Triduum: Good Friday

On Holy Thursday night we celebrated the last Supper with our Lord, commemorating the institution of the Eucharist and the establishment of the priesthood. Through the night we waited and prayed with Him in the garden and saw Him arrested and brought to trial. Now on Good Friday we recall the death of our Savior.

In the afternoon of this day the Liturgy begins (or rather, takes up again where it left off on Thursday) in silence, as the priest prostrates himself (lies flat upon the floor) before the altar as a sign of reverence and humility in honor of Christ’s sacrifice. A cross or crucifix is brought forward for the faithful to reverence (with a kiss, a touch, or a bow).

Scripture readings include the story of the Passion from John’s Gospel. As the story of Jesus’ suffering and death are recounted, the faithful are given a part to play. When Pilate asks what ought to be done with Jesus, the man who claims to be King of the Jews, we cry out, “Crucify him!” We also are given the role of taunting and ridiculing Jesus on the Cross as the crowds did that day. This aspect of Good Friday is meant to emphasize that we are all guilty of dishonoring Jesus and we all cause Jesus to suffer by our sinfulness. We are the ones who bear the blame for His death.

There is no consecration of the Eucharist on Good Friday. If Communion is distributed, the previously consecrated host is taken from the altar of repose where it has been kept since the previous evening.

Afterward, all leave in silence…for again, the Liturgy does not truly end, but will continue the following evening.

Triduum: Holy Thursday

Tonight marks the beginning of the Triduum – the three days from Holy Thursday evening to Easter Saturday evening – during which Catholics commemorate the Last Supper, the Passion and Crucifixion, and finally the vigil at the tomb awaiting the Resurrection. This three-day Liturgical celebration caps off Holy Week which began the preceding weekend on Palm Sunday (which recalls Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem).

The liturgy for these three days - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday - form one seamless whole. Beginning with the Last Supper and ending at the tomb, we follow Jesus step by step, hour by hour, through His Passion. We remain "in the moment" even as we leave the church and go about our daily routine. The services are designed to draw us into the real-time events of Christ's Passion and death. The liturgical celebration of Holy Thursday does not come to its final conclusion until we pass through the agony of Good Friday and finally the joy of Saturday's Vigil Mass. They form one Liturgy that allows us to walk with Jesus through these events. And so with Jesus we leave the Last Supper in silent anticipation of the Cross; and we leave Good Friday service in somber reflection, and anxious to witness the Risen Christ; and we are there at the tomb to witness His triumph over death. The Triduum draws us into a lived experience of the coming Easter by recalling those events as they actually happened.

And so, tonight we begin that journey...

Holy Thursday

 

Tonight we remember the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. In preparation for His death, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples, His last meal before His death. At that celebration Christ gave new meaning to the unleavened bread and the cup of blessing, by proclaiming: “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood” – linking His sacrificial death to the Communion meal now celebrated at every Mass.

Also at that final meal Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles to demonstrate the humble service to which they would be called as leaders of the Church. If Jesus - their Master - washed their feet, then how much more ought they to wash the feet of others. On this night, during Mass members of the congregation are selected to have their feet ceremoniously washed by the presiding celebrant (the priest or bishop presiding at Mass). 

Holy Thursday commemorates the institution of the priesthood. Those men who are ordained as Catholic priests are called to a life of service (symbolized by the washing of the feet) and these men provide for us the Sacraments, most especially the Eucharist (which is remembered this night). When Jesus, after washing their feet, calls on His Apostles to do as He does, He is calling them to priestly service in the Church. So this night we especially remember the priestly vocation and pray for those who accept that call.

At the end of the Mass, the consecrated Eucharist (which Catholics believe to be the Body and Blood of Jesus – His Real Presence in our midst) is transferred from the main altar to a temporary location, usually outside of the main sanctuary at a suitable altar of repose. There members of the faithful can wait with the Lord through the night, just as the Apostles were called to do in the Garden of Gethsemane until Jesus was arrested. 

The service ends abruptly, with no concluding hymn or procession. All leave in silence. But the liturgy does not end…it continues the following day.

A Break for Holy Week

As this is Holy Week, I have not been writing as frequently as I sometimes do, and so I do not have any new posts prepared for this week. However, among the blogs I frequent, I stumbled across a piece posted at Roma locuta est on "formality" in the liturgy, which fits nicely with the reflections I have been posting on certain aspects of the Mass. Here's an excerpt: 

 "...At the heart of liturgy is the concept of ritual.  Instead of fitting the Liturgy into our lives, it is in the liturgy that we are taken up into something much bigger, the cosmic worship of God.  The liturgy is a great drama that is being played out on a cosmic scale, and simply by being there, we are taken up into this drama.  This is exactly why having specific rituals in the liturgy is so important.  When there are 'lines' that need recited, 'actions' or 'stage directions' that need followed, the structure of the liturgy itself teaches that the liturgy is bigger than us; we are taught that it is not something that we can create, but something that must be received.  This is all a very complicated way of saying that the liturgy is an objective reality.

"In contrast, when the liturgy becomes the result of the creative efforts of a 'liturgy committee,' the congregation is given the impression that the main focus of the action is not on God but on the people, that we are the creators, not God.  How the liturgy is presented and the way in which it includes us affects how we come to think of the essence of the liturgy and of ourselves as human agents.  This is the basic principle of sacramentality in its most general form.  The principle states that “we are how we act.”  In other words, the way in which we act forms the views we hold and even the type of person we become.  If the Mass is presented as a ritual, people are given the correct impression that it is something bigger than themselves, a sacred action into which they are taken up.  They then come to realize that they are not the center of reality.  If it is presented as self-created, then people come to see themselves as self-creators.

"Without a concept of ritual, the faithful are not equipped to enter into the liturgy.  But the concept of ritual is intimately related to the question of formality..."

The post is titled Save Formality, Save the Liturgy and can be found here.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

Politics and the Devil - (speech from Archbishop Chaput) "...if a citizen fails to bring his moral beliefs into our country’s political conversation, if he fails to work for them publicly and energetically, then the only thing he ensures is the defeat of his own beliefs." 

Veiling in the New Translation - "The last two weeks before Easter are known as 'Passiontide,' and it has been a long standing tradition to place veils over crosses and statues." 

Those Overzealous New Converts - "Overcome with emotion about the upcoming big day, she gushed about how much the Church has already enriched her life."

Love, Sex, and the Cross - "What I had assumed were restrictions on freedom, especially in sexual matters, were actually signposts along the way that marked off dangerous territory, that guided our desires away from those things that are always seductively appealing, but are fleeting, distracting -- and damaging -- so that we could be free to seek the only thing that truly fulfills our desires: union with God." 

 

Girl Altar Servers? - "I think having only boy altar servers is best. Here's why: boys and girls like to do things separately...Boys doing things with other boys and men help them to become men. Girls doing things with other girls and women help them to become women."

Blessed John Paul II: Feast Day and Collect - "October 22 has been chosen as the Feast Day of the soon-to-be-Blessed Pope John Paul II.  The date is the anniversary of his formal inauguration to the papacy in 1978."

Of Saints Celebrities and Superheroes - "In getting to know the saints it seems to me that they are the perfect antidote to the celebrity culture (or should I say cult) that so many in our world fall prey to."

What's a Baby Cost? - "You spend what you’ve got. If you have more, you’ll spend more — and you’ll think you need more. But if you have less, you’ll spend less and you’ll need less. You find other ways to do things besides money...What’s really important in parenting is to let the light of love shine through us as we care for our kids..."

Obama Administraton Castigates Vatican Over Family Planning - "..many medical clinics in Africa...are empty of essentials like penicillin but overflowing with condoms – so many that children have taken to blowing them up like balloons and playing with them as toys."

Holy See to U.N. on Population Control - "This distorted world-view regards the poor as a problem to be commoditized and managed as if they were inconsequential objects rather than as unique persons with innate dignity and worth who require the full commitment of the international community to provide assistance so that they can realize their full potential."

The Mass of Vatican II - "With regard to the Mass we have now two extremes and a moderate position. One extreme position is the kind of informal Mass, all in English, facing the people, with contemporary music, which does not at all correspond with what the Council had in mind. But it is legitimate, it is permitted; it is not wrong. And we have on the other extreme those who have returned, with permission, to the Mass of 1962 and, as others have noted, it is thriving and growing. But it is not what the Council itself specifically had in mind, although it is the Mass of the ages. Then you have the moderates." [I highly recommend this article. It is lengthy...but well worth the read.]

Primitivism and Progressivism - "Instead of judging something by it's age we should judge it according to the greater criteria of whether it is beautiful, good and true."

America the Literal - "...Protestant practicality was woven into the political soul of America." [It's not easy reading a criticism of your own country, but there is truth written here.]

Top choral director calls modern Church music 'ecclesiastical karaoke'  - "Joseph Cullen, choral director at the London Symphony Orchestra, says that since the 1960s there has been a 'glaring lack of sympathy' for 'worthy sacred music.'

God Works Wonders With Wood – A Meditation on the Cross and How God Prefigured It In the Old Testament - "As we draw near to Holy Week, and on this Friday when many of us pray the Stations of the Cross, we do well to meditate on the wood of the cross."

7 Reasons Obama and The Easter Bunny Are Frighteningly Similar - Funny 

For even more reading enjoyment, here's a roundup of posts at Father Z's blog.

Liturgical Thoughts: Praying to the East

If there are two things that stand out most concerning the changes to the Mass after Vatican II, they would have to be the use of the vernacular in place of Latin, and that the priest now faces the people at the consecration. In this post I would like to examine the latter of these…

I grew up post-Vatican II. The only Mass I have ever known is the Novus Ordo, said in English, with the priest facing the people (versus populum). I have never attended a Mass where the priest offered the Holy Sacrifice ad orientem, that is “to the east” – meaning the “liturgical east” or towards the risen Christ who is represented by the rising sun. Traditionally (that is before the Second Vatican Council) Catholic worship had always been conducted with the priest and the people facing Christ together, in the same direction, so that the prayers spoken by the priest are directed to God – not to the people. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in his book Spirit of the Liturgy, explains briefly this traditional form of worship:

“In the early Church, prayer toward the east was regarded as an apostolic tradition. …[I]t is certain that it goes back to the earliest times and was always regarded as an essential characteristic of Christian liturgy (and indeed private prayer). This “orientation” of Christian prayer has several different meanings. Orientation is, first and foremost, a simple expression of looking to Christ as the meeting place between God and man. It expresses the basic Christological form of our prayer.

“The fact that we find Christ in the symbol of the rising sun is the indication of a Christology defined eschatologically. Praying toward the east means going to meet the coming Christ. The liturgy, turned toward the east, effects entry, so to speak, into the procession of history toward the future, the New Heaven and the New Earth, which we encounter in Christ. It is a prayer of hope, the prayer of the pilgrim as he walks in the direction shown us by the life, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ. Thus very early on, in parts of Christendom, the eastward direction for prayer was given added emphasis by a reference to the Cross. …[T]he symbolism of the Cross merges with that of the east. Both are an expression of one and the same faith, in which the remembrance of the Pasch of Jesus makes it present and gives dynamism to the hope that goes out to meet the One who is to come. But, finally, this turning toward the east also signifies that cosmos and saving history belong together. The cosmos is praying with us. It, too, is waiting for redemption. It is precisely this cosmic dimension that is essential to Christian liturgy. It is never performed solely in the self-made world of man. It is always a cosmic liturgy. The theme of creation is embedded in Christian prayer. It loses its grandeur when it forgets this connection That is why, whenever possible, we should definitely take up again the apostolic tradition of facing the east, both in the building of churches and in the celebration of the liturgy.” [pages 68-70]

Not surprisingly, as Pope Benedict XVI, Ratzinger has been known to occasionally celebrate Mass ad orientem. It seems that the Holy Father strongly encourages (in his writing as well as in his own actions) the celebration of the Mass with the priest facing away from (or more correctly with) the people. It is, as he points out, a part of apostolic tradition and brings a rich symbolism into our worship.

Also it is important to note that Vatican II did not forbid Mass to be celebrated ad orientem. In fact, in this very helpful article on the Liturgy after Vatican II by Fr. Joseph Fessio, publisher of Ignatius Press, we read the following:

“The Council did not say that Mass should be celebrated facing the people. That is not in Vatican II; it is not mentioned. It is not even raised in the documents that record the formation of the Constitution on the Liturgy; it didn’t come up. Mass facing the people is not a requirement of Vatican II; it is not in the spirit of Vatican II; it is definitely not in the letter of Vatican II. It is something introduced in 1969.”

(I encourage everyone to read the entire article for more details about this and other liturgical distortions that came about after the Council.)

Now, none of this means that the typical Mass of today, with the priest facing the people, is illegitimate or not allowed. But it appears that the complete abandonment of ad orientem worship, in favor of versus populum was not the intention of the Fathers gathered at Vatican II. It seems that our current practice constitutes an abrupt break with the traditional form and it removes much of the symbolic richness of the liturgy as celebrated facing with the people.

As far as I can tell, there is nothing standing in the way of any parish priest, on any given Sunday, turning to face away from the people during the parts of the Mass (specifically the consecration) which are addressed to God. If the congregation is properly informed beforehand, it may prove to be an uplifting and spiritually enriching event for him and for the congregation. I read recently of a priest who tried just that. He immediately realized that in facing away from the people he no longer felt like a “performer” with an “audience.” The Mass felt more like prayer to the Almighty, rather than a staged drama in front of spectators. He could more freely pray to God instead of engage a gathered assembly. In other words, the Mass became what it was designed to be…an act of worship.

Put yourself in the place of the priest. It is inevitable when all eyes watch your every move that a priest feels a certain burden to “perform” when celebrating versus populum. But much of that feeling melts away when the priest faces with the people, in solidarity with them, toward the symbolic east…toward the risen Christ. Then Jesus becomes the focal point rather than the priest.

Unfortunately many people react negatively the first time they witness an ad orientem This could certainly be remedied through proper catechesis and by selecting the right Sunday Mass to introduce this practice. Many parishes (such as the one I attend) have more than one service on Sundays, with at least one service featuring a more traditional liturgy. The ad orientem celebration could be limited to this Mass. celebration of the Mass.

Catholic parishes that have re-instituted this ancient practice often report a renewed sense of sacredness among parishioners. When the celebrant turns his back and approaches the altar (facing away from the congregation) there is a palpable sense that something solemn and out-of-the-ordinary is about to occur. The readings and the homily are still proclaimed facing the people, but the moment of consecration is distinctly set apart by the priest’s orientation. He is united with them (all facing one direction) in reverence before God, rather than “putting on a show” as a performer on a stage.

I do not mean to suggest that every Catholic parish ought to revert back to ad orientem worship. A less radical compromise, in congregations where such a switch would not be pastorally prudent, might be to place an altar crucifix on the altar in front of the priest, so that an image of Christ is between him and the people. In this way, all will be facing Christ rather than each other. The image of Christ becomes the “east” to which we look in worship. The important point here being that our worship is directed to God, not to the priest or to the people gathered there. In re-thinking our orientation during Mass, I believe we can all benefit if we realize that God is the focus, and not our fellow parishioners or the priest.

Liturgical Thoughts

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I plan to post a few of my own thoughts on some liturgical matters that I think could be improved upon with some prayerful reflection. To a certain extent, I suppose some of these may be matters of opinion or personal taste. On the other hand, I do believe that there is a solid argument in favor of the positions that I advocate in each of these cases. With the issuance of the new liturgical translations due out this Advent, this may be a good time to reevaluate some of our current liturgical practices. Besides just the words that we speak, there are also gestures, symbolic actions, and music that may be in need of reform. As we adopt the new translation this Fall we may take this as an opportunity to ensure that other areas of liturgy comply with the rubrics and reflect a profound reverence for Sacred Tradition.

Here is a list of the topics I plan to address:

• The orientation of the priest during worship
• The use of Latin
• Holding hands during the Our Father
• Proper musical selections
• Art and architecture

These are just a few topics that immediately come to mind. I may add to this list or change the order, and I may post on other topics outside of this series in the meantime. But each topic from this list will have its own brief post under the title Liturgical Thoughts (which will serve as a title for this series of posts). I do not intend any of these to be exhaustive treatments of the topics at hand, but they will at least give a brief account of what I think could be improved or how we might approach these issues differently than we do now.

I tend to think along "traditional" lines on these matters, but I am in no way an advocate of a complete return to the pre-Vatican II, Tridentine form of the Mass (however, I do favor greater access to this form). As I stated above, these are largely a matter of taste and opinion (though I think the case could be made that some opinions do weigh more heavily than others). As I am not trained in liturgy, I do not have the authority to say what is the correct path to follow. But I do have a pretty strong opinion on these issues, and I would like to convince fellow Catholics to rethink some of the practices we have come to accept as the norm.

For now, check out this post from the blog Roma locuta est. Blogger Jake Tawney tends to agree that the new Missal translation may spur a renewal of the liturgy in general. When the new translation is issued, the rubrics will be published more prominently, in the Sacramentary, where priests are more likely to read and obey:

"Many of these rubrics exist in General Instruction of the Roman Missal in one form or another, which is why I said that the rubrics themselves will not be changing with the new translation.  However, and here is the point, they do not exist in the Sacramentary.**  Having these rubrics printed in the Roman Missal, the very book from which the priest will read the Mass texts, will inevitably bring them to the forefront of his attention.  In this sense, perhaps the new translation will bring a change, not in the rubrics themselves, but in the degree to which they are followed."

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...
 

Do Our Children Belong to Us, or to God? - "...the insidious message at the core of the culture of death: The worth of a new human being is determined entirely by his or her parents. An unborn child is does not have dignity until her parents say she does."

It's a Crying Shame When Babies Aren't Welcome in Church - "...I know there’s the old saying that children should be seen and not heard, but when it comes to church, I disagree."

Parents of Children: Love Them and Let Them Learn Latin - "...children who study Latin outperform their peers when it comes to reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as higher order thinking such as computation, concepts and problem solving." 

My Advice to Catholic Parents: Don’t Let Your Kids Date Non-Catholics - "...more often than not, mixed marriages (i.e., when a Catholic marries a non-Catholic) are a recipe for serious problems down the road..."" 

On Biblical Interpretation - "...[T]he Bible is not a Book, it is a library of many books from different periods and using different genres. Christians sometimes get asked, “Do you read the Bible literally?” But this is like asking, “Do you read the Library literally?”

 

The Real History of the Crusades - "...the Crusades to the East were in every way defensive wars. They were a direct response to Muslim aggression -- an attempt to turn back or defend against Muslim conquests of Christian lands." See also: Four Myths About the Crusades

The Truth about the Spanish Inquisition -  "From the perspective of secular authorities, heretics were traitors to God and king and therefore deserved death. From the perspective of the Church, however, heretics were lost sheep that had strayed from the flock. As shepherds, the pope and bishops had a duty to bring those sheep back into the fold..."

Friar Who Evangelizes in the Mall - "Many shoppers asked who he was and that led to encounters, some brief, some lengthy. Everyone seemed impressed that a man representing deep matters had set up in a place devoted to fashion, skin products and fast food."
  
New Media Meet-Up - "A meeting for bloggers will take place in Rome on the afternoon of Monday 2 May 2011."


Crunchy Catholicism - "Faith is a trampoline not an easy chair. It's a risk and an investment in which you give all and receive more than you bargained for in return." 
Choosing a Feast Day for John Paul II - "Most beatified popes’ feast days are chosen to commemorate the date they entered Heaven (in John Paul II’s case, that would be April 2nd) and this has applied to almost all beatified popes. "
 

Church demands reforms to Cuban health-care system - [Calls for more privatization - America Beware!] "According to the editor of Palabra Nueva, the depth of Cuba's health-care crisis can be diagnosed from the death of 26 mental patients suffering cold and malnutrition in 2010 at a Havana psychiatric hospital, a case he believes is only the 'tip of the iceberg.'"

On World Health Day Government Wants You to Fund Abortions - "Planned Parenthoodhood is currently receiving over $350,000,000of your hard earned dollars to help them carry out the eugenic dream of their founder, Margaret Sanger,  once a partner to Adolf Hitler’s pre-Nazi regime."


Beyond Pink Ribbon Blues - "...three of the most protective things a woman can do to reduce breast cancer risk: have children earlier in life, refrain from artificial contraception, and avoid induced abortions."


Full page ad exposing Sanger’s racist, eugenic roots - "a full page print ad by the Susan B. Anthony List...highlighting PP founder Margaret Sanger’s roots in the eugenics movement and making the case that the business model of the organization is centered on abortion, not women’s health."


6 of the Most Unexpected Converts - These are pretty surprising...Includes John Wayne(?)


Episcopal Church: Littering is Just Like Crucifixion - "I think it's about time someone took away the fax machine from the Episcopal Church’s office of Economic and Environmental Affairs."

US birthrate falls below replacement level; 41% of births to single mothers

 

On Burning Books - "By burning a Koran, we tell the Muslim radical, 'Here I stand. You shall not pass.' It may not be prudent, it may not be useful, but it is a stand worthy of respect." [I'm not entirely sure what my opinion is on this, but I must admit this is a bold and well argued point presented in this piece.] 

 

Who Portrayed the Best/Worst Jesus? - A review of some of the more famous (and infamous) portrayals of Christ in film and television.
 

Newly 'Discovered' Lead Codices: Fake