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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Maronites and Syro-Malabars have had the most
Latin influence, which probably assisted the change.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>As Matthew says on the Creative
Minority Report blog, "<EM><FONT color=#000080>I love most how critics never
fail to mention that the "priest has his back to the people." But they never
seem to mention what the priest is facing.</FONT></EM>"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I doubt the sermons will EVER be said by ANY priest
"with his back to the people." In general, it's the most important parts
of the Mass as options in the Pauline liturgy, and in the Tridentine liturgy
many others. And in the Pauline liturgy, when the priest returns from the
back of the church after the sign of peace, just before he reaches the altar, he
has "his back to the people".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In many situations, turning one's "back to the
people" is quite appropriate. In fact, in many professions, not only the
Catholic priesthood, it is the norm. But only Catholic priests get
criticised for it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Modified from the above blog post at <A
href="http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2007/09/priests-turn-their-back-on-people-says.html">http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2007/09/priests-turn-their-back-on-people-says.html</A> with
a few of my own -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The general led his troops into the battle ...
<FONT color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The astronomer discovered the meteor while looking
through his telescope ... <FONT color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the
people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The bowler bowled a perfect game ... <FONT
color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The main responsibility of a pilot is to fly and
land the plane and not crash into any mountains ... <FONT color=#ff0000>with his
back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Matt and Christie said their marriage vows ...
<FONT color=#ff0000>with their backs turned towards the
people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Leonard Bernstein conducted every symphony ...
<FONT color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT><BR>Michael Jordan
made 3 point shots ... <FONT color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the
people.</FONT><BR>Tiger Woods made the perfect putt ... <FONT color=#ff0000>with
his back turned to the people.</FONT><BR>Sr. Marcia leads the liturgical folk
choir as Mass ... <FONT color=#ff0000>with her back turned to the
people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The bus driver took the passengers to their
destinations ... <FONT color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the
people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The lawyer addressed the judge ... <FONT
color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The photographer too photos of the actors ... <FONT
color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The rock climber climbed ... <FONT
color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The painter put the finishing touches on the wall
... <FONT color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The mechanic worked on the car engine ... <FONT
color=#ff0000>with his back turned to the people.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And perhaps the most disrespectful of
all:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The President gave a speech ... <FONT
color=#ff0000>with his back to the flag!</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>God bless,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Stephen</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=rcdianne@yahoo.com href="mailto:rcdianne@yahoo.com">Dianne Dawson</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=apologetics@gathman.org
href="mailto:apologetics@gathman.org">Apologetics Group</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, September 23, 2007 11:49
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Apologetics] Reorienting the
Mass</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">
<DIV><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=3></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><B><A rel=nofollow name=07092103></A><FONT
face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>Reorienting the
Mass</FONT></B></P><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>Father
Lang Comments on<BR><BR>LONDON, SEPT. 21, 2007 (</FONT><A
href="http://www.zenit.org/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT
face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#810081
size=3>Zenit.org</FONT></A><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"
size=3>).- The statement asserting that the priest celebrating the older form
of the Mass has "his back to the people" misses the point, says Father Uwe
Michael Lang.<BR><BR>The posture "ad orientem," or "facing east," is about
having a common direction of liturgical prayer, he adds.<BR><BR>Father Lang of
the London Oratory, and recently appointed to work for the Pontifical
Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, is the author of "Turning
Toward the Lord: Orientation in Liturgical Prayer." The book was first
published in German by Johannes Verlag and then in English by Ignatius Press.
The book has also appeared in Italian, French, Hungarian and
Spanish.<BR><BR>In this interview with ZENIT, Father Lang speaks about the "ad
orientem" posture and the possibilities for a rediscovery of the ancient
liturgical practice.<BR><BR>Q: How did the practice of celebrating the liturgy
"ad orientem," or "facing east," develop in the early Church? What is its
theological significance?<BR><BR>Father Lang: In most major religions, the
position taken in prayer and the layout of holy places is determined by a
"sacred direction." The sacred direction in Judaism is toward Jerusalem or,
more precisely, toward the presence of the transcendent God -- "shekinah" --
in the Holy of Holies of the Temple, as seen in Daniel 6:10.<BR><BR>Even after
the destruction of the Temple, the custom of turning toward Jerusalem was kept
in the liturgy of the synagogue. This is how the Jews have expressed their
eschatological hope for the coming of the Messiah, the rebuilding of the
Temple, and the gathering of God's people from the diaspora.<BR><BR>The early
Christians no longer turned toward the earthly Jerusalem, but toward the new,
heavenly Jerusalem. It was their firm belief that when the Risen Christ would
come again in glory, he would gather his faithful to make up this heavenly
city.<BR><BR>They saw in the rising sun a symbol of the Resurrection and of
the Second Coming, and it was a matter of course for them to pray facing this
direction. There is strong evidence of eastward prayer in most parts of the
Christian world from the second century onward.<BR><BR>In the New Testament,
the special significance of the eastward direction for worship is not
explicit.<BR><BR>Even so, tradition has found many biblical references for
this symbolism, for instance: the "sun of righteousness" in Malachi 4:2; the
"day dawning from on high" in Luke 1:78; the angel ascending from the rising
of the sun with the seal of the living God in Revelation 7:2; and the imagery
of light in St John's Gospel.<BR><BR>In Matthew 24:27-30, the sign of the
coming of the Son of Man with power and great glory, which appears as the
lightning from the east and shines as far as the west, is the
cross.<BR><BR>There is a close connection between eastward prayer and the
cross; this is evident by the fourth century, if not earlier. In synagogues of
this period, the corner with the receptacle for the Torah scrolls indicated
the direction of prayer -- "qibla" -- toward Jerusalem.<BR><BR>Among
Christians, it became a general custom to mark the direction of prayer with a
cross on the east wall in the apses of basilicas as well as in private rooms,
for example, of monks and solitaries.<BR><BR>Toward the end of the first
millennium, we find theologians of different traditions noting that prayer
facing east is one of the practices distinguishing Christianity from the other
religions of the Near East: Jews pray toward Jerusalem, Muslims pray toward
Mecca, but Christians pray toward the east.<BR><BR>Q: Do any of the other
rites of the Catholic Church employ the "ad orientem" liturgical
posture?<BR><BR>Father Lang: "Facing east" in liturgical prayer is part of the
Byzantine, Syriac, Armenian, Coptic and Ethiopian traditions. It is still the
custom in most of the Eastern rites, at least during the Eucharistic
prayer.<BR><BR>A few Eastern Catholic Churches -- for example, the Maronite
and the Syro-Malabar -- have lately adopted "Mass facing the people," but this
is owing to modern Western influence and not in keeping with their authentic
traditions.<BR><BR>For this reason, the Vatican Congregation for Eastern
Churches declared in 1996 that the ancient tradition of praying toward the
east has a profound liturgical and spiritual value and must be preserved in
the Eastern rites.<BR><BR>Q: We often hear that "facing east" means the priest
is celebrating "with his back to the people." What is really going on when the
priest celebrates Mass "ad orientem"?<BR><BR>Father Lang: That catchphrase
often heard nowadays, that the priest "is turning his back on the people,"
misses the crucial point that the Mass is a common act of worship in which
priest and people together -- representing the pilgrim Church -- reach out for
the transcendent God.<BR><BR>What is at issue here is not the celebration
"toward the people" or "away from the people," but rather the common direction
of liturgical prayer. This is maintained whether or not the altar is literally
facing east; in the West, many churches built since the 16th century are no
longer "oriented" in the strict sense.<BR><BR>By facing the same direction as
the faithful when he stands at the altar, the priest leads the people of God
on their journey of faith. This movement toward the Lord has found sublime
expression in the sanctuaries of many churches of the first millennium, where
representations of the cross or of the glorified Christ illustrate the goal of
the assembly's earthly pilgrimage.<BR><BR>Looking out for the Lord keeps the
eschatological character of the Eucharist alive and reminds us that the
celebration of the sacrament is a participation in the heavenly liturgy and a
pledge of future glory in the presence of the living God.<BR><BR>This gives
the Eucharist its greatness, saving the individual community from closing in
upon itself and opening it toward the assembly of the angels and saints in the
heavenly city.<BR><BR>Q: In what ways does "facing east" during the liturgy
foster a dialogue with the Lord?<BR><BR>Father Lang: The paramount principle
of Christian worship is the dialogue between the people of God as a whole,
including the celebrant, and God, to whom their prayer is
addressed.<BR><BR>This is why the French liturgist Marcel Metzger argues that
the phrases "facing the people" and "back to the people" exclude the one to
whom all prayer is directed, namely God.<BR><BR>The priest does not celebrate
the Eucharist "facing the people," whatever direction he faces; rather, the
whole congregation celebrates facing God, through Jesus Christ and in the Holy
Spirit.<BR><BR>Q: In the foreword to your book, then Cardinal Ratzinger notes
that none of the documents of the Second Vatican Council asked for the altar
to be turned toward the people. How did this change come about? What was the
basis for such a major reorientation of the liturgy?<BR><BR>Father Lang: Two
main arguments in favor of the celebrant's position facing the people are
usually presented.<BR><BR>First, it is often said that this was the practice
of the early Church, which should be the norm for our age; however, a close
study of the sources shows that this claim does not hold.<BR><BR>Second, it is
maintained that the "active participation" of the faithful, a principle that
was introduced by Pope Pius X and is central to "Sacrosanctum Concilium,"
demanded celebration toward the people.<BR><BR>Recent critical reflection on
the concept of "active participation" has revealed the need for a theological
reappraisal of this important principle.<BR><BR>In his book "The Spirit of the
Liturgy," then Cardinal Ratzinger draws a useful distinction between
participation in the Liturgy of the Word, which includes external actions, and
participation in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, where external actions are
quite secondary, since the interior participation of prayer is the heart of
the matter.<BR><BR>The Holy Father's recent postsynodal apostolic exhortation
"Sacramentum Caritatis" has an important discussion of this topic in Paragraph
52.<BR><BR>Q: Is a priest forbidden from "facing east" in the new order of the
Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970? Is there any juridical obstacle
prohibiting wider use of this ancient practice?<BR><BR>Father Lang: A
combination of priest and people facing each other during the Liturgy of the
Word and turning jointly toward the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist,
especially for the Canon, is a legitimate option in the Missal of Pope Paul
VI.<BR><BR>The revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which was
first published for study purposes in 2000, addresses the altar question in
Paragraph 299; it seems to declare the position of the celebrant "ad orientem"
undesirable or even prohibited.<BR><BR>However, the Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Sacraments rejected this interpretation in a response to a
question submitted by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna.
Obviously, the relevant paragraph of the General Instruction must be read in
light of this response, which was dated Sept. 25, 2000.<BR><BR>Q: Will Pope
Benedict's recent apostolic letter liberalizing the use of the Missal of John
XXIII, "Summorum Pontificum," foster a deeper appreciation for "turning toward
the Lord" during the Mass?<BR><BR>Father Lang: I think many reservations or
even fears about Mass "ad orientem" come from lack of familiarity with it, and
the spread of the "extraordinary use" of the Roman rite will help many people
to discover and appreciate this form of
celebration. <BR> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000bf><EM>
<DIV><EM><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#0000bf size=3>Like a
deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for
you, O God.</FONT></EM></DIV></EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#0000bf size=3><EM>Ps
42:1</EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT color=#0000bf></FONT></EM><FONT
face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT color=#0000bf></FONT></EM><FONT
face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=3></FONT> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=3></FONT></DIV></DIV><BR>
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