ASK FATHER: Priest plugged Novus Ordo things into a TLM
From a reader…
This past weekend I attended a TLM, let’s just say in New England, where a a couple odd things occurred.
1) The priest came out to the lecturn and read the standard NO “Prayers of the People”. I was scratching my head as Mass started right after this with the procession. I have to add that I’m not a fan of the Prayers of the People where so many of the requests are banal or progressive sounding. “Pray for vacationers…”, etc. Um, there are so many bigger fish to fry that never get mentioned. Anyway…
2) Mass went on as usual. As this was a Palestrina Mass, I could not hear the priest over the music, and the long pauses as he waited for the music at times threw off my understanding of exactly where we were in Mass. I also could not tell what he sang for the Gospel. When he started his homily he referenced both the ’62 and ’70 missal Gospel readings and did his best to combine them into a cohesive thought, but it seems oddly disjointed.
Why would a priest in a TLM parish, in the context of a high Latin Mass, attempt to staple a few NO bits and bobs onto the TLM? I haven’t seen this before and wondered what you thought might be behind this kind of arrangement.
You are asking me why he would do those things. I must respond that your planet’s recently moon eclipsed yellow star doesn’t give me that particular super power. Mind reading is more of a Martian Manhunter thing.
It seems to me, from what you described, that the priest is attempting a kind of “mutual enrichment” of the two forms. This “mutual enrichment” was specially desired by Benedict XVI. However, Benedict also legislated that the two forms were to remain separate. That means that only over time will such an enrichment take place, in an organic and natural way, rather than by… how to put this… brutal, artificial and ham-fisted gestures.
Also, in general, the priest doesn’t generally wait for the music in the TLM, except perhaps before the beginning of the Preface or before the Postcommunion. Part of the genius of the Roman Rite is that more than one thing can take place at the same time. If a priest has limited experience of this, he may not quite understand the ethos of the TLM and, therefore, his ars celebrandi could be a little awkward or out of step with the rite. So many priests are conditioned by the Novus Ordo and having everything center on themselves or about being heard, etc. The ars celebrandi of the older, traditional form requires a different view.
Referring to the Gospel readings for both the NO and the TLM… well okay. I don’t see a problem with that for a couple reasons. First, some priests have to say both forms and they’ve worked on the NO Gospel. Also, while it is in the modern rite, the NO, strongly urged that priests should preach from the readings… which seems terribly rigid and legalistic… in the traditional rite, the TLM, the priest has greater freedom. Also, given that the Word of God from one Gospel passage is going to be consistent with the Word of God from another Gospel passage, it should be possible with some thought and creativity to harmonize them in a sermon and make a good point. Still, if not pulled off properly, yes, that could seem disjointed. If a priest is not truly deft in the pulpit, he would be prudent to avoid trying to do that.
Finally, I doubt very much that the priest was trying to screw around with the traditional form out of some kind of malice or distaste for it. He was probably well-intentioned. Perhaps with the help of some kind, constructive and instructive feedback, he’ll learn how to adjust his ars celebrandi so that it is more appropriate for the TLM.
