Vatican II Changes Meant 'relearning' The Mass

In my last column, I contrasted two priests’ reactions to the changes in the Church since Vatican II.  One had a deep desire to learn more; the other did not want to stay up with the latest guidelines. These attitudes are present in every one of us. We can desire to learn more in order to grow and change, and/or we can resist further education, which would mean having to move into a new way of thinking and living.  Every person and priest struggles with this interior battle. 

Many people – whether retired or currently employed – had to go through “job retraining” when changes were introduced into their workplaces. Employees were not given a choice to go through this job retraining. Workers updated and retrained themselves, or they got the infamous pink slip or took early retirement. This experience of “job retraining” explains our experiences in the Catholic Church since Vatican II.

Catholics have been going through “job retraining.” This “job retraining’ dealt with the liturgical changes, as well as the many aspects of theology and the way we understand ourselves as Church today. One example of a theological change is the priesthood of all Christians through our baptism (this was really recapturing an ancient truth found in 1 Peter 2:9).  All the baptized serve as priests in their daily lives of service to others. However, while all Christians share in the common priesthood of Jesus, God chooses some to minister as ordained priests. 

Ordination – as Pope Francis reminds us – does not make us better than the people we serve. Ordination (like marriage) inserts priests more deeply into the life of the Church through a specific way of service consisting of preaching God’s Word, celebrating the sacraments, calling forth the gifts of our parishioners, and maintaining unity in our parish, with the diocese and the universal church.  This understanding of the common priesthood of the baptized led to the creation of parish pastoral councils, finance councils, and commissions where priests are called to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through all God’s people. 

The majority of Catholics have experienced this “job retraining” in the celebration of Mass with its changes or restorations of ancient traditions. We will see that not all the changes made in the Mass were completely new, but go back to ancient traditions in the Church and even in our Jewish religious heritage. Our faith is rooted in history.

Prior to Vatican II, the congregation included mostly silent, passive spectators.  The people prayed their private prayers like the rosary while the priest “said” Mass.  The priest faced the altar with his back to the people, occasionally turning toward the people to say “Dominus vobiscum” (“The Lord be with you”), but otherwise the people simply looked on.  “High Masses” saw only choirs participating from the choir loft.  The people had only to “attend” Mass without actually participating in it through their audible worship. 

Whenever writing about the Latin Mass, in no way do I wish to denigrate its beauty and inspiration.  The Latin Mass and singing in the Men and Boys’ Choir were part of my growing up. I loved the beautiful Gregorian chants.  My faith was formed by the liturgical worship of my home parish, St. Joseph in Evansville, and by the faith lived in my family mirroring the Church’s liturgical calendar.

Some Catholics still ask “Father, when is your Mass?”  Vatican II now teaches that it is not “Father’s Mass.” We have regained a more ancient understanding of the Mass involving the participation of everyone present.  The word “Liturgy” means “work of the people” involving every person present in different ways.

Father Sauer’s series on the Mass continues in the Feb. 5 issue of The Message.