Mass Changes Result From Liturgical Evolution
We must remember that Jesus did not lay down guidelines regarding how Mass was to be celebrated throughout the centuries. The structure of the Mass evolved. You may have seen paintings of the Last Supper with the Apostles kneeling and receiving communion on their tongues. This is not what actually occurred at the Last Supper. Such a painting is a projection of a current practice back into Jesus’ time, usually to validate a current practice. Jesus and his disciples most likely reclined on pillows with a carpet spread out among them. We still see this today, in photographs of Middle Eastern Sheiks dining in their tents. The way our Mass was celebrated changed throughout the church’s history. This is important to remember when liturgical changes occur today (e.g. Pope Francis’ recent announcement permitting the washing of women’s feet on Holy Thursday). If we have this historical understanding of liturgical evolution, we can breathe more easily when changes happen.
St. Paul berates the Corinthian Christians regarding the way they celebrated the Eucharist. Apparently, the people gathered for the Eucharist in a huge hall in a rich person’s home. They sat around individual tables for a “potluck dinner” on Sunday evening. During the dinner, an appointed community member (not an ordained priest as we understand it today) stood and recited Christ’s words over bread and wine, which were then shared among the people. Paul criticizes the Corinthians because some became intoxicated at these celebrations; the wealthy did not share their food with the poor; and, the poor were relegated to tables in the rear. Paul declares that such behavior is “eating the Eucharist unworthily” – not because of our individual sins, but because it violated the real meaning of the Eucharist as a sign of unity in Christ. (Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.)
The Acts of the Apostles (2:42-47) narrates how the first Christians would gather first in the Temple for the Scripture readings; then in their homes for the “breaking of bread” (the earliest name used for the Eucharist). The early Christians were Jews who continued following their customary religious practices. However, when the Christians were expelled from the Temple around 70 A.D., they then joined the Scriptures to the Eucharist celebrating both in their homes. They did not have large churches until the Emperor Constantine granted Christians religious freedom around 315 A.D., when he then gave Christians many of the large Roman pagan temples for their use (e.g. the Parthenon).
History shows that the actual celebration of the Mass and the Sacraments developed over time. One example was that receiving communion in the hands was a usual practice until 2/3 of the European population died from the Black Plague in the 14th century. Christians considered this as a punishment from God. Christians began to think of themselves as “unworthy” before God and introduced new practices into the Mass such as kneeling (which was a sign of penance, not adoration); no longer receiving Communion (if they did, the host was placed on the tongue); and devotions to Mary and the Saints increased. They believed that God was angry at them. “Fear” of God increased (not “awe and reverence,” which is the proper understanding of “fear of God”). Thus they began to pray more earnestly to Mary and the Saints (don’t children go to their mothers first before their fathers if they want something?!). This is not a bad custom, but it easily diminished that Jesus was the one Mediator between God and the human family.
We will explore many other examples of changes and additions to the Mass in future articles.
Father Sauer’s series on the Mass continues in the April 1 issue of The Message.
