Fr. Z's Blog

From a reader, some questions.

I  usually don’t like to tackle more than one question at a time, because multiple questions make subsequent moderation to difficult.

So, I will be brief.

Is it permissible for the following;

1.  At the Offertory to consecrate the bread and wine together as: "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.  Through your goodness we have this bread and wine to offer.  They will become the body and blood of Christ."  [That is not what the official liturgical books say.  The books indicate that the offering of the bread and wine are separate.  Furthermore, between the offering of the bread and wine, the chalice must be prepared.  So, more than one thing is being violated.]

2.  When did the Entrance Hymn, the communion prayer, and the prayer after  communion disappear.   [They didn’t.  You will find them in the Roman Missal.]

3.  Is it correct for the people to say :  May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands instead of May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your  hands.  [That is not what the book says.  Also, this version twists the theology of the consecration.  The way the priest offers sacrifice is not the same as the way the congregation, as baptized people, participated.]

From a reader:

Recently, after reading this post on traditional Catholicism, I posted the link on Facebook and got into a debate with a few friends of mine.  Basically, it boiled down to the following three questions:  [there were three questions, but the second was the important one…]

2. Whether some people are dispensed from fulfilling their Sunday obligation at a Novus Ordo mass by the idea of "spiritual danger" attached to going to that rite.

A couple of my friends say yes, a couple say no.  What do you think?

I think that God cannot be fooled.

If people who are obliged are truly impeded from attending Holy Mass on a day of obligation, then they don’t sin by not attending.

There can be physical impediments (e.g., the bridge was washed out in a flood), or impediments of health (e.g., too ill to go out) or "psychic" impediments (e.g., an old person is afraid to fall on ice in the winter) or circumstantial impediments (e.g., you are traveling on a close schedule and have no idea where to go), etc.

But there are other kinds of moral impediments.  For example, say you are part of a small parish and something really bad happened with the priest or parishioners and the thought of going there is just too much, but the next parish a great distance.

Say, for example, the liturgical abuses at your parish are so bad that you simply cannot stand going and there is no place else to go within a reasonable distance.

Now… this is where things get thorny.  Some people have come to the conclusion that the Novus Ordo itself is a liturgical abuse which they cannot bear.  If they are truly convinced, based on adequate information and sound reasoning, that is one thing, but… if they are making intellectual excuses or were lazy in their choices – because they just don’t like some things that happen, that is another. 

I think some people start out disgusted at liturgical abuses they have experienced and then, slowly but surely, come to convince themselves that the problem is the Novus Ordo itself.  They harden in their position over time.  Sadly, many people who do that often don’t have the legitimate basis in fact to make such a decision in the first place, but they gradually harden their minds and hearts in it.

I say that people in this dilemma should examine their consciences and discern whether they have been just to the issues.  Deliberately choosing not to fulfill one’s obligation by refusing to attend Holy Mass, properly celebrated in an approved Rite of the Church, is a pretty serious step.

I think that God cannot be fooled.

This response is sure to bring out all sorts of knuckle-headed stuff, so I will close the combox.  People can e-mail me if they have something well-considered, measured, and respectful to contribute.

From a reader:

A bit related to your post about seeking Confirmation from another diocese, I was wondering what you thought of seeking out the sacrament of Confirmation for my children before they receive Holy Communion for the first time. 

As I understand it, Holy Communion traditionally stood as the culmination of the process of entering the Church.  Baptism – Confirmation – Holy Communion.  Indeed, that’s the order of reception at the Easter Vigil and, I think, is the way those three sacraments are presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  With the movement of the reception of Holy Communion for the first time to an earlier age (by Pius X, I believe), was there any intention to also move Confirmation to a correspondingly earlier age?  If not, would it be recommended/proper/pious to seek out Confirmation before First Holy Communion?

In the ancient Church and still in the Eastern Churches, those entering the Church would receive all three sacraments of "initiation".  Thus, even the very young, even infants were confirmed.

When the numbers of people to be "initiated" became too great for the lone bishop to handle everyone, practical solutions were adopted and the sacraments were separated.

In the Latin Church we have been separating Baptism, Confirmation and Communion for quite some time now.  The age of Communion has been moved to the "age of reason", to be be determined primarily by parents in consultation with their pastor.

The age of Confirmation has been pushed later and later.  The 1983 Code of Canon Law c. 891 sets the age for Confirmation "at about the age of discretion unless the conference of bishops has determined another age … ".   In the USA the Latin Rite bishops set the age for Confirmation at between the age of discretion (considered to be about age seven) and "about sixteen years of age."

Many people argue that late teens is too late for the sacrament.  They think it should be earlier.   The idea is that the sacrament of Confirmation, the strengthening it gives, is really needed before the turbulent years of adolescence. Canon Law supports this possibility, but the local bishops conference might have set other guidelines.

I don’t see why there could not be an exception, but it seems to me that this should be worked out carefully with your pastor and, perhaps, with the bishop who would confirm.

So, unless you really have a compelling reason to do otherwise, how about following the directives of the bishops according to the program your pastor determines? 

In the meantime, form your children well!  Giving them the gift of Faith, the Faith in which we believe, will make their deepening of the Faith by which we believe that much richer and effective in their lives.  This is your honor and duty.

From a reader:

I wanted to inquire about a pious habit I have acquired from my parents who have acquired it from their parents.

At the Mass, immediately following the words of Consecration when the Host is lifted up, when the bell is wrung thrice we have always struck our breasts once and said silently to ourselves, "Lord I am not worthy to receive you, etc."

Now my knowledge of the rubrics for the Novus Ordo are not exhaustive, but I don’t recall ever reading this. I did, however, recall seeing at a TLM a reference within the Missal explaining that one should say at the elevation: "My Lord and my God." I have also noticed a few ladies and gents over the years with a bit more gray in their hair than the rest also strike their breasts at this moment, but it’s relatively rare. My question is, is this anywhere within the rubrics or merely a pious action that developed over the years, much like the modern holding of hands during the Our Father at Novus Ordo Masses?

Frankly, I think you can do what you want at that moment.

Some people prefer to do nothing external.  Many say "My Lord and my God!", echoing St. Thomas the Apostle.

I know that there were directives against the priest who is saying Mass from doing this, but the laity may do as they please.

I have no problem at all with these acts of piety, which are intimately personal and harm no one.   In a similar way, if people want to hold hands during Mass, at any time, fine!  Just don’t try to compel anyone else to do it.  Moreover, people are never to be directed to hold hands.

It would be interesting to know what practices people have for this mysterious moment during Holy Mass.