Jeg har noen ganger lagt merke til at prester i katolske begravelser fokuserer i svært liten grad på bønnen for den avdøde (til hjelp i skjærsilden), og at minneordene blir veldig tydelige og får dominere til og med i prekenen (selv om retningslinjene sier at det ikke skal skje). Selv prøver jeg alltid å følge «boka», men jeg gir gjerne litt plass til noen minneord på slutten av liturgien – etter messen, men før avslutningen ved kisten. Beskrivelsen fra USA under er vel likevel sjokkerende for alle her i Norge (hos oss vil jo ingen tenke på kremere noen før messen!):

Requiem æternam and Lux æterna are out; Amazing Grace, On Eagle’s Wings and How Great Thou Art are in. Indeed, these three songs are so ubiquitous at funeral and memorial Masses (at least two of them have been sung at 90% of the Masses for the dead that I have attended) that they almost seem to constitute a new “proper.”

Black or purple vestments are out; white vestments are in.

Eulogies after communion are typically in, despite efforts to stamp them out. People expect them today the way they expected the Dies irae in former times.

Bodies are, increasingly, out. It’s been several years since I’ve attended a funeral in my parish that featured a body rather than “cremains” or sometimes just a photo of the deceased.

In terms of overall tone (readings chosen, homilies given, etc.), intercession for the deceased is out; celebration of the life of the deceased is in.

I dag feiret man i den tradisjonelle liturgien den hellige Johannes Krysostomos (=gullmunn), og jeg leste i Matutins tredje lesning:

Reading 3
John came from Antioch and was called «Chrysostom» because of the golden flood of his eloquence. Ordained a priest of the Church of Antioch, he was later, against his will made archbishop of Constantinople to succeed Nectarius, through the influence of Arcadius the emperor. In this office, since he spoke out strongly against the degradation of public morals and the licentious lives of the nobility, he drew down on himself the hatred of many persons. He gravely offended Empress Eudoxia also, because he reprehended her for taking the money of the widow Callitropa and the land of another widow. For all these reasons he was forced into exile, while all the widows and the needy mourned at being deprived of their common father. It is beyond belief how many hardships he suffered in his exile and how many people he converted to the faith of Jesus Christ. The number, warmth and brilliance of his sermons and other writings are universally admired. He gave up his soul to God on September 14, and his body -was buried in the Vatican basilica. This outstanding Doctor of the universal Church was appointed the heavenly patron of preachers by Pope Pius X.

På katolsk.no leser vi om hvordan/hvorfor hans minnedag ble flyttet fra 27/1 til 13/9:

…. Allerede konsilet i Khalkedon i 451 omtalte ham som kirkefader, og i 1568 utnevnte den hellige pave Pius V (1566-72) ham offisielt til kirkelærer. Den 8. juli 1908 ble han utnevnt til de kristne predikantenes skytshelgen av den hellige pave Pius X. Nå feirer Kirken hans fest den 13. september, dagen for translasjonen av hans relikvier til Roma og vigilien for hans dødsdag, fordi 14. september er opptatt av festen for Korsets opphøyelse. Tidligere ble hans fest feiret den 27. januar, dagen for translasjonen av hans bein til Konstantinopel. …

I dag feires den hellige Eystein i Norge, mest i midt-Norge, der han feires som fest. En full messe er utarbeidet for dette, med alle bønner, antifoner og tekster – og denne messen fins både på norsk og latin! Man kan finne hele messen på norsk her, og jeg skal gi noen smakebiter på latinen (som jeg har fått tilsendt – og det overrasket meg at Eystein heter Augustin på latin):

Inngangsvers:
Ecce vir, qui ædificábit templum Dómini: Dei adiutóres sumus: Dei ædificátio estis. (Se den mann som skal bygge Herrens tempel; vi er Guds medhjelpere, dere er Guds byggverk.)

Kollektbønn:
Deus, qui ministério pastoráli beáti Augustíni epíscopi pópulum tuum in alto septentrióni in vias tuas perduxísti, tríbue, quǽsumus, ut eius intercessióne séquimur voluntátem tuam et crescámus in grátia. Per Dóminum nostrum … (Evige Gud, ved den salige biskop Eysteins hyrdetjeneste førte du ditt folk i det høye nord på dine veier. Vi ber deg, gi at vi på hans forbønn må følge din vilje og vokse i nåde. Ved vår Herre …)

I dag er det en litt forvirrende dag mht hvilke helgener man kan feire; den hellige Polykarp i den tradisjonelle kalenderen, den hellige Timoteus i den nye kalenderen i det meste av verden, og den hellige Eystein i Norge (mest i midt-Norge). (For ordens skyld; jeg bruker nå den tradisjonelle kalenderen privat i tidebønnene og når jeg feirer den tradisjonelle messen, siden det er fullt tillatt (og svært interessant) – ikke som noen protesthandling.) Slik leste jeg i dag i Matutins tredje lesning:

From the Book on Ecclesiastical Writers, composed by St Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem. Chapter 17
Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John, and was consecrated by him Bishop of Smyrna. He was reckoned the chief of all the Christians of Asia, because he had been taught by several of the Apostles, and other persons who had seen the Lord. During the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, and while Anicetus presided over the Church of Rome, Polycarp came thither to discuss some questions regarding the time for observing Easter. He found some heretics at Rome, who had been led astray by the doctrine of Marcion and Valentine, and brought back many of them to the faith. One day Marcion met him by accident, and said to him Do you recognise me? whereto he replied I recognise the devil’s eldest son. Some time after, in the reign of Mark Antonine and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, during the fourth persecution since Nero, when the Pro-consul was ruling in Smyrna, the whole population being assembled in the theatre, clamoured against Polycarp, and to please them he was burnt. He wrote an extremely useful Epistle to the Philippians, which is publicly read in the Churches of Asia even to this day.

I dagens (24/1) Prim-bønn ble den viktigste feiringen i morgen nevnt først i martyrologiet:

On the morrow we commemorate the conversion of the holy Apostle Paul, which took place in the second year after our Lord’s ascension.

(Statuen til venstre står i Damaskus.) Men Paulus’ omvendele er i den tradisjonelle kalenderen bare en 3. klasses fest (dvs. minnedag), mens den i den nye kalenderen feires som fest, og i morgendagens Matutin leses bare hans omvendelse fra Apotl.gj. 9, ikke noe om ham fra kirkefdrene e.l.

Katolsk.no skriver om datoen for om Paulus’ omvendelse:

Feiringen av Paulus’ omvendelse den 25. januar har sin opprinnelse i Frankrike på slutten av 500-tallet. Da skal noen av hans relikvier ha blitt overført dit. Men festen omtales som translatio allerede i Hieronymus’ martyrologium, så festen kan være for å minnes overføringen av hans relikvier fra katakombene til basilikaen San Paolo fuori le Mura. Festen er altså opprinnelig en translasjonsfest, translatio, som imidlertid har blitt til en konversjonsfest, conversio, allerede på 600- og 700-tallet. Den ble ikke feiret i Roma før på 1000-tallet. 25. januar er avmerket på gamle norske primstaver som Pålsmesse.

Til Matutin leste jeg i dag i tredje lesning:

Timothy was born in Lystra in Lycaonia of a gentile father and a Jewish mother, and was a follower of the Christian religion when the Apostle Paul visited that city. Paul was so moved by what he repeatedly heard of Timothy’s holiness that he took him with him as a companion on his journeys; yet, because of the Jews who had been converted to Christ and who knew that Timothy’s father had been a Gentile, he had him circumcised. When they both arrived at Ephesus, the Apostle ordained him bishop to govern the Church there. The Apostle wrote him two letters, one from Laodicea, the other from Rome. Strengthened by these letters in the ministry of his pastoral office. he could not endure that the sacrifice which is due to God alone should be offered to the images of demons, and he strove to win over the people of Ephesus from the impiety of offering sacrifice to Diana on her feast day. He was stoned, and was nearly dead when the Christians rescued him and took him to a village on a neighboring mountain. There he died in the Lord on January 24.

Dette er vel å merke i den tradisjonelle kalenderen, for i den nye kalenderen er han flyttet til 26. januar. Slik skriver katolsk.no om dette: «Fra 1100-tallet ble hans minnedag feiret den 24. januar, vigilien for festen for Paulus’ omvendelse. Siden kalenderreformen i 1969 har minnedagen vært 26. januar sammen med Titus, så nær apostelfesten som mulig, for å markere de to biskopenes tilknytning til Paulus.» (De kaller ham underlig nok Timotheos – noe få greske navn beholdt -os, isteden for det latinske -us.)

Nå blir også den hellige Eystein feiret i Norge 26/1, så den hellige Timoetus og den hellige Titus, er bare valgfrie minnedager i Norge 27/1.

Jeg ble litt overrasket da jeg i kveld så at den hellige Antonius den store (~251-356) – abbeden – i den norske messeboken fra 1961 blir kalt for Anton. Tydeligvis var han en godt kjent helgen i gamle dager, for det er jo det mest kjente som har fått fornorsket sine navn; Hans, Per, Pål, Mari, Lars etc.

I Italia er den hellige Anton fortsatt en populær helgen, og mange av de gamle tradisjonene – med bl.a. velsignelser av dyr – lever fortsatt. Fra Zenit:

Italians mark St Anthony’s memory with a variety of vigils, processions, special blessings, parades and gigantic bonfires, along with open air celebrations involving songs, music and historical re-evocations that recount the life and miracles of the saint. This takes place generally between Jan. 16 and 17.

The celebrations usually start with a vigil, which is followed by the opening of the stands filled with the food typical of the local region. The following morning, after Mass, bonfires are lit, after being blessed by the parish priest. During the day and into the evening there is dancing, singing and food-tasting, accompanied by folkloric music and dramatic performances of several kinds, such as the reading of poetry and folk tales.

In addition to the bonfire, there is also a the custom of having the parish priest bless the fields, cattle and harvest. St. Anthony is the patron of butchers, peasants, breeders and domestic animals.

Many entrust themselves to his intercession, asking for healing of illnesses, but also praying for release from the devil. In religious art, St. Anthony is known as «the saint of the demonic temptations»; in fact, he was continually attacked during his life, tempted and tormented by the devil, at times even physically.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Jan. 17 was marked by a blessing of animals in St. Peter’s Square. Presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, the animals included chickens, sheep, goats and horses.

NLM-bloggen melder at Fr. Stefan Heid har skrevet en artikkel i the Homiletic and Pastoral Review med overskriften «Cross, Altar and the Right Way of Praying,». Der tar han opp pave Benedikts oppfordring om å sette et stort krustifiks på alteret også (eller kanskje spesielt) når man feirer messen versus populum. (Min erfaring sier også at dette krusifikset bør være ganske stort, minst 1/2 meter – i Peterskirken er det vel over 2 meter.) Fr Heid skriver bl.a. dette om hvordan presten ber:

… The sacrificial action of the Eucharist takes place on the altar, within a continuous current of prayer: from the prayer over the gifts, through the Eucharistic Prayer, to the Our Father. In this respect, the Eucharistic action is markedly different from the liturgy of the Word that precedes it. The ambo is, strictly speaking, not a place of prayer; the Opening Prayer is better placed at the celebrant’s chair. In the usus antiquior, the priest is always standing at the altar, and almost always praying! The silent prayers are neither private prayers nor mere time-fillers (i.e., horror vacui), but rather to make the altar a place of unceasing prayer.

Once this point has been acknowledged, the implication is that the priest at the altar takes on a different attitude, or mindset, than he has anywhere else. Here he stands, first and foremost, as one who prays. Christianity recognizes this distinctive prayer posture where the priest raises his hands, as well as his eyes. The raising of hands and eyes belongs, inseparably, to the gesture of early Christian prayer, just as Jesus himself practiced in the Jewish tradition. Standing in prayer is also part of this tradition, seen as a fundamental posture for one in prayer; on one’s knees praying, likewise, uses elevated hands and eyes, all dating back to early Christianity. Since the Middle Ages, this prayer posture, with hands and eyes raised, has faded somewhat from practice. Now, it is only the priest raising his hands (and eyes for only a few short moments) because he is reading prayers. He does look up, for instance, in the Roman canon at the time of the consecration while speaking the words: “et elevatis oculis in coelum”. Therefore, Jesus inaugurates the Eucharist “with eyes raised to heaven.”

Even in the ordo novus, the rubric at this point reads: “He (the priest) raises his eyes.” But where exactly is the priest supposed to be looking, at the church ceiling? So when the priest in reciting a prayer is required to look upward, rather than simply staring into space, the obvious focal point is a high-standing cross on the main altar. …

254 biskoper har feiret den tradisjonelle latinske messen siden pave Benedikts motu proprio om denne messen i 2007 skriver det tyske tidsskriftet Katolisches (jeg leste dette først i «Dantes nyheter»).

USA nar vel flest biskoper på listen, men også Frankrike, Italia og Storbritannia har en hel del. Den eneste biskopen fra Norden er biskop Kozon i København.

Jeg kaller det kontinuitet å feire den tradisjonelle messen, for ved å gjøre det understreker man at man i dag vil stå i og fortsette (continue) Kirkens tradisjon – også liturgisk.

Den svenske bloggen «Dantes nyheter» skriver om liturgien i Peterskirken, og viser bildene over, og også flere bilder:

Sedan 2005 har den påvliga liturgin undergått djupgående förändringar. Det börjar bli allt svårare att skilja vissa ceremonier från den traditionella liturgin. Under den påvliga julmässan hördes rentav det traditionella gradualet efter episteln! Nedan anförs förnyade bevis på samma utveckling. Frågan är vilka avtryck detta får utanför Rom. …

Bilden är från Trettondagens påvliga högmässa i Peterskyrkan, då två biskopar konsekrerades. (Och detta är inget isolerat, tvärtom.) Genast slås man av den traditionella inramningen. Men det finns mer, betydligt mer. Mässhakarna är romerska. Biskoparna vigs iförda de tunna biskopliga tunicellae (tunnare utförande av dalmatika och tunika) som förknippas med den traditionelle romerske prelaten och som symboliserar prästämbetets fullhet (dalmatikan och tunikan är diakonens respektive subdiakonens särskilda liturgiska plagg). Alborna är traditionella.

Fler bilder från samma tillfälle (hög romersk mitra, traditionell påvlig herdestav, påvlig romersk mässhake, återinförd påvlig tron, ministranten ligger på knä framför påven, ceremonimästare i traditionell romersk cotta i linne). Kontinuitet är Benedictus XVI:s ledord. I detta borde den helige Fadern ha varje katoliks stöd.