(Para ver el preguntas y respuestas en español, visite www.st-bart.org/learn-about-liturgy-es.)
In this catechetical series from 2021, the Liturgy Task Force of St. Bartholomew answered questions commonly asked or received about the liturgy.
Do you have a question about liturgy that you would like to have answered by the Liturgy Task Force? If so please submit it to Liturgical Question with “Liturgical Question” in the subject line.
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church published from 1570 to 1962.
For decades the Church has asked that the lay faithful be regularly instructed and catechized by experts and by our clergy in sacred music and sacred liturgy. This has included appeals for instruction in Latin and in the music prioritized by the Church, namely Gregorian chant and Polyphony. Unfortunately, such catechesis and instruction has been exceptionally rare throughout the Church in the United States. But at St. Bartholomew we want to be exemplary in our commitment to follow through on the priorities expressed by the Church. And we know this commitment requires teaching and gradual exposure to liturgical theology as well as to parts of our incredible Catholic heritage that was regrettably left behind.
For example, the Congregation for Divine Worship has said that “all the faithful should know at least some Latin Gregorian chants, such as, for example, the ‘Gloria’, the ‘Credo’, the ‘Sanctus’, and the ‘Agnus Dei’”. Yet, until recently, most of us were deprived of this knowledge and never taught “at least some Latin Gregorian chants” formally or through worship.
And perhaps even more importantly, we are hearing about a liturgical renewal because the Second Vatican Council stressed the importance for each of us to fully, consciously, and actively participate in the liturgy, especially through a deep interior participation in prayer and song. “The faithful should also be taught to unite themselves interiorly to what the ministers or choirs sing…. Through suitable instruction and practices, the people should be gradually led to a fuller – indeed, to a complete – participation in those parts of the singing which pertain to them.” We are striving to do what the Church has asked of us. Because He loved us first, we seek to do His will!
The Church has constantly taught that the Mass is at the center of the Church’s entire life. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life which means that offering Mass is the single most important “activity” of the Church. The Church teaches time and time again that the purpose of the liturgy is to give glory to God and to sanctify the faithful. That is, we worship, praise, and give glory to God and in doing so well, by God’s grace, we become holier and more like Christ.
A related and beautiful teaching from St. John Paul II is that liturgy “unites the two holy places, the earthly temple and the infinite heavens, God and man, time and eternity.” In the liturgy, we may not be able to “see it” but Heaven kisses earth! We participate – in a veiled way – in the Heavenly liturgy. In the Mass we are able to have a foretaste of the eternal Heavenly banquet for which we all strive, with the help of God’s grace. Similarly, it is important to emphasize that through the Mass, the whole creation, the whole universe, is being offered to the Father. Everything was created through the Word (“In the beginning was the Word…”), and the Word – Jesus Christ – assumed humanity by taking on flesh and becoming incarnate; therefore Jesus, the Son of God, can offer all creation back to the Father to be sanctified because, as Man, Jesus is the High Priest, the One true Mediator between the creature and the Creator.
A recent video called “The Veil Removed” is one artist’s portrayal of the fundamental truth that the Mass is not so much something we do but is, first and foremost, a participation in both the Heavenly liturgy and the sacrifice on Calvary. (Search “The Veil Removed” in your web browser to watch this short film). What an incredible joy and privilege it is to attend Mass!
The Liturgical Renewal began as a response to a closer examination of what the Catholic Church actually teaches and directs us to do when we celebrate the liturgy, especially the Mass. One of the most critical elements of offering the Mass well is doing so with great reverence.
Father Christopher, during his first three years here, observed in the parish both a great reverence and respect for the Mass, while at the same time, an opportunity to grow in reverence. Insofar as the parish was reverent, the people of St. Bartholomew showed that they were ready to take the next steps and embrace this renewal. Insofar as the parish lacked reverence, it was clear that the parish needed this renewal.
Father Christopher did not just have in mind outward signs of reverence like refraining from social conversation in the church, genuflecting before the tabernacle, or kneeling at the right times. But more deeply, it was also a consideration of both an external and internal disposition of true worship of God the Father through Jesus Christ. This involves a disposition that focuses on God rather than on oneself; a disposition that recognizes that liturgy is not about warm feelings, personal preferences, or “what I get out of it” but rather glorifying God through a gift of self in obedience to the priorities and rubrics given by the Church.
Since the time of the Apostles, the Holy Mass has developed towards this single and salutary purpose. The reforms of the liturgy from the Second Vatican Council aimed at helping the faithful engage in this authentic sacrificial offering by which we glorify God and are thereby made holy. Unfortunately, much of what the council fathers mandated, prioritized, or suggested was distorted, ignored, or contradicted. The renewal in our parish seeks to correct those errors and truly advance what the Second Vatican Council put forward as good and necessary for the sacred liturgy.
By virtue of our Baptism, we the laity are sharers in the priestly mission of Christ – we become a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:4-9), participate in the priesthood of Christ, and enter into the universal priesthood of the Church. What does a priest do? He sacrifices and consecrates. Having been anointed in our Baptism we too are called to sacrifice and consecrate.
With this in mind, Archbishop Chaput has emphasized that the liturgy is a “school of sacrificial love.” Like the martyrs through the centuries, we are called to offer ourselves to God as a “living sacrifice of praise.” Recalling that the liturgy is source and summit of the Christian life it is, first and foremost, in the Mass that we make ourselves “a perfect offering, holy and acceptable to God.”
While the laity primarily live out their universal priesthood in the world, consecrating and sanctifying family life, our work, our communities and our nation, Archbishop Chaput has reminded us that “we make our sacrifice of praise first and foremost in the Eucharist.” We join the priest – who is priest by Baptism and ministerial ordination – to offer the Mass as the perfect sacrifice for ourselves, for others, and for the whole world.
The movement of the Mass does not end here because we are sent forth to make of our lives a living sacrifice and thereby to renew the whole temporal order. Having participated in the school of sacrificial love, we the laity, go out in to the world and like Christ in the liturgy, pour out our lives for the sake of the Church, for others, and for all that is good, true and beautiful. As St. John Paul II taught, we consecrate the world through living our vocation well in the “ordinary circumstances of family and social life”, by “seeking the Kingdom of God” and by ordering our lives and our world “according to the plan of God”. Having been taught by the liturgy, each Christian is called to consecrate and sanctify the world with sacrificial love modeled unto Jesus Christ.
Sanctify means to make holy. To be holy means to be like God; to be pure, complete, unified, and full of love. The faithful are made holy by the Mass by approaching the Holy One at the altar, offering up the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ to God the Father, and receiving his body and blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. St. Augustine taught that if we have the right disposition when receiving the Eucharist we receive what we are and become what we receive: We become more fully the body of Christ who is himself so like God the Father that he is the perfect image of Him. And, of course, we want to become more like Jesus Christ, a pure and perfect image of God!
The words of the well-known hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” communicate this truth: Verse one includes the words “Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heav’n to earth come down, Fix in us thy humble dwelling.” The second verse says “Come almighty to deliver, Let us all thy life receive; Suddenly return and never, never more thy temples leave.” And finally in verse three we sing “Finish then thy new creation, Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in thee.”
These words are fulfilled most beautifully in the Eucharist.Jesus, who is Love Incarnate and the very Joy of Heaven, comes to earth in the Eucharist and dwells in us – for a few minutes we literally become his humble dwelling. In the Mass we receive the grace that sanctifies us; we receive the very life of God. We pray that through reception of Him he may never leave the temple that he is creating by dwelling in us. And then we pray that he might “finish” we who are his “new creation.” In the words we sing we beg that we might be “pure and spotless” and “perfectly restored” in Jesus Christ until our death and our particular judgement that follows the end of our earthly sojourn, so that we might be found worthy to be one of the faithfully departed souls who, through the mercy of God, rests in peace.
In the Mass the faithful are offering to God the Father the only truly holy sacrifice that He deserves, Jesus Christ, his son. And God the Father responds by showering us with superabundant gifts that make us holy so that we might one day enjoy life with him eternally.
Throughout sacred scripture, the glory of God refers to God being shown as He truly is when he is manifested or revealed to the people. While there are so many examples of God’s glory in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is God’s glory fully revealed. (“He who has seen me has seen the Father” [John 14:9]). In John’s Gospel, Jesus also refers to His crucifixion as the “hour” of His glory, when He is lifted up on his throne, the cross. On the cross, God reveals Himself as he truly is – eternal self-sacrificing love. Since the Mass is a re-presentation of Calvary we encounter this very self-sacrificing love at every Mass.
Having encountered God’s glory, the only fitting response is to join all the angels and saints in glorifying God! “Gloria in excelsis Deo!” To glorify him means to value Him highly, to exalt Him as our supreme treasure, and to magnify Him. When we glorify God we are recognizing who He really is and directing our minds, bodies and hearts in a way that shows it. So, all of our music, symbols, gestures, and words must reflect awe at having encountered the beauty, dignity, majesty, and mystery of God himself. And we rejoice at the privilege of joining the angels and saints in worshiping God in heaven, where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father. “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth…”
This glorification is not just what we do, it is what God does. In the Mass we approach Calvary, where Jesus is lifted up on the cross. Also, the Father gives to us His Son in the Eucharist. The Father glorifies His Son through His self-sacrificial love as He is given to us as food and drink.
Finally, we note that the last instruction given to the faithful at Mass is “Go in Peace, Glorifying God by your life.” Having participated in Christ’s glory on the Cross, and having glorified the Lord with our worship, each person is sent to continue glorifying God through a life of virtue dedicated to Jesus and his Church.
This is a wonderful question and requires a multifaceted answer. In some sense, a liturgical renewal is (or should be) happening in every parish because every priest, layperson, parish, and diocese is called to constant renewal and growth in perfection. In another sense, and in the sense that we presume was top of mind for the parishioner who asked this question, we can say the following: We are aware of a number of parishes throughout the Archdiocese and the country that have already, are in the midst of, or are just beginning a renewal like we have been pursuing at St. Bartholomew. Some of these parishes are years ahead of us and have provided a model for our parish. Others are learning from us. Still others seem to be like us in that they are simply and organically being moved by the Holy Spirit and by the priorities expressed over and over again in the Church’s documents.
Though it would be fine if we were “going it alone” (with the support of the Church’s documents, of course) it is wonderful and inspiring to see that in pockets there is a new springtime of liturgical renewal afoot. While this is inspiring we also know that popularity is not a measure of what one ought to do! That similar renewals are happening should come as no surprise as St. John Paul II, and especially Pope Benedict, emphasized the absolute centrality of the liturgy in the life of the Christian. But in short, we are definitely aware of numerous parishes here and there that are engaging in a liturgical renewal that is organic.
At the same time this renewal could be described as being top-down as well. We have already mentioned St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict. But Pope Francis has also called for a renewal in sacred liturgy. In a recent document Pope Francis writes, “I ask you to be vigilant in ensuring that every liturgy be celebrated with decorum and fidelity to the liturgical books promulgated after Vatican Council II, without the eccentricities that can easily degenerate into abuses. Seminarians and new priests should be formed in the faithful observance of the prescriptions of the Missal and liturgical books, in which is reflected the liturgical reform willed by Vatican Council II.” These words of our Pope could be identified as the “mission statement” of the liturgical renewal. Indeed, this parish has been called by the Holy Spirit, and yes, by Pope Francis, to avoid abuses within the liturgy, to be faithful to the liturgical books, and to a vigilant and faithful observance of all that the Church teaches about liturgy. Though it takes time and patience, we are committed to being shaped by the liturgy rather than trying to shape the liturgy around us.
The Church has long recognized that Latin is the language of the Church. It is the “mother tongue” of Catholics, you might say. As an essential part of our common heritage it should, through song, be incorporated into the liturgy and sacred worship more liberally than has been done in most parishes in the past few decades. Contrary to popular opinion, the Second Vatican Council taught that “the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites…steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.”
The “Ordinary of The Mass” is what some call the “parts of the Mass” including the Gloria, Sanctus, Mortem Tuam, Amen, and Agnus Dei. You will have noticed over these last many months that we have been singing most of these ordinaries in Latin. Like with anything, it takes time to become comfortable with singing something new, especially in a language that is not as familiar to most. So with repetition, and over time, it is our hope that as a parish we reclaim our “mother tongue.”
But this won’t just happen by osmosis. In the document helping Bishops and priests to implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Church asked that “Pastors shall carefully see to it that the Christian faithful…know how to recite or sing together in Latin, mainly with simple melodies, the parts of the Ordinary of the Mass proper to them.” This request was, for all intents and purposes, completely ignored during all the rapid changes that happened in the 60’s and 70’s and was rarely taken seriously or achieved in subsequent decades. Through the catechesis we are doing and by chanting or singing in Latin at Masses, St. Bartholomew is simply striving to be faithful to what the Church has asked us to prioritize.
Gregorian chant has, for centuries, been identified as the supreme model for sacred music and is given pride of place within the liturgy. This has never changed and has been repeated by popes throughout history from St. Gregory the Great in the 6th century to recent popes including St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. St. John Paul II explains the importance of chant very simply: “With regard to compositions of liturgical music, I make my own the ‘general rule’ that St. Pius X formulated in these words: ‘The more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian melodic form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple.” This is high praise!
This means that the closer a particular song or hymn is to Gregorian chant the more fitting it is to include in liturgy, while the further from Gregorian chant the music is the harder it is to justify for inclusion in liturgy. St. John Paul II is repeating what his predecessors and what the Second Vatican Council taught about chant, namely, that it is especially fitting for sacred liturgy and that it should be “given pride of place in liturgical services.” Pope Benedict XVI noted that chant must be “esteemed” and, as a beautiful part of our unique Catholic heritage, it should be treasured. When done well and beautifully – in Latin or in the vernacular – it helps us to worship well the God who loved us so much that he gave his only Son for our salvation.
The organ has long been and remains the principle instrument of the Church and, all things being equal, should be prioritized as the instrument for liturgy. It is truly a liturgical instrument – where else do you hear an organ played?… Okay, “Take Me Out the Ballgame,” but one of the things that is unique to the organ is that it is almost exclusively reserved for a liturgical context.
As a wind instrument it can be played with incredible power or it can be played as a gentle supportive accompaniment to chant. The Second Vatican Council emphasized that in the Roman Catholic Church “the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.” When it is played beautifully the organ really does draw our attention to the grandeur of God, it elevates the senses, mind, and heart to the divine.
This is why St. John Paul II wrote that he, along with his predecessors, “recognizes without hesitation the prevalence of the pipe organ and establishes appropriate norms for its use.” Other than the human voice, no other instrument is held in such high regard throughout the entire history of the Church.
Part 1: This is such an important question, the answer to which has had significant impact on the liturgical renewal. St. John Paul II writes the following: “Today, moreover, the meaning of the category ‘sacred music’ has been broadened to include repertoires that cannot be part of the celebration without violating the spirit and norms of the Liturgy itself.” Our parish leadership and parishioners from across the parish took heed of the great Saint’s words almost two years ago asking, might our “repertoire” of music – which was very similar to many parishes – be an example of this?
We discovered that the Church has taught that all sacred liturgical music fitting for sacred liturgy will possess three characteristics: 1) Sanctity/Holiness, 2) Goodness of Form/True Art, and 3) Universal. The most important of these three qualities is that to the highest degree, it must be truly holy, that is, at a minimum, it must “exclude all profanity” both in the song itself and in the way it is presented. Recall that, in this context, to be sanctified is to “be set apart” or set aside for a sacred purpose alone. When the Church speaks of not allowing the profane into the liturgy it means only songs set aside for liturgical use belong.
The Second Vatican Council taught that “sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites.” Here the council is emphasizing that to be holy it must be intimately connected to the liturgy (the language should be liturgical rather than profane or secular), and the more it is liturgical the more fitting it is for liturgy. Sacred liturgical music will also foster unity because the words avoid ambiguity – their meaning is clear. That is, the words are true and theologically precise - we can count on their trustworthiness. And such music brings a great sense of the sacredness, the solemnity, of what we are commemorating in the Mass – the passion and death of Jesus. Venerable Pius XII put it this way: Sacred liturgical music “should be conducive to the lofty end for which they are intended.” In Part 2, we will explore the other two criteria: True Art and Universal.
In Part 1, we learned that one character of sacred liturgical music is that it is holy and marked by sanctity, that is, it is set aside for this sacred purpose. Sacred liturgical music must also be true art. It should be well-composed, truly beautiful, and musically sound. In other words, the art and musical quality should benefit from centuries of men and women who were steeped in the tradition of sacred liturgical music, of music theory, and who themselves learned from the masters and from the liturgical books.
After Vatican II all kinds of bad musical art was regrettably admitted into liturgies. In the 1960-1990’s there was a complete rupture from the musical tradition; this was a time period in which songs were composed and were used in sacred liturgy that were neither holy nor good art. Many of those songs have since been condemned by one rightful authority or another but many, unfortunately, can still be heard today. The most extreme example of this might be the infamous “My Little Pony” Mass composed by one of the most popular composers of the Gather Hymnal. His Gloria was, verbatim, the tune for “My Little Pony!” Such an example indicates what happens when anything counts as “art” and instead of a genuine continuity and development there is a rupture from and rejection of the tradition. The Vatican Council taught “The Church approves all forms of true art having the needed qualities and admits them into divine worship.”
The third character of sacred liturgical music is that it is universal. This quality flows from the fact that it is holy and that it is good art. Though many songs will be reflective of the nations from which they are composed (for example many of the hymns in the St. Michael’s Hymnal are of English origin), St. Pius X emphasized that “still these forms must be subordinated in such a manner to the general characteristics of sacred music that nobody of any nation may receive an impression other than good on hearing them.”
Sts. John Paul II and Paul VI said: “not all without distinction that is outside the temple (profanum) is fit to cross its threshold.” Please note that just because music isn’t fitting for liturgy does not necessarily mean it may not be appropriate for other contexts. “This little light of mine”, for example, is clearly not liturgical but is a great song and tune for summer camp with the little ones. We don’t recommend religious songs that are ambiguous or untrue, but many songs that we no longer sing at our liturgies are perfectly suitable for other occasions.
We have been singing a common and simple chant immediately after the bell is rung. These chants are called antiphons, in this case, specifically an “introit” or “entrance antiphon”. These antiphons are one of the texts of the Mass just like the various prayers and readings. They are each part of a beautiful and larger plan of sacred liturgy – the readings, prayers, and antiphons are not just random but are all carefully selected, woven together, and drawn directly from tradition and sacred scripture by the Church.
The words of the antiphons are truly beautiful and belong to the Mass as a sacred contribution to the liturgy. Through our liturgical renewal, we are gradually re-discovering the place of the antiphons and have begun by singing those that have been identified by the Church as seasonal – that is, they fit the liturgical season we are in. You will hear many of the same ones over the weeks because we are repeating them. And once we learn the seasonal antiphons and become accustomed to them, we will gradually introduce new antiphons that are proper (prescribed) for the Sunday or feast day. These efforts to gradually reintroduce these texts drawn from Scripture or written by the Church for the Mass is a part of our effort to truly sing the Mass.
Practically speaking, at this time, for the entrance antiphon, the bells ring, the faithful then stand, and the entrance antiphon will be sung once. This is then followed immediately by a suitable hymn and the entrance procession. The antiphon is found in the worship aid, so please feel free to join in singing. Or simply follow the words, listen to them, and interiorly pray them with the cantor.
Repetition is an important method of increasing familiarity and going deeper into something. In this case, the repetition of a chant allows for the melody and the text to, in a sense, enter more deeply into our souls so that we can have a more fruitful interior participation. It is inspiring that some parishioners, and many of our young families have taken the challenge to learn these chants because of their beauty and because they connect us to thousands of Catholics across the centuries who have chanted these same melodies and prayed, through song, these same words.
The particular chants that we are currently singing (when we have time to do so at the end of Communion) at many of the Masses are seasonal Marian antiphons. Each was written to honor different aspects of Mary’s privileges: Her Motherhood, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption, Immaculate Conception, Queenship, and so forth. Each antiphon is addressed to Mary which allows us, her children, to honor her as Christ wanted us to do.
The tradition of the Church gave us certain days to ponder certain aspects of Mary’s qualities and virtues. The Liturgy of the Hours (the official prayer of the Church) establishes a cycle throughout the liturgical year in which one of the Marian antiphons is prescribed and sung according to the liturgical seasons we are in. From Advent through the Presentation of the Lord (Feb. 2) we sing Alma Redemptoris Mater. From the day after the Presentation (Feb. 3) through the end of Lent, Ave Regina Coelorum is sung. Then from Easter through Pentecost we have the well-known Regina Coeli. And finally, after Pentecost (Ordinary Time), Salve Regina is the prescribed antiphon.
While certainly there is nothing wrong with singing these antiphons at other times, it is most fitting to sing them or pray them during their proper season. Doing so also helps us to orient our lives in accord with the liturgical calendar and the life of the Church.
Yes, the Doctrinal office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently issued a wonderful new document that identified key common errors found in many hymnals that purport to be “Catholic.” They also gave examples including the ones mentioned in the question. In doing so, they reinforced what has always been taught but not always been done: that the doctrinal content of the hymns is and must be a priority. If a song includes heterodox words – words that are not faithful or orthodox – then it cannot be sung at liturgy. The same can be said for vague theological formulations that are not based in the Catholic tradition. Songs that are heterodox or vague are disqualified from being sung at Mass.
It is essential that when selecting music, selections not just be loosely based on a scriptural theme or adopt themes from the surrounding culture that may be antithetical to Church teaching. Rather, the US bishops stress that hymns should be direct quotes or tightly connected to Sacred Scripture and liturgical theology. This is essential in composing, selecting, and performing music. St. John Paul II stressed that “We must pray to God with theologically correct formulas and also in a beautiful and dignified way. In this regard, the Christian community must make an examination of conscience so that the beauty of music and hymnody will return once again to the liturgy. They should purify worship from ugliness of style, from distasteful forms of expression, from uninspired musical texts which are not worthy of the great act that is being celebrated.”
We should note that this is also what the Second Vatican Council called for as well: “The texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine; indeed they should be drawn chiefly from Holy Scripture and from liturgical sources.” The Church does move slowly! We are proud to be a parish that, through the liturgical renewal, began doing what St. John Paul II and Vatican II asked for prior to the bishops’ publishing this recent document.
There is an ancient maxim that we are encouraged to appreciate. In Latin, it’s lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi. In English, as we pray, so we believe, and so we live. In other words, prayer is central to the life of a Catholic and the words we pray shape us and form our mind and heart, and also influence the way we live our lives. So it is vitally important that the words we pray within liturgy are true and precise.
Because sacred liturgical music has an incredibly integral role in liturgy; it is important to “do it well” and to adhere to the Church’s timeless teaching and priorities. One way we are doing this is that many of the chants we sing (the antiphons especially) are direct quotes from scripture, especially the psalms. Also the psalm arrangement we select and sing for Mass today are now verbatim from scripture rather than a paraphrase of the psalms as was commonly sung in recent years.
You’ll also notice we sing more hymns today that are written by Saints like St. Thomas Aquinas or St. Bernard of Clairvaux who had a great love for Our Lady. And then, with regard to the other hymns we select, we carefully make sure there is no error or ambiguity in the words we sing. It helps that our new hymnal, the St. Michael’s Hymnal, is full of very strong hymns. Over the centuries the Church and the Saints have made it clear that the words we pray are important: No less is at stake than the life of the Church, the sanctification of the faithful, and our ability to give fitting worship and glory to God.
We are not meant to be mere observers or busy bees at Mass. We are called to participate fully, consciously, and actively – both interiorly and exteriorly. The first priority is to join in prayer interiorly. You interiorly enter into the mystery of the Mass by lifting your heart and mind to God and by reflecting upon the sacred mysteries, upon what is happening in the sacred liturgy. Pope St. Pius X first spoke of the notion of active participation in the Mass, and he described it in this way: “If you wish to participate in the Mass actively, you must follow with your eye, heart and mouth all that happens on the altar. Further, you must pray with the Priest the holy words said by him in the Name of Christ and which Christ says by him. You have to associate your heart with the holy feelings which are contained in these words, and in this matter you ought to follow all that happens at the altar.”
Notice that the great saint does not suggest that participation in the Mass is aided by moving about, keeping busy, and simply engaging in some sort of Catholic calisthenics. Intentionality, devotion, and deliberate interior participation in the sacrifice of the Mass is vital. It certainly helps to make every effort to avoid distractions such as watching others or thinking about your to-do list for the day. Active participation is primarily about your interior disposition. Each person should carefully consider the disposition he or she has when attending Mass.
Each should strive with all his or her might, and with God’s help, to have the disposition encouraged by Venerable Pope Pius XII: Have “the dispositions that the Divine Redeemer had when he sacrificed himself – the same humble spirit of submission – that is, of adoration, love, praise and thanksgiving to the great majesty of God…so that we reproduce in ourselves the condition of victimhood, the self-denial that follows the Gospel’s teaching, whereby of our own accord we make the willing sacrifice of penance, sorrow and expiation for our sins.” The primary activity of the lay faithful during a liturgy is that of being interiorly disposed, attentive, and receptive so that we might become like Jesus Christ himself.
Interior participation in the liturgy is the first priority; however, exterior participation is also important and helpful because we are bodily creatures, and what we do with our body impacts our soul. The whole person must be engaged in prayer and especially the highest prayer, the liturgy. This involves bodily gestures such as kneeling, genuflecting, bowing your head at the name of Jesus, “prayer hands”, and so forth. It involves consciously saying the prayers, singing out to the best of your ability, acting in unison with the assembly, embracing communal silence, as well as reverent and attentive listening. What we do with our bodies can help us to stay awake, alert, reverent, and engaged – to interiorly participate – and thereby to truly glorify God and be sanctified.
Notice that interior and exterior participation are intimately linked but, as Pope Benedict XVI states, “It should be made clear that the word ‘participation’ does not refer to mere external activity during the celebration. It also means a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life. Fruitful participation in the liturgy requires that one be personally conformed to the mystery being celebrated.” And so it is highly encouraged, and perhaps even vital, that the exterior signs be united to their intrinsic meaning.
A few examples: When you walk into church, dip your fingers in the holy water, and bless yourself, this exterior sign ought to be connected to the inner recall of our baptism and incorporation into the life of the Trinity. When we kneel during the consecration there is deep interior meaning: submission before God, penance/repentance, adoration, and reverence. Finally, two essential examples of a robust exterior participation involve the importance of singing to the best of our ability and of offering prompt and clear responses to the various prayers and dialogues. When we participate through exterior actions more intentionally and with greater knowledge of why we do them, we are more readily disposed to participate interiorly and to more fully glorify God and be made holy by the Mass
Incense is a sacramental of the Church that is most often used to bless, sanctify, purify, and venerate during the celebration of Mass. Incense can also be used at other times in the life of the Church. The word “incense” comes from the Latin word incendere which means “to burn.” (This is the same Latin word from which “incinerate” comes.) Incense was considered a highly valuable commodity in ancient times, its use in worship began long before Christianity, it was highly common in Judaism, and it was used early on by the first Christians. The earliest documented history of the use of incense in Catholic liturgy is from the 5th century in what is known as the “Liturgies of Saint James and Saint Mark.” And how can we forget? Two of the gifts Jesus received from the Magi at his birth were incense: Frankincense and myrrh.
Incense is typically a resin (sap), either from plants or trees. Frankincense, for example, comes from Boswellia sacra trees. Incense is sprinkled over the top of burning coals creating an aromatic smoke. There are many different scents of incense, and the priest is free to choose what scent he would like to use. This is why sometimes the incense smells more or less floral or sweet and so forth.
Before it is burned, the incense is held in what is called the boat. To be burned during the liturgy, it is placed atop hot coals in what is known as the thurible. The thurible is the metal censor suspended from chains. When there is an altar server or acolyte who carries or tends to the incense throughout the Mass he is called the thurifer. And, finally, would you believe that the word “incense” is used 170 times in the Bible?! Incense has always been a beautiful part of the Catholic tradition.
In short, it is because incense is a sign during the liturgy that helps the people of God to engage the senses and to see, smell, and hear the realities of what is happening at each Mass. There is a beautiful richness and depth of meaning found in the burning of incense, which is a sign pointing to deeper realities. Perhaps the most obvious is that the smoke rising or drifting toward the heavens is an image of the prayers of the faithful rising to Heaven. This calls to mind Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be incense before you: my uplifted hands an evening offering.”
Incense also purifies and sanctifies what it touches which is why the people are blessed with incense – it purifies and sanctifies us ritually before approaching the altar. Incense also helps to foster a sense of mystery and awe (almost otherworldly) because it reminds us that in the Mass Heaven kisses earth. Consider the fascination of a young child eagerly watching smoke drift from the thurible to the Heavens. In the same way that a child marvels at the smoke, we who are capable of seeing the deeper heavenly reality ought to marvel at these realities. The sweet scent also reminds us of the sweet-smelling presence of God in our midst. With incense we get a sense of the ambiance of Heaven as described in the Book of Revelation where St. John saw incense in the vision of Heaven. How fitting it is to use this sign revealed to us by the Word of God!
And finally the reverent use of incense truly adds solemnity and mystery to the Mass. By the sign of incense, the faithful get a real sense that something different, something remarkable, something truly Heavenly is taking place at each Mass. Incense helps us to acknowledge the reality of what is happening at the altar: a sacrificial offering; it reminds us of the burning of victims that were used in the Temple of Jerusalem, and it helps us to see how Christ’s sacrifice of His own body and blood is the ultimate sacrifice.
These are just some of the reasons we are using incense more often and why it is praiseworthy to do so.
Bells have long been a part of the Catholic tradition. The first Christian to write frequently of bells is St. Gregory of Tours. The first Christian bells were of Celtic origin, but by the 8th century, bells were regarded as an essential part of the equipment of every Church. Over the centuries, bells have been a sign to communicate something important to the people of God. For example, bells have resounded to announce the hour of Mass, or of a time of prayer or even to announce that a parishioner was dying or had died so as to encourage prayers for the happy repose of his soul. By the 13th century the church bells were rung to let workers in the fields know that at Mass the Sacred Host was being raised on high so that they might pause and make an act of adoration perhaps like doubting Thomas did upon encountering the risen Christ: “My Lord and my God.”
Bells have been used to assemble the community as we still see to this day in monasteries. The clash of several bells at once signifies joy and solemnity. For example, as the Gloria is sung on Holy Thursday the bells are rung during the entire hymn of praise. In short, bells are characteristic of Catholic Churches and have long been a sign communicating something to the people of God.
When they are rung before Mass they are a sign of a call from above that is not forcing us but inviting us to rise and prepare our hearts for something great. This is the attitude of every believer at Mass; we get ready for the greatest gift to humanity, that is, the gift of Christ on the altar for all of us to adore and later receive in communion. There is a beautiful solemnity in inviting the faithful to stand up to get ready to sing the entrance antiphon or hymn with the sound of a bell, rather than a voice from a speaker saying: “Please stand and join us as we sing.” Sometimes, it is better to communicate through signs than with words; after all, speaking through signs is the language of those who are in love.