Strange Passion Reading

[irish1]

I experienced what I thought was a rather odd reading of the Passion at the Palm Sunday Mass. I was wondering if it was licit or not.

Three people participated, the deacon, a female cantor and a male lector. Instead of taking parts such as narrator, Jesus, etc.; they simply each read a few paragraphs in turn.

In addition, the entire assembly was asked to sit during the reading of the Gospel. I understand it is very long, but our Lord suffered and died for our sins, can’t we engage in a little mortification by standing (if possible), or would discomfort detract from the ability to focus on the reading?

Finally, I’m not sure if a “musical response” is allowable between sections.

Does anyone know of an authoritative souce, perhaps ,GIRM that I might refer to? Does the parish need to change their practice or do I need to change my attitude???

 

[LilyM]

I experienced what I thought was a rather odd reading of the Passion at the Palm Sunday Mass. I was wondering if it was licit or not.

Three people participated, the deacon, a female cantor and a male lector. Instead of taking parts such as narrator, Jesus, etc.; they simply each read a few paragraphs in turn.

In addition, the entire assembly was asked to sit during the reading of the Gospel. I understand it is very long, but our Lord suffered and died for our sins, can’t we engage in a little mortification by standing (if possible), or would discomfort detract from the ability to focus on the reading?

Finally, I’m not sure if a “musical response” is allowable between sections.

Does anyone know of an authoritative souce, perhaps ,GIRM that I might refer to? Does the parish need to change their practice or do I need to change my attitude???

We had a musical refrain between sections - and sat for part of the reading, but knelt at the point where Jesus’ death is recounted.

 

[dylanschrader]

On Passion (Palm) Sunday the Passion is read in three parts (the priest should take the part of Christ).

As for the sitting down, there’s nothing in the Rite as far as I know about sitting since this is the Gospel reading. If some people needed to because of the length, it’s not a problem.

 

[Elzee]

I experienced what I thought was a rather odd reading of the Passion at the Palm Sunday Mass. I was wondering if it was licit or not.

Three people participated, the deacon, a female cantor and a male lector. Instead of taking parts such as narrator, Jesus, etc.; they simply each read a few paragraphs in turn.

In addition, the entire assembly was asked to sit during the reading of the Gospel. I understand it is very long, but our Lord suffered and died for our sins, can’t we engage in a little mortification by standing (if possible), or would discomfort detract from the ability to focus on the reading?

Finally, I’m not sure if a “musical response” is allowable between sections.

Does anyone know of an authoritative souce, perhaps ,GIRM that I might refer to? Does the parish need to change their practice or do I need to change my attitude???

Exactly what happened at my parish, but we get treated to the “please have a seat while lay people read the Gospel complete with background piano lounge music and a musical refrain every few paragraphs” several times throughout the year.
It’s horrid. And, to beat it all, one of our deacons is very elderly - it amazes how he can manage to stand for the entire Gospel but everyone else has to sit because “it’s just so long”.

 

[irish1]

Yikes, multiple times per year?!! I thought the Passion was enough of a problem for us.

Does anyone know if there is a source that states what kind of variations in the manner the Passion is read, are allowed? Does GIRM address this?

 

[John_Lilburne]

The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy has:

"*Reading of the Lord’s Passion *
130. The Church exhorts the faithful to frequent personal and community reading of the Word of God. Undoubtedly, the account of the Lord’s Passion is among the most important pastoral passages in the New Testament. Hence, for the Christian in his last agony, the Ordo untionis informorum eorumque pastoralis curae suggests the reading of the Lord’s Passion either in its entirety, or at least some pericopes from it
(footnote 136: Cf. RITUALE ROMANUM, Ordo unctionis infirmorum eorumque pastoralis curae, Editio Typica, Typis Polyglotis Vaticanis 1972, nn. 224-229. ).

During Lent, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays, love for our Crucified Saviour should move the Christian community to read the account of the Lord’s Passion. Such reading, which is doctrinally significant, attracts the attention of the faithful because of its content and because of its narrative form, and inspires true devotion: repentance for sins, since the faithful see that Christ died for the sins of the entire human race, including their own; compassion and solidarity for the Innocent who was unjustly condemned; gratitude for the infinite love of Jesus for all the brethren, which was shown by Jesus, the first born Son, in his Passion; commitment to imitating his example of meekness, patience, mercy, forgiveness of offenses, abandonment to the Father, which Jesus did willingly and efficaciously in his Passion.

Outside of the liturgical celebration of the Passion, the Gospel narrative can be “dramatized”, giving the various parts of the narrative to different persons; or by interspersing it with hymns or moments of silent reflection."

The " Ordo unctionis infirmorum eorumque pastoralis curae" is the liturigcal book “Pastoral Care of the Sick”. I used bold text to highlight that it is describing the dramatized Passion reading as only suitable outside of liturgical celebrations.

 

[rayne89]

For extra long readings sitting is allowed.

 

[Elzee]

For extra long readings sitting is allowed.

Isn’t this only if you are unable to stand? (Such as the priest saying "The Gospel today is very long. If you are unable to stand due to physical/health reasons, please feel free to sit if you need to"). I didn’t think it was correct for the priest to just issue a blanket ‘please be seated’.

 

[JohnPaul]

they told us all to sit

this is part of the wussification of America

 

[Caesar]

Thankfully at my parish (which is otherwise quite liberal) we stood for the entire Passion, knelt in silence at the appropriate parts, with the Bishop taking the part of Christ, and a Deacon and a Priest taking the other parts. No music during the reading.

However, it could have been chanted in Latin, like here: stagnes.net/music-recordings-cd-gregorian.html

 

[Eileen_T]

And, to beat it all, one of our deacons is very elderly - it amazes how he can manage to stand for the entire Gospel but everyone else has to sit because “it’s just so long”.

I have a bad hip and wanted to sit after a while. Unfortunately, very near me was an elderl , frail-looking man who quite selfishly stood for the whole Gospel. So I had to suffer through it.

 

[Brendan]

The CDWDS document on liturgies during Holy Week

PASCHALES SOLEMNITATIS:

Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday)
…
33. The passion narrative occupies a special place. It should be sung or read in the traditional way, that is, by three persons who take the parts of Christ, the narrator and the people. The passion is proclaimed by deacons or priests, or by lay readers. In the latter case, the part of Christ should be reserved to the priest.

The proclamation of the passion should be without candles and incense, the greeting and the signs of the cross are omitted; only a deacon asks for the blessing, as he does before the Gospel.[37]

For the spiritual good of the faithful the passion should be proclaimed in its entirety, and the readings which precede it should not be omitted.

…

GOOD FRIDAY

…
66. The readings are to be read in their entirety. The responsorial psalm and the chant before the Gospel are to be sung in the usual manner. The narrative of the Lord’s passion according to John is sung or read in the way prescribed for the previous Sunday (cf. n. 33). After the reading of the passion a homily should be given, at the end of which the faithful may be invited to spend a short time in meditation.[69]

ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDWEASTR.HTM

 

[down_under]

our priest asked everyone to be seated. He did the narraitive bit. everyone taking a part. however good on him when the narrator wanted to rush straight to the end and kept reading past the priest had to phisically walk up to her and use her mike to tell everyone to kneel. It was an interesting moment. Who is running the serivce the priest or the female laity who all wish to be priests.

 

[Elzee]

I’m now confused - we didn’t kneel in my parish, but now that a poster has said this, I remember kneeling as a child. Was this supposed to be done? While we were sitting our priest told us to take a few minutes to reflect - but we weren’t told to kneel. Our priest doesn’t like missalettes (there are only a handful for our HUGE parish), so I couldn’t see what we were supposed to do.

Where can I find the latest instructions on what is to be done on Palm Sunday? The GIRM?

 

[Caesar]

I’m now confused - we didn’t kneel in my parish, but now that a poster has said this, I remember kneeling as a child. Was this supposed to be done? While we were sitting our priest told us to take a few minutes to reflect - but we weren’t told to kneel. Our priest doesn’t like missalettes (there are only a handful for our HUGE parish), so I couldn’t see what we were supposed to do.

Where can I find the latest instructions on what is to be done on Palm Sunday? The GIRM?

I believe that it is mandatory to kneel when Christ dies.

 

[rayne89]

Isn’t this only if you are unable to stand? (Such as the priest saying "The Gospel today is very long. If you are unable to stand due to physical/health reasons, please feel free to sit if you need to"). I didn’t think it was correct for the priest to just issue a blanket ‘please be seated’.

Our priest (who is very orthodox) explained it is allowed for long readings such as the one on Palm Sunday (which can be 10-15 minutes long). He asked everyone to sit and said “for better concentration and meditation on the Gospel.”

 

[Manfred]

Isn’t this only if you are unable to stand? (Such as the priest saying "The Gospel today is very long. If you are unable to stand due to physical/health reasons, please feel free to sit if you need to"). I didn’t think it was correct for the priest to just issue a blanket ‘please be seated’.

Got that right, Elzee! Same thing at my parish.

On Good Friday, we get a dramatized re-telling. if you will; no priest involved. Derived from the 1970 NAB version of John’s Gospel, but John’s name is never mentioned. One year we even had pre-teen and teen ballerinas literally burst “onto the scene” at the moment Christ died; the whole thing, with the girls stretching out their arms to mimic the crucified Christ, was tasteless and blasphemous. But our (now retired) music director had seen it performed somewhere; thought it would be a nice innovation.