***
There are other anomalies [wow! what a term!] within the Novo [Novus] Ordo that I think are worth mentioning:
1. Not kneeling or Sitting during the Consecration and the Agnus Dei. [Well, this is not true here in the Philippines. Filipino bishops have directed that the laity kneel during the consecration and during the "Ecce Agnus Dei.."]
2. Holding of Hands during the Pater Noster. Should it not be the priest raising his hands as a gesture of raising the prayers of the congregation to God? [Well...this is the subject of my next blog post.]
3. Raising of Hands when answering Et cum spirituo and Habemus ad Dominum. [Another innovation which I think bore out of the laity's reaction. It actually began in the charismatic movement. Again, it is not allowed. The liturgical action of raising the hand when greeting with "Dominus vobiscum" is a liturgical action of the ordained.]
4. Saying "My Lord and My God" during consecration. [This is actually a pious devotion that was done even before Vatican II and is still encouraged You can read about this in a post by Fr. Z. In fact, St. Pius X granted an indulgence to those who would say those words while the Host is elevated. In fact, the traditional ejaculation is this: “My LORD and my God, I believe, help my unbelief.” and at the elevation of the Chalice, “Be mindful O LORD of Thy creature, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy most Precious Blood.” ]
5. Recitation of the shorter's Apostles Creed instead of the longer Niceno-Constantinopolitan "Credo in Unum Deum". I don't see any pastoral reason the recite the shorter version. By the way, it is ONLY in the Philippines that the Apostles Creed is recited in the Mass. WHY? [It was decided upon by the CBCP. But with the new translation, the Nicene Creed is now recited during Masses in English.]
6. The secular greeting at the start of the Mass e.g. good morning, good evening, etc... This is totally NONE liturgical and is a pretty good means of flushing out in a second the prayerful atmoshere that has built during the entrance hymn or antiphone. [I am with you on this. "The Lord be with you." is the best greeting you could ever say to another Christian.]
7.Clapping after the Ite Missa Est as norm. I do not see this in the rubrics, do you? [I have blogged a lot of time against this. THIS IS JUST A PLAIN DUMB PRACTICE!]
8. The terrible pop music we implement in our liturgy that are no longer reverend of the Church, no longer didactic, not singable or cantabile by the common man and as a congregation. E.g. "Humayo't Ihayag" is a catchy tune, but is it singable? does it teach much? In addition, the usage of secular instruments which distracts more than uplift. We really lost the use of the classical organ where the right hand plays a different part from the left, melodiously assisting the Gregorian Chant. Not so much of Nostalgia because I have not experience this era. [Vatican II placed Gregorian Chant in a a very high place, YET, liturgists like Chupungco and Diwa have a very low regard for Gregorian Chant. You ask why? Ask the Jesuits of Ateneo in Katipunan Ave. They created a big industry out of this. Imagine if they promoted Gregorian Chant. You think they'd benefit financially from it?]
9. Removal of the Crucifix on the Altar because this removes the sense of sacrifice of Christ that the priests re-offers in a mystical manner. If I were the Pope, I would order priests to perform the Consecration AGAIN facing the altar and back against the congregation because this is the greatest symbol that the priest is offering the Merits of Christs Passion, Death, and Resurrection in a mystical and unbloody manner to the Father FOR THE PEOPLE and In Persona Christi. Then he can face back the congregation when he resume praying the rest of the Eucharistic prayer. [One of the great and mind-boggling reform that the Church did after Vatican II is to have Mass facing the people. I suggest you read this.]
10. The blessing for anniversary, birthday celebrators at the end of the Mass and the singing of the HAPPY BIRTHDAY inside the Church. Ahhh, this really is appalling. [I am with you here. There is a special liturgy where special blessings can be done.]
10. Engaging altar girls. As I said, this is a practicum for boys, not for girls. [I have blogged about this. I don't like it either.]
11. Priest not wearing the alb underneath. Even if we're in a tropical country, it is not reason to wear the Chasuble as this is a symbol of the Baptismal robe. [There are a lot of liturgical abuses committed by priests who do not wear the proper liturgical attire.]
12. On the laity's part, the already norm of wearing casual instead of the Sunday Best clothes. [It's not the norm. In fairness, the Archdiocese of Manila came out with guidelines about this. Unfortunately, they are good on paper.] Wow! We all go dress to the 9th when attending parties, social gatherings, weddings, SONA, yet in the house of God, we enter with our pekpek shorts and chinelas and maong pants. So is God a lesser person to honor?
Ahh, just too much abuse that simple makes me squirm. No wonder present day Catholics lost their respect for the priesthood, for the sanctuary, for the Holy Eucharist, the lost of reverence and appreciation for the Mass, all because the way we celebrate the Lex Orandi DOES NOT anymore Reflect our Lex Credendi, i.e. our Liturgy in the Novo Ordo or the manner we celebrate it no longer express and is didactic showcase of our What We Believe.
Too bad!
***
Oh yes, I do agree.
Whenever we see priests treat the Mass as if it were their own entertainment show.
We treat the Mass as if it were not a holy event.
Even Commencement Exercises are treated with so much pomp and nobility, the present day Sunday Mass becomes much like a children's party!
Is this how we treat the holy?
Both clergy and laity are guilty.
We don't treat the Holy Mass holy!
Thanks Pedro Lorenzo!
ReplyDeletePraise be Jesus Christ!
Praise to Him Forever!
As regards, "MY LORD and MY GOD" during consecration is really not bad per se, but it should be said SILENTLY as a personal response of Faith to the Sacrifice being offered and NOT as a routine part of the Rubrics, with or without the indulgence. The issue here is Liturgical Uniformity in act and words. I could also say "Thank You, Lord for giving-up your life in my place, a sinner!" But I should NOT say this allowed.
As regards, the NON-KNEELING, sorry, but I see a lot of these Church-goers who would rather sit down instead of kneeling during the Epiklesis+Anamnesis, and the Agnus Dei. I wish I can send you stolen photos if only I could bear to be distracted. Believe me, these are young people who are neither at all afflicted by arthritis nor have any knee injury. They simply are unaware of the great Mystery unfolding right infront of their very eyes. When I was small, my dad would even tell me to kneel everytime the Blessed Sacrament passes during the celebration of Corpus Christi, Christ the King, and during the Eucharistic Procession on Holy Thursday. I recall that he instructed us to kneel with both knees and do a Deep Bow when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. So why this nonchalant non-kneeling? This is one negative result of the reception of the sacraments by the hands: we become callous to the great Mystery which we hold but are not suppose to hold with our bare hands.
Too bad the Sunday Best is no longer the Norm! You could be right. Assuming we don't wear the best, can't we at least wear something decent, with collar, and does not show much of our legs, cleavage, toes, and bare arms? If any, this is a huge indicator of HOW MUCH we value our Faith, the practice of our Faith, and the House in which we celebrate our Faith. Most of all, this is an utter lack to the PERSON whom we adore during the Mass.
As for the Creed, NOT ALL Parishes uniformly use the CREDO IN UNUM DEUM, I still see a lot of these routinely using the Apostles' Creed. My goodness, the rubrics allows this shorter form only during Solemnities when the Liturgy is quite long, and during Rosaries. What is this? Plain Laziness or lack of knowledge from the Cebrating Priest himself? Again, I am speaking of norms, Not exception.
Dear brother in Christ, the abuses are overflowing. Last Sunday, I even saw a priest offer the Mass without a [Cross with a Corpus] on the table. Can you imagine that, missing the very Image that reminds us of the very sacrifice that is being offered.
And I don't mind reiterating: These abuses simply breaks down and demean that Lex Orandi which should be a living showcase of our Lex Credendi. In the end, without much awareness, we painlessly erode our awareness of our rich deposit of Faith.
Misereatur nostris Omnipotens Deus!
Oh, these are all Holy masses?
ReplyDeleteThe first picture looks like they're dancing to Gangnam Style.
The second picture looks like they're on a hospital's ICU.
The third picture looks like they're playing.
The fourth picture looks like they're going to the beach.
My goodness!!!