Fr. Z's Blog

I am sure you have heard this at one point or another… perhaps even too often.  Hitherto in many places, during the last stage of preparation before the distribution of Holy Communion, if the work at the altar was going on for a while, the singing of the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) would be extended – vamped, in a manner of speaking – by the addition of additional (sometimes even appropriate) Christological titles.  Lamb of God… Prince of Peace… King of Kings… etc.

Over the years, however, I have heard some real howlers inserted.

In any event, that’s all over now and the liberal home-spun liturgy types are not happy.  No, not one little bit.   The Holy See determined that these “tropes”, these additions inserted to lengthen the Lamb of God are right out.

Over at the Fishwrap some of them have a little nutty about the Roman oppression, the “control” they are exerting.   Here is a taste, to add some relish to your reading:

[…]

Several also expressed frustration that the Vatican congregation was apparently issuing directives to bishops’ conferences on the matter.

One liturgist, Viatorian Fr. Mark Francis, [This is the guy who, after Summorum Pontificum, in the pages of The Tablet attacked Pope Benedict and anyone who likes the Extraordinary Form. I recall in particular his condescending assertion that the Pope, unlike Francis himself, “is not a trained liturgist”. HERE.] called the changes “another revision to a former way of operating.”

“We’re into this fundamentalist kind of approach,” said Francis, who has previously taught at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago [Ooooo!  What prestige!] and served in Rome as his congregation’s superior general until July.  [I wonder how they are doing with vocations….]

The changes to the “Lamb of God,” Francis said, are “another example of [the bishops’] trying to maintain the purity of the Roman rite.”  [Imagine such a thing!  Imagine]

“Other than simply being literally faithful to the previous way of doing these things, what does this do for us?” he asked. [Instead of being “literally faithful” we should be “figuratively faithful”! At least I figure that’s what that means.] “How does this help our worship? That question is very rarely asked anymore.”

Felician Sr. Judith Kubicki, an associate professor of theology at Fordham University, [The admixture of Jesuits and liturgy is usually volatile.] said she saw the change as “two-pronged,” [Sounds rather warlike, no?] both as a logistical adjustment following the recent changes in the liturgy and as a further signal that the Vatican is concerned about “controlling the text” of the Mass. [WHAT?!? What is this you say?  Imagine! The “Vatican” trying to control the text of the Mass!]

“It’s another example of a need to completely supervise what the prayer text is,” [It is almost as if there is a connection between what we believe and how we pray!] said Kubicki, who also served as president of the North American Academy of Liturgy in 2008. “And if you have these tropes … they’re no longer under supervision.”

[…]

Imagine Rome trying to control the text of the Roman Rite!

Who do they think they are?!?

Those men in the Congregation.  Are they liturgists?!?