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What Is “Ad Orientem”? Why Is the Priest Celebrating with His When We All Celebrate Facing East, the Us to God

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What Is “Ad Orientem”? Why Is the Priest Celebrating with His When We All Celebrate Facing East, the Us to God What is “Ad Orientem”? Why is the priest celebrating with his When we all celebrate facing East, the us to God. Look where he’s pointing, not back to us? He isn’t. He could only ‘have priest is part of the people, not separated at the one pointing. his back to us’, if we were the center of from them. He is their leader and Facing East reinforces the mystery his attention at Mass. But we aren’t, God representative before God and we are of the Mass. We have become so is. The priest is celebrating looking east, all one, together in our posture. Think familiar with the actions of the priest; in anticipation of the coming of Jesus. about all those battle we sometimes forget Remember the words of the Advent images of generals the great mystery at the hymn, People Look East? “People, look on horseback—they heart of it: that the priest East. The time is near of the crowning of are facing with their exercises his priesthood the year. Make your house fair as you are troops, not facing in Jesus Himself and it able, trim the hearth and set the table. against them. Just so, is Jesus really and truly People, look East and sing today: Love, the priest is visibly present both standing as the guest, is on the way.” part of the people and the priest and on the altar We have become so familiar to Mass clearly acts in persona as the sacrifice. When celebrated with the priest facing us that Christi capitis, “in the the priest bends low over we have forgotten that this is a relatively person of Christ the the elements and then new innovation both historically and head,” when we all face elevates, first the host and liturgically and actually something that the same direction. then chalice, we see, for the happens only in the modern-day Latin The Roman/Latin rite first time, our Eucharistic Rite. From early times in the Church is only one of twenty- Lord emerge from the and all the way until Vatican II, Mass was three different Catholic rites, each with priest who is clothed in vestments and celebrated ad orientem (towards the east). its own particular culture, liturgy and mystery. Letting that image settle in can All of the Eastern Catholic churches still customs, but all in full communion with be a profoundly spiritual moment—as it celebrate their Mass (or Divine Liturgy) Rome. should be. this way. Facing East, the direction of worship The priest isn’t always turned towards The reason is that tradition instructs is upward and outward to God. We are the altar. Notice how there is movement us that when Jesus comes again, He will tempted to be closed in on ourselves as in the liturgy. At times the priest turns be like the rising sun which comes to us a circle closes in on itself. We are already to God, at other times he turns towards from the east. Celebrating while looking far too tempted to think that Mass is the people. There is a dialogue and the in that direction is just another way about us and meeting our own needs. priest stands between. Whenever the Catholics worship with our whole bodies, Making a deliberate change to direct priest is addressing God, he is turned not just with our minds and hearts. ourselves outward and towards God can towards the altar (most especially at the Even in places where the Church is be a healthy spiritual practice and an Eucharist Prayer). Whenever the priest not physically ‘oriented’ to the East (like antidote to our self-centered tendencies. is addressing the people, he is turned here at St. Mark), the common direction But I can’t see the priest’s face! Facing towards them (most especially at the of ‘liturgical east’ (or, everyone facing the same direction helps us focus our Liturgy of the Word and the Homily). towards the altar), continues this same attention on God rather than on the Didn’t Vatican II change all that? This experience. It’s another way that the priest. So often in a versus populum is a common point of confusion. While liturgy acts as our catechist (teacher), orientation the priest feels that he has versus populum liturgy was popularized reminding us that we are there in to ‘perform’ like an actor on the stage after the Council, ad orientem worship expectation of Jesus’ coming to the altar and the people are often distracted by still remains the norm for Latin Rite in the Sacrament, in our hearts in prayer the priest’s personality, for good or for (Roman Catholic) liturgy. The rubrics and into our bodies in Holy Communion. ill. The ad orientem direction makes (instructions) for the Mass still talk about We are body, mind and soul and Catholic the Mass less about the personality of the priest, ‘turning towards the people,’ liturgy helps us use all three of these in the priest and more about the mystery because the assumption is that at certain worshiping God. that he stands, “in the Person of Christ points during the Mass, he is facing the For people raised on the Mass the High Priest”. The man who is the altar. The rubrics are very clear that this celebrated versus populum (facing priest disappears within the vestments is a legitimate and time-honored way of the people), facing east can feel (that’s a part of their purpose) and when offering even the novus ordo (new order awkward. Some people object that it we do not see his face, we are freer to of Mass). seems impersonal. Others think it’s old concentrate on God before us. Worship Is anyone else doing this? Yes. In fashioned and limits the participation of is about attending to God; ad orientem fact, many parishes, including some the people. Still others experience it as worship reduces the distraction of Cathedrals, have taken up this position being aloof or too formal. Understanding personality and focuses us on Jesus. for regular or seasonal worship. In our the reasons and symbolism can help us Think of it this way: if someone points own diocese there are several parishes enter more fully into the experience of out a beautiful flower or a star in the who celebrate Mass ad orientem. And by celebrating facing East. Here are a few night sky to you, do you look at him or the way, Pope Francis celebrates Mass ad things to keep in mind: what he’s pointing to? Just so with ad orientem at times as well. orientem worship. The priest is pointing What St. Mark Parishioners are saying... “When we return to Mass, please lead us to Jesus. Please talk It’s amazing to see my St Mark “family”, including you, Father, about Jesus. Please warn the faithful of hell because of sin and together facing Our Lord and giving Him all of our Praise, the joys of heaven because of God’s grace. Please teach about Honor and Glory! Thank you, Father Bierbaum, for offering reverence. Please don’t assume we know what you wish we did this beautiful and reverent Mass at St. Mark Church! or think we do. Please encourage God’s people to be humble -- before Him and to kneel at the reception of communion and “Thank you for treating our Lord and Savior with deep respect receive on the tongue. Please don’t be deceived that the Council and honor. It means everything to us that your focus is on God, required you to face us - instead, please turn and lead us to the sacrifice, and leading us. We absolutely love that you are Jesus - help us focus on Him. Please be bold regardless of the doing ad orientem now, it helps us in many ways: cost. The faithful will rise and support you and God will be with you. We will gladly follow you to Him - lets both look at Him We know that the sacrifice of the Mass is to offer Christ to God and go together to Him.” on behalf of the people. We participate with you in this, but -- God is the focus, not us. “O, how I love the Mass! When I learned of your plan last year to celebrate Mass in this fashion, I was thrilled. “Ad orientum” When you are facing God, we can focus more on God, but literally means “to the east,” which is totally appropriate, for also as parents when we have to help our kids, we know you we always fix our gaze have it handled up there. in the direction of our It feels so peaceful to returning Lord. And know we are all in this when the celebrant is together with you as offering up the Mass, our father and captain, when addressing the facing God offering the Lord, it is only fitting that sacrifice. No worries about the celebrant would turn “entertaining” us or us toward Him! “entertaining” you. --- As Cardinal Ratzinger “Growing up as a Catholic (later Pope Benedict XVI) in the Church post- wrote in The Spirit of Vatican II, I had never the Liturgy, “...a common seen a Mass celebrated ad turning to the east during orientem until a few years the Eucharistic Prayer ago. I was immediately remains essential... struck by the beauty Looking at the priest has and appropriateness of no importance. What our prayers being lifted matters is looking to directly up to God. My the Lord. It is now a question, not of dialogue, but of common eyes have always naturally focused on the tabernacle and worship, of setting off toward the One who is to come.” And crucifix at Mass so it seemed so natural and appropriate that a bit later in the chapter, “...what is at issue is not a romantic the entire congregation would join the priest in lifting our escape into antiquity, but a rediscovery of something essential, hearts and minds to God.
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