in Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy*
Reading the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council is in some ways a surprise. I would not expect to find in this document certain directives that are in fact there.
CHAPTER I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Let's start with the general principles. Having grown up attending the new order of the Mass daily, I found myself in various churches while visiting family, going to college, or otherwise traveling. Let's just say I saw a wide variety of reverent practices, and unfortunately, even more abuses. The word was that this variance could be attributed to the Council.
On the contrary, we see in Sacrosanctum Consilium a confirmation that priests do not have the authority to fiddle with the Holy Mass. Nor are innovations OK, since all changes must "grow organically." In fact, according to this Council document, we are right to expect the Holy Mass to look the same from one church to another.
22. 1. Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop.
...3. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.
23...there must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them; and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing.
As far as possible, notable differences between the rites used in adjacent regions must be carefully avoided.
Far from a chatty atmosphere, in the Holy Mass, sermons and instructions on the liturgy were intended to be relegated to prescribed suitable moments indicated in the rubrics.
35. 2) Because the sermon is part of the liturgical service, the best place for it is to be indicated even in the rubrics...
3) Instruction which is more explicitly liturgical ... should occur only at the more suitable moments, and be in prescribed or similar words.
Further, it is clearly contrary to the intention of the Council that special interest groups in the parish be put on display during the Sacred Liturgy, as we see so often happen.
32. The liturgy makes distinctions between persons according to their liturgical function and sacred Orders, and there are liturgical laws providing for due honors to be given to civil authorities. Apart from these instances, no special honors are to be paid in the liturgy to any private persons or classes of persons, whether in the ceremonies or by external display.
We also see in these general principles that Latin should have been preserved as the language of the Mass, and that the vernacular (in our case, English) was intended to be limited to certain places where it is of "great advantage."
36. 1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.
2. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first place to the readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants, according to the regulations on this matter...
54...Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.
CHAPTER II. THE MOST SACRED MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST
As far as distributing the Most Precious Blood as the norm at daily Masses, this clearly was not intended by the Council.
55. ...The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council of Trent remaining intact [1], communion under both kinds may be granted when the bishops think fit, not only to clerics and religious, but also to the laity, in cases to be determined by the Apostolic See, as, for instance, to the newly ordained in the Mass of their sacred ordination, to the newly professed in the Mass of their religious profession, and to the newly baptized in the Mass which follows their baptism.
Nor is it in accord with the Council that priests be forced to con-celebrate, since the Constitution protects their right to say Mass on their own.
2.1. The regulation, however, of the discipline of concelebration in the diocese pertains to the bishop [to whom it belongs to decide whether concelebration is opportune (57.2.a)].
2.2. Nevertheless, each priest shall always retain his right to celebrate Mass individually, though not at the same time in the same church as a concelebrated Mass, nor on Thursday of the Lord's Supper.
CHAPTER III. THE OTHER SACRAMENTS AND THE SACRAMENTALS
The Sacrament of Extreme Unction, also known as the Anointing of the Sick, while not reserved only for the point of death, is still only for those in danger of death. (See my post on Extreme Unction.)
73. "Extreme unction," which may also and more fittingly be called "anointing of the sick," is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.
CHAPTER IV. THE DIVINE OFFICE
The Divine Office, like the Mass, was meant to continue, in Latin, and sung. While a Bishop can give dispensations for the office to be said in the vernacular to those for whom Latin would prevent a "grave obstacle," praying the office in the vernacular was not meant for all.
89. ...a) By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns...
e) In choir the hours of Terce, Sext, and None are to be observed. But outside choir it will be lawful to select any one of these three, according to the respective time of the day.
94. That the day may be truly sanctified, and that the hours themselves may be recited with spiritual advantage, it is best that each of them be prayed at a time which most closely corresponds with its true canonical time.
95. Communities obliged to choral office are bound to celebrate the office in choir every day in addition to the conventual Mass.
99. Since the divine office is the voice of the Church, that is of the whole mystical body publicly praising God, those clerics who are not obliged to office in choir, especially priests who live together or who assemble for any purpose, are urged to pray at least some part of the divine office in common.
All who pray the divine office, whether in choir or in common, should fulfill the task entrusted to them as perfectly as possible: this refers not only to the internal devotion of their minds but also to their external manner of celebration.
It is, moreover, fitting that the office, both in choir and in common, be sung when possible.
101. 1. In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office. But in individual cases the ordinary has the power of granting the use of a vernacular translation to those clerics for whom the use of Latin constitutes a grave obstacle to their praying the office properly. The vernacular version, however, must be one that is drawn up according to the provision of Art. 36.
CHAPTER V. THE LITURGICAL YEAR
The notion of sin and penance was not done away with by the Council, as we can see it is emphasized in the following text. Nor is penance meant to be solely a personal private act. External social penance was to be fostered.
109. The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for baptism, and by penance it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery. This twofold character is to be brought into greater prominence both in the liturgy and by liturgical catechesis. Hence:
b) ...As regards instruction it is important to impress on the minds of the faithful not only a social consequences of sin but also that essence of the virtue of penance which leads to the detestation of sin as an offence against God; the role of the Church in penitential practices is not to be passed over, and the people must be exhorted to pray for sinners.
110. During Lent penance should not be only internal and individual, but also external and social. The practice of penance should be fostered in ways that are possible in our own times and in different regions, and according to the circumstances of the faithful; it should be encouraged by the authorities mentioned in Art. 22.
Further, the feasts of the saints were not meant to be removed or changed wholesale on the new calendar, but only certain feasts were to be suppressed when they might conflict with the celebration of the important feasts of the Liturgical year.
111. ...Lest the feasts of the saints should take precedence over the feasts which commemorate the very mysteries of salvation, many of them should be left to be celebrated by a particular Church or nation or family of religious; only those should be extended to the universal Church which commemorate saints who are truly of universal importance.
CHAPTER VI. SACRED MUSIC
One of the biggest and most disturbing changes in the Liturgy, which also happens to be a difference unappreciated by many Bishops and Pastors, regards the music.
112. The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. ...[I]t forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.
In the name of culture, parishes perform music which is inherently both secular and banal, even when the lyrics are religious. This change was not intended by the Council. On the contrary, music that is inherently sacred, i.e. Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, and simple hymns, were meant to continue as the norm. The lyrics were to be taken from the sacred texts - Scripture and the Liturgy. The traditional pipe organ was to be given pride of place among instruments. Choir boys were to be given special training.
115. ...Composers and singers, especially boys, must also be given a genuine liturgical training.
116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.
But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30.
117. The typical edition of the books of Gregorian chant is to be completed; and a more critical edition is to be prepared of those books already published since the restoration by St. Pius X.
It is desirable also that an edition be prepared containing simpler melodies, for use in small churches.
120. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument...
121.. ...The texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine; indeed they should be drawn chiefly from holy scripture and from liturgical sources.
CHAPTER VII. SACRED ART AND SACRED FURNISHINGS
The Council did not intend that Churches be made plain (read 'ugly.') The focus was on simplicity and "noble beauty" as opposed to gaudy, crowded, and overdone displays. These latter tend to distract from prayer and weigh down the spirit, rather than calm and uplift.
Contrary to the destruction of beautiful churches, the Constitution warns against getting rid of sacred furnishings, and especially of spurning sacred images. The goal here was tastefulness in the church's decor, not stripping the sanctuary of its treasures.
124. Ordinaries, by the encouragement and favor they show to art which is truly sacred, should strive after noble beauty rather than mere sumptuous display. This principle is to apply also in the matter of sacred vestments and ornaments.
Let bishops carefully remove from the house of God and from other sacred places those works of artists which are repugnant to faith, morals, and Christian piety, and which offend true religious sense either by depraved forms or by lack of artistic worth, mediocrity and pretense.
125. The practice of placing sacred images in churches so that they may be venerated by the faithful is to be maintained. Nevertheless their number should be moderate and their relative positions should reflect right order...
126. ...Ordinaries must be very careful to see that sacred furnishings and works of value are not disposed of or dispersed; for they are the ornaments of the house of God.
Conclusion
There have been many liturgical abuses justified in the name of Vatican II. Sadly, what the Council intended for liturgical reform, as shown in the pages of Sacrosanctum Concilium, has been all but completely ignored, supplanted by a trend toward worldly innovation, as well as communal and external participation at the expense of the interior life. The reform of the liturgy that the Council did intend was far more modest than what we have seen come to pass in most parishes. Will we ever see the Liturgy as the Council envisioned it?
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