For some time now, I have been
reading The Priest In Union With Christ
written by the late Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., described by some
as “probably the 20th century’s greatest theologian” and “one of the
Church’s all-time greatest authorities on the spiritual life.”
Given the on-going attack on the
nature of the priesthood, our priests and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, this
is a book you should read and gift to any priest you treasure.
In it, this gifted Dominican urges
all of his readers to always remember “that the principal Priest in the
sacrifice of the Mass is Christ, and that the celebrant must be striving for an
actual and closer union with Him.” Does
this truth come as a surprise to you?
He then goes on to describe the different
ways of celebrating Mass: the sacrilegious Mass, the Mass which is said
hurriedly, the Mass which is outwardly correct but lacks the spirit of faith,
the Mass which is faithfully and worthily celebrated, and the Mass of the
Saints.
We would all do well to read, reflect and ponder these
various descriptions. But I want to focus today on the Mass which is faithfully
and worthily celebrated. – “a Mass offered in a spirit of faith, of confidence
in God and of love for God and one’s neighbor”.
“In
such a sacrifice, we witness the impulse and guidance of the Theological
Virtues which inspire the virtue of religion. The Kyrie Eleison is a genuine prayer of petition; the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is an act of
adoration of God on high; the Gospel of the day is read with keen belief in
what it contains; the words of Consecration are pronounced by a minister in
actual union with Christ the principal Offerer, by one who realizes to some
extent the wide diffusion of the spiritual effects of his offering and
sacramental immolation to the souls in this world and to those in Purgatory.
The Agnus Dei is a sincere request
for the forgiveness of sin; the priest’s Communion leaves nothing to be desired
– it is always more fervent and more fruitful than the day before because of
the daily growth in charity produced by the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The
distribution of Holy Communion is not approached in any perfunctory spirit, but
is treated as the means of bestowing on the faithful, superabundant life, of
giving them an even greater share in the divine life…Afterwards the priest will
make his private thanksgiving, which, if time permits, will be prolonged on certain
feast days in the form of mental prayer. There is no more suitable time for
intimate prayer than when Christ is sacramentally present within us, and when
our soul, if recollected, is under His actual influence.”
But Michael, but
Michael (imitating with great respect the literary style of Father Z) Father
Garrigou-Lagrange wrote those words prior to the Mass changes implemented by
Vatican II, so they have no relevancy to us today. An expert, I am not, but I
do know this: Vatican II never mandated the removal of Latin from the Mass and
never, and could never, change its supernatural nature or the reverence with
which it must be celebrated. Man did this and we are now paying dearly for
those errors.
In my simple layman’s mind and with
the aid of Father Peter Girard, O.P.and other holy priests, I have come to understand that when we participate
in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we are really being transported spiritually
beyond the realm of earthly time and space and enter into the on-going heavenly
liturgy which someday we hope to enjoy. Please correct me if I am in error.
Is this how you experience Mass?
How blessed you are!
What did Garrigou-Lagrange say about "the sacrilegious Mass, the Mass which is said hurriedly, the Mass which is outwardly correct but lacks the spirit of faith"?
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit to your blog. As I read the title of the piece, I answered to myself, Yes, when I attend Mass with the Dominican friars! I see we are on the same wavelength. I have also heard Fr. Peter Girard preach on the Mass, and it masde a profound difference in my thinking.
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