The Traditional Latin Mass or Extraordinary Form of the Mass
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The term “the Latin Mass” is most often used to refer to the
Tridentine Mass—the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, promulgated on July 14, 1570,
through the apostolic constitution Quo Primum. Technically, this is a misnomer;
any Mass celebrated in Latin is properly referred to as a “Latin Mass.”
However, after the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae, the Mass of Pope Paul
VI (popularly referred to as the "New Mass"), in 1969, which allowed
for more frequent celebration of Mass in the vernacular for pastoral reasons,
the term Latin Mass has come to be used almost exclusively to refer to the
Traditional Latin Mass—the Tridentine Mass.
Differences From the Current Mass
For most Catholics who are used to the Novus Ordo, the
version of the Mass used since the First Sunday in Advent 1969, there are
obvious differences from the Tridentine Latin Mass. While Pope Paul VI merely
allowed for the use of the vernacular and for the celebration of the Mass
facing the people under certain conditions, both have now become standard
practice. The Traditional Latin Mass retains Latin as the language of worship,
and the priest celebrates the Mass facing a high altar, in the same direction
as the people face. The Tridentine Latin Mass offered only one Eucharistic
Prayer (the Roman Canon), while six such prayers have been approved for use in
the new Mass, and others have been added locally.
The Return of the Traditional Latin Mass
The decision to allow the celebration was left up to the
local bishop, and, over the next 15 years, some bishops made a “generous
application of the directives” while others did not. John Paul’s successor,
Pope Benedict XVI, had long expressed his desire to see a wider use of the
Tridentine Latin Mass, and, on June 28, 2007, the Press Office of the Holy See
announced that he would release a motu proprio of his own. Summorum Pontificum,
released on July 7, 2007, allowed all priests to celebrate the Tridentine Latin
Mass in private and to hold public celebrations when requested by the faithful.
Pope Benedict’s action paralleled other initiatives of his
pontificate, including a new English translation of the Novus Ordo to bring out
some of the theological richness of the Latin text that was missing in the
translation used for the first 40 years of the New Mass, the curbing of abuses
in the celebration of the Novus Ordo, and the encouragement of the use of Latin
and Gregorian chant in the celebration of the Novus Ordo. Pope Benedict also
expressed his belief that a wider celebration of the Tridentine Latin Mass would
allow the older Mass to act as a standard for the celebration of the newer one.
Orientation of the Priest and People
At the Traditional Mass, the priest and people face east,
towards the Lord. This orientation was used at the Last Supper and by the early
Christians, and it continues to be used at the Mass in the Extraordinary Form.
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This common direction of prayer should not be viewed as the
priest having his "back to the people;" rather, this eastward
orientation fully expresses the meaning of the mass—the priest leads the
faithful towards the eternal goal of the Heavenly City, and he offers the
Sacrifice that is Christ, to God, facing God, for Catholic tradition sees
Christ as coming from the East, the direction of the rising sun.
This orientation also makes the priests' personality fade
away. He becomes a servant to the sacred act that he performs, controlled by the
ancient rubrics.
Ceremonies of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form
Lex orandi, lex credendi: "Law of prayer is the law of
belief." This ancient statement exhorts us to pray as we believe, and it
explains in simple terms how to worship God.
For example, in the classical liturgy, constant reference is
made to the Holy Trinity, but in addition to the vocal part of prayer, the
physical part of prayer is expressed through the common use of gestures in
groups of threes: " Domine, non sum dignus..." ("Lord, I am not
worthy...") is said three times; the bells are rung three times during the
consecration; there are three double swings of the censer or thurible, and
these are but a few among many other examples. Other gestures are done in
groups of five, such as five signs of the Cross made over the Host and Chalice,
recalling and in veneration of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ (one in each
hand, one in each foot, and one in His side, piercing His Most Sacred Heart).
During the Canon, the priest consecrates bread and wine into
the Body and Blood of Christ. This summit of the mass is recited silently by
the priest, as God descends upon the Earth in silence. Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI) calls this "silence with content."
This
silence should not be viewed as "shutting the faithful out of the
liturgy." On the contrary, prayer needs silence, which demonstrates
respect for Christ. Popes over the ages, including our patron, St. Pius X, have
encouraged the faithful to actively take part by "praying the mass"
with the priest, which is accomplished through the use of a "hand
missal", or "missalette."
In solemn masses, incense is used, which demonstrates
respect for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and
three ministers (a priest, a deacon, and a sub-deacon) are present,
again, mirroring the Trinity.
Language and Catholic Identity
It has long been the practice of the Church Universal to use
and preserve the common language of the Apostolic See of your Ritual Communion
or Church at the time of its founding by the Apostles. This serves the purpose
of preserving unity of prayer and faith over time, space, and national or
cultural boundaries. Thus, while there may be several languages in use across
the Churches of the East (Byzantine Greek, Church Slavonic, and Aramaic, to
name a few,) the one Church of the West, in communion with the Apostolic See of
Rome, has one maternal language: Latin.
The Latin language was introduced into the mass very early.
As Christianity was brought to Rome from the Eastern Mediterranean, for a brief
period before the introduction of Latin, Greek was used and this Greek is
preserved in the Kyrie, or "penitential rite." Since then and up to
today, all official documents have been and are issued or promulgated in Latin
first, including those of our current pope, Francis, and the conciliar
documents of Vatican II.
Sacred Music and Gregorian Chant
The music of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form is timeless,
like the mass itself. It comes to us from ancient times in the form of chant
and, more recently, from great composers such as Bach and Mozart.
As the Second Vatican Council said, "The Church
acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy:
therefore, . . . it should be given pride of place in liturgical
services." This is certainly so in the classical mass. Gregorian chant
comes to us from the Jewish traditions that existed before the time of Christ,
and St. Gregory I (the Great) cultivated the art into the basic form we use
today. 3 During medieval times, this chant became ever more beautiful while
keeping true to its tradition, and created the standard tones and melodies for
many of the hymns we use today.
Musical Elements of Mass
The music of the mass can be separated into two categories:
"propers" (the parts that change) and "the ordinary" (the
parts that don't change).
The proper music includes the Introit, Gradual, Tract or
Alleluia, and Communio (or Communion Verse). The text of these usually comes
from the scriptures, and are particular for each mass.
The ordinary music includes the Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and
Agnus Dei. The text of these pieces do not change, but the music to which they
are sung can. The church has put together a collection of seventeen
"masses" that may be used for various feasts. For example, Mass IX
(9) is often used for feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is particularly
joyful. Mass VIII (8) is popular for Sundays outside of festal or penitential
seasons, like Lent, Christmastide, or Easter; and Mass XI (11) has a more monastic
character.
Vestments and their Significance
The vestments worn by the priest and ministers at mass are
reminiscent of those worn by the early Christians, and each article of clothing
has a particular meaning, which is meant to inspire the prayerfulness and
reverence of their wearers.
The amice (pronounced "Ah-miss") represents a hood
of humility and the helmet of salvation mentioned in St. Paul's Letter to the
Ephesians. It is worn around the back of the shoulders to hide the
non-liturgical clothing. But, as the minister is putting it on, he briefly
rests it on the top of his head and says a prayer which asks the Lord's
assistance in doing battle with evil.
The alb is put on next. In Latin, albis means
"white," and the alb symbolizes the purity of baptism. The minister's
prayer while putting on the alb asks that the Lord would help him to maintain
that purity in himself, and to gain it to an even greater degree where it is
lacking.
Then, the minister puts on the cincture, which represents
the virtue of chastity. The prayer said by priests and deacons asks God to
purify his intentions and strengthen his resolve to remain chaste.
The stole is next and is worn over the shoulders, in the
case of a priest or bishop, and over the left shoulder on a deacon. It has two
meanings: first, it represents the authority of the priest gained from
communion with the bishop in apostolic succession (i.e. the authority that was
once given to the Apostles by Christ, passed on through the Holy Spirit to the
bishops, and shared by them with their priests); the second meaning, reflected
in the prayer said while putting it on, is as a sign of the eternal life
awaiting those who love and serve Christ and His people.
Especially for a solemn high mass, deacons and bishops will
then put on the dalmatic, which looks
similar to a loose tunic and represents the justification of the Christian
believer and a reminder of the duty of service.
For priests and bishops, next is the maniple (which looks
like a miniature stole) is added and is worn over the left arm. It is symbolic
of the weight that the priest bears in offering the Sacrifice.
Finally, the chasuble—the outer vestment—covers the priest
or bishop. It is a reminder for the priest that he has accepted to bear
"the yoke of Christ", and that he is to live accordingly. The color
of this vestment, the stole, and maniple are reminiscent of the feast: gold or
white on feast days, red for memorials of martyrs, violet on penitential days,
black for funerals, rose on Gaudete and Laetare Sundays, and green for days
without a particular commemoration.
ETERNITY...IT'S YOUR CHOICE...
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