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Efforts at living an upright, godly life and following the rules don’t always make life easy. We will inevitably encounter those who don’t appreciate compliance to civil or natural law as well as those who have contradictory impulses. We find vehement opposition and slander when we stand in support of our deeply held convictions in support of life, marriage, and justice. Similarly, those who yearn for devout liturgy, theologically correct hymns, respectful attire, and adherence to the Rubrics are quickly assigned the labels of judgmental or legalistic.
When liturgy isn\’t properly followed and the faithful express dismay, they might even be labeled as Pharisees, along with the characterization of caring more for structure than for Jesus. Jesus, after all, is a God-Man of love and inclusion. He never took appearances seriously or castigated those who trivialized His Father\’s house. Oh wait! Yes, he did! Remember the turning of the tables in the temple and the expectation for wedding guests to wear the proper garments?
Liturgical Abuse – It Comes Down to Obedience
In response to an aversion to self-congratulatory hymns songs, we are told they are perfectly fine because they make you \’feel good\’. Balderdash! In reality, popes, cardinals, bishops and priests have frequently weighed in about proper disposition and decorum. In his book, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) famously said,
\”Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.” (Spirit of the Liturgy p. 198)
This wasn\’t some off-the-cuff remark that should be viewed lightly. The point was that he wanted the people in the pews to remember that worship is not horizontal (people to people) but is, in fact, vertical (people to God). When we sing songs about ourselves and how important we are, if a priest ad-libs the prayer that is Heaven on Earth (the Mass), or the faithful come dressed for the beach instead of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb – then they are giving priority to the Jesus is my friend idea and forgetting that Jesus is also the King.
Excuses for immodest dress, bring tales of poor young women, with little catechesis, who will be turned off by the mean spirited modesty/liturgy police. Since they can\’t afford anything other than torn jeans or miniskirts, or belly tees, we are told, we are suffering from hardness of heart. Never mind all the regular, informed church goers who dress similarly – the actual focus of concern.
Even in small, seemingly innocuous, instances of disobedience the larger turmoil is apparent. Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said, \”Focusing on the Eucharistic celebration, \’ars celebrandi\’ refers to both interior and exterior participation on the part of the celebrating priest and on the part of the congregation.\” He added, “\’Ars celebrandi\’ helps the priest to have a faith‑filled and disciplined posture at Mass. On the one hand, he cannot isolate himself from the presence of the people. On the other hand he should not become a showman who projects himself\”. \”The liturgy\” he stressed, \”is not primarily what we make but what we receive in faith.\”
Liturgical Abuse – The Larger Problem
As insignificant as these anecdotes may appear, they point to a larger problem. If we don’t obey in the small areas, it will certainly affect our following authority in the larger. Edward Pentin, of Zenit, reported some comments from Raymond Cardinal Burke, former Prefect of the Vatican’s Apostolic Signatura. Cardinal Burke shared his conviction that a fitting worship of God is essential to the moral life.
“There’s no question in my mind that the abuses in the sacred liturgy, reduction of the sacred liturgy to some kind of human activity, is strictly correlated with a lot of moral corruption and with a levity in catechesis that has been shocking and has left generations of Catholics ill prepared to deal with the challenges of our time by addressing the Catholic faith to those challenges.”
Similar and exceedingly troubling signs of moral corruption in today’s society are analogous to liturgical corruption – they show a conspicuous lack of obedience and decorum. We seem to be ever more independent and democratic in our thinking. Yet the Church isn\’t a democracy, nor are we independent. The worldly ideal appears to be that no one is going to tell me what to do and many people do this so it must be okay. This is the moral relativism about which the Holy Father Pope Francis has cautioned. Whether it’s accountability for babies conceived through promiscuity or just civil punishment for crime, the goal becomes more about a way out than on bearing the consequences of action. We have become a freedom loving society that has little respect for the significance of choices and actions. The result is often rampant, unapologetic abortion and revulsion of the adherence to just civil (and Church) law – our society is suffering under the impact of conscienceless living.
Righteous civil laws matter; they are, for the most part, based on the 10 Commandments. Liturgical laws matter as well. In order to live in a structured society we need to give preference to the adherence to laws, both civil and spiritual. As other evils enter into our secular lives, we also experience liturgical disorder. The impact of such free thinking produces a serious injustice – depriving the faithful of licit and in some cases valid, sacraments. This, even though Cannon Law states that the licit, devout celebration of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is something to which we Catholics have a right.
“The Christian faithful have the right to worship God according to the prescriptions of their own rite approved by the legitimate pastors of the Church, and to follow their own form of spiritual life consonant with the teaching of the Church.” (Canon 214)
When speaking of ‘legitimate pastors of the Church, we’re not talking about every individual priest and his personal preferences. Only the Holy See (and duly appointed bishops) has that authority. As we read in article 22 of Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Divine Liturgy), “Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority”.
Eucharistic Celebration – Real Nourishment for Real Evangelization
In the liturgical context we seek the nourishment needed to go out and proclaim the Gospel. This is our closest earthly encounter with the Divine. According to Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, \”The liturgy is not primarily what we make but what we receive in faith.\” Arinze also noted, on Eucharistic Celebration, \”\’ars celebrandi\’ demands good preparation, faith, humility and focusing attention on the sacred mystery rather than on self. When the Mass is celebrated in this spirit it nourishes faith and manifests it powerfully – \’lex orandi, lex credendi.\’ With a genuine understanding of the role of liturgical norms, such a celebration is free of trivialization and desacralization. It sends the people of God home properly nourished, spiritually refreshed and dynamically sent to evangelize.\”
If the proper celebration of liturgy sends the faithful away strengthened, nourished, ready to Evangelize, we must recognize the vital necessity of proper disposition. Any false intent or participation would void much of the good we are called to go out into the world to do. A disordered celebration of the Mass brings a disordered concentration to living life as we should.
The Church believes as she prays
There is a Latin dictum that addresses the centrality of worship in the life, identity, and mission of the Church; “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”, literally means the law of prayer (\”the way we worship\”), and the law of belief (\”what we believe\”). The longer version, sometimes written, \”lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi\”, further deepens the implications to which it points – how we worship reflects what we believe and determines how we will live.
Yet a decline in sacred music, priestly showmanship, secularized church design, and casual reception of the Holy Eucharist demonstrate a lack of respect for the dignity of the Divine Liturgy. What this world badly needs is reaffirmation of the importance of experiencing the Sacred in the sanctuary and prominent placement of the Tabernacle. As liturgical worship has been overwhelmed by poorly discerned trends, the worship of the contemporary Catholic Church has been undermined. The Rubrics (norms) of the liturgy have often been discarded or marginally followed. Instead of joining the angels as they bow in profound reverence at the Supper of the Lamb, we find minimalism.
When we assist in the Holy Sacrifice of Holy Mass we are transported to the foot of the cross at Calvary. In this Holy Place, we are in the presence of our Savior. How we participate and present ourselves, as well as our demeanor is undeniably of eternal consequence. The more reverence and honor we bestow on this supernatural gift, the more our worship is pleasing to God. Shouldn\’t we offer our very best for the King of Kings? I suspect many Catholics would welcome a return to reverence, transcendence, and splendor in the Divine Liturgy. Doing so would transform us, but more importantly it would transform the world. “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”. As We Worship, so we will live. Let our outward disposition reflect an inner honor for the sacred, which carries through into our earthly actions!
22 thoughts on “Liturgical Abuse and Moral Corruption – Is There a Correlation?”
One of the most thoughtful articles on the harm done by Liturgical abuses I have ever read! I have heard SO MANY of the excuses you mention when discussing abuses with others, you hit the nail on the head. The accusations of being hard hearted Pharisees, the pathetic argument about how we must not address immodest attire because the poor girl dressed immodestly may be intimidated into not returning….. I’ve heard them all. But I’ve never been able to rebut them as well as the author has done here. Kudos!
Great work Birgit – and it certainly hits home. There are some parishes I will never attend Mass at again because the abuses are so bad. I don’t know why some priests or choir directors think they have to embellish and change the sacred. Ridiculous. We are not at Mass to be entertained!
Thanks for writing this piece on the Sacred Liturgy. It is a serious problem in our Church. Many a Sunday after Mass, I’ve had to come home and get out my “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” to send a missive to the parish priest’s about their straying from its instructions. The Mass was given to His Church by Our Savior and not to an individual priest. If each priest would “Say The Black” and “Do The Red” there would never be a problem. One wonders if our seminaries are being faithful to Mother Church’s teachings. Many times I see priests taking editorial license with the rubrics. They can call me a Pharisee or Legalistic all they want, but I will never cease calling them out on their digressions. Cardinal Burke gets it completely. Thanks again!
Cardinal Burke and Pope Benedict XVI are both shining beacons in their efforts to save the liturgy for the Church founded by Christ Himself. God bless them!
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Birgit, this is well stated and powerful. I am new to Catholicism so I have not seen liturgical abuse and know nothing of Rubrics. I do know for sure though, that what I see in the Catholic Church, is spiritually beautiful, and has amazing depth. This is far different than what I have seen in non-Catholic churches. You’re right there is an attitude there of doing “church the way we want”, so I understand your concern if this is starting to happen in the Catholic Church. God bless.
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, the spiritual beauty and sacred history of the Catholic Church are indeed worthy of being honored and protected. God bless you on your journey to the Catholic Church!
I am very curious how you reconcile your beliefs and assertions about obedience, rubrics and high propriety with the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis which is Evalgelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), in particular:”
“The other is the self-absorbed promethean neopelagianism of those who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style from the past. A supposed soundness of doctrine or discipline leads instead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying. In neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or others. These are manifestations of an anthropocentric immanentism. It is impossible to think that a genuine evangelizing thrust could emerge from these adulterated forms of Christianity. (#94)
Need it really be an either or situation? Why can’t we be joyfully obedient? A well oiled machine runs much more smoothly. What I’m suggesting is not legalism – which I make clear. I’m praying for an orderly Church. Much as following secular laws enables the people to live peacefully in communion with one another, following the guidelines handed down by the Church herself encompasses the entire Catholic Christian spiritual life.
The section of Evalgelii Gaudium you quote is often used much as the scriptural caution not to judge – lest yea be judged. Yet scripture also tells us that prudential judgment is necessary for a cohesive life – charity begs fraternal admonishment. Thus obedience is necessary, whether in the secular or the spiritual realm. Otherwise, what differentiates us from our separated brethren and their ‘do-it-yourself’ approach to church? Our Universal Church has retained her identity exactly by adherence to rubrics, cannon laws, and other official teachings – in addition to living joyfully in true love for others.
That’s canon law….not cannon law. Though I have nothing against cannon law and I registered my gun with our police.
Noted. lol
; the joke will remind you….I’ve done it myself wherefore I know.
The key there is “supposed soundness.” As Birgit said why would one think that to follow the liturgy is to be “self-absorbed” or “narcissistic?” If one was truly sound, one wouldn’t be self-absorbed would they? To me the quote points more to SSPX and sedevacanists than it does to those who desire that priests follow the rubric as outlined by Canon Law.
An apostolic exhortation is a directive to the Catholic Church, bishops, priests, etc. SPPX and the sedavancantists of the Most oly Family Monastery are not in communion with Rome, so I doubt that he would be directing this at them, as they reject Rome’s authority.
Would he not, as shepherd of the world, be calling out to the lost sheep?
I would beg to differ with you. I think it is those who want to dress up the Mass to their own way of thinking, perhaps thinking it will be more ‘meaningful’ that think they are the superior ones and know better than the Church about liturgy. Liturgical abuses are a disobedience and it is a sin for a priest to knowingly do them. The faithful have a right to a properly offered and totally licit valid Mass. I have lived with great liturgical abuse and wondered if the consecration really took place. That is very wrong to make the faithful wonder like that as the Mass is no priest’s personal property. And places where such abuse reigns are dying out. It is obedience and truth that draws souls. Mass is about worshipping God and not singing “I am the bread of life” because “I” am not. The narcissistic and banal songs in many parishes are also a detriment.
The “I” in “I am the bread of life” is referring to Jesus… it’s being sung from His perspective not ours. I am curious to hear of what can be so terribly abusive in the Mass that it causes such distress? If both parts of the Mass are included – the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, what else is there that can go wrong??
” I have lived with great liturgical abuse and wondered if the
consecration really took place. ”
This brings up an interesting question.as to whether or not a priest’s frame of mind and faith has any bearing on the consecration. Would
his doubts or disbelief affect the very nature of the bread and wine ?
No James – the Consecration is considered valid as long as the exact words of Consecration are not altered in any way. If the priest himself does not even believe in the true Presence it does not affect the Consecration. The miracle at Lanciano Italy occurred in exactly that circumstance – the priest did not believe – until the Host began to bleed.
Thank you. I have another question of which I would like your opinion.
Can a person in a technical state of mortal sin receive a physical healing
by ie: a Catholic healing priest ? I was told that the state of the soul has
no bearing on that person’s faith to be physically healed.
In my humble opinion, yes, any person can be healed as with God, all things are possible. In the time of Jesus, sinners were healed. Makes sense that they still could be – and that may also convert them. (If I were in doubt, it would certainly change my heart!) 🙂
And, thanks again.