I have recently read a book called “The organic growth of the liturgy” by Dom Alcuin Reid, a benedictine monk and priest. In it he outlines a key principle which has guided the development of Catholic liturgy throughout the ages, and that is, that the liturgy must grow organically, gradually, and in continuity. He also discusses the form of the liturgy and how important “the form” is for us Catholics to enter properly into the Sacred Mysteries and to worship God in Spirit and Truth. He traces through all the liturgical developments since the Council of Trent and stops on the eve of the Second Vatican Council. Without going into massive detail of this incredibly well researched book, one key thing stuck out for me: during the first part of the 20th century, the Liturgical Movement (which had started in the 19th century to help Catholics enter into the liturgy more deeply) began to lose its way and embraced some very dubious principles. One of these is called the “theory of corruption”, that for the first 500-800 years of Christianity we had a pure liturgy, and then for the next 1000-1400 years (approx), including the high periods of the middle ages, the liturgy became corrupted and decadent, and filled with all sorts of parasitic additions. According to many who still hold to this theory, the liturgical reform undertaken after Vatican II finally set everything right, and now we have a liturgy that is worthy of the Church. Unfortunately, many (including A Jungman, SJ – famous Vat II liturgist) who worked on the Concilium, which was the body set up by Pope Paul VI and given the responsibility for reforming the liturgy, held this notion of the “theory of corruption” – so it deeply influenced their work of reform following the Council. Suffice to say, that theory is not true, and this is why it is important to understand the key principle at play in liturgical growth: gradual organic development guided by the Holy Spirit throughout the ages.
Cardinal Ratzinger praises the book and wrote the preface for it; and he also says similar things in his own writings.
I raise this topic because I would like us to discuss some of our own understandings of why we have had such trouble and flux with the liturgy following the Council. Why has there been such a mess in so many places? Why such banality and superficiality? Why has the liturgy lost its way in some, or many, places?
I have some of my own ideas, but I’d like to discuss it. This is deeper than just disobedience. If you aren’t aware of some of these abuses (some of them quite sacriligious) that have taken place in the liturgy, have a look at some of these little videos from youtube. I obviously don’t hold all the views and attitudes contained in these videos, but they show forth much of the evidence of what I am asking us to discuss. Have look if you can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWClQ_NDO4 - this one is quite commical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFHb8WkTHho&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQPkYwIOCRM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wedpLBTKd84
I think it’s connected to a turning inwards that’s also occurring at the same time. Church architecture really reflects this, where it’s become about the community rather than the worship of God.
No Place for God: The Denial of Transcendence in Modern Church Architecture
That first one put out by SSPX was a little over the top and a bit too mocking. SSPX consider the Norvus Ordo to be an invalid Mass – they call it “the new Mass”, so I wasn’t surprised given the tone of the clip that it was an SSPX clip.
I’m with you Lucyna,
That first video is a piece of SSPX propaganda.
Firstly, it features images of events that aren’t even liturgies, yet it claims to present liturgical abuses.
Secondly, it features images of Pope Benedict, in an effort to imply that he supports and endorses the type of liturgical abuses featured in that video – which is just plain garbage, as anyone who has read Spirit of the Liturgy, his other writings on liturgy, and has observed his liturgical practices can attest to.
Finally, it features an image of the pope arriving and WYD, quite obviously not involved in any liturgy, yet they still include that image in a clip on liturgical abuses.
you are right the U Tube videos are a sham and have no relevence to Church Liturgy
What is the music on the third one, this one:
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQPkYwIOCRM
?
jj
I answer me
– Pink Floyd, Post-War Dream
jj
I’ve just watched the next 2 – they are also put out by SSPX.
There are definitely a number of liturgical abuses occurring world-wide, but SSPX criticism is counter-productive. I won’t look at the last one, I’m guessing it’s more of the same.
After saying all of that, I’ve just recently decided to start keeping track of liturgical abuses on my website under the tag: Liturgical Abuses. And a Norvus Ordo Mass is not considered to be an abuse.
True – a couple are SSPX critiques. Nevertheless…
That image at the end of the Pink Floyd one moves me to tears. That is what Mass should be – worship. I fear that anyone dropping into one of our Masses in Pukekohe would not feel what I felt at seeing that priest offering God to God.
jj
filia-day, i watched those videos that you linked to, and sspx issues aside, the question that you raise is difficult to put an answer to. the distortions and theatrical creativity seem to be the fruit of an idea which thinks that the liturgy is “our property”, a vehicle through which we entertain, and amuse people. it is as if people think that by celebrating the mass in a reverent and simple manner, people will be bored with things, so they have to jazz it up, make it relevant and modern, and exciting, and ‘hip’. i think that part of the issue is at the level of our sensivity, or our conditioning at the psychological level. people have reduced their church going to stimulation of the senses and satisfaction of their affective needs, but not in an exalted and qualitative way, but in a reductive and shallow way; in a very infantile and juvenile way. that’s the way it seems. it’s like a fruit of too much television watching, popcorn, instantaneous gratification, and mtv. and this tendency keeps people at that level and hinders them from contemplating God in their intelligence, and having union with God in their will, which is what the liturgy is for. i suppose it is also linked to the materialistic and overly scientific culture which only looks at quantity, and misses quality, or often reduces things of quality to a quantative level, or when trying to do something for more quality, they end up with something mostly at the quantative level. i don’t know, but it seems to be all linked.
there also seems to be a lack of trust that the mass as given to us after the council has the quality of signs and form required to allow us to enter what is going on, the making present of the sacred mysteries, so they have to add their own signs and symbols and gestures in that creative “it’s our liturgy” way. it’s like people think (falsely): “well, pope paul vi made a new mass, so shall we…”
as cardinal ratzinger has said in his books, and ’scary’ has mentioned one of them, people have forgotten that God gives us the liturgy and it develops gradually, we don’t make it ourselves. even the pope can’t make a new liturgy. he has to receive it from the tradition too. i think that more and more people in high levels in the church, including the current pope, have asked sincere but real questions about some of the ways in which the new mass was given to us. i read the other day that there is an investigation going on in the congregation for divine workship in rome, asked for by the pope, which is looking at making the canon (eucharistic prayer) always to be said in latin, and making communion kneeling and on the tongue a requirement. i don’t know if this will happen, but it does show something of the mindset of the pope.
there certainly are some serious abuses in those videos which make the jaw drop. some of them are incredible. it does show what has happended in some places. it is slightly depressing, but a good spur onwards for more supernatural hope and trust in God, and more prayer for this issue. Jesus will sort it all out.
i think that some who have commented above have got caught up in ‘who’ (ad hominem) made the videos, rather than possibly looking at the majority of the content. i know that some of content is not accurate, but i think that most of the pictures are real occurences and are real abuses of the novus ordo mass? are they not? i don’t think that they have been doctored, or photoshopped
, but i may be wrong.
the clown masses and the worst cases in those videos are a real mockery. mockery is usually a sign of the devil when it comes to sacred things. most of the people are most likely not aware of what they are truly doing; it’s like what Jesus said, “forgive them father, for they know not what they do”, but it’s alarming and hurtful all the same.
peace cobbers
don, ah yes pink floyd, i remember them!
I think the point is that these gross abuses shock us – as they should – disgust us – but then we go to the real Masses we have on Sunday morning. They are not like this. They are just … not like much of anything.
I think that the thing that could help most of all would be the priest turning to the East during the Consecration. If it were visibly that he was offering to God, it would make such a difference.
jj
regarding post number 11: yes great point jjen. i would like to see that too. it would help focus things properly by manifesting externally the truth of the primacy of Christ’s offering and atonement to the Father first, and secondarily, His offering towards us, shown by the Blood and the Water. so the priest should face towards God (ad Deum) with the people when making the offering. yes, i like it.
jjen, i apologise, i called you ‘don’ in post 10. :oops:
dave-morgan – I forgive you (for calling me ‘Don’). Don is a great guy
jj
Aw shucks, guys!
I’m just an ordinary kiwi bloke.
Don’t push it
I suppose I should now make a relevant comment.
These *carricature* masses are indeed an abuse, and we pray not an insult to Christ.
Much of the form, i think, has been borrowed from the Evagelical christian approach to worship, where they have – in some cases- really worshipful and beautiful modern songs of praise, even if they are not my cuppa tea.
However, many of them are simply a soft rock concert with not much relevance to God, but a huge relevance to *us* and *me* – how *I* feel about thnigs, and Jesus should recognise *me*.
Much of this is immaturity. I don’t want to seem to be knocking the Evangelicals – they do a huge amount of constructive work inbringing people – mainly the young and disattached – to the knowledge of Christ – but it is in the main, quite immature and simplistic.
Y’know; “Accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and you are saved.”
Its not that simple – but it is certainly as start. And these types of *liturgies* IMO have developed from this mentality. The Catholic Church runs much deeper than that and does not need puppets, clowns, nymphs and rock concerts to gain worship of God. Neither does any other Christian for that matter.
Remember: F…..O….H
Faith
Obedience
Humility
Here’s something incredibly timely and relevant to this post:
“you are right the U Tube videos are a sham and have no relevence to Church Liturgy”
I didn’t say that Helen’s Bay, I merely pointed out the problems with the first video.
However, as others have already stated, these videos do highlight some very real, and very disgraceful liturgical abuses that are an attack on Christ.
The issue with liturgical abuses is not the errors or omissions themselves as what is behind them. We don’t want to be pharisaic about things but what does it say about the understanding and respect for the liturgy in other areas when things are done with apparent disrespect.
Went to an otherwise lovely mass at the cathedral last night that turned out to be in Maori and was done well except for the use of glass jugs/carafes for the consecration of the wine. What seemed odd was that as soon as this was done the wine was emptied into the chalices. It seemed simply unnecessary to do this in the way it was? There is no way that those jugs with their narrow necks were going to be purified correctly (how could they be?). It spoilt the mass for me as I was distracted by this concern and as to what else was been fudged. Being in Maori I wouldn’t have noticed anyway (except for the actions of one assisting priest with no vestments?) as things felt different anyway.
There is an element of trust in liturgy that sometimes seems not to be valued.