Latin and Gregorian Chant...It's Not Just for Lent Anymore
Over at The New Liturgical Movement Jeffery Tucker comments on the trend of using Latin in the Liturgy only during Lent. He says "There might be a very practical reason for this. The pastor may feel like he has a better chance with success in Lent, when people come to expect different things that feel really Catholic, like Latin and all that. Avoiding parish political problems is a good enough reason (many Pastors live in fear of the music question).
But there is one very bad reason: the impression that chant is penitential and nothing else. Not so! "
He goes on to say that "it would be tragic if the chant movement became stuck in Lent and never moved forward to Easter and Pentecost and beyond, indeed, to the whole Church year. In fact, apart from the political reason, I can see no particular reason why Lent should be chosen more than any other season, though of course Lenten chants are amazing. But so are thousands more from every other season.
So let's please do all we can to move to stage two, beyond Lent. Chant isn't just for penance. It is the song of every liturgical emotion and, indeed, the paradigm song to express everything of true importance"
I wholeheartedly agree. Latin and Gregorian Chant are not just for Lent, and if you think Chant is depressing, then you may not have heard some of the more joyful chants. The Te Deum comes immediately to mind. It is one of the most joyful and uplifting pieces of music I have ever heard. So, if indeed you think that Chant is depressing, expand your horizons.
Latin In The Mass
Fr. Martin Fox over at Bonfire of the Vanities has an interesting post about the use of Latin in the Mass. He said "In conversations with the handful of parishioners who have expressed comments on this, I get the idea that they perceive this to be something very unusual; I suspect some may be saying, "but no one else is doing this.""
I too have encountered the idea that the use of Latin in the Mass is unusual. I hear it all the time. At that parish I am at in Sioux Falls, we are using the Latin Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) at the Sunday Masses during Lent, and at the daily Masses I celebrate we also use the Latin Sanctus (Holy, Holy). This fact has cause some, but not many, great consternation.
This being Fr. Fox's experience he tried a little experiment to prove that the use of Latin is not in any way unusual or unique. He said "Still, I got curious--just how many parishes are there, dabbling in this? Rather than wait for someone else to solicit the information, that's what I'm doing with this post...
If you know of a parish (i.e., it's either your parish, or you go there regularly) that is using any Latin on a regular basis, or using any Gregorian chant, please post here. (I'd ask that this not be a place for folks to post opinions pro and con.) I ask that you identify the parish by name, city and diocese. If you can provide a link to a webpage or something else with more information, even better!"
So far, Fr. Fox has somewhere in the area of 225 people who have posted saying that their parish is using Latin as part of the Mass. I would guess that there are many more out there who are doing, they just haven't had someone post on his blog.
So, next time someone comments that it is unusual to use Latin at Mass or if they say something like "Nobody else is doing it" you can point them to this link.
Homily: Third Sunday of Lent
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
Dearly Beloved, the place where you stand, or in this, case sit, is holy ground. In our First Reading the place where Moses stood was made holy by the fact that God was spiritually present in the burning bush. If the place where Moses stood was holy by the spiritual presence of God, so holy that Moses was asked to take off his shoes as a sign of reverence, then how much more holy is this place, this church. For here dwells not a spiritual presence, but the true, real and substantial presence of Jesus Christ, God made flesh, in the Holy Eucharist.
In the time of Jesus the Holy of Holies, the tabernacle of God was the holiest place for Jews to worship. The Jewish people knew that because of the presence of God the utmost reverence was need for that holy place. Only Jews were allowed to near the Holy of Holies, and the High Priest was allowed to enter that sacred tabernacle, that sacred dwelling place of God only once a year on the Day of Atonement. If that place, the Holy of Holies was so sacred because of the spiritual presence of God, how much more so this place, for here dwells God in flesh and blood, not just in spirit form.
If this place is so holy, so sacred, we too should have a great reverence and respect for this sacred space. This reverence, like all things, is expressed through physical realities. We express our love through our bodies, we express our anger through our bodies, and surely we express our reverence through our bodies. That is the way we are made, our physical bodies express the interior dispositions of our mind and soul. So, to express our reverence, we as Catholics, have certain customs, certain ways of physically expressing that reverence. Things like making sure we observe silence in this sacred space before, during, and after Mass. We try to refrain from needless talking, needless laughing, and other distracting things. If we are men, we uncover our heads, and traditionally women have covered their heads. We also have a certain way of dressing when we enter this sacred dwelling of God. We wear our Sunday best and avoid dressing too casual. When we come here we are not going to the beach, to a party, or to a baseball game…we are entering the presence of God, and so we dress modestly so that we do not become a source of temptation to those around us. We may not take our shoes off like Moses, but we should be doing something to remind us of the sacredness of this place.
The Church, however is not the only place where God dwells, he dwells in a very mysterious and real way within each one of us. From the time we were baptized the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwells within us, and after receiving Holy Communion God dwells within us not only spiritually, but physically as well. If that is true, and it is, then we should have the same respect for our bodies as we do for this place. Scripture tells us that we, our bodies, are temples of the Holy Spirit; the very dwelling place of God. Our bodies are living tabernacles, a living Holy of Holies and thus our bodies, and the bodies of others deserve our utmost respect and reverence.
Just as we express our reverence for this Holy Place by performing certain actions or by refraining from other inappropriate actions we also express our reverence for our bodies and the bodies of others by certain customs and ways of acting.
We should never, ever treat others and their bodies as things to be used, as a way to get our kicks. People are made to be loved and never used just so we can have a little fun or experience a little pleasure. Why, because they are temples of the Most High God, and that’s nothing be easily forgotten.
This, sadly, is not how the world we live in sees things. The use and abuse of people is rampant, especially when it comes to sexuality. Pornography, the most rampant way that people are used and abused is a multi-million dollar industry. ABC, CBS, and NBC combined make 6.2 billion dollars per year, yet the Pornography industry easily makes 57 billion dollars per year. That’s more than the combined revenue of all pro football, baseball and basketball franchises. I should make us sick to know that people, made in the image and likeness of God, temples of the Most High, are lowering themselves to use other people though pornography; people who also are made in the image and likeness of God and have God dwelling within them.
And even more sad than those statistics are these:
§ 90% of 8-16 year olds using the Internet have viewed pornography on line (most while doing homework).
§ Eleven years old is the average age of first Internet exposure to pornography.
§ Among underage viewers of pornography, children 12 years old to 17 years old are the largest consumers of Internet pornography.
§ A survey of 600 households conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found that 20% of parents do not know any of their children’s Internet passwords, instant messaging nicknames or email addresses. Only 5% of parents recognized the acronym POS (parent over shoulder) and only 1% could identify WTGP (want to go private?), both of which are used frequently by teens when instant messaging.
Parents, please, as your priest, I exhort you, I beg you, do not allow your children to be used or to use others. Your Children, our children, are, whether we realize it or not, taught by our society that it’s ok to use other people if it’s fun or exciting. Our world teaches them that if it feels good, do it, even if you use someone in order to feel good. But, some might say, nobody gets hurt. No, someone gets hurt. First of all, the person using pornography gets hurt, spiritually for sure, but also emotionally. And second, the person being used, being watched, being treated like an object is hurt spiritually, emotionally, and often times physically. One study stated that “As little as six hours exposure to soft core porn is enough to destroy the viewer’s satisfaction with his or her spouse; decrease the value of faithfulness; decrease the ability to be with one person and cherish that person; and increase the thought that women enjoy rape.”
Parents, if you haven’t talked to your children about this, please do. If you don’t know the passwords, user names, or instant messaging nicknames find out what they are. And please, if you child has a computer in his or her room where the internet can be accessed at any time and without supervision, please get rid of it. The danger that it poses is far worse than any benefit.
So, what if one of us has a problem with this? What if one of us struggles with a problem with the internet? Statistics say that 47% of Christians surveyed said pornography is a major problem in the home. If you struggle with this, come to confession. Talk it over openly and honestly with a priest. The problem is not hopeless. It is able to be overcome, and a priest can help.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I know this has been a tough homily to listen to. It’s also been a hard one to give, but as a priest, I cannot not say something about a problem that looms like a dark cloud over so many people. But there is good news. God forgives, he delivers us, he breaks the chains that bind us.
We, my friends are the dwelling places of the Most High. We, body and soul, are sacred. God loves us, even though we sin, even though we fall, and that is great news.
Today as we gather around this Altar let us pray that all of us will come to know, understand and appreciate the holiness of this place, the Church, but also the sacredness of this place, our very bodies. For if we do, we will grow in holiness by leaps and bounds, and one day, when Christ will stamp out evil for good, we will stand upon the earth as victors, as men and women who have fought the fight and won.
We adore you o Christ and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Many have asked me where I got the statistics used in this homily. The source of the statistics is an excellent pastoral letter written by Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City St. Joseph. It can be found by clicking here.
