Do you go to worship God? To encounter Christ? To pray? To assist at the Holy Sacrifice?
Do you go because you are obligated? Or do you go because you need to go? Want to go? Or because it is 'right and just'?
Do you go because of the celebrant? The pageantry? The smoke and bells? The ritual?
I'm just wondering. Just asking.
The Pope will not be celebrating Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at St. Peter's. Some people may be disappointed.
"With the celebration at the Casal del Marmo [facility]," the Holy See said, "Pope Francis continues this practice, one that can only be characterized in a context of simplicity."I'm really not trying to be provocative. I'm not criticizing or judging. Just wondering. I personally do not like big cathedral liturgies. I'm not interested in foot washings, processions, or liturgical dance.
Given the significant presence of pilgrims to Rome for Holy Week, several thousand tickets to the Evening Mass had already been distributed. As previously scheduled, however, the Pope will still celebrate the mid-morning Chrism Mass – dedicated to the institution of the priesthood and the consecration of his diocese's oils for the year – in its usual venue at St Peter's. - Whispers
What I know for sure: When it comes to liturgy, my opinion doesn't matter of course, not even to me.
Photo: That is Mary Jo Copeland washing the feet of her poor at the center she founded almost thirty years ago. She doesn't do it to be symbolic, or as a ritual - she actually serves the homeless who have foot problems because of poverty and or disease, and they need their feet washed. She works every day and takes no pay, her organization, Caring and Sharing Hands is an independent charity, not even affiliated with Catholic Charities. 92% of all money donated to Sharing and Caring Hands goes to the needs of the poor, only 8 percent goes to management and fund raising.
It's just...
ReplyDeleteIs there nobody else there that could say the Mass of the Lord's Supper at St. Peters'?
Nobody? Really?
We've been hearing ALL ABOUT this business of how the Catholic Church is BOTH/AND. Can't we have BOTH the Pope go to Casal del Marmo AND someone else celebrate the Mass at St. Peter's?
Chris, impossible. I'm sure every one of the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests in Rome are busy doing something productive. ;)
DeleteIs it for certain that nothing will be held at Saint Peter's? If so, I understand there are one or two other churches in Rome that Catholics could go to, instead. St. John Lateran, for example, where I suppose the cardinal vicar for Rome will celebrate the rites for Holy Thursday.
ReplyDeleteI go to Mass most days after work at a local Jesuit Church. I go because I need to go more than others do. I also go because this Church seems very much to me like the Island of Misfit Catholics and I feel completely at home there. The Jesuits hear confessions several times a day, so I also go there to get myself "cleaned up" about once a month.
" Why do you go to Mass on Holy Thursday? Or any day?"
I love Holy Thursday. I wouldn't miss it, obligation or no. Last year I served as thurifer at my parish and I loved it.
On Sunday, I don't go to Mass at all. On Sunday I attend the Divine Liturgy at my local Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. I seem to prefer the Byzantine liturgy to the Roman liturgy(in any form). I love the various Eastern Rites, so much, in fact, that I sometimes fulfil my "Sunday obligation" at a vigil Mass on Saturday night just so that I can experience the Eastern liturgy at one of the many Eastern Orthodox churches in the area on Sunday morning. The Orthodox do liturgy with a little more old world gusto than the Eastern Catholics do, so from time to time I like to experience it raw and uncensored.
I once went to a Russian Orthodox hierarchical liturgy and nearly died of an overdose of beauty. It was so magnificent, in fact, that I didn't even notice what sort of shoes the bishop wore.
When I really want to take a walk on the wild side, I head to the Oriental churches. We have the Maronites, who are Catholic, but there is also a Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox church in my neighborhood and their liturgy is about as exotic as it gets.
I have yet to intrude upon the Armenian Apostolics, but they're next on my list. Check out one of their liturgies on YouTube. Trads would love it until Communion time, when the priest kneels to distribute Communion to the standing communicants. Huh? Why I never heard...
Of course I go to church on Sunday to worship God, and to worship God in community with my fellow Christians. I go to feed myself with the body and blood of the Lord. But I also really enjoy liturgy for its own sake and I love to experience the liturgical diversity of the apostolic Churches. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where almost all of the ancient liturgical traditions of the East and West are beautifully represented. Why, we even have the "TLM" here. *spins pencil*
I go to pick out the abuses. Kidding.
ReplyDeleteAnyway - I'm sure there will be a Mass at St. Peter's on Holy Thursday - the place is crawling with cardinals, bishops and priests.
"I go to pick out the abuses."
ReplyDeleteLOL. Bless yourself twice with the sand in the stoups for that one.
@ James M, I haven't been to the Ukrainian Church but have been to the Ruthenian and the Russian and the Greek Orthodox, all of which use the same liturgy and there's really no difference. I don't know what you describe as old world gusto but my understanding is that Ukrainians also use the same rite.
ReplyDeleteA couple of Holy weeks ago I was crazy liturgy girl, at a church at least once a day; I doubled up on Sat & Sun, going first to the Orthodox liturgy with the rose petals, then to Easter Vigil, followed by 8am Mass, communion service and rosary at a nursing home and the noon liturgy at the Orthodox church. That was a lot of fun! I'm only supposed to go to the Orthodox liturgy if I also go to Catholic.
Oh, and I go to Mass because I love Mass.
Oh and that was a year when Easter was the same. Much easier when Easter is different.
ReplyDeleteI go to Mass because...I dunno...I would never think of not going. I am a convert since 2003 and I never went to any sort of Church. After I converted I went through periods of not going to Mass at all for a few months because of depression etc. But, now...it just never crosses my mind anymore that I wouldn't go. I used to criticize everything and feel lonely and out of place. Now I am just...'there'. In a good way heh. Not in a spaced out way. ;)
ReplyDeleteBefore my reversion back to the Catholic faith, I went to church to worship God. Then I stopped going altogether, only here and there sporadically, to whichever non-Catholic church offered the most beautiful music on Sundays. Then I started going to church strictly for entertainment purposes. I had no interest in the message, only the music. I started persuading others who never stepped foot inside a church that they ought to try it, too because of the entertainment value. Revolting, wasn't it? Except at least one of them discovered something there and she started going regularly. But I digress. Then, when I discovered an Anglo-catholic Episcopal church, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the so-called mass. It was more dignified and reverent than any recent Catholic Mass I'd been to (for funerals, etc) I looked for every opportunity to get there. Bl JPII died around this time, and suddenly, I felt like I had neglected my own parents for years to learn of their death through others. That's when I started praying the Rosary again, and going to adoration, something I never did as a practicing Catholic save for Forty Hours. Then I stepped foot in the chapel of the Carmelite Monastery and heard the Kyrie from the Missa de Angelis, and I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. And I decided I wasn't going back to catholic-lite anymore. I went to confession for the first time in 20 years to a kindly Franciscan friar who thought it was providential that I was there - it happened to be Padre Pio's feast day. Now, I look for every opportunity to get to Mass. When I don't get there, I'm like a distance runner who has to take a few days off or a heroin addict who can't inject - I'm miserable. I want to go every day that I can to receive Christ's kiss through the Eucharist and be in His Presence. I particularly love Holy Thursday because I feel it is the birthday of the priesthood the same way Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. I could survive without the foot washing part, it's the beautiful Mass (why, just the title alone is gorgeous - The Mass of the Lord's Supper), the Eucharistic procession before Jesus is placed in the repository in commemoration of His imprisonment. It's the visiting the Repository in other neighborhood churches (not sure if that's a South Philly thing or something that's done in other places as well but here we visit as many churches as we can get to after Mass). I think that Holy Thursday night is my favorite night of the year, probably even second to Christmas Eve at this point. Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Joyce
ReplyDeleteThese are all great comments and reasons - thanks everyone - I'm edified.
ReplyDeleteNan:
ReplyDeleteThey use the same liturgical texts, but, at least in these parts, the Orthodox execute the ceremonial with far greater panache. Around here, the Byzantine Catholic churches have a priest and maybe an altar boy or two, whereas the Orthodox churches have the full compliment of liturgical ministers...celebrant, concelebrants, deacons, cantors, oodles of acolytes, big choirs...the whole nine yards.
Also, the Eastern Catholics sit and kneel alot, like Latin Catholics. Not so with the Eastern Orthodox, who stand throughout a service which is about an hour longer than the Catholic version due to all the ceremonial and singing. Most of the Orthodox churches haven't got kneelers, and some of them haven't even got pews.
Finally, the Orthodox in these parts do alot that the Eastern Catholics omit, such as the chanting of Matins, the distribution of the antidoron, prayers for the deceased at the solea, and lining up afterwards to receive the celebrant's blessing. The Orthodox faithful are also a bit more...animated...walking about, venerating icons and lighting candles throughout the liturgy.
So, yes, they celebrate the same liturgies, but in very different ways. The Catholic way is quite a bit more tame. I'll be glad when we're one Church again, Looks like Francis is leading us in that direction. Fingers crossed.