ECs, what do you like in the Roman-Rite liturgy?

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Question for Greek Catholics and Oriental Catholics: what do you like in the Roman-Rite liturgy (mass)?

I realize that question’s pretty open-ended, but I’m just interested in hearing people’s answers.
 
I am Latin rite and I know you are asking Greek etc but recently have gone to an Eastern mass and it was wonderful, what has happened to our masses here in the USA is really tragic ---- I don’t know Latin and do not plan to learn it since they took it out of the liturgy in the 60’s, too bad they had to take all of it out where I lived, it might have helped to keep something sacred in mass – If I could change my rite and go to the Eastern, I would do it in a minute but can’t – so goes life…the priests really work hard at the masses of the eastern rite — beautiful Divine Liturgy –
I look at our masses as living in the desert of waiting for new life — I am sure there are masses out there that are sacred, have silence, the people pray after they receive communion instead of running out of church, and the music is sacred and not a Broadway show that has poor actors in it., but we gotta live where God calls us to be and stay even if there is a better place for liturgy – I will have the best most amazing mass in heaven. That is in God’s mercy if I get there – I pray for that mercy and reality
 
Peter_J said:
Question for Greek Catholics and Oriental Catholics: what do you like in the Roman-Rite liturgy (mass)?

I realize that question’s pretty open-ended, but I’m just interested in hearing people’s answers.
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I enjoy kneeling in silent prayer after Communion.
 
Unfortunately our modern Liturgies often have no beauty - they have to have a lot of work done to make them inspiring. A lot depends on the character of the priest.

Eastern liturgies are inherently beautiful. Our modern liturgies must seem quite shallow to someone from the Eastern tradition.
 
eamonnroma said:
Unfortunately our modern Liturgies often have no beauty - they have to have a lot of work done to make them inspiring. A lot depends on the character of the priest.
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If you want a beautiful western liturgy, try an Ordinariate Mass. 😉
 
eamonnroma said:
Eastern liturgies are inherently beautiful. Our modern liturgies must seem quite shallow to someone from the Eastern tradition.
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I’ve been to a number of breathtakingly beautiful Masses. I particularly enjoy going to the local diocesan Chrism Mass every year.
 
As a Latin in the process to transfer to the Maronite Church, what I like most in the Roman Liturgy is the kneeling. I think that it is a fitting posture when Heaven comes down to earth seemingly as bread and wine.

Its use of the vernacular in the Novus Ordo is a very good thing too, even in the manner expressed in Sacrosanctum Concilium, which specified that responses should still be in Latin. By using the vernacular, the faith becomes more ingrained among the faithful.

If I may go on a tangent, the Vetus Ordo liturgy would perhaps enjoy greater popularity if it were in the vernacular. In my home country, before switching to the Novus Ordo Liturgy, the Vetus Ordo Liturgy was celebrated in the vernacular for 3 years to accustom the faithful.

Pax Christi
 
The local parish is very modern and makes use of all the live instruments like the guitar. I’m not overly fond of the modern form at most parishes but its done very passionately at my local Latin parish so its very enjoyable, especially for the youth it seems. However personally, I like the traditional Latin Holy Mass. I got the chance to visit the Houston Co-Cathedral where the traditional Holy Mass was accompanied by the organ, it was very beautiful.
 
As a former Roman Catholic turned Maronite by way of the Byzantine/Melkite tradition, I must say that I’m very discouraged by the lack of positive comments on the current form of the Roman Rite, especially since the OP asked what it is that we like about the Roman Mass, not what we dislike about it. It seems for every one positive thing said, there are three negatives.

That being said, when the Roman Rite is properly celebrated, I enjoy the same things in it as I do in any of the Eastern and Oriental Liturgies. There is deep history and tradition, there is solemnity, the incense, the chanting, etc. I’m fortunate enough to live in an area where a good many parishes celebrate the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite the way it ought to be celebrated.

I also greatly enjoy the prayers. Many of the prayers in the Roman tradition (Ordinary Form) are brief, but so filled with theological and spiritual depth that they warrant/deserve individual commentary.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
As a former Roman Catholic turned Maronite by way of the Byzantine/Melkite tradition, I must say that I’m very discouraged by the lack of positive comments on the current form of the Roman Rite, especially since the OP asked what it is that we like about the Roman Mass, not what we dislike about it. It seems for every one positive thing said, there are three negatives.
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Thank you, PR. The only thing I’d like is, we should distinguish between someone saying “Here’s why I don’t like the RR” and someone saying “I *generally *like the RR, but something I don’t like is when …”
That being said, when the Roman Rite is properly celebrated, I enjoy the same things in it as I do in any of the Eastern and Oriental Liturgies. There is deep history and tradition, there is solemnity, the incense, the chanting, etc. I’m fortunate enough to live in an area where a good many parishes celebrate the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite the way it ought to be celebrated.
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I also greatly enjoy the prayers. Many of the prayers in the Roman tradition (Ordinary Form) are brief, but so filled with theological and spiritual depth that they warrant/deserve individual commentary.
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👍
 
Augustine said:
If I may go on a tangent, the Vetus Ordo liturgy would perhaps enjoy greater popularity if it were in the vernacular. In my home country, before switching to the Novus Ordo Liturgy, the Vetus Ordo Liturgy was celebrated in the vernacular for 3 years to accustom the faithful.
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This is something I would like to see as well.
 
Peter_J said:
Question for Greek Catholics and Oriental Catholics: what do you like in the Roman-Rite liturgy (mass)?

I realize that question’s pretty open-ended, but I’m just interested in hearing people’s answers.
Click to expand...
As a Roman Catholic looking eastward (attending Byzantine liturgy for five years), there are several things I like about my rite, such as:
  1. deacon chanting intercessions and Gospel (Latin OF and Divine Worship Missal)
  2. incense and liturgical bells
  3. organ
  4. Mode V Ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, and Credo)
  5. Various choral composers for the ordinary, such as Hassler, Viadana, Palestrina, etc.
  6. Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I)
  7. Evensong (Book of Divine Worship, replaced with the Divine Worship Missal)
  8. Certain excellent hymns, such as “Of the Father’s Begotten”, “Hail Redeemer, King Divine”, and more
  9. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
  10. Confessionals permitting anonymous confessions
While it is true that I am contemplating a transfer to the Byzantine church, is not because I reject my old rite, but because I find myself incorporating more and more of the Byzantine spirituality into my own and desire to hand them down to my own children. Indeed, I would be most happy to ignore the paperwork of transfer, if it were not for the fact that I am a young man, and like many young men I wish to obtain a ring on my finger. 😉

In light of that, I do not wish to complicate things for my children, which may affect the validity of their own marriages (i.e., “our father taught us the Byzantine rite, therefore we must be Byzantine, right?”----according to the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches, this is not quite right).
 
I like (and miss) Gregorian Chant, Rose colored vestments , advent wreaths (if not authentically roman at the very least western in nature), good choral music with the organ.
 
Peter_J said:
Thank you, PR. The only thing I’d like is, we should distinguish between someone saying “Here’s why I don’t like the RR” and someone saying “I *generally *like the RR, but something I don’t like is when …”
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Btw, personally I would say: I like the RR, but I don’t like when some RRCs adopt a minimalist attitude.
 
I like the Vetus Ordo/Usus Antiquior in all its forms, including Roman, Ambrosian, Dominican, Carmelite, and Cistercian (I’ve not had the privilege of seeing the Mozarabic, Bragan, or Lyonais, nor the Carthusian or the vestigial Praemonstatensian, but I am familiar with them as well), preferably when sung. :).
 
I like the old liturgy of the west and the solemnity of it. I like the older hymns and the chant. I have yet to experience anything resembling it in the new liturgy though. It seems that some here have. I have never heard chant, and very rarely have I heard any older hymns in a novus ordo liturgy. I like hymns like holy God we praise thy name, o Salutaris, the benediction hymns, etc. But most of that I have only heard at a Latin mass.
 
Ok I’ll be more positive 😊-- If the priest provides the right times for silence, I like the silence given after receiving Holy communion – I like the cultural diversity of masses meaning songs etc. I like our hymns and a good choir – but I’m amazed at the beauty of the Eastern liturgy and their great love of the mother of God.
 
As a kid growing up in the Byzantine church, I’d have told you that I like the shortness of the Roman Rite. Especially during Lent.
 
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