As I was getting my daily fill of the blogosphere, I came across a blog that made me realize how, well, post-conciliar I am. For some of you, that might come as a surprise; for others, this is just the next step in my being brainwashed to the Dark-Side that is the N.O. Church.
I listened to some excerpts of the Pope's recent Mass in Germany during his time there. These excerpts gave an example of the various types of music. I have to say, I was definitely not a fan... For me a lot of the music sounded far too contemporary, modern, theologically thin, and had it's emphasis placed on entertainment rather than worship. A good example of this was the recessional, where "Holy God We Praise Thy Name" (“Großer Gott wir loben dich”) was performed by the choir and musical ensemble. Personally, I find that drums and electric guitars don't work well for the accompaniment of this particular song of Benediction... For excerpts of this Mass, you can go here.
As I was rearing up to volley a blog of wondrously justifiable preferences regarding the music used in the celebration of Mass, I had to stop and think... Preferences... Hmm...
There are many things in the Catholic Faith that are not subject to whims of preference. The Trinity, the hypostatic union, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are just some of the many beautifully secure dogmas of Faith.
Music, however, falls into a different category. Because of it's "ministerial function in the service of the Lord" to bring about a greater fulfillment of "full, conscious and active participation by the faithful in the Liturgy," music has a unique and important role to play in the education and spiritual awareness of the Church.
So, for some clarification on how the Church has broached the subject of music with regard to liturgy, I turn to my trusty friend, my copy of Sacrosanctum Concilium (S.C.), the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council. Chapter VI of the document deals directly with the utilization of music in the liturgy. So I approached the document with my questions concerning the Pope's Mass in Germany. Here they are:
Question 1: Why wasn't traditional forms of music used in the Mass? Doesn't Gregorian Chant take pride of place?
Answer 1 from S.C., paragraph 116: "The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as distinctive of the Roman liturgy; therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services. But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, provided they accord with the spirit of the liturgical service."
Question 2: I heard a lot of guitars and drums accompanying the choir as it sang. Is this allowed? I thought the organ was the only Instrument that should be used in Mass?
Answer 2 from S.C., paragraph 120: "In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument that adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up the spirit to God and to higher things. But other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship, with the knowledge and consent of the competent territorial authority... This applies, however, only on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, are in accord with the dignity of the place of worship, and truly contribute to the uplifting of the faithful"
From my time as a Catholic, and more recently as a seminarian, I have grown in my understanding of these particular paragraphs. There is room for both tradition and culture within the Sacred Liturgy, to the exclusion of neither. This means that we have an obligation to the rite itself to develop it within the context of the time-tested traditions of the Church and the realm of local customs that can be utilized for greater participation. This needs to be heard by both traditionalists and progressives in the Church, I think.
Regarding whether or not the music used during the Papal Mass in Germany followed the criteria just expressed by S.C., I'll let you decide. What must be remembered here is that God was praised, the Lamb of God visited His people, and those people were faithful regardless of the human weaknesses and imperfections that may have taken place. Our personal preferences and opinions, as justified as they may be, pale in comparison to the Relentless Truth of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment