Chapter 5: The Most Horrible Blasphemy

The modern "conservative" Catholic often does not think of the fact that the reformers in the so called "Reformation" (which was really a revolt, not a reformation) were mostly validly ordained Catholic priests and bishops. They were the real deal, had faculties and were in good standing for a long time before Rome intervened.

I will give you most of pg 30 and 31 of Mr. Davies first book on the Liturgical Revolution which lays this out clearly and exposes the mode of attack that the reformers quickly and smartly took:

Click here to go to beginning of book review

"They correctly sensed, not surprisingly as they had almost invariably been priests, that it was the MASS that mattered: That it was against the Mass rather then the papacy that the brunt of their attack must be launched. This point is stressed by Dr. J. Lortz in his book Die Reformation en Deutschland. One of the most outstanding and perceptive contemporary champions of the Mass was the German theologian John Cochlaeus (1479-1552). He rightly pointed out that in attacking the Mass, Luther was attacking Christ Himself "since He is the true founder and perfecter of the Mass, the true High Priest of the Mass and also the One Who is sacrificed as all Christian teachers acknowledge. With equal accuracy he diagnosed the contradiction which lay at the heart of the heresiarch's claim to be "reformers." "They are justly deemed guilty of heresy who instead of seeking remedies for what is amiss, set themselves to abolish the very substance on account of abuse." He warned his fellow Catholic apologists not to concentrate their main efforts on defending the primacy of he pope, but on defending the Mass, a task which was far more vital, for "thereby Luther threatens to tear out the heart from the body of the Church."

The reformers themselves were bitterly divided concerning the doctrine of the Lord's supper, but they were united in a common detestation of the sacrificial interpretation which has always been taught in the Catholic Church. Luther was honest enough to admit the traditional nature of the teaching and support of "the Holy Fathers, so many authorities and so widespread a custom constantly observed throughout the world." His answer was ". . . reject them all rather then admit that the Mass is a work and a sacrifice . . . ".

Luther himself assessed the situation with perfect accuracy when he stated: "Once the Mass has been overthrown, I say we will have overthrown the whole of popdom."

Personal observation from blogger here: We are not talking about the revolutionaries eliminating the Mass... we're talking here about them setting out to alter the character and nature of that which the Mass transmits in the form of what it teaches and is.

Davies: (continued)
The hatred of the Reformers for the Mass is best illustrated by reading their own words on the subject.

[END OF CH 5 EXCERPT]

You will have to get the book to read on from here in CH 5.

I'll leave that task to you dear readers. But I am reminded here of the words of Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, who died in Rome on 3 July 1982. For it is our own Catholic Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, who is the principal architect of the liturgical reforms of the post Vatican II era. Please remember that the Vatican II documents on the Mass do not describe the new Mass... but rather are talking about the old Mass.

Here are the words of Archbishop Bugnini during those heady days following the Council:

“We must strip from our Catholic prayers and from the Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren that is for the Prostestants.” - Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, main author of the New Mass,

L'Osservatore Romano, March 19, 1965
Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, who died in Rome on 3 July 1982, was described in an obituary in The Times as "one of the most unusual figures in the Vatican's diplomatic service." It would be more than euphemistic to describe the Archbishop's career as simply "unusual". There can be no doubt at all that the entire ethos of Catholicism within the Roman Rite has been changed profoundly by the liturgical revolution which has followed the Second Vatican Council.
As Father Kenneth Baker SJ remarked in his editorial in the February 1979 issue of the Homiletic and Pastoral Review: "We have been overwhelmed with changes in the Church at all levels, but it is the liturgical revolution which touches all of us intimately and immediately."

Keep in mind here: I am fully aware of the validity of the New Mass. I am fully aware of the popes having the right and the authority to change the Mass in exactly the same manner as the protestant reformers. But just because something can be done by legitimate authority does not mean it is necessarily a good thing. And questioning it does not mean one is questioning the fairly narrow definition of infallibility. We have no guarantee from Christ that the successors to the apostles will be impeccable.
And so now... in a day where Benedict has liberated that which was never abrogated (though many valid and licit Bishops at the time assured us otherwise)... we must ask ourselves... is the Tridentine Mass just like the option for the Spanish Mass or the Portuguese Mass, or the Mass in Creole... OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE TO IT?
Are the Novus Ordo and the Tridentine rite dynamically equivalent?
Make up your own mind on the matter... but it is, I assure you... no small thing.

Chapter 4, Catholic Teaching on the Eucharist

Before I begin let me make a personal observation: Ever since I reverted to the Catholic Church (in my 20's), I have always erroneously thought that the root of the difference between what Catholics and Protestants believed was the three main objections of the protesters: 1.) The Eucharist, 2) Our Lady, 3.) The Apostolic succession and especially the papacy. I was wrong in this assumption. I see now that it is INDEED their false theology of justification which is at the very core of all these other things.

Click here to go to beginning of book review

So without further delay, I wish to give you an excellent excerpt from Chapter 4 (p 26-27). It tells us more then I could ever say on the subject. I will highlight in red... the parts which really jumped off the page for me... and I can not argue with them because Mr. Davies is quoting St. Augustine here.

"As the Church is the body of this head", wrote St. Augustine, "through Him she learns to offer Herself." Furthermore, although the intrinsic value of the Sacrifice of the Mass, like that of the Cross, is infinite, Christ being both High priest and Sacrificial Victim, its extrinsic value is limited as regards the fruits of any particular Mass. The value of a particular Mass "is dependent on the greater or lesser holiness of the reigning Pope, the bishops and the clergy throughout the world. The holier the Church in Her members (especially the Pope and the Episcopate), the more agreeable must be Her sacrifice in the eyes of God...With Christ and the Church is associated in the third place the celebrating priest, the representative through whom Christ offers up the Sacrifice. If he be a man of great personal devotion, and purity, there will accrue an additional fruit, which will benefit himself and those in whose favor he applies the Mass. Hence the faithful are guided by a sound instinct when they prefer to have the Mass celebrated by an upright and holy priest rather than by an unworthy one... In the fourth place must be mentioned those who take an active part in the Mass, e.g., the servers, sacristan, Organist, singers and, finally the whole congregation." Needless to say, the application of the fruits of the Mass to the living for whom it is offered or who participate in it will be governed by their own dispositions (see Appendix I).  Note:  I will be adding this very important index soon [02/06/2012]

"This lack of dispositions cannot exist in the case of the suffering souls in Purgatory, and with them, therefore, the desired effect, whether it be the alleviation of their sufferings, or the shortening of their time of purgation, must infallibly be produced." The effectiveness of the fruits in their case will be governed only by the holiness and fervor of the Church as a whole and Her particular members involved in offering this particular Mass. Once the Protestant leaders "had adopted the doctrine of justification by faith only, and had thrown over the reality of sanctifying grace as the supernatural life of the soul, there was nothing for it but to give up belief in operative and grace-producing sacraments. So the Real Presence and Transubstantiation had to go, and the Eucharist had to loose altogether it's sacrificial character and to be retained simply as a memorial of the Last Supper whereby the soul is moved to prayer and enabled in some way to enter into communion with and to receive Jesus Christ... Hence it is not surprising that, to a great extent, belief in the Mass became the touchstone of Catholic orthodoxy and that all through the centuries of controversies with protestantism, Catholic theologians should have used all their powers of argument and all their resources of learning in it's defense.

The teaching that every Mass produced fruit which the celebrant could apply to both the living and the dead was above all else "good work" par excellence. It was quite incompatible with their doctrine of Justification and must therefore be rejected, as it will be made clear in chapter VII.

There can also be no doubt that the protestant heresiarchs fully realized that it was the Mass that mattered. It was upon the Mass that they directed the full force of their attack.

And The Word Became Flesh...

Click here to go to beginning of book review

Et incarnatus est! "And the Word became flesh...". These true words should be enough for us... but unfortunately, due to sin... they are not enough for us.

All of the miracles that Our Lord performs for us in the Gospels have one astonishing thing in common: Our Lord in them, REQUIRES the cooperation of man when He performs the miracle. This is a great and incomprehensible miracle in and of itself. I'm reminded of something Mother Angleica used to say when asked about the absurd reality of the success of her endeavor to create a Catholic television and radio network with no budget, no business plan, no cooperation from most of the American hierarchy and no advanced degree. She would say "If we wish for God to do the miraculous... we must be willing to do the ridiculous". It may seem ridiculous for the blind man to have mud put on his eyelids and to be told to stagger across town to the Pool of Siloam... nevertheless, our Lord willed it.

He could have made it otherwise... but He didn't. This cooperation is at the very heart of what it means to be a Catholic. This is also at the very center of the dispute that Protestantism attempts to advance... namely the error of "justification by faith alone". The Protestant sees the passion as fixed in time. The Catholic knows that the passion is played out daily, lives on until the end of time, has always had merit for those that assist at Mass in a state of grace. To use the authors own words: "The Catholic conception of the Christian religion can be aptly described as 'incarnational'. Christ's means of applying the merits of His Passion is to continue the Incarnation throughout time until he comes again" (P7, Ch1).

God could have chosen some other means, besides cooperation with grace through Mary. But He DIDN'T! As Davies tells us, "Mary's fiat sets in motion a train of events..." Non Modernist Protestants and Catholics agree on the historical reality and the sufficiency of merit obtained via the crucifixion. But we disagree upon the dispensation of those graces... and upon the perpetual nature of the re-presentation of that reality. We disagree on the requirement of cooperation. It is one of the reasons that Mary presents such a psychological and spiritual problem for the revolter.

The Church maintains that there is an 'opus operatum' in the system of the seven sacraments when administered validly.

Sacred scripture is clear that the same Eucharist which is a blessing to the man in a state of grace can be a curse to the man who is knowingly not. How can this be unless there is indeed an opus operatum. The book has an excellent appendix which describes the opus operatum. It is worth getting the book for that simple appendix alone.

On to chapter two. I may add or tweak each as these summaries as I go, as family or friends discover omissions or errors. Check back if you wish. But I plan to move ahead. I have been given much to think about here... and I will be reading the offertory prayers more closely this Sunday in my old beat up but much loved 1957 Saint Joseph's Daily Missal.

Accept, O Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God, this spotless host, which I, your unworthy servant, offer to You, my living and true God, to atone for my numberless sins, offenses and negligences; on behalf of all here present and likewise for all faithful Christians living and dead, that it may profit me and them as a means of salvation to life everlasting...

We offer You, O Lord, the chalice of salvation, humbly begging of Your mercy that it may arise before Your divine Majesty, with a pleasing fragrance, for our salvation and for that of the whole world...

In a humble spirit and with a contrite heart, may we be accepted by You, O Lord, and may our sacrifice so be offered in Your sight this day as to please You, O Lord God... Come, O Sanctifier, Almighty and Eternal God, and bless, + this sacrifice prepared for the glory of Your holy Name.

After this and after the Lavabo (the washing of the hands) the priest says:

Accept, most holy Trinity, this offering which we are making to You in remembrance of the passion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, our Lord; and in honor Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of these, and of all the Saints; that it may add to their honor and aid our salvation...

And in the consecration itself we read: In like manner, when the supper was done, taking also this goodly chalice into His holy and venerable hands, again giving thanks to You, He blessed + it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: All of you take and drink of this: for this is the Chalice of my Blood of the new and eternal covenant: the mystery of faith: which shall be shed for you and for many unto the forgiveness of sins.

Make it a wonderful weekend. And remember... this is the last Sunday of Post Epiphany... so SAVOR that Alleluia.

Alleluia

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let all the isles be glad!

And... NO... this is not me singing (I wish). This is credited to CC Watershed's ReneGoupil website... which has all the chants for the Novus Ordo and Tridentine Rite.

You won't hear Alleluia sung again until you hear the Easter Alleluia. Perhaps I'll post that Alleluia so you can hear it when the time comes if I'm still blogging.

IJM Pascendi

Who Was Archbishop Cranmer

The Catholic Archbishop Cranmer was a principal reformer of the liturgy under King Henry VIII. Archbishop Cranmer was a key to the liturgical reforms of the Protestant revolt.

Much can be said about his theology... none of which is good. He criticized monasticism, suppressed the Mass, forced his homilies down the throats of all Catholic priests who were in his charge and made them read them to their congregations. He used the legal force of the reigning political and ecclesiastical powers to effectively coerce Catholic bishops to submit to his views or face expulsion from the Church. Only a few Catholic bishops stood up to him because of his political power and his authority as a churchman.

Who Was Michael Davies

Michael Davies is a convert to Catholicism. He wrote three books on the Mass (These three are collectively called 'The Liturgical Revolution'). The first of these is called Cranmer's Godly Order. This deals with the liturgical reforms masterminded by Archbishop Cranmer. The book will explain the Reformation... namely what happened and why it happened. The second book, Entitled Pope John's Council will deal with the Second Vatican Council. The Third book is called Pope Paul's New Mass and will deal with the liturgical changes that followed the council (many of which have nothing to do with the council and some which do).

Michael Davies explores this history of the first "reforms" in the following chapters of this first of these three books in Cranmer's Godly Order... specifically as to how liturgical change was used to effect change in belief. Davies is focusing on the English Reformation.

I will be writing about each of these chapters as I go through them.

1.) Et Incarnatus Est
2.) The Catholic Doctrine of Justification
3.) Sola Fides Justificat
4.) Catholic Teaching on the Eucharist
5.) The Most Horrible Blasphemy
6.) Protestant Teaching on the Eucharist Part I
7.) Protestant Teaching on the Eucharist Part II
8.) Liturgical Revolution
9.) The Principles of Liturgical Reform
10.) The Reform and the Missal of St. Pius V
11.) Preparatory Measures
12.) An Ingenious Essay in Ambiguity
13.) Priesthood and the Ordinal
14.) "Godly Order" or "Christmas Game"?
15.) "Believe as your forefathers"
16.) The Pattern of Compromise

Hopefully, before the end of the weekend... I will take a short break and introduce you to the person of Michael Davies. It is important to remember that he was always a Catholic in good standing as he converted to Catholicism as a student in the 1950's. From what I have learned thus far, he had one of the most prolific pens and exhaustive lecture schedules before he died. Let me also add that Mr. Davies did not get rich by any of this work. His life was an effort to restore a sense of the sacred in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He asked insightful questions that made others uncomfortable... but he seemed to always do it with great charity, good humor and humility.