Liturgi

Liturgisk kalender for 2011

Liturgi /

Den liturgiske kalenderen for Norge for 2011 (inkl. de små, norske forandringene – norske helgener og noen få biskopelige bestemmelser) er nå lagt ut på nettet (kalenderen for 2010 fins her).

Jeg har lest korrektur på denne kalenderen i mange år, og er takknemlig for beskjed om noen finner feil. For noen år siden laget Mats Tande et program som genererer kalenderen for hvert år (som vi når året nærmer seg, leser korrektur på, og sjekker med Ordo som kommer fra Roma). Slik kan man altså allerede nå sjekke kirkeåret for mange år framover – se her.

Hva er Corpus Christi Watershed?

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Jeff Ostrowski leder Corpus Christi Watershed, og han forteller her hva dette nye liturgiske ressurssenteret tilbyr av materiale for Den katolske Kirke – både på latin og på engelsk. Arbeidet er mindre enn to år gammelt, og jeg har bare i begrenset grad vært klar over hva de gjør tidligere.

What is Watershed? • Interview with Jeff Ostrowski from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Her finner man en samling av videoer fra Corpus Christi Watershed.

Bibelsk salme med omkved

Liturgi /

Når man leter, finner man. Mens jeg i dag etter messen kikket mer på nettsidene til Corpus Christi Watershed, kom jeg også over en oversikt over alle responsoriesalmer/ bibelske salmer i messene – med både noter og innspilt musikk! (I Norge synges heldigvis denne salmen fint i mange menigheter, på gode melodier, men i den engeslkspråklige verden opplever man det ikke så ofte.) Man finner alt dette under Chabanel Psalms, og deres salmeoversikt. Her er oversikten over år C. Under hører og ser man salmen for denne søndagens messe.

Free Responsorial Psalm • 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Hellig eller verdslig musikk i messen?

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Jeg vet at jeg er ganske dristig nå, for mine kritikere (som mener jeg er for gammeldags, til og med reaksjonær) får et nytt argument når jeg nå poster dette innlegget, som egentlig er en YouTube-video, om hva slag musikk som passer for messen – NB med mange sitater fra paver og fra Vatikankonsilet:

Messen feiret «på riktig måte»

Liturgi, TLM /

Jeg leste i dag en interessant artikkel om hvordan vår messe kan revitaliseres på best mulig måte; ved impulser fra den gamle messen og ved å bruke de meste tradisjonelle alternativene i den nye messen:

Fr Barthe has just launched a little bombshell called “the Mass the right way round”. … He believes he is supported by a mainstream, described in the Church as the reform of the reform. Explanations. …

In 1997, 10 years before the Motu Proprio, I published a book of interviews, Reconstructing the liturgy. These were interviews about the situation of the liturgy in parishes. The theme is exactly that of this book. It is clear that the Motu Proprio of 2007 gave these ideas new life. This consists of remarking that the two parallel criticisms of the changes under Paul VI, namely the head-on criticism that wants to promote wide dissemination of the earlier liturgy, that of St Pius V, and the reforming criticism, which calls for the reform of the reform, wanting to make a change within the liturgy of Paul VI, are increasingly linked. The proposed reform of the reform cannot be achieved without the backbone of celebrating according to the traditional Missal as widely as possible. The traditional liturgy cannot hope to be massively rehabilitated in ordinary parishes without re-creating a living environment which would the work of the reform of the reform. …

I think … it is totally unrealistic to believe that we can wave a magic wand so that all Masses are celebrated according to the former usage in every parish in the world. However, I note – with many others, some of whom are very high placed – that the missal of Paul VI contains an almost infinite possibility of options, adaptations and interpretations, and that a progressive, systematic or systematically progressive choice of the traditional possibilities it offers, makes its “re-traditionalising” possible in parishes, and quite legally (according to the letter of the law, and its spirit). This is a simple fact: of many parish priests (I have already compiled a quick list for France, which I am careful not to publish, but which is impressive) practicing this reform of the reform, often in stages, and in the vast majority of cases also celebrating the traditional Mass. To answer your question, I would say that I think the Roman liturgy can be saved, which goes, as can be seen in practice, through a two-speed action: getting the St Pius V rite better known and the reform of the reform. This will make it possible, quoting a famous speech of Paul VI, to phase out everything of the reform that is old and obsolete, because it is not traditional. We’ll see what will be saved after this operation. …

Ratzingers brev om den gamle messen fra 1998

Liturgi, TLM /

På Rorate cæli leste jeg i går om en brevveksling mellom Fr. Matias Auge, CMF, en veteral blant liturgieskpertene i Roma, og kardinal Ratzinger i 1998. Fr. Auge skriver kritisk om et foredrag Ratzinger nylig hadde hatt:

I cannot understand how the principles of the Second Vatican Council concerning the reform of the Mass, presented in Sacrosanctum Concilium, nos. 47-58 (thus not only in nos. 34-36 as cited by Your Eminence), may be in harmony with the re-instatement of the so-called Tridentine Mass.

… The second objection was that the return to the old liturgy is likely to break the unity of the Church. …

Raztinger svarer slik (klart og nokså kontant, som han ofte gjør i akademiske debatter):

the Pope John Paul II, with the indult of 1984, under certain conditions, granted the use of the liturgy preceding the Pauline reform; thereafter the same Pope in 1988 published the motu proprio “Ecclesia Dei”, manifesting his wish to please the faithful who are attached to certain forms of the earlier Latin liturgy; and furthermore he asks the bishops ”by a wide and generous application” to allow the use of the liturgical books of 1962.

The second one is that a considerable number of the Catholic faithful, especially those of French, English, and German nationality and language remain strongly attached to the old liturgy, and the Pope does not intend to repeat what happened in 1970 when the new liturgy was imposed in an extremely abrupt way, with a transition time of only six months, whereas the prestigious Liturgical Institute in Trier had rightly proposed a transition time of ten years (if I am not mistaken) for such an undertaking, one that touches in a vital way the heart of the Faith.

Thus, these two points, namely the authority of the Supreme Pontiff and his pastoral and respectful concern for the traditionalist faithful, that must be taken into consideration. I, therefore, take the liberty to add some answers to your criticism of my speech.

1. … When I said that even the faithful who use the indult of 1984 must follow the decrees of the Council, I wanted to show that the fundamental decisions of Vatican II are the meeting point of all liturgical trends and are therefore also the bridge for reconciliation in the area of liturgy. The audience present actually understood my words as an invitation to an opening to the Council, to the liturgical reform. I believe that those who defend the necessity and the value of the reform should be completely in agreement with this way of bringing Traditionalists closer to the Council.

2. The citation from Cardinal Newman means that the authority of the Church has never in its history abolished with a legal mandate an orthodox liturgy. However, it is true that a liturgy that vanishes belongs to historical times, not the present.

3. I do not wish to enter into all the details of your letter, even if I would have no difficulties meeting your various criticisms against my arguments. However, I wish to comment on that what concerns the unity of the Roman rite. This unity is not threatened by small communities using the indult, who are often treated as lepers, as people doing something indecent, even immoral. No, the unity of the Roman rite is threatened by the wild creativity, often encouraged by liturgists (in Germany, for instance, there is propaganda for the project Missale 2000, which presumes that the Missal of Paul VI has already been superseded). I repeat that which was said in my speech: the difference between the Missal of 1962 and the Mass faithfully celebrated according to the Missal of Paul VI is much smaller than the difference between the various, so-called ”creative” applications of the Missal of Paul VI. In this situation, the presence of the earlier Missal may become a bulwark against the numerous alterations of the liturgy and thus act as a support of the authentic reform. To oppose the Indult of 1984 (1988) in the name of the unity of the Roman rite, is – in my experience – an attitude far removed from reality. Besides, I am sorry that you did not perceive in my speech the invitation to the ”traditionalists” to be open to the Council and to reconcile themselves to it in the hope of overcoming one day the split between the two Missals. …

Presten bærer frem Kristi fullkomne offer

Katolsk, Liturgi /

«Før vi feirer den hellige messe; før vi hører Guds ord og før vi bærer frem Kristi fullkomne offer til soning for alle våre synder, la oss forberede oss ved å bekjenne våre synder.» …

Slik pleier jeg å innlede feiringen av messen – og jeg skal bli enda tydeligere på dette fra nå av – for jeg vender stadig tilbake til behovet for å gjøre det abslutt klart at messen er et offer. Og jeg blir litt oppgitt når folk jeg regnet med visste bedre, ikke ser ut til å ha dette klart for seg. Det er viktig å fokusere på konsekrasjonen, på Kristi tilstedeværelse, på det hellige i handlingen, på kommunionen etc., men at det her bæres frem et offer (Kristi offer) for våre synder må alltid være med – i en katolsk forståelse av messen.

Slik skriver f.eks. messeboken fra 1961 dette i sin innledning:

Den kristne tro hviler på Jesu Kristi soningsoffer på Golgata. Det er dette offer som gjentas på ublodig måte i messeofferet. I brødets og vinens skikkelse løfter Guds Sønn seg ved prestens opp til Guds trone, og ved Kristus og med Kristus priser vi Gud og takker ham for hans miskunn mot oss, bærer fram våre bønner for ham og gir ham den eneste gyldige soning for våre synder. Intet er mer skikket til å skape Kristi offersinn i oss enn det å ta del i hans offerdød. Derfor krever Kirken av oss at vi skal overvære messeofferet hver søndag og alle foreskrevne helligdager. Kirken går ut fra den grunnsetning at vi er gjenløst ved Kristi offerdød, og at ingen kan bli frelst uten å ta del i denne soning. Gis det da noen fullkomnere måte å ta del i Jesu offerdød på enn å være med i messeofferet med det rette sinnelag? Det er dette Kirkens messebok skal hjelpe oss til. Når vi med den i hånden er med i den hellige messe, lever oss inn i dens herlige liturgi, ber og ofrer med vår Herre Jesus Kristus og hans Kirke, og i den hellige kommunion føres inn i samfunnet med ham, da vil vi vokse i kjærligheten til hans Kirke, som er hans mystiske legeme, til dens bud og til dens nådemidler. ….

Liturgiske nyheter fra Filippinene – 3

Liturgi /

Erkebiskop Jesus Dosado kritiserer liturgiske eksperter ganske kraftig (se her) og han har også følgende beskrivelse av pave Benedikts synspunkter på liturgien:

Benedict’s broad liturgical approach can be described in terms of “continuity,” i.e. recovering elements of the liturgical tradition which he believes were too hastily set aside or downplayed in the immediate period after the Second Vatican Council.

The idea of a new liturgical movement came with strength from his book, Spirit of the Liturgy. A relevant section: “I am convinced that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing today is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the liturgy … in that it is a matter of indifference whether or not God exists and whether or not he speaks to us and hears us. … Such circumstances will inexorably result in a disintegration. This is why we need a new Liturgical Movement, which will call to life the real heritage of the Second Vatican Council.” …

To his priests in the Diocese of Rome he said, “In the Eucharist we do not invent something, but we enter into a reality that precedes us, more than that, which embraces heaven and earth and, hence, also the past, the future and the present. … Hence, the liturgical prescriptions dictated by the Church are not external things, but express concretely the reality of the revelation of the body and blood of Christ and thus the prayer reveals the faith according to the ancient principle ‘lex orandi – lex credendi.’” … …

For the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, (now Pope Benedict XVI) the liturgy is of its nature an inheritance, a space we inhabit as others have inhabited it before us. It is never an instrument we design or manipulate. Self-made liturgy is a contradiction in terms, and he distrusts liturgies that emphasize spontaneity, self-expression and extreme forms of local inculturation.

In his own book, Spirit of the Liturgy, Cardinal Ratzinger scathingly compared such liturgies to the worship of the Golden Calf, “a feast that the community gives itself, a festival of self-affirmation. Instead of being worship of God, it becomes a circle closed in on itself: eating, drinking and making merry … It is a kind of banal self-gratification … no longer concerned with God but with giving oneself a nice little alternative world, manufactured from one’s own resources.”

In his view, the liturgy is meant to still and calm human activity, to allow God to be God, to quiet our chatter in favor of attention to the Word of God and in adoration and communion with the self-gift of the Word incarnate.

The call for active participation seems to Benedict XVI to have “dumbed” down the mystery we celebrate, and left us with a banal inadequate language (and music) of prayer. The “active participation” in the liturgy for which Vatican II called, he argues, emphatically, does not mean participation in many acts. Rather, it means a deeper entry by everyone present into the one great action of the liturgy, its only real action, which is Christ’s self-giving on the Cross. We can best enter into the action of the Mass by a recollected silence, and by traditional gestures of self-offering and adoration – the Sign of the Cross, folded hands, reverent kneeling.

For the Pope, therefore, liturgical practice since the Council has taken a wrong turn, aesthetically impoverished, creating a rupture in the continuity of Catholic worship, and reflecting and even fostering a defective understanding of the Divine and our relationship to it.

His decision to permit the free celebration of the Tridentine liturgy was intended both to repair that rupture and to issue a call to the recovery of the theological, spiritual and cultural values that he sees as underlying the old Mass.

In his letter to the bishops of July 2007, he expressed the hope that the two forms of the one Roman liturgy might cross-fertilize each other, the old Missal being enriched by the use of the many beautiful collects and prefaces of Paul VI’s reformed Missal, and the celebration of the Novus Ordo recovering by example some of the “sacrality” that characterized the older form.

Liturgiske nyheter fra Filippinene – 2

Liturgi /

Den filippinske erkebiskopen Jesus Dosado har et annet syn på liturgien enn uttalelsen liturgiske eksperter på Filippinene nylig kom med (se her) – han ser faktisk på disse liturgiske ekspertene som hovedproblemet i liturgien, slik skrev han nylig:

Looking back, some of the culprits for me for the gradual loss of the true reform of the liturgy were the so-called “liturgists” who were more like technicians and choreographers rather than pure students of liturgy.

They had a peculiar affinity for refined liturgical celebrations coupled with disdain for the old rites and devotions. Unfortunately, some bishops, not pure students of liturgy either, gave in to their terrorist proclivities.

A search for creativity and community were dominant projects in “reform-minded” Catholic circles in the 1960s and beyond. In itself, this might not have been bad. But the philosophy that the community was god, and that “God” was not fully “God” without the community was the source of ideas that have done most damage to the Church.

This secular notion of community made its way into the liturgy to gradually supplant the inherited Christian tradition. These self-appointed arbiters of the reform were, and I hate to say this, liturgical hijackers who deprived ordinary parishioners – and bewildered pastors – of their right to the normative worship of their own Church. Hence, there was the need for a reform of the reform. …

Liturgiske nyheter fra Filippinene

Liturgi, Paven /

De liturgiske ansvarlige fra alle/mange bispedømmer på Filippinene var nylig samlet i Manilla for å markere 25-årsjubileeet for sin organisasjon – National Meeting of Diocesan Directors of Liturgy (NMDDL). Der vedtok de også en uttalelse som av mange er blitt tolket som et angrep på pave Benedikts liturgiske idealer, og hans motu proprio om den tradisjonelle messen. Slik uttaler de seg:

As we look back with gratitude at what NMDDL has accomplished, we look forward to what remains to be done so that the liturgy will become more vibrantly the source and summit of the Church’s life in the Philippines. Hence, we recommend attention in the future meetings to topics like the following:

1. The Use of the Vernacular. While we respect the option to use Latin and celebrate the Tridentine liturgy, we uphold the use of the vernacular in our parishes and communities and recommend translations that faithfully reflect both the spiritual doctrine of the texts and the linguistic patterns of our vernacular languages.

2. Spirituality of Liturgy. Active participation is one of the many blessings Vatican II has bestowed on our parishes and communities. We wish to remind ourselves, however, that active participation should lead to deeper spiritual encounter with Christ and the Church. Hence our liturgical celebrations should foster the necessary environment of prayer and awe in the presence of the divine mysteries, excluding those expressions that trivialize the sacred celebration.

3. Liturgical Inculturation. The interest in recent times to revive the Tridentine Liturgy should not draw the attention, especially of the Church leaders, from the unfinished agenda of liturgical inculturation. We are of the persuasion that liturgical renewal, as envisioned by the Constitution on Liturgy of Vatican II, entails liturgical inculturation and that our rich cultural heritage has much to offer to make the Roman liturgy truly Filipino. … …

5. Lay Ministers. Our parishes and communities are blessed with numerous and worthy lay liturgical ministers. However, some dioceses in the Philippines still reserve to male persons ministries like serving at the altar and leading Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest. We believe that we should encourage the ministry of women where it is allowed by universal law. ….

Anglikanere kan bli tatt opp i Den katolske Kirke i år

Katolsk, Liturgi, Økumenikk /

Her snakker man altså om at de kan bli tatt opp i Kirken etter bestemmelsene i pave Benedikts dokument «Anglicanorum Cætibus», der de kan tas opp sammen i grupper (prest og menighet) og får beholde noe av sin egen liturgiske tradisjon. (Dvs. sine flotte liturgier, og også (får vi håpe) sine flotte kirker og altere – se bildet over.) Slik kan vi lese i Catholic Herald:

Britain could have an Ordinariate by the end of the year, it emerged today. … Sources say that the Rt Rev Keith Newton, the flying bishop of Richborough and the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, the flying Bishop of Ebbsfleet will take up the special canonical structure, which allows groups of Anglicans to come into full Communion with Rome without losing their Anglican identity, before the end of the calendar year.

Groups of Anglicans are already forming across the country in preparation for joining an ordinariate …

… Anglicanorum coetibus offered “Anglo-Catholics the way to full communion with the Catholic Church for which they worked and prayed for at least a century and it is a way in which they will be ‘united and not absorbed’.”

He said that discussions were under way about how the “vision of the Apostolic Constitution” could be implemented” and said the first people to take up the initiative would require vision and courage.

He quoted Pope Benedict’s speech to the bishops of England, Wales and Scotland, saying the Holy Father set his offer to Anglicans “firmly within the developing ecumenical dialogue” and said it was an “an exciting initiative for those for whom the vision of Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) of corporate union has shaped their thinking over recent years”.

The issue, he said, was “the ministry of the Pope himself, as the successor of St Peter. Anglicans who accept that ministry as it is presently exercised will want to respond warmly to the Apostolic Constitution”. He said: “Those who do not accept the ministry of the Pope or would want to see that ministry in different ways will not feel able to accept Anglicanorum Coetibus.” …

P. Lutz – mer om mottakelsen av den hellige kommunion

Gamle tekster, Liturgi /

Enda et sitat fra P. Lutz’ ypperlige bok om messen:

Med en verdig holdning trer de troende frem, kneler foran sakramentet og mottar det med ærbødig, tilbedende kjærlighet til Jesus, som nå kommer til våre fattige sjeler.

De som ikke ønsker at motta Ham i sakramentet skal i det minste motta Han ved den åndelige Kommunion. De skal opvekke i sitt hjerte en inderlig kjærlighet til Frelseren, forbundet med lengsel etter den sakramentale Kommunion. Men alle skulde huske på Jesu ord: «Kom alle til meg, dere som er bekymrede og har det tungt, og jeg vil vederkvæge dere» (Math. 11, 28).

Ved den hellige Kommunion skjer noe uendelig stort. Ingen ord finnes i vårt menneskelige språk for at uttale den handlings storhet og skjønnhet. Gud meddeler seg til mennesket. Himmelen senker seg ned i vårt hjerte. Det evige livs kilde veller op i vår sjels helligdom. For Jesus er Gud og tar bolig i oss. Det er derfor med full rett at liturgien straks etter konsekrasjonen begynner å forberede oss til Kommunionen ved atter og atter å fremføre for vår sjel de åndelige goder, som vi tar imot når vi blir delaktige i Jesu legeme og blod.

Der nevnes især tre virkninger av den hellige Kommunion: freden, Guds nåde mot syndens makt, og det evige liv.

Jesus har sagt til oss alle i apostlenes person: «Min fred gir jeg dere» (Joh. 14, 27). Denne Guds fred trænger vi først og fremst i vårt eget indre, og vi finner den i den sanne kjærlighet til Gud, som vi skal være besjelet av. Elsker vi verdens forkrænkelige, flygtige goder i den mening i dem at finne den fullkonme lykke, det høyeste gode vi bevisst eller ubevisst higer etter, da rinner vår sjel hen med dem i stadig uro, da sykner den hen i indre splid og bitre skuffelser. Det uendelige finnes ikke i det endelige. Elsker vi derimot Gud over alt og de skapte ting bare for Hans skyld og etter Hans vilje, er vi ved kjærlighetens enende kraft blitt ett hjerte og én sjel med Ham, da finner vi hvile, fordi da eier vi det høyeste. Vor sjel føler seg som hensat til en høyere tilværelse, hvor der hersker klarhet, orden og ro. Vi er blitt ett med Ham som er evig i seg selv den fullkomne salighet. De skapte ting kan ikke længer forvirre oss med, sin mangfoldighet og sine omskiftelser. En viss sødme, en viss ynde er vel utbredt over dem, men bare som et mat gjenskin av Guds uendelige sødme, av det gode som «intet øye har set og intet øre har hørt» (Kor. 2, 9).

Eier vi Gud, da kan intet skapt bedåre vårt sinn. Freden har lagt seg over vår sjel. …

Mer fra Westminster Cathedral

Liturgi, Paven /

Vi legger merke til (ved hjelp av Damian Thompson) at pavemessene i 1982 og i år er ganske forskjellige. Vi ser at det ekstra bordalteret nå er borte, og at det store høyalteret brukes (det var helt skjult i 1982), selv om messen fortsatt feires versus populum.

Om man ønsker å se videoer av hele messen, kan man gå hit.

Hele pave Benedikts preken denne lørdagen finner man her – og han startet prekenen slik:

Dear friends in Christ,

I greet all of you with the joy in the Lord and I thank you for your warm reception. … Truly, in this meeting of the Successor of Peter and the faithful of Britain, “heart speaks unto heart” as we rejoice in the love of Christ and in our common profession of the Catholic faith which comes to us from the Apostles. I am especially happy that our meeting takes place in this Cathedral dedicated to the Most Precious Blood, which is the sign of God’s redemptive mercy poured out upon the world through the passion, death and resurrection of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. …

The visitor to this Cathedral cannot fail to be struck by the great crucifix dominating the nave, which portrays Christ’s body, crushed by suffering, overwhelmed by sorrow, the innocent victim whose death has reconciled us with the Father and given us a share in the very life of God. The Lord’s outstretched arms seem to embrace this entire church, lifting up to the Father all the ranks of the faithful who gather around the altar of the Eucharistic sacrifice and share in its fruits. The crucified Lord stands above and before us as the source of our life and salvation, “the high priest of the good things to come”, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews calls him in today’s first reading (Heb 9:11). ….

P. Lutz – om mottakelsen av den hellige kommunion

Gamle tekster, Liturgi, TLM /

Jeg er nesten ferdig med å korrigere (og modernisere språket) i p. Lutz’ bok: Kors og alter. Om ikke lenge vil boka kunne leses i sin helhet her. Her et utdrag om det hans skriver om kommunionen:

Etter at presten med andakt har lest disse herlige bønner, mens menigheten med ærefrykt i hjertet har fulgt den hellige ritus’ utvikling, bøyer han seg over sakramentet og sier: «Panem cælestem accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo.» – «Himmelbrødet vil jeg nyte og påkalle Herrens navn.»

Deretter slår han seg tre ganger for brystet, mens han tre ganger sier: «Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.» – «Herre! Jeg er ikke værdig at Du går inn under mit tak, men si kun ett ord, så blir min sjel helbredet.» (Mat. 8, 8).

Og nå nyter han Herrens legeme med de ord: «Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam æternam. Amen.» – «Vår Herre Jesu Kristi legeme bevare min sjel til det evige liv. Amen.»

Deretter fortsetter han Kommunionens ritus med de ord: «Quid retribuam. Domino pro omnibus, quæ retribuit mihi? Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo. Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.» (Ps. 115, 12; Ps. 17, 4). – «Hvormed skal jeg gjengjelde Herren for alt, hva Han har tildelt mig? Jeg vil motta frelsens kalk og påkalle Herrens navn, med lovprisning vil jeg påkalle Herren, og jeg skal være sikker for mine fiender.»

Nå tar han kalken med Jesu blod, idet han sier: «Sanguis Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam. æternam. Amen.» – «Vår Herre Jesu Kristi blod bevare min sjel til det evige liv. Amen.»

Etter prestens Kommunion går de troende frem til Herrens bord. … Presten tar ciboriet, holder den hellige hostie frem og sier: «Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peceata mundi.» –
«Se det Guds Lam, som borttar verdens synder.»

Messen i Westminster Cathedral i formiddag

Katolsk, Liturgi, Paven /

Fr. Finigan skriver grundig om pave Benedikts messe i Westminster Cathedral, den katolske hovedkirken i England (og mange av oss har sikkert vært der):

Westminster Cathedral has one of the finest choirs in England and it was a fitting reward for their dedication that this morning they were seen and heard throughout the world providing the music for the Votive Mass of the Precious Blood celebrated by Pope Benedict. The backbone of the music was Byrd’s Mass for five voices which was sung impeccably with great depth and character. Credo III was sung antiphonally, providing a stirring contrast between the purity of the voices in the choir and the enthusiastic participation of the congregation. The offertory motet was Bruckner’s Christus Factus est, and Hassler’s O sacrum convivium was sung at Holy Communion, in addition to the proper communion chant and the hymn O bread of heaven.

The Mass was celebrated versus populum at the High Altar. The big six candlesticks were used in their normal place on the marble platform behind the altar. There was an additional crucifix placed upon the altar itself. As with all of the public Masses of the visit, the Preface and Eucharistic Prayer were said in Latin (today, the Roman Canon was used.) As is customary at Pope Benedict’s Masses, there was an extended time of silence both after the sermon and after Holy Communion. …

Behandlingen av Sacrosanctum concilium – del 3

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Videre kan vi lese i Fr. O’Malleys bok om behandlingen av Vatikankonsilets dokument om liturgien (se første og andre del):

… When Fr. Antonelli finished his introduction, the president for the day opened the floor for discussion. How would the document be received? The first six speakers that day included some who would turn out to be among the most influential in the whole council. Cardinal Frings of Cologne led off from the presidents’ table. His opening words: «The schema before us is like the last will and testament of Pius XII, who, following in the footsteps of Saint Pius X, boldly began a renewal of the sacred liturgy.» Frings thus sounded what would become a leitmotif of the majority: the council was carrying forward work that had already begun. His next sentence was equally significant: «The schema is to be commended for its modest and truly pastoral literary style, full of the spirit of Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church.» He then made four brief suggestions, three of which pertained to use of the vernacular. Within ten minutes of beginning and letting it be known how highly he thought of the draft document, he sat down.

Cardinal Ruffini spoke next, even more briefly and also from the presidents’ table. He criticized the text for being too exclusively focused on the Roman Rite, reminded the fathers that only the Congregation of Rites had authority in matters liturgical, and, more significant, expressed no praise for the document. Then came Cardinal Lercaro of Bologna. Clear in his approval for the text and insistent on how much it accorded with the tradition of the church, he tried to refute one of the standard criticisms leveled at liturgical reformers: «The changes the document mandates do not grow out of some sterile archeology or out of some insane itching for novelty but out of the requests of pastors and out of pastoral needs-active participation in the liturgy is, according to the memorable words of Pius X, the first and irreplaceable source of the Christian spirit.» He concluded: «*hen taken as a whole and with due allowance for appropriate emendation, I willingly and eagerly in the Lord give my approval to the document.»

Then Cardinal Montini. In substance he approved the text, especially because it rested on the principle of pastoral efficacy. The schema conceded nothing to those who arbitrarily wanted to make changes nor to those who insisted that the rite can in no way be changed, as if the historical form were inseparable from what it signified. Montini called for greater use of the vernacular, but with qualification.

Then came Cardinal Spellman of New York with one of the longer interventions, in which he managed never to say outright that he liked what he had read. His message was simple: caution. In particular, though the vernacular might be fine in the administration of some of the sacraments, it should not be introduced into the Mass. Later in the course of the debate he was seconded in this opinion by Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles: «The sacred Mass should remain as it iS.»14 Spellman had meanwhile taken a swipe at professional liturgists by reminding the council fathers that as far as the liturgy was concerned, the perspective of real pastors was often different from that of liturgical scholars.

Cardinal Döpfner of Munich stated immediately his wholehearted approval of the schema. He registered his disagreement with those who felt that the document should stick to general principles and not descend, as it did in some matters, to specific measures. He probably made this point because he feared what would happen in the Congregation of Rites if the provisions were left too vague. Then, seemingly in direct response to Spellman, he voiced his support for use of the vernacular even in the Mass. …

Behandlingen av Sacrosanctum concilium – del 2

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Videre kan vi lese i Fr. O’Malleys bok om behandlingen av Vatikankonsilets dokument om liturgien (se første del her):

… Fr. Antonelli went on to present the eight chapters of the text, which covered every aspect of liturgical celebration: 1) General Principles; 2) the Eucharistic Mystery (the Mass); 3) Sacraments and Sacramentals; 4) the Divine Office (the liturgical hours like Vespers); 5) the Liturgical Year; 6) Liturgical Furnishings; 7) Sacred Music; and 8) Sacred Art. In presenting them he underscored how the five criteria were operative throughout the text. He made no mention of what had been a burning issue in the commission and would be the most time-consuming aspect of the discussion in St. Peter’s, the use of vernacular languages in the Mass.

The text about which he spoke had 105 sections, running without the notes to about 25 pages of ordinary print. The notes to the text covered a wide variety of sources but with a generous sprinkling from the encyclical Mediator Dei, The «Preface» stated that the purpose of the council was to foster a more vigorous Christian life among the faithful, to promote union with the «Separated brethren» (fratres separati), and to call all into the church. Therefore, the council would make changes in those things subject to change, so as, in this case, to adapt the liturgy better to the conditions of modern life and to foster Christian unity – two themes from John’s opening address, Gaudet Mater Ecclesia. … …

Chapter one was especially important for its insistence on active participation by everyone in the congregation. Such participation was the right and duty of every Christian. It was demanded by the very nature of the liturgy and was conferred upon the faithful by virtue of their baptism. This principle was the most fundamental in the whole schema. It was a counterpoint to the long historical development that bit by bit had located all the action in the priest-celebrant.

The chapter was also important for enunciating other principles. Whatever obscured or distracted from the essential meaning of the liturgical celebrations was to be eliminated. Intelligibility and simplicity were thus to be norms in whatever changes were implemented. Christ was present in the Word of Scripture as well as in the Eucharist, and therefore the significance of that part of the liturgy-the «Liturgy of the Word»-was to be made more effective. This highlighting of «the Word» in Sacrosanctum presaged a new centrality of Scripture in Catholic preaching and piety, which would become another major theme of the council. While the essential structure of the Roman Rite was to be maintained, local adaptation, especially in mission territories, was legitimate and encouraged. Greater autonomy was to be granted to bishops in making adaptations appropriate to their cultures, which was a clear call for some decentralization.

About liturgical languages, the chapter said: Latin is to be retained in the liturgies of the Western church. Since, however, «in some rites it is clear that the vernacular has proved very useful for the people» [a quotation from Mediator Dei], it should be given a wider role in liturgy, especially in readings, announcements, certain prayers, and music. Let it be left to episcopal conferences in different parts of the world, in consultation if need be with bishops of nearby regions speaking the same language, to propose to the Holy See the degree and the modes for admitting vernacular languages into the liturgy. …

Behandlingen av Sacrosanctum concilium – del 1

Katolsk, Liturgi /

I Fr. O’Malleys bok om Vatikankonsilet har jeg funnet spesielt interessant hans beskrivelse av konsilets behandling av liturgidokumentet Sacrosanctum concilium i oktober og november 1962. Jeg siterer her noen utdrag fra O’Malleys bok.

Vi ser i første utdrag at det hadde vært noen stridigheter før dokumentet ble presentert for alle biskopene, og Bugnini hadde blitt avsatt som sekretær for arbeidet, selv om man nokså enstemmig ønsket å fortsette liturgirevisjonen slik den hadde blitt satt i gang bl.a. av pavene Pius X og Pius XII:

… on February 22 1962, the pope appointed Cardinal Larraona as the new prefect of the Congregation of Rites and therefore as head of the Preparatory Commission. … On that same February 22, the Vatican published Veterum Sapientia, the Apostolic Constitution that insisted on the intensification of study of Latin in seminaries. As noted, this text might be taken as indirectly confirming the place of Latin in the liturgy. not only signed the document but, in an address that day in St. Peter’s, singled it out for praise. Where did the pope himself stand on liturgical issues? It was anybody’s guess.

As was expected for the head of a Preparatory Commission, Cardinal Larraona became president of the Liturgical Commission of the council itself … On October 21, at the first meeting of the commission, moreover, he passed over Bugnini as secretary and replaced him with Ferdinando Antonelli, a priest working in the Curia at the Congregation of Rites. Larraona considered Bugnini too progressive and held him responsible for the disagreeable schema he inherited.

On October 22, the day after Bugnini’s dismissal, Larraona took the floor in St. Peter’s to say not much more than that Sacrosanctum Concilium would be introduced by Antonelli, who spoke for about twenty minutes. Antonelli began by making two general points. First, just as the Council of Trent and Vatican I had mandated revision and emendation of liturgical texts, experts were now unanimously convinced that, while holding fast to the liturgical tradition of the church, similar changes in texts and rites were needed «to accommodate them to the ethos and needs of our day.» The aggiornamento theme was clear.

Second, a great pastoral problem had to be addressed. The faithful had become «Mute spectators» at Mass instead of active participants in the liturgical action. This development, he said, dated back to the Middle Ages, and recent popes, beginning with Pius X, had taken steps to remedy it. To deal with these issues, Pius XII had established a commission in 1948 that produced a full volume of reflections and recommendations. In 1951 Pius, acting on the recommendations, had restored the Easter Vigil and, in 1955, the liturgy for the entire Sacred Triduum, the last three days of Holy Week. Antonelli, by convincingly arguing that Sacrosanctum Concilium was in keeping with recent papal teaching and actions, was able to forestall a problem that would dog other schemas at the council.

He listed five criteria that had guided the Preparatory Commission in drawing up the schema. First, the commission would exercise great care in conserving the liturgical patrimony of the church. Second, it would be guided by a few principles that would undergird a general renewal (instauratio) of the liturgy. Third, it would derive its practical and rubrical directives from a doctrinal base. Fourth, it would insist on the necessity of instilling in the clergy a deeper sense of «the liturgical spirit» so that they could be effective teachers of the faithful. Finally, it would take as its aim leading the faithful into an ever more active participation in the liturgy. The document in hand, he reminded his audience, had been approved by the Central Preparatory Commission and was thus ready for examination by the council fathers. …

Dette temaer fortsetter i nye innlegg.

Skroll til toppen