In One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic Church, one gets the Impression, that there is only one Rite, and that is the Roman|Latin Rite. It is the Largest of The Rites and can be found anywhere in the World.
This is True. There is a Liturgy called The Mass. And it is offered “Versus Populum”, that is, with the Priest facing the Congregation.
This is How PROTESTANTS offer their Liturgies.
The current Mass, called ” Missa Paulum VI “, is the Modern Version of Mass. Mass comes from the Latin word Missa, which means Mission. ” ITE Missa Est” is Latin for “Go Forth, Thou Art Dismissed.” Actually, Mass does not end until the Priest leaves the Sanctuary. Then it is truly finished.
The Modern Version of the Mass is not a Contemplative Mass. It misconstrues “Actual Participation”, confusing it with
” Active Participation.” It is one that requires Noise, often in the form of some kind of Dialogue. It stresses less of The Mystery of The Eucharistic Sacrifice of Christ and more on Verbiage and The Active Participation of Laity in Liturgical Function, with the Priest as Master of Ceremonies, instead of his true role of acting “In Persona Christi” in offering to God The Father of The Sacrifice of The Son, Jesu Christe, called apart from the Congregation, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders(And Several Years of Careful Preparation in Seminary, leading to Ordination), as “Alter Christus” or “Another Christ.”
In the Sacrosanctum Concilium, a major document on the Sacred Liturgy, with Primary and Secondary Elements, written with Ambiguous Language as to make Secondary, equal to Primary, in justifying some new action, a “Conniving Barrister Type”, namely the Benedictine Arch Abbot called Rembert Weakland, he being from The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where he was born and reared, the American Modernist Contribution of Liturgical Music of Self Edification, in the form of Dionisian Music(based on the Greek god of ecstasy), comes under the part emphasizing Gregorian Chant, through the words “Or Some Other Suitable Music”(This is the part which Gary Michael Voris never took time to read).
Weakland and Company, during the time when the Tridentine Mass was vernacularized, including the deliberate mistranslation of ” Pro Multis ” to “All” instead of “Many”, found a loophole in the Gregorian Paragraph, in order to hoist this on America(And Eventually The World). This was 1st tried at an All Boys Catholic High School in Latrobe, PA, more often associated with the Famous Beer seen in the Academy Award Winning Film, ” The Deer Hunter”, called “Rolling Rock.” It was in “The Deer Hunter”, where I actually saw a Byzantine Rite Slavic Wedding Ceremony Scene.
One could see from the 1st Offering of The New Mass, dubbed ” Novus Ordo ” by Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, in what is called “The Ottaviani Intervention” that the emphasis is on Man, not God.
While the so called Sacred Music is supposedly derived from the Book of Psalms, it is written with Emphasis on Man.
And much of the Music speaks not of Catholic Doctrine but of the “False Ecumenism”, so prevalent in The Era of Vatican II and Beyond. I shall speak of Two Eucharistic Hymns, played at Holy Communion Time at Mass.
Last Year, at The Feast of The Ascension, at the 7:00PM Vigil Mass at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills, Queens, in the R C Diocese of Brooklyn, the Communion Hymn was a Classical Hymn which reflected the Eucharistic Theology of The Mass and was often sung at Holy Communion Time.
It was sung with Gusto by the Congregation. Following is The Refrain:
” O Sacrament Most Holy,
O Sacrament Divine,
All Praise and All Thanksgiving,
Be Every Moment Thine.”
Young People sang it along with Older People. This truly spoke volumes that what is Traditional and Beautiful, is Cherished and will be sung.
This Hymn speaks of The Mass as Sacrifice of The Christ at Calvary.
By The Feast of The Assumption(Mary Rising To Heaven), after intensely beautiful Marian Music, the Mass as Sacrifice took a wrong turn at Holy Communion Time, with “Mass as Meal” Theology taking over. If ever there was a Treacly Hymn, written to emphasise that Holy Communion is only a Spiritual Eating in Memory of Jesus Christ, then that Hymn is “Gift Of Finest Wheat.” It is Ecumenical, NOT Catholic and emphasizes a Memorial Meal instead of Sacrifice, which explains the Novus Ordo Mass quite well.
I recall My Most Dear Friend, who upon hearing “Gift Of Finest Wheat”, recoiled with both Rage and Horror, and knelt down in prayer. While it praises The Lord for His Gift, it does not emphasise His Sacrifice. The Hymn is sung by Protestants as well as Catholics, because it emphasizes a Memorial Meal.
And I do remember a Text Message which she sent me, which read “I heard this hymn at Mass on Sunday. I HATE ‘GIFT OF FINEST WHEAT.’ It is treacle and does not draw in.”
To think that “G o F W” actually won a contest to be the Official Hymn of the 41st International Eucharistic Congress, held in Philadelphia in August, 1976, tells me a lot about the Modernism of Post Vatican II, as an Age of False Ecumenism and an Age of Mere Self. From Glory to Gooey, it is a “Mass” ive Mess.
She once sent me a series of Liturgical Songs called “Bread Songs” while asking about whatever happened to “Mass As Sacrifice.”
All of it was Horizontal in substance. None of it was Vertical in substance. She was discovering the World of the Novus Ordo Version of The Roman Rite.
She is a Convert. She is somewhat enraged over “Novus Ordo Land” (A Name Coined by Christopher A. Ferrara, J. D.), where Homilies are too worldly(She was furious about a Homily, centred around Comedian Robin Williams).
Her Original Church is Greek Orthodox, where the Sacraments and Holy Orders are valid.
She utterly DESPISES “Bread Songs” for not being of Transcendant Quality. I cannot blame her, as much of this alleged Liturgical “Music” is so “Humanity Centred”, as cheap filler, that it distracts from Worship of The Triune Godhead.
That a song like ” Gift Of Finest Wheat”, Treacly in Tone, Music which would cause Eastern Catholics to either laugh themselves silly or head to the nearest “Vomitarium”, talks about ” Finest Wheat”, rather than The Body of Christ, has helped turn The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass into a Camp Singalong. Not only that but the music often contradicts the Theology of The Mass. There is more to Catholic Church Worship than the Novus Ordo Mass, a Liturgy with very little consistency.
One of the problems of the Ordinary Form Mass is the question of “Participation.”
I was in 2nd Grade at a Catholic School in Brooklyn when our classes were taught how to read Latin, as well as the Kyrie, which was our 1st Exposure to Greek. Thank goodness for Phonics which made reading words much simpler. But our 1st Exposure to another language was Latin.
I do remember the Latin Mass from the 1960s. There was much Silence. So when I went to the Tridentine Latin Mass in January, 2007 for the 1st Time since November of 1964(Over 42 Years), I still remembered just enough to get by without a Missal.
It has been said that there wasn’t any real participation in The Mass. But there is True Participation in that Mass. It is NOT about singing Horrid Little Ditties like “Table Of Plenty”(A Dan Schutte Contribution to Circular Filing Systems most often called Trash) at The Offertory. In reality we prayed the Prayers at The Foot of The Altar, the Second Confiteor, Gloria In Excelsis Deo, and the Nicene Creed. We listened to Epistle, Graduale Romanum, Alleluia and Gospel. We said the Responses to the Preface to The Roman Canon. We then prayed the Sanctus.
We Gazed upon The Body & Blood of Christ & prayed Silently. The Priest prayed these prayers inaudibly, but one could hear something.
The Priest prayed the Our Father, so we responded with Sed Libera Nos A Malo(But Deliver Us From Evil). Our Communion Prayer was the ” Domine Non Sum Dignus “(O Lord I Am Not Worthy).
We went to Holy Communion and Knelt at a Holy Communion Rail, separating the Sanctuary from the Nave. The Priest made the Sign of The Cross with the Sacred Host & said a short prayer with No Response by us. We were not allowed to chew it, for that Host is The Body of Christ. A Paten was put under the chin to prevent the Host from falling to the ground, as well as to keep the Sacred Host Particles from falling to the ground to be trampled underfoot.
There were announcements from the Pulpit. Then the Closing Prayers & Last Gospel. This is a Mass without singing. It was the same in 1962, as it is now.
The Missa Cantata is The Sung Version of The Mass. You follow the Schola and sing your parts.
Of course if you are going to the Novus Ordo, St. Agnes on East 43rd Street has Gregorian Chant and Incense. Many prayers are said or sung in Latin. It is a Rare Find and is in Midtown, Manhattan by Grand Central Terminal. They still have a Great Tridentine Latin Mass.
Over on West 37th Street is Holy Innocents, Home to the Only 7 Days a Week Latin Mass.
What many Roman Rite Catholics don’t realize is that there are 22 Eastern Catholic Churches in Union with The Holy See.
I find myself in Awe of the Byzantine Rite with the Awe Inspiring Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom(Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of The Church).There are no Organists in these parishes. The Human Voice is the Musical Instrument. The Cantor will take you along. Choirs also abound. Byzantine Chant is a Truly Divine Experience. Tridentine Latin Mass Catholics often go to this Liturgy.
The Ukrainians, Ruthenians, Romanians and Russians have incredible Divine Liturgies along with the Melkites(Arab and Greek).
The Antiochian Rite Maronite Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Lebanon is in Brooklyn Heights on Remsen Street by Henry Street. The Divine Liturgy of St. James The Apostle, the Root Liturgy of The Divine Liturgies of both St. Basil The Great(Bishop, Confessor, Martyr, Doctor of The Church)&St. John Chrysostom, are descended from this Liturgy, called in Arabic the Holy Qurbano.
They actually have a Ceremonial Sign of Peace, where after the Kiss of Peace by the Priest to the Deacon, the Altar Servers are sent to shake the hands of the 1st Person in a Pew, who then passes his sign of Peace to the person beside him or her.
In Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, there is even a Coptic Catholic Church of the Alexandrian Rite, which uses the Egyptian Version of The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil The Great.
You’re Catholic. And The Catholic Family is huge.
Deo Gratias!
M
A Roaming Catholic 