Liturgical Mediocrity And The Stuff Of Renewal

Est. 6 minute read time.

Anyone who has migrated from the typical diocesan Novus Ordo Mass to a Latin Mass (1962) or to Divine Worship in a community of one the Personal Ordinariates, or has explored an Eastern Catholic liturgy, knows that there are obvious differences in the "feel" between the typical Novus Ordo liturgy and the others.

Many, if not most, diocesan liturgies tend to be casual to the point that one could reasonably speculate as to whether or not the priest and congregation realize that they are there to worship God. Other forms of the Mass are typically reverent, solemn, God-centered, and carefully prepared and celebrated. The Novus Ordo Mass, unfortunately, is often reduced to a social gathering with awkward improvisations that distract from a focus on the worship of God. Ritual gestures come across as half-hearted and fail to acknowledge the profound reality of Jesus’ eucharistic gift—his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

Hidden among the weeds... .

There are plenty of videos of diocesan liturgies that are difficult to describe without using hard negative terms. The criticisms levelled by concerned Catholics aren't made lightly. It’s disheartening for faithful Catholics to see the Mass reduced to a caricature of its true nature, for the Lord is the heart of the Mass, and it is wrong beyond description to show him disrespect. That said, among the all too frequent liturgical nightmares, the internet also showcases the occasional Novus Ordo liturgy that is ritually authentic and dignified.

What is a priest if he cannot conduct the liturgical rites of the Church in a wholly informed and dignified manner?

Despite the deterrent of poorly prepared liturgies, people continue to find their way into the Catholic Church. Conversions have risen significantly, showing that God, despite manmade obstacles, is drawing many to the Catholic Faith. With access to the internet, seekers discover the beauty of the Catholic Faith and the Sacred Liturgy as it should be. Taking the plunge to swim the Tiber, their perseverance is rewarded by God, who sees their genuine intent and helps them persevere under less than acceptable conditions.

Oh dear! What can the matter be?

So why are parishes so liturgically impoverished? Willful ignorance? Indifference? Distraction? Priests have an obligation to celebrate the Mass with dignity so as to manifest the truth, goodness and beauty of the most sacred event imaginable. Perhaps the imagination is the key.

Limited imaginations often fail to appreciate beautiful ritual, its necessity, and its ability to convey the Truth of God in ways that complement the spoken preaching of the Gospel. Seminaries, like many educational institutions, are steeped in mediocrity. It's no surprise, then, that parishes often become temples of mediocrity as well. Lacking God's grace, the imagination can become untethered from the truth and then people manufacture quasi-rituals that obscure the presence of Jesus and the true essence of the Liturgy.

Having the appearance of godliness.

A recent experience really drove home the theme of mediocrity. A couple was married in the same diocesan Mass during which their toddler was baptized. Think about that for a moment. ... ... .

One cannot judge the hearts of men nor their present actions without knowing something of their prior status. What does merit concern was the conspicuous lack of engagement during that composite liturgy. A majority of the congregation of some twenty-five people didn't know the responses of the Mass; a few spoke timidly. This is not unusual for a Nuptial Mass with non-Catholic guests present. Was there a language barrier? Not likely. The celebrant completed the responses for them.

Right understanding for right orientation.

How can worshippers truly appreciate God at work in the Mass if they are not guided to understand that God is actively present in it? Jesus is the central figure in the Mass, and our actions should reflect that understanding.

In the recent hard-hitting piece Ritual and Anti-Ritual: Cultic and Cultural Consequences, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski offers a concise explanation to help evaluate how ritual holds up or falls short.

https://www.traditionsanity.com/p/ritual-and-anti-ritual-cultic-and

For something to be a religious rite, to possess the quality of rituality, it has to have several properties.

1. First, it must come—and feel like it comes—from ageless depths, from time out of mind, from innumerable nameless ancestors (even if a few of them are named too).
2. Second, it must present itself as ever unchanging, always the same, semper idem. Its rituality precisely consists in the fact that it is predetermined; it is formulaic, controlled, and objective; a solemn act of offering that disposes its human ministers as mere servants. The ceremonies, the words uttered or chanted, the items employed, the ministers and their roles, are “set in stone,” year after year. The use of an ancient sacral language, with formulas that have not changed for eons, massively underlines this aspect.
3. Third, it must be obviously directed toward the Divinity: God is the one to whom the entire rite is being offered, from the man who is His priest, on behalf of the people for whom he mediates.

For all the saints.

Ordinariate and Eastern Catholic communities provide opportunities to worship God in the beauty of holiness. Reverent ritual gestures reveal our intentions and can lead worshippers into a deeper communion with the Lord, creating space within us to seek God's grace for us to adopt the right disposition. Silence provides an opportunity for each worshipper to approach the Lord in a deeply personal way. Authentic sacred music - chants, hymns and polyphonic compositions that are works of art - allow the worshipper to savour the Gospel and breathe in the word of God.

CNA | When the Sacred Liturgy is authentically fostered and celebrated, then the fruits are evident. What fruits did the Second Vatican Council foresee in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy? Three stand out:

1. First, we, the clergy and lay faithful, encounter God in the most profound way possible on earth. We become one with Christ in His zeal for offering fitting worship to the Father through the Holy Spirit. As the Council taught (#7), "Christ, indeed, always associates the Church with Himself in this great work in which God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the eternal Father."
2. Second, we enter ever more deeply into the redeeming action of Christ. "For it is the Liturgy through which, especially the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, the work of our Redemption is accomplished… The liturgy daily builds up those who are in the Church, making of them a holy temple of the Lord, a dwelling place for God in the Spirit." (Ibid, #2)"
3. Third, we are equipped and inspired to evangelize, that is, to bear witness in love and truth to Christ and His Gospel. An ancient Latin saying captures this succinctly: Lex orandi, les credendi, lex vivendi — the way we pray deeply forms what we believe and how we live. If we want to live authentically our vocation and mission in Christ, then we need to have authentic liturgy.

"If we want to live authentically our vocation and mission in Christ, then we need to have authentic liturgy." A phrase worth of remembrance. Beautiful liturgy reflects that Jesus is recognized as Lord and Savior, while shabby liturgy suggests that Jesus is barely known and that perhaps the congregation itself is the focus of worship.

The stuff of renewal.

Proposals include the wide use of Latin, that 1) the Roman Canon once again becomes the (sole) Canon of the Mass of the Roman rite, 2) the replacement of the current offertory prayers with ones having a clear sacrificial theology, 3) the restoration of the proper prayers of each Mass to their unedited form, 4) the promotion of silence in the Liturgy, 5) the return of many of the ritual gestures abolished in the Mass, and 6) the return to the ancient Christian practice of priest and people facing east for what we now call the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Each proposal could engender much discussion and ultimately our present Holy Father or one of his successors must decide whether they are to be implemented. Certainly each of them would contribute to a renewal of a distinctively Catholic liturgical spirit in our worship. Looking Again at the Liturgical Reform:  Some General and Monastic Considerations. English Benedictine Congregation Liturgy Commission Symposium on “Liturgical Renewal: A Reform of the Reform?” Downside Abbey, Bath, 19th April 2006. Dr Alcuin Reid.

A prediction: If the Latin Church does not reclaim its identity through the reverent celebration of the Mass, people might seek elsewhere to pay homage to the Lord our God.

CNA | True worshipers of God do not reform the liturgy according to their own ideas and creativity to please the world. Rather, they "reform the world with the Gospel" to help the world access the  liturgy that is "the reflection of the liturgy that is celebrated from all eternity in the heavenly Jerusalem."

Thanks be to God, people are finding Ordinariate parishes wherein the Mass (Divine Worship) is offered with reverence and beauty proper to the Eucharistic Liturgy.

The mission is the Mass; the Mass is the mission. Purify the Mass, restore dignity and due reverence and God will do the rest. Failing that, countless souls might be lost.

Further Reading

1. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/56539/final-of-seven-parts-what-makes-liturgy-authentic
2. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/ritual
3. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/liturgical-books