Liturgical Thoughts: Praying to the East (repost)

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.

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

I've been making a few changes to the blog... nothing major, but some of the page elements may be moving around or disappearing until I get everything cleaned up. Among other things I am creating some separate pages that are not "blog posts" per se, but rather stand-alone pages that deal with specific topics. The first one is up in rough form, and can be view by clicking the link on the left-hand side of this page titled "The Teachings of the Catholic Church." This page contains a collection of excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church explaining various teachings of the Church in a sort of summarized form. It should provide a good reference point for readers who are unfamiliar with Catholic doctrine. Other pages will serve a similar purpose: giving a quick reference on important topics. Also I've been updating my links and eliminating redundant or obsolete features. At the bottom of this main page you should find a list of recent posts from blogs that I follow. This list will update itself with the most recent post at the top of the list. So even if I have not posted anything new, there will always be new content from other blogs listed at the bottom of the page.

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I often hear Protestants criticize the Catholic Church for having such detailed explanations of particular doctrines and beliefs. They will sometimes appeal to the Orthodox Churches and point out that Eastern Christians often leave much of their doctrine cloaked in mystery. They often do not use specific terms to describe their beliefs, but rather leave it in subtle language and avoid directly addressing the whys and wherefores of a belief.  And so, they may believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but they shy away from specific terms such as transubstantiation to describe this belief.

Protestants ask, "Why can't the Catholic Church just leave doctrinal details vague the way the East does, so that we can reach a consensus on the essentials of these doctrines without squabbling over precise terminology."

The problem with this argument is that Protestants largely have themselves to blame for the specificity of Catholic doctrinal definitions. It was mostly due to Protestant challenges to Traditional Christian teaching that the Catholic Church found it necessary to clarify doctrine and answer specific Protestant heresies. In the East, the Orthodox Churches did not have the same inter-denominational struggles as we did in the West, and so they did not have the need to define doctrine beyond the vague notion of "mystery."

 

So this argument from Protestants does not stand. Protestants cannot criticize Catholics for an ecumenical problem that they created.

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Sending up prayers for a friend who is close to conversion. - Always be prepared to share the faith!! You never know what your words may accomplish.

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...

Forgive Us Our Debt Ceiling? - "The bottom line for America is how to put our public sector on fiscally sustainable ground—for the good of all Americans.  The welfare state, the disproportionate expropriation of private income and wealth transfer schemes embodied in public programs all make for unsustainable spending patterns."
 

Oh, How America Has Changed - "We can now see clearly that giving cash and benefits to single moms, beginning with Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, destroyed families by making fathers unnecessary and even a barrier to the women receiving free money."

Do't, Knight! - "Men, be knights. This does not mean going off into the woods everyday and finding other knights to fight and slaughter, although it can involve that... The main virtue behind chivalry is not courage, it is humility."

America's conservative Catholics are on the warpath. Republicans should be courting them - "The Catholic electorate used to be regarded as microcosmic because it voted as a block on economic issues. But studies of the 2004 results identified a new hardcore vote of roughly 16 percent of Catholics (nearly 10 million people) who attend church more than once a week and identify as ideologically 'conservative'."

Economics in One Lesson - "The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or public policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups."

Biden Faces More Criticism For Not Bashing One-Child Policy - "In a speech, Biden talked about demographic concerns associated with the policy but said he would not “second-guess” it and “understood” why Chinese put the policy in place."

What, Exactly, Is an Abortion, and Why Does It Matter? - "...the most accurate definition of abortion is one like that found in Blessed John Paul II’s encyclical, Evangelium Vitae: “the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth.”
 

Feminists Don't Respect Women; the Catholic Church Does - "Pro-choice feminism only respects women once they’ve reached a certain age, usually about 36 weeks; the ones who are younger than that are not considered worthy of consideration as human beings, let alone worthy of respect. The Catholic Church respects all women, no matter how small and voiceless."

Number of Converts to Catholicism Continuing to Decline – You Know What to Do - "Some will be quick to blame the liturgy, others the sex abuse scandal. But CARA and other studies show little correlation to these issues. The biggest issue is secularization."
 

Making Children Pray - "What to do when your minor child, who is expected to follow all the secular rules of the family, does not want to participate in the Faith?"

Presbyterians Meet To Consider Leaving Church Over Gay Clergy, Other Issues - "We have come off track, and Presbyterians have become a declining part of American life instead of a vibrant, growing part..."


Why do we reverence during the Nicene Creed? (Saint Louis of France) - [Interesting bit of trivia]

Alternative Liturgy for the Establishment of a Parish Minister Person - [A really funny tongue-in-cheek post by Fr. Longenecker.]

Liturgical Thoughts (repost)

I seem to have let time slip away from me and neglected this series of posts, which I started during Lent. So this will serve as a re-introduction. I will also re-post the first in the series - Praying to the East - before continuing on to the next topic.

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Several weeks ago I began posting a few thoughts on some liturgical situations that I think could be improved at most Masses in the United States. To a certain extent, I suppose some of my comments on these issues may come down to 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. Regardless of which side you come down on, I believe the issuance of the new liturgical translation (due out this Advent) presents a perfect opportunity to reevaluate some of our current liturgical practices/abuses. Besides just the words that we speak (which the new translation is supposed to improve), 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. 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 may add to this list or change the order. 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, so my opinion on these issues will reflect a more traditional style. 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 would like to convince fellow Catholics to rethink some of the practices we have come to accept as the norm.

Quote of the Week

“By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending. In fact, it would appear that needs are best understood and satisfied by people who are closest to them and who act as neighbours to those in need. It should be added that certain kinds of demands often call for a response which is not simply material but which is capable of perceiving the deeper human need.” (Blessed John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 48)

Book Review: Lectio Divina Bible Study: The Mass in Scripture

Drawing Our Worship From God's Word

Many fundamentalist Christians are capable of quoting Scripture word-for-word from memory, citing chapter and verse to support their various doctrines and beliefs. Unfortunately, Catholics are not as well known for their biblical literacy. The best Catholic memorization tends to focus on the parts of the Mass for which the congregation is responsible on any given Sunday. We know when and how to say, do, and respond to every word and gesture throughout the Liturgy, just as well as the average Protestant can quote John 3:16.

It may seem from this that we Catholics are an unbiblical people (a common accusation) - we are so wrapped up in our ceremonies, rituals and traditions. But the truth is that the Mass is a deeply biblical worship, rooted in both the Old and New Testaments, and expressing biblical truths in a most dynamic way. The Mass is a lived biblical experience. Our fellow Christians may be able to cite chapter and verse by heart, but the Mass shows us how to truly live out those words in heartfelt Christian worship. The Mass forms the basis of Catholic scriptural knowledge. We need only look deeper into the rituals and prayers of the Mass to make this connection. For this reason, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing has chosen The Mass in Scripture as the first title in its series, Lectio Divina Bible Study.

The book is structured, as one might expect, with sections covering each of the four parts of Mass: the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Communion Rite and Dismissal. These are preceded with two other sections: one brief chapter entitled “Overview of The Mass in Scripture” and a separate section concerning “Covenant Worship.”

Each of these “Sections” is further divided into six individual “Lessons” which provide biblical passages and points for reflection that pertain to each part of the Mass. The biblical passages are quoted in full and are selected from both the Old and New Testaments. Within each Lesson we are asked to “listen” to the passages that are cited, and to “understand” the meaning of God’s Word in these passages; we then “reflect” on how God’s Word can be applied in our lives today, and “pray” for guidance in living out these truths. And finally we are encouraged to “act” on what we have learned. This approach is shaped by the ancient method of lectio divina – “divine reading” or “holy reading” – a traditional, centuries-old method of prayerfully and reflectively immersing oneself in God’s Word. It is designed to make Scripture spiritually accessible and relevant to the reader.

The Mass in Scripture is the first in a series of Lectio Divina titles from Our Sunday Visitor. A brief introduction to this series states that future volumes “will focus on worship, prayer, spiritual practices, and active commitment, helping participants make the Catholic Christian way of life more fully their own.” With that in mind, each of these books is intended for a broad range of uses: individual study, classroom work, RCIA preparation, or parish study groups. Considering the affordable price, the amount of material that is presented, and the quality of writing from author Stephen Binz this is a potentially valuable resource in any setting.

The timely release of this title is yet another mark in favor of The Mass in Scripture. With the new translation due out in Advent of 2011, there is sure to be a renewed interest in the study of the Mass among the faithful. Thankfully this book takes into account this updated translation. And so we find “And with your spirit,” as the response to “Peace be with you,” instead of “And also with you.” The section concerning the penitential rite includes the phrase “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” Throughout the text, the author makes use of these new adaptations of the Mass text and the result is a book that will serve Catholics for many years to come.

It took much longer than anticipated for me to finish reading The Mass in Scripture. I had set out to read it as quickly as possible for the purpose of publishing this review. At just under 200 pages it is a compact size and would seem to be a quick read, but the structure of the text encourages one to linger over each Lesson and ponder its depths. The purpose of Lectio Divina is to cause one to pause and reflect - not to rush through the words and devour them, but to savor each syllable as God intended. His Word is meant to feed our souls. How fitting that the first of this series focuses on God’s Word made flesh and given to us as food in the Mass. This book, and those to come in this series, will surely provide much food for thought.

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Lectio Divina Bible Study: The Mass in Scripture . They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

As I mentioned last Monday, the Feast of the Assumption was celebrated on August 15. I read an interesting observation later in the week concerning this holy day:

The feast of the Assumption is rejected by Protestants and in this rejection they point to the fact that the Orthodox and Catholics are unable to explain the details of the event. Did Mary die or was she assumed before death? Was she buried? And if so, for how long? What exactly is the difference between the Orthodox “Dormition” and the Catholic “Assumption”? The whole event is rather sketchy.

But these questions only distract from an important truth at the core of this ancient feast. The fact is that Catholics and Orthodox agree that SOMETHING happened! Mary did not just die and was buried like most every other human in history. Her remains are nowhere to be found, and the two major branches of ancient Christianity agree that some event, some unusual incident occurred which caused the end of Mary’s life to be unique and memorable. This is a fact that cannot be ignored and it bears closer examination by Protestants.

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On Sunday the Gospel reading was from Matthew 16, the giving of the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” to Peter. Over the years, I’ve had many conversations about this verse, and of course I always point to the Catholic interpretation as a support for the papacy. Non-Catholics usually respond by telling me why it is the wrong interpretation. But I have never had anyone tell me what other interpretation could work and still make sense given what we know about the biblical symbolism of the “keys” and Peter’s role among the Apostles. If Jesus gave “keys” to Peter, then what else could it mean? And where are those “keys” now?

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I was listening in on a conversation between Protestant ministers, and I was struck by the lack of theological consensus among them, even among those who were of the same denomination. They were all of the same "family" of Protestants, but there seemed to be no agreement on basic beliefs. Questions like: What is ordination? What happens to the bread and wine at consecration? What is the role of a bishop? Should the church even have bishops?


It's not just that these men had different views on these issues, it is that their churches have no defined theology regarding these things. There is simply a huge vacuum where their ought to be a laid-out, systematic theology for these core beliefs. I am amazed that they can stand in the pulpit and preach when they have no sure theological footing on which to stand.