Liturgy

Weird ways my mind works. When I read/hear the awesome fact that Jesus is risen, having this in mind, I think it is ironic that in the Latin Rite for the Eucharist, the bread is unleavened.

I also find it interesting that the practice of using unleavened bread arose in the West in the 9th century.

… the change to unleavened bread. Alcuin and his pupil Rabanus Maurus are the first indisputable witnesses to this new practice, .. which spread only very slowly. The increased reverence for the Sacrament probably helped to introduce the use of the pure white wafers which could be so much more easily broken without worry about crumbs. (Joseph Jungman, S.J. “The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development”)

From the Catholic Encyclopedia (1917):

but leavened bread in the Eastern Church, except among the Maronites, the Armenians, and in the Churches of Jerusalem and Alexandria, where it is unleavened. It is probable that Christ used unleavened bread at the institution of the Blessed Eucharist, because the Jews were not allowed to have leavened bread in their houses on the days of the Azymes.

I was surprised at this history since I assumed that unleavened bread would have been the norm since this is what Jesus likely used at the Last Supper and that it has a greater sign value in relation to the institution of the Jewish Passover and the Exodus. I seems, at least in the West, this development was tied to the fact that in the early Church there was no manufacturing of specific Eucharistic hosts and thus commonly available bread was used.

In Lawrence Feingold’s, “The Eucharist”:

In the Latin rite, the bread must be unleavened, according to CIC, canon 926. This practice reflects the fact that Christ instituted the Last Supper on the first night of Passover, and so He would have used unleavened bread. In the Eastern tradition, however, leavened bread is used.

St. Thomas poses the question in the Summa of Theology as to whether the matter for the Eucharist is leavened or unleavened bread, and responds as follows:

Two things may be considered touching the matter of this sacrament namely, what is necessary, and what is suitable. It is necessary that the bread be wheaten, without which the sacrament is not valid, as stated above. It is not, however, necessary for the sacrament that the bread be unleavened or leavened, since it can be celebrated in either.

But it is suitable that every priest observe the rite of his Church in the celebration of the sacrament. Now in this matter there are various customs of the Churches: for, Gregory says: “The Roman Church offers unleavened bread, because our Lord took flesh without union of sexes: but the Greek Churches offer leavened bread, because the Word of the Father was clothed with flesh; as leaven is mixed with the flour.” Hence, as a priest sins by celebrating with fermented bread in the Latin Church, so a Greek priest celebrating with unfermented bread in a church of the Greeks would also sin, as perverting the rite of his Church. Nevertheless the custom of celebrating with unleavened bread is more reasonable. First, on account of Christ’s institution: for He instituted this sacrament “on the first day of the Azymes” (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7), on which day there ought to be nothing fermented in the houses of the Jews, as is stated in Exodus 12:15–19. Secondly, because bread is properly the sacrament of Christ’s body, which was conceived without corruption, rather than of His Godhead, as will be seen later (76, 1, ad 1). Thirdly, because this is more in keeping with the sincerity of the faithful, which is required in the use of this sacrament, according to 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Christ our Pasch is sacrificed: therefore let us feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

However, this custom of the Greeks is not unreasonable both on account of its signification, to which Gregory refers, and in detestation of the heresy of the Nazarenes, who mixed up legal observances with the Gospel

Some selections from Quas Primas, the encyclical by Pope Pius XI, established the Feast of Christ the King in 1925.

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In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring. And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ; and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ, that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread and keener interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one Source of Salvation, a sign that men who had formerly spurned the rule of our Redeemer and had exiled themselves from his kingdom were preparing, and even hastening, to return to the duty of obedience.

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If, therefore, the rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote and increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect the public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of public authority, and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true at the present day. “With God and Jesus Christ,” we said, “excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation.

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This state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend his rights.

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For me, today is liturgical déjà vu since we celebrated this feast last month in the TLM. I find this interesting because the placement was always for the end of the liturgical year, and the Pope thought the specific date “convenient.”

The last Sunday of October seemed the most convenient of all for this purpose, because it is at the end of the liturgical year, and thus the feast of the Kingship of Christ sets the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ already commemorated during the year, and, before celebrating the triumph of all the Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect. Make it your duty and your task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to the people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance of this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy of faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.

My parish’s historic wooden church has been closed for renovation since the start of the year. Today we had our first Masses there since then.

There is still work to be done and additional items awaiting to be finished, shipped, and installed. Still, it is very good to be back.

The picture was my view from the choir loft before Mass started. Previously we had not been able to use the choir loft, especially as I was told there was little ventilation and it was barely usable. This was no problem today and they had added a couple of ceiling fans in the area.

I have always loved the acoustics of singing in this church and the choir loft makes it easier for us to hear each other. For the last six months, we have been having the TLM in the main Church later in the day. I greatly appreciate the accommodations made to make this happen, but we are a small schola and trying to be heard in a very large parish without amplification was difficult.

It was also great to see that we were pretty close to capacity regarding the number of people who attended.

We had our annual Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal today. I was thankful that they played the video on a screen before Mass started, as they have done the last couple of years. Genuinely I’m not too fond of the stewardship video in lieu of homily, which I have experienced. Apparently, only priests and video equipment are ontologically capable of delivering a homily.

There is just so much that annoys me about these appeals. It is not the appeal to money by the diocese that bothers me at all; I have no problem with necessary stewardship. What annoys me is that I feel as if I am treated as a captive audience, “While we got you here for your Sunday obligation, watch this video to appeal to you heart-strings and hopefully your purse-string.” What I hate the most is the “Liturgy of the Envelop Form Filling.” All the details on how to fill it out, the blocks to check, and all the various options.

The production quality of these videos has certainly improved in my limited experience, but if you need slick videos to get people to contribute; there is a more serious problem regarding discipleship that needs to be addressed.

The other part that annoys me is the aesthetics of the whole setup. Whether it is TVs with DVD Players, Projector Screens, etc—it is such an intrusion on the liturgical space. I am always so tempted to make sure the equipment is blessed, that is by dowsing them in a liberal amount of holy water.

This got me thinking: How long have these video stewardship appeals been going on? Or really, how long have these appeals been occurring during Mass?

I do wonder if during the silent film era they had the bishop, seminarians, Catholic Charities, and others onscreen with placards? Maybe with music to highlight emotional appeals. Charlie Chaplin to raise money for chaplains.

More likely it was the priest reading a letter from the Bishop and forming a homily around 2 Corinthians “for God loves a cheerful giver.” I would find that more appeal-ing.

They should do these appeals on Ash Wednesday, that would solve the crowds.

I was thinking yesterday how celebrating Epiphany on the 2nd has really thrown off my liturgical time clock. I really dislike Liturgical Savings Time. Everything seems so compressed without the time to take in and process the liturgical season.

If the USCCB is actually serious about ‘National Eucharistic Revival’, they might think about this mixed message.

1. The Mass is the source and summit of our faith.
2. Yet we wouldn’t want you to have to endure Mass two days in a row or be forced to go during the week.

Plus we talk about how great it would be if we could share the same date for Easter with the Orthodox. We can’t even share the same date for Solemnities within the Church around the world.

If we try to make Catholicism more convenient, people will just find it is even more convenient not to be Catholic or practice their faith.

This morning I get an email from the head of our schola that we will be having a Low Mass on Epiphany. Apparently, Fr. Briggs Hurley must have felt the same way I did, since this Mass had not been previously scheduled. I am so thankful for him in many ways.

I feel some joy in anticipation of this. This Mass will be during my work hours in the morning—so this is a good excuse to take a day off and spend some time in Adoration. I think about the Magi who“fell down and worshipped him”, and I will follow their lead as best as I am able.

As Brant Pitre references in his commentary:

Now this is extremely important because the word used here for worship, proskyneō, literally means to bow down prostrate before someone. It actually means to get down like a dog before another person. So you bow down before them prostrate.

And in some contexts the word proskyneō can be used for the kind of homage that you pay to just an ordinary king, but in the Gospel of Matthew he uses this term for the kind of expression of adoration and veneration that you give to God and God alone.

I wrote the following when requested by my Carmelite group to write something about the history of Advent and my own brief reflection on it.

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(Etymology: Latin adventus, a coming, approach, arrival.)

According to the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar

Advent has a twofold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered; as a season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. Advent is thus a period for devout and joyful expectation.

Officially Advent is not a penitential season according to Canon law. Because the liturgical color for Advent is violet, like the color of Lent, people might think that it is.

First, I will give a brief history of the season of Advent. Advent’s earliest form started in France and developed parallel to Lenten disciplines with periods of fasting. Then, similar traditions began to be acquired elsewhere. A liturgical season in preparation for Christmas did not fully appear in Rome until the sixth century, emphasizing preparation for Christmas over a penitential aspect. Over the next four centuries, the liturgy season developed as to only having four Sundays and being set as the start of the Church year.

My reflection on this season is to think of both expectation and God’s hiddenness. We are blessed with knowing the spoiler alert of the Incarnation. That we lose the surprise, shock, and wonder that God would come to us as a baby. Our Advent season condenses the time from the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15 of the coming Messiah and through all of Israel’s history until a child is born unto us. That is a lot to draw on and to pack in.

All those generations that lived and died trusting in God’s promise. All those that awaited the day amidst the turmoil of the world. The internal and external battles. Yet when the promise of that day arrived, God was hidden in a manger known to so few. A hiddenness that could only be revealed by humility. Mary’s fiat, Joseph’s justness and faithfulness, those men of a humble profession being shepherds. The world went on around them as if nothing had changed, yet everything had.

We still live our lives, forgetting this basic fact that Jesus had come to save every one of us.

Jesus would later tell his disciples:

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Are we silent enough to be able to pray with loving attentiveness to be able to see? To be able to hear that still small voice. To use our time for preparation in contemplating on the wonder of the Incarnation? Or do we lose ourselves in busyness?

God keeps coming to us in hiddenness. Through the Eucharist, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, through the Mass, all the graces he would shower on us.

How do we shape our expectations? Do we limit what God could do like those who saw the coming Messiah as a political power in an earthly kingdom? But, on the other hand, are we willing to let him surprise us with the gifts he wants to give us? How much detachment, humility, and love have we cultivated to allow him to do this?

I am preaching to myself here, and I am not pleased with the answers that come to mind. The point of expectation is knowing we are not yet at the moment we want to be. It is a gift to know this about ourselves and to know who is the fulfillment of our desires.

“I see clearly that if we expect to please Him and receive an abundance of His graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through His most Sacred Humanity, in which God takes delight.” St. Teresa of Jesus