Monday, April 07, 2008

Liturgy: Reform of the Reform

I consider myself a member of the "Reform of the Reform" movement; that is, a Catholic who is interested in seeing the Church reconsider the liturgical reforms called for by the Second Vatican Council (found in Sacrosanctum Concilium) and re-apply them in a way which maintains a continuity with tradition (a "hermeneutic of continuity", as Pope Benedict XVI puts it).

What this means for the present is that, "all other things being equal", I believe the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite (the Mass as celebrated since 1969) should be celebrated in a way that maintains a link with the pre-conciliar tradition. It should be celebrated by the books: do the red, say the black.

Where there are options for texts to use, the "traditional" and/or "proper" text should be used. An example of using a "traditional" text is: using form 'A' of the Penitential Rite (the Confiteor) with the Kyrie after it. Another example is the preference for celebration ad orientem. Yet another example is preference for the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I). Examples of using a "proper" text are: use of the entrance antiphon during the Introit, the use of the Psalm and Alleluia found in the Lectionary, and the use of the communion antiphon during the Communion Procession.

Singing the Mass (and not just singing at Mass) is a preferable. Singing (or even chanting) the ordinaries of Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, etc.) in Latin is preferable.

That's my position; I think it meshes well with the "Reform of the Reform" crowd.

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