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TWO
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
MARCH 3, 1956.
LITURGY IN
SPIRIT OF TRIUMPH, JUBILANCE
GIVEN ADDED EMPHASIS IN NEW
HOLY WEEK LITURGY, WRITER SAYS
This is the first of two articles
on the new Holy Week liturgy.
They are written by Father Wal
ter Schmitz, S. S.. professor of
liturgy at the Catholic University
of America. This article deals
with Palin Sunday. Holy Thurs
day. and Good Friday.
By Father Walter Schmitz, S.S.
(Written for N.C.W.C.
News Service)
The true spirit of Palm Sunday
is given greater emphasis in the
new Holy Week liturgy decreed
last November. It is a spirit of
triumph and jubilance which hails
Christ as the Eternal King.
The new Ordo or official missal
for Holy Week prefers the name
Second Sunday of Passiontide to
Palm Sunday. This is an apparent
effort to tie the spirit of Passion
Week to the spirit of Holy Week.
The new name presumably will
serve as stronger connecting tis
sue.
Another new feature in the
liturgy is the permission for the
faithful to bring their own palms
which will be blessed by the cele
brant as they hold them in their
hands. The new liturgy also per
mits the customary practice of
blessing 'the palms at the altar
and then distributing them to the
faithful.
Until this year purple or violet
vestments were. worn at Palm
Sunday services, giving the litur
gy a subdued and almost mourn
ful effect. Now the celebrant,
deacon and subdeacon wear red
vestments. In Church liturgy red
signifies immortality, the victory
‘ of life over death, the triumph of
Christ.
The prophet Xachary foretold
this glorious triumph when he
said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Sion! Shout for joy, O daughter
of Jerusalem! Behold thy King
will come to thee the Just and the
Saviour.”
As soon as it was known that
Jesus was approaching Jerusalem,
the people gathered together,
waved palm branches and pro
claimed him their King. They
joined enthusiastically in the joy
ous Hosanna, the triumphant cry,
proclaiming to the whole world
that Jesus, the Son of David, has
made His entrance and is their
King.
This is the spirit that the
Church wants us to capture
through the reform of the cere
mony for Palm Sunday, the Sec
ond Sunday of Passiontide. To
help us enter into this joyous
celebration, the blessing of the
palms takes place in the center of
the sanctuary with the celebrant
facing the people while he blesses
the palms.
As a further’ aid to the faith
ful, the ceremony has been short
ened considerably. The rubrics in
dicate that the faithful may hold
a palm branch, an olive branch
or the branch of some other tree
which will be blessed by the cele
brant.
Immediately the choir bursts
forth in a jubiant note, singing:
“Hosanna filio David, benedictus
qui venit in nomine Domini. Rex
Israel, Hosanna in excelsis.” (Ho
sanna to the son of David! Blessed
is he who comes in the name of
the Lord. O King of Israel! Ho
sanna in the highest!) When that
joyous antiphon is finished, the
celebrant blesses the palms with
holy water and incense and then
proceeds through the body of the
-hurch to bless the palm or olive
branches brought by the faith
ful.
Palms are then distributed to
those who did not bring their
own. Meanwhile the choir chants
the antiphon, “The Hebrew chil
dren spread their garments in the
way, and cried out saying: ‘Hosan
na to the Son of David; blessed is
he who comes in the name of the
Lord.’ ” While the distribution of
palms continues, the choir alter
nates this magnificent antiphon
with verses .from Psalm 23 and
Psalm 46.
The Gospel account of St. Mat
thew — the fulfillment of the
prophecy—is then sung by the
deacon. The procession, the high
light of the day’s ceremony, starts
immediately. The deacon sings
out “Procedamus in pace” to
which the choir responds “In
nomine Christi. Amen.” (Let us
proceed in peace. In the name
of Christ. Amen.)
During the procession — made
up of altar boys, some members
of the laity, representatives of the
various societies and the clergy—
the choir sing's ,the refrain, “Glo
ry, praise and honor to thee, O
Christ, our King, our Saviour to
Whom the innocent children sang
their fervent Hosanna.” This is
sung after each verse of the hymn.
While the procession continues
through the church and even out
side, if time and weather permit,
Psalm 147 is sung. The rubrics al
so suggest if there is still time the
faithful should sing the hymn
“Christus vincit” (Christ tri
umphs) or some other appropriate
hymn to Christ, the King.
As the procession returns to the
church or to the center aisle to
proceed to the sanctuary, the choir
sings:
“As our Lord entered the holy
city, the Hebrew children declar
ing the resurrection of life, with
branches, cried out: ‘Hosanna in
the highest.’
“When the people heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
they went out to meet iftn. With
palm branches, they cried out:
‘Hosanna in the highest.’ ” /
The celebrant then chants a
prayer, begging Christ, the King
and Redeemer in whose honor
these palms have been blessed,
to descend upon the faithful with
His protection and keep them
from the iniquity of the evil spirit.
The celebrant, deacon and sub
deacon proceed to the bench and
remove their red vestments. They
put on a purple chasuble, dalmat
ic and tunic and immediately con
tinue with the Mass.
The Mass is the same as in pre
vious years except that the Pas
sion has been reduced by some 30
verses, so that it relates only the
actual account of the passion and
death of our Lord.
Thus the new liturgy empha
sizes an entirely different note
the -triumphant entry of Christ
into the Holy City and a fuller,
more active participation of the
faithful in that sacred event in
the life of our Blessed Saviour.
HOLY THURSDAY
Perhaps the most striking modi
fication in the Holy Thursday
ceremonies, as set forth in the
recent decree for the restoration
of the Holy Week liturgy, is the
change in time, designed to bring
home to us more forcibly the true
spirit of the day and the meaning
of its Mass.
No longer are parishes permit
ted to have Holy Thursday Mass
in the morning. The ’only Mass]
which can be celebrated during!
these hours must take place in
the Cathedral when the Bishop
consecrates the Holy Oils.
Generally, there is to be only
one principal Mass in each par
ish. This must be celt brated be
tween 5 and 8 p.m. To impress
upon us even more the sacredness
of the day and the mystery that
we are commemorating, all
priests other than those celebrat
ing the principal Mass are for
bidden to say Mgss.
However, in order to give all
the faithful an opportunity to re
ceive Holy Communion, the Bish
op may permit a parish to have
“one or two low Masses,” in ad
dition to the principal ceremony.
These additional Masses must not
distract the faithful from the
principal Mass, however, and
must be celebrated in the even
ing.
The morning Mass in the Ca
thedral under the previous regu
lations permitted the Bishop not
only to consecrate the Holy Oils, :
but also to celebrate a Mass com
memorating the institution of
the Holy Eucharist. This Mass
now concerned only with con
secration of the oils. Holy Com
munion may not be distributed.
But, the Bishop has the privilege
to offer also the principal Mass
in the evening to commemorate
Holy Thursday.
The time for the principal cere
mony also applies to Masses cele
brated in private chapels, like a
convent chapel, and to Masses of
fered in a rite other than the
Roman.
With such insistence on the
particular time at which the Holy
Thursday Mass must take place,
we cannot help but re-live the
Last Supper in which Our Blessed
Saviour participated. That fare
well meal took place in the even
ing when the Sacraments of the
Eucharist and Holy Orders were
instituted. So, too, must our Mgss
on Holy Thursday which is a
renewal of that sacrifice.
The Sacred Particles received
by the faithful on Holy Thursday
and Good Friday must be con
secrated at the principal Mass on
Thursday. This means the priest
must have only a( bare minimum
of Hosts remaining on the day
preceding Thursday; generally
only enough to care for the sick
and dying. Furthermore, when
the Holy Thursday Mass begins,
the tabernacle is to be empty.
A striking omission is noted in
the new Mass. The third time the
celebrant recites the “Agnus Dei,”
he repeats what he has said twice
before, “miserere nobis” (have
mercy on us) and not the usual
“dona nobis pacem” (give us
peace). Likewise, the first com
munion prayer said immediately
after the “Agnus Dei” is omitted.
The rubrics direct the celebrant
to intone the “Gloria”, after
which the bells ring and the organ
swells forth. Whenever there is a
“Gloria,” the celebrant says the
“Ite Missa Est.”
But this is not so in the new
Holy Thursday Mass. The “Bene-
dicamus Domino” is said, follow
ed by the prayer, “Placeat.”
There is also no blessing and the
Last Gospel of St. John is omit
ted.
No previous warning has been
given for another important
change. The celebrant no longer
consecrates two large Hosts on
Thursday, one to be consumed in
that day’s Mass and the other to
be used on Good Fridhy.
Under the new regulations, he
now consecrates • one large Host
for Thursday’s Mass and a num
ber of small Hosts for Friday.
These extra Hosts are placed in a
ciborium, the vessel in which they
j are reserved for distribution at
Holy Communion, and then taken
to a repository. Previously, the
second large Host was placed in
an empty chalice, covered and
tied with a white silk veil. Now
on Friday, all, including the priest
conducting the service, will re
ceive from the ciborium.
When such a practice is prac
tical and convenient, the Mass can
be interrupted after the Gospel
to permit the washing of the feet
to take place. Twelve men, uni
formly dressed, should be select
ed for this. The celebrant washes
and dries the right foot of these
men and says the prayers found
in the Holy Wee'k Ordo.
The directives state that the
choir, in singing specified anti
phons, must never omit the
“ubicaritas et amor, Deus ibi
est” (where charity and love ex
ist, there, too, God is present), in
this part of the ceremony. It is a
most appropriate antiphon, since
the washing of the feet represents
an act of love and charity.
It is apparent after reviewing
these changes, that they are cal
culated to being us closer to what
actually happened in the early
Christian centuries and particular
ly in the time of Our Lord. The
new liturgy should bring to us
a fuller appreciation of these
events in the life of Christ and
give us, a more intimate and in
telligent participation in them.
GOOD FRIDAY
The most stinking change for the
Good Friday service and the one
that will be most appreciated by
priests and faithful alike is the
permission to receive Holy Com
munion on this most sacred day.
Of all the changes effective dur
ing Holy Week this is the most
radical.
Another change is the omission
of the Elevation of the Sacred
Host, which formerly was con
secrated on Holy Thursday. The
new decree for Holy Week states
that the priest will receive from
the ciborium one of the small
Hosts which were consecrated the
previous day. Formerly he con
sumed a large Host, consecrated
the day before, which he elevated
during the course of the Good
Friday service.
Another change is the inclusion
of a prayer for civil authorities
which will be said during the
solemn prayers, following the
reading of the Gospel. Formerly
a prayer for king or emperor was
included in the liturgy and said
in European countries. The pray
er, however, was not said in the
United States. The new prayer for
civil authorities will be chanted
in this country.
The time of the liturgical serv
ice on Good Friday has also been
changed. The decree states that
the liturgical service on Good
Friday should take place as close
to 3:00 p.m. as possible. It may
begin later but not after 6:00 p.m.
On Holy Thursday a supply of
Hosts will be consecrated, suffic
ient for the reception of the
Eucharist by the faithful on both
Thursday and Friday. All priests
may receive the Sacrament on
both days, even if they are not
celebrant of the liturgical service
of the day.
From after the Mass on Holy
Thursday until the beginning of
the Good Friday afternoon serv
ice, the faithful may adore the
Blessed Sacrament at the Reposi
tory. The decree states that adora
tion must continue at least until
Thursday midnight. Thus we see
the adoration hours transferred
from the day hours of Thursday
to that night and the greater por-,
tion of Friday.
For those receiving Holy Com
munion on Good Friday, the regu-
ATI0N
lations set down in the decree
“Christus Dominus” must be ob
served. This means that all must -
abstain from solid foods for three
hours and from liquids for one;
hour, with the exception of water,
before receiving Holy Communiv
on. No hard liquor may be had
after midnight although beer and
wine, if customary, may be had
with meals. The Eucharist must ,
be repeived at this service and not
immediately before or after.
The decree further states that
“the sick in danger of death” may -
receive Holy Communion at any '
time on Good Friday, not as er
roneously reported earlier that
all “the sick and those in danger
of death could receive Commu
nion.
At the beginning of the liturgic
al service the celebrant, the dea
con and subdeacon enter the
sanctuary and prostrate them
selves at the altar. After the Pas
sion has been sung or read, the
celebrant puts On a black cope
and the deacon and subdeacon a
dalmatic and tunic of the same
color. Throughout Holy Week we
observe the absence of the folded
chasuble for the deacon and sub
deacon. Various prayers are then
chanted for the Church, the Su
preme Pontiff, for all the faith
ful, for civil authorities, for ca
techumens, for the needs of the
faithful, for the unity of the
Church, for the conversion of the
Jews, and finally for the conver
sion of the pagans.
Perhaps the most , impressive
part of the Good Friday Liturgy
comes at the unveiling and vener
ation of the Cross. The celebrant,
deacon, and subdeacon remove-
their black vestments. The deacon
proceeds solemnly from the sac-
ristry carrying a veiled crucifix.
He is preceded by two acolytes,
or servers, and flanked on either,
side by two other acolytes who;
carry lighted candles. The in
structions direct that the crucifix
be “rather large” (at least three
feet high) to attract the attention
of all the faithful.
The deacon is met at the foot
of the altar by the celebrant and
the subdeacon. They move slow
ly to the epistle side of the altar,
where the unveiling takes place.
This particular part of the cere
mony is not new. It takes place in
three different stages — on the
floor of the sanctuary, at the edge
of the predella (altar floor), at
the epistle corner, and then on
the predella, at the middle of- the
altar.
.Facing the people while the veil;
is being gradually removed, the
celebrant alone intones: “Behold’
the wood of the Cross.” The :
deacon and subdeacon join him-
in singing the remainder of the'
antiphon, “ . . . on which hung
the Saviour of the world.” All
present, both clergy and laity,
kneel and respond: “Come, let us
adore.” This chant is repeated
three times as the celebrant
changes position.
Then immediately the cele
brant gives the unveiled crucifix
to two acolytes who hold the cross
by its arms so that its foot rests'
on the predella of the altar. Two
other acolytes with lighted
candles kneel on the top step fac
ing the cross. All the clergy join
the celebrant, in venerating the
Cross. If it is convenient they re
move their shoes, and as they ap
proach the crucifix they make a
single genuflection three times
and then kiss the feet of the Cru
cified.
When the clergy have made'
their veneration the two acolytes'
bearing the crucifix proceed to.
the communion rail for venei’ar:
tion by the faithful. Men, women,
(Continued on Page Three)