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Articles “In the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy” (CCC 1125)—Reflections on Authority in Liturgy Today Liturgical integrity is a principle which guards the sacred liturgy from the exegencies of personal whim or ill-exercised authority. by Dom Alciun Reid, O.S.B.

n some Anglican circles the acro- even dilettantish positivism in response to nym “WVL” raises a smile. It is personal desires or extrinsic agendas that Inot infrequently employed when demonstrate little, if any, obedience of faith visiting ask about the type or religious respect for the mystery of the of service celebrated in a given church or sacred liturgy. chapel. It stands, of course, for “What the Allow me to recall some familiar exam- Vicar likes”. ples. Let us leave to one side the many such One could be forgiven in recent instances arising from and pastors— decades—indeed for far too many of them they are without doubt legion—and simply now—for suggesting that a similar acro- attend to some arising from . nym “WPL” could be fairly widely appli- Te inaugural years of St. John Paul cable in the of the II’s papacy were marked by a much-needed Church, where “P” could stand for “”, reestablishment of discipline in many areas “pastor,” or even “.” For if we ask where of the life of the church. It came as no we find authority in liturgy today, too often real surprise, then, that the April 17, 1980 the response be that it is located in Instruction of the Sacred Congregation an unprincipled exercise of autocratic or of the and Divine Worship,

Dom Alcuin Reid, O.S.B., is the founding of the Monastère -Benoît in the of Fréjus-Toulon, France (www.msb-lgf.org) and a liturgical scholar of international renown. His principle work, Te Organic Development of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2005) carries a by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Tis ar- ticle was presented as a plenary address to the Colloquium of the Church Music Association of America in Phil- adelphia on July 3, 2019.

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 7 Inæstimabile Donum, ruled that: “[w]omen I do not wish to focus unduly on the are not . . . permitted to act as serv- content of these changes in liturgical dis- ers.”1 What did come as a surprise was the cipline. I raise them in order to ask: on reversal of this by means of a June 30, 1992 what basis, according to what principles, authentic interpretation of 230 §2 by the Pontifical Council for the Interpreta- tion of Legislative Texts, confirmed by the same pope the following July 11, and com- municated by the Congregation for Divine I do not wish to focus worship two years later (March 15, 1994),2 declaring that service at the altar is one of unduly on the content of the liturgical functions that can be per- formed by both lay men and women. these changes in liturgical In the same period the Congregation for Divine Worship consistently insisted, discipline. I raise them in reply after reply, that in respect of the washing of women’s feet on Holy Turs- in order to ask: on what day, the word in the relevant rubric, “viri,” meant “viri”—“men,” meant “men.” And basis, according to what yet, as we know, many pastors, priests and even a number of did not like this principles, were they and acted according to their own prefer- ences. When one such was elected made? of Rome, we got “what the Pope wants”—a of the Congregation of Divine Wor- ship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (January 6, 2016) establishing that “pastors were they made? For, I would submit that, can choose a small group of the faithful who in respect of , refashioning represent the variety and unity of each por- the rites according to what the priest, pas- tion of the ”—a group that tor, pope, or for that matter any individual, “can consist of men and women, and conve- likes is simply not sufficient. niently of young and old, healthy and sick, Permit me one further example. In clerics, consecrated, lay people.” Given what his General Audience address of Novem- the Pope in fact does on Maundy Tursday ber 26, 1969, St. Paul VI spoke of the “the one might be forgiven for asking why this liturgical innovation of the new rite of the decree apparently still limits the members ” that was to come into effect the fol- of this group to Christians? lowing weekend as a “many-sided inconve- nience” likely to bring about “the kind of 1Congregation for Divine Worship and the Dis- upset caused by every novelty that breaks cipline of the Sacraments, Inæstimabile Donum, in on our habit,” especially amongst “pious April 17, 1980, ¶18. persons” and even, possibly amongst some 2Notitiæ 30 (1994), 333–35. priests. It is perhaps difficult to ascribe this

8 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 change simply to “what the pope likes,” for full, supreme and universal power over the not only is there some evidence that Paul Church.”4 He is the Supreme Legislator in VI did not like aspects of the reform he the church, from whose rulings there is no himself promulgated, 3 he also asserts— appeal.5 To the Successor of Peter belongs in the same address—more significant the power of binding and loosing on earth motivations: and in heaven.6 Given this teaching, be it in respect of It is Christ’s will, it is the breath of the altar girls, the washing of the feet of women Holy Spirit which calls the Church to (or even non-Christians) on Maundy make this change. A prophetic mo- Tursday, or be it the substantial reform of ment is occurring in the mystical body the entire liturgy itself, one could be for- of Christ, which is the Church. Tis mo- given for thinking that the entire Catholic ment is shaking the Church, arousing it, liturgy is utterly subject to “what the pope obliging it to renew the mysterious art of likes,” indeed in modern times to what this its prayer . . . or that particular pope likes. If that is the case, if the Supreme Authority is able to Tis renewal of prayer . . . is aimed at exercise his authority simply to impose his associating the assembly of the faithful will or personal preference in respect of the more closely and more effectively with sacred liturgy, then it is utterly understand- the official rite, that of the Word and that able that what the bishop, priest, , of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, that consti- MC, musical director, liturgy committee, tutes the Mass. For the faithful are also or any other individual “likes” may similarly invested with the “royal priesthood”; that be imposed by means of whatever measure is, they are qualified to have supernatural of authority they have, share, or have arro- conversation with God. gated unto themselves in a given situation. Where this prevails it is, of course, as in Tese are serious motivations, and surely, Anglicanism, important to associate with it is most certainly for the pope to judge the others with similar “likes” so as to avoid measures appropriate for their implemen- unpleasantries! tation. As we know and believe as a doc- But is this right? Is such subjectivism, trine of the Catholic Faith, “in virtue of his so akin to the Anglican milieu in which the office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor phrase “what the Vicar likes” has meaning, of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has tolerable for Catholic liturgy? Is doing my own thing, even if I am convinced that it 3See the anecdotes contained in Leonardo Sapi- is right and good—or even “traditional”— enza, ed., Paolo VI: Una storia minima (Monopoli: within the bounds of legitimate liturgical Edizione Viverein, 2018); see also the remarks of Virgilio Cardinal Noé, Master of Pontifi cal Cere- 4Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen monies from 1970–1982, given in a 2008 interview Gentium (November 21, 1964), ¶22; see also Cate- with Bruno Volpe on the website Petrus, available chism of the , ¶937. in an archived version at

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 9 diversity, or does it damage the “substantial are an intrinsic part of the handing on of unity of the Roman rite”?7 the faith received from the apostles. Tey are not mere decoration or ornament. Te Te Objectivity of Catholic Liturgical rites and prayers that have developed in the Tradition life of the church are sacred vessels which Or does Catholic liturgy enjoy an objec- bring apostolic tradition to us. Tus they tivity that precedes personal preference, be are privileged worthy of pro- that the preference of a pope or of any other found respect. person? Paragraph 1124 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

Te Church’s faith precedes the faith T e liturgy, the liturgical of the believer who is invited to adhere to it. When the Church celebrates the rites themselves, are sacraments, she confesses the faith re- ceived from the apostles—whence the an intrinsic part of the ancient saying: lex orandi, lex credendi (or: legem credendi lex statuat suppli- handing on of the faith candi according to Prosper of Aquita- ine [5th cent, Ep. 8]). Te law of prayer received from the apostles. is the law of faith: the Church believes as she prays. Liturgy is a constitutive el- T ey are not mere ement of the holy and living Tradition. [cf. Dei Verbum n. 8.]. decoration or ornament. Prescinding for the moment from the issue of the deeply troubling exegesis of the premise lex orandi, lex credendi by Pope Pius Tat is why Catholic liturgy is sacred. XII in his letter Tat is why Catholic liturgy is not that (November 20, 1947) whereby this teaching which any individual or group “likes” to is effectively reversed so that he advocates do, but is what we do ecclesially, in accor- that we “let the rule of belief determine the dance with what is handed on to us in tradi- rule of prayer,”8 we must underline here tion. Tat is why the sacred liturgy enjoys a the reality that “[l]iturgy is a constitutive theological objectivity and cannot be altered element of the holy and living Tradition.” without the greatest of prudence and due Te liturgy, the liturgical rites themselves, proportionality. Tat is why the subsequent paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic 7See Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacro- Church teaches: sanctum Concilium (December 4, 1963), ¶ 38. 8 For this reason no rite may Pius XII, Encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy, Medi- ator Dei (November 20, 1947), ¶48. be modified or manipulated at the will of

10 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 the minister or the community. Even the ations one with another becomes some- supreme authority in the Church may thing we can experience, fellowship with not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but the people who pray before us and after only in the obedience of faith and with us. Tus the rite is something of bene- religious respect for the mystery of the fit which is given to the Church, a liv- liturgy.9 ing form of paradosis, the handing-on of tradition.10 Tere are two elements of this teaching to be underlined. In the first place “even the Pope Benedict XVI, when taking pos- supreme authority . . . may not change the session of the of the Bishop of liturgy arbitrarily.” Death comes thus to the Rome, applied this principle in respect of principle “WPL,” whether we be speaking the exercise of all papal authority with a of a priest, pastor, pope, or any other person. clarity and a humility that betokened the Te limits of papal power in respect of greatness of his pontificate: the sacred liturgy, taught authoritatively here by St. John Paul II in the Catechism he Te power that Christ conferred upon promulgated, were elaborated eloquently by Peter and his Successors is, in an abso- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger shortly before lute sense, a mandate to serve. Te power his own election to the See of Peter: of teaching in the Church involves a commitment to the service of obedience Te Pope is not an absolute monarch to the faith. Te Pope is not an absolute whose will is law, but is the guardian of monarch whose thoughts and desires are the authentic Tradition, and thereby the law. On the contrary: the Pope’s minis- premier guarantor of obedience. He can- try is a guarantee of obedience to Christ not do as he likes, and is thereby able to and to his Word. He must not proclaim oppose those people who for their part his own ideas, but rather constantly bind want to do what has come into their himself and the Church to obedience to head. His rule is not that of arbitrary God’s Word, in the face of every attempt power, but that of obedience in faith. to adapt it or water it down, and every Tat is why, with respect to the Litur- form of opportunism.11 gy, he has the task of a gardener, not that of a technician who builds new machines Te ministry of the pope, therefore, is and throws the old ones on the junk-pile. one of obedience to the Word of God. In Te “rite,” that form of celebration and respect of the sacred liturgy, this ministry prayer which has ripened in the faith and is exercised, as the catechism teaches, in the the life of the Church, is a condensed 10Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Preface to Alcuin form of living tradition in which the nd sphere which uses that rite expresses the Reid, T e Organic Development of the Liturgy, 2 edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005), pp. whole of its faith and its prayer, and thus 10–11. at the same time the fellowship of gener- 11Pope Benedict XVI, , Mass of the Pos- session of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome, St. 9Catechism of the Catholic Church, ¶1125. John Lateran, May 11, 2005.

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 11 obedience of faith and with religious respect theology, but its mirror. for the mystery of the liturgy. “Te Pope is Again, this may not have seemed so not an absolute monarch whose thoughts dangerous a thing to say in 1947, but by and desires are law.” Mutatis mutandis, nei- 1967 when what Catholics believed seemed ther is any bishop, priest, deacon, MC, at best to be in flux and at worst in utter tur- musical director, liturgy committee, or any moil, its potential to underpin a concomi- other group or individual, no matter what tant liturgical revolution was clear. Indeed their position or expertize. by 1977 this principle’s potential had been Tis brings us face to face with the sec- exploited at the official level with a new set ond element of what is taught in paragraph of liturgical books reflecting a new theol- 1125 of the catechism: “the obedience of ogy. At a local level, with very little exer- faith” and “religious respect for the mystery cise of liturgical discipline by competent of the liturgy” that must be shown by all, from the pope down. Earlier I asserted that there was a dis- turbing issue in respect of Pope Pius XII’s exegesis of the premise lex orandi, lex cre- “T e Pope is not an dendi in Mediator Dei, whereby he asserts that it is the rule of belief which deter- absolute monarch mines the rule of prayer, and not the other way around. When this was published in whose thoughts and 1947 the dangers inherent in this reversal may not have been all that apparent. Sadly, desires are law.” they have become all to clear in the ensu- ing decades. For if the sacred liturgy (its rites, prayers, chants, and associated arts, etc.) authority, there were extremes: Catholic are a “a constitutive element of the holy liturgy was widely regarded as a subjective and living Tradition,” this organism, as matter for the local community to “plan,” handed on in tradition, is itself an essential using even the modern liturgical books source for experiencing the Catholic faith with all their options as mere resources and for knowing and reflecting upon what rather than receiving them as contain- we believe: the sacred liturgy is itself theo- ing the liturgy given by the church to be logia prima.12 However, if what we believe celebrated faithfully. What was believed determines the rule of prayer, the liturgy determined how we prayed: the divergent can (or ought to) be refashioned according paucity of the former informed the radi- to changes in theology so as to reflect the cal diversity of the latter. Tere were nota- latter. It is no longer a primary source of ble exceptions, of course, but this problem was widespread in both , seminar- 12 David W. Fagerburg, “Liturgical T eology,” in ies, and religious communities and, as we Alcuin Reid, ed., T&T Clark Companion to Lit- urgy (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016), pp. know, it manifested itself no more clearly 3–20. than in the realm of liturgical music.

12 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 How could such a lack of “the obedi- Te had in fact ence of faith” and “religious respect for the been attempting to overcome this reduc- mystery of the liturgy” come to pass? Te tionism, the product of an abstract sac- analysis of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is ramental theology, and to teach us to insightful. He attributes it to: understand the Liturgy as a living net- work of tradition which had taken con- A neo-scholastic sacramental theology crete form, which cannot be torn apart which is disconnected from the living into little pieces, but has to be seen and form of the Liturgy. On that basis, peo- experienced as a living whole. Any- ple might reduce the “substance” to the one like myself, who was moved by this matter and form of the , and perception in the time of the Liturgi- say: Bread and wine are the matter of the cal Movement on the eve of the Second sacrament, the are Vatican Council, can only stand, deeply its form. Only these two things are really sorrowing, before the ruins of the very necessary, everything else is changeable.13 things they were concerned for.14

Tis observation is crucial in under- Tese are strong words. But it is a fact standing the liturgical crisis. And it that subjectivity, not objectivity, has been explains a great deal about how many oth- the lot of the sacred liturgy for far too long, erwise orthodox clergy, religious, and laity from the pre-conciliar disdain of sung or sol- accepted unacceptable changes to and muti- emn Mass as being “too much unnecessary lations of the sacred liturgy following the fuss” (the expression “It’s the that and for decades matters!” comes right out of this stable . . . ), thereafter, up to our own day. For if one to the liturgy being regarded as something can reduce the sacraments to valid matter which I may translate, celebrate, and adapt and the correct form in one’s mind, one may according to our—or even my own—prefer- ignore, disdain or even abuse the rites that ences, to the unforeseeable horizons of the surround them. Te liturgical rites become proposed “organic progression of the liturgy” incidentals and are therefore unimport- which embraces radical inculturation and ant in themselves. Tey contain no author- more.15 Even more conservative or so-called ity in their own right and certainly demand “traditional” circles, not infrequently go no serious respect. Tey may be reduced, beyond the bounds of what is given to us by refashioned, replaced or dispensed accord- the church and select, adapt, or ignore rites ing to the prevailing theological and ideo- according to subjective will. I shall return to logical trends of a given time, whether that that peculiar behavior a little later. be by popes or their commissars, by episco- Cardinal Ratzinger’s incisive analysis pal conferences, local bishops, priests, or lay of the liturgical crisis of the church before, liturgical potentates. Cardinal Ratzinger observed further 14Ibid. that: 15See: Anscar Chupungco, O.S.B., “Inculturation and the Organic Progression of the Liturgy,” Ec- 13Ratzinger, Preface, 11. clesia Orans, 7, no. 1 (1990), 7–21.

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 13 during and after the Second Vatican Coun- legitimate authority. cil caused him much grief and pain, cer- Liturgical integrity rejects subjectivism tainly, as it should do us all. But it did not in all its forms, be that the visiting of theo- immerse him in a debilitating depression. logical or ideological impositions upon the Both through his personal writings and sacred liturgy, or be that an archaeologism his example, teaching and governance as that would idiosyncratically take us back to the successor of , he underlined the fifth century, to a given date in the nine- the objectivity of liturgical tradition in line teenth or twentieth century, or to any other with his call some twenty years ago for a supposed period of liturgical purity, disre- renewed discovery and appreciation of the garding later developments and eschew- same—for “a movement toward the Lit- ing their value a priori. Liturgical integrity urgy and toward the right way of celebrat- refuses the arrogation of an authority in ing the Liturgy, inwardly and outwardly,”16 respect of the celebration of liturgical rites for what we call today “the new liturgical to oneself that the church herself has not movement”. given one. Liturgical integrity makes of us faithful servants of the sacred liturgy, not A “Higher Law”—Liturgical Integrity her masters or proprietors. How should anyone with authority, great or small, in respect of the sacred liturgy be- have? How ought the new liturgical move- ment to proceed when faced with a diversity of liturgical practice, ambiguity in and dis- How should anyone regard of liturgical law, and a plethora of supposed “customs” which at times amount with authority, to little more than established disobedience? How can we manifest “the obedience of great or small, in faith” and “religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy” that its very nature demands? respect of the sacred I wish to propose a working principle, a “higher law” if I may call it thus, which liturgy behave? I believe will serve us well in this endeavor no matter in which part of the Lord’s vine- yard we labor or no matter which use of the Liturgical integrity rejects the cancer of Roman or other rites we celebrate. It is the minimalism and seeks to fulfill the injunc- principle of liturgical integrity. Tis encom- tion of St. Tomas Aquinas to “dare to do as passes integrity in respect of the objective much as possible”17 in praise of him whose nature of the sacred liturgy; integrity in 17 respect of its legitimate development; integ- “Quantum potes, tantum aude: / Quia major rity in respect of the pertinent decisions of omni laude, / Nec laudáre súffi cis” [All thou canst, do thou endeavour: / Yet thy praise can equal nev- er / Such as merits thy great King]. See St. T om- 16Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, T e Spirit of the Lit- as Aquinas, Lauda Sion, for the Feast of urgy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000), pp. 8–9. Corpus Christi.

14 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 mysteries the sacred liturgy celebrates. be taken of the papal decisions to sanction It looks first and foremost to the glory of decades of disobedience of the use of altar almighty God, not to the reaffirmation of girls or the washing of women’s feet on quotidian man—indeed it is contemporary Maundy Tursday. man that liturgical integrity is intent upon So too, the integrity (in respect of the changing, not the sacred liturgy. It seeks to sacred liturgy itself, not necessarily in know and learn liturgical law and faithfully respect of the intentions of the individuals to observe its detailed prescriptions, “love’s concerned) of the of a whole- little rules.” Liturgical integrity seeks to sale reform of the liturgy predicated on the bring to the fore all that is true, beautiful, supposed needs of modern man, going even and good and to offer it anew to its cre- on paper far beyond the measures called for ator. Liturgical integrity requires that we by the Second Vatican Council, and going do nothing arbitrarily or in haste, but that even further still in its local implementa- we approach the sacred liturgy having first tion and practice, may be questioned. Dis- removed our shoes and act “only in the obe- proportionately to change the lex orandi is dience of faith” and “with religious respect” to endanger the lex credendi. As the decades for its profound mystery. have rolled on the statistics have increas- ingly confirmed that the motivations for a T e Practice of Liturgical Integrity liturgical reform enunciated by the coun- cil18 have not been realized. Te inconve- i. In the exercise of authority in respect nience and sacrifice judged necessary by St. of the sacred liturgy. Paul VI to enact such a measure has, in the end, not paid the expected dividends. Te What does this mean for those who “springtime” of the liturgy and of ecclesial exercise legitimate authority in respect of life anticipated by the Vatican II reformers the sacred liturgy: the pope, the bishops, was very brief, if it arrived at all. Its summer episcopal conferences, and for those who scorched and its autumn has been very long, assist these authorities in this ministry? as is its winter. In the first place, it is necessary to say Papal positivism in respect of the lit- that “WPL”—what the pope likes—is an urgy has gotten us nowhere. Indeed, it has inadequate basis for liturgical legislation or set us back significantly. In such a situa- reform, be the matter large or small. Tere tion liturgical integrity surely demands that is no doubt that the pope enjoys the positive authority urgently make a frank and honest legal authority to legislate in respect of the assessment of the current situation, with a sacred liturgy, and many popes have appo- preparedness to accept the failures of recent sitely done so to our day. It would be dif- decades and an openness to making the ficult to say that the Holy Father’s 2016 necessary corrections to liturgical practice of the of St. Mary Mag- today. Pretending that the emperor is clad dalen to the rank of a feast lacked liturgical in rich clothing when in fact he is likely to integrity: it was, surely, another example of die of cold is not integrity. the legitimate, incremental development of the liturgy. But a very different view could 18Sacrosanctum Concilium, ¶1.

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 15 He who exercises authority in respect (already cited above): of the sacred liturgy must himself, first and foremost, be a liturgical worshipper, Te Pope is not an absolute monarch already caught up in the feast of the love of whose thoughts and desires are law . . . God that is the splendor of the sacred lit- Te Pope’s ministry is a guarantee of obe- urgy. He must be free from such neo-scho- dience to Christ and to his Word. He must lastic reductionism as has been described not proclaim his own ideas, but rather above. Tat is to say, he must know and love constantly bind himself and the Church the sacred liturgy from within, not regard to obedience to God’s Word, in the face it from without as a mere public duty or a of every attempt to adapt it or water it burdensome chore. down, and every form of opportunism. Tat is why the father of the new litur- gical movement, Cardinal Ratzinger, could So too, in their celebration of the sacred write a book so eloquent as Te Spirit of the liturgy those with authority must be exem- Liturgy, and speak so intimately therein of plars of good practice. It simply will not such things as the importance of kneeling. do if a pope or bishop celebrates the lit- Tat is why Robert Cardinal Sarah so ener- urgy perfunctorily, as if it is a chore to be getically proposes the necessary rediscovery accomplished as quickly as possible. Nor of the celebration of Mass and is it acceptable if he commands our obedi- the reception of holy kneeling ence in matters liturgical, or indeed in any and on the tongue. Tat is why matter, whilst himself failing to observe the was able to promulgate liturgical norms. To do this would a pastoral letter on sacred music that is sec- be an abuse and a true source of scandal. ond to none in its clarity and integrity. Tat Rather than being an arbitrary lord, is why St. John Paul II insisted that the ver- as the General Instruction of the Roman nacular translations of the liturgy be accu- of Paul VI insists: rate. Tat is why Pope Benedict XVI could not but promulgate the measures contained Te , the stew- in his Summorum Pontificum ard of the mysteries of God in the par- (July 7, 2007). Tese great and holy men ticular Church entrusted to his care, is have not done so as authorities imposing the moderator, promoter, and guardian their personal ecclesio-political stance or of the whole of liturgical life. In cele- ideology, but as believers whose first con- brations that take place with the Bishop cern is the worship of almighty God, and presiding, and especially in the celebra- as believers who know with integrity from tion of the Eucharist by the Bishop him- within the good that these practices beto- self with the Presbyterate, the , ken and promote. and the people taking part, the mystery Every exercise of authority in respect of of the Church is manifest. Hence, sol- the sacred liturgy must have such integrity. emn celebrations of Mass of this sort All whose duty it is thus to serve would do must be exemplary for the entire diocese. well to examine their consciences according to the principles outlined by Pope Benedict Te Bishop should therefore be determined

16 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 that the Priests, the Deacons, and the lay aside for the older rites or we must celebrate Christian faithful grasp ever more deep- it as well as is possible—the latter being ly the genuine significance of the rites and most often the case for the pastoral clergy. liturgical texts, and thereby be led to the What we may not do, if we are to celebrate it active and fruitful celebration of the Eu- with integrity, is to adapt it beyond the lim- charist. To that end, he should also be vig- its of its own laws. Tat is to say, it is a rite ilant in ensuring that the dignity of these with its own principles and coherence which celebrations be enhanced and, in promot- must not itself be abused, even seemingly for ing such dignity, the beauty of the sacred the good, no matter what we think of it. place, of the music, and of art should con- Te clearest exposé of the liturgical tribute as greatly as possible.19 integrity required in respect of the usus recentior may be found in Pope Benedict Let us not cease to pray for our bishops, XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum including the bishop of Rome, that they Caritatis, most particularly in the section might realize ever more perfectly this fun- in which he describes the ars celebrandi, the damental element of their vocation. “art of proper celebration” of the liturgy.20 Pope Benedict insists: ii. In the celebration of the usus recentior of the Roman rite Te primary way to foster the participa- tion of the People of God in the sacred How is one to practice liturgical integ- rite is the proper celebration of the rite it- rity in respect of the modern use of the self. Te ars celebrandi is the best way to Roman rite—its usus recentior—particu- ensure their actuosa participatio. Te ars larly when its pedigree may be said to be far celebrandi is the fruit of faithful adher- from integral? ence to the liturgical norms in all their Liturgical integrity is realistic. Te usus richness; indeed, for two thousand years recentior is here and it is not going to disap- this way of celebrating has sustained the pear any time soon. Yes, its production was faith life of all believers, called to take not organic; yes, its texts even before they part in the celebration as the People of were or are badly or better translated into God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation the have been passed through (cf. 1 Pet. 9:5–24).21 an ideological sieve of 1960’s vintage which has robbed them of much of their theolog- Te elevated vision of Sacramentum Car- ical content, and yes, the newly composed itatis is a testament to liturgical integrity ones reflect the limitations of that same calling the church to the celebration of the period; and certainly, there are other issues. usus recentior according to that hermeneutic But the modern Roman rite is a reality with of continuity with liturgical tradition which which we must deal—it has become a part it so desperately needs. All those involved of contemporary liturgical tradition, even if as a mutant progeny. We may either leave it 20Post-synodal Exhortation, Sacramentum Carita- tis (February 22, 2007), ¶¶38 and following. 19General Instruction of the , ¶22. 21Ibid.,¶38.

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 17 in the celebration and preparation of this ity, and humility. It also requires determi- use of the Roman Rite, its ceremonies and nation and perseverance so that “the fruit of music, should know and share this vision. faithful adherence to the liturgical norms Tus formed, the many practical in all their richness”—the full, conscious choices one frequently must make amongst and actual participation of all the faithful the plethora of options available shall be in the sacred liturgy23—may be achieved. informed by the mind of the church her- When considering the ars celebrandi, self. We will come to know what the sacred the question of the “mutual enrichment” liturgy is ritually and theologically and of the usus recentior often arises. How are be equipped to insist on the employment we to approach this sensitive question with of means appropriate to its worthy cele- integrity? bration. So too, we shall be prepared to I hope that we are clear that integrity recognize what is inappropriate to the lit- eschews “WPL”—I am simply not free to urgy and to exercise our duty to say “no” do what I personally want with the sacred to proposals that are unworthy, howsoever liturgy. I must therefore resist the tempta- well-motivated. tion to indulge in liturgical practices that We shall be clear that singing the liturgy may in many ways be desirable but which and not singing at the liturgy is our God- do involve crossing a line: liturgical law is given ministry, and that singing the liturgy liturgical law and if I am to behave with in a manner that is harmonious with it and integrity I owe it obedience. If I chose to be with the other musical pieces and arrange- disobedient, even to a good end, I become ments chosen for a given celebration is what part of the problem. is required—a , Gloria, , and Having stated this principle, for a prac- each from a different Mass in tical consideration of the enrichment of the the or each by a different poly- usus recentior I can do no better than rec- phonic composer might do more to connote ommend the study of this question pre- a concert rather than liturgical worship. sented to Sacra Liturgia New York in 2015 Te practice of liturgical integrity by Father Tomas Kocik and published in requires nothing less of us than this. Given its proceedings Liturgy in the Twenty-First that the local practice of usus recentior is Century.24 It is not exhaustive of course, but almost as varied as there are parishes and its proposals are carefully argued with an churches, and given that the adjective “pas- integrity that is exemplary. toral” when applied to the liturgy has too If we approach the usus recentior of the often come to mean its deformation or Roman rite with such integrity we shall do abuse—we must never forget that truly pas- much to enhance its liturgical efficacy. Yes, toral liturgy is the liturgy of the church opti- the larger questions in respect of it remain, mally celebrated22—our task is by no means and they must not be ignored, but whilst easy, and shall require much patience, char- 23 22Alcuin Reid, “Pastoral Liturgy Revisited,” in , ¶14. Alcuin Reid, ed., T&T Clark Companion to Lit- 24T omas Kocik, “T e Reform of the Reform,” in urgy (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016), pp. Alcuin Reid, ed., Liturgy in the Twenty First Cen- 341–363. tury (London: Bloomsbury, 2016), pp. 19–50.

18 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 it remains in place it must be celebrated as ful study is necessary. Not every picture or well as is possible, for the glory of almighty practice advocated on the internet is correct God and for the sanctification of his people. or to be imitated. And, as in any celebration of the sacred liturgy, my personal judgment iii. In the celebration of the usus antiquior of what should or should not be in the given of the Roman rite liturgical books is not sufficient grounds for departing from them. Indeed, liturgical integrity is ambitious Tere is no question, of course, that for the best. It seeks to give to almighty God the abuses of the years following the Sec- as much as we possibly can, and in this light ond Vatican Council pushed many faithful it is easy to see why so many young peo- Catholics “over the edge,” and the con- ple embrace the usus antiquior of the Roman certed efforts to forbid the older rites in rite—its more ancient form—as something those years created a situation in which dis- rich, new, challenging, and fulfilling as obedience was judged necessary by some. they seek to worship and follow Christ in For any Catholic that is a most dire situa- the post-modern world of the twenty first century. Pope Benedict XVI knew this when, now twelve years ago, he sought to effect “an interior reconciliation in the heart T ere is no question that of the Church” by establishing that: the abuses of the years What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and following the Second it cannot be all of a sudden entirely for- bidden or even considered harmful. It Vatican Council pushed behooves all of us to preserve the rich- es which have developed in the Church’s many faithful Catholics faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.25 “over the edge.” Te growing importance of the usus antiquior in the liturgical life of the church is a reality. But here too, it is essential that tion, for obedience to due authority is a vir- we approach the sacred rites with humil- tue deeply to be cherished. Liturgically, the ity and integrity, for today it is just as easy usus antiquior where it was celebrated, was to treat them according to subjective prefer- without the paternal oversight of authority: ences and opinions as it has been to fashion what the priest did was what he thought he the modern rites into my own image and should. Some (including the Society of St. likeness. Due prudence is required: care- Pius X) simply adopted the last set of litur- gical books in use before the council, oth- 25Letter to the Bishops accompanying the Motu ers used earlier versions before the reforms Proprio Summorum Pontifi cum, July 7, 2007. of Pope Pius XII. One priest in England

Sacred Music | Fall 2019 Volume 146, Number 3 19 whom it was my privilege to know used the old.26 Without truth, without integrity, cus- Sarum Missal, at least in part. toms hold little importance—above all for the One does not in any way wish to judge sacred liturgy. the stances adopted by any of these priests And sometimes well-meaning individu- in such an extraordinary situation in the life als or groups will decide to advance the usus of the church. Tey were terrible years. But antiquior, adopting the vernacular where thanks to the work of St. John Paul II, com- it is not permitted or choosing to accept pleted by Pope Benedict XVI, those years some later ritual reforms which seem to are over. Te usus antiquior is a stable part of make sense to them, but not others. Tis the liturgical life of the church and remains à la carte approach to the older liturgical so under the current Holy Father. Given the rites is, ironically, a relatively widespread number of young people deeply attached to, phenomenon. or indeed entirely formed and immersed in, Here it must be said that we cannot be its riches and culture, it would be impossi- said to be acting with integrity if we arro- ble, in practice, for any pope to reverse that. gate to ourselves authority that is simply not In this situation, how, then, are we to ours, no matter how good our motivation. celebrate the usus antiquior with integrity? Indeed, the reformed rite of priestly ordi- For it is a fact that many who celebrate it, nation includes an explicit promise “to cele- formed in the optionalism inherent in the brate the mysteries of Christ faithfully and usus recentior, can at times treat the older religiously as the Church has handed them liturgical rites with a subjectivism that is down to us for the glory of God and the utterly alien to their nature: what the priest sanctification of Christ’s people”—some- (or MC, or whoever) likes, not what the thing implicit, surely, in the older rite of liturgical books say, sometimes informs ordination. how the usus antiquior is celebrated. I am perhaps reasonably qualified to Tis often arises because of a heightened evaluate the pre- and post-conciliar liturgi- consciousness of the intrigues of pre-con- cal reforms and could, I hope, make appro- ciliar liturgical reform which are sometimes priate proposals to competent authority for uncritically denigrated wholesale with the any needed adjustments to the liturgical attendant danger of throwing out the baby books. But I cannot, on my own authority, with the bathwater. So too the word “cus- implement what I think should be the case. tom” is often invoked. Apart from the fact Integrity demands that I and those under that those invoking custom in this way my authority follow the official liturgical are often seeking to revive practices that books (in our case as authorized by Summo- have long-since ceased to be observed (and rum Pontificum and the Instruction on its sometimes, if not often, with good reason) implementation, Universæ Ecclessiæ, April and which are therefore in no sense custom- ary, we would do well to ponder the maxim 26It would be possible to say this, for example, of St. of Carthage (†258): “Con- of those who insist on the priest “doubling” the suetudo sine veritate, vetustas erroris est”—a readings of sacred scripture at , even though they are sung by the and dea- custom without truth is simply error grown con—a practice happily and rightly reformed in the 1960 .

20 Volume 146, Number 3 Sacred Music | Fall 2019 30, 2011). To do otherwise could well be ing be made in charity. If I believe that per- to fall into the temptation articulated so mission should be given to depart from the clearly by T.S. Eliot in Murder in the Cathe- liturgical books in force, let me set out my dral, when he writes of this “last act” as petition to due authority with all humility being “the greatest treason. To do the right and patience. To do anything other is to be deed for the wrong reason.” less than Catholic. In 2018 our little monastery, after much Conclusion Obedience of faith and religious respect for the mystery of the sacred liturgy calls us to integrity in all our approaches to the T e subjectivism that has sacred liturgy, be we pope, priest, layper- son or anywhere in between. Te subjectiv- blighted our liturgical life ism that has blighted our liturgical life for too long, and which is with us still—on all for too long, and which sides—must be banished. We must become humble ministers of the great mystery of is with us still—on all the liturgy, that it might do its salvific work in the world unimpeded by personal desires sides—must be banished. or extrinsic agendas, no matter what their motivations. To this end we could do no better than to pray, with fervent hearts, the words of patience, was the first to receive the per- the hymn from Friday : mission of the to celebrate and the of according Repelle a servis tuis to the Missale Romanum promulgated in quidquid per immunditiam 1953, and it was a joy and a blessing to cel- aut moribus se suggerit ebrate these rich and beautiful rites—even aut actibus se interserit. if it made clear that some small elements of them were rightly reformed. But to cele- Drive far from all your servants here brate them without permission would have whatever through impurity been to act without integrity, as would it shall make its way into our acts be to pick and choose elements of pre- or or plant itself in habits formed. post-conciliar rites and cut them from or paste them into the liturgical books in force according to my personal judgment or preference. No, integrity demands that we celebrate the usus antiquior as the church gives it to us today. If obedience to this precept requires the setting aside preferences, let that offer-

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