What is the Purpose of the GIRM or Ruberics?

[PapaMattK]

Today at Mass my Pastor’s homily not included a review of the curing of the blind man by Jesus, but he went on to discuss the Pharisees. He stated even today we have people in every Parish that act like the Pharisees. That is, they are too concerned with the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the law. Basically saying that if the letter of the GIRM is not followed. Then he gets irate calls from those “Pharisees” in the parish complaining that the letter of the law is not being followed.

Since, I am one of those accused, the first thought that entered my mind was, “why deviate from what the Magesterium has dictated?’ Is it pride on the Priest’s part to invent a “better” Mass? Is his training better than all those commissioned to generate the GIRM? Or is it the foreshadowing of things to come? That is, I read almost weekly, about changes being considered by the Pope. Such as: approval for the wider use of the Tridentine Mass; removal of the Indult to receive the Eucharist in the hand; the “purification” of the vessels by only a Priest, Deacon or Acolyte.

I keep hearing people say or writing that this Pope is trying to undo what has been accomplished in the last 40 years with the changes of Vatican II. ( My reading the Vatican II documents did not find that Vatican II require any of these so called changes! But that is a subject for another post!).

So my question is, should the local Parish Priests follow the GIRM or are they free to compose their own Mass? Are they setting the ground work to oppose any additional changes coming from Rome? Trying to squelch those of us with Internet access who follow these changes from Rome and ask why the changes are not complied with. Does that make me a Pharisee?

I think the big one is going to be when Rome says, “No more receiving the Eucharist in the hand”. We will see if they follow that requirement or come up with some excuse, like they have to study the impact for 10 years or so before the require it at the local level. Or maybe the instructions have to be reviewed by the ICEL for 5 or 10 years before an acceptable English version is available!

 

[Genesis315]

Following the rules is not what makes one a Pharisee. What would make one a Pharisee is being a stickler about canonical rules, while ignoring the law of love, humility, etc–being white washed on the outside, but rotten on the inside.

However, there should be no dichotomy–it’s not either or, but and both. We should follow the rules (which takes humility) and also love. In fact, impugning rightful authority makes one white neither on the outside, nor the inside.

 

[Genesis315]

Also, the Pharisees denied the faithful what they had a right to by giving them extra burdens.

All Catholics have a right to an authentic liturgy according to the rubrics so denying them that is more Pharisaical then seeking to have the right honored.

 

[thistle]

Today at Mass my Pastor’s homily not included a review of the curing of the blind man by Jesus, but he went on to discuss the Pharisees. He stated even today we have people in every Parish that act like the Pharisees. That is, they are too concerned with the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the law. Basically saying that if the letter of the GIRM is not followed. Then he gets irate calls from those “Pharisees” in the parish complaining that the letter of the law is not being followed.

Since, I am one of those accused, the first thought that entered my mind was, “why deviate from what the Magesterium has dictated?’ Is it pride on the Priest’s part to invent a “better” Mass? Is his training better than all those commissioned to generate the GIRM? Or is it the foreshadowing of things to come? That is, I read almost weekly, about changes being considered by the Pope. Such as: approval for the wider use of the Tridentine Mass; removal of the Indult to receive the Eucharist in the hand; the “purification” of the vessels by only a Priest, Deacon or Acolyte.

I keep hearing people say or writing that this Pope is trying to undo what has been accomplished in the last 40 years with the changes of Vatican II. ( My reading the Vatican II documents did not find that Vatican II require any of these so called changes! But that is a subject for another post!).

So my question is, should the local Parish Priests follow the GIRM or are they free to compose their own Mass? Are they setting the ground work to oppose any additional changes coming from Rome? Trying to squelch those of us with Internet access who follow these changes from Rome and ask why the changes are not complied with. Does that make me a Pharisee?

I think the big one is going to be when Rome says, “No more receiving the Eucharist in the hand”. We will see if they follow that requirement or come up with some excuse, like they have to study the impact for 10 years or so before the require it at the local level. Or maybe the instructions have to be reviewed by the ICEL for 5 or 10 years before an acceptable English version is available!

You talk about your priest inventing a “better” Mass. That’s a serious accusation but its also vague and general. What specifically has been done to get you so upset?

 

[sheila0405]

*The Communion Rite

Communion

1. The priest prepares himself by a prayer, said quietly, that he may fruitfully receive Christ’s Body and Blood. The faithful do the same, praying silently.

The priest next shows the faithful the Eucharistic Bread, holding it above the paten or above the chalice, and invites them to the banquet of Christ. Along with the faithful, he then makes an act of humility using the prescribed words taken from the Gospels.

1. It is most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest himself is bound to do, receive the Lord’s Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is permitted, they partake of the chalice (cf. below, no. 283), so that even by means of the signs Communion will stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated.73
2. While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants’ union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the “communitarian” nature of the procession to receive Communion. The singing is continued for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful.74 If, however, there is to be a hymn after Communion, the Communion chant should be ended in a timely manner.

Care should be taken that singers, too, can receive Communion with ease.*

The above quoted text was obtained from the GIRM which is available in its totality at the website of the USCCB. The rubrics for Communion do not require that the Body of Christ is not to be received in the hand. At the last supper, Jesus broke bread and distributed it to the disciples. The Scriptures do not state that Jesus put the particle of bread on the tongues of the disciples. After His resurrection, Jesus invited his followers to touch Him to see for themselves that He was truly alive and real. Why all the fuss about reception on the tongue? I have had several occasions where the priest or deacon missed my tongue and I had to reach up and steady it. This constant bickering about the rubrics is what makes Catholics come across as divided when the Protestants look at us. :twocents:

 

[Brendan]

More specifically, the Pharisee’s were hypocrites. They did not do what they preached.

We see that Christ has to say about them in Matthew 28

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Note that Christ’s objections was not in the law, but that they did not follow it themselves, or offer assistance with others.

We see that again in John 7 14-23. The Pharisees objected to Christ’s curing men on the Sabbath, when they themselves performed circumcisions on the Sabbath.

So it is a Christian act to do as Christ commands and follow he who sits on the Chair of Moses ( the Holy Father). Christ told us to.

Does this priest really think that +Benedict

 

[PapaMattK]

You talk about your priest inventing a “better” Mass. That’s a serious accusation but its also vague and general. What specifically has been done to get you so upset?

I guess you did not read my post very clearly. While I paraphrased the pastor’s homily, it is HE that said he is not worried about following the letter of the GIRM. Did I not make my self clear?

 

[PapaMattK]

*The Communion Rite

This constant bickering about the rubrics is what makes Catholics come across as divided when the Protestants look at us. :twocents:*

I have read your above quotes from the GIRM more than several times and am very fimilar with them! If you read my post you will see that I said that the Pope is directing the Indult to be lifted.

By the way, schiolars are at odds as to how Jesus presented the Eucharist to the Apostles. Even so, I think we all agree that the Apostles were not only the first Priests but were the first Bishops. Are you saying that we are equalt to them? So we too can handle the Host! Talk about pride!

 

[thistle]

I guess you did not read my post very clearly. While I paraphrased the pastor’s homily, it is HE that said he is not worried about following the letter of the GIRM. Did I not make my self clear?

It seems you are making a big stink out of nothing. So he said that. What has he done during Mass that breaches the GIRM or Rubrics. If nothing then you should not be publicly saying bad things about your priest.

 

[benedictgal]

It’s interesting that the priest would regard those of us who are concerned about protecting the integrity of the Mass as “pharisees”. If you were to look at the history of ancient Israel, you will find that the Pharisees weren’t entirely evil.

The Pharisees came about as a result of the Babylonian exile. Ancient Israel recognized that she had failed in properly worshipping the Lord. They reasoned that this was perhaps the main reason that they went into exile. A group developed to try to preserve the customs of Ancient Israel. Even though they could no longer offer sacrificial worship, they gathered together to read and pray the Torah. This group soon became known as the Pharisees. Although they weren’t members of the priestly class, they did their best to preserve what they could of the faith of Ancient Israel until such time as when they would all return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Even after the exile ended, they still preserved the custom of reading and praying the Torah, and hence, the synagogue was born. At least, this is what I learned at my Old Testament class (taught by my PV).

In the course, I also learned that God was very particular about how He wanted to be worshipped. He set down specific guidelines to Moses, even going down to exact detail regarding vestments (including color and thread), the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, the instruments for the sacrifice and other things. So, if anybody set out the first Genaral Instruction for Worship, it was the Lord, Himself. Unfortunately, every time Ancient Israel deviated from the correct form of worship, she was punished, and punished severely.

Many of our rituals come from Ancient Israel. In fact the Church, as the New Israel, has many things in common with her ancestor in the Faith. The sacrificial element, the psalms and the sanctuary find their roots in Ancient Israel. Ancient Israel’s form of worship prefigured the new and everlasting covenant Jesus fulfilled.

The bottom line is that the GIRM and the rubrics are extremely important to our worship. They give us the form and substance. As Francis Cardinal Arinze notes:

Liturgical celebrations should be experiences of the traditional faith that is confessed, celebrated and communicated, of hope that is expressed and confirmed and of charity that is sung and lived.

Since liturgical celebrations are public acts performed in the name of the universal Church, with Jesus Christ Himself as the Chief Priest, it follows that as the centuries roll by, the Church has necessarily developed norms according to which, her public worship is to be expressed. Liturgical norms protect this treasure which is Christian worship. They manifest the faith of the Church, promote it, celebrate it, and communicate it. They also manifest the nature of the Church as a hierarchically constituted family, a community of worship, love and service, and a body which promotes union with God and holiness of life and gives sinners hope of conversion, forgiveness and new life in Christ.

Moreover, liturgical norms help to protect the celebration of the sacred mysteries, especially the Holy Eucharist, from being damaged by additions or subtractions which do damage to the faith and which may at times risk making a sacramental celebration invalid. The people of God are thus guaranteed celebrations in line with the traditional Catholic faith and they are not left at the mercy of someone’s personal ideas, feelings, theories or idiosyncrasies.

I hope this helps to bring about a better understanding of why we need the GIRM. Here is the link to the Cardinal’s full address:

adoremus.org/0505Arinze.html

It’s a good and solid catechesis on why we do what we do.