I like this photo. It shows the very good taste of the then Cardinal Ratzinger (courtesy of Google Images). He is a man of very cultivated tastes and humanity, a truly pious man, and very bright. I like him very much. I'd like to have him round for tea one day, I think we'd have a lot to discuss. He'd be more than welcome at my Day of Medieval Liturgy (more on this later). I saw him five years ago at the World Youth Day in Cologne. I bet none of you can imagine me at a World Youth Day!
This thought has just come to me - I think that the greatest possible Ecumenical endeavour, well-within the powers of the Pope, would be a thorough cultivation of the Roman Liturgy - a true revival (Summorum Pontificum aside of course), bringing us closer to our brethren in the East. This doesn't mean Byzantinize the Roman Rite, not by any means, but certainly a return to more traditional praxis - Communion under both kinds within the Traditional Roman Rite, more permanent Deacons (the Diaconate is so important - I think every parish should have a Deacon), more sung Office and less Low Mass etc. It is one of the greatest tragedies of the Latin Rite that there is no Office in parochial churches. This ought to be on the Holy Father's agenda just as much as the fight against anti-life policies encroaching upon Europe and the rest of the world...
I think communion under both kinds would be not wise at the current time. This article from the online Catholic Encyclopaedia tells of the events resulted in the church mandating communion under one species. Remember: not everything from the East is ancient and/or venerable.
ReplyDeleteAs to the diaconate, I wouldn't mind them but they should embrace celibacy just as priests do.
I don't know how much the Holy Father sees as his list of priorities, the provision of sung office in every single Catholic church in Christendom. He has a pretty hard job trying to get people to try and attend mass in the first place! People need to be catechised first, otherwise liturgical actions are of no significance to them. Over 5 million people in Europe fell to heresy of Luther, because people were not catechised properly in Christian doctrine.
Btw: the Holy Father properly likes larger more than ale.
ReplyDeleteThe desire to receive communion under both kinds is something I'm quite sympathetic to. Unfortunately, like everything else in the reform, it was botched. I'm also of the mind that a deacon should always be present at mass to assist the priest, especially when it comes to communion (if I'm no mistaken isn't one of the original liturgical functions of the deacon that he is the minister of the chalice?). As for the hours, evening masses should be abolished, so that the Divine Office can once again properly belong to the liturgical life of the Church.
ReplyDeleteShawn, thanks for the link, I shall read it in due course. Communion under both kinds should still be an option, but I don't quite understand your reference to the East. It is indeed a prejudice to suppose that everything ''Eastern'' is old, but a hell of a lot of it is, and Communion under both kinds was once common in the West too. It just fell into abeyance in the Second Millenium - probably due to doctrinal development (which is a concept that I have never quite understood).
ReplyDeleteI am no beer expert, but I imagine that real German larger is more tasteful than the canned stuff you find in most British supermarkets...
Paul Knight, I agree entirely that evening Masses should be abolished. They are an abomination and wreck the liturgical day...
German larger is far superior to the tosh that is offered in many public houses. But an Englishman ought to drink ale, in a proper ale glass if possible, in a nice pub with his tweed (on the weekends - Tolkien would not approve of tweed in the city on week-days).
ReplyDeleteShawn, please don't take this the wrong way, but have I met you before? Much of what you say seems resonant of someone I met at Heythrop...
ReplyDeleteAs for an Englishman - I suppose I can be classed as one (my dispossessed Irish ancestors in the North of Ireland would turn in their graves to hear me say that!), and I do enjoy real ale. I don't wear tweed though, and a nice tweed jacket is not something I can presently afford. A year ago I was an impecunious student, now I am just impecunious...
No. I can't claim to have the unfortunate pleasure of meeting you [... just joking ;-)] but I should like to one day Deo Volente.
ReplyDeleteI would save as much as one could for a tweed jacket - they have some cracking deals on vintage websites.
I thought it was 'lager' not 'larger'. The photograph has been created in PhotoShop or something similar I would suggest.
ReplyDeleteRubricarius, it could well be ''edited'' or something. I only found it in Google Images and took a liking to it...
ReplyDelete