Continuïteit of discontinuïteit: een concreet voorbeeld

Bestaat er een continuïteit of een discontinuïteit tussen Sacrosanctum Concilium en het missaal van Paulus VI? Zoals hieronder te lezen valt, bemerkt men overduidelijke tegenspraken. (Een ruwe vertaling van het Italiaans heb ik bijgevoegd)

Voorbeeld 1: Herziening (1963) of nieuwe ritus (1969)

Sacrosanctum Concilium 1963
Nr. 25 : Libri liturgici quam primum recognoscantur, peritis adhibitis et Episcopis consultis ex diversis orbis regionibus.
Nr. 50 : Ordo Missae ita recognoscatur (herziening, geen nieuwe ritus scheppen)
Algemene audiëntie 26 november 1969
Ancora noi vogliamo invitare i Vostri animi a rivolgersi verso la novità liturgica del nuovo rito della Messa ... [Opnieuw willen Wij jullie uitnodigen zich te richten naar de liturgische nieuwigheid van de nieuwe ritus van de Mis]
Come altra volta dicevamo, sarà bene che ci rendiamo conto dei motivi, per i quali è introdotta questa grave mutazione: l’obbedienza al Concilio...[Zoals Wij reeds bij andere gelegenheden zeiden, zal het goed zijn dat wij ons rekenschap geven van de motieven waardoor deze ernstige verandering geïntroduceerd werd: de gehoorzaamheid aan het Concilie ] Zegt Paulus VI hier over het Concilie het tegenovergestelde van wat er feitelijk in de teksten, d.w.z. in SC staat!!

Voorbeeld 2: Latijn of volkstaal?

Sacrosanctum Concilium 1963
Nr. 36: Linguae latinae usus, salvo particulari iure, in Ritibus latinis servetur.
Nr. 54: Provideatur tamen ut christifideles etiam lingua latina partes Ordinarii Missae quae ad ipsos spectant possint simul dicere vel cantare.
Nr. 116: Ecclesia cantum gregorianum agnoscit ut liturgiae romanae proprium: qui ideo in actionibus liturgicis, ceteris paribus, principem locum obtineat.
Algemene audiëntie van 26 november 1969
Il passaggio alla lingua parlata
Qui, è chiaro, sarà avvertita la maggiore novità: quella della lingua. Non più il latino sarà il linguaggio principale della Messa, ma la lingua parlata. Per chi sa la bellezza, la potenza, la sacralità espressiva del latino, certamente la sostituzione della lingua volgare è un grande sacrificio: perdiamo la loquela dei secoli cristiani, diventiamo quasi intrusi e profani nel recinto letterario dell’espressione sacra, e così perderemo grande parte di quello stupendo e incomparabile fatto artistico e spirituale, ch’è il canto gregoriano. Abbiamo, sì, ragione di rammaricarci, e quasi di smarrirci: che cosa sostituiremo a questa lingua angelica? È un sacrificio d’inestimabile prezzo. E per quale ragione ? La risposta pare banale e prosaica; ma è valida; perché umana, perché apostolica. [De overgang naar de gesproken taal. Het is duidelijk dat hier de grootste nieuwigheid is: deze van de taal. Het Latijn zal niet meer de voornaamste taal van de Mis zijn maar de gesproken taal. Voor wie de schoonheid, kracht, expressie en sacraliteit van het Latijn kent, is de vervanging door de volkstaal zeker een groot offer: wij verliezen de taal van christenen door de eeuwen heen, wij worden als het ware indringers en profanen in de talige ruimte van de sacrale expressie en zo zullen wij grote delen van dit wonderlijke en onvergelijkbare artistieke en spirituele feit verliezen die is de gregoriaanse zang. Hebben wij een reden om ons dit leed te veroorzaken en als het ware onszelf kwijt te geraken: wat zullen wij in de plaats stellen van deze engelachtige taal? Het is een offer van een onschatbare prijs. En waarom? Het antwoord is banaal en prozaïsch maar geldig: omdat het menselijk is, omdat het apostolisch is.]

... non per questo il latino nella nostra Chiesa scomparirà; esso rimarrà la nobile lingua degli atti ufficiali della Sede Apostolica; resterà come strumento scolastico degli studi ecclesiastici e come chiave d’accesso al patrimonio della nostra cultura religiosa, storica ed umanistica [hierdoor zal het latijn in onze Kerk niet verdwijnen; zij zal de nobele taal blijven van de officiële acten van de Apostolische Stoel; ze zal blijven als scholastisch instrument van de kerkelijke studies en als toegangssleutel tot het patrimonium van onze religieuze, historische en humanistische cultuur]

De memoires van Kardinaal Giacomo Biffi

Sandro Magister publiceerde recent enkele uittreksels uit de memoires van deze opmerkelijke kardinaal.
De volgende fragmenten liegen er niet om:
Over Johannes XXIII:
"We must look more at what unites us than at what divides." This statement, too - which today is often repeated and greatly appreciated, almost as the golden rule of "dialogue" - comes to us from the era of John XXIII, and communicates to us its atmosphere.

This is a practical principle of evident good sense, which should be kept in mind in situations of simple coexistence and for decisions on minor everyday matters.

But it becomes absurd and disastrous in its consequences if it is applied in the great issues of life, and especially in religious matters.

It is fitting, for example, that this aphorism should be used to preserve cordial relations in a shared dwelling, or rapid efficiency in a government office.

But woe to us if we let this inspire us in our evangelical testimony before the world, in our ecumenical efforts, in discussions with non-believers. In virtue of this principle, Christ could become the first and most illustrious victim of dialogue with the non-Christian religions. The Lord Jesus said of himself, in one of his remarks that we are inclined to censure: "I have come to bring division" (Luke 12:51).

In the questions that count, the rule can be none other than this: we must look above all at what is decisive, essential, true, whether it divides us or not.

Over Vaticanum II:
John XXIII yearned for a Council that would achieve the renewal of the Church not through condemnations, but using the "medicine of mercy." By abstaining from reproving error, the Council would by this very means avoid formulating definite teachings that would be binding for all. And in fact, it held consistently to this initial direction.
Was there not pastoral relevance in the clear statement that Jesus of Nazareth was God and consubstantial with the Father, as had been defined at Nicea? Was there not pastoral relevance in clarifying the realism of the Eucharistic presence and the sacrificial nature of the Mass, as happened at Trent? Was there not pastoral relevance in presenting the primacy of Peter in all its value and all its implications, as Vatican Council I had taught?

It is clear that the declared intention was that of placing special emphasis on the study of the best ways and the most effective means to reach the heart of man, without thereby diminishing positive consideration for the traditional magisterium of the Church.

But there was the danger of forgetting that the first and irreplaceable form of "mercy" for wayward humanity is, according to the clear teaching of Revelation, the "mercy of truth"; a mercy that cannot be exercised without the explicit, firm, steadfast condemnation of any distortion or alteration of the "deposit" of faith that must be safeguarded.

Tijdens het conclaaf op 15 april, 2005:
My state of mind and the dominant tone of may reflection emerges from the statement that, after great perplexity, I decided to make on Friday, April 15, 2005. Here is the text:

"1. After hearing all of the statements - correct, opportune, impassioned - that have been made here, I would like to express to the future pope (who is listening to me now) my complete solidarity, concord, understanding, and even a bit of my fraternal compassion. But I would also like to suggest to him that he not be too worried about what he has heard here, and that he not be too frightened. The Lord Jesus will not ask him to resolve all the world's problems. He will ask him to love him with extraordinary love: 'Do you love me more than these?' (cf. John 21:15). A number of years ago, I came across a phrase in the 'Mafalda' comic strip from Argentina that has often come back into my mind in these days: 'I've got it,' said that feisty and perceptive little girl, 'the world is full of problemologists, but short on solutionologists'.

"2. I would like to tell the future pope to pay attention to all problems. But first and most of all, he should take into account the state of confusion, disorientation, and aimlessness that afflicts the people of God in these years, and above all the 'little ones'.

"3. A few days ago, I saw on television an elderly, devout religious sister who responded to the interviewer this way: 'This pope, who has died, was great above all because he taught us that all religions are equal'. I don't know whether John Paul II would have been very pleased by this sort of elegy.

"4. Finally, I would like to point out to the new pope the incredible phenomenon of 'Dominus Iesus': a document explicitly endorsed and publicly approved by John Paul II; a document for which I am pleased to express my vibrant gratitude to Cardinal Ratzinger. That Jesus is the only necessary Savior of all is a truth that for over twenty centuries - beginning with Peter's discourse after Pentecost - it was never felt necessity to restate. This truth is, so to speak, the minimum threshold of the faith; it is the primordial certitude, it is among believers the simple and most essential fact. In two thousand years this has never been brought into doubt, not even during the crisis of Arianism, and not even during the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation. The fact of needing to issue a reminder of this in our time tells us the extent of the gravity of the current situation. And yet this document, which recalls the most basic, most simple, most essential certitude, has been called into question. It has been contested at all levels: at all levels of pastoral action, of theological instruction, of the hierarchy.

"5. A good Catholic told me about asking his pastor to let him make a presentation of 'Dominus Iesus' to the parish community. The pastor (an otherwise excellent and well-intentioned priest) replied to him: 'Let it go. That's a document that divides.' What a discovery! Jesus himself said: 'I have come to bring division' (Luke 12:51). But too many of Jesus' words are today censured among Christians; or at least among the most vocal of them."

De Kerk moet spreken over de duivel!

Hier is de inleiding door Kardinaal Georges Cottier o.p. op het boek van de exorcist van het bisdom Rome, Gabriel Amorth Presidente degli Esorcisti -- Esperienze e Delucidazioni (Edizioni Carismatici Francescani, 2006) (Copyright: Zenit)

The Church must speak about the devil. Though he sinned, the fallen angel has not lost all the power he had, according to God's plan, in the governance of the world. Now he uses this power for evil. John's Gospel calls him "the prince of this world" (John 12:31) and also in the First Letter of John one reads: "the whole world is in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Paul speaks of our battle against spiritual powers (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17). We can also refer to Revelation.

We must fight not only against the human but the superhuman forces of evil in their origin and inspiration: Suffice it to think of Auschwitz, of the massacres of entire peoples, of all the horrendous crimes that are committed, of the scandals of which little ones and the innocent are victims, of the success of the ideologies of death, etc.

It is appropriate to recall some principles. The evil of sin is done by a free will. Only God can penetrate the depth of a person's heart; the devil does not have the power to enter that sanctuary. He acts only on the exterior, on the imagination and on feelings of a sentient origin. Moreover his action is limited by the permission of Almighty God.

The devil generally acts through temptation and deceit; he is a liar (cf. John 8,44). He can deceive, induce to error, cause illusion and, probably more than arouse vices, he can support the vices and the origins of the vices that are in us.

In the Synoptic Gospels, the first apparition of the devil is the temptation in the desert, when he subjects Jesus to several incursions (cf. Matthew 4:11 and Luke 4:1-13). This event is of great importance.

Jesus cured sicknesses and pathologies. Altogether, they refer to the devil, because all disorders afflicting humanity are reducible to sin, of which the devil is instigator. Among Jesus' miracles are liberation of diabolical possessions, in the precise sense.

We see in particular in Saint Luke that Jesus orders the devils who recognize him as Messiah.

The devil is much more dangerous as tempter than through extraordinary signs or astonishing external manifestations, because the gravest evil is sin. It is no accident that we ask in the Lord's prayer: Lead us not into temptation. Against sin the Christian can fight victoriously with prayer, prudence, in humility knowing the fragility of human freedom, with recourse to the sacraments, above all Reconciliation and the Eucharist. He must also ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of discernment, knowing that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are received with the grace of Baptism.

Saint Thomas and Saint John of the Cross affirm that we have three tempters: the devil, the world (we certainly recognize this in our society) and ourselves, that is, self-love. Saint John of the Cross maintains that the most dangerous tempter is we ourselves because we alone deceive ourselves.

In the face of deceit, it is desirable that Catholic faithful have an ever more profound knowledge of Christian doctrine. The apostolate must be promoted for the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, of extraordinary usefulness to combat ignorance. The devil perhaps is instigator of this ignorance: He distracts man from God, and it is a great loss that can be contained by promoting an adequate apostolate in the media, in particular television, considering the amount of time that many people spend watching television programs, often with contents that are culturally inconsistent and immoral.

The action of the devil is also unleashed against the men of the Church: in 1972 the Supreme Pontiff Paul VI spoke of the "smoke of Satan that has entered the temple of God," alluding to the sins of Christians, to the devaluation of the morality of customs and to decadences (let us consider the history of the religious Orders and Congregations, in which the need has always been noted of reforms to react to the decadence), to yielding to the temptations in the pursuit of a career, of money and of wealth in which the members of the clergy themselves can incur, committing sins that cause scandal.
The exorcist can be a Good Samaritan -- but he is not the Good Samaritan -- as sin is a graver reality. A sinner who remains set in his sin is more wretched that one who is possessed. The conversion of heart is the most beautiful victory over the influence of Satan, against which the Sacrament of Reconciliation has an absolutely central importance, because in the mystery of the Redemption God has liberated us from sin, and gives us, when we have fallen, the restoration of his friendship.

The Sacraments have in truth a priority over the sacramentals, a category in which exorcisms are included, which are requested by the Church but not as a priority. If this approach is not considered, the risk exists of disturbing the faithful. Exorcism cannot be considered as the only defense against the action of the devil, but as a necessary spiritual means where the existence of specific cases of diabolic possession have been confirmed.

It seems that the possessed are more numerous in pagan countries, where the Gospel has not been disseminated and where magic practices are more widespread. In other places a cultural element endures where Christians conserve an indulgent tendency in regard to ancient forms of superstition. Moreover it must be considered that alleged cases of possession can be explained by present-day medicine and psychiatry, and that the solution to certain phenomena may consist in good psychiatric treatment. When a difficult case is manifested in practice it is necessary to get in contact with a psychologist and an exorcist; it is advisable to make use of psychiatrists of Catholic formation.

A course on these topics has recently been instituted in the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum. It also seems opportune to include such formation in seminaries, in a balanced and wise dimension, avoiding excesses and constrictions.

Cardinal Georges Cottier, O.P., Pro-theologian of the Pontifical Household

Kardinaal Danneels over de liturgie

Kardinaal Danneels aan de Catholic University of America.over de liturgie. Zoals gewoonlijk wel goed bedoeld maar dit duurt bijna een kwart eeuw.

Ordo Missae Latijn-Nederlands 1962

Gezien op de webwinkel van Colomba
De onveranderlijke gebeden volgens het missale romanum van de zalige paus Johannes XXIII
Paus Benedictus XVI heeft in juli 2007 het gebruik toegestaan van het Missale Romanum - dat in 1962 werd uitgegeven door de zalige paus Joannes XXIII - als een buitengewone vorm van de Latijnse ritus naast het verdere gebruik van de liturgie volgens het Tweede Vaticaans Concilie.
De Nationale Raad voor Liturgie heeft in een handzame uitgave de vaste gebeden van de mis volgens het missaal van 1962 (Latijn met Nederlandse vertaling) uitgegeven voor degenen die geïnteresseerd zijn in de inhoud van deze buitengewone vorm van de Latijnse ritus.
12 x 19 cm. 96 pag. Tweekleurendruk. 12,50€

Dit is prachtig nieuws. Ik heb zelf al een exemplaar en het is een fantastisch hulpmiddel van priesters, misdienaars en andere katholieken! Tevens worden de rubrieken erin afgedrukt. Bovendien is het uitgegeven door het officiële orgaan voor de liturgie van de Nederlandse bisschoppen!
De volgende stap is een gelijkaardig boekje voor misdienaars, wat m.i. dringend nodig is en tot slot een geheel missaal.

Aartsbisschop Raymond Burke spreekt!

Thomas Peters (American Papist) heeft een uitstekende post over het ontvangen van de H. Communie door hen die openlijk de leer van de Katholieke Kerk afvallen (zoals pro-choise politici). Het betreft een artikel in "Periodica" van de Gregoriaanse Universiteit door aartsbisschop Raymond Burke, zelf een canonist. De titel van het artikel is: "CANON 915: THE DISCIPLINE REGARDING THE DENIAL OF HOLY COMMUNION TO THOSE OBSTINATELY PERSEVERING IN MANIFEST GRAVE SIN."

Waar een wil is, is een weg!!

Eén van de logische gevolgen van Summorum Pontificum is de celebratie en instructie van seminaristen in de buitengewone vorm van de éne Romeinse Ritus. En het IS mogelijk zoals blijkt uit deze foto's en het bericht in verband met de éérste H. Mis, gecelebreerd in de buitengewone vorm, in het Kenrick-Glennon Seminary (Aartsbisdom van St. Louis- Mgr. Raymond Burke)

Een voorbeeld voor onze bisschoppen

Mgr. Michael Burbidge, bisschop van Raleigh (North Carolina, VS), geeft de gepaste reactie op Summorum Pontificum (geboortejaar is 1957, priesterwijding 1984, dus het is GEEN NOSTALGIE):
In een bericht dat hier in pdf te lezen valt zegt hij o.a.:
"In his Christmas address to the members of the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005, His Holiness Benedict XVI, shared his vision of shepherding the Church on a path of greater unity, continuity, reform, and renewal.[Het motu proprio is inderdaad geen nostalgie maar onderdeel van een doordacht plan] As an essential part of this vision, on July 7, 2007, the Holy Father released his Apostolic Letter, Summorum Pontificum, clarifying the status and usage of the Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII, published in 1962, prior to the liturgical reforms of 1970. The document also governs the use of other ritual books in use prior to these reforms. Accompanying the Apostolic Letter, the Holy Father also wrote an explanatory letter to all the Bishops of the world providing the context in which the faithful should understand the objectives of the document. The Holy Father explains that the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council found in the 1970 Missal, with its two subsequent revisions, remain as the Forma ordinaria or normal form of celebration of the Mass. The use of the 1962 Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII is to be used as the Forma extraordinaria or extraordinary form of celebration of the Mass. Most notably, the Holy Father states that these two forms are not to be seen as two separate Rites of the Mass, but rather two forms of celebration within the one Roman Rite. The Holy Father clarifies this two-fold reality when he stated, “There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy, there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us, too....” Therefore, to implement Summorum Pontificum in every way possible in the Diocese of Raleigh, it is my intention to maintain the Forma ordinaria as normative for celebrations of the Mass, but also to make the Forma extraordinaria form of the Mass more available to the faithful. To this end, resources will be provided to those priests who are able and choose to study how to properly celebrate the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass so that both he and the people of God will best be served. [Inderdaad, niet passief afwachten maar stimuleren wat nu een onderdeel is van de éné Romeinse Ritus]There are many resources available to priests to aid them in this pursuit and so I direct those priests seeking formation to consult with the Vicar General, the Very Reverend David D. Brockman, for which formation program will be the most effective. Our Diocese is blessed that we already have priests exercising an effective apostolate offering the Mass and other sacraments using the Forma extraordinaria. I am grateful to these priests [Inderdaad, een publieke dankbetuiging is nodig] for their generosity to assist any priest seeking liturgical formation in the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass. In particular, I wish to recognize the Reverend Paul M. Parkerson, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Dunn, for his leadership in this regard. I also express my gratitude to those in liturgical leadership at Sacred Heart, Dunn for offering liturgical formation in the ministry of altar server for the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass. While Summorum Pontificum does not impose a minimum number of the faithful who may rightfully request the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass from their pastor, the priests of the Diocese of Raleigh, and I, as Bishop, will do everything possible to respond appropriately and generously to the requests for this form with the resources we have. Our Diocesan website will soon convey more information on parish celebrations of the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass in our Diocese. [Concrete initiatieven, niet teveel gepraat!] In recognition of the effective date of Summorum Pontificum on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14, 2007, I invite the faithful of our Diocese to join me at Sacred Heart, Dunn, for a special solemn celebration of the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass. I will be the homilist for the Mass and Fr. Parkerson will offer the Mass as the celebrant. [Een UITSTEKENDE oplossing indien de bisschop niet zelf de de buitengewone vorm, om de één of andere reden, kan celebreren]The richness of the Sacred Liturgy is the heart of our Catholic faith. Both the Forma ordinaria and the Forma extraordinaria of the Mass have been the source of holiness for countless saints throughout history. May the richness of our Catholic liturgical prayer, now made more available to the entire Church, continue to lead us all to that same goal. In the words of our Holy Father, "Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith, itself, allows."

Een voorbeeld voor onze seminaries

Gelezen op The New Liturgical Movement
"In response to Summorum Pontificum, Holy Apostles [Seminary] will begin publicly offering the Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite on Saturday, September 8th at 11:00 a.m. in the seminary chapel. The public is welcome to attend.

Rev. John Mary Gilbert, I.S.J, a professor at Holy Apostles Seminary, and Rev. Gregoire Fluet, Pastor of St Bridget Parish, Moodus, CT, and the Vice-President of Holy Apostles Seminary, will offer the Traditional Latin Mass on each Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The brothers from the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius (Chicago) who are seminarians at Holy Apostles Seminary will form the chant schola for the weekly High Mass at the seminary chapel."