This morning, as I do each week, I offered Mass in the older form of the Roman Rite, alongside our three other precept Masses which are in English according to the Missal of Pope Paul VI. I agree with Wolfe when he says:
40 years of the new Mass have brought chaos and banality into the most visible and outward sign of the church. Benedict XVI wants a return to order and meaning. So, it seems, does the next generation of Catholics.
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My Mum's heart was broken not by the Novus Ordo Mass itself, but the way in which it was introduced in a matter of weeks instead of the planned two years, and the disappearance of the Tridentine Rite which had been a constant in her life. She took me to a couple of Tridentine Masses when I was twelve, and I couldn't work out what was to wrong about the Rite that necessitated its effective banning. I wish she'd lived to see the reintroduction of the Rite.
"40 years of the new Mass have brought chaos and banality into the most visible and outward sign of the church".
This is a harsh statement and I have to say that while my heart and preference lies with the Latin Mass and the Old Rite, there are very few Novus Ordo Masses that I have attended where I could honestly say that they were anywhere near the 'chaotic and banal' mark.
The vast majority, in my experience over these forty years, have always been devoutly celebrated and that includes Novus Ordo in English as well as in Polish.
God Bless our Priests.
I don't think much of the article at all.
1st of all he shows little appreciation for actual TIMELINES -- you know those important chicken-egg things -- ditto little appreciation for the entire history of church practises.
Then he acts as if *other* factors were not heavy contributors to the evisceration of the faith.
How about dumbing down the catechisis for an entire generation of Catholics. Meat and potatoes instruction in the faith reduced to "Jesus loves you, go out and party you can't really commit a mortal sin."
Let me see, Humanae Vitae - '68, before the "new Mass" -- a lot of people up and said "Hell no." Which tells me that THEY (of the old school) weren't on the same page then either as to their own acceptance of "the good old days" catechisis.
He seems totally ignorant that although "facing east" was the most common way of doing so the bishop facing THE PEOPLE (you know, like St. Peter's in the Vatican and other major basilicas.)
He seems CLUELESS that for centuries and to this day the Eastern Rite Catholics "Stand ARIGHT AND IN AWE." For Communion too. If he wants to argue that Eastern Rite Catholics are less pious, be my guest -- can I sell ringside seats to that one?
He seems clueless that for centuries people recieved communion IN THE HAND. And the Communion rail was a rather late innovation. At first people STOOD for the Mass, mostly, with little if any kneeling. and when Latin was still know, there was much more participation, vocally, by the people. Then they stopped knowing the Latin, and the clergy and schola gradually shut the people out. [In the Eastern Rite, there is a good deal more give and take between priest and people, much more so than the EF form of Mass.] Seems the writer is rather parochial in his view. Such a tizzy fit he has that the unwashed herd actually can say the Pater Noster all by their widdle selves.
Wolfe should have taken a look at Jungmann's Mass of the Roman Rite, particular the chapter on the Forms of poular participation.
Naturally, Wolfe has to slam the laity with the obligatory swipe at Altar servers who happen to be female. Yeah, the church has gone to hell in a handbasket because of that. Never mind the minor "orders" are misnamed in that they can hardly be called sacraments. Never mind the acoylte was supposed to stand in for ALL The people, including women. Fascinating how an 8 year old boy can stand in for "all the people" but not an 8 year old girl -- not without getting slammed in some quarters.
He can argue that some of the richness of the Mass and rubrics and calendar were diluted (those tossed out Octave celebrations for instance) he can argue that the offertory prayers are relatively lame, and lament "too many options." But that's not what he's largely bitching about.
There ARE rubrics for the present Mass -- but there are too many dummy bishops who refuse to do their job and enforce the rubrics that there are.
It's not "the unwashed" putting on clown noses, it's too many bishops and too many priests. Those aren't options!
Oh, and what's with the ellipsis in his quote re: Bugnini wanting to appeal to more Protestants.
I see him quote something allegedly salient on the surface of it, but having seen all his other errors, smell a rat. That MAY have been the intent, and that which was left out wasn't relevant, but I'm not betting the farm on it just yet until I see the whole of what he quoted from.
I've got one or two pet theories about the Novus Ordo and it's aftermath. I'd be interested to know what people think - I won't be offended! I'm not a liturgical scholar, theologian or anyone with any specialist knowledge - just pet theories!
I suspect that if it wasn't for the Novus Ordo we wouldn't have a Traditional Latin Mass to speak of today - and it probably wouldn't be celebrated (where it is celebrated) as reverently as it almost universally is. I say this because I think that the NO took the brunt of the liturgical 'revolution' in the 70s that would otherwise have been reserved for the TLM. I understand that the TLM was already being 'experimented on' at the time the NO was introduced - I guess it's quite probable that we could have had a 'TLM' in English with guitars and all the other 'trimmings' rather than a Mass which is today synonymous with beautiful music, solemnity, deep spirituality etc. Did the introduction of the NO inadvertently 'save' for us the Tradition of the Traditional Latin Mass?
Now, wherever the TLM is celebrated, it is the antithesis of all that was bad about the last 40 years. Do people think that this would this have happened without the NO?
40 years out-of-date already!
Ah yes, the Novus Ordo, first and greatest fruit of the Second Vantican Council, which we were assured would renew the church. Sadly, the NO turned out to 'renew' the church in the same way the iceberg 'renewed' the Titantic! By their fruits ye will know them and has the Church ever known a more deadly fruit than the NO?
Paul - that's a very interesting theory.
A friend of mine who attends traditional Latin Masses has told me of a phenomenon that surprised me - the Tridentine Mass celebrated in the vernacular (which I imagine would be a very different thing from the Novus Ordo celebrated in Latin).
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