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An article from the Catholic News Agency posted by EWTN, "Lay Eucharistic Ministers Not Entitles To Position, Archbishop Burke Clarifies" describes a number of clarifications Archbishop Raymond Burke made in the preface of a commentary on Pope Benedict’s moto proprio, “Summorum Pontificum”.
The article writes, “…the archbishop explained in the preface that due to the motu proprio’s papal origins, it is not just an act of liturgical legislation brought about as a ‘favor’ to a specific group for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Mass in Latin, but one that applies to the entire Church.” The article goes on to say, “[Archbishop Burke] wrote, among the ‘rights’ of the baptized, assistance by ‘persons of the feminine sex’ at the altar is not included. Additionally, serving as a lector or as an extraordinary distribution [sic] of communion is not a right of the laity, he noted.”
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Archbishop Charles Chaput gave related comments about the active participation of the laity in the liturgy when he delivered the Hillenbrand Lecture at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. A portion of my own summary is reprinted below from my blog post of 1 July 2010, “Is modern man capable of the liturgical act?” A link to the full text of Archbishop Chaput’s lecture can be found at the end of that blog post.
“There is one final point which I was thrilled to hear clarified: the Second Vatican Council’s calls for “‘active participation’ of the laity in the liturgy”. This is one of the most misinterpreted phrases of the council. This is used as an excuse for “external activity, commotion and busy-ness” in the Mass when it actually “refers to the inner movement of our souls, our interior participation in Christ’s action of offering of his Body and Blood”. Sacred silence, pause for reflection, is crucial and is a very evident part of Papal Liturgies, even written in red in the Mass booklets. Active participation is not forcing the Congregation to sing against their will because some liturgist or musician has a narrow, selfish, and self-inflated view of their position in the parish. It is orienting our hearts to God in the Mystical and Sacramental Body of Christ.”
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Nice post, Kellen. I'm actually reading something right now that's very appropriate to this topic. It's a lecture that was given by Msgr. Marini entitled "The Authentic Spirit of the Liturgy in Roman Usage." I'll quote an excerpt:
ReplyDelete"Nevertheless, there has not always been a correct understanding of the concept of 'active participation', according to how the Church teaches it and exhorts the faithful to live it. To be sure, there is active participation when, during the course of the liturgical celebration, one fulfills his proper service; there is active participation too when one has a better comprehension of God's word when it is heard or of the prayers when they are said; there is also active participation when one unites his own voice to that of the others in song...All this, however, would not signify a participation truthfully active if it did not lead to adoration of the mystery of salvation in Christ Jesus, who for our sake died and is risen. This is because only he who adores the mystery, welcoming it into his life, demonstrates that he has comprehended what is being celebrated, and so is truly participating in the grace of the liturgical act."
So basically, Msgr. Marini agrees with you (so do I).