That probably seems like a pretty weird gripe to write a post about. I will give an example: a friend with the typical depth of understanding of the Roman liturgy said that they wished the priest would say those little prayers after the offertory out loud so everyone could hear them. Below is a transcription of what the people are to hear as the priest, bowing, prays in a quiet voice...
"mmmnnmmm... mmnnmmmnnn... mmnmnmnm... nnmmnmmnnn... mnm."
It is, in fact, a very profound prayer.
At this point in the Mass, the priest is entering the Holy of Holies, the very heart of the liturgical celebration. The profound bow and quiet voice tell us that he is not talking to us & not just communicating information. He is speaking directly to God on our behalf, asking that He accept our sacrifice. That is his job; to offer prayers to God on behalf of the assembly. By virtue of his sacramental configuration to Christ Jesus through Holy Orders, he can do this in a way that no other lay person can. Some people do not believe that priests have any special character above or beyond any other member of the Body of Christ. These people, if they claim to be Christian, are called Protestants.
My point is that you don't need to know what the priest is saying. Maybe you could learn what he is saying, and that may be spiritually enriching for you; but the fact is, you just don't need to know. If you did, he would be addressing you. If you must know, here is what the Roman Missal says...
"With humble spirit and contrite heart
may we be accepted by you, O Lord,
and may our sacrifice in your sight this day
be pleasing to you, Lord God."
Then the Priest, standing at the side of the altar, washes his hands, saying quietly:
"Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin."
OK, there it is. Happy now?
I propose as one possible explanation that people simply do not trust that this arrangement of God, priest, and people works. They do not really believe in the power of the priest's prayer on their behalf. If they cannot hear the prayer, & so have "full, conscience, & active participation" in the prayer, then they have no ownership of it, no control of it. It is a lack of trust in the sacramental economy & a tacit denial of the operation of the Holy Spirit within the Church. It has an echo of Pelagianism: "No thanks, God; I've got this one myself." If this attitude does indeed exist, I would say it is a terrible cancerous one within the household of God.
I want to contrast the typically very busy & noisy new Mass with the utter serenity that pervades the old Mass (though my intention here is not to bash the Ordinary Form, because the new Mass can be celebrated very beautifully & reverently [it just isn't very often] & the old Mass can be celebrated poorly, too [it just isn't very often]).
One commonly-used cudgel for criticizing the old Mass is that the priest stands at the altar - let's all say it together - with his back to the people & just mumbles his prayers in a language no one understands anyway, while the people just sit there praying the Rosary, looking around at the stained glass windows, or just dozing off, occasionally being jolted to consciousness by the priest's "Dominus vobiscum." While there may have been some truth to these exaggerations, my purpose here is to evidence the utter trust that Catholics once had in the power of the priest to intercede for them in the sanctuary. There was no need for them to hear and understand everything - just knowing that the priest as Christ was at work on behalf of his people was enough. One old custom that reflected this was that people would bow - some even genuflect - as the priest processed into the congregation. From the choir loft, this looks like the people are doing a very slow, back-to-front holy wave. Even in the new Mass, I always give at least a solemn nod to the priest.
So, any new thoughts here? Are you thinking about your own ability to let the priest be your intercessor at the Mass? Your own level of trust that God will hear the priest's prayers & answer them? How an attitude of quiet expectation may be the most active one? If so, my work here is done.
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