Adoremus Bulletin
MARCH 2021
XXVI, No.5
A Short History of the Roman Rite of Mass Introduction: The Last Supper — The First Eucharist AB/WIKIMEDIA. THE LAST SUPPER, BY LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519)
News & Views
For the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy
Vatican Issues Guidelines for Holy Week 2021 Amid COVID-19 restrictions By Courtney Mares VATICAN CITY (CNA) — The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued guidelines on February 17 for the celebration of Holy Week this year in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the note signed February 17 by the congregation’s prefect Cardinal Robert Sarah and secretary Archbishop Arthur Roche, the congregation said that bishops were called upon to make prudent decisions regarding the liturgy in line with the Vatican decree on Holy Week liturgies issued in March 2020, which will remain valid for this year. “We therefore invite you to reread it in view of the decisions that bishops will have to make about the upcoming Easter celebrations in the particular situation of their country,” it said. “Many countries still have strict lockdown conditions in force rendering it impossible for the faithful to be present in church, while in others a more normal pattern of worship is being resumed.” The congregation noted that the use of social media has aided pastors in offering support to their communities during the pandemic, but it added that “problematic aspects were also observed.” In light of this concern, the Vatican suggested that media coverage of the Holy Week liturgies offered by the local bishop are “facilitated and favored, encouraging the faithful who are unable to attend their own church
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A conventional history of the Eucharist would begin with the Last Supper and its formative impact on early liturgical practice. Thus, liturgical historian Josef Andreas Jungmann, S.J., asserted in his classical work Missarum sollemnia: “The first Holy Mass was said on ‘the same night in which he was betrayed’ (1 Corinthians 11:23).” But not all scholars today agree with Jungmann.
By Father Uwe Michael Lang Editor’s note: We are pleased to announce a new series of articles on the history of the Roman Rite Mass, by Father Uwe Michael Lang. Happily, this first of the series coincides with the celebration of the institution of the Eucharist, recalled each year at Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Subsequent entries will run primarily in our monthly e-newsletter, AB Insight. (If you don’t already receive this monthly missive in your inbox, sign up at Adoremus.org.)
T
he Roman Rite is by far the most widely used liturgical rite in the Catholic Church. The form of Mass most people are familiar with today has been shaped decisively by the Apostolic See of Rome in contact and exchange with other local churches over the centuries. This series of articles is intended as an overview of the development of the Roman Rite Mass until the present day. Understanding this rich and complex history will help not only the clergy in their sacramental ministry but also laypeople in participating fruitfully in the liturgy of the Church. A conventional history of the Eucharist would begin with the Last Supper and its formative impact on
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Adoremus Bulletin MARCH 2021
early liturgical practice. Thus, liturgical historian Josef Andreas Jungmann, S.J., asserted in his classical work Missarum sollemnia: “The first Holy Mass was said on ‘the same night in which he was betrayed’ (1 Corinthians 11:23).”1 However, recent studies have presented a highly diverse picture of primitive Christianity, and the origins of the Eucharist have been subjected to radical questioning. Thus, the leading liturgical scholar Paul Bradshaw sees in the narrative of institution as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) a tradition superimposed on the original account of a simple meal.2 On the other hand, many New Testament exegetes are more confident about the essential historicity of the Last Supper tradition.3 A Night to Remember While the meals Jesus held during his public ministry offer a broader context for the Last Supper,4 there are several features that make it unique, above all its immediate proximity to his Passion. Unlike other meals recorded in the Gospels, this one is limited to the Twelve, his closest circle of disciples. The setting is not that of open table-fellowship, but a private room that would have been provided by a wealthy patron. The words and actions of Jesus are embedded in this meal, but they stand
out and transform it in an entirely unexpected way. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples on the first day of unleavened bread, in the evening (Matthew 26:17, 20; Mark 14:12, 17; Luke 22:7, 14). Since Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset, this evening meal was held on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan, the date of the Passover feast, after the lambs had been sacrificed in the Temple in the afternoon. This day would be a Thursday, with the crucifixion taking place on Friday, “the day before the sabbath” (Mark 15:42; also Matthew 27:62; Luke 23:54), the 15th of Nisan. The Synoptic narratives thus present the Last Supper as a Passover meal. The Fourth Gospel presents a different chronology: while it agrees regarding the days of the week, it clearly implies that Jesus was crucified as the day of preparation for the Passover was drawing to its close (John 18:28; 39; 19:14). Significantly, Jesus dies on the cross at the time when the lambs are slaughtered in the Temple for the celebration of the Passover meal in the evening. The Last Supper was thus held on the evening before Passover, and it would not have been a Passover meal. Still, it would have been in close proximity to it, as explicitly stated in John 13:1, Please see LAST SUPPER on page 4
History of Mystery—Part I Father Uwe Michael Lang tells it like it is—and was—as he embarks on the first in a series of articles chronicling the history (and mystery) of the Roman Rite Mass ...................1
The Strengths of Weeks In the West, there’s not one, not two, but three ways to celebrate Holy Week! Father Aaron Williams compares the pre-1955, 1962, and modern rites for Holy Week.............................8
Uniquely Unique Each Holy Week is a new opportunity to encounter Christ, but as the country recovers from COVID, Father Daniel Cardó meditates on why Holy Week 2021 is especially so.........5
Divine Genius at Work In Daniel William’s book Christ the Liturgy, Father Ryan T. Ruiz finds an effective corrective to the idea that liturgy is the Man Show and God better get out of the way.......12
The Safety Song Alexis Kazimira Kutarna provides the latest info about whether the Church can safely return to the full-throated, pre-COVID liturgy as it’s supposed to be done —in song.............................................................6
News & Views ....................................................1 The Rite Questions...........................................10