I was ordained in 1991. I was trained to celebrate the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. My professor made sure that we knew the rubrics because we would have to be able to break them intelligently. I am of the opinion that the Ordinary form of the Latin Rite is the normal form, common to all Catholic Churches. I am of the opinion that the Ordinary form, properly celebrated, would not necessitate the inclusion of the Extraordinary Form in normal parish life.
But that is the problem. Is there any parish in the United States where the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is properly celebrated? Is there any priest in the United States who has a reasonable knowledge of ars celbrandi who knows how to celebrate Mass in a manner consistent with the intent of the Universal Church? And if a priest learns to celebrate Mass in that manner, will he change because the poor parishioners feel they have been relegated to being bystanders and observers.
Dear Father, you are there to offer the Holy Sacrifice to the Almighty Father. It is not your job to connect emotionally with congregation. Your job is not to engage the children or young people or make them happy. Your job is not to evaluate the liturgy based on how it makes people feel.
One parishioner remarked that they enjoyed the liturgy because it was so personal. The Mass felt really intimate as he prayed the Eucharistic prayer in his own words.
I have been told that there is a rich diversity in the way liturgy is celebrated in the church and multiple expressions that are valid, and that limiting Charismatic abuses of the liturgy is more of a personal preference than church teaching. Continuing they accused me of removing the liturgy from the people and that to be traditional would deny the rich diversity of our Catholic Liturgical heritage.
This is why the Extraordinary Form must be made available. They Church must have a direct experience of what continuity with the ancient faith looks and sounds like. There is a very real and separate difference between the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form. With the Extraordinary Form you are immersed in the mystery, “Te igitur, clementíssime Pater.” On the other hand the Ordinary form immerses you in the mundane, “What on earth are those ushers doing back there?”
In actual fact, there is very little difference between the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form, both properly celebrated. When you celebrate both properly, there is a sense that makes it clear why a reform was desired. There are some things eliminated and a few added things.
Even though The Ordinary Form is the normal expression of Catholic worship, I will prefer the Extraordinary Form. In the Ordinary Form I am criticized for how I celebrate Mass. In the Extraordinary Form the criticism is that I celebrate it.
In the short term you will be criticized if you disappear into the Liturgy and make it all about Jesus and not about the local community. Do it anyway!
But that is the problem. Is there any parish in the United States where the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is properly celebrated? Is there any priest in the United States who has a reasonable knowledge of ars celbrandi who knows how to celebrate Mass in a manner consistent with the intent of the Universal Church? And if a priest learns to celebrate Mass in that manner, will he change because the poor parishioners feel they have been relegated to being bystanders and observers.
Dear Father, you are there to offer the Holy Sacrifice to the Almighty Father. It is not your job to connect emotionally with congregation. Your job is not to engage the children or young people or make them happy. Your job is not to evaluate the liturgy based on how it makes people feel.
One parishioner remarked that they enjoyed the liturgy because it was so personal. The Mass felt really intimate as he prayed the Eucharistic prayer in his own words.
I have been told that there is a rich diversity in the way liturgy is celebrated in the church and multiple expressions that are valid, and that limiting Charismatic abuses of the liturgy is more of a personal preference than church teaching. Continuing they accused me of removing the liturgy from the people and that to be traditional would deny the rich diversity of our Catholic Liturgical heritage.
This is why the Extraordinary Form must be made available. They Church must have a direct experience of what continuity with the ancient faith looks and sounds like. There is a very real and separate difference between the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form. With the Extraordinary Form you are immersed in the mystery, “Te igitur, clementíssime Pater.” On the other hand the Ordinary form immerses you in the mundane, “What on earth are those ushers doing back there?”
In actual fact, there is very little difference between the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form, both properly celebrated. When you celebrate both properly, there is a sense that makes it clear why a reform was desired. There are some things eliminated and a few added things.
Even though The Ordinary Form is the normal expression of Catholic worship, I will prefer the Extraordinary Form. In the Ordinary Form I am criticized for how I celebrate Mass. In the Extraordinary Form the criticism is that I celebrate it.
In the short term you will be criticized if you disappear into the Liturgy and make it all about Jesus and not about the local community. Do it anyway!
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