The Composite Order: Part II
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| Divine Worship (Ordinariate Form) - Mount Calvary Church |
The Composite Order Part II: Divine Worship
Divine Worship: the Missal, promulgated by Pope Francis, was introduced on the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2015. By so doing, the Holy Father crowned a unique achievement in the history of the Church, an achievement realizing the intention of Pope Benedict who was ably assisted by Archbishop Di Noia and other faithful sons of the Church, by bringing the Ordinariate Missal to publication and returning liturgical renewal to the letter and spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
The Ordinariate Mass is the legitimate offspring of a conversation between continuity and reform that (re-)unites the Anglican Patrimony—that is, the Catholic Patrimony preserved in Anglicanism—with the Latin Patrimony.
Divine Worship is more than a collection of liturgical texts and ritual gestures. It is the organic expression of the Church’s own lex orandi as it was taken up and developed in an Anglican context over the course of nearly five-hundred years of ecclesial separation, and is now reintegrated into Catholic worship as the authoritative expression of a noble patrimony to be shared with the whole Church. As such, it is to be understood as a distinct form of the Roman Rite. Further, while Divine Worship preserves some external elements more often associated with the Extraordinary Form, its theological and rubrical context is clearly the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. That I situate Divine Worship within the context of the Ordinary Form becomes a fact more discernable when one considers the dual hermeneutic of continuity and reform, which informs the project.—H.E. Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
Divine Worship is more than a collection of liturgical texts and ritual gestures. It is the organic expression of the Church’s own lex orandi as it was taken up and developed in an Anglican context over the course of nearly five-hundred years of ecclesial separation, and is now reintegrated into Catholic worship as the authoritative expression of a noble patrimony to be shared with the whole Church. As such, it is to be understood as a distinct form of the Roman Rite. Further, while Divine Worship preserves some external elements more often associated with the Extraordinary Form, its theological and rubrical context is clearly the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. That I situate Divine Worship within the context of the Ordinary Form becomes a fact more discernable when one considers the dual hermeneutic of continuity and reform, which informs the project.—H.E. Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
The Sarum Use, another beautiful blossom in the orchard of the Latin Patrimony that was substantially preserved in the early Prayer Books, especially the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, is seen in the way Divine Worship moves and speaks.
The Mass of the Ordinariate captures the "noble simplicity" (volutes) that the liturgical reformers sought to epitomize by instigating the Novus Ordo Missae (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium C:34; Noble Simplicity and the Liturgiologist Edmund Bishop). Divine Worship also captures the transcendent architecture and poetry (acanthus leaves) of the Extraordinary Form by echoing Sarum and its many sublime appointments: its unique Propers; its ceremonial aesthetic; the inclusion of Ember and Rogation Days, and pre-Lent (Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima). Therein, too, the Anglican heritage—e.g., The Comfortable Words (... the very words of Holy Scripture), The Prayer of Humble Access, an elevated linguistic register, etc.—that initially preserved Catholicism in the wake of the Tudor divide, is given a home.
Standing on the Roman shore is the first wave of converts who are beckoning all who desire the fullness of the Catholic Faith expressed in terms very familiar to Anglicans and others. A legitimate liturgical patrimony—so saith Rome—has been preserved by those now former-Anglicans brought into union with the Church. By-the-way, the doors are still very much open to any and all who desire union with the Catholic Church!
Standing on the Roman shore is the first wave of converts who are beckoning all who desire the fullness of the Catholic Faith expressed in terms very familiar to Anglicans and others. A legitimate liturgical patrimony—so saith Rome—has been preserved by those now former-Anglicans brought into union with the Church. By-the-way, the doors are still very much open to any and all who desire union with the Catholic Church!
The Scroll of Organic Development
Contrary to what some contemporary iconoclasts might contend, the Ordinariate Mass does not merely preserve the fossilized remains of earlier rites. That is, the accusation is unwarranted that tradition-minded Catholics worship liturgical bling more than the living God. Rather, it should be said that Divine Worship preserves well "the living faith of the dead", as Jaroslav Pelikan put it, the living faith of those faithful sons and daughters of the Church who preserved the Catholic Faith without blemish by embodying the Faith. That embodied faith necessarily displays inspired customs inherited from the saints who, under int he inspiration of the Holy Ghost, understood that the Faith is very much communicated through orthodox actions (gestures, music, art, architecture), through orthopraxy, through vehicles that serve to incarnate and thus communicate the word of God.
The Ordinariate Mass preserves those inspired gestural vehicles for communicating the Faith. Restored to the Church, through groups such as the Ordinariate, and fraternities and institutes dedicated to the Extraordinary Form, is an appreciation of a rich vocabulary of acts of adoration and veneration through which grace can work so that the will of the humble worshipper may be brought into harmony with the will of God.
The Triumph of Both/And
Divine Worship avoids the unnecessary dichotomies and useless polemics of the liturgy wars precisely because it is a child born of an honest, intense and nuanced conversation between continuity and reform, a renewal that confidently asserts continuity with the Apostolic Faith. That continuity is clearly visible (or audible) in any Ordinariate community. Ask those who prefer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass why they attend Ordinariate daily Masses where no EF Mass is offered. They do so precisely because Divine Worship operates, so-to-speak, with Tradition in mind.
The Ordinariate Mass preserves elements from a rite or use that thrived prior to the Tridentine reforms. As mentioned, there is a strong flavour of the Sarum Use in the Ordinariate Liturgy. The Ordinariate returns to the Church many beautiful Catholic liturgical practices.
The 1549 Book of Common Prayer, a principal source for the Ordinariate Missal, is older than the Missal of Saint Pius V, and has its own origins in the Sarum Missal, a variant of the Roman Rite going back to the eleventh century.—H.E. Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
The Ordinary Form (renewal) versus the Extraordinary Form (continuity) debate is alien to the Third Form of the Roman Mass, the Ordinariate Mass. Even erudite scholars, proponents of either the Ordinary Form or the Extraordinary Form, too often miss the opportunity to move beyond an either/or trap by overlooking or ignoring Divine Worship: the Missal in their debates, and thus the same well-intentioned scholars fall prey to an unnecessary conundrum or dichotomy which occupies and fuses opinions to a narrow, ideologically driven framework which merely inflames passions and distracts people away from a solution wherein both continuity and reform exist in a dynamic and inspiring relationship.
The Triumph of Continuity and Harmony
Divine Worship: the Missal provides a way forward by looking back to the action of the Holy Spirit throughout history, a way that enables liturgical harmony desperately needed by all Catholics. Without liturgical harmony, Catholic identity is fragmented and evangelization stunted. Only Catholics with a clear sense of who and what they are can confidently represent the Gospel and participate in the saving mission of Jesus Christ. Liturgical harmony, of course, does not exclude the legitimate diversity of rites—Chaldean, Maronite, Ukrainian Greek, Syro-Malabar, etc.—that constitute the immediate and visible communion of the Catholic Church.
The Triumph of Order
Much as the now overlooked 1965/66 Missale Romanum captured renewal in continuity, Divine Worship bridges tradition and renewal in a way that is entirely faithful to the decrees of the Second Vatican Council. Divine Worship: the Missal accords with both the letter and spirit of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Ironically, the Ordinariate Missal, intended to wed (to some contentious minds) an "alien patrimony" with the Latin Patrimony, actually restores elements of the Latin Patrimony lost to most contemporary diocesan or Ordinary Form Catholics. For instance, Divine Worship has the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar in (Prayer Book) English. The Roman Canon is used almost exclusively. Ordinariate worship frequently features Latin motets and Mass settings in Latin. Divine Worship is prayed ad orientem per the ancient practice of the Church.
There is little doubt that the Ordinariate Mass is entirely oriented to God, for example. As in Extraordinary Form communities, and Ordinary Form communities that host reverent liturgies, rubrical precision is appreciated in the Ordinariate experience, a precision that orients the worshipper to adoration of the living God. Living rubrics are not loose rubrics that permit every manner of abuse. Living or dynamic rubrics serve the text and structure of the Mass, and in a very limited sense incarnate the character of Christ. Good rubrics are the algorithms which, like a recipe for a great dish, ensure the Mass remains cuisine. The need for elegant rubrics that preserve the integrity and God-ward orientation of the Mass becomes self evident when the Mass is contorted or appropriated by ill-formed liturgy committees that reinvent the Mass in their own image.
The Ordinariate Mass preserves those inspired gestural vehicles for communicating the Faith. Restored to the Church, through groups such as the Ordinariate, and fraternities and institutes dedicated to the Extraordinary Form, is an appreciation of a rich vocabulary of acts of adoration and veneration through which grace can work so that the will of the humble worshipper may be brought into harmony with the will of God.
The Triumph of Both/And
Divine Worship avoids the unnecessary dichotomies and useless polemics of the liturgy wars precisely because it is a child born of an honest, intense and nuanced conversation between continuity and reform, a renewal that confidently asserts continuity with the Apostolic Faith. That continuity is clearly visible (or audible) in any Ordinariate community. Ask those who prefer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass why they attend Ordinariate daily Masses where no EF Mass is offered. They do so precisely because Divine Worship operates, so-to-speak, with Tradition in mind.
The Ordinariate Mass preserves elements from a rite or use that thrived prior to the Tridentine reforms. As mentioned, there is a strong flavour of the Sarum Use in the Ordinariate Liturgy. The Ordinariate returns to the Church many beautiful Catholic liturgical practices.
The 1549 Book of Common Prayer, a principal source for the Ordinariate Missal, is older than the Missal of Saint Pius V, and has its own origins in the Sarum Missal, a variant of the Roman Rite going back to the eleventh century.—H.E. Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
The Ordinary Form (renewal) versus the Extraordinary Form (continuity) debate is alien to the Third Form of the Roman Mass, the Ordinariate Mass. Even erudite scholars, proponents of either the Ordinary Form or the Extraordinary Form, too often miss the opportunity to move beyond an either/or trap by overlooking or ignoring Divine Worship: the Missal in their debates, and thus the same well-intentioned scholars fall prey to an unnecessary conundrum or dichotomy which occupies and fuses opinions to a narrow, ideologically driven framework which merely inflames passions and distracts people away from a solution wherein both continuity and reform exist in a dynamic and inspiring relationship.
The Triumph of Continuity and Harmony
Divine Worship: the Missal provides a way forward by looking back to the action of the Holy Spirit throughout history, a way that enables liturgical harmony desperately needed by all Catholics. Without liturgical harmony, Catholic identity is fragmented and evangelization stunted. Only Catholics with a clear sense of who and what they are can confidently represent the Gospel and participate in the saving mission of Jesus Christ. Liturgical harmony, of course, does not exclude the legitimate diversity of rites—Chaldean, Maronite, Ukrainian Greek, Syro-Malabar, etc.—that constitute the immediate and visible communion of the Catholic Church.
The Triumph of Order
Much as the now overlooked 1965/66 Missale Romanum captured renewal in continuity, Divine Worship bridges tradition and renewal in a way that is entirely faithful to the decrees of the Second Vatican Council. Divine Worship: the Missal accords with both the letter and spirit of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Ironically, the Ordinariate Missal, intended to wed (to some contentious minds) an "alien patrimony" with the Latin Patrimony, actually restores elements of the Latin Patrimony lost to most contemporary diocesan or Ordinary Form Catholics. For instance, Divine Worship has the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar in (Prayer Book) English. The Roman Canon is used almost exclusively. Ordinariate worship frequently features Latin motets and Mass settings in Latin. Divine Worship is prayed ad orientem per the ancient practice of the Church.
There is little doubt that the Ordinariate Mass is entirely oriented to God, for example. As in Extraordinary Form communities, and Ordinary Form communities that host reverent liturgies, rubrical precision is appreciated in the Ordinariate experience, a precision that orients the worshipper to adoration of the living God. Living rubrics are not loose rubrics that permit every manner of abuse. Living or dynamic rubrics serve the text and structure of the Mass, and in a very limited sense incarnate the character of Christ. Good rubrics are the algorithms which, like a recipe for a great dish, ensure the Mass remains cuisine. The need for elegant rubrics that preserve the integrity and God-ward orientation of the Mass becomes self evident when the Mass is contorted or appropriated by ill-formed liturgy committees that reinvent the Mass in their own image.
The Triumph of Wisdom and Evangelization
A love of liturgical wisdom is commonly found in Ordinariate communities, the wisdom of God manifest in true, good and beautiful liturgy, and obedience to the Magisterium, the Measure(r) or Clarifier of Truth and Goodness. The Ordinariate offers a way of appreciating wisdom that the wider Church can receive as a gift from God as a vehicle for renewal. Benedict knew of this potential for continuing renewal-in-continuity as he engaged those Anglicans seeking union with Rome. Pope Benedict's quest for liturgical renewal is well attested to in his many liturgical writings, and in so many ways the Ordinariate embodies the very (that is, authentic) renewal imagined by Benedict and a host of like-minded Catholics thirsting for liturgical authenticity. The quiet success of the Ordinariate, which is to say the steadily increasing success of the Ordinariate in attracting those who seek to worship God in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9), is the mark of an authentic movement to reclaim the world for Christ. The Ordinariate Liturgy is a clear window through which the light of the Holy Spirit attracts all who desire a luxuriant liturgy, a sumptuous feast of the Holy Spirit in which the heart and intellect can become docile to the same Spirit and by which the soul expands in faith, hope and love.
A love of liturgical wisdom is commonly found in Ordinariate communities, the wisdom of God manifest in true, good and beautiful liturgy, and obedience to the Magisterium, the Measure(r) or Clarifier of Truth and Goodness. The Ordinariate offers a way of appreciating wisdom that the wider Church can receive as a gift from God as a vehicle for renewal. Benedict knew of this potential for continuing renewal-in-continuity as he engaged those Anglicans seeking union with Rome. Pope Benedict's quest for liturgical renewal is well attested to in his many liturgical writings, and in so many ways the Ordinariate embodies the very (that is, authentic) renewal imagined by Benedict and a host of like-minded Catholics thirsting for liturgical authenticity. The quiet success of the Ordinariate, which is to say the steadily increasing success of the Ordinariate in attracting those who seek to worship God in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9), is the mark of an authentic movement to reclaim the world for Christ. The Ordinariate Liturgy is a clear window through which the light of the Holy Spirit attracts all who desire a luxuriant liturgy, a sumptuous feast of the Holy Spirit in which the heart and intellect can become docile to the same Spirit and by which the soul expands in faith, hope and love.
The action of the Holy Spirit is wholly acknowledged in the Ordinariate Liturgy. The Spirit's action is affirmed by a lavish complement of ritual gestures that communicate faith and that shape worship, gestures that can be adapted to specific contexts without dumbing down the language of ritual gesture nor dismissing the importance of worshipping God with our bodies as much as with our words as rightly ordered expressions of intention (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication). The Ordinariate Mass returns the body to Catholic worship in a manner that is not gratuitous but integral to the spiritual formation of the whole person.
Up next: The Composite Order: Part III - Orientation and Transformation
Up next: The Composite Order: Part III - Orientation and Transformation
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This was a very helpful article. Could you please write about the Sarum rite more in the future? I would like to learn more about that and it’s connection to DW.
ReplyDeleteGilbert here, moderator: Thank you for the comment. I'll do my best to bring forward some Sarum information.
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