Thursday, March 29, 2012
LITURGICAL CEREMONIES ARE THE RITUAL EXPRESSION OF A WRITTEN TEXT--ANOTHER LIGHT BULB MOMENT FOR ME BECAUSE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS!
Father Robert Taft, SJ, gave me another light bulb moment in reading his article on the Eastern and Orthodox Divine Liturgy when he wrote: "But liturgy is not ceremonial. It is prayer. And so these ceremonies are the ritual expression of a text."
The light bulb moment would not have happened for me if not for Pope Benedict's broad permission to celebrate the Tridentine Mass also known as the Extraordinary Form.
That liturgy which is offered by the priest in soft tones and many inaudible prayers, but prayer nevertheless, does precisely what Fr. Taft describes in the ceremonies of the Eastern Rite's Divine Liturgy, "ceremonies that are the ritual expression of a text!"
We don't use ceremonies in the Ordinary Form of the Mass as a ritual expression of a text to the extent that we do in the Extraordinary Form where movements are more scrupulously choreographed and signs of the cross more frequent during the recitation of prayer.
Let me give but two examples from the Extraordinary Form Solemn Sung Mass for the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary this past Monday:
1. At Monday night's EF Mass for the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Canon as usual was prayed in a low voice. However, the choir sang a rather lenghty Sanctus/Benedictus (the two separated). So as the choir sang the Sanctus, I recited it and began to quietly pray the Roman Canon, the people were kneeling. Even with my back to the people, they could see my ritual action giving expression to the text they could not hear.
The Sanctus was finished as I began the Hanc Igitur. The bells were rung, the profound bows of the priest at both consecrations, the double genuflections, the ringing of the bells at each consecration, once for the first genuflection, three times for the high elevation, and once again for the second genuflection were all ritual actions giving expression to the consecration narrative or text which was prayed quietly! That's liturgy!
2. Then the Benedictus was sung as I prayed the remainder of the canon. Of course there are numerous signs of the cross over the consecrated Species which are ritual actions that give expression to actual words of praise being heaped upon God as I asked God to accept the Sacrifice in praise of Jesus Christ present who is the Sacrificial Victim. Even though the choir was singing the Benedictus as I quietly prayed the Roman Canon, the actions of the priest gave voice and expression to the texts.That's Liturgy! However, even if there had been no music overlay of the Roman Canon by the choir, the Roman Canon would nonetheless have been prayed in low voice and thus the ceremonial actions of the priest still give "ritual expression to the text!" How cool is that?
The Ordinary Form Mass is too sterile and wordy, too verbal! And this critique has been offered about it since the 1970's for I recall that critique but did not fully understand until now what that critique actually meant. We have much to learn not just from the Eastern Rite and Orthodox expression of Liturgy but from our own organic development of Liturgy that has its apex in the Extraordinary Form. That doesn't mean returning exclusively to the EF but it does mean allowing the EF to seriously impact the way the OF is today celebrated to liberate it from its banality, sterility and verbosity.