Abuses? Not sure...what should I do?

[DanteAlighieri]

There is a parish in my area that I don’t normally attend, even though it is walking distance from my home. I tried it, but I could not get over the many little alterations that the pastor makes in the wording of the liturgy, plus a couple of other things (announcments to “greet each other by name” and inviting “those who aren’t Catholic or those who are but cannot receive to come up for a blessing” before Mass) that bugged me.

This morning, however, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Here’s the list:

1. Little modifications of wording that appear to be intended to liven things up while saying something that means the same thing – stuff like “…from whom we receive every good thing in our lives” instead of “…from whom all good things come”.
2. Before the Gospel reading: “My beautiful brothers and sisters, the Gospel according to our good brother Luke.”
3. After that, praying out loud something which I didn’t catch because I was thinking about what he had just said, and finishing with “…so he [Luke] gave us these words…” as a lead-in to the reading.
4. After the Gospel reading, instead of saying, “The Gospel of the Lord”, he said, “My brothers and sisters, this is the Good News of salvation”. The hesitation among the congregants was palpable, as many didn’t seem to know whether or when to respond, “Praise to you…”
5. After a fairly good homily, asking us, “Does anyone have any questions?” Pause. “Was I clear enough? Good. We believe…”
6. After Communion, a man that I had thought all along to be merely an acolyte (wearing a white cassock and assisting in place of altar servers) returned the Blessed Sacrament to the tabernacle. I am not certain that he isn’t a deacon, but I’m fairly sure.

Some of this sounds a little nit-picky as I write it, but I’m frustrated and don’t know what to do, or if I should even do anything. Help!

Peace,
Dante

 

[Matas]

There may or may not be some abuses here, but overall, they are minor. I’d talk to your priest about them. If you decide to talk to your priest, ask him, politely, in a “I don’t understand and I need teaching sort of way.” Don’t come on all “hot and huffy.” You could include your concerns in the polite conversation, and see where that goes.

 

[japhy]

There is a parish in my area that I don’t normally attend, even though it is walking distance from my home. I tried it, but I could not get over the many little alterations that the pastor makes in the wording of the liturgy, plus a couple of other things (announcments to “greet each other by name” and inviting “those who aren’t Catholic or those who are but cannot receive to come up for a blessing” before Mass) that bugged me.

That part, in bold, doesn’t bug me in the least. Making an announcement before Mass is ok, and especially one that reminds Catholics that they are not automatically disposed to receive Holy Communion!

But the list irritates me. Many priests (and bishops) like to make up their own prayers or change the words they have been instructed to say. I’m sorry you have to put up with it.

Try writing a letter (without emotion, as much as possible) about the reaction you had, and tell him why you believe it is important to follow the liturgy properly.

 

[benedictgal]

What you have outlined sounds like some very serious problems. No priest has the right to change the prescribed norms and rubrics. This comes from the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (Second Vatican Council):

Wherefore the sacred Council establishes the following general norms:

A) General norms

1. 1. Regulation of the Sacred Liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop.

1. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of the Liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established.

1. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the Liturgy on his own authority.

In other words, the Mass is not some do-it-yourself exercise in creativity where the priest can add or subtract just to suit his fancy. Furthermore, Redemptionis Sacramentum makes this point very clear:

[7.] Not infrequently, abuses are rooted in a false understanding of liberty. Yet God has not granted us in Christ an illusory liberty by which we may do what we wish, but a liberty by which we may do that which is fitting and right.18 This is true not only of precepts coming directly from God, but also of laws promulgated by the Church, with appropriate regard for the nature of each norm. For this reason, all should conform to the ordinances set forth by legitimate ecclesiastical authority.

…[11.] The Mystery of the Eucharist “is too great for anyone to permit himself to treat it according to his own whim, so that its sacredness and its universal ordering would be obscured”.27 On the contrary, anyone who acts thus by giving free rein to his own inclinations, even if he is a Priest, injures the substantial unity of the Roman Rite, which ought to be vigorously preserved,28 and becomes responsible for actions that are in no way consistent with the hunger and thirst for the living God that is experienced by the people today. Nor do such actions serve authentic pastoral care or proper liturgical renewal; instead, they deprive Christ’s faithful of their patrimony and their heritage. For arbitrary actions are not conducive to true renewal,29 but are detrimental to the right of Christ’s faithful to a liturgical celebration that is an expression of the Church’s life in accordance with her tradition and discipline. In the end, they introduce elements of distortion and disharmony into the very celebration of the Eucharist, which is oriented in its own lofty way and by its very nature to signifying and wondrously bringing about the communion of divine life and the unity of the People of God.30 The result is uncertainty in matters of doctrine, perplexity and scandal on the part of the People of God, and, almost as a necessary consequence, vigorous opposition, all of which greatly confuse and sadden many of Christ’s faithful in this age of ours when Christian life is often particularly difficult on account of the inroads of “secularization” as well.31

[12.] On the contrary, it is the right of all of Christ’s faithful that the Liturgy, and in particular the celebration of Holy Mass, should truly be as the Church wishes, according to her stipulations as prescribed in the liturgical books and in the other laws and norms. Likewise, the Catholic people have the right that the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass should be celebrated for them in an integral manner, according to the entire doctrine of the Church’s Magisterium. Finally, it is the Catholic community’s right that the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist should be carried out for it in such a manner that it truly stands out as a sacrament of unity, to the exclusion of all blemishes and actions that might engender divisions and factions in the Church.32

As a previous poster suggested, write a letter to the priest (with as little emotion as possible). In order to substantiate your points, cite passages from the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy and Redemptionis Sacramentum. You can find quick links to these at www.adoremus.org . When you get to that website, click on the Church documents section. Sometimes you need to have citations at hand so that the recipient of the letter will know that you have your sources straight. If nothing happens, then, write to your bishop. After all, he is supposed to be the chief steward of your diocese’s liturgical life.

 

[japhy]

As a previous poster suggested, write a letter to the priest (with as little emotion as possible).

If you would like a model for your letter (or at least an actual example), see my recent letter to a priest on this issue.

Whole letter

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

 

[TOMFULLREE]

I am sure that I am letting myself in for a verbal thrashing from my fellow CA readers, but…

I used to spend a lot of time and thought during Mass about these sorts of issues. In my personal experience, thinking and noting these sorts of things took my mind off the Mass and the sacrifice being offered up on the altar. I found myself ascribing all sorts of unworthy motives to the celebrant, the choir, the readers, the altar servers, the cantors, the ushers, etc. over what they did and/or the way they did it. Attending Mass became an unhappy experience. I am sure that at times my internal disposition did not permit me to receive Communion worthily.

Just some thoughts. They may or may not apply to you or the situation you described.

 

[benedictgal]

I am sure that I am letting myself in for a verbal thrashing from my fellow CA readers, but…

I used to spend a lot of time and thought during Mass about these sorts of issues. In my personal experience, thinking and noting these sorts of things took my mind off the Mass and the sacrifice being offered up on the altar. I found myself ascribing all sorts of unworthy motives to the celebrant, the choir, the readers, the altar servers, the cantors, the ushers, etc. over what they did and/or the way they did it. Attending Mass became an unhappy experience. I am sure that at times my internal disposition did not permit me to receive Communion worthily.

Just some thoughts. They may or may not apply to you or the situation you described.

Tom, I’ve gone through that on many occasions. Sometimes it was so bad that I wanted to take a happy pill before I went into church. When things have gotten particularly bad (praise and worship music), I have snuck in a little handy book called “Benedictus” daily meditations from Pope Benedict XVI and I use it as my pacifier (during the preparation hymn). I also just try to focus on the Sacrifice (even though being there is a real sacrifice). My PV even goes through that when the music is particularly bad. But, he certainly makes up for the lousy music by preaching a doctrinally, liturcigally and scriptually rich homily (he’s up there with B-16) and by reverently celebrating the Sacrifice. It certainly helps to have him around.

However, RS empowered us, to a certain degree, to charitably inform our pastors when things aren’t right.

Now, having said that, I’m not advocating that we all go in there and pull a Rambo on the parish. That’s not going to help anyone. The approach that japhy took was excellent. By the way, japhy, that was a beautiful letter. :clapping: :tiphat: :bowdown2:

I think I ran out of smileys, but it was brilliant. That’s the type of letter that should be written.

 

[JDHallKY]

I am sure that I am letting myself in for a verbal thrashing from my fellow CA readers, but…

I used to spend a lot of time and thought during Mass about these sorts of issues. In my personal experience, thinking and noting these sorts of things took my mind off the Mass and the sacrifice being offered up on the altar. I found myself ascribing all sorts of unworthy motives to the celebrant, the choir, the readers, the altar servers, the cantors, the ushers, etc. over what they did and/or the way they did it. Attending Mass became an unhappy experience. I am sure that at times my internal disposition did not permit me to receive Communion worthily.

Just some thoughts. They may or may not apply to you or the situation you described.

You certainly won’t get a verbal thrashing from me. I went through the exact same thing. It got so bad that at most Masses I attended my mind was primarily occupied with spotting liturgical “abuses.” I didn’t intentionally start doing that, but it just became a bad habit which certainly did not contribute to my “full, active, and conscious participation in the liturgy.”

I would actually follow along word for word in the missal to make sure the priest didn’t change the text of the prayers, etc. Almost every Mass I went to, something seemed to be wrong. But, that was only because I was looking for it. Had I just relaxed I might not have noticed the “changes” and if I did, I probably would have realized that maybe the priest just temporarily lost his place while praying the Eucharistic Prayer, tried to continue from memory, didn’t get it quite right, but found his place again and continued on. Not every imperfection is an abuse.

Not to say abuses don’t happen, though. They certainly do. It’s just not the faithful’s primary duty to obsess over them and try to spot and report each one.

 

[TOMFULLREE]

To me the worst part about my thought process was the fact that I was being so judgmental towards sincere people who were trying very hard. Does this mean that I think that anything goes or there is never a need to question matters? No. As Catholics were have a right to attend a properly celebrated liturgy. However, we can’t expect a collection of human beings to never be wrong or never be mistaken or even never be misguided.