Conclusion of the New Missal notes: included from Middle ages - Theology notes

Since it has been a while, I have included my notes from the Middle ages to the conlusion of these notes. Sorry for the delay for those who were interested. The New Missal (From the Middle Ages continues to the Italian Renaissance) - my notes The late Middle Ages goes to the Italian Renaissance and so we move away from cosmic. Rome and Italy is taking leadership again. This humanistic shift is rural to urban, from universe to human. Awareness of human achievement is giving praise to God. There is a return to a sense of the significance etc…- music - complexity. In Gothic there is a window to God. Here the surface needs to fill up. Art and music are dialogue for you - an aesthetic sense. The Reformation - Culture and the scandal of the wealth and politics. The rest of Europe is experiencing the plaque. The show and birthing of culture. Luther - needs to divorce. The Catholic response - Arrival of Trent - 25 sessions over 18 years. Trent is the first council that they need theologians. First having theologians consulting, in order to recover early forms of the mass. If it is going to overcome what led to Protestants Luther separation. We need to go to what was before. This is going to lead to the Trinitarian mass. What comes out of Trent? Suppress physical barriers to the altar. You create a very open church (no pews). You create a church that is back to the original - open, bringing people closer to the altar by moving the choir to the balcony. Emphasize the connection of the ritual to the cross and sacrifice as human participation in God’s saving labours. (It is interesting that in my own church the choir has moved from the balcony to the front and the Creed from Trent is recited rather than the apostles creed) Connect the ritual through scripture, and architecture and the communion of saints as members are now of God’s reign. No longer cosmic. Jesuits design their churches so that you can have a religious play before mass. The importance of preaching in vernacular for catechesis - (that is why they broke away). The mass of Pius V is basically the mass of 1000. There is a new form of education. You take a mystery of faith and music - theme of music - liturgy; Articulating it separately. Make the church a home for people so people feel comfortable. It had great promise. But it is an unfinished reform. There was limited use of the vernacular. The protestants used it and it did not want to be too protestant. Then comes the Enlightment and the French Revolution. The Church all of a sudden takes a defence against the world. We reached out and this is what we got. This is reflected in the architecture - negative retrieval, fortress like, imposing and heavy. Neo-Byzantine, neo Romanis and new Gothic. We get the introduction of the pews. Pews are part of the reformation. In Roman Catholic worship there is a level of passivity. It re-establishes the separation. The pew is terrible. The pew does not make sense in RC liturgy. Sit and watch - passive-. We have now compensated for that. At the time it really destroyed something. It was not designed for that. Vatican II - Sacrosanctum Concilium. The USA and Canada did not experience WW11 like the rest. RC’s fought for country for the first time. Also the American progress- WWII, North America protected in Latin mass. So they were against change. They needed Latin mass for identity. So in Vatican II not so well prepared. Not responding as elsewhere. No terms of reference. A very different situation. It would have been better for someone to articulate better. Vatican II - a renewal in behaviour and orientation, a new ethos, a coherent embodiment of graced living in God’s reign. Third part - After 40 years, we didn’t quite get it right. We needed to better preserve. Chapter 1 - Eucharistic Celebration - unity of meal sacrifice and thanksgiving. Priest first - just off the table, show people outward and last raising high. Lay Ministry - very clear to take up roles, and not as assistant to Father. - Open up sacred time (through silence) so can come back to communal moment. Eucharistic Ministry - like the role of a meal. The role of the presider is facilitator. Choir - support for the assembly voice. Only one place solo during communal procession. Vatican II is clear in teachings. It is the Bishop who knows his, best. Have to be free from local changes. From now on final approval lays on the congregation. This challenges the individual churches. What we have is the exact wording for all over the world. This happened because text was changed very badly sometimes. All Bishops in the English speaking world, who consult in whatever way they wish. So each Bishop of an archdiocese does differently - some of their own. Others call in theologians; others with everyone including Parishioners. God is neutral - father eliminated. Overall more inclusive language - not all.