mars 2011

Bønner når presten tar på seg messeklærne

Liturgi /

Jeg kom nylig over en side på vatikanets eget nettsted, som omtaler de ulike plagg presten har på seg når han feirer messen – og bønnene som bes når han tar på seg hvert plagg. Disse bønnene er svært lite brukt i Norge, og jeg har ikke sett dem på norsk. Er det noen av leserne som kjenner til en norsk oversettelse?

Manipelen nevnes også blant disse plagg, og det står at den falt ut av bruk etter liturgireformen, men at den ikke ble avskaffet. Jeg har lurt på om jeg skal begynne å bruke manipel også når jeg feirer den nye messen, hva råder leserne meg og andre prester til?

Her er slutten av teksten på Vatikanets nettsider:

… one hopes that the rediscovery of the symbolism of the liturgical vestments and the vesting prayers will encourage priests to take up again the practice of praying as they are dressing for the liturgy so as to prepare themselves for the celebration with the necessary recollection.

While it is possible to use different prayers, or simply to lift one’s mind up to God, nevertheless the texts of the vesting prayers are brief, precise in their language, inspired by a biblical spirituality and have been prayed for centuries by countless sacred ministers. These prayers thus recommend themselves still today for the preparation for the liturgical celebration, even for the liturgy according to the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.

Les hele denne siden her.

Fra Vatikanets egen bokhandel

Liturgi, TLM /


Bildet over tok jeg i Vatikanets bokhandel, da jeg var der for et par uker siden. Det viser Missale Romanum fra 1962 (til venstre) og den nyeste utgaven av det nye missalet (fra 2002, til høye) – de lå ved siden av hverandre som for å illustrere likeverdigheten mellom dem.

Hvordan den tradisjonelle messen har påvirket måten jeg sier den nye messen

Liturgi, TLM /

For noen få dager siden skrev jeg min første kommentar på Father John Zuhlsdorfs kjente blogg «What does the Prayer Really Say». Det er kommentar nr. 263 116 på hans blogg (han har stor trafikk!) og kan leses her.

Det dreide seg litt om innflytelse mellom den gamle og den nye messen, og Father Z. spurte meg i neste kommentar: «I would be pleased to hear more about how the old Mass has changed the way you say the newer Mass.»

Nå har jeg skrevet en slik betraktning (på engelsk selvsagt) og åpner slik:

HOW THE OLD MASS HAS CHANGED THE WAY I SAY THE NEWER MASS

From the old mass I have first of all taken with me the FOCUS of the priest in the mass – the focus on God, on offering up to God the perfect sacrifice of Christ – making all other things less important.

The vesting prayers in the sacristy help the priest with this focus – showing him his own unworthiness and need for God’s help and grace. I end these prayers with «Ego volo celebrare Missam, et conficere corpus et sanguinem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi, … » expressing what the mass is. Then I walk into church with this same focus – not looking at people. With this same focus I genuflect before the altar, praying «Aufer a nobis …» as I walk up to the altar, and «Oramus te, Domine ..» as I kiss it – these are prayers asking for purification and forgiveness of my sins. As I kiss the altar at the end of mass I have also taken from the old mass the prayer «Placeat tibi …». This prayer sums up very well what the mass is all about: «May the tribute of my humble ministry be pleasing …» and «Through your mercy may it bring forgiveness to me and to all for whom I have offered it».

So the main contribution from the traditional mass in on the FOCUS it gives the priest. In the following paragraphs I will also mention some more details about how the traditional rubrics help keep this focus: …

Så følger en del punkter, som kan leses i sin helhet her.

En nonnes bok blir sterkt kritisert av den amerikanske bispekonferansen

Teologi /

En feministisk teolog (en nonne) har fått en svært knusende kritikk fra den amerikanske bispekonferansens «troskongregasjon» i en 21 siders lang utredning – men disiplinære forføyninger ser ikke ut til å bli iverksatt. Slik skriver John Allen om dette:

A widely popular 2007 book by Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, one of America’s most prominent feminist Catholic theologians, is marred by a series of “misrepresentations, ambiguities and errors” and thus “does not accord with authentic Catholic teaching on essential points,” according to a statement released today by the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. bishops’ conference.

In particular, Johnson’s treatment of the Trinity in Quest for the Living God, according to the bishops, “completely undermines the Gospel and the faith of those who believe in the Gospel.”

Despite that conclusion, the bishops did not call for any disciplinary measures against Johnson, such as a ban on teaching or publishing. Johnson, 69, is a distinguished professor of systematic theology at the Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York.

According to the statement, the committee felt compelled to publicly denounce Johnson’s 2007 book Quest for the Living God because it is directed to a “broad audience,” and because it’s being used in many venues “as a textbook for the study of God.” …

… The 21-page statement from the doctrine committee outlines seven categories of problems in the book.

First, at the level of method, the statement accuses Johnson of questioning core elements of traditional Christian theology, including its understanding of God as “incorporeal, impassible, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.” Doing so, the statement asserts, is “seriously to misrepresent the tradition and so to distort it beyond recognition.”

Second, the statement faults Johnson for treating language about God in the Bible and in church tradition as largely metaphorical, implying that truth about God is essentially “unknowable.” ….

Et nytt fellesskap for prester i England

Katolsk /

Prester fra flere bispedømmer i England stiftet 19. oktober et «Confraternity of Catholic Clergy» – inspirert av pave benedikts besøk i England i fjor. Målet for foreningen er «the sanctification and support of Priests, and in promotion of Priestly life, holiness and mission.»

Fr. Tim Finigan skrev nylig om et nytt møte i foreningen, der bl.a. P. Aiden Nichols holdt et foredrag der han bl.a. snakket om følgende:

… A major theme Fr Nichols urged upon us was the importance of evangelisation for the life of the Church. He suggested that the decline of Catholic life in England according to every measurable criterion, was directly attributable to loss of the imperative for the conversion of England. He compared the failure to be missionary to that obex or obstacle which may be placed by the recipient of a sacrament, preventing its fruitfulness. Just as the removal of the obstacle will enable the reviviscence of grace, so the removal of the obstacle of the lack of missionary activity will enable the revival of the Church – for those within the Church as well as by the reception of those to whom this missionary activity is directed. In other words, people who evangelise will find that their own faith is strengthened by the very fact of doing so.

The theme of the Liturgy was not neglected. Fr Nichols cited the example of St Augustine who was moved by the sacred chant of the Cathedral at Milan. People need the sacrality of the Liturgy to move them to an active faith which recognises the necessity of evangelisation. There was much else of value that I would like to re-read when the address is published. I have not by any means done the paper justice in this brief write-up of some of my notes. …

Mer om presiseringen av «Summorum Pontificum»

Paven, Økumenikk /

Father Z. skrev for nylig mer om den kommende presiseringen av pave Benedikts «frigjrøing» av den tradisjonelle latinske messen:

… The claim was made that after the Instruction was drafted by the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei“, the President of the same who is also Cardinal Prefect of the CDF, Card. Levada, perhaps with the aid of Card. Canizares of the CDW, made it far more restrictive.

The Instruction went to the Pope for his approval.

In the meantime, various people intervened.

The Pope has, if the claims are correct, caused the previous, favorable draft, to be adopted. It will favor, rather than restrict, the provisions of Summorum Pontificum.

Though this is all at the level of rumor, it is nonetheless plausible. …

Ifølge dette var det pave Benedikt selv som ønsket at det nye dokumentet ikke skulle begrense bruken av den tradisjonelle messen på noen måte. Om denne informasjonen / disse ryktene viser seg å være korrekte, vil vi finne ut etter hvert.

P. Finn Thorn: En evangelisk-katolsk kirke?

Økumenikk /

I St Olav første nummer 1964 skriver p. Thorn en lang artikkel om økumenikk, som interessant nok bruker begrepet «evangelisk-katolsk», som jeg støtte på i USA i 1991, da jeg var der for å studere luthersk kirkeliv – og som påvirket meg sterkt i katolsk retning. (Les mer om Evangelical Catholic her.)

P. Thorns artikkel er interessant bl.a. fordi den må være noe av det første som er skrevet om emnet i Norge – faktisk før Vatikankonsilet var ferdig. Artikkelen kan leses i sin helhet er:

En evangelisk-katolsk kirke?

AV PATER FINN D. THORN

(Fra redaksjonen: Følgene av at den katolske kirke i sin tur, efter årtiers nølen, har kastet sin tyngde inn i de kristne enhetsbestrebelser i vår tid, synes foreløbig uoverskuelige, En bevegelse er i gang som i løpet av bare et par år allerede har gjort virkelig hva ingen trodde mulig på ennå et halvt århundre, og som nær sagt måned for måned forandrer verdenskirkens åsyn. Ennå er de kristnes enhet i én kirke en fjern realitet. Hvordan skal den kunne fremmes? Pater Thorns artikkel analyserer en av de veier utviklingen kan komme til å ta.

Av den moderne nytestamentlige forskning fremgår det med stadig større klarhet at Kristi kirke er en synlig realitet. Selv en så lite katolsk innstillet teolog som Emil Brunner, uttaler at «tanken om den usynlige kirke er fullstendig fremmed for Det nye testamente». Men da reiser spørsmålet seg: Hvor er i dag denne Det nye testamentes synlige kirke? Svaret kan ikke bli at alle de synlige kirkesamfunn til sammen utgjør Kristi kirke, for da står vi overfor en kirke som intet har å gjøre med den kirke som vi møter i Skriften. En slik innbyrdes splittet kirke kan ikke være den kirke som Det nye testamente omtaler som Kristi legeme, for der kan ikke være flere Kristi legemer. Ifølge Skriften hører enheten med til kirkens vesentlige kjennetegn: «Det er ett legeme og én Ånd, likesom dere ble kalt med ett håp da kallet kom til dere; én Herre, én tro, én dåp; en Gud og alles Far.»

I stedet for å være ett i den ene synlige kirke som er Kristi legeme, er de kristne i det tyvende århundre skilt i tre store grupper: den romersk-katolske kirke, en ikke-romersk kirke – den ortodokse – og kirkesamfunnene utgått fra reformasjonen. …

P. Finn Thorn: En evangelisk-katolsk kirke?Les mer »

Fr. Klein skriver om gifte, katolske prester

Katolsk /

Jeg har lest om (og skrevet om, bl.a. HER) Father Leonard Klein – luthersk prest fram til 2003, katolsk prest fra 2006 – men ikke fått med meg at han i fjor vår skrev en interessant artikkel om gifte katolske prester, som han kalte «What Can the Catholic Church Learn From Married Priests?» Her skriver han bl.a.:

… Whatever the difference is between celibate clergy and us exceptions, it is, I am convinced, not availability.

There is enough time; there is never enough time. What is true for everyone in the modern world is true also for priests, equally for the celibate as the married. Clergy who bemoan the demands of their office and the lack of personal time are whining. Tough though some of their situations may be, family life would not ease them.

I entered the Catholic Church in 2003 after twenty years as a Lutheran pastor and was ordained to the priesthood in 2006. I have a wife, three children, and five grandchildren. They have claims on my time, as do our large extended families. But many a celibate priest must respond to a large extended family or provide care for aging parents. Priesthood does not bring freedom from family and human obligations, nor should it. The requirements of a nuclear family are more immediate and time-consuming, but it does not seem to me that they establish a categorical difference in availability from the rest of the clergy.

To be sure, married priests can’t easily be sent off for advanced study in Rome. Nor can we move at the drop of a hat. We are in some ways more expensive, but the costs of maintaining and staffing a rectory are considerable. And we are generally cheaper to educate, since we all come to the Church with theological educations and a personal formation refined by the reflection and self-examination that led us to full communion.

So it cannot be the practical arguments that bear the weight for celibacy. ….

Les hele artikkelen her.

Mange lutherske teologer er blitt katolikker

Katolsk, Økumenikk /

I denne artikkelen kalles dette «one of the most under-reported religious stories of the past decade». I Norge har vi også eksempler på det samme; på MF er tre professorer nå blitt katolikker, og ved opptagelsen av de to siste (i fjor og forfjor) var det nesten ingen publisitet rundt det. Anglikanere som konverterer får for tids mye oppmerksomhet, men det samme gjelder ikke lutheranere – leser vi:

One of the most under-reported religious stories of the past decade has been the movement of Lutherans across the Tiber.

What first began with prominent Lutherans, such as Richard John Neuhaus (1990) and Robert Wilken (1994), coming into the Catholic Church, has become more of a landslide that could culminate in a larger body of Lutherans coming into the collectively.

In 2000, former Canadian Lutheran Bishop Joseph Jacobson came into the Church. …

In 2003, Leonard Klein, a prominent Lutheran and the former editor of Lutheran Forum and Forum Letter came into the Church. Today, both Jacobson and Klein are Catholic priests.

Over the past several years, an increasing number of Lutheran theologians have joined the Church’s ranks, some of whom now teach at Catholic colleges and universities. They include, but are not limited to: Paul Quist (2005), Richard Ballard (2006), Paul Abbe (2006), Thomas McMichael, Mickey Mattox, David Fagerberg, Bruce Marshall, Reinhard Hutter, Philip Max Johnson, and most recently, Dr. Michael Root (2010).

“The Lutheran church has been my intellectual and spiritual home for forty years,” wrote Dr. Root. “But we are not masters of our convictions. A risk of ecumenical study is that one will come to find another tradition compelling in a way that leads to a deep change in mind and heart. Over the last year or so, it has become clear to me, not without struggle, that I have become a Catholic in my mind and heart in ways that no longer permit me to present myself as a Lutheran theologian with honesty and integrity. ….

Les hele artikkelen her.

Oppdaterte nyheter om Den katolske Kirke i USA og seksuelt misbruk

Katolsk /

«Skal det bare én telefosamtale til før en prest blir suspendert?» Slik avslutter John Allen en artikkel som omtaler behandlingen av anklager mot katolske prester i erkebispedømmet Philadelphia. Der har kardinal Justin Rigali tydeligvis (uten at mange visste det) ikke rapportert videre anklager mot prester som man ikke har funnet troverdige eller alvorlige nok. Men nå har nylig en domstol funnet at 37 av disse prestene har alvorlige anklager mot seg, og diskusjonen blant amerikanske biskoper raser – og de fleste er svært mye strengere i sin praksis. Les Hele John Allens artikkel her, og han avslutter den slik:

…. bishop complained of a “lack of information” from the Philadelphia archdiocese. “We have this massive grand jury report,” he said, “but the responses from the archdiocese so far have been vague.”

Others came to Rigali’s defense, suggesting there may be a “benign” interpretation of choices made by the cardinal and his aides.

Some of the cases in the grand jury report, one bishop said, may involve “boundary issues,” such as an inappropriate conversation with a minor, that do not necessarily rise to the level of sexual abuse. In those instances, the bishop said, a decision not to make a report may have been intended to resist “charter creep,” meaning expanding the purview of review boards beyond their mandate, distracting them from their core purpose.

Another bishop said the Philadelphia situation highlights a key bit of unfinished business: achieving a clearer definition of what precisely constitutes sexual abuse, and how it differs from other objectionable conduct.

“My sense is that some review boards handle these ‘boundary issue’ cases one way, and some boards handle them another way,” one bishop said.

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take them seriously,” this bishop said. “We have to move quickly to address them, but they require a different response than actual sexual abuse.”

In general, most bishops seem hesitant to pass judgment until more facts are in. “At this point, I don’t sense resentment directed at Rigali that in any way approximates what the bishops felt about Bernie Law,” one prelate said, referring to the former archbishop of Boston who resigned in December 2002 amid the first wave of the American crisis.

A final worry expressed by some bishops concerns the impact of the Philadelphia situation upon priests across the country.

The takeaway from Philadelphia, one bishop said, is that no matter how weakly documented a charge may be, it will now automatically result in a report to the police and the review board, and suspension from ministry — meaning that in the court of public opinion, the priest will be branded an abuser.

“Every priest in the country is just one phone call away from disgrace and removal,” the bishop said. “I don’t understand why nobody seems to be speaking up on this.”

Biskop Gran overtar Oslo katolske bispedømme

Katolsk /

St Olav trykket i sitt første nummer av 1965 følgende artikkel, som omtalte at biskop Gran overtok Oslo katolske bispestol noen uker før; 14. desember 1964. De to bildene viser liturgisk både det nye og det mer tradisjonelle: Dette var den aller første koncelebrasjonen i St Olav domkirke, og det var allerede satt et bord foran det gamle høyalteret (som stod fram til 1976) – men på bilde nr 2 ser vi den nye biskopen på sin cathedra, med to prester kledd i dalmatikaer ved siden av seg. Her er hele teksten fra St. Olav ved denne anledning:

EN MILEPEL OG ET PROGRAM

BISKOP JOHN WILLEM GRAN OVERTAR OSLO KATOLSKE BISPESTOL

Bispeskiftet i Oslo katolske bispedømme markerte på mange måter en milepel, uttalelser., omtaler i avisene osv. har understreket denne side av begivenheten. En ung nordmann ble formelt innsatt i embedet, sammen med fire andre av Kirkens biskoper konselebrerte han for første gang messen i St. Olavskirken i Oslo, for første gang ble en del av de nye liturgiske bestemmelser tatt i bruk.

Men det skjedde jo en annen, viktig ting under høytideligheten også. Den nye biskop, John W. Gran skisserte i sin tale ganske enkelt et program for den fullsatte kirke., for prestene, søstrene, gamle og unge legfolk. Det må vel oppfattes som noe av hans arbeidsprogram i tiden som kommer – det var ikke en vanlig takk-for-tilliten tale eller en hilsen til den flokk trofaste, men passive – men idéer helt og fullt basert på verdenskirkens ajourføring, fylt av ny aktivitet, nye tanker og forslag om øket samarbeide. Dessuten er de en rettesnor for katolikkers forhold til medkristne og ikke-kristne i dette land.

Og derfor er biskop Grans tale så viktig at «St. Olav», forsinket av julehelg og hoppende trykningstider, velger nettopp denne tale som «et dokument» fra det som skjedde den 13. desember, på tredje søndag i advent.

Biskop Gran sa bl.a.: Det er naturlig at man ved en slik milepel først ser tilbake. Kjære biskop Mangers, for 32 år siden, i omtrent samme alder som jeg har nå, kom De til Deres gjerning her. Ung, forhåpningsfull og energisk og uten rynker. De er i dag fremdeles ung av sinn, forhåpningsfull og energisk, de rynkene De har fått forteller oss om ansvaret og byrden.

De har, kjære biskop Mangers, kommet som den gode far og som en fredselsker, De har alltid vist pietetsfølelse overfor den norske tradisjon og Deres tid har vært en ekspansjons- og oppbygningstid.

De har alltid tatt konsekvensen av Deres egen overbevisning om hva som var til det beste. Og De omfattes med en dyp og virkelig kjærlighet fordi De er den De er, den gode hyrde.

Og nå er jeg fylt med en slags uro over kanskje a skulle svikte et stort oppdrag, uro, men også glede. Kirken er kommet til en milepel, Konsilet skal gi oss vårt program, og jeg ber om lojalitet overfor alt det nye som følger med Kirkens store oppbrudd.

Noen katolikker føler angst i dette oppbruddet, været er stormfullt. Prester og legmenn må arbeide for å forvandle denne angst i sinnene til forhåpningsfull optimisme.

…

Biskop Gran overtar Oslo katolske bispedømmeLes mer »

Messefeiring i Peterskirken i 1965

Liturgi /

Jeg så dette bildet i St Olav for 17. juli 1965, og må si at jeg ble ganske sjokkert. Biskopene står rundt hele alteret og ser på hverandre, uten verken krusifiks elelr lys så langt man kan se. Det er stor forskjell på denne messefeiringen og måten pave Benedikt gjør det på i vår tid. Det er på en måte underlig, på en annen måte ikke så underlig, at man til de grader «kastet barnet ut med badevannet» så tidlig på 60-tallet.

Reportasje fra Allen Hall i London

Katolsk /

Fr Hunwicke er tydeligvis (selv om han ikke sier dette så veldig tydelig) en av de tidligere anglikanske prestene som nå er blitt katolikk og forbereder seg (noen ganske få måneder) på å bli katolsk prest. Som en del av denne forberedelsen var han og flere andre nylig på presteseminaret Allen Hall i London – og hadde en svært fin dag der. Han skriver i dette lille innlegget bl.a. om Msgr. Mark O’Toole (som var min beste, kanskje eneste, støtte da jeg gikk der i 1997-98) og om at den tida nå er over (men som flere av oss norske prester opplevde der i våre år) at presteseminaret og Vatikanet formidler helt ulike ting:

Another splendid day at Cardinal Allen’s Foundation, now long departed from Douay and lodged on the site of S Thomas More’s house in Chelsea. Allen Hall is well equipped with portraits recalling its distinguished past; …

We had a most gracious address from the Rector, Mgr Mark O’Toole, in which he negotiated with immense intelligence and sensitivity the question of our status … the man is clearly no fool. He then assured us that the dark decades when seminaries were less than totally in tune with Catholic Tradition were now just about over. This reassured many of us a great deal; I had dreaded, after the sour decades in the Church of England, having again to steel myself to argue and to fight for the Faith. I doubt if there will be any need for that. Fr Mark is clearly One Of Us. ….

Skal alle seminarister måtte lære den tradisjonelle latinske messen?

Katolsk, TLM /

Dette antyder Damian Thompson på sin blogg, når han kommenterer John Allens stykke (som jeg nevnte her) om bl.a. dokumentet som skal forklare pave Benediiks åpning for den tradisjonelle messen. (Alle kommenterer også Vatikanets forhold til tradisjonalistene, men dette bryr ikke Damian T. seg så mye om.) Han skriver:

Will it soon be a requirement for Catholic seminarians to learn to say the Traditional Latin Mass? Bobbie Mickens made this claim in the Tablet a couple of weeks ago – just think how livid he must be at the prospect! – and now John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter is saying exactly the same thing. He reckons that Ecclesia Dei’s forthcoming instruction on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum will “call for seminarians to be trained not just in Latin, but in the older rite itself, at least so they will know how to execute it faithfully and understand what’s being said”.

… the proposal to teach all seminarians to celebrate the Tridentine Mass is a seriously big deal. In many ways it’s as radical as Summorum Pontificum itself.

According to John Allen, bishops around the world “haven’t exactly bent over backwards” to make the Old Mass widely available since 2007. That sounds about right. In England and Wales, most dioceses don’t flagrantly disregard Summorum Pontificum – but they don’t need to. On paper, the self-implementing features of the motu proprio challenge the power of the bishop: a priest doesn’t need permission to celebrate the EF. In practice, it’s easy to turn the document into a dead letter, since most parish priests come from a Vatican II generation unsympathetic to traditional rubrics and most lay people have never been near a Tridentine Mass and don’t know what they’re missing.

I don’t think the older form of the Roman Rite will ever supplant the vernacular liturgy. But we won’t discover the true level of demand for it until there are priests happy to celebrate it – offering it, perhaps, as an early morning service like BCP Holy Communion in Anglican parishes, or as the centrepiece of particular feast days. Most of the pious young Catholics I know agree with Pope Benedict that the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite should complement each other …

Biskop Elliot om pave Benedikts syn på liturgien – 5

Liturgi, Paven, Teologi /

I siste utrdag fra biskop Elliots foredrag i Oklahome 11/3 (Les hele foredraget her.) tar jeg med det han skriver om messens to former:

… Cardinal Ratzinger accepted the post-conciliar liturgical reforms. At the same time, he never concealed his abiding love for the venerable pre-conciliar liturgy, the Missale Romanun of Blessed. John XXIII, 1962. This was not just nostalgia for majestic celebrations of the pre-conciliar liturgy in Bavaria, rather a view informed by the hermeneutic of continuity. As cardinal he did not hesitate to associate himself with those who, often by making many sacrifices, worked hard to maintain and promotethe pre-conciliar rite.

Reverence for God and love of the mystery of liturgy, informed his Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum (2007) which established the pre-conciliar liturgy, the Missale Romanum of Blessed John XXIII, as the “extraordinary” form of the Roman Rite, parallel to the “ordinary” form, the Missale Romanum of Pope Paul VI. These are “two expressions of the Church’s Lex orandi” and “two usages of the one Roman Rite”. A distinction is made between the “ordinary” form, the Mass we use in the missal of 1970, and the “extraordinary” form, the pre-concilicar rite. This play on words, “ordinary” and “extraordinary” seems preferable to speaking divisively of the “Novus Ordo” and the “usus antiquior”. It presents two ways of celebrating the one Mass of the Roman Rite, two ways meant to be complementary, meant to inform and enrich one another. When both forms are celebrated reverently and prayerfully, the glory of God can be seen in our world. …

Forholdet mellom den gamle og den nye liturgiske kalenderen – 2

Liturgi /

I sitt foredrag «The Possibility of Reconciling the Liturgical Calendars of the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form» sier Fr. Angelo Van der Putten, FSSP, mer om selve kalenderproblematikken mot slutten. Han er svært så kritisk mot noe av det som skjedde rundt 1970 (muligens for skarp i formen?). Det er blant annet at man tok bort septuagesima-ukene (før-fasten) og pinseoktaven – og ga mange av de mest kjente helgenene nye datoer – som regnes som det mest dramatiske og unødendige.

… Louis Bouyer, an expert liturgist and a member of the concilium, had this stinging criticism to make of the new calendar: “I prefer to say nothing, or so little, about the new calendar, the handiwork of a trio of maniacs who suppressed, with no good reason, Septuagesima and the Octave of Pentecost, and who scattered three-fourths of the Saints „higgledy-piggledy‟, all based on a notion of their own devising. Because these three hotheads obstinately refused to change anything of their work and because the Pope wanted to finish up quickly to avoid letting the chaos get out of hand, their project, however insane, was accepted.”

Perhaps this quote from F. Gerald Calvet, O.S.B., the abbot of the Monastery of St. Madeleine, in Le Barroux, France, will help show the importance of this organic growth necessary for true reform: “Since the Council, we have witnessed a break in tradition. Instead of a homogeneous and harmonious development of the rites, as was always the case until then, a «manufactured‟ liturgy has been established.” “Liturgy is, by its very nature, transcendent. The stability of the rites must reflect the immutable celestial liturgy, and should detach man from a ceaselessly changing universe, in order to associate him with the canticle of the angels: the liturgy ought to be a native land for the faithful.”

These learned men see that not only have the “reforms” which we see around us, particularly in the liturgy, not been what Vatican II desired nor seemingly have they been beneficial to the piety of the faithful or the good of the Church at large. I think it indisputable that Pope Benedict XVI desires a reform of the “reform”. How this will involve the new calendar is difficult to say. The history, tradition, and natural harmony of the one year cycle is clearly evident from the innumerable authors who have written on it: from the time of the Fathers up to the great liturgists of the twentieth century who preceded, by a brief space of time, Vatican Council II. There is a monumental amount of material showing the principle lex orandi, lex credendi. Perhaps it seems to some that with the new translation of the Roman Missal, coming out in Advent of the year 2011, that the time is opportune to make an amalgamation or harmony between the two calendars. It is this author’s thought that this would perhaps not be the wisest or most prudent action at this time. We must apply the principles of sound liturgy, which is the organic growth and piety of the people, both of which would be offended by this endeavor. It is clearly necessary to study this question with greater research and understanding of the necessary organic development of the liturgy. The fear is that if any changes are made the same complaint made about the previous “reformers” will be rightly made about us as well. …

Hele foredraget kan leses her (pdf-fil).

Flere tradisjonelle latinske messer i Oslo

TLM /

Det er nå klart at det vil bli TLM i St Joseph kirke i Akersveien to søndager hver måned (mot én gang i måneden inntil nå). Fram til sommeren feires den tradisjonelle latinske messen følgende søndager:

Søndag 10. april kl 19.00
Søndag 24. april kl 19.00
Søndag 8. mai kl 19.00
Søndag 22. mai kl 19.00
Søndag 12. juni kl 19.00
Søndag 26. juni kl 19.00
Søndag 10. juli kl 19.00

Denne informasjonen er tatt fra nyhetssidene til TLM-Oslo. Mer informasjon om disse messene fins her.

Biskop Elliot om pave Benedikts syn på liturgien – 4

Liturgi, Paven, Teologi /

I fjerde (og nest siste) utdrag fra biskop Elliots foredrag om pave Benedikts syn på liturgien tra jeg med det han sier om at «skjønnheten i messen viser Guds herlighet»:

(The Pope) calls us by his word and example to set aside the banal. To use what is beautiful, be it old or new: the best vessels, fine vestments, good design and architecture, gracious ceremonial, excellent music. This is not mere aestheticism because is derived from the God who is beautiful, the Lord of the Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist, sacrifice and sacrament, shapes liturgy and evokes human creativity in art and music. ….

Therefore, as cardinal and later as Pope, he affirms that Catholic worship should reflect the cosmic order and harmony of the divine Logos, creation stamped with reflections of the Triune God. St Augustine’s understanding of God as beautiful is a major influence here, for he is deeply attached to the great Doctor of the West.

By contrast, as anyone can see, a feature of the hermeneutic of discontinuity or rupture is a tendency towards ugliness, or at least promoting a modernist aesthetic, often dull, cold or minimalist – ugly churches, vestments, vessels etc, and all bereft of mystery. But the God we worship and praise is beautiful, to be worshipped in the beauty of holiness, worshipped “in spirit and in truth”. That is why Catholic liturgy in all its forms, simple or solemn, Eastern or Western, captures something of the glory of God.

However the Divine Liturgy is always the Great Prayer of Christ in his Church, human prayer in time taken up into Christ’s eternal prayer. Therefore the Holy Father’s offers us not just a richer theology of liturgy but a spirituality of liturgy. His spiritual vision of worship inspires and animates what is already being called “the new liturgical movement”.

Les hele foredraget her.

Forholdet mellom den gamle og den nye liturgiske kalenderen – 1

Liturgi /

I Tulsa, Oklahoma, der biskop Elliot holdt det foredraget jeg referer en del til, ble det også holdt et foredrag av en prest fra FSSP, Father Angelo Van der Putten. Tittelen på hans foredrag var «The Possibility of Reconciling the Liturgical Calendars of the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form». I starten av foredraget snakker han riktignok mest om forandringene i selve messeliturgien:

… No one is able to deny that there are two different usages. One may no longer hold that the Ancient Use is no longer relevant or has any part to play in the Church‟s liturgy. With the advent of the Novus Ordo Missae in the fall of 1969 the Church saw not only a change in its liturgy, but its calendar and many of its devotions. The Ancient Use, or as it’s called today, the Extraordinary Form, saw a complete demise throughout the Catholic world except in a small congregation founded in 1970 by Monsignor Marcel Lefebvre called the Society of St. Pius X, which had houses throughout the world in various places and which adhered strictly to the 1962 liturgical books and calendar. The use of the old rite and calendar was practically forbidden to all after 1969. The only Indult was given by Pope Paul VI to England, humorously called the Agatha Christi Indult. This was given due to a request by Cardinal Heenan who stated that it would seem odd to English Catholics to forbid use of such a Rite shortly after having canonized the English Martyrs who gave their very lives for this very Rite. This Indult was very limited and even in England only the Brompton Oratory applied it faithfully over the years. Little more was heard of the Extraordinary Form until 1984 when Pope John Paul II issued Quattor Abhinc Annos, which with the bishops permission and a special, particular, written indult a particular priest in particular circumstances would be allowed to offer the Extraordinary Form.

Then, in 1988, due to Monsignor Lefebvre consecrating four bishops in order to carry on his work of preserving the Extra-ordinary Form, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter excommunicating him but at the same time allowing a greater freedom to the Extraordinary Form. This letter is called Ecclessia Dei Adflicta. Both of these letters of Pope John Paul II had very little practical effect in freeing the Extraordinary Form from its place on the shelf of, though beautiful and ancient, a no longer useful liturgy of the Catholic Church.

All of this dramatically changed in 2007 when Pope Benedict XVI issued a motu proprio called Summorum Pontificum. The Extraordinary Form is now clearly endorsed by the reigning pontiff and has been given an authority direct to himself.

This reinstating of the Extraordinary Form has given rise to great interest throughout the Catholic world. And it is clear that it is not only a passing nostalgia. Not only does this interest seem profound and committed, but it pertains to the use of the liturgy and calendar as lived in the Catholic Church in the Western, or Latin, Rite since the time of Pope Gregory the Great in the 7th Century (540-609). Clearly, then, this is of profound significance. There are now in the Latin Rite Church «two‟ Rites and «two‟ Calendars, with the majority of believers benefiting from the New Rite and Calendar and a minority benefiting from the Old Rite and Calendar.

It is clearly the mind of the present Holy Father that more and more the Old Rite is to be more readily, wholly and positively available. This brings with it the very practical question of the use of the two different Calendars and feasts of the Saints and the Liturgical Cycle. …

Hele foredraget kan leses her (pdf-fil).

Biskop Elliot om pave Benedikts syn på liturgien – 3

Liturgi, Paven, Teologi /

I mitt tredje utdrag fra biskop Elliots foredrag om Ratzinger og liturgien tar jeg med det han sa om hvor viktig alteret er (alteret må aldri bli et spisebord!):

(The pope then) directs us away from ourselves and back to God by focusing on the Christian altar, the great sign of Christ among us. In Feast of Faith and The Spirit of the Liturgy he argued that the altar is not a setting to display a man (a Pope, bishop or priest). One might add that the altar is not a lectern or pulpit. Rather, during the action of the liturgy, the altar itself should draw us around Jesus Christ crucified and risen. This breaks down that self-centric community tendency.

Therefore he shows us a way that helps us “turn to the Lord” whenever Mass is celebrated facing the people. At all papal Masses, the crucifix now stands at the centre, no longer to one side. It is flanked by candles, of a significant size. This arrangement is being called the “Benedictine Altar”. It restores glory to our altars, especially when ornaments of fine quality are used and the altar is vested in a noble antependium.

Having made this change in the parish where I live, I learnt that once the crucifix is the centre of the altar, it becomes visually “an altar”, the great sign of Christ. No longer is it a kind of dining table adorned with candles and flowers. Placing the crucifix at the centre of the altar has also involved the recovery of the pontifical altar at his Masses in St Peter’s Basilica and elsewhere, that is, using the seven candles required by Roman tradition and the General Instruction whenever the Diocesan Bishop solemnly celebrates the Eucharist.

Les hele foredraget her.

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