it is the true and traditional outfit of priests, designed to distinctly call them out as not serving this world and to not confuse their roles.  The Vatican requires clergy to wear the cassocks while in Rome.  I really like this because it leaves no question as to the function of whomever is wearing it.  Other occasions in which you will see clergy wearing this would be at solemn ceremonies or rites, such as a funeral.
  • The Amice: white linen wrapped around the shoulders, which symbolizes the "helmet of salvation" (cf Eph. 6:17)
  • The Alb: the white undergarment that covers the body; commonly seen with some degree of lace at the bottom.  It is old, from about the 4th century, and styled after Roman and Greek tunics.  According to the dictionary at Catholic Culture.org, it represents the white linen that Christ was buried in, as well as purity of soul (something certainly needed for offering the Mass).
  • The Cincture: The rope-like belt that not only helps tie down the stole and alb, it signifies chastity and purity.
  • The maniple: For some reason it's one of my favorite parts of the vestments.  From the 6th century, it was probably a hanky for the priest to use during the liturgy.  It can represent being chained, like Christ, or the weight of the priestly office.  St. Alphonsus Liguori claimed that it actually was used to wipe away tears that priests shed during the liturgy; thus, also it has a meaning of the tears of penance.  
  • The stole: A sign of authority (the priest wears this while blessing and hearing confessions as well), it can symbolize how Christ was bound during His passion.  There are many slight variations to how the stole is worn (crossed or uncrossed) and under or over the chasuble, depending on clerical rank.  However, priests wear it under their chasuble, to hide authority with humility.  It must be mentioned that "women priests" wear the stole outside the chasuble...lack of humility.  
  • The chasuble: From the Latin word for "little house", it's the main outer covering of the priest.  Like many other vestments, the colors vary with liturgical season.  They are often embroidered with beautiful designs.  There are a few styles, such as Gothic, Roman, or "Fiddleback".  Preferably these are not made out of polyester, but very fine materials.  Garbs of grace, remember?  The chasuble used to be big and heavy, which is one of a few reasons why the servers lift it a lot when the priest raises the Host.

Cassock

Alb (picture from usagranda.com
Amice



Cincture
Maniple


Stole
Gothic-style chausuble (photo from susanmaria.com)





There are more vestments than these, especially for deacons, bishops, the Pope, and so on, but these are the basics for a priest.  There are more meanings behind them, too, but this is a brief rundown.

Please excuse the layout; I'll fix when I figure it out.

The Vesting Prayers

The prayers that are said for each of the above, by the priest, are as follows (you may find these on the Vatican's website or sanctamissa.org, among others on a Google search.


  • Cassock: "Lord, the portion of my inheritance and my chalice, You are He who will restore my inheritance."
    • Interesting that this pray denotes that God is set apart of all things as the source of some sort of future prosperity, in the sense of eternal life, while mention of the chalice can refer to the chalice that Christ drank--as in, His sacrifice.  How much does this prayer reflect those who wear the cassock!  The one wearing it is also set apart in hopes that they may attain this inheritance, and that they may appear as living sacrifices by their disciplines.
  • Amice: "Lord, set the helmet of salvation on my head to fend off all the assaults of the devil."
    •   As mentioned before, this is playing off St. Paul's quote in Ephesians.  Obviously, the amice is not on the "head" as such in the diagram above, or even nowadays--but at times it did cover the head as a shawl almost.  It is also the "foundational piece" of liturgical garb, so to speak, as it is the first to be placed upon the non-liturgical vestment.  As the head contains all five senses that can be snared by the enemy--sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell--and the mind, it is only fitting that the "bedrock" of the vestments is associated with protection of the head.
  • Alb: "Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward."
    • The first of the "full body" vestments, there is not much to explain at the symbolism.  Our Lord's blood washes us clean, mentioned at least in the Book of Revelation.  Not only that, Our Lord's own clothing became blazing white at the Transfiguration--and He is the High Priest.
  • Cincture: "Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me."
    • Not much needs to be said here.  Girding the loins is a common theme from the Old Testament (such as commanded by God before the passover).  It is idiomatic for preparing for battle as well.  How much do we battle with purity and concupiscence!  Possibly the great battle of our time; just turn on the TV and you'll see.  As an aside, there are such sacramental cinctures that laity can wear and have blessed.  The Cincture of St. Joseph is a popular and traditional one.  It is blessed on the altar during a Mass.  It's a small rope that you can wear under your clothing, and has a devotion to go along with it.  
  • Maniple: "May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow in order that I may joyfully reap the reward of my labors."
    • Wow, priests have it rough, and we should pray for them.  We walk through this vale of tears daily, and we must suffer to reap our reward.  There is no salvation without the cross!    But even moreso, priests are singled out not only by the world but by the evil one.  The demons hate the efficacy of the Holy Mass, there is no doubt about it.  Our true life flows out of the Mass, and only by the priest can we have Mass.  Furthermore, their discipline is ridiculed by the world today, especially so when they wear the collar in public, and even more so with the cassock.
  • Stole: "Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy."
    • Notice how the stole seems as though a chain hanging around the neck, as though dragging us down, through the sin of our first parents.  Yet with the priestly stole, this burden is transformed into the sweet yoke of Our Lord.  Do not be deceived--it is still a yoke with a burden, but a light, joyful one that grants eternal joy.
    • Again, the stole is the sign of authority (worn during blessings and when hearing confessions), which is also a huge, burdensome responsibility, albeit a joyful one.
  • Chasuble: "O Lord, who has said, ‘My yoke is sweet and My burden light,’ grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace."
    • Another mention of the sweet, light burden.
Processional
After the priests and everyone else vests, and the priest blesses them, it is time to leave the sacristy and begin the processional (for High Mass).  

There is no need to get into much detail here.  You will notice the acolytes, thurifers (incense bearers), torch-bearers, cross bearer, other servers and altar boys, and the subdeacons/deacons/master of ceremonies, and the priest come through and approach the altar.  The priest will quickly place a few things at the altar and then come back down while the servers take their places.

It is common to cross yourself as the cross comes by, and bow/incline your head to the priest as he comes by.

Almost Time for Your First Traditional Latin Mass
It is almost time to begin explaining the Mass prayers themselves.  However, before this, there is a ceremony done before the principal High Mass of the day and on some feast days, known as the asperges.  It is not part of the Mass proper, but it is in Latin, and is not familiar to many as it seems to have fallen greatly out of favor.  We will study the prayers and reflect on the ceremony next time.

What Should I Do?
If it is your first time, I actually suggest you do not get a red missalette or use any other resource to try to follow along.  Prayerfully watching and praying are great.  Just watch and pray and don't sweat it.  Did I mention pray?  

Everyone has a first time, and nobody will ridicule you.  They will probably offer you help if you really seem like you're trying to swim but are sinking; but in most cases, if you appear to just be taking it all in, you'll be left alone.  

Nobody is expected to catch on the first time.  Most people who are encouraging people to attend the Traditional Latin Mass suggest going six to eight times before making a judgment call on the Mass, because it takes that long to get the hang of it.  Life isn't easy, and many things take practice and adjustment.  Even though Heaven meets Earth in the Mass, we're still laboring and toiling for things on Earth.

You could look up the prayers of the day before you come if you'd like to know the Collect or Introit in advance.  The Old Rite follows a one-year lectionary, so you won't have to worry about figuring out what the Propers (variable prayers/readings in the Mass) are in Year One Cycle B or however it works (sorry, I honestly am not familiar with a three-year lectionary).  It will always be the same for that day.  The priest will almost certainly re-read the epistle and Gospel in the vernacular (I've never seen this omitted, although I do believe it is not required).

You will also notice that as things start moving, it's basically a straight shot from start to finish.  You will almost feel at the mercy of the Old Mass's momentum; due to its nature, there's not a lot of stopping, switching, and waiting for other people.  For example, the choir and congregation sing the Introit and Kyrie while the priest is incensing the altar, and then the priest finishes and says the Introit and Kyrie on his own.  Almost seamlessly, the priest will finish the Kyrie as soon as the choir and congregation finish, and then the priest leads the Gloria.  The only breather in this race to Heaven is the announcements, re-readings in the vernacular, and the sermon.    

Until next time: St. Isaac of Syria, pray for us.
Pope St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, pray for us.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Latin and Active Participation

Before we begin examining the prayers of the Mass proper, we must look at two misunderstood things in the liturgy:  Latin and active participation.  Unfortunately, the common FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) that is spread, or simply honest misconception, is that Latin and active participation are diametrically opposed.  However, they are complementary when viewed correctly.

Why Latin?

The Church uses Latin as her official language, and has really since almost the beginning. Depending on how you delineate, whether ordinary or de facto usage, you can go back pretty far.  Pope St. Clement of Rome used Latin.  Of course, he was in Rome.  But the use of Latin is pretty consistent.  St. Thomas Aquinas used it, as did others long before him.

Latin, in both liturgy and theology, is beneficial for several reasons:
  • It is a dead language--this is actually beneficial because it means that meanings remain intact.
  • It is universal--it was a language that united an empire and bred daughter languages, as well as inculcated itself into others.  It is a single language that the Church can use from San Francisco to Namibia to China and still understand each other.
  • It is the language of the Church Past--we can be more in touch with the Fathers of the Church by not only simply understanding their writings, but also forming our minds in line with their thought through a common language.
  • It is not anyone's language--because Latin is nobody's first language, it is something different to everyone.  This creates a sense of other worldliness.
  • It creates mystery--this ties into the previous point.  Because it is not the tongue of anybody, it creates a sense of mystery and purposeful separation.
They use the vernacular in the East, but the people also don't get to see what's going on behind the iconostasis.  Hence, mystery.
Mystery in the Liturgy
The use of Latin to create sacred mystery is, in my opinion, one of the downfalls of the complete switch to vernacular--which, by the way, is present in probably 99% of the parishes, but is not actually called for in Sacrosanctum Concilium or any other document.

Allow me to paint a picture.  The Mass is where Heaven truly and literally descends to Earth.  We do not rise to Heaven, no matter how high we stretch out our hands.  We are raised, and I daresay caught up with the Lord in the clouds (of incense).  Our Lord descended from Heaven for us men and for our salvation...and He, along with the Heavenly Hosts who proclaim Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth!, along with the flaming Seraphim, the radiant Cherubim, the soaring Thrones and the mighty Powers; with the fearless Dominions, the honorable Principalities, the graceful Virtues, the glorious archangels, and the holy angels; the Blessed Mother, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph her moste chaste spouse, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints; they reach down, down to us, with groaning intercessions that words cannot express, for us, through the Holy Spirit, who sweeps down upon us and enkindles within us the fire of divine love and the flame of everlasting charity, with our Almighty Father on His throne before all his supplicant people, looking down upon us with a serene and propitious countenance, the souls of all united as one Body in Christ as they receive their God in Holy Communion...!

"And donuts will be served immediately following Mass.  The Lord be with you.  Go, the Mass is ended."

To be sure, this is hyperbole, but isn't the contrast of what is happening and how we express it in our everyday language simply jarring?  Doesn't it seem a little too common?  We talk about donuts in the same tone and register of dialect as the Holy Mass.  The Church had come up with a solution. 

This is why Holy Mother Church held on to Latin, and still does.  The Second Vatican Council called for the vernacular to be used in some places in the liturgy.  Perhaps the readings.  But not in all places.  And Blessed Pope John XXIII, in Veterum Sapientia (Feb 22nd, 1962), discusses the importance of Latin, and why it's not going away.


The Rood Screen in Chapelle de Kerfons, Brittany, France
Clear Separation
Originally, the Church as a whole used something to make clear that there was a side where the people were, where the priests were, and that what was happening on the priest's side was very important, solemn, and sacred.  In the East, this evolved into the iconostasis.  In the West, a different sort of thing took place.

The Church used to put up an altar rail and curtains to demarcate this special area.  In the West, this became a few different things (the rood screen, baldacchino, perhaps others).  The rood screen allows one to see through, but just barely, as though through a glass darkly (cf. 1 Cor 13).  

The Council of Trent called for the Mass to be much more accessible to the laity.  Thus, rood screens were removed, even though they were not explicitly mentioned.  Now, all that remained was Latin.  I would posit that Latin is the last thing that creates a purposeful sense of separation between ourselves and what is happening at the altar--it is the Western iconostasis.  Remember--although in the East they use the vernacular, the Greek Churches maintain the iconostasis, complete with curtains.  

The Vernacular Divides
Briefly, I would like to point out that, in reality, the vernacular divides.  Instead of offering a diocesan-wide Mass in a common tongue, priests and bishops have to offer an English Mass at this time, then a Spanish, and then whatever other group needs a Mass.

Also, because the vernacular allows for certain types of lay participation in Mass, it is actually divisive in the sense that some are getting to do "special" roles, while others are not.

Myths and Misconceptions
There are a few misconceptions about Latin in the liturgy that I would like to try to dismiss.  

1) In the East they use the vernacular!

As discussed above, this is true.  But you also cannot see what is happening, particularly at the consecration, due to the iconostasis and curtain.  From what I have experienced, in the Byzantine liturgies, the Eucharistic prayers are also silent.  In the Maronite liturgy, the words of consecration are in Aramaic (another dead language that nobody speaks).

2) I can't/you can't/nobody can understand it!

That's not true.  Why would I go to a Mass that I did not understand?  Yes, I have a missal, and I have practiced to follow along with it.   

But so what?  I haven't studied Spanish that much, but I've heard it around me long enough to know that loco means crazy, bueno means good, etc.  You will learn some of it.

Also, did the saints not understand it?  Surely they did.  Or did they?  Which brings me to...

3) I need to understand what is going on.

Why do you?  If it is a priest up there, have faith!  He is consecrating bread and wine and the substance is turning into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for you and for the remission of your sins.  It doesn't matter what language it's in, does it?  

Also, St. Bernadette Soubirous was known to be a "dunce," more or less, at the very least in regards to learning the catechism.  And yet the Blessed Virgin came to her at Lourdes.  Clearly, our own human understanding is not important for holiness.

Sometimes lack of understanding, like little children, allow our minds to be more open to the Truth.

4) The early Church used vernacular!

We aren't the early Church, and trying to return to the roots of the early Church to produce novelty is condemned by Popes, such as Pope Pius XII did in Mediator Dei.  This denies that the Church found better ways to express her beliefs [N.B. this is different than the Church "becoming wiser" or similar thoughts and thus changing from previous doctrinal positions, which is a heresy].

Furthermore, the early Church, while in Rome, used Greek.  Greek was obviously not the vernacular.  Soon Latin took over, but it was not the Latin on the street: it was a higher register of Latin (equivalent of using thees and thous).  A possible exception is probably the Eucharistic preface (i.e. "sursum corda", "habemus ad dominum").

In Judaism, church services were conducted in Hebrew, not Greek or Aramaic or whatever the local tongue was.

Many, if not most, of the major world religions use a sacred tongue.  Judaism uses Hebrew, Islam uses Arabic, Buddhism uses Pali, Hinduism uses Sanskrit...you get the idea.

I leave this section with this:

Tres sunt autem linguae sacrae: Hebraea, Graeca, Latina, quae toto orbe maxime excellent.  His enim tribus linguis super crucem Domini a Pilato fuit causa eius scripta.

"There are three holy languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, that are the most excellent in the world.  Thus these three languages were written above the Lord's cross by Pilate's order."--St. Isidore of Seville and my on-the-fly loose translation.

Whoa, too active!  Too active! Yes, this is a Catholic parish on the West Coast. 
Actuoso Participato, a.k.a. Active Participation


In conclusion to this primer, I find it appropriate to discuss Active Participation.  As some of the points above should illustrate, Latin is in no way a hindrance to true active participation.  Far from it.

Active participation does not necessarily mean that we get to get up and read, distribute Holy Communion, shake each others hands, or hold hands.  After all, if it did, then we'd be back to square one--not everyone would get to actively participate!

No, active participation means something different.  Let's take a cue from Pope St. Pius X:

The Holy Mass is a prayer itself, even the highest prayer that exists. Is is the Sacrifice dedicated by our Redeemer at the Cross, and repeated every day on the Altar. If you wish to hear the Mass as it should be heard, you must follow with eye, heart, and mouth all that happens at the Altar. 

Further, you must pray with the priest the holy words said by him in the Name of Christ and which Christ says by him. You have to associate your heart with the holy feelings which are contained in these words and in this manner you ought to follow all that happens on the Altar. When acting in this way, you have prayed Holy Mass.


With all due respect to little old ladies everywhere (including my great-grandmother, I'm sure), praying the rosary during Mass was not cutting it.  Not that it's bad or forbidden, by no means!  But it is not the highest prayer; it's not optimal in this case.

During the Traditional Latin Mass, there are many moments of silence. 

Quiet, glorious, pregnant silence, full of life and quickened by the Spirit.  

There's no hustle and bustle like the outside world, no comings or goings, no empty silence while the offense takes the bench and the defense takes the field, focusing and then--jarringly, too--interrupted by the demands to sing a song, the eyes moved here--no, there, to the cantor's hand!--shake my hand, take mine, hey, didn't you know you were supposed to be kneeling, you didn't say the responses!  Pay attention, be quiet, and sing loud!  

There is silence and peace as the Lord gives.

Silence full of holiness and wonder in which we can unite our prayer to the priest who is praying the Mass, by praying the prayers of the Mass itself.  We can take a moment to contemplate the mysteries of our faith without worrying about anything else.  And, as I hope to demonstrate in subsequent posts, these prayers are kernels of truth from which the blossom of Eternal Life grow in your heart.  Nurture these kernels in the Mass, in your heart, as the priest says them.  Meditate on them.  Let the prayers flow over you and through you.  We don't need to understand it all.  Who can understand a Triune God?  Who can understand the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?  Who can comprehend the wonders of God?  Quis ut Deus?

More active than you think.
St. Isaac of Syria, pray for us.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

In principio

Hello, and welcome to my blog.  A blog like this is something I have been mulling around for some time, discerning how to best present a topic such as this--which is sadly contentious for so many.  

The Church in her tongue has brought us a wonderful axiom, lex orandi, lex credendi.  The Rule (usually rendered "Law") of praying is the Rule (or "Law") of believing.  I like the use of "rule" here, because it plays off the idea of a measure.  How we pray is really how we believe; how we pray and what we believe should measure up--they cannot do otherwise.

This means a couple of things.  First, it can mean that we will pray in a manner that shows our belief.  It's a pretty simple idea.  If I believe in a unicorn, I will probably pray to a unicorn for things that a unicorn can grant.  We would also, no doubt, say things in the manner or worship only worthy of a unicorn.

Second, though, is the idea that how we pray shapes what we believe.  If I have never prayed to the saints, but would like to know more about them, then praying the Litany of Saints will help me understand our intercessors in Heaven.  Similarly, if I want to understand just how great Our Lady is, then the Litany of the Blessed Virgin will shape how I understand her (wow, she is the refuge of sinners, queen of angels, and Ark of the Covenant...and more?).  Prayer is a great teacher.

In light of the second aspect, what is the highest prayer?  Well, as Pope St. Pius X said, the Mass is the Highest Prayer itself!  So the Mass, our Roman liturgy, must be the best teacher there is as to what we believe and how we are to worship God, who is worthy of the best and true worship.  

My goal is to show how the prayers in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite are wonderful, beautiful, and rich with educational value in regards to who God is and how we are to believe, understand, and worship Him.  My goal is to show that every sign of the cross and every genuflection in the Mass are of great value and are not useless repetition.

Also, my goal is to show that it is not simply Latin, ad orientem, etc that makes the TLM great--these are simply trappings to the prayers themselves.  So it's not just about taking the Ordinary Form and celebrating it with Latin.  The Extraordinary Form actually is different in the prayers.

My goal is not to proclaim that the Mass of Pope Paul VI is invalid or illicit, because it is not.  My goal is also not to pit the Mass of Pope St. Pius V against the Mass of Pope Paul VI; the intrinsic merit for both is the same, as both offer up the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Father (you can search for an article by Fr. Chad Ripperger, FSSP, if you are interested in this perspective).  In any case, can we say that some are of Pius, and that others are of Paul (cf 1 Corinthians 3)?  Absolutely not.  This is why I will refrain from even comparing the two unless particularly pertinent to do so.

Too often it appears that the Mass of Pope Paul VI must be attacked for any apparent or implied deficiencies, that it isn't what Sacrosanctum Concilium called for, is rife with or allows abuses by default, etc.  This is not the place for that discussion.  Rather, it is a place where the Traditional Latin Mass, the Mass of Ages, the Mass of the Saints, its beauty, and its extrinsic merits can stand on their own, and let its God-gifted glory shine like a city on a hill, and not be hidden under a bushel.  

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, ora pro nobis.
St. Joseph, ora pro nobis.
St. Isaac of Syria, ora pro nobis.



*p.s. Yes, I realize lex orandi, lex credendi is more commonly translated as "The Law of Prayer is the Law of Belief".