History of the Roman Liturgy

On the Eve of the Reformation (14th 15th Centuries)

Intense Spiritual and Cultural Activities

Guilds Construction of chapels and oratories Appearance of influential preachers and reformers (Savonarola, +1498) Birth of the Renaissance Works of the great masters (Giotto, Dante Alighieri, Filippo Bruneleschi) Invention of the printing press, Johann Gutenberg (1445) Printing of the Editio princeps of the Roman Pontifical (Rome, 1485) Discovery of America (1492)

Human Misery and Tragedies

Black Plague (1380) and Hundred Years War (1337 1453) Induced in people a sense of pessimism The Fall of Constantinople (1453) Rocked the confidence in the existence of a Christian world The Autumn of the Middle Ages

Decline in the Development of the Roman Liturgy

Clericalism Forced the assembly to resort to private devotions during Mass The composition of the plenary missals (The presider did everything by himself and privately, regardless of the assembly) Theology of transubstantiation confined the attention of the clergy and the faithful to the moment of consecration People came to Mass with the intention to see a miracle similar to the one reported in Bolsena in 1236.

Decline in the Development of the Roman Liturgy

Exaggerated Allegorism
Presented the Mass to the assembly as a mere occasion to remember aspects of Christs life From the allegorism of Amalarius of Metz,+850 and Pope Innocent III

Misplaced devotion to the Mass

Devotion to the Mass: gaining its fruits Multiplication of Masses to comply with the obligation arising from the stipends offered by the faithful Several repetition of the parts of the Mass before reciting once the canon of the Mass

Decline in the Development of the Roman Liturgy

A form of spirituality that dispensed with the liturgy as its source

With the exception of Gertrude of Helfta (+1301), few knew how to nourish their spiritual and mystical life with the liturgy

The loss of an ecclesial sense caused by individualism

The birth of the devotio moderna among the religious

A spirituality of a mystical type influenced by Master Eckhart (+1327) Purely personal/unecclesial in the style of Thomas a Kempis (+1471) Strongly affective in expression

History of the Roman Liturgy

(16th 19th Century)

At the Time of the Reformation

Martin Luther (+ 1546)

Criticized the use of indulgences Criticized the exaggerated cult of the saints Criticized a liturgical practice that had become pompous and removed from the people Wrote the treatise The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, containing his interpretation of the sacraments As the Jews were sent away from Jerusalem into captivity under the Babylonian Empire, so in Europe, Christians were sent away from the Scriptures under the oppression of a papacy that has misused the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

At the Time of the Reformation

Martin Luther (+ 1546)

The treatise exposed three aspects of the Churchs slavery

The denial of the chalice to the laity The doctrine of transubstantiation The doctrine of the sacrificial character of the Mass

Abolition of private Mass and private confession Call for a vernacular liturgy Emphasis on the priesthood of the baptized

At the Time of the Reformation

A time of heightened clericalism and a lost ecclesial sense The Mass had become a devotional practice. Eucharistic adoration viewed as superior to eucharistic participation in its fullest sense Loss of liturgys relationship to the daily life of Christians

At the Time of the Reformation

The rise of religious individualism The proliferation of private Masses Renaissance: growing interest in the theme of magic, natural/good magic and demonic magic Increase in liturgical abuses
Those who attended Mass or those who paid a stipend to the presider were entitled to obtain the fruits of the Mass During the time one hears Mass one does not grow older After hearing Mass ones food tastes better One will not die a sudden death The souls in Purgatory will not have to suffer while one is

hearing Mass for them

At the Time of the Reformation

Emergence of the Reformation Reaction against poor doctrine and scandalous practice Reaction against a cultural system
Which deprived Christians of personal freedom Which deprived Christians of direct access to Gods mercy

At the Time of the Reformation

The Liturgical Reforms of the Council of Trent

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Sought to correct some of the liturgical abuses witnessed and commented upon by the reformers Even encouraged pastoral sensitivity regarding liturgical concerns such as the vernacular In attempting to challenge what was seen as as a rampant subjectivity of the liturgy, a rigid uniformity was enforced

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Dealt primarily with the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours Disciplinary decree De Observantis et evitandis in celebretionis Missae (22nd session, September 17, 1562), elimination of the most serious liturgical abuses:

Mass should be celebrated only in consecrated places Magical treatment of the consecrated host was to stop Disrespectful and inappropriate liturgical music was to cease Bishops were to keep an eye on their priests regarding stipends Superstition around the number of fixed Masses should cease

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Pius IV delegated the task of reforming the missal and the breviary to a commission The commissions goal regarding the reform of both the breviary and the missal: Return to tradition, to the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome A cleansing of the liturgical calendar

Allowing for greater attention to feasts and seasons The removal of unnecessary or inappropriate texts added to the breviary and missal over the centuries

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

The topic of liturgical music was also included in the agenda of the council Prior to the council music was often used inappropriately in the liturgy

As background during the Eucharistic Prayer, while the presider prayed the prayer privately

The council permitted only such music that had a particular function in the liturgy

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Preference given to communal/conventual Masses over private Masses devoid of music and other ministries The councils statement: the solemn celebration of the Mass was to become the normative eucharistic liturgy Tridentine reforms sought to bring about a liturgical uniformity both in theology and practice

Rubrics were printed for the first time at the beginning of both the breviary and the missal

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

The importance of Communion by the assembly during Mass Discussion on the possibility of the use of the vernacular Discussion on offering of chalice to the assembly during Mass Liturgical readings and the mystery of the Eucharist should be explained to the people during Mass, at least on Sundays and feasts.

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Reaffirmation of the doctrine of the real presence Reservation of the sacrament in churches for veneration and care of the sick Preeminence of the Eucharist over other sacraments and the doctrine of transubstantiation Affirmation of the propitiatory nature of the eucharistic sacrifice Christ offered himself in bread and wine to reveal his own priesthood in the order of Melchizedek.

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

The Roman Canon proclaimed free from error Priests were reminded that water was to be mixed with wine in offering the chalice as already prescribed in the Council of Florence. Revision of the liturgical calendar and the Roman martyrology Establishment of the Congregation of Sacred Rites by Sixtus V ((1588)

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Establishment of the Congregation of Sacred Rites by Sixtus V ((1588)

Care for the celebration of the rites Restoration and reform of ceremonies Reform of liturgical books Regulating the offices of patron saints Canonization of saints Celebration of feasts Reception of dignitaries to Rome Solution to liturgical difficulties raised by local circumstances

The Liturgical Reforms

The Council of Trent

Establishment of the Congregation of Sacred Rites by Sixtus V ((1588)

To assist the goal of liturgical unification throughout the western world To see to it that the newly instituted Roman rubrics were being faithfully observed

The Roman Liturgy

The Baroque Period

The Baroque Period

Religious culture: joyful celebration and feasting with pilgrimages and processions in richly adorned costumes A flamboyant church architecture and orchestral music Visual and audio were of paramount importance A period of rigid unification in the liturgy and rubricism

The Baroque Period

Decline in liturgical activity gave way to a growth in eucharistic adoration Baroque architecture was theatrical, known for its flamboyant movement, color and detail The artistic accomplishments of baroque music entertained liturgical assemblies, but congregants remained passive spectators and had little role in the liturgy itself The Chinese Rites controversy received a great deal of attention from the Congregation of the Sacred Rites

The Roman Liturgy

The Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment

The enlightenments emphasis on rationalism and logic was not a great help to the reform of the liturgy. The essential logic of the liturgy was sought in order to assist in personal moral foundation Despite liturgical scholarship and attempts at reform, rigid liturgical rubricism continued, with the exception of the local liturgies of the French church.

The Age of Enlightenment

The Synod of Pistoia (1786)

Called for a return to the pristine liturgy of the early Church Encouraged active liturgical participation of the faithful Introducing use of the vernacular Eliminating Masses taking place simultaneously in the same place Centrality of the Sunday and parochial Eucharist, where the presider should proclaim the prayers in a a clear, loud voice Communion given to the faithful must be consecrated at that same Mass

The Roman Liturgy and the Period of Restoration

The aftermath of the French revolution, Prosper Gueranger re-founded the Benedictine Abbey of
Solesmes Respond to the needs of the contemporary Church, while remaining faithful to the monastic rule and Church teaching Bring about ecclesial unity and uniformity

The Roman Liturgy and the Period of Restoration

The monks of Solesmes embarked on a study of chant manuscripts by returning to medieval sources. Results of their research have proved to be a valuable contribution to the Church The late 19th century witnessed a growth in liturgical scholarship