To comment please open your gmail account, use Facebook Messenger or Twitter. Please scroll down for comments.
"What would happen," asks Bob Gill - who's a bit of a stirrer - "if I asked for the Mass to be celebrated 'ad orientem' in Dannevirke?"
Well for a start, Bishop Drennan might have conniptions. But he'd have no reason. Because Vatican II never stipulated that the Mass should be said facing the people; that the norms allow it is beyond dispute.
The question arose after Bob asked when the pre-Vatican II practice of priests celebrating Mass daily came to grief, and priests acquired a 'day off'.
To clarify the situation I quote The Code of Canon Law (#276) in the section entitled “The Obligations and Rights of Clerics”: “In leading their lives, clerics are especially bound to pursue holiness because they are consecrated to God by a new title in the reception of orders as dispensers of God’s mysteries in the service of His people. In order for them to pursue this perfection, …they are to nourish their spiritual life from the two-fold table of Sacred Scripture and the Eucharist; priests are therefore earnestly invited to offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist daily….”
A priest generally fulfills this invitation by celebrating the Mass individually or concelebrating with other priests with the faithful present. However, even if a priest is alone, even without the aid of a server, he may still offer the Mass: In his “Holy Thursday Letter” addressed to all of the priests of the Church in 1999, Pope John Paul II taught, “In the Eucharist, the priest personally draws near to the inexhaustible mystery of Christ and of His prayer to the Father. He can immerse himself daily in the mystery of redemption and grace by celebrating Holy Mass, which retains its meaning and value even when, for a just reason, it is offered without the participation of the faithful, yet always for the faithful and for the whole world” (#6). There are numerous stories of priests imprisoned and isolated in Nazi and Communist prison camps who found strength, comfort, and renewed identity in offering by themselves– alone but united with their Savior and the Church– the Holy Mass."
Then Bob got it into his pretty head to wonder why priests seem not to celebrate Mass daily:
"I'm taking it that because priests are 'earnestly invited' to offer Mass daily and not obligated, then somewhere along the line they have interpreted that situation to be one of choice, thus the gradual moving away from daily celebration? I've been thinking of how great it would be for a priest to actually do the Ad Orientem celebration in our diocese and what would happen if I asked for this to be done in Dannevirke, for example. The request is for an orthodox celebration, so how could it be refused?"
Bob's dead right about a 'gradual moving away from daily celebration' for many priests infected by the post-Vat 2 virus - and encouraged to have Monday as a 'day off' by laity panicked into thinking, mostly by the priests themselves, that because of their scarcity they should be cocooned in cotton-wool, when in fact the shortage will be relieved only by more Masses, more fervently and reverently offered, and with more of the laity attending.
So of course there's no reason why the Novus Ordo Mass shouldn't be celebrated 'ad orientem' (facing east, i.e. priest and people both facing the altar). It's not a matter of asking for the Mass, so much as asking where's the priest who might celebrate it.
Bishop Charles can keep calm and carry on, simply by finding a priest who's willing to do it; or more likely, telling Bob Gill to find him.
Bob Gill adds:
Bob Gill adds:
Bob Gill Interesting article about the celebration of a Mass Ad Orientem in Father Buenger's diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, though not in his particular parish: https://thewandererpress.com/.../the-further-the-aim-of.../
Sharon Crooks says:
It’s
amazing how things differ from one parish to the next in this Diocese! I
truly wish there were not only more Fr Nathaniels bringing back Tradition, but more male teachers like the one pictured, assisting at Mass. What an
awesome spiritual experience for the children and example of Catholic ‘special
character’ education.
I can’t ever personally recall going to a NO Mass Ad Orientem before, and my only experience of the Salve Regina in this Diocese (outside the TLM), was when I arranged to have it in our parish one Sunday for the Offertory (Month of May probably) and the moment Mass was over, was castigated for my efforts in front of the entire congregation.
No different I suppose from being encouraged to receive Holy Communion on the tongue whilst kneeling at one parish, only to be told to "stand up" and "put your hands out" at the next.
May the Lord’s blessings be upon you and your parish Fr Nathaniel and I pray that the children will be inspired in their faith through your efforts.
I can’t ever personally recall going to a NO Mass Ad Orientem before, and my only experience of the Salve Regina in this Diocese (outside the TLM), was when I arranged to have it in our parish one Sunday for the Offertory (Month of May probably) and the moment Mass was over, was castigated for my efforts in front of the entire congregation.
No different I suppose from being encouraged to receive Holy Communion on the tongue whilst kneeling at one parish, only to be told to "stand up" and "put your hands out" at the next.
May the Lord’s blessings be upon you and your parish Fr Nathaniel and I pray that the children will be inspired in their faith through your efforts.
No comments:
Post a Comment