APRÈS NOUS LE DÉLUGE
Lawrence Yates
These words could very aptly have been applied to the pontificate of Pius XII. Newsletter No. 120 reports an interview with Dom Gerard Calvet in which we read:-
Conservatism here does not refer to that particular sense we use as a shorthand to describe those of (we trust) orthodox faith who are opposed to the restoration of the traditional Latin Mass. Rather it refers to a (perhaps) unthinking desire to preserve the liturgy EXACTLY as it was in the parish we remember from 1958 (not just the rubrics, but rather all other aspects, good and maybe bad).Why 1958 you may ask! The year 1958 had special significance for the liturgical life of the Church. It saw what was to be the culmination of the liturgical movement. It is sad to record that at the present time Pius XII is being designated the 'Pope of the Holocaust' rather than the 'Pope of the Liturgy'. In the Solesmes collection of papal teachings on the liturgy covering a period of 200 years, Pius XII has more entries than any other pope. His declarations on the liturgy are spread over the whole of his pontificate, and significantly include a very powerful message and warnings to the International Congress on Pastoral Liturgy in 1956.
All these teachings lead up to 1958 when the Congregation of Sacred Rites put together a very long document, approved by the Pope a few weeks before he died, which gathered together the liturgical teachings of Popes St. Pius X, Pius XI and Pius XII. This document was surely to be the last word on the liturgy, and in effect the completion of the liturgical movement.
Fifty years ago and beyond, encyclical letters were addressed to the bishops of the world, and it was taken for granted that anything of concern to the laity would filter down through bishops and priests. To the best of my recollection these encyclicals were not explained from the pulpit. By contrast however, from 1965 to 1969 we heard instructions from the pulpit week after week about the liturgical changes 'mandated by the Council'. Why the sudden enthusiasm?
"If one holds with exactitude to the tenor of Vatican II we will have magnificent Gregorian liturgical celebrations, facing God, with silence in the Canon, and Communion on our tongues."
In 1964 a small booklet, no doubt long since conveniently forgotten, was written by our own liturgist J. B. O'Connell. Entitled Active Sharing in Public Worship - A Commentary on the Chief Purpose of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Liturgy, this booklet was written at the time when the only document in existence was the Constitution itself. The most significant sentence, and to us today the most amazing, says "This teaching of the Constitution on the Liturgy merely repeats what had been set forth by Pius XII in his Encyclical Letters Mystici Corporis Christi (1943) and Mediator Dei (1947)". This must have been the view of many liturgists following the publication of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium in 1963. It explains why this Constitution was welcomed by Klaus Gamber and J. B. O'Connell, and was voted for without difficulty by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. This view is maintained in the interview with Dom Gerard when he says "If one holds with exactitude to the tenor of Vatican II we will have magnificent Gregorian liturgical celebrations, facing God, with silence in the Canon, and Communion on our tongues". To these genuine liturgists, who were not looking to change the Church, the work of liturgical reform had already been done, and it remained only to fully implement the teachings of the popes collected by the Congregation of Sacred Rites which the Constitution was confirming. The main concern was for a better understanding of the liturgy and active participation, both internal and external, as taught by Pius XII.
This question of active participation took top priority with the later reformers. Great stress was laid on the word 'active' as translated from the Latin actuosus. Cassell's Latin Dictionary informs us that Cicero used the word actuosus to mean 'active', but also to mean 'effective'. This second understanding of the word brings us more into line with the mind of Pius XII. In his book Divine Intimacy, published around 1953, Fr. Gabriel, O.C.D. expands the thoughts of Pius XII. His exposition so beautifully describes the purpose of the liturgy that, although rather long, it must be quoted in full:-
The best way of assisting at Holy Mass is the one which makes us participate most in the sublime action taking place on the altar. The liturgical method is especially recommended; by having us recite the same prayers as the priest, it makes us follow more closely the various parts of the Holy Sacrifice. However, instead of being preoccupied with the exact rendering of the words, which is obligatory only for the priest, we should penetrate the meaning of the different prayers, especially those said at the principal parts of the Mass, such as the Offertory, Consecration and Communion. Although the liturgical method is very good, it is not the only one; the encyclical Mediator Dei expressly says "The needs and dispositions are not the same in all souls, and they do not continue to remain the same in each one". It is not uncommon, for example, that, after following the liturgical method for a long time with fruit, a particular soul might feel the need of closing the Missal in order to taste a little more profoundly the very substance of the Mass and to "penetrate" it further. This is not going backward but forward. Instead of focusing the attention in a special way on the various ceremonies and prayers, the soul feels the need of "getting into intimate contact with the High Priest" (Mediator Dei), in order to unite itself interiorly with His action, His offering, and His immolation. By doing this, she follows the Mass in a manner which is more contemplative than liturgical; we have the simple "loving attention" which is the characteristic of contemplative prayer. Without necessarily following the development of the Sacred Rite in all its various parts, the soul fixes the mind and heart upon the Mass drama with a general glance, made keen by love. Thus we advance in an ever clearer understanding of the Holy Sacrifice, and acquire a more profound "sense" of it, which in turn awakens in us a more efficacious desire of uniting ourselves with the Sacrifice. However, it will be well to return to the Missal from time to time, especially to follow the liturgy on Sundays and feasts; each time our soul does this we will find new light, and a new sense, which will help us to penetrate the very substance of the Holy Sacrifice.The changes already introduced for Holy Week in 1955 made the ceremonies more authentic and fulfilled a truly pastoral need in changing the times of celebration to enable the faithful to attend during a normal working week.
The liturgical movement had not affected this country as it had some of those on the Continent. We can appreciate Cardinal Heenan's remark in Rome that Catholics in England do not sing when they go to Mass. The thought of singing one's way through Mass was alien to the English Catholic mind - and it was too close to Methodism. Some sections of the Anglican Church were copying our ritual. Who would have thought that in a few years' time we would be called upon to take our lead from them! The Dialogue Mass was just becoming known here, and its rules had finally been established by the Congregation of Sacred Rites in the 1958 document already mentioned. No doubt it would have developed to great advantage if everything had not been put on hold by the announcement of the coming Council.
This is not nostalgia or sentimentalism, but the record of a vibrant, living faith, with no shortage of clergy and missionary priests operating all over the world.
The year 1958 was indeed a memorable year for the liturgy, terminating sadly in the death of its greatest exponent. It was also the end of an era. Within twelve months the Council was announced; 1960 saw revised rubrics and 1962 saw the opening of the Council. Nothing was to be the same again. The teachings of the great popes of the century were forgotten - men who had almost prophetically forecast the problems to come. One hears that such encyclicals could not be written today. This is no doubt true enough, but we must remember that these men were not giving a personal opinion, but were speaking, each one of them, as Supreme Teacher of the Catholic Church.
Our focal point should indeed be 1958, which remains very clear to some of us, while the younger people would do well to understand what the situation was in that year. There was peace and tranquillity - at least in the pews; churches which needed four or five Masses on Sunday morning, with Sunday School in the afternoon and an evening service concluding with Benediction. Holy Hour devotions were held once each month. Compare with today when by attending Mass on Saturday evening it is no longer necessary to set foot in a church on the Sabbath day. Prayers for Russia were said at the conclusion of every low Mass, as they had been since 1930, and for the conversion of England at every Benediction. Missions were held every five years at which great preachers made clear the way of salvation, and the alternative, without the need of a microphone, and any competition for 'Preacher of the Year' would have been almost impossible to judge. The whole parish was visited by the missioners. There were several annual events, including processions in honour of Our Blessed Lady, and of course October devotions. Pride of place has to be given to the all-important Forty Hours Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. An annual procession of witness through all the towns was looked forward to by young and old alike. This would no doubt be frowned upon today as 'triumphalism'. An ecumenical gathering would be considered more appropriate.
This is not nostalgia or sentimentalism, but the record of a vibrant, living faith, with no shortage of clergy and missionary priests operating all over the world. Catholic doctrine was taught in schools for five days of the week and from the pulpit on Sundays. We were very clearly taught what it was to be a Catholic and to thank God for the privilege. The liturgical teachings especially of Pius XII remain of vital importance to a true understanding of the traditional liturgy of the Roman Rite which it is our duty to maintain, at all costs, down to the last detail.
I hope to continue with this theme in the next Newsletter.
No Love, No Veneration...
Extracts from the book of Cardinal Antonelli that covers the period 1948 to 1970. He was a member of the Consilium on the liturgy that produced the new rite of Mass.
20th June 1964: "There is a spirit of criticism and intolerance towards the Holy See which cannot lead to anything good. And also, a study of the liturgy too rational, with no concern for piety."
19th April 1967: "...Paul VI declared himself hurt because dangerous experiments were being made on the liturgy, and even more, he was saddened by certain tendencies to desacrilise the liturgy."
23rd April 1967: "Father Bugnini has only one concern: to move on and finish. The voting system is worse. Normally we proceed by a show of hands, but nobody counts who raises his hand or not, and nobody declares how many participants approve or disapprove. A real disgrace."
1st November 1967: Nobody has any sense of the sacred and obligatory law. The continual changes, imprecise and sometimes the least logical, and the condemnable system, in my view, of experimentations have overwhelmed the dykes...We are tired of the continuous reforms..."
1968 - 1978: In the Consilium, there are few bishops with a specific liturgical background, very few who are true theologians....What is saddening, however, is the pre-established position, that many of those who influenced the reform,..and others, have no love, no veneration for that which has been passed on to us. From the beginning, they have no esteem for all that exists today. A negative spirit, unjust and destructive. Alas, the Pope Paul VI himself is a little like that. They have perhaps the best intentions, but with this spirit, they are inclined to destroy rather than to restore."
1968 - 1971 on the subject of Fr. Bugnini: "...the worst fault with Fr. Bugnini is his lack of theological training and sensibility. These are serious lacks because in the liturgy, each word, each gesture translates an idea that is a theological idea. I have the impression that we have made a lot of concessions, in the matter of the sacraments especially, to the Protestant spirit."
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's November 1999 Newsletter.]