"Why Liturgy Works for Me"
Getting back to my blog about the Mass, I was reflecting how the Liturgy is a constant and the priests in the Church are instructed that "the liturgy belongs to the Church, not the priest." Therefore, he is not allowed to inject his own words, tenses, or paraphrases during the Mass. For me, this removes the human tendency to infuse one's own agenda (spin) in the Mass. This "stays" the fleshly nature of man's hand so to speak and allows God to speak and infuse His grace through the liturgy.
I used to think of Catholicism as a "man-made religion with man-made liturgies" but now I see that the Liturgy of the Mass is evidence of God's divine protection and love so that we don't allow man (meaning, the priest) to change the liturgy to suit his fancy. So rather than being man-made, it is God-breathed and does not allow for personal interpretation or expression by a particular priest's point of view. (Please see my post on how much of the Liturgy is based on God's Word.)
Finally, regarding the universal indult that is soon to be delivered by the Pope. If the Mass said in Latin continues to protect the Liturgy and keep us from "messing with it", then I am all for it. With the Mass in Latin, there will be less tendency and temptation to "customize" the Liturgy as many of the priests today don't have a working knowledge of Latin. I am thankful for my parish where the priests respect the liturgy and don't ever "make it their own."
Here's the CCC on liturgy:
1125 For this reason no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy.
So this is why Liturgy works for me. Because it is ordained by God through His Church and removes the opportunity for man-made manipulation that can be so tempting in this present culture.
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 9:33 PM
3 Comments:
A neat blog about the Latin(Tridentine Mass) is located here. Some common sense comments about the new old Mass
Check it out:
http://korirotondi.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-latin-mass.html
The new rules apparently contemplated by the Pope will not be an indult nor a dispensation. An indult is an exception to the general law for a particular case or class. The indult issued by JP2 on the assumption that the classical Roman rite had become unlawful, allows people to adhere to it under limited circumstances; eg it was not supposed to be celebrated in parish churches, only chapels. The new rules will state that the Roman rite has two forms, one ordinary and the other extraordinary. No indult is needed to celebrate it. So the risible phrase "indult Mass" may disappear at last.
REDEMPTIONIS SACRAMENTUM
On certain matters to be observed or avoided during the Most Holy Mass
See here
http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDWRDSAC.HTM#_ftn129
God bless you.
Post a Comment
Home