At Mass today, we sang "The First Noel"--only the way it was written in the hymn book was "Nowell," an allusion to the real meaning of the word: "Now all is well." (Very Julian of Norwich!) And it provoked me enough for me to ask myself, "Do I really believe that 'all is well' now that Jesus has come?" It certainly gives me something to pray about!
And a St. Stephen's Day memory from novitiate: it must have been my turn to set up the Mass vestments, because after Mass I got a hairy eyeball from Sr. Mary David. "Did the Ordo really say to use gold vestments today?" Oops! Even in the Christmas Octave, it's red for martyrs...
4 comments:
In any case, the priest celebrant must not have minded! I knew a priest who loved the "Gloria" and would add it even during Lent and another who loved the Profession of Faith so that he also included it in weekday Masses :) Sometimes the Holy Spirit overrides the Ordo.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "hairy eyeball" yewwwwwwww'
It is not in the priest's power to 'do his own thing' in the liturgy; the Sacrifice of the Mass is not the priest's personal plaything - the play in which he is the star -and then claim it is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Sacrosanctum Concilium
22 (3) Therefore no other person whatsoever, not even a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on their own authority.
Dear Anonymous,
I treasure the sacred liturgy but am compelled to note that the items I mentioned in my comment above are not of the nature to which your quoted reference refer. For a priest to opt for pastoral reasons to include the Creed or Gloria, while perhaps not always "liturgically sound" is not to alter the liturgy in the way that Sancrosanctum Concilium prohibts. Let's be cautious about condemning based on the letter of the law rather than respecting based on the Spirit of the Law (and my capitalizations are on purpose in the preceding sentence).
Peace!
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