The Mass matters

by Michael Shackleton · February 16, 2011

How often have Catholics not heard the catchword �It�s the Mass that matters�? That is as true now as ever it was. Vatican II reminded the Church that �the Eucharist is the summit of all Christian life� (Lumen gentium, 11), and called for a revision of the liturgy to bring the mystery of the Mass into more understandable focus so that God�s people might be caught up in this magnificent act of worship of the Father in the presence of Christ himself, our high priest.

When implementation of the Council�s recommendations crystallised, people appreciated just how big the change in the liturgy was. The Latin Tridentine Mass gave way to a new liturgical form using the languages of the people; positions and movements of the priest and ministers in the sanctuary shifted with the priest facing the congregation.

This New Order of the Mass became official in 1970. In the same year Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre opted to secede from communion with the pope in order to preserve the Tridentine liturgy and the ethos of the pre-conciliar Church. Amendments to the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity in Christ, had led to a prominent Father of the Vatican Council to split the Church�s solidarity, making the Mass a bone of contention, not a sign of communion.

Comment and criticism are frequently aimed at today�s celebration of the Mass. We have to ask ourselves whether the faithful really do show their solidarity, their embracing of Christ and one another, when they attend their parish Eucharist. Some ask whether the Tridentine rite should not be reinstated, perhaps on the grounds that the silence of that rite intensified the feeling of awe and mystery as the priest entered into the �holy of holies� to consecrate bread and wine.

The New Order is here to stay, despite those who may complain that there is no sense of reverence in the Mass, which they find boring, repetitive and uninspiring, and that includes the homily.

Our news reports and letters page have featured instances of this dissatisfaction, including complaints about the liturgy�s new English translation and the poor quality of music and hymn-singing in our churches.

It is necessary to appreciate that the Mass remains a profoundly sacred act of worship but the way it is celebrated can have a contrary effect on the faithful.

Interesting, therefore, are the comments of Auxiliary Bishop Alan Hopes of Westminter diocese and chairman of the liturgical committee of the Bishops� Conference of England and Wales.

Writing in the Tablet, he recalls Pope Benedict�s visit to the United Kingdom in September� last year. He says the Holy Father spoke eloquently of the meaning of the Mass by simply celebrating it. He then highlights three points that, he believes, are the model for the proper and respectful liturgical rite of the Mass at diocesan and parish level.

Firstly, there is the period of silence the pope observed after the homily and Holy Communion. This amplified the feeling of being in the presence of God and with other members of the faithful. Secondly, the range of music, which reminded one that the Catholic Church has something of quality to offer. Thirdly, the dignity of the ceremonial, which was unfussy, drawing the assembly (and even passers-by) into the mystery of the holy sacrifice.

Liturgical committees and liturgists might heed what Bishop Hopes has pinpointed. Sacred silence at sacred moments; restrained and prayerful singing; a liturgy undertaken in the awareness of the divine presence. Priest and people will need to work together to perfect these and so emphasise that it is the Mass that matters.