Basics of the Liturgy
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    I'm continuing to notice a problem with the PIPs (People In the Pews). I don't know that it's either serious or critical, but I do think it has a bearing on so much of what is happening today. It's the actual "structure" of the Liturgy.

    Now, I find it easy to follow - to understand the "flow". Maybe it's because I grew up in a "German" tradition parish, where we had the "Dialog Mass" for Low Mass, and the congregation was expected to join in on the Ordinary - this is all pre-Vat. II.

    NO congregations seem to know the "flow" of that Liturgy, but only from so many years of total repetition. I don't think most of them perceive the underlying structure, though. After all, whether what they're doing is different on this particular day, or exactly the same, it's all spelled out in their "news-print" worship aid. But when these same people come to their first EF Masses, they are really lost!

    There really isn't that much difference between the structures of the OF and EF Mass. But their prepared "mold" of the news-print model being destroyed, they are totally confused. One of the confusing things is the Readings. And this is compounded by the "Latin-English Booklet Missal". It does state that the Readings and "Propers" are taken from those for Trinity Sunday, but only in one place and in small print. And each section that is "Proper" has that word (Proper) next to the heading on the RH page English text, but, again, it is small. It's not just small, but nobody knows what it means! We had out printed worship aids with all the changeable parts translated, and it has a preamble that clearly states that the Readings and Prayers of the day are contain HERE, and NOT in the red Missalette. But it still takes weeks of coming to Mass, and someone pointing out that the Priest is saying something that is NOT in the book!

    I know that there are Graces gained from attending Mass, but it seems to me that there are more Graces when one comprehends more of what's happening! Our modern Liturgy and it's simplistic worship aids have done quite a disservice to the PIPs when it comes to understanding the "form" of the Liturgy. And yet they are expect to immerse themselves in "active participation"!

    What think ye all?
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I think one of the barriers is the sotto voce. When I went to my first EF High Mass, they had the books you mentioned. In fact it was Trinity Sunday, so I thought "wow, how nice, they have books with all the readings and propers for each day!" Anyway, it came to the canon and it was silent. There was a long pause and I wanted to yell out "Father, we're on page 6!" Then suddenly I heard the "...per ipsum" or whatever where the silence is broken and had to flip around to figure out where the priest was. So yes, the red books could do a bit better of a job explaining what is to happen during Mass!
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    Very true. But both of these weekly EF Masses are Low Masses, and both priests I'm working with enunciate the Latin quite well, and very audibly. About 50% of the PIPs who are following along actually recognize enough cognitives to respond at the end of the Readings!
  • Michael O'Connor
    Posts: 1,637
    There are booklets that have pictures along the sides of the actions and annotations to explain what is silent and such. Look around for a better guide. They do exist.
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    That's probably true, but I'm not in charge of major purchases like that.

    But what I'm getting at is - how can we teach/demonstrate the beautiful structure of the Liturgy, including postures, rather than simply spelling it out in print and letting them get used to it?
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Bulletin articles. Word of mouth. Mass cards in the pews. Catechesis. Good example.

    The problem is of course compounded by ad libbers and inconsistencies of presentations in various "worship aids." I venture to say 90% of a typical OF congregation has no idea of what "Mass of the Catechumens" means. Even "Liturgy of the Word" and "Liturgy of the Eucharist" might be misleading. Feeling bound to demarcate sections of the Mass might be bad for the Mass. The Mass is essentially one integral prayer and sacrifice, right? Dividing it into sections tends to foster a modular, plug-and-play approach to it. Everything then becomes fungible. We are in a centrifugal age, liturgically speaking. Presenting the Mass as an integral sacrifice, as one Act, would help re-orient things to their proper focus.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I'd say it's catechesis first and foremost. I don't know about your experience, but I've always found congregations just eat up any "we do this in Mass because of this" explanations. For better or for worse, of course.. And at some point, you DO have to start from the bottom. I suspect lots of the opposition to the old Mass wasn't so much over any of the peculiarities of it as much as it was poor liturgical catechesis in the days before the council. And that's still the norm, it seems the only difference is that now because of the vernacular people THINK they have the Mass all figured out. At our school, for example, I've noticed that many of the older children have NO clue about how the Mass works. Responsorial Psalm? Where does that go? We sing the Alleluia at the end, right? At what point has it slipped the minds of the teachers to make sure they leave the school with a full, working understanding of the structure of the Mass?

    As for minor things, it starts in the congregation. I know this wouldn't make the e-trads happy, but we don't have many of them here anyway: be friendly, be welcoming, remember the person next to you is also a part of the body of Christ assembled to participate in the Sacrifice. Fuzzy talk aside, I'll give as an example my first visit to an Orthodox church last month. As soon as I walked in, I grabbed a worship leaflet/bulletin. Very soon a man came over, introduced himself, and handed me all the material I needed to understand the Divine Liturgy. He then offered to explain how the liturgy worked, but I explained that I'm used to the Catholic Mass. He said "please let me know if you have any questions" and walked off. No matter how warm-and-fuzzy-community-Haugen-All-Are-Welcome our churches are, are there ANY Catholic churches where something like that would happen for a visitor? No. Although I also recall being at my first High Mass (as listed above) coming in late and being lost in the red book. It wasn't a serious problem, I just had to get my bearings. Anyway the younger fellow down the pew from me slid over and pointed in the missal where we were at. From that, I learned to recognize the Introit going on. The congregation needs to teach the congregation (and visitors) to some degree. Maybe it's as simple as after Mass saying "you're welcome to sing the et cum spiritu" to your silent neighbor.

    Of course we're rather helpless up in the lofts :P
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