Novus Ordo Mass: Observations & Comments

I agonized over my decision to write these observations and comments as I respect and admire our priests and ministers and the fine work they are doing serving our community. I take no delight whatsoever in pointing out the flaws in others when I myself have many flaws, perhaps even more serious. What our priests need now are more prayers, not more criticisms. However, I cannot remain silent in the face of this severe warning from Inæstimabile Donum:

“But these encouraging and positive aspects cannot suppress concern at the varied and frequent abuses being reported from different parts of the Catholic world: the confusion of roles, especially regarding the priestly ministry and the role of the laity (indiscriminate shared recitation of the Eucharistic Prayer, homilies given by lay people, lay people distributing communion while the priests refrain from doing so); an increasing loss of the sense of the sacred (abandonment of liturgical vestments, the Eucharist celebrated outside church without real need, lack of reverence and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, etc.); misunderstanding of the ecclesial character of the liturgy (the use of private texts, the proliferation of unapproved Eucharistic Prayers, the manipulation of the liturgical texts for social and political ends). In these cases we are face to face with a real falsification of the Catholic liturgy: “One who offers worship to God on the Church’s behalf in a way contrary to that which is laid down by the Church with God-given authority and which is customary in the Church is guilty of falsification.”

Everywhere within the Catholic Church there is a pervasive culture of casualness that is reflected in what people choose to believe or not believe, what laws they will follow or not follow, what reverence they show and how they dress. Ostensibly, Catholics come to church in order to worship their King. Yet they often dress as if they’re about to go out and wash the car.

The Catholic position on this issue of what is appropriate to wear in Church is very simple: the church is the house of God and one must be dressed respectfully because God is present there. For ladies, no slacks, no low-cut, no sleeveless, but dress or skirts, veil, modest clothing. For gents, Sunday best, no shorts, no sneakers, etc.

Vestments For Celebrating Mass – Many priest celebrants do not wear the alb and the proper chasuble, which is a robe of color suitable to the liturgy of the day. The chasuble is supposed to be worn on top of the alb and stole. It’s usually green (for ordinary times), although it could be white, violet, red, rose or black depending on the occasion. According to the 1975 edition of the General Instructions of the Roman Missal (“GIRM”):

“The vestment common to ministers of every rank is the alb, tied at the waist with a cincture, unless it is made to fit without a cincture. An amice should be put on first if the alb does not completely cover the street clothing. A surplice may not be substituted for the alb when the chasuble or dalmatic is to be worn or when a stole is used instead of the chasuble or dalmatic.” [GIRM 298]

“Unless otherwise indicated, the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole, is the vestment proper to the priest celebrant at Mass and other rites immediately connected with Mass.” [GIRM 299]

Wearing the alb and stole only when celebrating Mass is permitted in limited circumstances, such as during concelebrations when there is a limited number of chasubles available, and when celebrated outside a church or oratory. (Congregation for Divine Worship (Prot. n. 480/73).

Nowhere does the GIRM allow the principal celebrant in any Mass held inside a church to vest only with an oversized stole over a “chasu-alb.” What happened to the alb and the cincture, the symbols of perfect integrity and purity? Without the alb, the priest’s street clothes and bare arms can clearly be seen. Isn’t the alb worn precisely for the purpose of hiding the priest’s ordinary wear? How can the laity be expected to dress appropriately for Mass when the ordained minister himself is dressed inappropriately? This casual mentality towards vesting diminishes the solemnity of the Mass. If people can afford to expend time to dress correctly to attend formal affairs hosted by mere mortals, surely, our Lord deserves no less.

Liturgical Norms – Rarely can the laity find two priests celebrating the Eucharistic sacrifice the same way. Many priests often exhibit a remarkably libertine disposition toward the rubrics of the Mass, changing or omitting non-negotiable words, prayers and gestures.

Rev. Fr. Genaro O. Diwa, SLL, head of the Liturgical Commission, observes:

“Reading through your letter confirms my conviction about the need for our priests and lay faithful to understand the reform of the Roman Rite by Vatican II in its proper context. Many have invoked the reforms of Vatican II for their impatient and ill advised innovations in the Liturgy. I agree to all the points you have raised in your letter. These are also my great frustrations in the Archdiocese, when I see the Sacred Liturgy celebrated not in the way the Church teaches it to be celebrated but falls under the whims and caprices of each minister.

I have tried my best to instill in the mind and heart of our ordained and lay ministers that one can only truly introduce legitimate changes in the liturgy if one is rooted in the principles of the Roman Rites. I know that many introduce changes in the liturgy and these have caused more confusion and division in the Church.

The Liturgical Commission has issued many circulars and documents clarifying the issues you have presented, to guide our pastors, but the difficulty is how many of them would be willing to obey.”

Pope John Paul II has said that “the faithful have a right to a true liturgy, which means the liturgy desired and laid down by the Church.” [Inæstimabile Donum]. Because so many Catholics, especially lay Catholics, have been deprived of this right for so long, the faithful have come to accept liturgical abuses as the norm these days without knowing any better. This is not what the Council Fathers had in mind when they drafted the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

Position of Celebrant – Some priests celebrate Mass at the altar from the Introductory to the Concluding Rites in utter disregard of liturgical norms. If liturgical forms are so inessential, why not dispense with them altogether? The priest could simply consecrate the bread and wine, pass them out, and send everyone home. Obviously, the Church has always attached great gravity to the rites, through which most Catholics have their most intimate contact with God on this earth. It is vital that the rites feel holy, and it is very hard for any novelty to seem holy.

Position of Tabernacle – We ditched the golden tabernacle to the side of the Sanctuary. Appropriately enough, the presider’s chair has been set up where the tabernacle used to be: the dead center of the Sanctuary. In effect, the message has been sent (though silently and subtly), “Man is enthroned here, God will have to do with a hallway closet.”

In the Code of Canon Law, Canons 1268 and 1269 order that the Blessed Sacrament be reserved in an immovable tabernacle, which, as a general rule, should be placed in the center of the high altar (in media parte altaris posito) except in cathedral or conventual churches, where it should be placed on a side altar.

Every tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament should be covered with a veil. This veil is the one essential indication of the Presence within the tabernacle, even more so than the lamp or lamps which burn before it.

Let’s put Jesus back where He belongs, lest we see our parish begin to slowly but certainly worship in the Cult of Man, rather than the Cult of God.

Posture of the priest during Mass – Other than those specific instances where the rubrics call for the priest to extend his arms to pray, where should the priest place his arms and hands during Mass? In our parish, I’ve seen priests fold their arms across their chests while the congregation sings the Gloria or Credo. Sometimes they keep their hands in their pockets, or if they’re already prematurely standing at the altar before the appointed time, they would have their hands on the altar holding a piece of paper as if they were reading something while waiting for the choir to finish singing. All of these gestures and postures contribute to the image of a disinterested priest and enforces the overall feeling of irreverence and lack of solemnity. The people see this form of non-verbal communication and behave in like manner. Do we still need to wonder why our Masses seem to lack reverence and solemnity?

In one church I observed that the celebrant, concelebrants and seminarians, without exception, fold their hands together at their chests in praying position when their hands are otherwise free unless otherwise directed by the rubrics. The people see this, and most of them follow the good example of the priests without being told or obliged to do so. You can say that the appearance of holiness exuding from the priests is infectious, and reverence and solemnity is the hallmark of all their celebrations. Why can’t we do the same in our parish?