ViewPoints 26
catholicnewsherald.com | January 18, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Letters to the editor
Follow the Gospel, and ‘be kind and merciful’ Deacon James H. Toner
Try the Latin Mass, the Church’s ancient treasure
H
ave you noticed the growing popularity of the “timeless liturgy”? The Tridentine Mass or Council of Trent (1545-1563) Mass; the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, which he standardized in 1570, saying in “Quo Primum” that this Mass would be celebrated “now and forever”; the ancient liturgy of the Church – this is the Latin Mass. It is one of two approved forms of the Mass for Roman Catholics: the Latin Mass is also called the “Extraordinary Form” (EF), and the Novus Ordo or Mass of Pope Paul VI, which most of us are familiar with today, is known as the “Ordinary Form” (OF). I grew up with the Latin Mass, having served for 10 years as an altar boy, and I love that liturgy. But I have known the OF since I was in college, and celebrated properly (see CCC 1125) it too is a beautiful Mass. Pope Benedict XVI has expressed the fond hope that the two forms of the Mass will be mutually nourishing, something that we saw in late 2011 when a few changes (such as “through my fault” and striking our breast) were introduced into the OF; many of these came from the EF. The two forms are not rivals, although there are some striking differences between them – aside from the EF’s use of Latin, the Church’s universal language, and the OF’s use of the vernacular. The EF has one Eucharistic Prayer, whereas the OF has six. The EF has a one-year cycle of readings; the OF has a three-year cycle. The EF uses a somewhat different “calendar.” For example: in the EF, Sunday, Jan. 27, is Septuagesima Sunday (the ninth Sunday before Easter), the priest wears violet, and the Gospel is from Matthew. In the OF, that same day is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, the priest wears green, and the Gospel is from Luke. In the EF, the priest or deacon distributes the Eucharist to communicants who kneel at the altar rail, receiving Our Lord on the tongue, while the priest or deacon says (in Latin): “May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.” The communicant does not say “Amen.” In the OF, ministers distribute the Eucharist to communicants who may receive standing or kneeling, on the tongue or in the hand. The minister says, “The Body of Christ,” and the communicant says, “Amen.” In the EF, the priest wears a different type of chasuble (outer garment) with a maniple (reminiscent of a handkerchief) on his left arm; in the OF, the priest also wears a chasuble but not a maniple. The EF has a “last Gospel” at the end of Mass, taken from John 1:1-14 (read this prayerfully and you will see why it is part of nearly every EF Mass). In the EF, during a Low Mass (no music) or a High Mass (with music usually from a “schola,” or choir), there is one priest.
With the kind permission of my pastor, I as a deacon have the sacred privilege of preaching at the EF, as well reading the Epistle, proclaiming the Gospel and distributing Communion. Only very rarely will other priests concelebrate the EF Mass. The deacon and other ministers are routinely involved in the OF, and priestly concelebration of the Mass is permitted and more frequent. There are, sadly, many misunderstandings or objections with the Latin Mass. Here are a few: 1. The EF is an effort to turn back the clock and undermine Vatican II. No! Both Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have strongly endorsed wider use of the EF, and Vatican II in no way forbade the use of Latin, or Gregorian chant, or the ancient liturgy. 2. In the EF, the priest turns his back on the people. No! Customarily, the priest faces east (see Malachi 1:11), for that is where we look, expecting Christ’s return. In the OF Mass, the priest may also face “ad orientem.” In the EF, the priest faces the altar and tabernacle together with the people, for whom and with whom he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He is not being rude. 3. In the EF, the people just watch the priest. No! This misunderstands how we assist at Mass. We assist at Mass by reverently uniting our prayers, found in the missal, to those of the priest at the altar, joining in the Holy Sacrifice with and through Christ. 4. The EF Mass is too routine. No! There is a beautiful regularity to the EF Mass, but each Mass also has its “propers” (prayers or readings unique to the day’s Mass, such as the Gospel or the Communion Antiphon). Usually, the propers are available in the missal provided by the church. Interest in the Latin Mass is growing, and it is not just a matter of nostalgia. It is being rediscovered, especially by the younger generation of priests and laity, and it will also have a great influence on the general reverence and respect for divine worship in parish life. All of us should become familiar with it and not dismiss it out of hand. The Latin Mass is a beautiful treasure, a profound and lasting part of our Catholic identity. To learn more, consider reading Thomas Woods Jr.’s “Sacred Then and Sacred Now” or Monsignor George Moorman’s “The Latin Mass Explained.” Please also consider assisting two or three times at a Latin Mass near you. You will become increasingly at home. Deo gratias! Deacon James H. Toner serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.
“On Kindness,” the Jan. 4 column written by Deacon James Toner, echoes my past experience in pastoral ministry as director of religious education at St. Agnes Cathedral Parish in Springfield, Mo. When registering children for the parish’s religion classes, I never asked for baptismal certificates because I knew some children would be registered who were not baptized. I didn’t want to embarrass the parents or limit participation to those already baptized, so I simply asked in the registration form for sacraments received. Then I followed up with individual phone calls to the parents whose children were not baptized and asked them to come in for a private conversation. When they came in for the private meeting, I encouraged them to share their personal faith journey with me. I would then follow up with instructions about baptism. I never criticized the parents, instead welcoming them into a deeper involvement in the life of the Church. Many of these adults began to come to adult education sessions and then became active members of the parish. I am convinced this approach led to a deeper faith life than criticism would have. Jesus went to the house of Zacchaeus while Zacchaeus was still a sinner. (Luke 19: 1-10). St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel always; if necessary use words.” St. Francis even fed the robbers in the forest. Our actions must be congruent with our words, so “be kind and merciful.” (Eph. 4:32). Sister Rose Marie Tresp serves as the director of justice for the Sisters of Mercy’s South Central Community in Belmont.
Bishops’ gun control advocacy misses the mark I was saddened to see the loss of an opportunity in our U.S. Conference of Catholics Bishops’ response to the evil that occurred in Sandy Hook, Conn. Our bishops have taken the opportunity to call for tighter gun control and better access to mental health in the wake of the shooting. Nowhere in the response do the bishops call for a return to leading prayerful, contemplative lives under God. Nowhere do they raise the issue of the assault currently being undertaken by our own federal government on our rights to practice our faith without constraint. Gun control and regulation has its place, but I would argue that gun control will fail when our citizens have no strong advocate and shepherd to guide us back to the very definition of goodness: Christ Himself. James Stevens lives in Morganton.
Moral decline, lack of respect are to blame In the U.S. bishops’ statement in response to the tragedy in Sandy Hook, many ideas were offered which may help
reduce gun violence, but perhaps there is also a lack of morality and respect for life in our current culture. I think the Church could set a new tone and lead the way by bringing back the solemnity of the Mass. If one can offer the sign of peace and carry on a conversation, text, wear inappropriate clothing and treat Mass as if it were a social occasion, one demonstrates a lack of respect for the Blessed Sacrament and for other churchgoers there to worship. Years ago when walking by a Catholic church, men would remove their hats and women would genuflect. It is sad how far we have strayed. Betty Coniglio lives in Charlotte.
War is just as important a life issue I find it disheartening that in all the coverage given to life issues in the Jan. 4 edition of the Catholic News Herald, there was no mention of war. We have become so accustomed to supporting war with our dollars and military hero worship that we fail to recognize war is killing – just as abortion, euthanasia and suicide are. Yes, we sometimes regret that there are innocent victims of our warmongering, disguised as “collateral damage,” but we still continue to justify taking lives in war. Are there really any victims of war who are not innocent? Are military personnel ordered to kill or be killed not also innocent victims, as are the children being killed almost daily by our drone strikes? I daresay we are more concerned with supporting the size of the military budget than with our unquestioning support of our war killings. And killing our perceived enemies is glorified daily in our news media. If we are really serious about having respect for life, then we need to get serious about the war issue. Start by including war in your articles about pro-life activities, explaining that war is killing, not “peace keeping” or the other sanitized terms we like to use as justification. Encourage people to take to the streets to protest war as you encourage them to protest abortion. How can we be so silent about war when it is taking so much of our resources and so many lives? Kenneth Schammel lives in Cornelius.
Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste. To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy. Mail: Letters to the Editor Catholic News Herald 1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org