The following question has been asked to several priests around the world:

What part of the Mass, words or rubrics, in its extraordinary form moves you the best?

Father Louis, OSB: the words uttered by the priest: He took bread into His Holy and venerable hands (page 35 in red booklet). My hands are neither holy nor venerable! They are the ones of a poor sinner. The Liturgy however invites me to take great care of this fragile Host and my hands are not mine any more but the one of Jesus who takes me in His own. “My Lord, I am holding Thee, I do not want to let Thee go.”

Father Emmanuel Marie de Saint Jean: “I am always more and more touched by the self-effacement of the priest who disappears behind Christ. The more the presence of the Priest goes away, the more Christ grows.”

Canon Alban Denis, ICRSP. : “The continuity and permanency of the Liturgy. The priest is never alone celebrating. He is with the entire Church. He is with the cohort of all the priests who celebrated before him. I say Mass the exact same way as Saint John Bosco; I pronounce the same words as the Curé of Ars did; I make the same movement as Pius X and all others…. We will meet in Heaven. This is a great source of humility and stimulation. Far from feeling to be limited by rules and rubrics, the rubrics carry me in my daily celebration.”

Father Benedict Joseph: “The celebration ‘ad orientem’. The orientation of the priest toward the East expresses well the function of the priest as Pontiff. Being all turned together in the same direction, gives a vivid image of the unity of the militant Church walking towards Heaven. It is also a great help to avoid any kind of self-centeredness.

Father Laurent-Marie, Servant of Jesus and Marie: “this Liturgy expresses the ‘Mysterium Fidei’ in a particular good and proper way, with the sense of contemplation, recollection and reverence. Even in the celebration of the greatest feast of the year, with the use of multiple ministers, incense, polyphonic choirs and even orchestras, all leads to the great silence of the Canon and the Consecration. God always establishes his masterpieces in an eternal silence.”

Father Claude Barthe: “The prayer of the ‘Suscipe’: May this Sacrifice be brought to the Altar. That is the Roman Epiclesis. These words bring us up to Heaven.”

A brief explanation of some aspects of the Mass in its Extraordinary Form

As soon as the words of the Consecration are pronounced, the priest, holding the host between his two first fingers, adores the Host making immediately a genuflection. Then, standing up, he raises the Host as high as possible to be seen by the faithful, keeping his eyes on it. He places the host again on the corporal and genuflects again. He does the same with the Chalice.

The Adoration of the Host after consecration is consistently attested since the Divine Institution of the Eucharist. We find very early interesting Greek icons representing  Jesus as an infant laying on the paten (gilded plate on which the Host is placed).

  The act of adoration itself takes various forms according to cultures and traditions. One might be standing, kneeling, seating, or prostrated on the floor: each one marks in its own way the same spiritual act of faith and adoration.

St. John Chrysostom attests that in Eastern Liturgy the “elevation of the host” came only just before communion and with great solemnity. The Holy Doors are finally opened, the curtains removed and the celebrant comes out (remember that the whole liturgy in this rite is out of sight) saying: “Consider the Table of the King. The King is here. If your vestments are pure, adore and receive communion.”

Since the 10th century, another sign of Adoration of God, is the addition of the ringing of the bells. We can read on the Carthusian rules the following ordinance: “Whenever the bell is rang for the consecration, wherever one is, he musts stop his activity and kneel down as long as the bells are rang.”

Yves de Chartres, Bishop of Paris (1115), gave thanks to Margaret, Queen of England for her gift of Bells for the Notre Dame Cathedral. He promised that her soul will be remembered at each consecration as they will ring.

The genuflection, done immediately after the words of the consecration are said, is a great act of faith on the power of the Instituted Words themselves. “This is my Body”: Adoration follows. Elevation comes after.

Another great addition of adoration in liturgy is the use of Torch-Bearer. Candles are sign of respect.

Since the heresy of Beranger – who denied the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist- the use of particular signs of adoration have been encouraged to sustain our faith. All that can help us is good to have.

A brief explanation of some aspects of the Mass in its Extraordinary Form

To acquire a ”notable liturgical formation and a deep, personal familiarity with the earlier form of the liturgical celebration” (Motu Proprio, Benedict XVI, July 2007) or an exploration into the theological, historical, devotional, liturgical, ritualistic, architectural, artistic, linguistic, practical, legalistic, mystical… aspects of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Priest turning his back to the People? 

 It is a common remark heard about the Latin Mass. The distance expressed between the celebrant – getting himself behind a closed communion rail, setting himself up above everyone, not looking at the people; facing the altar – and the people remaining silent is striking. Why this has been the case for some 2000 years…?

Simply because the Mass is not considered as a social moment to which the faithful are invited to party at. It is foremost the renewal of the Single Act of Christ, offering Himself once and for all at the Last Supper, consummating His Sacrifice on the Cross, and  continuing the very same Act at each Mass. It is Christ celebrating Mass. Not any individual priest. The faithful are privileged  witnesses of it.

The position of the Priest is clearly not random. He and all the congregation are facing East. St John in the Book of Apocalypse  promised that Christ will come back like the rising Sun in all His Glory.

At Mass we all face “Oriens” that is East, waiting for our Divine Risen Master to come!

In the Roman style, many churches had “oculi” that were little windows kept opened behind the altar. Our very own St. Margaret Mary sanctuary is an example of this tradition. The purpose for this is to avoid missing the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ if it would happen during the celebration of Mass.