Sanctoral Cycle in Other Cases Barely Relevant—That Is, Bearing No Special Relation to Saint Thérèse
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ings always linked up with the saint whose feast was being celebrated. In the other Mass I attended, the Epistle was Isaiah 66:12–14 (“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you”), and the Gospel was Matthew 18:1–4 (“Amen I say to you, unless you convert and become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven”). The abandonment of the inner unity of Scripture and The Loss of feastday is one of the greatest disasters of the new rite. It makes the prayers, the readings, and the sacrifice seem like Liturgical three different things, when they ought to be clearly woven together, as in the old rite, making one seamless garment. But there was something more, and worse: the proper Riches in the chants for her feastday, in the new Graduale Romanum, are, in some cases (like the Alleluia verse) irrelevant, and Sanctoral Cycle in other cases barely relevant—that is, bearing no special relation to Saint Thérèse. A comparison with the propers of the old rite for Thérèse’s feastday will make apparent by Peter A. Kwasniewski Saint Thérèse of Lisieux the magnitude of the loss suffered by the faithful when the ancient liturgy and its organic development were cast aside. ne year, a friend and I had the blessing of The Graduale Romanum (the Novus Ordo) offers the attending two celebrations of the Feast of following propers for Saint Thérèse: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, for in the old calendar her feast is October 3rd, and in Introit (Ps. 30:7-8, 2) — I however have hoped in the Lord: O the new calendar, October 1st. In fact, I shall exult and rejoice in Thy mercy, because Thou hast neither date is apropos. Thérèse actually died on Septem- looked upon my humility. V: In Thee, O Lord, I have put ber 30th, but this has long been the feast of Saint Jerome, my hope, I shall not be confounded for ever; in Thy justice qui non movetur, while October 1st, which might be styled free me. I however have hoped in the Lord: I shall exult and the first day of her eternal reward, had been occupied by rejoice in Thy mercy, because Thou hast looked upon my Saint Remigius, Bishop and Confessor, the one responsible humility. for baptizing King Clovis, thereby bringing the Frankish kingdom into the bosom of Holy Mother Church. This latter Gradual (Ps. 26:4) — One thing I have asked of the Lord, feast—so relevant in our days when the “eldest daughter this I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord. V. of the Church” has become, sad to say, a silly strumpet for That I may see the delight of the Lord, and be protected by whose conversion the whole Church should be offering up His holy temple. prayers and penances—was removed from the universal calendar in the 1969 reform. I shall have more to say later Alleluia (Ps. 116:1) — Praise the Lord, all ye nations, and about the removal of “obscure” or “local” saints. Mean- rejoice in Him, all ye peoples. Alleluia. while, to come back to the Little Flower, it was hard not to feel blessed by the opportunity to celebrate her memory Offertory (Ps. 102:2,5) — Bless the Lord, O my soul, and twice. Surely, the saint of heroic humility would be smiling forget not all of His gifts: and thy youth shall be renewed at the inopportuneness of both dates. like the eagle’s. Still, in the Novus Ordo celebration (which was, I might add, just about as Oratorian as could be, complete with a Communion (Ps. 9:2,3) — I shall tell of all Thy wonders: schola singing the chant), it was hard not to notice how I shall rejoice and exult in Thee: I shall sing Thy name, O absolutely unsuitable the readings were; they were simply most High.1 the “readings for the day.” The reading from Baruch had to do with the wickedness of the cities who reject God; the It goes without saying that the translations given above reading from the Gospel was “Woe to you, Tyre and Sidon.” are not, in fact, the ones given in the ICEL text that still, Admitting that a preacher with Origen’s exegetical ingenuity after all these years, perpetrates on English-speaking Catho- could make any Scripture passage illustrate any mystery he lics a fraud the magnitude of which has never been equaled pleased, the ordinary layman is left asking: Does this really in the history of liturgical abuses. The faithful are deprived have much to do with Thérèse? In the old rite, the read- even of the benefit that would accrue to them from having in 30 Fall 2007 The Loss of Liturgical Riches in the Sanctoral Cycle their ears the actual texts that the Church has chosen for her Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior: because celebrations. Besides, probably fewer than 10 percent of the He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid. He that is faithful today actually hear these (or any) “Propers,” least of mighty hath done great things to me. all in the resplendent clothing of Gregorian chant. Instead, they might sing lame songs that are even less relevant to the Communion (Deut. 32:10,12) — He led her about and feastday being celebrated. In other words, the “reform” has taught her, and He kept her as the apple of His eye. As an resulted, in most instances, in a wholesale abandonment in eagle He has spread His wings and hath taken her on His practice of the very notion of Propers. shoulder. The Lord alone was her leader. No, my complaint is not at this level; it is at the level of the Latin text. In her masterful studies of recent years, Dr. Comparing the two sets of propers, I ask: Is this an Lauren Pristas has helped us to see that the radical differ- example of liturgical progress, of a “successful” reform? ence between the old and new Missals has to be assessed The Novus Ordo propers are vague and generic, ready for on the “pure” ground of the Latin editio typica of each. And application to any female saint; the Tridentine propers are this is where I, too, stake my claims. I prescind entirely from majestic, poetic, and exactly apropos to the Little Flower. the insulting travesty of the ICEL translation and focus on the Latin. The Loss of Liturgically Suitable Readings Now, consider the Propers appointed in the old rite for Let us turn to the subject of readings and how they are to the feast of Saint Thérèse. In stark contrast to the sad situa- be selected. A first principle for lovers of liturgical tradi- tion that obtains with the new rite, in the old rite the Propers tion is that the cycle of feasts of our Lord, our Lady, and were always recited or sung, because they are, and were the saints must take precedence over a cycle of Scripture treated as, an integral part of the liturgy. Moreover, people readings. There is no liturgy in existence that privileges a often had their handheld missals with them, so that everyone rationalistically-conceived march through books of the Old who cared to pay attention—and this was certainly an ever- and New Testaments. All liturgies, Eastern and Western, growing number right up to the eve of look to the mysteries of Christ and the Council—was nourished by these of His Mother, and to the lives and verses from Scripture, beautifully Comparing the two sets of virtues of that bright “cloud of wit- applied to the Little Flower: propers, I ask: Is this an nesses” who incarnate, so to speak, the reality of Jesus again and again Introit (Cant. 4:8-9) — Come from example of liturgical progress, throughout history. Recitation of the Libanus, my spouse, come from of a “successful” reform? text of Scripture is made decisively Libanus, come; thou hast wounded subordinate to the historical embodi- my heart, my sister, my spouse, The Novus Ordo propers are ment of Scripture’s message in holy thou hast wounded my heart. V. (Ps. vague and generic, ready for persons. The readings serve, in other 112:1) Praise the Lord, ye children; words, to frame, adorn, and bring praise ye the name of the Lord. application to any female saint; to light the face of Christ and the Glory be. Come from Libanus, my the Tridentine propers are faces of all His imitators. The use spouse, etc. of Scripture is iconic, not homiletic. majestic, poetic, and exactly We are not being lectured at, but Gradual (Mt. 11:25) — I confess to apropos to the Little Flower. rather summoned to worship, to bow Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and down before mysteries. The readings earth, because Thou hast hid these are to function as verbal incense, things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to not verbose information. That is why a relatively narrow little ones. V. (Ps. 70.5) [Thou hast been] my hope, O Lord, selection of Scripture passages, and usually shorter rather from my youth. than longer ones, is perfectly adequate and even preferable for the sacred liturgy. Not all passages are equally suited Alleluia (Ecclus. 39:17-19) — Bud forth as the rose planted to the purpose of liturgy per se. With all due respect to the by the brooks of waters: Give ye a sweet odor as frankin- inspired word of God, probably only about 10 percent of the cense.