Liturgy Wars

With the release of Pope Benedict's Apostolic Exhortation " Sacramentum Caritatis" (sacrament of charity) this week, the blog debate has been absolutely full on. I may be new to this, but the vitriol on both sides of the debate is incredible - especially in a church where we should be able to be truly "Catholic" and have reasoned discussion without constantly criticizing each other meaninglessly and questioning the "validity"of whatever rite, ritual or service we are discussing. And of course, I have probably just identified myself as a raving liberal (which I'm not) and half of the people I am about to link to, and/or discuss, will ignore me ( which is too bad really...)

The argument seems to go like this. Since Vatican II, Liturgy has fallen into a woeful state - mainly because of secular liberalism and other such nasties creeping into how priests and liturgists approach the liturgy. Everything has gone wrong - not enough silence ( I agree) , Bad Music (I am still agreeing), Clergy not sticking to the rite down to the letter of the law (Sometimes good, usually bland), Liturgical Dance (Never seen it done well, but heard about a ballerina who blew peoples minds as an after communion reflection), using glass eucharistic vessels (seem to be missing the point with this one...) - and so the list of supposed, and real, atrocities, continues.

The solution offered by many is simple. Back to the Tridentine rite. Only "Classical" music (especially chant). Use Latin more often (if not all the time). Celebrate the Eucharist with the Priests back facing the people. Its out with the "Community" approach to Liturgy and in with an older "God-ward one" (Personally I think we can have both). Punish those who don't think or do like we do, who ignore the rubrics of the rite, especially because obviously we are the holders of the truth...

True and ... Not true. I became a Catholic because of my experience with the New rite. Not the Tridentine. I have heard truly bad "classical " music at a mass which left me angry and shaken, and been lifted by a simple folk trio who performed with love, skill and reverence. I have yet to hear consistently good homilies anywhere. And I can't imagine trying to take a 5 and 7 year old to a Latin Mass...

So the truth continues to be that we can exist with a multitude of practices, but that all of us should be willing to try and improve our celebrations. And Sacramentum Caritatis gives good guidance in that respect.

I love what Amy Welborn wrote about it "There's a sense in which we are being asked to think about these things at a different level, to focus on the central doctrines, and most especially on the Person at the center of it all." So true - and necessary.

My main concern is how the two sides don't seem to able to communicate without really digging the knife in - not that I don't agree with some of what they say (on both sides), just how upset and angry they seem to get with each other, and then do a blanket exclusion of "Them and their kind"

Check out some of these and let me know what you think.

http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/

http://closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/2007/03/fr-rohrs-approximation-of-mass-at-re.html

http://paramedicgoldengirl.blogspot.com/2007/03/from-mail-mahony-conference.html

http://marymagdalen.blogspot.com/2007/03/emphasis-on-personality.html