The Polls Are Closed

Last week I posted two polls on the sidebar of this website. They certainly weren't scientific in any stretch of the imagination, but I was hoping that they would provide us with some idea of what other readers are thinking.

The first poll asked,

To what extent are you aware that we will be using a new Roman Missal in our country within a few years?

87% of readers (14 votes) said that they are very aware; 12% (2 readers) said that they are somewhat aware. No one said that they were not aware at all.

I posted this poll simply out of curiosity. I wanted to get a general sense of where people are and not simply assume. Quite honestly, I expected fewer people to say that they were very aware, so I'm glad I asked.

The other poll asked,

Have you reminded parishioners about the proper manner for receiving Communion over the past year (check all that apply).

Here the vote percentages added up by the polling program reached 113%! Nevertheless, 13 votes said that they had provided some catechesis, either verbal or in the bulletin while 3 votes said that none was provided.

I posed this question based upon my work at our diocesan workshops for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. EMs consistently brought up issues about the way people receive Communion. From gum-chewing communicants to those who insist on self-intinction, the EMs sometimes worry that people are not as reverent as they should be and they also are concerned about their role in this situation.

After hearing these very same concerns presented at nearly every workshop (around 70, I think), we developed some material for use in the diocese. I am hoping that this year we can develop more material to assist with the liturgical catechesis of people in the pew. I'm interested to hear if you have any suggestions or thoughts on this issue.

The Year of Saint Paul

Today we celebrate one of the great feasts of the Church: The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The entrance antiphon assigned in the Sacramentary reads:

These men, conquering all human fraility, shed their blood and helped the Church to grow. By sharing the cup of the Lord's suffering, they became the friends of God.

When Pope Benedict XVI opened the Year dedicated to Saint Paul in 2008, he gave a homily which I return to frequently. It might be worth looking at again today. To me one of the most striking parts is when the Holy Father said:

Let us not ask ourselves only: who was Paul? Let us ask ourselves above all: who is Paul? What does he say to me?

In the Letter to the Galatians, St Paul gives a very personal profession of faith in which he opens his heart to readers of all times and reveals what was the most intimate drive of his life. “I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” All Paul's actions begin from this centre. His faith is the experience of being loved by Jesus Christ in a very personal way. It is awareness of the fact that Christ did not face death for something anonymous but rather for love of him - of Paul - and that, as the Risen One, he still loves him; in other words, Christ gave himself for him. Paul's faith is being struck by the love of Jesus Christ, a love that overwhelms him to his depths and transforms him. His faith is not a theory, an opinion about God and the world. His faith is the impact of God's love in his heart. Thus, this same faith was love for Jesus Christ...

In a world in which falsehood is powerful, the truth is paid for with suffering. The one who desires to avoid suffering, to keep it at bay, keeps life itself and its greatness at bay; he cannot be a servant of truth and thus a servant of faith. There is no love without suffering - without the suffering of renouncing oneself, of the transformation and purification of self for true freedom. Where there is nothing worth suffering for, even life loses its value. The Eucharist - the centre of our Christian being - is founded on Jesus' sacrifice for us; it is born from the suffering of love which culminated in the Cross. We live by this love that gives itself. It gives us the courage and strength to suffer with Christ and for him in this world, knowing that in this very way our life becomes great and mature and true. (emphasis added)

No one likes suffering...not even the greatest of saints. But, as the opening antiphon for today attests, those who share in the cup of the Lord's suffering become the friends of God. This is something that I try to think of each time I receive Communion under the form of wine: This is the cup of the Lord's suffering which must be consumed in order to love. Our suffering is different than that of Saints Peter and Paul, but it is no less real and has no less impact on our lives. By drinking from it fully, may we all have a share in Christ's everlasting life.

A well-kept secret

One of the best-kept liturgical secrets, in my mind, is the website of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC). They have a number of excellent liturgical publications and co-sponsor an annual meeting each year with the US Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship (BCDW).

Perhaps the word "Diocesan" in the title keeps many parish ministers and priests away, but nearly all of their materials are designed for parish liturgical leaders and the person in the pew. Their section on Liturgical Catechesis is quite extensive and includes everything from liturgy planning to liturgical vocabulary. The home page always contains an article on liturgical catechesis which changes periodically. A catalogue of their fine and varied liturgical publications, including bulletin inserts, is available for download.

When you have some free time check out the FDLC. You'll be glad that you did!

Assumption 2009

Saturday, August 15, 2009 (The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a not a holy day of obligation in 2009 since it falls on a Saturday.

In 1992, the Holy See approved a general decree by the United States Bishops declaring days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States in conformity with canon 1246. It was also determined that whenever January 1 (the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), August 15 (the Solemnity of the Assumption) or November 1 (the Solemnity of All Saints) fall on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated (the faithful are not obliged to attend and participate in the Mass).

The day retains the rank of solemnity and is best celebrated in a festive way.

For those who love to plan ahead, next year the Assumption will fall on a Sunday and will be celebrated instead of the Ordinary Time Sunday.

The Roman Missal, continued

The new edition of the Roman Missal as it appears in its Latin original has relatively few changes that the average Catholic would notice. Most of the changes are additions of saints days (Pope John Paul II added 482 saints to the martyrology), more complete mass formularies and the incorporation of ritual texts that have been revised since the last edition (1975) including texts related to the RCIA and funerals. The actual texts of the Mass Ordinary did not change in the Latin original.

However, as noted in the previous post, since the English-language version follows different principles of translation, there will be many changes noticeable to Catholics in our country (and English-speakers throughout the world). Until recently, the process has moved without much speed. But last December, Cardinal Francis George, OMI (president of the US Bishops' Conference) received a letter from the new prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera. According to the website of the US Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship (BCDW):

On December 15, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., USCCB President, received a letter from Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation, in which he expressed a desire to facilitate a more expeditious completion of the approval process for the English translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, and see the publication of the Roman Missal in English by the end of 2010.

In order to accomplish this, the final section of the Missal will be voted on by the US Bishops at their November 2009. The US Bishops have informed Rome that it will take publishers about one year from the Holy See's recognitio (ratification or approval) of the Missal to have a book available and in the hands of American Catholic pastors and liturgical leaders.

So, there could possibly be a new Missal in place by Advent of 2010 (some think that it is likely to come later, such as in Lent or Advent 2011). The BCDW has done a tremendous job posting information (including the approved translation for the Order of Mass) on its website. They are coordinating catechetical efforts with ICEL and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC). It is hoped that in 2010 there will be material available for dioceses and parishes so that many American Catholics can hear the same message as we prepare to receive the Missal.

One final note: While this Missal is going to require a Herculian effort from nearly everyone in the Church (most especially, the people in the pew), this also provides us with a golden opportunity to teach people about the liturgy. We shouldn't just teach rubrics, new words, new music and all of the other external, yet important, elements. Through the liturgy God offers us the grace to change our hearts! The words and rubrics are but the path we follow, not the ultimate goal.

The Third Edition of the Roman Missal

If you follow liturgical news closely, you may be more or less aware that there is a new Roman Missal being translated into English (and many other languages) for use throughout the world. In fact, this week the United States Bishops are attending their annual June meeting in San Antonio and will discuss several portions of this Missal.

The Roman Missal is, essentially, what we currently refer to as the Sacramentary. Since the Second Vatican Council there have been three revisions of the Roman Missal, this most recent was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 2000, although the book itself did not appear in print until 2002. As in all universal Church ritual books, the original is composed and published entirely in Latin. From that Latin "typical edition," the vernacular translations are made. For the English-speaking world, the body charged with translating the Church's rituals is called The International Commission on English in the Liturgy, or ICEL.

Founded in 1963 (the same year as Vatican II's first document, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), this "mixed commission" is made up of 11 bishops' conferences: Australia, Canada, England and Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, and the United States of America. At its inception was the realization that cooperation made for good stewardship and the wealthier nations could assist with those nations with less resources.

Over the past decade, ICEL has come under a blistering attack from many sides regarding their translations (as well as original texts which they themselves composed). I have always found these attacks to be a bit unfair, since the texts still needed the approval of the national bishops' conferences and the recognitio (approval or ratification) by the Holy See.

At issue was the way that texts were translated. Prior to 2001 translators were guided by a document (Comme le prévoit, issued in 1969) which utilized a principle called "dynamic equivalency." The goal of dynamic equivalency (in a nutshell) is to translate a phrase into the same or similar phrase. This did not require (nor even promote) a word-by-word translation. Multiple sentences could be used in English where only one was used in Latin. Phrases could be omitted and word order changed. The goal was clarity and fidelity.

In 2001, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued a document called "Liturgiam Authenticam: On the Use of the Vernacular Languages in the Publication of Books of the Roman Liturgy." This is sometimes called "The Fifth Instruction 'for the Right Implementation on the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council.'" After an overview of some of the issues surrounding translation, the document states:

"...it now seems necessary to set forth anew, and in light of the maturing of experience, the principles of translation to be followed in future translations –whether they be entirely new undertakings or emendations of texts already in use –and to specify more clearly certain norms that have already been published, taking into account a number of questions and circumstances that have arisen in our own day." (No. 7)

This document rendered obsolete Comme le prévoit and the ensuing principle of dynamic equivalency. It called for a more literal translation, one that would account for each word and phrase; one that would maintain word order and Latin syntax; one that was more exalted and, some would say, less "pedestrian." It also restricted the ability of mixed commissions (ie. ICEL) from composing their own original texts or rearranging or reordering the contents of a liturgical book.

One other point of significant interest to those who pray in English: Liturgiam Authenticam also expressed a desire that one translation be used by each language group, to the extent possible. This means that whether one speaks the Queen's English, American English, or some other derivation, the translation will be essentially the same.

As you can imagine, a project such as this is an enormous task. However, the process is picking up momentum and its completion is in sight (perhaps in the next 14-18 months). We have devoted a page on our diocesan website to current (and authoritative) information on the new Missal. We are hopeful that these next months provide ample opportunity for liturgical catechesis and renewal.

More to come...

Question on the Sequence

The Office of Worship has received a few calls with questions regarding the use of the Sequence this coming Sunday, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. For those who don't want to read this whole post, the quick answer is that the Sequence is optional and not required.

The Sequence has a long, rich and complicated history. It is a musical form, akin to a hymn, and was originally attached as an embellishment to the Alleluia. It is non-Biblical poetry which elaborates on a sacred theme. Perhaps the most famous sequence is "Dies Irae Dies Illa" from the Requiem Mass. The famous composers W. A. Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi have enshrined this text for ever in some of the greatest music of the western world.

The Tridentine reforms of Pope Pius V removed all but four sequences from the Roman liturgy. Four sequences are still retained in the reformed Missal promulgated by Paul VI after Vatican II, although the four are not entirely the same as those of Pope Pius. Our current missal appoints a sequence for Easter Sunday (Victimae paschali laudes / Christians praise the Paschal Victim), Pentecost (Veni Sancte Spiritus / Come Holy Spirit), the Body and Blood of Christ (Lauda Sion Salvatorem / Praise, O Zion, your Savior) and Our Lady of Sorrows (Stabat mater / At the Cross Her Station Keeping). The Missal of Pope Paul VI dropped the Dies Irae from the Mass for the Dead (Requiem Mass).

Of these four, the sequences for Easter and Pentecost are obligatory while the other two are optional. Unfortunately, all four seem to be frequently omitted. The lack of accessible music for these pieces is perhaps one of the main reasons for this. If the sequence is sung, it is done between the Second Reading and the Gospel. Today it normally is sung immediately prior to the Alleluia.

The text (and possibly the music) of the Sequence for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ was composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas at the request of Pope Urban IV when the feast was placed on the universal Roman calendar (c. 1264). If this sequence is done, there are two options: a long form and a short form. The melody is haunting but quite beautiful (click here to access a recording of the chant).

"We All Become His Body"

This week's coming feast, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, calls us to reflect even more deeply on the gift of the Eucharist and our response to that gift. Pope Benedict XVI, who writes and speaks with such simple eloquence, recently told participants in a Wednesday Audience (December 10, 2008):

St Paul says: "the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (I Cor. 10: 16-17). In these words the personal and social character of the Sacrament of the Eucharist likewise appears. Christ personally unites himself with each one of us, but Christ himself is also united with the man and the woman who are next to me. And the bread is for me but it is also for the other. Thus Christ unites all of us with himself and all of us with one another. In communion we receive Christ. But Christ is likewise united with my neighbour: Christ and my neighbour are inseparable in the Eucharist. And thus we are all one bread and one body. A Eucharist without solidarity with others is a Eucharist abused. And here we come to the root and, at the same time, the kernel of the doctrine on the Church as the Body of Christ, of the Risen Christ...

Christ gives us his Body in the Eucharist, he gives himself in his Body and thus makes us his Body, he unites us with his Risen Body. If man eats ordinary bread, in the digestive process this bread becomes part of his body, transformed into a substance of human life. But in holy Communion the inverse process is brought about. Christ, the Lord, assimilates us into himself, introducing us into his glorious Body, and thus we all become his Body.

This week's feast (celebrated today on the universal calendar and transferred to Sunday in the United States), gives us the opportunity to offer thanks and praise to God for sending his Son as our Redeemer; to give thanks and praise to Jesus Christ for loving us "to the end" (John 13:1) and offering himself in obedience and humility; and to give thanks and praise to the Spirit for constantly renewing the face of the earth, enlivening us to live our faith.

In light of Pope Benedict's message, I believe this feast also calls us to examine our consciences regarding our participation in the Eucharistic feast. Do we live as someone who is grafted to the vine of Christ? Are we willing to love "to the end," even if it means suffering unjustly? Are we willing to forgive as our Lord did, even as he suffered on the cross? Do we seek reconciliation, and unity?

In the words of Eucharistic Prayer III (co-opted for this blog's title):

Grant that we who are nourished by his body and blood,
may be filled with his Holy Spirit,
and become one body, one spirit in Christ.

Anniversary of the death of Pope John XXIII

Wednesday, June 3 marks the anniversary of the death of Blessed Pope John XXIII (1881-1963). In the third month of his pontificate, he surprised many people by announcing his intention to convene the Twenty-First Ecumenical Council of the Church, now know as Vatican Council II. Through God's grace, he lived to convene the Council on October 11, 1962. His opening address is available on many websites and includes a passage that I always find insightful and inspiring:

In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, we sometimes have to listen, much to our regret, to voices of persons who, though burning with zeal, are not endowed with too much sense of discretion or measure. In these modern times they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin. They say that our era, in comparison with past eras, is getting worse, and they behave as though they had learned nothing from history, which is, none the less, the teacher of life. They behave as though at the time of former Councils everything was a full triumph for the Christian idea and life and for proper religious liberty.

We feel we must disagree with those prophets of gloom, who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand.

In the present order of things, Divine Providence is leading us to a new order of human relations which, by men's own efforts and even beyond their very expectations, are directed toward the fulfilment of God's superior and inscrutable designs. And everything, even human differences, leads to the greater good of the Church.

I am often struck by the wisdom of this phrase. It is easy to forget, but while the challenges of our day may be unique, they are no more severe than many other epochs. As we face these challenges, God gives us the grace to glorify him and build up the Church.

Today would be a good day to review a biography of Blessed John XXIII (click here for one on the Vatican's website). I have always been most inspired by this holy man because of his tremendous trust in the working of the Holy Spirit and his true sense of love for God's people.

It also serves as a reminder to regularly consider the rich documents of that Council, which are available on the Holy See's website. For those involved in liturgy, the first 14 paragraphs of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy would provide ample material for summer prayer and reflection.

Finally, remember to thank God today for his servant Pope John XXIII. May we listen to the Spirit as intently as Good Pope John.