Cister..z cia n s of t h e S tu ict()bseuoGnc e

Vol u me :S, N u n1ber.z 2 I Decern beri 1969

Con ten t s

Edi torial: Fear or Fait h Ar mand Veilleux 1

Notes on Three Cistercian Devot1ona1 Tex ts Ch rysogon us \Vaddcll 3

The R i tes of the Sacrament of Penance Jca n,Marie De1va ux 11

The Lovef e.:ist as Practiced in the Mora vian Church Eph raim Leaman 15

Proposed Clwistmas Vigil M. Basil Pennmgton 16

The Fire and the Rock Chrysostom Castel 18

Acclamations Jerome Collins 22

Ch uou icle

The Office in Today's Communities

Informal Compline

Liturgical Notes on

Da mian Smyth 24

i\nthony Delisi 26

Pentecostal Prayer Ieetings at BerryviHe Matthew Killian 29

Bi bliography of the Pentecostal Movement Edward O'Connor, CSC 32

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eoitonia l

Fean on Fa ith

Recently, Maurice Bellet published a beautif ul book called : "La Peu·r ou la Foi. " Lucidly and with serenity, he sets out to analyze the priest of today and his problems. Faced with the present crisis of the priest hood, the author explains, a priest is solicited by two contradicting attitudes: fear, or faith. Now, in this period of profound mutation that is ours, every Christian has to confront this same alternative.

A vital anguish lurks at the heart of all human existence. Particularly strong among the primitive peoples, this anguish seems to

be re-invading Western civilization -which, according to some sociologists, is rapidly coming back to the tribal stage. This anguish

can even lodge in the heart of a Christian and be crystallized in the first object that meets his sight.

"Church of Christ, what do you say of yourself ?" In admitting such a question, the Church of Vatican II entered upon a difficult way. She accepted that everything about her be called into question, in the sense that every question was recognized as legitimate, and that she commit ted herself to give an answer -an answer which in the line of dogma was relatively easy, but when it came to theological explanation and existential actuation, presupposed necessarily a long period of research and groping in the dark. Faced with all these open-questions, a feeling of insecurity seized hold of a good number of Christians : insecurity that begets fear, which in spreading itself, easily becomes panic. Now this panic can manifest itself in different ways. It can, for instance, take refuge in an aggressive pseudo-reformative attitude that compromises all true renewal, or it can lurk sullenly behind a :fierce opposition to all changes.

We detect these reflexes of insecurity and anguish particularly in all that concerns the liturgical renewal. We are used to a liturgy that is

universal, monolithic, going on in the same way f or ages. In it, we have found a certain psychological and spiritual security. Now this security has been suddenly jeopardized by the simple decision of the Council to undertake a liturgical reform. But what is more disturbing is the fact that, instead of accomplishing the reform once and for all, the Council has only set in motion a dynamic processus of renovation. Nobody knowH exactly where it will lead us, for only the Spirit has the secret. And because this reform chooses to be rational and well-reasoned, it stirs up necessarily a host of questions concerning the nature of the liturgy and its essential elements -crucial problems f or which no one can boast of having very definite answers. Hence these individual and collective re flexes of anxiety and insecurity.

Now, it is extremely dangerous to give in to fear before any problem whatsoever. In fact, not only is fear a very contagious disease, but it renders impossible any solution to a problem, because it limits to the extreme the field of consciousness, isolating the problem from its real context and its chances of solution. Worse still, it creates defensive mech anisms, very of ten absurd, making use of instruments without examining too closely what they are meant for. This is the only explanation we can give to the bitterness and the more than evident lack of charity and respect of some publications that called themselves the faithf ul defen ders of the Church and of the faith.

Against this temptation of f ear, there is only one remedy -faith. But faith presupposes humility. IPor fear is a form .of pride, consisting in a ref usal to accept one 's self with one 's limits, to accept one 's insuf ficiency before the exigencies of reality. It is the ref usal to accept one's need for renewal and continual progress. On the contrary, he who has faith is one who is really poor, conscious of his insufficiency and who, by the fact of being a living organism, must pass through painf ul crises of growth. He is not troubled by that, because of his faith in the word of the Lord : "The gates of hell shall not prevail against her." He haH faith in the Spirit whom Christ has given to his Church.

Doubtless, the liturgical movement provokes certain whirlpools and sweeps along with it certain debris. That does not trouble or surprise someone who has faith. He knows that this movement has been set in motion by the Council under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and he is sure . that. this same Spirit will know how to direct it. He possesses a joyf ul and serene assurance that through this movement, the Church will come out triumphant, better equipped to praise. with greater dignity her Divine Spouse. He is faithful, not with a fidelity to an impersonal absolute --'- that remains always impersonal, even if we try to personalize it -but with a fidelity to the Holy Spirit, flowering in Hope. .

As Maurice Bellet has very well remarked : ''The man of fear cannot be a man of faith.'' It is for each one of us to choose,

Armand VEILLEUXMONK OF MISTASSINI

2

Notes on Three Cistercian Devotional Texts:The Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,

The Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, andThe Renewal of Profession

Chrysogonus WaddellMONK OF GETHSEMANI

In early December of 1964, a group of Abbots convoked by the Abbot General and chosen by the General Chapter met at Monte Cistello to discuss various questions of aggior- 11ame11to and to prepare the program of the coming Gen eral Chapter. During their last session on the af ternoon of the 15th, various superiors were designated to coordinate the liturgical translation work being done in their respective regions. Two texts came in for special mention -the con secration of our Order to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as the parallel consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, prescribed annually for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

One of the Abbots present took advantage of the situation to suggest that it might be time to change the texts currently in use. 1 The suggestion went unchallenged . Both texts are of the familiar "prostrate - before - thy - throne" type; and though their theological content is sufficiently evident, the style of expression strikes a number of our monks and nuns as less in keeping with their marked preference for texts of a more classical stamp and a more biblical vocabulary. Of course, a devotional consecration text is not the same as a 6th century Mass collect, and rightly so! Still, too many of our religious fail to find in our present consecration texts a form of expression which they can sincerely make their own. (Which is not to suggest that everyone in the Order is less happy with the texts in question ! There are doubtless many individua ls, perhaps even entire communities, for whom our two consecration formulz leave little to be desired.)

There would be less of a problem if the consecrations were facultative. They could become so easily enough, but this would entail a new decision by the General Chapter, modifying earlier decisions of the Chapter of 19072 and of the more recent Chapter of 1954.8 According to present legislation, then, we are supposed to renew our two conse crations annually, making use of the prescribed texts.

The scope of the following notes is extremely modest. They leave absolutely untouched a number of the basic ques tions: should we have an official annual renewal of the two consecrations ? Could these not rather be facultative? Should there really be a single uniform text of consecration ? or should the choice of the form of consecration be left to the discretion of the local community . . . ? My one concern, rather, is simply to sketch the historical background of the consecrations, and this with a double purpose in mind:

I ) an understanding of the historical background might help us appreciate these consecrations a bit more, even in their present form;

2) a sketch of the origins of these texts might be of service to anyone concerned with a change in our present practice, or with the drawing up of revised conse cration texts.

By way of an additional note, I intend also to treat briefly of a quite diff erent text of a wholly unofficial character. I

1Mi11u111 of tlu M o11tt Cutt/lo Muti"t· Dtc Z-15 , l f/M , p 902 4ct11 "'" Clto,it" Gi11i•ol . . . 1907, Weatmalle 1907, p 12; DicuiOflJ ti Difi

,.;,;,,,., 4., Clto,it., Gi,.;,o{ 11.t 1907, n 7a Co"'"'""i"•tio"' o/ tt.. c,..,.o1 Clto't" o/ 1954, lint two pua1rapht.

3

refer to the formula for the renewal of vows -a formula quite unknown in very many of our monasteries, perhaps even in the vast majority. But there are still at least a few monasteries where the annual retreat is concluded with a renewal of vows; and the formula currently in use in at least some of these monasteries presents difficulties analogous to those mentioned above. Since several religious have already written to me asking about a possible modification of this formula, I have decided to treat the question briefly.

I-Dom Sebastian Wyart and the Consecration ofOur Order to the Sacred Heart

Our present formula of consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has little to do with the familiar "Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus" authored by Pope Leo XIII for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, 1899.4 It is, rather, intimately bound up with the very beginnings of our Order in its present form, and pre-dates the 1899 Consecration by more than half a decade.

The year was 1893, the precise date was the 22nd of Sep tember; the place, Paray-le-Monial, scene of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary; and the occasion was the conclusion of the first General Chapter of the Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe.

The Chapter of 1893, held at the abbey of Sept-Fons, near Paray-le-Monial (the Order had not yet purchased back Ci teaux), was of prime importance. It met chiefly to work on the new Constitutions of the newly organized Order. and was the necessary follow-up of the decisive Chapter held in Rome in early October of the preceding year, when the superiors of the four separate congregations of Reformed Cistercians of La Trappe met in answer to a summons issued by order of Leo XIII, July 20th, 1892.

Quite impossible in a few sentences to do justice to the complexity of the then-existing situation! For centuries the trend within the nebulous entity called the "Cistercian Or der" had been in the direction of ever accelerated disagre gation. As one writer puts it:

The huge organism had long been too big for the feeble life that had been guttering out in its heart. It had al" ready begun to split up into small isolated congregations in the sixteenth century. That was the only way it could live. There was nowhere in the Order a vital force capa ble of reforming the whole body from within: but there were men who had enough energy and sanctity to reform single houses, then gather around them groups of ten or fifteen more houses to form a congregation.5

It might have been expected that the French Revolution would have speeded up still further the rate of disagregation. Such was not the case. In the midst of all the social, political, religious, and economic upheavals of the 19th century, the many scattered Cistercian congregations actually began shar ing more and more f ruitfully in the growing vitality of the Catholic revival. One of the symptoms of this happy vitality was a marked tendency toward reunion. A high point was

4

reached towards the end of 1878, when a project for reunion between the various Observances seemed on the point of realization. It failed. Among those most disheartened by the outcome of the affair was the thirty-nine year old secretary to the Procurator of the Sept-Fons Congregation. As secre tary, Br. Sebastian Wyart, ex-Papal Zouave, and monk of Mont-des-Cats, in residence at Rome, was remarkably well placed to follow the course of the negotiations -and to profit by this knowledge for the future. For, in 1892, Dorn Sebastian Wyart, abbot of Sept-Fons since 1887, was to be come the first Abbot General of the Reformed Cistercians of La Trappe; and, as Abbot General, his was to be a major role in the program of reunion now briefly to be described.

This is how things stood just prior to October, 1892. Among the many groups of Cistercians there were several clusters of monasteries more or less identified with a strict observance. Dom Augustin de Lestrange's reform had split into two congregations, one headed by the abbot of La Grande Trappe, the other by the presiding superior of the Sept-Fons Congregation. There were, besides these, two other smaller groups formed around the Belgian abbey of Westmalle and the ancient Italian abbey of Casamari. It was the abbots of these four strict congregations whom Pope Leo XIII summoned to Rome in 1892.

This extraordinary Chapter of fif ty-four superiors was held in the French seminary on the Via Santa Chiara. The keynote was struck during the opening session of the morn ing of October 1st, when Cardinal Mazella addressed the superiors, and spoke of one thing, and of one thing only the unity of the Order.

As the Cardinal explained, there was no. question, for the moment, of any grave abuse to be corrected; nor was there question, for the moment, of examining the problem of the Constitutions. Whatever other points might come up for discussion, these would be of a secondary order when com pared with the principal concern under study, that is to say, the true unity of the Order. Said the Cardinal:

1be Church wishes to render real what is only nominal in your present way of life; she wishes to see realized . . . what is most fundamental in the spirit of your Order : union, peace, charity. Charity does not separate, it unifies; charity means divine friendship, and the fundamental Constitution of your Order is called the CHARTER of CHARITY. 8

Of the four Congregations represented, only the Casma ri Congregation refused to participate in the work of reunion . Otherwise, the discussions carried on in the course of the

4 The consecration wu proclaimed in the Encyclical ,t,.,.11.,,. sacrum of Mar 25, 1899; the actual consecration took place on the following June 11th. By hie decree of August 22nd, 1906, Pope St Pius X ordered this conaocration to berenewed each. year in all chu rcheo on the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The text of the consecration was modified in 1928, then tranlferred by Pope Pius XI to wFeast of Christ the King. A solemn act of Reparation was then assigned to theFeast of the Sacred Heart.

Thomas MERTON, TA• Wat<rs of Siloe, New York 1949, p 326 (Actes du) Chapitrt Glt1Jral du quatrt Congdgatiom du Cisttr<Vns RJ.

/ormis dt la Trappt ttnu a Romt d11. ltr au 13 Ortohrt, 1892, Cittawc, n.J.[1892), p 3. The Acts of the Chapter give only a resume of the Cardinal '•address.

Litu Bulletin + December 1968

•J.

eleven sessions were marked by peace and concern for the f undamental unity of the Order; and it was ·in this atmos phere of openness and charity that Dom Sebastian Wyart was elected Abbot General of the newly formed Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe.

So now we are back to 1893, to the.first General Chapter held under the presidency of Dom Sebastian. The purpose of the Chapter was to settle upon the details of the new Consti tutions of the Order. So successful was the work accom plished that it was evident to all that the reunion had become in all truth an effective union. And this was the moment and the context in which the unity of the Order was sealed by the consecration of the Order to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

One might say that such considerations were the order of the day. The whole world had been impressed in 1873, when France's National Assembly approved the vow to build a bas ilica in honor of the Heart of Christ. In June of 1875, Pope Pius IX consecrated the universal Church to the Sacred Heart, even as the cornerstone of the basilica of -Montmartre was being laid. The consecration of Ireland took place on Passion Sunday of 1873; that of the Republic of Ecuador was made in the same year. The Republic of San Salvador followed suit in 1874. In 1875, five hundred and twenty-five bishops petitioned the Holy Father to consecrate the entire human race to the Sacred Heart; and, earlier in the sime year, the Pope had received thirty volumes of signatures representing petitions asking the same favor.7 Ou r own Order's consecration, however, was more directly the f ruit of one man's love and zeal. Indeed, it would not be difficult to find ample material for a monograph on Dom Sebastian Wyart and Devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Dom Sebastian was a remarkable personality. His birth place, Bouchain-a little town lying between Cambrai and Va.lenciennes-had its origins as a Merovingian fortified town. Perhaps something of the town's past military history was still present and active in the case of young Henry Wyart. For though his piety and considerable talents seemed to mark him out for the soutane, a military career seemed alarm ingly attractive to the young man. In 1860, a newly fonned pontifical army, organized in the interests of the preservation of the Papal States in Italy, provided the imme diate answer to Henry's vocational problem. He enlisted in Rome, was soon afterwards wounded in action at Castel.6. dardo, near Loretto, and was sent back to France, only to devotion to a pitch of almost mystical fervor.

The Papal Zouaves took part in the action against the invaders. At about this time, a certain Monsieur de Montagu, retu rn to Italy in 1861 when his battalion was reorganized as part of the Papal Zouaves. Henry's notes and personal correspondence for the next ten years are filled with details about campaigns against the bandits, about the Garibaldi risorgimento, the conflict between Prussia and Austria, the outbreak of the Franco-German War, the siege of Rome . . .s Even then Henry's love for the Sacred Heart was much in

Chryaogonus + Cistercian Devotional Texta

evidence. But it was the Franco-German War of 1870-1871, and particularly the Battle of Loigny, which deepened his deeply grieved over the fall 'of Paris, proved instrnmental in carrying out the wishes of Saint Margaret Mary, who had asked Louis XIV (without success) to have the Heart of Jesus embroidered on the royal standard. M. de Montaigu arranged with the nuns of Paray-le-Monial to have a flag embroidered in letters of gold, "Heart of Jesus, save France!" On December- 2nd, 1870, the first Friday of the month, this flag of the Sacred Heart was unfurled in action at Loigny; near Le Mans. The first battalion of Zouaves, in which Henry fought, was decimated, and flag-bearer after flag bearer was slain in quick succession. The flag, stained with the life-blood of so many of Henry's comrades-in-arms, be came a symbol of fielity to Jesus, to France, to the Church. The same blood-stained flag figured in what was, for Henry, a decisive moment, just before the dissolution of his ·regi ment. On Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 1871, the flag was once more unfurled in the seminary chapel at Rennes, where General de Sonis and General de Charette consecrated the soon-to-be-disbanded regiment to the Sacred Heart. "No need to describe our emotion," Henry later wrote. "One thing is certain, however. Whether we stay together or not, from now on we'll all be living united in the Sacred Heart of Jesus . . ."9

On February 5th, 1872, Henry entered the Trappist abbey of Mont-des-Cats. Now known as Frater Sebastien he had as abbot a man no less devoted than himself to th'e Sacred Heart. Indeed, before his death in 1883, Dom Dominique Lacaes had for forty years lived out his personal act of con secration with heroism-a devotion which entailed, among other things, a daily discipline to the point of blood. Henry's novitiate was a troubled one. Vocational difficulties persi ted even in Rome, where he was sent after temporary profession for studies and to serve as secretary to the Procurator of the Sept-Fons Congregation, to which Mont-des-Cats belonged. After ordination in 1877, Fr. Sebastian remained in Rome until. recalled to Mont-des-Cats in 1880, to pronounce his solemn vows. When Dom Dominique died in 1883, it was his prior, Fr. Sebastian, who was unanimously elected to sue, ceed him. No one was surprised when the new abbot chose for his coat of arms simply the Heart of Jesus, with the twoword device, Trahe nos. Dom Sebastian was abbot of Mont des-Cats for less than five years. In 1887, the Sept-Fons community, in a quasi-u nanimous election, asked him to become their Father Abbot.

It was .a painful wrench, leaving Mont-des-Cats for Sept Fons. But the new abbo_t found great consolation in the fact that Sept-Fons lay so dose to Paray-le-Monial. He never passed through the small town without spending long hours in the Visitation chapel. Travelling monks of the abbey

7 Details taken from M. WILLIAMS, RBCJ, Tiu Sdcrtd H tdrt ;,. tilt Lift of tilt Cil•mil, New Yock 1957, pp 156-157; L. VERHEYLEZOON, Dtt1otion to tht Sdcred Htdrt, Westminster (Maryland) 1955, pp 143-144.

8 Bioeraphical detail• here and in following paragraphs are taken passim fromMir FICH AU X , Dom SJbastu" Wydrt, Lille - Paris 19111.

11 FICHAUX, op cit, p 297 .

5

enjoyed tl)e same easy access to the chapel of the apparitions. Postulants were sent there before their admission to the novi tiate. And departees for Sept-Fons' many mission-country foundations never lef t without first having prayed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Paray-le-Monial.

Is it surprising, then, that under the aegis of Dom Sebas tian, the union of the Order, on the occasion of its first Gen eral Chapter, was sealed by the consecration of the Order to the Most Sacred Heart ? One of the final acts of the Chap ter during the morning session of the 21st, was to address a petition to the Holy Father, requesting the canonization of the then Blessed Mary Alacoque. 10 It was thereupon de cided that the consecration would take place on the following day, at Paray-le-Monial.

Describing the work of this Oiapter, Dom Sebastian later wrote to his friends at Tourcoing:

Everyone is agreed that it's the Holy Spirit who guided the work of this Chapter. We tool:c seriously the counsels given by the Holy See; our young choir professed, for instance, will receive a better fonnation in the sacred sciences. The Holy Rule served as the basis for our decisions; but we were caref ul to be inspired by its spirit of discretion, so that, with regard to certain points, we were not afraid to modify the letter. For example, fasting will be less painf ul than it has been in the past.

Since the vast majority has adopted these changes, and since we know in advance that these changes will be approved by the Holy See, the union of the Order appears, as of now, solid and lasting. You joined us in asking God for this great grace. So please thank him now that he has granted it ! This is what we did at Paray, where, on the morning of the 22nd, all the members of the Chaf ter went to consecrate the Order to the Sacred Heart o Jesus.11

We now move ahead to 1907. Dom Sebastian died a few years earlier, on August 18, 1904. At the 14th General Chapter of the Order, September 12th - 17th, a new chant in honor of the Sacred Heart was authorized for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament;12 but considerably more important was the question of the Order's original consecration to the Sacred Heart. The capitular Fathers were persuaded of the importance of this act which had sealed the vital union of the three strict congregations. But what was there to remind our monks and nuns of this consecration ? The following was decided :

In view of the fact that there is nothing to remind our religious of the consecration of our Order to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, made at Paray-le-Monial in 1893, the Reverend Capitular Fathers decree that there be sent to all our houses an act of consecration recalling this mem orable event. This act is to be read every year on the feast of the Sacred Heart at the Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.13

The text for the annual renewal of the consecration is basically that of the original consecration of 1893, but modi-

6

fied in points of detail. The 1893 version is given in a footnote.14 For the reader's convenience, one of the current English translations used in some of our houses now follows:

0 Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, prostrate before you, we profess to be wholly yours. We consecrate to you all our houses and all who dwell therein. Do you defen d, protect, and guide us, our dear ones, and all that we have, so that your greater glory may be furthered.

As the unspeakable storm of godlessness rages against God's name and yours, 0 Jesus, and against your holy Church, and your faithf ul servants, we have nothin g more at heart than to declare that complete homage, pub lic and solemn, is due to you, who continue to live in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Mindf ul of your wish, we now do this on behalf of our Order, and acknowled ge your absolute dominion as did our Father Saint Bernard, who exclaimed in these words:" 'I proclaim Jesus my Lord. It is for him that I reserve myself , for I acknowledge myself to be his by right. It is he whom I hold as my God, he whom I hold as my Lord; and I say, 'I have no king except my Lord Jesus!' " Amen. 15

It is true that the closest thing to a biblical citation in the consecration is imbedded in the quotation from St Bernard, where he reverses the "We have no king but Caesar" of St John's trial scene. It is also true that the text in its present literary form will hardly run competition with the Gettys burg Address or the collects penned by Cranmer. But the real difficulty is, I think, even more f undamental than the phraseology or style. Our formula simply fails to reflect sufficiently the context in which it was created, the context

10 4ctn . . . • p 3211 FICHAUX. op cit. p 56512 deus . .., Weatmalle 1907. p 1213 4ctn . . . • ibid

14. The following rcproducei the 1 893 consecration as given in 1xtuuo inFICHAUX. op cit, p 566:

0 Coeur sacre de Jesus, prosternes a VOS pieds, nous declarons vous etre entierement devoues. Nous vous consacrons nos personnes, nos maisons et tout ce que nous possedons. A vous de nous defend re, de nous proteger, de nous diriger, pour votre plus grande gloire !Jesus-Hostie Roi, en face des impietes de la societe actuelle, de la guerre acharnee qui Se fait a VOtre nom Sacre, nous, VOSserviteurs, en union avec la Sainte Eglise, nous sentons la necessite de protester de votre regne au Saint-Sacrement. Et,pour nous conformer a un desir que vous avez exprime a labienheureuse Marguerite-Marie, nous entendons preter, au nom de notre Ordre, l'hommage entier, pu blic et solennel, qui vous est du par tous les hommes.N'ayant rien plus a coeur que de reconnaitre, comme notrePere Saint Bernard, votre souverain domaine, nous nous ecrions avec l'illustre Abbe de Clairvaux: Je fais appel amon Seigneur Jesus-Christ; entre ses mains, je remets ma defense, car je reconnais ses droits absolus. Je le ticns pour mon Dieu, je le tiens pour mon Maitre. Je le dis bien haut: Je n'ai d'autre roi que le Seigneur Jesus!

1 Tranalation in use at Gethscmani Abbey for many ycara.

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

in which it was meant to be prayed. One could meditate on this formula for years, .without ever guessing th;it it had anything to do with keeping alive in our Order the remem brance of the reunion of 1892, and g'ratitude for the great blessing of unity.

God knows how meaningful, how rich with possibilities the question of the Order's unity is at the present time. It is no less a vital reality now than it was in the 12th century, wi th its Cistercian program, "Una caritate. una regula simili b"'lf lle rivam11s morib1n."1 a

It should be evident to all, of course, that the question of a life-giving uni ty goes deeper than a material uniformity of observances. True, there are some of us who ·experience our presen t trend towards "pluralism" as something of a disavowal of the Order's pristine tradition. Others of us hold, on the contrary, that we are discovering a deeper kind of unity, in which the richness of our common heritage is

hea ring fruit i n a fecund variety of monastic experience. Is it not, perhaps, a bit analogus to the present experience

of the Catholic Church in the West ? There was once a time

when, for many centuries, it was commonly held bi mostWestern Catholics that the unity of the Church was best expressed by identity of rite and identity of dogmatic formu lation. More recently, we have begun to understand that it pertains to the very perfection of ou r Catholic unity that varieties of experience be not only respected, but positively nu rtured and loved : for this rich variety of experience gives glory to God, and proves how truly inexhaustible are the tidi es hidden in Ch rist, but now being progressively revealed in time. At the level of ou r very international and multi cth nic Order the question of unity inevitably raises mariy · problems. But they are life-giving problems.

If our Order does retai n an annual renewal of our conse cration to the Sacred Heart, I hope that, wherever the con secration is renewed, the text of the prayer will be truly "actual," and rich with the marvelously deep theology of th e Sacred Heart. More and more we are obtaining profound insights into the mystery of that Hea rt, center of the uni verse. How grateful we should be to men such as Karl Rahner, whose doctoral thesis of 1936 dealt with "Patristic Thottght on the Transpierced Heart of the Savior as the So11rce of the Chmch";17 or Hans Urs von Balthasar, whose DaJ Herz der Welt, under the transparent veil of images, off ers probably one of the truly incom parable expressions of th e mystery of the Heart of Christ; or Pius XII, whose 1956 Encyclical, Haurietis aquas, has raised up such an admirable. r-sponse among theologians and pastors of souls.18

Now, no historian of the devotion to the Sacred Heart can discuss the Middle Ages without quoting copiously from Cistercians. iu It is not precisely that our early monks ari<;l. nuns made such enormous original contributions. It was raH1er sim ply that some of them expresse<l well what seems to have been a general experience. We do not have to con cern ourselves with making new contributions and develop ing new insights. We simply have to live richly and grate-

Chrysogonus + Cistercian Devotional Texts

fully in the Heart of .Christ, sharing in a patrimony that belongs to all men. But if it happens that we do have occa sion to produce a consecration text for the entire Order, or a· number of consecration texts for various regions or indi vidual commur:iities, then I hope that we shall rise equal to the occasion. We shall need a text which expresses the reality in qstion (unity of the Order in the Sacred Heart) with theological accuracy, using biblical terminology, and adopting a style which is simple, chaste and beautiful, and authenti.cally om own.

II -T he Consecration of Our Order to' Th Immaculate Heart of l!Mary

This consecration was introduced in our Order within the memory of most of those reading these J'\Otes. The Com mrmications of the General Chapter of 7954 provide the background of the consecration:

Under the presidency of the. Mos.t .Reverend Abbot General (Dom Gabriel Sortais) , forty-five Superiors ofthe Order met at Citeaux, and by a unanimous voe ofthe Assembly decided upan the consecration of the Order to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as in like manner, in 1893 it was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This consecration to6k pla.Ce on the 15th of September,

·the Feast. of the Holy Name of Mary, during the Bene diction of the Blessed Sacrament which dosed the Gen eral Chapter. His Paterhity, the Most Reverend Abbot

·General, recited the formula of the consecration com- posed in the spirit of that of Pope Pius XII, and which is being sent you together with this communication.

The Chapter also unanimously decided that every year, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, this conse cration will·be renewed in each house, as is done for the consecration of the Sacred Heart. The subjoined formula is to be used. Each Superior is invited to consecrate his own communit:f.

The immediate context of the int.reduction of this conse cration was, of course, the Marian Year of 1954, celebrating the centenary of the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception. The above-ci.ted communique, in referring to "the formula of consecration cQmpased in the spirit of that of Pope Pius XII;" might convey (mistakenly) the impres sion that there was question of that consecration prayer by Pope Pius XII prayed in so many of our communities during the Marian Year, "Enraptured by the splendor of your heavenly beauty, etc."20 In actual fact, the consecration then

18 Carta caritati.s, c Ill.17 Charles. MULLER and fi.crbert VORGRIMLER. Karl Rahn,,, Paris !965,

p 1 6. Rahncr has since written.' freqUc.ntly about the Sacred Heart. A number of these atodiCs have already· bccrFcolle<!red and reprinted in his Schri/ten.

18 An ·iP1i:lrcss.ive ¢1.ample it, the two-volume collection of studies, Cor /esv.: Commt'-ntatiorus in Litttras Encyc/icas Pii P p. X II "Haurieti.raquas," Rome 1 959. For a recent bibl iography on the subject, see notes in the article by Roberto TUCCI, SJ, in Vol 11, "Storia de/la lttttralura rt!ativa al cu/to def S. Cuort di Gug dalla fi11.t drl stc. X Yll ai Mstri KiorKi," pp 499-638

19 Sec, for ciamplc, the long and beautiful study by Dom Jean LECLERCQ, ose, ''Lt SacrJ-Cotv.r dan.J la tradition blnldi<ti-n.r au Moytn-tlit," in Vol II of the colJcction in the preceding footnote, pp 1-28.

20 Prayer composed in Italian, Nov 21, 1953', for the Marian Year. CJ Discorsi c RadiO-Mtssa p X Y , Milano, p 595.

7

adopted for our Order was based on quite another prayer, and follows the model so faithfully that the phrase, "com posed in the spirit of that of Pius XII" is a phrase which sins by defect. Our consecration prayer is essentially Pope Pius' prayer of October 13, 1942. On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, the Holy Father addressed a broadcast to the Portu gese nation. He concluded his address with a prayer for peace, for the Church and the entire universe to the Immac ulate Heart of Mary. The consecration prayer, "Regin11 de Santissimo Rosario," was repeated a few months later in the Vatican Basilica, for the Feast of the Immaculate Concep tion.21 Since Our Lady, in her final apparition at Fatima, October 13, 1917, identified herself as "Our Lady of the Rosary," it is understandable that the prayer by Pope Pius XII composed for the 25th anniversary of this apparition, invoked Mary under this title.

Of the five paragraphs in our Cistercian consecration text, four are borrowed textually from the prayer by Pius XII - the sections printed below in ordinary type.

Prayer to the Jmma(11/ale Heart of Mary, by Pope PiusXII. Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Help of Otristians, Refuge of the human race, Conqueress of all God's battles, we humbly prostrate ourselves before your throne. We are confident that we shall receive mercy, grace, opportune assistance, and protertion in the present calamities. We do not presume on our own merits, but only on the great kindness of your maternal heart.

To you and to your immaculate heart, in this tragic ho11r of human history, we entrust and consecrate ourselves not only in union with the holy Oturch, the Mys

tical Body of your Jesus, suffering and bleeding in so many parts and tormented in so many ways, but also with the whole world tom by bitter strife and consumed by the fire of hatred -the victim of its own wickedness.

M ay you be moved by compassion at the sight of so much material and moral destruction; such s111Jering,.r11(h anguish of father.r and mothe1's, of husbands and wive.r, of brothers and sisters, and of innocent children; by so many lives mt down in thejowe1' of yo11th, so mrtny bodies torn to pieces in br11t slaughter, so many.rouls tortured and tro11bled and in dange1' of being /oJt eternally.

0 Mother of Mercy, obtain peace for us from God. Obtain especially those graces which can prepare, estab lish, and insure peace.

[At this point, our Cistercian text has a paragraph proper to us about Mary, Mother of Citeaux. The Pope's formula goes on for several paragraphs, dealing directly with the war situation of 1942.]

Queen of Peace, / ray for NJ. Give Jo the world the pettce for which al people are longing-peace in the truth, in the juJtice, and the charity of Christ. Give them

· freedom from confl ict and peace of mind, that in tranquility and order the kingdom of God may expand.

8

Grant your fxotection to infidels and to those who art resting in the Jhadow of death; give them peace and p er· mit that the Jt111 of truth may rise on tbem and that together u•ith UJ the)' may repeat before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the higheJt and peace on earth among men of good will."

Give peace lo the peoples separated by error or schism, particularly lo those who have J pecial devotion lo yo11 and among whom there iJ no home where your venerable icon i.r not honored , though at 'f>reJent it may be hidden in hope of heller days. Bring them back to the one fo ld t'Jf ChriJ J, under the one true Shepherd.

Obtain peace and complete liberty for the Hol) Church of God; check the spreading flood of neopagan

ism; arouse within the fai thful lot1e of purity, the f"'a < tice of ChriJtian /if e, and apostolic zeal, Jo that the pe

o· pies who serve God may increase in merit and n11mbtr.

Lastly, as the Church and the whole human ra(e were consecrated lo the Sacred Heart of your /eJU J, that by placing all their hope in him, he might become for them the Jign and pledge of victory and .ralvation, so that tu conJecrate ourselveJ forever to you also and lo your lmmaculate Hearl, 0 Mother and Queen of the world . May your love and patronage hasten the triumph of the Kingdom of God, and may all the nations (CiJt. text. generations), at peace with each other and with God. proclaim you blessed and with you sing from one end of the earth to the other the eternal Magnificat of glory. love, and gratitude to the heart of Jesus, in which alone they can find truth, life, and peace.22

Ithink that this prayer in its original form in 1942, must have been very dear to Dom Gabriel Sortais. You will re call that he had been a chaplain during the campaign of 1939-1940, had been wounded and imprisoned at Lille, and even after his liberation in 1941, had taken an active part in the resistance. Ithink that the words of this fervent prayer for peace must have been frequently on his lips during those tragic times of war and the aftermath of war. And I am not at all surprised that, when there was question, in 1954, of a consecration to Our Lady, the text of Pius XII spontaneously presented itself to serve as the basis of our own formula of consecration .

Several problems are connected with this consecrati on prayer. The first Iwish to mention is quite recent. The May 25th, 1967, lnJtr11ction on EuchariJtic WorJhif>, in describ ing how the rite of exposition of the Bl. Sacrament is to be carried out (art 62), seems to exclude the intrusion of de votions less directly concerned with the Mystery of the Eucharist. The import of the article is clarified in the follow ing commentary, which appeared in NotiJi(lJ, the official organ of the Consiliwn ad Exsequendam ConstitutioneJD de Sacra Liturgia :

Is it permissible to have prayers in honor of Our Lady

21 The tat appeared in the 4rta 4,o,tolir• S1Jis 34 (23 Nov 1942). pp 345-346. and in numerou1 other publicat ions.

uTranslation by Fr Martin SCHOENBERG, otc, Pray.rs of Popt p;,,, X II.Westmintter (Maryland) 1957, pp 35-46.

Lirurgy Bulletin + December 1968

I

or the sainb during Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament ?.".NsWER : Until now, the custom has existed in certain communities or special groups of having, during Expo

<ition of the Bl. Sacrament, prayers in honor of Our Lady, e.g, the recitation of the rosary, or supplication to the saints, novena prayers in preparation for the feast of some saint, etc.

It is now asked whether this is in keeping with the letter and spirit of the Instruction on Eucharistic Wor ship.

It should be noted, on the one hand, that there is no explicit prohibition in the text of the Instruction .

On the other hand, the words of art. 62 of this In struction are to be understood rather in a restrictive sense. That is to say: "During the Exposition everything should be so arranged that the faithful can devote them selves attentively in prayer to Christ ou r Lord" should be understood to mean: "devote themselves attentivelyIoiely (11nice) to Christ the Lord." ·

This tiny word, "solely," which is often referred to by the commentators, even though it is not found in the t<:xt of the Instruction, nevertheless expresses very well the real meaning of the law . ..

Other pi?us eercises, altho17gh good and worthy of commendatwn, direct the attention to divers objects, and therefore ought to be reserved for other times, either

before or after Benediction with the Bl. Sacrament . . . 3

1t would seem, then, less fitting to choose Benediction of the Bl. Sacrn ment as the occasion to renew our

consecration to Our Lady. TI1ere really should be no problem, however. So long as the Order retains the annual

renewal of the con secration,. there will always be other more meaningful ways of ren1ng the conecration. For

instance, instead of havin Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament on the Feast of the Immacu late Conception, we could arrange for a brief Celebration of e ord. I_n the

context of a special service composed of biblical readings, Marian chants, and perhaps even a homily, the renewal of

the act of consecration as the conclusion of the service would be ideal. Such an arrangement would ertainly

give the consecration an importance it lacks when inserted in a service such as Benediction orientated to a different

end . Further, its "weaknesses" cn easily be compensated for by the choice of proper biblical (and patristic) texts, accompanied by suitable commentary.

There is another excellent possibility. Many of our com munities have retained the Marian procession for her greater feasts. Now, simply to process through the cloister on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception has, perhaps, a certain amount of justification. It would be much better however to organie a procession to Our Lady's statue in the cloister'. or to her image venerated elsewhere in the monastery. Gath<:re around the statue or the image, the community could liuangly renew the act of consecration. The procession would then become more purposeful, and there would be no longer any problem with regard to Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament.

_There is, however, a more fundamental problem connected with our annual renewal of the 1954 consecration to the

Chry101lonus + Cistercian Devotional Texts

I

Immaculate Heart of Mary. Devotional practices such as the present one remain "living" chiefly when they fulfill some keenly-felt need, or are connected with events of great importance for the community or the individual. I am sure i

that all of us who remember the Marian Year of 1954 look back on it with gratitude. But I rather doubt that, in an Order traditionally identified with Mary such as ours is, there arc many of us who found that the year 1954 marked the opening of new vistas, or occa-;ion d an experience of Mary's presence that was qualitatively different from our habitual experience of her maternal presence. Our Order is already so essentially committed to the Mystery of the Wordmade-Flesh, and most of us, in seeking God truly, have ex perienced so great a closeness to Our Lady, that every year becomes for us a "Marian Year;" and there is then less need felt for the annual renewal of a consecrati on which is re newed and lived out by each of us day by day. The multi plication of devotions can be, at times, symptomatic of a roverty of true devotion at depth. (Though, of course, this need not always be the case!) Perhaps, too, our Marian liturgy is so rich already, that the consecration prayer under study seems a bit poor in comparison . . . at least in the circum•tances in which it is usually prayed, as simply one element amonr, others in an eYening Benediction of the Bl. Sacrament.

In summary then, if our annual renewal of our conse cration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is retained, pro visions will have to be made for a context other than thatof Benediction; further, the question of the formula itself IIwill have to be studied -in the present one there is onlya single biblical allusion, toward the end where the referenceto the Magnificat is fairly evident. It will also belong to Iithose studying the question to determine more precisely what role such an annual renewal of our consecration should play in the over-all picture of our Order's Marian devotion .

:II I -The Renewal of Profession

We are now in a quite different area. For better or for worse, the devotional texts just discussed above enjoy an official character. The text we are now about to consider is completely tmofficial.

Since some of the readers may be wondering what this "renewal of profession" is, let me explain that, in at least some of our communities, there is a custom of ending the annual retreat with a renewal of profession. Where or how this custom originated, I do not know. What I hope to do, however, is to dissipate any illusions which might be had regarding the nature of the text used in a number of these monasteries. A few of my correspondents have been under the impression that the formula enjoys the same status as the Sacred Heart consecration, or the parallel one for Our

23 Tran•lated from Notiti6 39 (Aprili 1968), pp 133-134. Let it be noted that Ithe ;insweu to dMbio given in the section °Dotv.m1ntor111n txplonation are notofficial in the strictest sena.e of the word. These an!w..rs do, however, expren the Imost authorized interpretation of th.e tau in question, since the replies arefumed by many of thoce responsible for the redaction of the teru in question . Atthe least, the replies must be considered as aiving a cle.ar orientation.

9IIr

Blessed Mother. Accordingly, they have asked about the liceity of modifying the text. And, if anyone fails to see the need for modifying the text, he might skim through the formula given in extenso below:

RENEWAL OF PROFESSION

I give you thanks, 0 Lord Jesus, for that singular favor, by which you have led me, a most abject sinner, out of this wicked world, and have admitted me to solemn profession in this most holy Order.

I am sorry for not having sufficiently corresponded to this grace, and for having been ungratef ul for so great a benefit. I detest all the negligences committed in this state, and regret that I have aspired so little to its perfection.

Pardon me, 0 God, who are ever ready to forgive, and ever solicitous for the salvation of men. Grant that even now, at last, I may by the aid of your grace make a start, which I truly and sincerely desire and promise.

Even if I had not yet bound myself by vows to your Majesty, I would certainly do so now. Therefore, I now renew them with all possible devotion. With new fervor I promise you Stability, Conversion of my way of life, and Obedience according to the Rule of St Benedict. Nevertheless, as I acknowledge myself to be too tepid and weak to fulfill these obligations, I beseech you, 0 most mercif ul Jesus, who have granted me the will to dedicate myself to you, also to bestow on me the power to carry out my purpose. Direct me in such a manner that, henceforth, I may live not for myself, but for you alone; and that I may embrace with the greatest ardor all the observances of the Order, and whatever will promote the sanctification of my soul, for the glory of your Name: you who are God, blessed for ever and ever.

Amen.

Some readers may have recognized the above as an English translation of the Latin "Renovatio Pro fessionis" printed in recent editions of our Cistercian 0ffiici11m Parv11m Beatte Marite Virginis 0ffici11mq11e Def11nctor11m j11xta Brev. Cist. True enough. But where does this Latin text come from ?

I came upon the original source by a providential accident just a few months ago. I was thumbing through what I humbly hold to be one of the most useful of the 17th-18th century commentaries on the Rule - Dom Benedict van Haeften's utterly admirable Disq11isition11m M onasticar11m Libri X II.24 While I was trying to locate some material about rites of profession, my eye fell on a text, "Oratio ad reno vandam Professionem "2 It is our own formula. The formula itself I find less attractive; but it comes at the conclusion of two extraordinarily rich articles in Liber IV, i.e, Disq11isitio V, "Quam 11tilis Professionis renovatio?," and Disq11isitio VI, "Q11te renovatio Votor11m praxis?" I have no intention of summarizing Dom Haef ten's argumentation, which leads to the conclusion that the monk would do well to renew his profession not only yearly, but even daily.

10

It is at this point that our formula appears, but in very precise context of the private daily renewal of one profession. Further, af ter giving his formula in exlen Dom Haeften assures the reader that, if he find it ov long, there is nothing to stop him from shortening it. A from there he launches into a wonderf ul citation from Leo I about q11otidiana renovatio; touches briefly on sudt daily renewal as an imitation of the bios angeiikos, the life of the angels; and concludes with 2 Corinthians 4, 16, about our "inner nature . . . being renewed every day." This rather typical of Dom Haef ten (b 1588, d 1648). As energetic reforming Provost of Afflinghem, and the chi architect of a short-lived monastic Congregation, he tendto a rather extreme rigorism. But his knowledge of patri · and monastic sources was prodigious - especially consid-! ering the fact that the Maurists had not yet made access to the sources easier by their prodigious publications -and b11 concern with monastic lore, history, and archeology was alwa shot through with a deep theological insight.26 It is much to be regretted that so little of his deep thinking about the: renewal of vows found its way into his formula for the renewal of vows. At any rate, he made it quite clear that the text was intended only for private use.

The conclusion should have already become obvious. If a given community wishes to renew their vows at the conclu sion of the annual retreat, splendid ! But there are surely better ways of renewing them than by the recitation of Dom Haeften's formula. Here again, a carefully prepared Bible Service might provide the ideal context. There is a wealth of biblical material to draw upon; and local comm u nity talent could be prevailed upon to draw up a formula suitable for the community renewal of profession

One final note. It could well be that none of the text discussed in these notes will be changed for a long, long time. If some of us feel a certain dissatisfaction with them in their present form, this is quite understandable. But v.-e ought not to assume an overly negative attitude. It behom•es us, rather, to exercise greater initiative in penetrating deeper into the substance of the reality in question. There will never be a time when our liturgical texts will be a fully adequate expression of the Mystery into which they intro duce us. What the poet said is true: Our words -even in the Liturgy -are like the tears of the blind lions looking for springs in the desert.27 Our difficulties with words and texts and consecration formulre will ultimately find resolu tion only in the consummation of all things in the Word. O

24 Antwerp 1644. Dom Cuthb<rt BUTLER, ose. 1har<0 my enthusiasm lor thio commentary which he finds on the whole, the most useful of all the books illu1- trating the Rule. ( B11udictint M onachiJ:m, Cambridge - New York 1924, p 181).

2 Op cit, p 448. ·26 I have searched in vain for a deutiled bibliography of t hi• auractive per. n

ality. The best I could come up wi th w .. the short but fact-fill ed sketch by DoaiU. BERLTERE, ose, "Dom Btnoit van Hat/ Im, Prtvot d" ;f fflightm, " in Lt /tl nsagtr dts Fidi:lts VI (1889), pp 305-309. (This magazine later became the Rto iub'1udictint.)

27 Tht Tears of tht Blind Lions - the title of a 1 949 colle<: tion of poem_ by Thomas MERTON ; the title is baoed on the line by Uoo Bloy, "Whoo thooo who love God try to talk about him, their words are blind lions looking 10< springs in the desert."

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

Many recent articles have drawn our attention to the uneasiness that assails people before the practice of the Sacrament of Penance. We could mention, for example, a series of articles and studies that have lately appeared in IA Vie Spirituelle.1 Thus our subject is really actual.

The difficulties experienced by both priests and laity are usually concerned with the juridical and individualistic direc

tion assumed by the rite of auricular confession, to the detriment of the ecclesial and properly sacramental aspect. Moreover, as Mgr Canon Moeller has very well remarked : "Nothing seems stranger to modern mentality than penance."

The symptoms of this "Confession Crisis" did not arise overnight.2 Even before the Council, experiments were tried

The Rites of the Sacrament of PenanceJean,Marie Delvaux

MONK OF ORVAL

Translated at Southern Star Abbey

nearly everywhere: at first paraliturgies, then penitentialliturgies and community celebrations of the sacrament of penance. 8 And the Conciliar Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy confirmed this research movement by this laconic prescription: "The rite and formula for the sacrament of penance are to be revised so that they give more luminous expression to both the nature and effect of the sacrament."4

Since then special commissions have been set up to begin a reform of the ritual which will take into account both present-day mentality and the riches of tradition. 5 But it must be admitted that, up to now, little has been done in this domain. And nothing seems to announce a satisfactory solution in the near future, precisely because sacramental theology has not taken into account the lessons that can be gained by a study of history.6

My idea is not to shed new light on, still less give an answer to these questions. Neither have I the intention of raising, from the monastic viewpoint, the delicate question of the relationship between penance and the Chapter of

Delvauz + Rita of Penance

1For example, in Nos 528 (June 1966), 534 (Jan 1967), 536 (March 1967),538 (May 1967).

2 See the enquiry in r;, Spirit1.,l/e, in 1946.s See "La celebration de la penitence," in Maison-Dieu, 56, 1958, pp 76-95 ;

A.-M. Roguct, "'Les ctlCbrations communautaircs de la penitence," in YU Spiri tudle, 535 (Feb 1967) pp 188-202; and F. Souocornola-L. Della Torre, La ctlthra1.ioflt dtlla ·tunittnza u/la comvnita cristia11a. Brescia 1966.

4 Sacrosa11<tum Co,.rili""'· N 72.5 See the "Dossier" prepared by a specialist, Dom Claude Jcan-Ncsmy, in

11'/ormatiou Catholiqun 1,.1,,,.ationaln (LC.I.) 282, Feb 15, 1967, pp 17-23.111.e sacrcmcnt de penitence aujourd' hui."

6 See Y. Camus, 11Le sacrement de la pCnitence dans la rCforme liturgique," in CJ.ristus, 47, 1965, pp 407-417; and W. Kuper, "Confe..ion hors du confes sionnal" in Co,.ci/ium, 24, 1967, pp 35-44.

11

Faults. I desire simply, in the light of dominant historical facts and some select Eastern and Western texts, to give some theological reflections that might help us to revaluate the place of this eminently personal and community sacra ment in our lives. Such a "ressourcement" is always enlightening, especially when it consists of comparing two comple mentary theologies.

Generally speaking, the Oriental Churches, better than the Latin Church, have preserved the original framework of the penitential liturgy. They did not, as happened in the West, isolate confession from the ensemble of the penitential rites.7 This fidelity to the traditions of the holy Fathers, however, did not increase the esteem that Eastern Christians had for this sacrament; quite the contrary. But we do not have to await the twentieth century to hear the Orthodox hierarchy recommending frequent confession. R

Already, by the end of the 7th century, Anastasius the Sinaite (who is an interesting witness of a theology which is still that of the undivided Church, but in which fore warning signs could be discerned of a stress of divergence between East and West) is exhorting the faithful to confess their sins to God through the priest.9 It is question here of true sacramental confession made to a priest, or rather, to God by the ministry of the priest; for the Orientals attribute the effects of the sacrament directly to the Savior himself.

In another place the same author counsels: "If one has found a spiritual man, experienced, well-skilled and able to cure, let such a one confess to him without false shame, but with faith, as to our Lord himself and not to a man." 10 It is rather a question here of a choice of a spiritual director, and Anastasius does not state that he has to be a priest: but he is also treating here of confession and not only of the opening of one's heart or of the manifestation of one's thoughts.

Elsewhere Anastasi us (though himself a 'hieromonk,' that is to say, a monk in the sacred orders) , does not hesitate to affirm: "It is not of the heads of the Church that it has been said: 'all that you bind shall be bound' (Matt 18: 18), but of him who calls the sinner to reconciliation. "11 Thus he is one of the first witnesses of the transference from hierarchi cal priesthood to spiritual monachism of the care of souls and the exercise of the power of the keys. In the East, monks, even though not priests, would fulfill this sacred f unction for a long time.

Even though the medieval West also knew of confession to laymen,12 the Oriental practice was of a different scope and amplitude. From the 8th century right to the middle of the 13th, Byzantine monks often without the priestly char acter have had, so to say, a monopoly of the ministry of penance. And in spite of certain reactions in favor of the hierarchy, whom this custom always offended,18 religious would continue to supplant the secular clergy who recovered all their rights only around the year 1500.14

If I delay somewhat on this usage it is not only because

12

of its monastic interest but more especially because of · profound significance. Indeed, such importance given bJ solitaries can appear to us as an exaggeration, a doctri deviation, and in any case an impoverishment in compa rison to the ancient ecclesiastical discipline. It is conformed how• ever to the Eastern tradition, and more especially to the grcit theology of the Holy Spirit, who is the author of our div ini• zation, and of the sacraments, which are its privileged means.

In this perspective it is the mystical experience, the interior action of the Spirit, that bestows the required authority and the grace needed to heal the diseases of the sinner. That iswhy holy monks, those friends of God, and not necessarily the bishops and priests, were considered as the "spiritual fathers" par excellence, to whom the faithful preferred to confess. 15

Thus they exercised this power as charismatic men, being as such the successors of martyrs and confessors of the early Church. Personally filled with the Holy Spirit, they were reputed as being able to communicate Him to those who bad lost Him through sin, and in this sense, to forgive sins. But it is God alone who definitively pardons and purifies since He alone can change man's heart through the Holy Spirit. The absolution of sins was then "less a prerogative of the priesthood than a charism of sanctity."rn "Nemo dat quod non habet!"

In the texts cited above, Anastasius the Sinaite right!}· insists on the qualities, the virtues, better, the charisms

7 See 1.-H. Dalmaie:. 11Le ucrement de nitence chez les Oricntau1:, " inMaiso11-Dieu, 56, 1958, pp 22-29.

8 See the recent book UA Guide for Confessors" of the 'Mrt ropolitan Mtltti l'JI or Kythira, - S ystima hitras E%omolo,;itikis, Athene! , Pigi Orthodo•ou Vivl iDU, (without a date).

9 Oratio tlr sacra Sy11a%i. (PG 89, 833-C). It run• •• lollowo: "Judge rour actions and do not hesitate to do so [There is rrfcrcncc here to Eccle iasticu1 4: 25]. Accuse roursell before men so that the Judge m.ly justify you in the pm cnce of angels and the entire world." Let us note that this text forms part of • sermon on the Eucharist.

10 Quzotiones VI: h it good to con le" ou r oins to a opiritual man ? (PG 89, 369-D - 372-A) The some cita tion from Ecclesiasticu1 4 : 25 follows. It ia th< doctrine alreadr propooed in the third century in the Didaocalia al the Two!.. Apostles, ch VII, XX, I0-11 and ch X, XL!.

11 Quzotiones, XLI (PG 89, 648-A).12 See A. Tcctart, La conftssion aux laits dans /' Egliu lati fl.t dt,ui.J it

Ylllr jusqu'au X I Yr sihlr, Lou vain 1926.lS Thus already in the sixth century Pseudo Dionysiua the Ar pagitc ii 1

witness to this ancient rivalry. In Letter VIII, (PG, 3, 1084-A - 1100-0), be r<primand• sharply the monk Demophile who had arrogated to him sel f the ad m;n. istration of the sacrament of penance. The author reminds him of t he respect dut to the prieothood, for according to the express will al God the power al absol vinr belongs only to priests and the role of monks is not to command but to obey.

14 See on this subject, K. Holl, Entluuiasmus und Bussiroialt in gritchitsth nMo,.chtum, Leipzig 1898; E. Vacandard, Co11/rssio11 tlu Irr au X II I siic/r , inD.T.C. III, I (1908) col 861 ff; J. Hormann, u..1rrsuchu11g"' •ur griuhilsch toLaienbrichtr, Donauworth, 1913 ; M. Jugie, "Pi11itr11ct tlans /'Egliu irrc9 •1aprts Ir Schismr, in D.T .C. XII, (1933), col 1133-1134.

15 It was in the monastic milieu thilt spiritual direction was developed .. nd consequently the opening up of one:'s soul and self-accuution which we: tend to dissociate. See I. Haushcrr, Dirution S piritutllt tn Orient, (Orienta.Ii.ii Chriatiana Analecta, 144) Rome, 1955; Guerric Couilleau (monk of Bdlelontaine) ifcrv satio11 dr soi tlans Ir mo,.achismr a11tiqur, in Yie S piritrullr 536, (March 1967) pp 309-324.

16 The expression io that ol J. Pargoire, L' Egliu Byr.a11ti11r tlr 527 a 841.Simeon the New Theologian (963-1041 ) will go so far as to say that the poworof absolving haa passed from the bishopa, through the priests, to the mon k•. because the charism depend• on pu rity al life. ( Lrtlrr allributrd lo St J ok• Damasc,..r, PG, 95, 283-304).

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

net".'<ied by the good confessor to be a goud and wise physi rian, a real father of souls. Transformed by the Spirit of Jesus, he must so resemble Christ that the penitent may in:hr light of faith be able to conf ess to him as to ou r Lord hirnsel f.17 For it is the merciful God revealed in Jesus who bccorn Ls accessible in the visi ble mi nister, and this latter, he he priest or simple monk, is the pneumatic mediator of a pc:rso nal encou nter with Him.

In the Lati n Church the liturgy of penance has undergone J ron:idenblc evolution .1 Towa rds the middle

of th e 3rd centu ry t h e sac rament was conferred for very grave faults under the fnrm of exclusion from the

Church (at Rome on Ah Wedncs1.by) a nd of reintegration in the community of thr faithfu l (Holy ThursJay ) .19 The readmission to sacra rn· nta l communion signified at once

the forgiveness of one's rn Jnd the return of the sinner to divine grace. 0 Reconcili- tion with the Church-the pri

nciple element-was the·t."1 .iriotL s:gn, the "sacnment'' of reconciliation with God.

ow th e actual rite's con nect i"n with the enti re Christian ornm uni t y has hccome all but obvious!

Especially since rhr beginning of the Middle ages, this rite has been simpli

:ied to the extreme, and today the sacrament is reduced to it<; essential, canonical-if one could use the term---<:ompo ncnts. Af ter the Council of Trent, 21 two acts are given the tir't place: the sorrowful and detailed ack nowledgement of l;n ·; sin , _ pecially the mortal ont.-s, con stituting the"quasi matter " of th e sacrament, and the declarative absolution

and to be imposed definitively by the Council of Trent as the only valid form.

However, some deprecative formulas which in the past

17 Much later in Russia the influence ol the monks will reach iu peak with the ••aunsi" (plural of uataretz") who will be regarded as the living repreacn· tations ol the Savior and called "most like Christ." (prepodobny) See L. Zander. Lt mlHl4Scli.ismt-f"JalitJ ti jJJal-Ja fU l'otufJt"t Jt Dostw f.Ds"y, dansLt Milfl oairt JH Mont Atloos, 963-1963, T. I. Chevot oaoe, 1963, p 369: " 1he pu rpooe of the monk is to realize and to manifesc the imaae of Christ, his ikon.n

lR Concerning all this hiarory. sec }. Pascher, L' Jvo/14tion tla ritts 1a(rarn1n ttl1. (coll L"' OranJi - 13), Cerf 1952, pp 21-24 ; 1.-H. Dalmais, "Initiation A la Lituririe." (coll Cali.vrs Jt la PittTt-qui-Yirt) Ed. Descltt de Brouwer . 1958, pp 147-149; P. M. Gy , op, "Histoire lit urgique du sacrement de nitence ," in M aison-Ditu , 56, 1958, pp S-21.

A more ample critical bibliography on works devoted to penance will be found in A . Mayer and G. Oggioni, "Storia e teologia dclla pcnitcnza," in Problt"'i t orvnta,,,tnti Ji ttoloiia Jom,,,atira, Vol II, Milan 1957, pp 875-924. Lot 111

just mtntion from it : J. A. Ju ngma nn. DU lat1inisthu, Bussritnr. . . . , Innsbru ck 1932; and let us add to it 0.0.Watkins, A Histor y of PtM nu. 2 vol•. London 1920.

19 See A.-M. Roguet, "La nitence quadragi!simale dans le miuel romain," inM aison-Ditu 56 (1956), pp 30-49.

20 On the Eucharist as a ucumen t of divine pardon, and on the rclationc; between the Euch1rist and penance, see : A . Tanghe, "L' Eucharistie pou r I• ri! mi.,ion <les peches" in lrtnikon, 34 (1961), pp 165-181 ; L. Liger, "Pi!nitence et Eucharistic en Orient: theologie su r unc intcrftrcnce de priCres et de rites," in Oritnt•lia <:loristinna PtrioJica, 29 (1963) , pp S-78; ]. de Baciocchi, "La Peni tence ct I' Fu d1u i1tie-sacrifice" in Maison-Ditv, SS . 1958, pp 23-40: J. M. R. Tillord, L'Eucha rislie, Paque de l'Eglise, " (coll U11a m San etam 44), Ce.I 1964, pp 107-173.

21 Session XIV, ch 5 (Denziger-Schoenmetur, 1673).zz For tt-2ccJJent nplanations on this matter see J. Lttuycr, "Les actc!' du peni

tent" in Maison-Ditv 55, 1958, pp 41-61; and in K . Rahner, "La penitenu<iella Chiesa," Rome 1964 (a collec1ion ol scatt•red writings ol the author onClllf 5_,cnmcn t) .

23 Stt H. J. Schmitz, Du Bvssbuclotr ......2 vols. Dtisaeldorl 1883 and 1898, Graz, o«ond edi1ion, 1958.

24 Thi 1 doctrine is practically ignored by the E-.stcrn Fathers. Fr. Y. Congar11

( Eg• It .tb.1 0/1•0 ) constituting the "form" and the truly de ays: The OricntaJs have not the idea of a priest being sacramentally the

im c clement.22

uch an evolution is linked with the development of the 1 rnitential codcs8 and the typically Western doctrine of "·"' '>trson.1 Chri.rti."2·1 In the line of this doctrine, the priest n the administrati on of the sacraments, and especially in the u·khratio n of the Euchar ist, acts in the name of Christ-as in his person. This theology, which is of Christological inpiration, is widespread in the West, 25

but it only appea red diti nc<ly in the 12th century. 20 The expression itself , in flr·1•na l.hl' i• ti, inspi red by the Vulgate version of 2 Cor:?: It', is rr:,t for the first time in the works of St. Thomas.i• Howe.: er, we find the concept itself already in the works of Ambrose of Milan towards the end of the 4th century.28

In the precise case of absolution, the priest pardons dim.tl y in the place of Jesus by virtue of the power of the

Christ, acting sacramentally in the penon of Christ (i11 ptrsona Christi) ; theyrcbte the effect ol the sacrament i mmedi11ely (ve rticall y) to Christ." (See his good anicle: Conscience occlbiologique en Orient el en Occident du Vie au Xie.iecle, in lslina 1959, N 2, p 222, note 135) ; and Prof e11or Evdokimov, in linewith •l most all Russian theologians who, alter the Slavophils, either deny theLatin doctrine or accept it with great difficulty . writt:s : ..For the Greeks. such;1 definition of the priestly act--in p1r1011a CArUti-idcntifying the priest wifh Christ wu absolutely unknown, even unthinkable. " (In his book L ' OrthoJoxit, Neuchatel 1959. p 250.) This judgn >e nt, too absolute, will have to be mod ified . I may be permiued to refer lO a study soon to appear in t he R\'iew Yrrb m Domi11i 0£ the Biblical Institute of Rome .

25 See the intt rvcntions and documenu of the cond Vatic an Council, espe cially the decree Prubyttrorv.m Ordinis, n 2. However . thi1 d01!t. rine h H never hcen de6ncd C'Xpreuly by the utr:iordinary Magistt-rium of rhc Church. The more solemn decl.1r3t icns .ilre those of the Council of Florence in the decree for the Arme o ians and the Jacobites (Dcnziger-Schoeometzer 1321 and 1 352) and they state this doctrine only amon the preambles . Some thE>ologians think that it i!I deter mined by the ordinary Magi1t erium :and aome hold it as a truth t.h at i1 cen.ain•nd prrot imate to faith (Bauilol. Salaville, Spacil, Roauet ). Howeve r true thi1 may be . and it i1 the ledH th01t can be said, it constitutes the common opinion ol Latin theologians, and it provides the basi1 for an admirable priestly spirituality that is widely prevalent in the Wen, particularly in the French school. See, for unmple, P. Pou rrat, LI saurJou -Jottrint Jt l' Ecolt fra11{aist, Paris 1931.

26 Thi< i1 clear lrom the te:ita ciled by P . S. Salaville in the article I' E pW:liu tu<loari1tiqut, in D .T .C . v I, col 268-270 .

kry . using a declarative formula. St. 111omas is a witness-i1 Qpusculum 0De articulis fidei et Ecclesiz ucramenti1" in Opuscvla Tiu

to th:: controversies over the change of formulas of absolu tion which , wmc decades before, from deprecative had become indicative. In his day this innovation had given rise to diflil'ultics and the Angelic Doctor tried to reply to these objL'ttions.w But it was easy to recall the undeniable facts to him. lndceJ, during the first ten centu ries of the Christian era ill the formulas for absolution were deprecative, even in the West."0 And it was only at the beginning of the 11th century that the indicative formula gradually crept in to re place completely the deprccative ones in the 13th century

Drlvaux + Riter. of Penance

/ogico, I (Turin 1954) p 149, 620; "Quia saarJos ;,. f)lTSona Christi /oqutnshoc conftcit 1acro,,.t11lil ,,.." This formula will be taken up by Pope Euaen c IV in the decrees of the Council of Florence, mentioned in note 25 above. See also the e1prcnions which are Je51 strong of the treatise "Dt /orma abso[utio11-is p11r11-i. llntU, sacM mtntalis" ibid, p 174, nn 676 and 678: "SaurJos t:x: ptrsona Christi/oqru flJ Jicil"; and the Summa Thtologica, Illa, Cl' 78, a I. sol 4 "····""'' tJlrba.... q11asi ex pnsoM Christi prolata."

28 Dt Sacramtnlis, IV, 4, 1 4-20; S, 21-23 . Dt M ysltriis, IX, S0-54.29 Op u u:ulum Dt /orma Ahsolutio11is, Turin editioo p 1 73-1 80; and the

S1unma Tlo,ofori< a, Illa, q 84, a 3.

30 Tu he cuuvinccd of thia, some c:xamplca will suffice: L. C. Mohlberg, Lilur Souammloru .......(Sacramentariu m Gelasianum) Rome 1960, pp 56-69; M. Andricu, LtJ OrJi"'s Romani Ju ha"t Moyn•-Att , t V, Louvain 1961, p 367- 381 ; C. Vogel, Lt Po flliftca f Romano-Gtrmaniqut Ju Jixiimt Judt, T II, Rome 1963, p 58-71, 270-277; E. Marlene, Dt Antiquis Ealt1Ut Ritibus , Venice 1788, t I, I I, c VI and T III, I IV, c XXII, I II.

13

had sacramental value remain in use up to now: the prayers Misereatur and Indulgentiam af ter the Confiteor at the be ginning of Mass, for example. These same prayers, though with a few slight differences, are still in use in the confession rite of our Order as a vestige. The ancient collectaneum pro vided no other form of absolution besides the prayer Indul gentiam with its very oriental mention of the Holy Spirit's action ( per gratiam sancti Spiritus ). 81

And the Consuetu dines clearly show that the new formula has been simply added to the end of the confession rite, which formerly was composed of only the following: the accusation of sins, the asking of pardon, the prayers of absolution, the imposing of the penance and the admonition.82

In almost the entire East83 absolution is not in an active, declaratory or sovereign form but is optative and impetra tory. It is, so to speak, an "epiclesis." The liturgical books offer a great variety of such invocations: of ten they are very beautif ul, though sometimes rather long.•• However, no formula is laid down ad validitatem, and it is even lawful for the priest to make up others better suited for the occa sion.35

In the Byzantine rite the confessor and the penitent stand side by side, facing an icon of Christ, which symbolizes His presence. The penitent addresses his avowal to Him, and from Him he solicits pardon through the priest, the ecclesial intermediary. Af ter the accusation, the priest covers the peni tent's head with a stole and prays. In the name of the Church he implores the divine mercy. Absolution is not a sentence of a law court pronounced with authority by a delegated judge, but the prayer of the Church humbly asking God to forgive the sinner his faults and to reintegrate him to the eucharistic assembly. The prayer of the priest is surely heard by the Father, for it is the prayer of the Spouse of His well beloved Son ( oratio e!Jicax).

In confirmation of this we will cite some absolution formulas. They are from unedited Syrian sources and are adapted to different classes of penitents. 36 For the violator of an excommunication sentence, the prayer puts on the priest's lips the following words among others: "Receive our supplication on his behalf." Another "for oaths, lies, calumnies" is expressed in this way: "This downcast soul approaches you, 0 Lord, by my mediation, and asks pardon from you through my feeble prayers; not that I am worthy, but having confidence in your clemency . . . "

And the "absolution prayer for those who are mutually at odds in temporal affairs" includes a biblical catechesis adapted to the situation: "O true Goodness, You do not keepyour wrath forever ! In your Gospel you promised, 0 Lord,

from anger, alien to every devilish plot and enmity towards their neighbor, through Christ Jesus our Lord, to wh om, with you, belongs glory, honor, and praise from all our li ps, Lord of the universe, with your Holy Spirit who is adorable, vivifying and consubstantial with you, now . . ."37

In concluding these fragmentary notes I would like to draw attention to a few points: -

- Penance is the sacrament of reconciliation and peace with God and with our brothers, from whom sin has separated us. It is a personal encounter with the mercif ul Father living in the community of pardoned sinners.-Our Savior is its principal "actor"; we must attribute the entire process of conversion to his Spirit. If the penitent has recourse to a priest it is so that he may be the witness to h is repentance and be his intercessor with Christ.- The minister is the appointed ecclesial intermediary for he is the instrument of reconciliation with the Church and in this way with God Himself. Basically he is not so much God's representative as the representative of the entire Church.- The confessor must be a man of God in order not to interfere with, but to radiate God's grace in its spiritual transparency. The penitent should come to confession pene trated with faith and love, and depart in a spirit of thanks· giving.- The Latin Church has developed the juridical aspect in a theology of powers and runs the danger of legalism, whil e the Eastern Church has concentrated on the mystical aspect in a theology of charisms, and runs the danger of idealism . The East envisages "the order of vertical causality" rather "than that of horizontal activity of f unctions, as such."38

-On a deeper level, the West has emphasized the role of Christ in the sacraments; and the East, th at of the Holy Spirit. D

Easter, 1967

l1See tho c,,l/rrt••,•m of M S f 14 of Di jon. fol 148v - 149•. whkh I ha vr heen able to re 1d in a miC"rofiJ m. th i nks to the kind ncu of P. Placid Vernf'I o( Citeaux. I am equal1y indebt ed 10 P. Damian Roger of Timadeuc, whose unedi ttd work on tho Rit11al oJ 1689 was at my disposal. Many thanks to both oi them .

32 Officia uchsiastica c XXX: "De capitulo et confcs1ione." Consult the N o masticon Cistcrciout, Solesme!.1 1 892, p 1 50, or bet kr1 the critical editions of the codices ol tho twelft h century : Trmt 1 71 1 (od B. Griessor, in Anal. SOC 1956, pp 234-237; Laiback 31 (od. Noschitzka in Anal. SOC 1959. pp 82-85) ; Dijon114 (od Ph. Guignard, Lts M onwmtnts primitiJs dt la Rtglt Cisltrcirnnt, Di jon 1878, p 1 72).

33 Except in Russia where western influence was exercised in the seventeenth century by the latinizing melropolitan of Kiev, Peter Movhila.

34 J. Goar, Euclaolor.ion, sivr Ri.tud fr Gratcurum , Venice 1 730, Gr•z, 2nd cd 1 960, p 531 ff ; Dtnzini.er . Ritus OrU nta/ium coptorum, syrorum ti armtniorum .... t I, Wu rzbu rg 1863, Graz, 2nd ed, 1961, p 100 ff, 434 fl-not• also tho lormul3' for Baptilim.

that 'if you forgive each other's offenses, your own shall be a;, G. M. Jugie,

11Theologia Dogm<Uica Christianorum Orientalium .... t Ill, Dt

pardoned'; now, Lord, your servants here have made peace with each other and have put to flight their passions and rancor, and they a.rk of Y ou through me for their forgive ness and pardon for their sins; in you r mercy, 0 God, par don their transgressions and grant them hearts pure and free

14

sacram,ntis uu mystniis, Paris 1930, pp 338-342; 1.-H. Dalmai1, "Le sacremenlde Penitence chn Jes Orientaui:," in Maiso11.-DUu 56, 1958, pp 22-29.

36 See Orit ntaJia Claristiana ;/ 114/uta 1 962, p 255. It is a pleasure to cxprcu here my gralitude to the Rev. Fr. J. Mateos, professor at Lhe Oriental lnstirutc in Rome, who spontaneously gave me the French translation even though it had not yet JJe.,n publishod.

37 Ma Mus. Brit. Add 14.518, lol 75v-76a.38 Thctc exprc.i1ion1 <1re those of Pere Congar, -.n c:iL, pp 221-222.

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

The Lovefeast as Practiced in the Moravian ChurchEphraim Leaman

MONK OF SPENCER

A very interesting paraliturgical service in long use by rhe Moravian Church is the Lovefeast, or Agape. The Unita. Fratrum, official name of the Moravian Church, was organized i n 1457 in Lititz, Bohemia, by the followers of J uh n Hus, who had been burned at the stake in 1415 as a result of his open denunciation of the corrupt practices of the Catholic Church of his day. It is thus the oldest continuing rc:formationa.l Church, having predated the German Reformation by fif ty years. This Church has a ministry of bish ops, presbytc:rs and deacons, each order received by the layi ng on of hands, and claims to have maintained u nbroken the apostolic succession in the consecration of its bishops. 1l1e Moravians have a tradition of liturgical music which is p.1.rtirnlarly well-developed, having been enriched over the y ars by many of thei r own com posers. They published the tirst Protestant hymnal in 1501.

The Lovefeast ex presses the hope and joy so characteristic of the faith and liturgy of the Moravian Church. The service originated in 1727 at Herrnhut (The Lord's Watch ) , a large Moravian settlement i n Saxony. The Lovefeast was an attem pt to revi ve the agape of apostolic times in an informal way by the members meeting in private houses for a simple mt:<tl of rye bread and water. They sang hymns and talked informally of spiritual matters. In the course of time the Lovefeast took the form of a meeting of the whole congre gation.

Today, almost without exception, the Lovefeasts are held i n the church i tself, on days of particular praise and thanks

gi\·i ng: TI1e Great Sabbath ( Holy Saturday) , Christmas Eve, the congregation's Festival Day; the arrival of a new pastor; the i n dividual covenant days of the married parish

oners, the single brothers, the single sisters and the children. As the congregation gathers for the service, the trombone choir plays chorales from the church steeple or the church

uare. The service is composed almost entirely of music: hpn ns by the congregation, anthems by the choir, and on spt-cial occasions such as Christmas Eve, instrumental music by the parish orch estra. The Lovefeast is served by the diencrs (servers) and sacristans. Women in white move from

pc.-w to pew with baskets of large, sweet buns; men followwith trays of white ironstone mugs of coffee. Meanwhile the congregation joins in hymns until all are served. Af ter the presi ding minister has said the grace, everyone partakes of the meal together, while the choir and organ provide music appropriate to the occasion. More hymns are sung while the

Ephraim + Moravian Lovefeast

cups are being gathered. After the benediction is spoken by the minister the service ends, the trombone choir playing more chorales as the congregation leaves the church. On Christmas Eve the Lovefeast takes on an especially festive air. After the meal, beeswax candles arc carried into the darkened church on trays and passed to each member of the congregation, after which the service is concluded with a final hymn, in which the choir, congregation, organ and orchestra join together.

It should be noted that the Lovefeast for the Moravians is not considered a sacrament, nor does it substitute in any way for communion. The Lovefeast is not part of the official Liturgies of the Church and is not mentioned in the service book. In fact, on certain days both the Lovefeast and Lord's Supper are held at different times of the day. The Lovefeast on Holy Saturday af ternoon is followed by the Commu nion Service on Easter morning.

In the Church of the Brethren, another reformational Church, the Lovefeast is also practiced. In this Church it is always held conjointly with communion. On the evening when the Lord's Supper is to be celebrated the ceremony of the Washing of the Feet is held first, followed by the Love feast, then the Communion Service. Here too, the Lovefeast is a simple meal consisting of a bun and water.

Last summer the organist of the Moravian Chu rch in Lititz, Pennsylvania, visited Spencer for a few weeks. (Lititz, Pa., is one of the original Moravian settlements in this country, receiving its name from Lititz, Bohemia, where the Church was founded.) Before he left we held a Lovefeast for him, with about thirty members of our community taking part. It was held in the novitiate chapel and was conducted along the lines of the traditional Moravian service. The experience opened to us new possibilities for this type of paraliturgical service. It can be held in a more formal way, taking place in the church; such has become the custom in the Moravian Church on Christmas Eve and Holy Saturday. On occasions such as this the liturgical mystery which per vades the atmosphere lends itself well to a solemn form of the Lovefeast. At other times, a small, informal Lovefeast, held outside the church, with some opportunity for conver sation, could also be very meaningful. Each type of celebra tion has its own particular beauty. Especially, perhaps, on Holy Thursday this custom of the Lovef east or Agape might find a place in our Cistercian monasteries. D

August 28, 1968

15

Proposed Christmas VigilM. Basil PenningtonMONK OF SPENCER

The selection here has been made to some extent with an eye to the possi bility of the whole community joi ning in the Vigil without any great amount of preparation in r.::gards to the singing in particular. The hymns, therefore, are hymn which we know fairly well. The psalms can be sung on known psalm tones. The "Admi rable Exchange," (0 Admirabile Commercium ) can be sung on the tone which is known from si nging it before Vigils.

It might be thought that there should be more of the Old Testament in thi s Vigil Celebration. If this is really desired, the readings from the Cistercian breviary, first nocturn (from Isaias) could be used, followed by the Can ticles of the third nocturn. And these could be inserted af ter the singing of the "You heavens, shower dew from above," ( Rorate Cce/i ) . However, they have been omitted here in view of the fact that this Vigil Celebration is seen in the context of the four special Vigils which have been cele brated on the four Sundays of Advent, which have devel oped themes of the Old Testament. Also, it was desired here to follow the movement of St John"s Prologue.

At this Vigil the movement is through the Prologue of St John, arriving at a climax in verse 14 of John, followed by the Christmas Marty ology or Proclamation of the Incar nation. Af ter that, the r l.!!i t of the Celebration is one of response to this tremend ous event, a Salvation Event. First there is the deeply personal response in the period of si lence, then the communal response in the singing of the p:;alms. And finally the response of the whole People of God coming from a Bishop and Doctor of the Church who gives voice to her tradition.

I have chosen the homily of St Ambrose because it speaks of the Church and thus in a more explicit way takes us up and outward to the dimensions of the whole Body of Christ. And also it speaks of Mary, bringing into the liturgy a Mar ian note, so precious to the Cistercian, and leading to the final hymn. However, the Homily of Pope Leo which is presently used in the Cistercian breviary is also proposed as an alternative. However, in either case the entire Homily should be read.

16

Christmas VigilThe bells are rung and a Prelud e is play ed on ihe

organ 11nti/ the communit y is a.r i emb/ed ,mdJire pared to begin the Celebration.

LET ALL TOGETHER PRAISE OUR GOD(B-2 in the St. Joaeph'a Abbey Hymnal, verses I & 4-An lnvitator< ·

Let all together praise. our God Upon His lof ty throne.For He uncloses heaven today And r,iY cs to us His Son.An d ginos to u5 His Son.The glorious gates of Paradi se The angel guards no more.111is day •.gain those gates u nfold With prai se ou r God adore.With praise our God adore.

Thm the d eacon reads the first five verses of the Pro/og11e of St John.

In the beginning wa.s the Word : the Word was with Godand the Word was God.He was with God in the beginning. Through him ail things came to be,not one thing had its being but through him All that came to be had life in himand that life was the life of men, a light that shines in the dark,a light that darkness could not overpower.

YOU HEAVENS, SHOWER DEW FROM ABOVE(St. Joseph"• Abbey Hymnal-A-2)

REFRAI N

You heavens, shower dew from above; You clouds, rain down the Just One.Be not roused to anger, Lord;no longer be mindful of our transgressions. See the city of the Lord made a wasteland, Sion becomes a desert waste;Jerusalem barren and desolate;

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

the dwelling of yuur holy presence, and of your glory, where of old our fathers sang your praises.

REFR!.Ii.J"

We have inned and have become as one unclean;we ha,·c fallen low as the leaves of autwnn fall to earth.,4 nd our sins as the wind have swept us far away from you;}OU have kLpt your face hiding,an have struck us down by the burdensome weight of our

n rFRAI N [ sinfulness.Lord, look down and see how affliction weighs upon your n<l send to us him who is to come. ( people; Scn J the royal lamb to acclaim his earthly kingdom,f mm desert of Petra lo mountain of daughter Sion,to bring deliverance from the bonds of slav'ry and oppres-

ll L FR AIN [ sion.

N•JW be comforted, now be comforted, 0 my people. Quickly comes to you yuur salvation.Wh y this grief and anguish within your hearts, why this burning fire of bitter sorrow ?I com e to save, let not your hearts be fearful;My name is Lord, the One and only Lord your God, lsr.:d's Holy One and her Redeemer.

P- FF I\ AI N

The deacon then reads verses 6 to 8 of the Prologue of St John's Gospel.

A man came, sent by God. His name was John.He came as a witness,as a witness to speak for the light,so that everyone might believe through him.

ON JORDAN'S BANK(Si. Jo•eph'a Abbey Hymnal-A-4)

On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry Announces that the Lord is nigh; Awake and hearken, for he brings Glad tidings of the King of Kings.Then cleansed be ev'ry heart from sin; Make straight the way of God within;

lluil + Proposed Christmas Vigil

Let each one his own heart prepare For Christ to ccme and enter there.For you are our salvation, Lord, Our refuge and our great reward; Once more upon your people shine, And fill the world with love divine.To God the Son all glory be, Whose Advent set all nations free, Whom with the Father we adore And Holy Spirit ever more.

The deacon then reads verses 9 to 14 of the Prologue of St John.

The Word was the true light that enlightens all men;and he was coming into the world.He was in the worldthat had its being through him,and his own people did not accept him.But to all who did accept himhe gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of himwho was born not out of human stork ur urge of the fleshor will of manbut of God himself.The Word was made flesh, he lived among us,and we saw his glory,the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Then the lector steps forward and reads the ChristnM s Announcement as it is found in the Roman M art yrolog y.

IN THE YEAR, the most significant since the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created heaven and earth; from the Flood, 2957; from the birth of Abraham, 2015; from Moses and the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt, 1 510; from the anointing of King David, 1032; in the

17

sixty-fifth week, according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the year 752 from the founding of the city of Rome; in the 42nd year of the empire of Octavian Augustus, when the whole world was at peace, in the 6th Age of the World,}ESus CHRIST, Eternal God, and Son of the Eternal Father, desirous to sanctify the world by His most merciful coming, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit, and nine months having elapsed since His conception, is born in Bethlehem of Juda, having become man of the Virgin Mary.

Period of Silence -Individual personal response.Psalmody -Community response.

Antiphon : 0 Wonderful Exchange (0 Admirabile Com-Psalm 2 - Psalm 18 - Psalm 23 [ meT"Ci11m.)

Antiphon: 0 Wonderful Exchange. Homily -Ecclesial resp{)me.

The deacon then reads from St Luke's Gospel, ch 2: 1-19.

The Homily of St Ambrose: The Beginning of the Church .-OR _ [CSEL, IV, pp 69 ff; English translation in Toal.]

The Homily of Pope St Leo: The Mystery of the Nativity.[PL 54 : 190; English translation in Toal.]

CONCLUDING HYMN:

WELCOME, SON OF MARY(St. Jostph'• Abbey Hymnal-B-4)

Welcome, Son of Mary, Lord of all the earth; We lift our voice and sing of your holy birth ; May our homeland be for you a royal throne,May we humble creatures receive you as our own. Hail Infant King!Angels and archangels come in blazing light! The prophets are fulfilled: he is here tonight !Shepherds from the hillside wonder at the sight they see:God in infant clothing upon a woman's knee. Hail, Infant King !Hear the joy of Christians ringing on the air!0 child of God and mankind, behold our prayer !When ou r hearts are fearful, when the earth is dark & wild, Fill the night with gladness and light, 0 holy Child !Hail, Infant King !

PRAYERThe Vigil Celebration is then concluded by a spontaneous Prayer by the Abbot and the bestowal of his Blessing. I f a p.yayer formula is desired, the following is offered :

0 God, our Father, we are gathered together this night to celebrate in mystery the Birth of your Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is born of the Virgin Mary to give us and all men life and light. Grant that we might so enter into this saving event that the fullness of this mystery might be accomplished in us and in the whole of the People of God. This we ask you, through Christ, Our Lord . Amen. D

18

The Fire and the RockChrysostom Castel

MONK OF GETHSEMANI

Man has always been fascinated and terrified by the mystery of Fire. Fascinated by its power to light the fearful darkness of the night and to give him warmth in the merci less cold of winter. Terrified by its power to burn and to kill.1

Man has also long been intrigued and awed by the secret of the Rock. Intrigued by its firmness, its indestructibility and its everlastingness . Awed by its majesty and its strange power to give him Fire. And God who searches the heart and knows what is in man, has taken these natural elements along with many others to use them as symbols of himself : sacraments through which he reveals himself and mediates his presence to man. The Church, in her turn, continues to use these natural symbols under the guidance of the Spirit to teach man about God and to give God to him .

Nowhere perhaps, is this more evident than in the sym bolic use she makes of these elements in her liturgy for the Paschal Vigil. Herc, at the very beginning of the Vigil, she presents the mysteries that Fire and Rock signify in man's salvation. So it is that in the most ancient rubrical codices of the Church, and even in the latest publication of the Roman Missal in the vernacular, there recurs constantly the rubric that the New Fire is to be "struck from a .flint-rock." The persistent insistence by the Church on kindling the New Fire in such a primitive way indicates the presence of a profound meaning by which she wishes to instruct the hearts of the faithful in the mysteries of this most important night of her liturgical year. Indeed, it is usually by a return to such primitive methods, and to the basic elements of man's natural habitat that the Church presents and teaches her deepest mysteries -veiled indeed under the symbols of these elements, but thereby more powerfully revealed to the intuitive and poetic vision of his heart.

The antiquity of the rite itself for kindling the New Fire, as well as its symbolic meaning in tradition, is evidenced by the fact that the great Christian poet, Prudentius (348-424) in one of his hymns for the Paschal Vigil refers to it :

". . . Still you would show us, by striking the flint-rockWe should seek lights from the stone-begot semen ...Lest man should not know, in Christ's solid body Hope of his own light is thus stored and hidden; He who wills men should the 'stable Rock' call him, Whence for our miniature fires comes the offspring."

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

Hence the somewhat "popular" notion of the Rock as symboliz ing the tomb from which Christ (the Fire) arises, is seen to be something of a deviation from the Church's traditional understanding. For she sees the Rock as a symbol of Oirist himself, and the Fire as the New Life of the Spirit which Christ handed over to us in his Passion and Death. This more Biblical symbolism which the Church sees in these elements, as used in the rites of the Paschal Vigil, has been beautifully demonstrated by Fr. Thomas O'Neill, S.J, in an article written several years ago,3 and again by Fr. Gerald Vann, o.P, in his book, The Water and the Fire.•

Rupert of Deutz, writing around the 12th century, also brings out this Biblical symbolism. Af ter treating about the rilt' of extinguishing the candles during the Sacred Triduum, he says:

". . . Having lost the Fire which is extinguished at Lauds, we take refuge at the stone . . . , so that by striking the Stone we may draw out the secret Fire hidden in its veins . . .

Surely through this we beautifully depict for ourselves how God who called light to shine from the darkness, shines light into our hearts for the illumination of his glory through the death of Christ . . . For when we thus take Fire from the Stone, it signifies Christ -that Stone which being rejected by the builders has become the Cornerstone.

In the blessing of this same Fire there is found this Prayer : 'O God who through your Son, the Cornerstone, have brought to you r faithful the Fire of love, sanctif y thi s New Fire produced from flint that it may be prof it able for our use . . . · The Stone, then, which we strike to elicit Fire, signifies Christ struck by the rod of the Cross and pouring out to us the Holy Spirit . . . that Fire wh ich he came to cast on the earth and vehemently longed to be kindled, as he himself testified.

Nor is it an empty ceremony that we go out in solemn procession to the blessing of the New Fire. 'Let us go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach,' says the A postle. As we go in procession to that Fire, we should remember that we are going out to him who went out for us -he whom the Jews cast outside the camp and the ri ty -so that, trusting in him whom they extinguished from the rresent life, we may have eternal life th rough the Fire o the Holy Spirit."5

It would seem then that this primitive means for kindling the New Fire prescribed by the Church contains, hidden in these natural symbols, a recapitulation, a summation, as it were, of the mystery of our Redemption, as celebrated during the Sacred Triduum. In the light of this profound meaning, it has seemed to the present writer not a small impoverishment and contradiction to go forth each year with his community to begin the ceremonies of the Paschal Vigil , and then be deprived not only of seeing the New Fire kindled in this way, but to find this so-called "New" Fire already burning brightly as the community arrives. For here at Gethsemani, as doubtless in most other monasteries,

Ouyso1tom + The Fire and the Rock

the prac.tice has been that the servant of the Church kindles the Fire about ten or fifteen minutes before the arrival of the community -and this usually with a cigarette lighter ! In view of what has been said above, it can be seen how this latter convention while indeed fulfilling the "letter of the law," empties the spirit and meaning from an important part of the Vigil.

Urged by this disconcerting impoverishment and contradiction, we decided to try lighting the Fire in the presence of the community with a flint-rock . Accordingly, a rather large .flint-rock (about 6 or 7 lbs.) was obtained from a local stone-quarrying company for the purpose. However, it quickly became obvious that it was not so simple as that, since many subsequent attempts to light a fire in this way failed consistently, and it began to look like the incongruous cigarette lighter was the wisest solution af ter all. Neverthe less, af ter months of experimentation, and with the help of our own Brother Pius, a former scoutmaster, the "secret" of kindling a fire this way was recovered and perfected. This method was successfully used in kindling the New Fire at our Paschal Vigil last year and in the presence of the community, requiring only about five minutes additional time. Since this method of kindling the Fire requires detailed instructions to insure success, it does not seem practical to include them here. However, they will be gladly furnished to anyone who requests them from the writer.

In order to make more explicit the wealth of meaning implicitly contained in this simple rubrical prescription of the Church, texts were composed to accompany the striking of the Fire. The primary components of the rite consist of an invitatory formula, (traditionally addressed by the cele brant to the assembly) , followed by a two-part canticle, the first part of which is addressed to the Rock while the Fire is being struck, the second part being addressed to th Fire as it begins to consume the cedar wood. The cedar 1s the Biblical symbol for the just man (Ps 91: 13; Zach 11: 1)-here gradually consumed by the Fire of the Spirit who is love. Additional verses, if needed, are taken from the great psalm of Exodus, so apropos of this Night, Psalm 135.

This rite and the "new" method of kindling the Paschal Fire proved to be very successf ul for us, and the community experienced f rom it a de.finite enrichment of the Paschal Vigil. As a result, it was thought tha som of our othr monasteries might be interested in sharing this new expen ence and enrichment of the central Night of the liturgical year. So, the rite is presented here for those litrgists, cantors, or masters of ceremonies who are responsible for the accomplishment of the Paschal mystery in their monastery.

,Photina Rech. J..bild dn Kosmos: Ei"' Symbolik du Sthii p/un . Bel II, Salbu r-Freilassin, 1966. pp 50-93. This is a very imporl•nt study of t he ritual i;ymbolism that h a• ;pru ng up around the mystery of fire throuii:h the .:ig.

2 Co.tlum. 5. i-1 2, "De Novo Lu111i11e Pa:id1ali::; S;1Lbali." Mi nc PL 59 T.I, 819-A.

a Thomas O'Neill, s1, "The New Fire," W orship, Vol XXXII, April 1958, PP268-280 .

.. Gerald v.nn, OP, "The Fire of Life," op cit, pp 80-101, Collins. St Jo me•Place, London, 1953.

:; Liba J, Divi1'is O[Jiciis. "De "lava [gne." PL 1 70, 148-D-149-D.

19

Rite for the Kind ling of the New FireThe Community assembles in church for the ministers to vest. When the signal is given, all go in procession· to the area where the Paschal Fire will be kindled, and all lights in the church are extinguished. When the community has arrived and all are assembled in silence, the presiding celebrant may address them as follows, omitting the italicised phrase in brackets if the moon is visible:

I N VITATORYdDearly Beloved of God: This is the Night ! The Night of nights, most sacred beyond all others, for which Holy Mother Church has prepared us th roughout the entire course of this year! Tonight is the night of the full moon ! -her face [though hidden by the clouds] f ully radiating her joyous expectation as she eagerly awaits the rising of her Bridegroom, the Eternal Sun. It is for this Night and for this hour that the Spirit of God has gathered us together, so that united with one mind and heart in the mystery of this Night, we may experience through the mystical symbols of this sacred rite, the new life which the Father will breathe into our flesh in his Son Jesus Christ - a new life drawn forth from the sacred Flint-rock, as of old he d rew from it living waters to quench the thirst of his people in the desert. Let us each pray to God, then, to open the ears and eyes of our heart, so that hearing, we may indeed hear and understand, and seeing, we may indeed see and know the mystery of this Night !

The cantor begins the Song to the Rock. At the second or third verse the acolyte can be gin striking the fire. 7

THE SONG OF THE ROCK( Cantor should "pre-sing Ref rains A & B for this verse

)8

IOI

CommunityREFRAIN A

Conf ess to the Lord that he is good! Confess to the Lord, the God of gods!

Communil'YREFRAIN B

Fo r ever fa i t h f u l ! Fo r ever fa it h f u l !

Rock of our salvation and our refuge!Flint-rock! following your people in the wilderness!Gushing forth living waters for their thirst! When struck by the rod of Moses!Flint-rock! whence your people suck honey and oil!In the Promised Land to which you bring them!

Refrain ABABAB

Stone! hewn out by no hand, and become a mighty Rock! A Striking the f eet of the great image, and filling the whole earth! BRejected by the builders and now made the cornerstone! A Clef t upon the Cross by the rod of your people! B

20 Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

Pouring out blood and water on the wood of the Tree! A As it is written: He struck the Rock and waters gushed forth! BRock! sending up fire to consume the off erings of Gideon! A When touched by the staff of the angel! BNow, in this sacred Night. as you are

struck again by the rod of your servant! A Cast upon the earth that fire which you longed to be kindled! B

The cantor pauses while the acolyte "casts" the New Fire under the wood. Then:

THE SONG OF THE FmE0 mighty Spirit! Burning Wind! A Speaking to your people from the midst of the Fire.....- and they live! BPillar of Fire! leading your people through Night in the desert! A Devouring Fire! appearing to Moses in the burning bush on Sinai! BBreath of the Father! handed over by Christ on the Cross! A While darkness covered all the land.....-the sun now being spent! BLiving Fire! descending on the disciples in flaming tongues ! A Descend upon this assembly of your chosen ones! BSacred Fire! brought forth from the depths of the Rock! A Let your flames consume the wood of this Cedar! BAnd burn and consume our hearts within us! A Change us into that living Fire, blazing up into eternal life! B

If the wood is now burning, the concluding verse is sung:

[Conf ess to the Lord, the God of gods! AThe Rock of our salvation, and Living Fire!] B

Additional verses, if needed, are taken from Psalm 135 : PSALM 135

Conf ess to the Lord, the God of gods! ATo him who alone works great marvels! BWho with discernment wrought the heavens! AWho spread the earth upon the waters! BTo him who wrought the great lights! A The sun to rule in the day, the moon and stars in the night! BWho struck down Egypt in their first-born! A And brought Israel out of their midst, in a strong hand and out..-

stretched arm! BI h tho ulcl be noted that the rubric preceding the INVITATORY atates Lhat the

unt 11may'' address the assem bly using the formula provided in the rite. The "m.i..v" is intended to cmph aize that this part of the rite is optional since

6m i1 '<lme ser ious doubt that pre.tent legislation would allow for such an addi-1n the rubrics of the preaiding celebrant. Hence, the l NVITATORY was omitted

Gcthani, but it i1 hoped that broader legislation will allow for its inclusion tbt nrar future.1An 1ppropri.1te place to begin the actual striking of the rock would probably ahrr II e ...an tor sings in the second verse: "When struck by the rod of Moses."

sould be a fitting prelude to the action and, at the 11a.me time, would allow

time for the commu nity to get used to the initial distraction of singing the r frain, so that their full attention can be focused on the coming action. In this way, the timing seems to work out better also, so that the acolyte has nurtured the fire sufficiently to '"cast'" it beneath the pile of cedar wood when the cantor aing the vet c : "Cast upon the earth that fire which you longed to be kindled."

8 The cantor is also advised by the rubric to ..pre-sing" the refrain for the commu nity a he r both couplets of the 6rst verse onJy. This obviates the need for a written text and music for the commu nity where the darkness of the Night, preceding the kindling of the Fire, is symbolically important. Hence, there should be no need for •rtificial lighting for the community.

1ostom + The Fire and the Rock 21

AcclamationsJerome CollinsMONK OF SPENCER

Literally, acclamations are shouts, of ten rythmical in pat tern and spoken in chorus, by which a popular gathering expresses its approval, praise or congratulations, or its assent, desire or request. They are intended to be an outward expression of interior dispositions.

In a lesser sense all kinds of stereotyped phrases can be called acclamations which frequently and precisely express a religious thought, usually in biblical language. They are formularies that are neither antiphons, responsories or col lects. Such briefly expressed desi res or professions of faith would in these days be called "ejaculatory prayers."

Through them the climaxes of litu rgical action are under lined and the people express their active faith by partici pating in the mystery being celebrated. They are not merely to listen to the prayers of the celebrant in silence but ratify them by their acclamations. They were modes of expres sion which the ancients in their popular assemblies had reduced to a fine art. These acclamations contained none of the vulgarity which so often characterizes the shouts of the people in modern gatherings and sports meetings.

The custom of using acclamations was inherited by the Church from the synagogue. That the people of antiquity used acclamations is obvious f rom the occasional remarks

Who parted the Red Sea in two, and made Israel cross through And shook Pharao and his force into the Red Sea! B [its midst! AWho walked his people in the wilderness! Who struck down great kings!And he slaughter'd mighty kings!Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan!And gave their land for an inheritance! An inheritance to Israel, his servant!Who in our lowliness has remembered us! And torn us from our oppressors!He who gives bread to all flesh! Conf ess to the God of heaven!

ABA BAB

Reprints of this Rite, forA those who may wish toB adapt it for their own use,

will be available. Request:A Reprint Dept, THE SCRIPTOR YB New Melleray Abbey,

Dubuque, Iowa 52001,Alter the concluding verse, the blessing of the Fire follows as usual. .The presiding celebrant himself should light the candle directly from the Fire with a long taper .

stating quantity desired. Postage just might be enclosed.

22 Liturll)I Bulletin + December 1968

of the Fathers . Even Justin testified to it. Jerome mentioned one time that the "Amen" in the Roman basilicas rever berated like a heavenly thunder. Augustine in his sermons and writi ngs of ten made references to the responses of the people. Even in the medieval liturgy of Rome there is the ronstant mention of the responses of the people.

Some Acclamations Used in the MassAMEN, the most frequently used acclamation, is taken

un translated from the Hebrew. It is a witness or an endorse ment of the faith, like the signature at the end of a docu ment. As an affirmation it means "So be it ." The most literal translation into plain American would be "OK."

As f ar back as the time of Moses the people gave their assent to curses and blessings by the word "Amen·· (Deut 26: 15) . This general expression of assent is also found in I Tim 6: 21; 1 Cor 14: 16; Apoc 1: 6; 22: 21. As a brief expression of desire, it has been common from very ancient times at the end of all orations, psalms and hymns.THE LORD BE WITH YOU is the solemn liturgical greeting and, with "Peace be with you," is an imitation of similar expressions in the Old Testament (Ruth 2: 4; Judges 6: 23; Giron 15: 2 ). It also imitates the greeting of the Arch angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation, as well as that of Christ to his Apostles af ter the Resurrection. The reply of the people, "And with your spirit," is based on the words of St Paul, "The Lord be with your spirit" (2 Tim 4: 22 )

.

LORD HAVE MERCY has been adopted from the Greek liturgy. 111is supplication is found in the Old Testament (Is 23: 2; Baruch 3: 2 ) , and also was used by those who sought help from Christ, as the blind man of Jericho, the ten lepers and others. It became very common in the Church, especially in the so-called diaconal litanies, as a general prayer expressing the need of help. Frequently the deacon recited short prayers for the particular needs of the Church, and the faithful repl ied with the cry, "Lord have mercy."Att E LUIA, meaning "Praise the Lord," is a joyful accla mation which has been borrowed f rom the practice of the Old Testament (Pss 113 - 118) and has passed unchanged into all Christian liturgies. When it is used before the Gos pel it can be likened to an Easter acclamation to the Word of God. It is used at Paschal time as a simple shout of joy, a song of triumph at Christ's victory over death and hell. Being an expression of joy, it was suppressed in Masses for the Dead at a time when funerals assumed a character of sadness which did not originally belong to them. In the

Collin• + Accl amations

fourth and fifth centu ries the dead were still laid to rest with chanting of Alleluias, and the Greek and Gallican liturgies kept up this custom.THANKS BE TO GOD is derived from an Apostolic custom, having been used by St Paul (1 Cor 15 : 57; 2 Cor 2: 14) . It is spoken af ter the reading of the lessons for benefits received through hearing the Word of God, and at the end of the Mass for graces gained from the Holy Sacrifice. In the Rule, St Benedict instructs the porter to greet visitors with "Thanks be to God."

Other Forms of Vocal PaTticipationThe old Roman Canon of the Mass, with which we are

so familiar, did not allow for much partici pation of the people except in the dialogue at the beginning of the Preface, the Sanctus, and the concluding "Amen."

The new Canons now provide for a tropian of remem brance and of intercession taken from the Syrian, Maronite and Coptic liturgies sung by the people af ter the Consecra tion. Af ter the elevation of the chalice, the celebrant says, "Mystery of faith." In the past we had been encouraged to say to ourselves, "My Lord and my God." Now the new prayers instruct us to say or sing one of the following three phrases:

"We proclaim your death 0 Lord and profess your Resurrection until you come."

"As often as we partake of this bread and this cup, we proclaim your death, 0 Lord, until you come."

"Save us, Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection you have redeemed us."

We might observe that while the prayers of the celebrant are almost always addressed to the Father through the Son as Mediator, those of the people are more ordinarily ad dressed to Christ. In the future we may find that for special occasions and celebrations our responses will demand differ ent words, and this will lead to a much wider choice of acclamations.

The closest the Roman rite had ever come to an acclama, tion af ter the Consecration was the introduction in the Mid dle Ages of the singing of such pieces as "Ave Verum Corpus," "Adoro Te Devote," "Anima Christi" and "O Salutaris Hostia." At that time the idea of a sacrificial meal was obscured an<l the Mass ten<led in the eyes of the pt:0ple to become an act of adoration of the Eucharist. The new acclamations differ substantially from the above; instead of saluting Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, they praise him for his death and resurrection. D

23

Chnonic le

The Office 1n Today's CommunitiesLitu rgie et Monasteres - 3rd Se.rsion -- M ery-mr-Oi.re -July 1 - 4, 1968

The above was the theme of the 1968 session of the group Lit11rgie et monasteres, held at the Dominican convent of Mery-su r-Oise, July 1-4. Almost a hundred monks and nuns attended, including 19 Trappists and 2 Trappistines. The houses represented were Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, West malle, St. Sixte, Aiguebelle, Acey, Bellefontaine, Citeaux, Port-du-Salut, Mont-des-Cats, Sept-Fons, Timadeuc, Tre Fontane, Parakou, and Les Gardes.

Approaches to the Office, Yenerday and Today

The session opened by Dom Robert Gantoy (St. Andre), with a paper: L'O ffice, problematique d' hier et d' aujourd'

hui.First, Dom Robert gave a rapid sketch of the "classical"

concept of the Office: an arrangement of prayers in a certain order, determined by the authorities, where the Ord o ad recitand11m Divini Officii solved all problems; an obligation assumed by the individual cleric or religious; "saying the breviary"; the official prayer of the Church, celebrated as such by those designated for this purpose; a pious effort to make this objective prayer of the Church one's own subjec tive personal prayer.

In recent years the need of a reform of the Office came to be admitted, but the studies on the Office tended to remain in the domain of history.

A more promising trend is that which takes a second look at the adage: "The Office is the prayer of the Church." This involves the old problem of liturgy versus non-liturgy, of common and ministerial priesthood, and indeed a general problem of ecclesiology. These have been tackled recently by G. Lafont in Paroisse et Liturgie, and by A. Veilleux in Collectanea Cisterciensia. The former in particular has shown how much our pre-Vatican II ecclesiology, with its emphasis on delegation, derives from Suarez. Its notion of the "pyramid" structure of the Church is being replaced by the notion of communion.

Our session would examine, not the object of the Office, but its subject.

Jesus and Liturgical Prayer

The paper on "Jesus et la Priere liturgique," contributed by Dom Jacques Dupont (St Andre) , bore a distinctly pro fessional stamp. After a painstaking analysis of pertinent texts in the synoptics, the distinguished exegete drew three conclusions:

1. The prayer of Christ and of his disciples was that of the Jewish community, and this was continued by the Church.

2. Christ insists, against "pharisaism," on purity of intention-the desire to please God alone.

3. Prayer takes its meaning from authentic knowl edge of God and of his relation to us.

In the discussion that ensued it emerged that many were

24

Damian SmythMON K OF RoscREA - TRE FONTANE

disappointed with such apparently meagre pickings. Dom Dupont remarked that this merely illustrated the opening remark of his paper -the gospels were of ten somewhat disturbing for the litu rgists! A strictly objective exegesis revealed data which were very limited, but which had the merit of being the essential.

M an Today and His Prayer

According to the programme, the next paper, "L'homme d'a11jourd'hui et sa Priere, " devolved on Prof. A. Vergote (Louvain) . As the Professor fell ill, he had to be replaced at the last moment by P. Besnard (Le Saulchoir).

The lecturer suggested that four cu rrent ideas militate against modern man's praying:

I.To resolve problems, nothing need come from "beyond."

2. A certain determi nism, incompatible with a prayer which is suspected of wanting ·'miracles.··

3. Humanity is alone -the center of enormous cosmic space, simply because there is no other point of reference.

4. Humanity is without a destiny.It seems that a new sacred is emerging in the area of the responsi bility of each one towards all others, consti tuting a mysteri111n, tremend11m et fasci 11ans -an epiphany.

To the four diffirnlties outlined above our faith must answer:

1. God comes from an elsewhere that is not distant, but near.

2. "To God, nothing is impossible," but, at the same time, "The power of God is above reproach."

3. God is the Emmanuel, who knows our needs even before we begin to ask.

4. Humanity's destiny is -salvation.In a final section, P. Besnard cast a critical eye on

various concepts of prayer. Those which see prayer as something due to God, or as a personal effusion, are incomplete. A better point of departure is to visualize a man who believes in God, with all that this entails. Such a man is situated before God, directed towards him, and prayer is the expres sion of this orientation.

Language in the Office: Its Values and Limitations

This was followed by Dom Bernard de Geradon (Wavremont), speaking on "Valeurs ei limites du Lmgage dans l' 0ffice. "

In hellenistic dualism the Word (matter) is inferior to the Thought (spirit) . In semitic trichotism, the Word is a vital bridge between the Thought and the Action.

Lin1rll}' Bulletin + December 1968

Modern philosophers indicate language's value and limi tation s. Thus for Sieweth, the cry, the call, is an immediate man ifestation of life. Here the Word is joy, love, hate, grief. . . He also insists on the active role of the Word in the process of knowing. It defines knowledge, handles knowl edge, fixes it in the memory.

The Office is the word of God to men, the word of men to God. We must seek God in his word. The Greek tend ency to exalt pure contemplation, without words, will be ever present. So will the danger of appropriating the word of God, to play with it. The sin of indocility. The Word ltaJs to the Father, as the word leads to the object.

Christianity is a religion of the word. The word must not be banished from the Office. The language of the Bible may ecm demoded but transposition into abstract terms impoverihes. So we must be prepared to answer the call: "Go, leave thy country . . . "

Rhythms of Life and Office

We moved into more pragmatic areas with P. Bernard Besret (Boquen) speaking on Rythmes de Vie et Office.

The praLtical importance of the subject can be illustratedby the simple fact that, when we visit a monastery, the first thing we learn is the horarium of the Office.

A fundamental question : is it the Office that will dictate the rhythm of the community's life, or vice versa ? The former implies sacralization, the latter secularization. In between the two extremes we have a whole range of possibilities.

Institutions such as a timetable, are an efficacious sign of a reality. They determine a certain style of lif e, and "Le style, c'est l'homme."

In prayer the main thing is not the tribute paid to God, hut the transformation of the man who prays. A love which never expressed itself, in words or gestures, would disappear. The efficacy of prayer is to be judged from its consequences in the life of the individual, of the community.

The Office is an event, rather than a ceremony. It is the place where the community expresses itself such as it is. Hence, the concept that the brethren form of their own community plays an essential part, e.g. the options -flight from the world /insertion in the world. Sometimes a partic ular rhythm of life can be pu rchased at the cost o( many separations.

The Ex perience of Tai:ce

L' experience de Taize was a brief , informal communica tion from Fr. Pierre-Yves Emery, a member of that commu nity. From the start it had been realized that (a) work is necessary, (b) if work is to be taken seriously, one must work both morning and evening. The Office came naturally before and after.

Another principle at Taize embodies respect of persons. Now, experience shows that there are "morning men" and "evening men." Obviously, nobody must retire, or rise, too late. But within evident limits a certain flexibility is enjoyed, rath er than force all and sundry to adapt to one particular rhythm.

Smyth + Office in Today's Communities

Again the needs of the guests must be considered. At Taize these invariably participate in the Offices, and this excludes having an Office too early in the morning.

An effort is made to find the times when all can attend. In this context Fr. Emery confessed his inability to under tand why a community will continue to celebrate an Office at an hour of the day or night when only one-third of the community attend. The Office must appear as the high point of the day, inserted on the bridge between work and leisure (leisure in the technical, not the popular sense), establish ing the rhythm of the christian day.

Those who know Fr. Emery, and Taize, will know that there was not the slightest question of his proffering a ready recipe for immediate application in other communities. His engagingly simple expose was just /' experience de Taize, as he has known and lived it. It is not Fr. Emery's fault if his quiet words sometimes make our young men see visions, our old men dream dreams.

The Office is a Celebration

Sister Halle! Lheureux, prioress of the host community of Bethlehem, Mery-sur-Oise, spake on the theme "L'Office est 1me Celebration." The paper was prepared with the collaboration of various members of the community. This ensu red that charming spontaneity which we had quickly learned to associate with Bethlehem. In a lively communi cation of a series of vital experiences, one intuition followed hard upon another, the whole def ying reduction to anything resembling a schema. We can only hope th?.t the eventual published version will lose nothing of its attractive imme diacy.

The Office Ex presses and Demands Fraternal Li fe

Fr. Emery returned to the fray with a more formal paper on "L'Office, foyer et exigence de vie fraternelle en com m1111a11te. "

The admonition, Misericordiam volui, et non sacrificium, demands a constant effort. There must be a un ion of hearts, or at least a desire for this union. The objectivity of the Office does not mean depersonalization, but it doe-: mean renunciation, in view of the gratuitous praise of God. The Office expresses us, but also transcends us.

Meditation, private and persevering, is an essential pre condition for the liturgy.

The community must accept to be judged, not on what is essential, but on its manner of living this essential.

We must not forget those of our brethren who are not permanent members of our community, i.e. the duty of liturgical hospitality. Ou r Office is a sign for others. They must therefore be able to read this sign, and it must be com pleted by them. Visitors, in virtue of their baptism, have a divine right to participate in the prayer of the Chu rch.

The Office ensures a constant return to the essentials - simplicity, refusal to seek influence . . . Here ou r vows take new life: our chastit y is led to its basic inspiration, our thirst to see God; we stand before him, serenely conscious of our

25

1

povert y; the demands of authority and of obedience are never clearer than here. Finally, regularit y reveals itself as a great grace. It is an ascesis, but above all a grace and a privi lege, because it enables us to count on one another.

Not the least of the benefits conferred by our visitors is the continual assurance that ou r Office does matter.

T ape-Recorded "Concrete M usic" I ntroduced

In a brief report Dom Rembert Weakland, abbot primate, OSB, presented a Mass he had composed in a medium that was entirely new to most of those present--concrete music.

them with others, abstract almost entirely from the pn:senn· of these others.

Finally, there is the problem of the various "Hours." Electric light, etc, have made modern man much Jess sensi tive to such phenomena as the relative position of the sun in the sky.

After summing up, Abbot Weakland gave us a final reminder, typically uncom promising: our era differs from all preceding ones, and this u ndou btedly makes. the problem more acute.

Truth and Continuit yM ateri<1liter loq11endo it consisted of u nidentified

soundsDom Weakland delivers his implosive material in a lov.

from ci ty life, recorded on tape, and arranged to a rhythmicpattern dictated by an analysis of the liturgical texts. Avant garde music, we were told, avoided melodies, just as much of contemporary painting avoided recognizable forms. Furthermore, it had promoted the tape-recorder to the dignity of a musical instrument in its own right. This disconcerting concert made even the most eloquent of the partici pants curiously silent, and was the most "futu ristic" item on the programme. In its own way, it too was a mysterimn - fascimms, et tremendum.

T he Prayer of &odern &an and the Office

· Abbot Weakland returned again the following morning to the micro.phone to address us on "LA Priere de l'homme d'(lfljo11 rd' bui et l'O!Jice."

His contacts with monks from all parts of the world had convinced Father A bbot that the same fundamental problems are fou nd everywhere, although not everywhere with the same intensity. These contacts would suggest that the princi pal criticisms people make nowadays against the traditional Office are more or less as follows:

It is too theocentric, not sufficiently christocentric. This is due to the preponderence of Old Testament read ings and psalms. Antiphons and hymns, although a corrective, seem to be added as an af terthought. The eastern traditions enjoy a greater li berty vis-a-vis the psalter. The marvels of nature, the vocabulary of war, these are not suitable media for ex pressing the prayer of the man of today. They demand a continual mental transposition.

The role filled by the homily in the Mass remains unca tered for the Office. There must be an explicit call to interior conversation, to imitate the Master. The patristic lessons performed this task for their day. Each generation has to interpret anew.

The church of our day is very much a church that is a7building, a church that stretches out towards the future. This fact should find its expression in the Office.

The former absolute predominance of fixed prayer in the Office, to the exclusion of all spontaneous prayer, is more and more questioned in theory and in practice.

The style of the Office is too verbal. There is a real need for gestures, for times of silence.

The movement is too vertical, not horizontal enough. Most Offices are so composed that one can, while celebrating

26

key. One is reminded of the title of a novel-The Q11icl American. Dom Jean Leclercq, (Clervaux) is quite a cnn· trast. His "Verite d ronti1111ite" was sheer unrepentant Lc clercq, where St Bernard rubbed elbows with Teilhard, and medieval latin tags were cross-fertilized with the ultra-tech nical jargon of the space age. A consistently creditable eff or• at effortless erudition !

Speaking of continuity, Dom J e-.m remin ded us th at we are 11it1tores. Ou r age is new, openi ng on unsuspected hori· zoos. But it is not the first age. There is a continuum. We: must reflect on that vital germ which is tradition. As Lods remarks of the prophets- recalling the past, they call for a great leap forward. Creative fideli ty enables us to pra.'Je11- tire mm ecclesia. This involves the necessary dialogue he· tween Law and Charism. So let us prepare our comm unilit.'5, not for a leap into the dark, but for a leap upwar ds.

Turning to the other term of the title, Dom Jean recalled the old definition of truth as adi:equatio intellectm ad n-m The liturgy is made for man, not man for the liturgy. Ytt. all too of ten people are red uced to reciting psalms as if they were log-tables, and liturgy becomes lethargy. Note the relative value of prayers composed for other men, when the man of today is different. Continuity does not mean simply a continuation. Let us have confid ence in the future, and respect for the past. We must not just accept the future, we must create it. (In this context Dom Jean humorouslr suggested the creation of a chair of "Monastic futu rology" at Sant' Anselmo. -We have no doubt about who wouJJ be the first incumbent.) Our monasteries are not simply to become the refugium latinitatis. Note the paradox of those dessicated figures who are forever talking about the sou rces (Jes sources ).

There were many other nuggets in this sparkling !011r-rle f orce. We cannot resist selecting one more: "Versaill is beautiful, but absolutely uninhabitable!"

As usual, we celebrated Lauds and Vespers together daily in French. But the liturgy of this year's session was maJe memorable by the permission of Bishop Boudon, presi dent of the French episcopal commission for the liturgy, to use a French version of the three new Preces Eucharist ictt at ou r daily Mass.

It was announced that the full text of the papers read will be published in La M aison-Dieu. D

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

Cbuoni cle

Informal ComplineAnthony Delisi

MON K OF HOLY SPIRIT ABBEY

I am grateful to my community for the opportunity of attending the liturgical program this past summer at Notre Dame University. I highly recommend this annual summer session to others. Experience was not limited to the class room. There were "underground" Masses that frequently turned me off, lacking as they were in a true sense of rever ence and of the sacred encounter with Jesus. Though others disagreed, I could not feel that they were authentic liturgy.

Attendence at the Catholic Pentecostal prayer meetings was something quite different, though the strangeness of "tongues" at first disconcerted me. One thing that usually impresses the onlooker at. such meetings is the informality of their form of prayer, which is nonetheless genuine and sincere. Though most people who encounter the Pentecostals for the first time come somewhat fearfully, they leave with a sense of peace. It takes time to feel at ease with others who are praying to themselves in tongues and uttering prophecies. Of this I am now certain, the Pentecostals have something to offer by way of informal prayer, though I am still perplexed as to how this can be fitted into a contem plative way of life. As for my own community I know that many are not open to the extra-ordinary, despite St Paul's vivid description of the Pentecostal manner of praying to gether in 1 Cor 14: 26-33.

After a six-weeks course I looked forward to a visit to the Abbey of Gethsemani. I was expecting to find an outmoded community with many archaic observances, but on the contrary, their adaptation to our times impressed me favorably. The Divine Office in their newly remodeled church was well done, with a sense of seriousness about all they did. The overall impression was one of contem plative prayer, although for my own part, I felt a lack of personal involvement in their formal prayer structure. Af ter the summer encounter with informal Pentecostal prayer, the highly structured service at Gethsemani seemed to lack a certain vitality. How is one able to make both types

Andtony + Informal Compline 27

of prayer compatible ? To what extent is the individual able to find his identity in the formal structure which in many ways is very contemplative in background ? Although many might not agree with all that is taking place in the Pente costal movement, yet I felt it had something of value for the monastic life.

On my return home to this A bbey dedicated to the Holy Spirit, Iwas even more convinced that our structured prayer in this formal monastic setting lacked a real personal ele ment. With the arrival of the loi cadre we have the opportunity to experiment in an informal manner with the Offices of Terce, None and Compline outside of choir. During the first two weeks of experimentation with the loi cadre we placed the evening Prayer Service just before retiring. At present we are experimenting with the Vesper Service just before supper.

At a liturgical class, made up mainly of novices, I offered the suggestion of an informal Compline service to be held in our new guesthouse which is still not open to the public. It was proposed that we have a different leader each evening and it would be up to him to set up the structure for the Compline service.

Our attendance varies from eight to twelve. Everything is on a voluntary basis. We gather in a room and sit on the carpet, Indian style and in a circle. The meeting usually begins with a hymn to the Holy Spirit, and a few words by the leader. He of ten reminds the group that Jesus is in their midst. There are silent pauses and then there is a time when each is given the opportunity to share with the group some happening of the past day, or to ask for special prayers, etc. Usually each tries to limit himself to a few words. It is up to the leader if he wants to develop a special theme, like light, peace, rest, etc. He then picks out the scripture reading or readings, and the psalm to be recited as a solo or by the entire group. Some leaders prefer to ask the entire group to pray for a text, and then the Scriptures are opened at ran dom. This procedure has a good psychological effect inas much as it stirs up curiosity and holds the interest of the listeners. But at times it might be necessary to pray for an interpretation of the text if it is obscure.

At this A bbey we have not tried to develop the charis matic gif ts described in 1 Cor 14. We do not consider our modest evening service to be a Pentecostal Meeting. It is merely an informal prayer service. There is no such thing as praying aloud in tongues or having prophecies, no impo·

28

sition of hands, no Baptism of the Spirit. Although I believe there is room for such things in a contemplative community, I do not believe it should be introduced for the present into an informal Compline service. At times the extra-ord inary can disturb the community, and St Paul stresses the need of peace and a spirit of brotherly love above all the other gif ts. It is first necessary to set up an atmosphere of peace in our monastic prayer life, and then let the Spirit blow where He will. There is a danger that these meetings may turn into a period of dialogue or that they will be extended into the night. It is for these reasons that we have set a half-hou r time limit to our informal Compline service. What stands out most is the personal involvement and concern that is manifested for one another and a deep fraternal love. It is love of a different kind that we are experiencing each eve ning as we gather together in prayer with Jesus in our midst.There are no two nights exactly the same.

This is an outline of one of our Compline services:COMPLINE

Invocation by the Leader Hymn "Come Holy Ghost"- Silent pause for one minute -Random reading from the Old Test. by the eldest Random reading from the New Test. by the youngest- Another silent pause -Prayer of the Faithful with petitions and observations Hymn "Spirit Blest" [ of the day Psalm 102Canticle of SimeonHymn "When Evening Comes" Concluding prayer

One might ask: What will be the outcome of these in· formal Compline services ? How will they influence the more formal and solemn liturgies now taking place in our large monastic church ? I do not know, but I have found some

thing in this manner of prayer that gives room to the Spirit, and it will be lef t to the Spirit to blow wherever He wills.

We can take to heart the words of Gandhi who once said :

He who would go in for novel experiments must begin with himself. That leads to a quicker discovery of truth . . . and God always protects the honest experimenter.

-AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Liturgy Bulletin + December 1968

Cbuonicle Liturgical Notes on

Pentecostal Prayer Meetings at BerryvilleMatthew KillianMONK OF BERRYVILLE

Jn this article I will attempt to relate those things of liturgical interest which take place during the Pentecostal prayer meetings held daily here at Holy Cross Abbey, Berry ville, Virginia. They are held after the dinner dishwashing unti l the Office of None (about one hour) and take place in a mass chapel separate from the church.

The accommodations can seat almost twenty, and on a few OCCJ.Sions there have been as many as that in attendance (community about 38). On sundays about 15 attend and during the week about half that. The time is admittedly poor because there is of ten overtime work, classes, repeti tions, etc., held at that hour but no other suitable hour has been found.

The meeting begins with silent prayer of a few minutes duration. Once in a while there will be other times of silent prayer, but a good meeting is felt to be one which is filled with expressed prayer. The first prayer is invariably a petition to the Holy Spirit to inspire the meeting gathered on that day. Immediately one depends on God to imbue the spirit of prayer and guide its expression. Almost all the prayers are spontaneous, that is, they are not set formulas; they are made on the spot. It takes a little time to get used to doing this. At first one feels like composing a letter. There are gaps, searching for a word, lack of right intonation (i.e, a sort of apressed detachment from the prayer accompanied with sighs). Then perhaps they become a little wordy, sometimes intricate, sometimes more expository than petition. But grad u:Uly the technique comes to express in a simple fashion just what is within one's heart. The range of petition is in finite; needs of the Church, of mankind in general, the community, oneself, a friend, etc. The best though and most sponta neous are personal needs that are, in actuality, universal. Here are some examples: Let me see your face, 0 Lord - Come down upon us, 0 Spirit of God, like rain upon the l'llrth -Jesus, I wish to be with you forever. Normally the prayers are addressed to God, either Father, Son or Holy Spirit, but sometimes Mary or the saints or even the angels are called upon.

Prai1e and T hanksgiYing, Hallmarks

Thanksgiving is a mainstay of Pentecostal prayer. It is the expression of Pentecostal joy upon sensing the Spirit's presence within and among the brethren. If the meeting centers about Him who is called the Gift of God, then one of its main purposes, certainly, is to express gratitude. Prayers of thanks are usually shorter than those of petition, more repetitious, but this does not indicate lack of inspiration. Rather it is the thrill of the Halleluia of Paschal time; some-

Matthew + Penteca.1tal Prayer at Berryville

thing to be oft-repeated and tasted in the joy of the Spirit. Praise of God is also a hallmark of these meetings. To me

personally this attitude comes almost as a complete surprise. Though having prayed the Psalms for years I never experi

enced the breakthrough to spontaneous praise of God. Now it follows naturally upon the experience of the presence of the Spirit. There seems an inner compulsion to come out into praise. It is as if a tumbler were being filled to over.Bowing; no more can go in, so some must come out and pour around.

The exchange that takes place among the members is very important in the expression of these prayers. It is not unlike free association. One man's petition is taken up by another and elaborated. Its anticipated fulfillment (just as in the

Psalms) is cause for another's gratitude. These thank-you expressions often give rise to pure and simple praise. As a prayer meeting progresses these exchanges can take place _at a more rapid pace. The emotional involvement deepens and one is caught up into the whole. The inevitable result of this divine electricity that hurries around the circuit with greater speed is an inexpressible joy. It is great to be with the brethren and it is great to be with God. There is an alive ness that is seldom experienced, present within one, and the overwhelming desire is to share it with others.

Spontaneity Needed

This brings up another prayer form: interjections. Exam ples of these are: Praise the Lord, Thank you Jesus, Hallelu jah, Pray it Brother, Amen, etc. Normally these follow the individual prayers but as the tempo picks up they are ex-· pressed at any time and often repeatedly during the prayers of others. Spontaneity is necessary. When one agrees with what is said, the agreement must be expressed. Holding back is considered as impeding the Spirit. While release of the Spirit is a beautiful witness of unanimity of mind and heart with the brother praying. He is inspired and encouraged to go on asking or thanking because someone has touched him with the presence of the Paraclete.

Spontaneous readings are also chosen for their relevance to the prayers of the moment. Anyone can interject a reading when he wishes. Favorite texts with us have been: Matt 18:1 ff, 1 Cor 13, 2 Cor 1:3-7, Lk 11:5-13, Jn 17 and vari· ous texts from the Acts and Revelation. But the Old Testa ment is chosen when it fits into the context too.

A technique we often employ is to pray to the Spirit for a message for us, either in general or to a specific problem that might have surfaced in one of the prayers. Then a mem ber opens the Bible at random and begins immediately toread the first text that comes to sight. I can testify that this .

can be a th rilling experience of the Holy Spirit's presence in the prayer meeting.

Here is an incident that happened to us. A father did this in his lectio time one morning and came upon the text 2 Thess 2 :13-17. In the af ter dinner prayer meeting he deci ded to share his find with us. One of the brothers brought it to his attention that he had selected that text for the brother's Office that morning because it was in the lectionary as an alternate reading. The father was unaware of this. Someone asked what a certain word in the text was in the Greek original so I reached up to an interlinear version kept in the chapel. A bookmark was placed at 2 Thess 2. And on the next day we learned that another usual participant, absent that day, had selected by the same method our very text for his meditation.

Tellimonies Found Useful

Witnessing is an integral part of Protestant prayer meet ings. It has a lesser part with us because of the frequency of our meetings, plus the fact that we live such a communal life. Still it is not wholly forgotten. A pentecostal realizes soon enough that he needs the fellowship and encourage ment of his brethren; and desires to provide as much of the same as he himself can to the group. It is a good idea to have Spirit-filled guests now and then invited to the prayer meetings. Their testimony can be a "shot in the arm."

Communications by letter are sometimes admitted as testi monies into our meetings, especially if they accompany requests for our prayers. Thanksgiving testimonies are some times given in which is related a grace or favor received. This can be especially moving when the grace comes to fill a need that requires humility to make known to the group. Even the members petition at times the prayers of the others; this is particularly helpful when one is undergoing a trial. Another testimony common to our meetings is of the expository kind. A member may desire to elucidate a text of Scripture or a point of spiritual theology brought up in one of the prayers. This has a tendency among us to give rise to a discussion. However we are well aware of this bent and now keep it reined in. For discussing the pros and cons of different questions quickly dissipates the spirit of prayer and renders the meeting vapid. Protestant meetings do have their sermons but they are in a different context. Our monastic life provides no end of sermons, conferences, classes, repetitions, dia logues, etc. So when prayer meetings gather one is not interested in redoing something like that. In the beginning there will be theological points to consider in common, but experience has shown us it is best to keep the discussions distinct from the prayer meeting.

During the meeting we usually sit down in a circle. On occasion we might rise to pray a special prayer. For example, we all rise for the saying of the Our Father. Again, for special prayers a member may raise his arms to pray. Or the brethren may hold hands and pray in common; this is our gesture during the Our Father. It can be very meaningful in

30

expressing intensely communitarian prayer. Clapping of hands has occured on occasion during the singing of folk songs. We favor songs such as this; they are spontaneously intoned by anyone inspired to do so. Sometimes Psalms are said in common. Our method is for each member to say a verse and let the progress go around the circle. The Psalms of praise are distinct favorites among us. One Hail Mary is said with a Glory be to God. This and the concluding Our Father are about the only prayer formulas used, though on occasion someone may want to recite another one.

Brothers Prayed 0Yer

A high point in some of our meetings ocrurs when someone asks to be prayed over. This is a special request for prayers and usually requires a great deal of humility to make. He explains the need he has of the prayers of the brethren and sits down in the middle of the circle. Then all get up, approach and place at least one hand on his head or shoul

ders. Then there is a round of spontaneous prayer to suit his equest and their inspiration. There may follow the praying

m tongues of those who have the gifts. This little ceremony is a great consolation to those who take part in it. He who requests feels the brotherly contact upon him and hears their petitions in his behalf. While those around are conscious of their common solidarity and their identity with the seated brother in his need. Few liturgical ceremonies can create such a sense of oneness as this does. I think it is probably because of the humility and charity involved and expressed.

Also there is an astonishing efficacy that accompanies these prayers. I will give just one example that edified us. One of the brethren, usually lively and spirited in the meet ings was clearly cast down. He related that he felt oppressed and even obsessed by certain thoughts and temptations. I and others brought certain texts of Scripture for his consi deration, but he repudiated them all as not applying to his condition. He was in a surprisingly argumentative mood and could not be helped by any word of comfort, encouragement or consolation. When af ter ten minutes of fruitless attempts one of the brethren said he should be prayed over, he agreed. Immediately upon putting my hands upon him I knew he would arise changed in heart. And so it was. He said he experienced a very tangible security under the hands of the brethren and could have stayed there all afternoon. The prayers were protracted somewhat because the brethren did not want to let him go. But when he finally arose his smile made clear that his difficulty was gone.

Temptations before which one ordinarily feels weak can disappear as a result of this being prayed over. This strength ening power can even exceed that of the weekly confession. In the latter one can confess week after week the same diffi culty without much amelioration. But once it has been made known to the brethren gathered in prayer, and they voice their common petition for healing, it is unusual for there to be no result. Such is the faith placed in the Lord's word: "I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything

LitnrllY Bulletin + December 1968

tht'}' ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Charismatic M anifeilations Rare

Charisms have a very modest part to play in our prayer meetings. A number of the brethren pray in tongues in privJ.te, but it is the exception rather than the rule for them to pray in tongues during the meeting. However, when someone petitions to be prayed over for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and sometimes for other things, prayer in tongues is added to the spontaneous prayer. We have never exercised the gif t of interpretation. Prophecy occurs rarely. and then in circumstances difficult to assess its completely supern atural origin. We have prayed for various healings, though we know of no concrete case to date that we can attribute solely to our prayers. Such a lack of the charismatic rlement may come as a surprise to a Protestant Pentecostal or as a relief to the ordinary Catholic. But given our monastic context, perhaps our meetings should be different from those outsi Je the cloister. I feel I have not sufficient experience to judge whether we suffer in this respect in comparison to mnr<: charismatic groups, but Paul did say that charity does far o;ceed the greatest of the charisms. And this certainly is the grace most evident in our meetings.

Freedom, M uch Encouraged

A word should be said of the psychological and spi ritual context of these meetings. Freedom is a paramount necessity. There can be no distinction between members: priest or oon·priest, educated or non-educated, etc. There is no leader design ated, though of ten the progress of the meeting does poi nt out a leader spontaneously. He is the most inspired that day in expressing the direction of the prayers. Some times there is a leadership shif t during the course of the meeti ng. Each person is encouraged to express freely what is in his heart. And since inhi bition is a heritage that comes to all monks, there must be concerted efforts made to break clown this impediment to the Holy Spirit's action. The best praye rs, those that move the group as well as the individual praying, are those which come forward spontaneously and without much reflection. Rhetorical elegance and nicely rounded diction are requirements of a formal liturgy, but they are distinctly out of place here. Repetitions are not only all owable but are virt ually necessary in driving home tht point of a petition or thanksgiving. Encouragement of the brethern also has a big part to play in these meetings. It may take the form of an Amen to his prayer, or a text of Scripture in response to his petition, or an interjection during his word of praise. In any case the sayings interlock as if by their embrace they were confirming the spirit at work in the brother. Emotion and enthusiasm are not looked down upon here. For too long a time we Catholics have been denied the possibility to express these feelings in our wor ship. The folk mass helps in this regard, but compared to .l spontaneous prayer meeting it only scratches the surface.

Matthew + Pentecostal Prayer at Berryville

On a f ew occasions we have had women In attendance. At such times the emotional level automatically rises and with it the ability to express oneself more spontaneously. Also there is a beautif ul complementarity in the prayers that is lacking in the unmixed group. It is always fascinating to listen to another formulate his prayer to Cod, but especially so when the insights are as diverse as they are between men and women. I, myself, cannot quickly forget the tearf ul and emotion-choked prayer I once heard from a mother in regard to her wayward teen-age daughter. She seemed oblivious to all around her and speaking rather before a statue of the Sacred Heart. With what beautiful and meaningf ul haste was that prayer taken up by the others in the group until all shared her concern and offered her their support.

Some ObserYations

Religious experience is a tremendous need today. For the communications media produce an implosion upon us· of secular experience. And monastic walls are no guarantee that one is protected from this phenomenon. As one descends the generation ladder the effe<.is of this secular experience are heightened. It is especially the younger monks that feel the need for greater religious experience. They are generous in their faith and effort, but constancy in a psychological void or emotional darkness is exceedingly difficult. It is here that the prayer meetings can be an immensely useful adjunct to the normal liturgy. They produce the experience of felt fellowship, unanimity in worship, and a special effect cer tainly is the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit. I am not speaking so much of the charisms which I have said occupy only a modest part in the meetings, but prayers which have been experienced as heard and fulfilled. It is difficult to overestimate the encouraging aspect of this experience. No doubt it does not minimize the eventual necessity of all as pirants to divine union passing through the nights of faith. Yet one does not design a worshipping assembly to corre spond to the passive purifications. Otherwise why change liturgy at all ? Few people are as full of thanksgiving as Saint Paul. He always rejoices when his prayers and those of his sons and daughters are answered, for this increases the gratitude that ascends to God. It is in such a context that joy is fulfilled. Its thrill is f elt especially by those who have prayed together and have experienced God's acceptance.

In conclusion I will add a few remarks on the relation of these prayer meetings to other facets of a monk's prayer life. It is almost a universal experience of those who take part in them that they .find a renewed value in the Divine Office. The Psalms (especially of praise) and the Gloria deepen in meaning. The mention of the Holy Spirit is given new notice and the fraternal aspects of the Office reappreciated. The mass, too, undergoes a reappreciation, especially as regards its worshipping significance, e.g., as the epitome of praise given by men to God. These brief remarks cannot treat of the renewed interest in Extreme Unction as a sacrament of healing. If any sacrament experiences a decline as a result

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of these meetings I might suggest, as a strictly personal opinion, the sacrament of Penance. It is not on account of an aversion to confession or a lessened appreciation of the absolution. It is rather on account of the desire to confess before the group and to receive their prayers and support. Maybe sacramental absolution could have a part in such a context. It is avowedly very penitential and not at all con trary to the deep meaning of the sacrament.

Prayer in tongues can be a substitute for ejaculatory prayer, such as the Prayer of Jesus. I believe this is what Paul means when he says he thanks God that he speaks in tongues more than the Corinthians (1 Cor 14:18). Is it a better prayer ? I have said elsewhere that I think the prin ciple that governs the growth of mental prayer from meditation to contemplation can also help us judge, in the realm of vocal prayer, the change from an understandable prayer to one that cannot be understood. Finally contemplation is fostered indirectly in the sense of a spiritual life newly orientated to awareness of the Holy Spirit's action within the heart. This awareness breaks into contemplation when the requisite conditions of solitude and silence are at hand. D

A BIBLIOG R APHY of the MovementW..OTE FROM TH E EDITOR • • • •

Since the Pentecostal Mo-vement appears as a -very important e-vent in the life of the Church in the United States, and since it is little known outside this country, we intend to publish further articles about it in the next issue of Liturgy. Meanwhile, readers may find the fol lowing Bibliography useful. It was compiled by Fr. Ed ward O'Connor, C.S.C, of the Uni-versity of NotTe Dame.

THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENTWithin the Roman Catholic Oiurcb

RANAGHAN, KEVIN. "Roman Catholics, the Holy Spirit and renewal," Acts, Sept - Oct, 1967. (An account of the beginnings of the movement. An abridged version of this article appeared in Voice, Oct 1967.)

- --. "A Roman Catholic Discovers New Life in His Church," Christian Life, May 1968. (Another account of the beginnings of the movement.)

O'CONNOR, EDWARD . "A Catholic Pentecostal movement," Ave M aria, June 3, 1967. (A descrit'tion of the Pente costal prayer meetings, and the spiritual effects of the movement. Reprinted in Acts, Sept - Oct, 1967, Charis ma Digest 1 (1968), and, in a French abridgment, in Informations catholiques internationales, 15 Oct 1967.)

Note: The Sept - Oct, 1967 issue of Acts carries, in addition to the .first and third articles listed above, a series of personal testimonies by Berti! Ghezzi, Kenneth Wolf, and Roger Alexander.

- --. "Baptism of the Spirit: Emotional Therapy ?" Ave M aria. Aug 19, 1967. (Reply to some of Nouwen's criticisms, article shown below.)

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- --. " 'Pentecost and Catholicism," to appear in The Ecu menist in the latter half of 1968. (Discussion of the theological problem of relating the movement to the institutional Church.)

FORD, JosEPHfNE. "Catholic Pentecostalism: New Testa ment Christianity or Twentieth Century Hysteria,"f ubilee, June, 1968. (A Scripture scholar answers somequestions.)

PAPA,. MARY. "PC?ple Having a Good Time Praying," Na tional Catholic Reporter , May 17, 1967. (An outsider's impression.)

NouwEN, HENRI. "A Critical Analysis," Ave Maria, June 3, 1967. (Critique by a psychologist.)

OsowsKI, FABIAN. "Pentecost and Pentecostals: A Happening" Review for Religious, Nov 1968. (A historical article on the beginnings of the Pentecostal movement and its spread among neo-Pentecostals and Catholic Pentecostals.)

PETERS, KEN. "When the Spirit Moves You," Ave M aria, Aug 17, 1968. (Reflections on a theological seminar held at Dayton in May, 1968.)

SA"'' lDOV":L, MOISES. "Pentecostals See How They Fit In," J'!a_t1 nal Caholic Rep"<Jrter, June 12, 1968. (Joumal- 1stic 1mpress1on of the same seminar.)

THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENTOuuide the Roman Catholic Church

BLOCH-HOELL, NILE . The Pentecostal M ovement. New York, 1964. (Humanities Press).

SHERRIL, JOHN L. They Speak t1Jith Other Tongues. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1964.

BARTLEMAN, FRAN K . Hot/J Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, 1925. (Now available from Box 672, Northridge, Cali· fornia, under title, What Really Happened at Awsa Street? )

DAMB?RIENA, P. "Pentec?stal Fury: Meaning and Begin nings of Pentecostalism," Catholic World 202 (Jan 1966) 217-233.

V.AN DusEN, HENRY P. "Third Force in Christendom "Life, June 9, 1958, 113-122. '

McDONNELL, KILLAN. "The Ecumenical Significance of the Pentecostal Movement," Worship, 40:10 (Dec 1966) , 608-629.

GILBERT, A . "Pentecost Among the Pentecostals,'" Christian Century 78 (June 28, 1961) . 794-796.

O'H.ANLON, DANIEL J. "Pentecostals and Pope John's NewPentecost," America 108 (May 4, 1963) 634-636.

DAVIES, HORTON. "Pentecostalism," in Christian Deviations.2nd ed, Philadelphia 1965, 26-37.

CL.ARK, E. T. The Small Sects in America, Nashville 2nd ed 1951 (Abingdon). ' '

MEAD, F. S. Handbook of Denominations in the United States, Nashville, 1951 (Abingdon).

MAYER, F. E. The Religious Bodies in America 2nd ed St Louis, 1954. (Concordia). ' '