Reflections on the Liturgy in the light of the Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi of the Holy Father Francis – VI

Part Six

  

EUCHARISTIC LITURGY

OFFERTORY RITES

The method: reading the Ordo Missae in the light of Sacrosactum Concilium and of the General Ordinance of the Roman Missal.

At the end of the Liturgy of the Word, the ministers prepare the corporal, the purificatoio, the chalice, the ball and the Missal on the altar, while the OFFERTORY CHANT can be performed.

 

Who are the ministers?

 

the ministers are: the acolyte or another lay minister. (OGMR 178) Here the role and number of ministers is further developed: the deacon and acolyte are mentioned. So, once the prayer of the faithful has ended, the priest remains at the seat and does not go to the table to lay out the corporal and begin the care of the sacred vessels this falls to the deacon! He stands beside the priest and helps him to receive the gifts of the people. He presents the paten with the bread to be consecrated to the priest; he pours the wine and a little water into the chalice, saying: The water united with the wine..and then presents it to the priest. This preparation of the chalice can be done at the sideboard. If incense is used, he assists the priest in incensing the offerings, the cross and the altar, then he or the acolyte incenses the priest and the people (OGMR 139).

Let us see how the task of the ministers was developed in Nos 139 and 178. Both one and the other of the ministers mentioned place the various sacred vessels on the table. This means that if the ministers place these on the table, it means that the table is empty.

At this point the usual case of the bare minimum, which kills celebrations, arises: what if a priest is alone? I suggest placing a small table near the table on which to place the missal and everything needed for the celebration, because the table must be empty! In fact, even the cross and the candles should be placed near and not on the table. The cross with the crucified Christ can also be hung above the table.

1. The ministers place the things needed for the celebration on the table at the moment of the offertory and not before.

It means: if there are to be more bowls for the bread and more chalices for the wine, these are placed on the corporal except for those used by the main celebrant, which are to be given by the deacon or a minister, just before the offering.

2. Can a concelebrant prepare the offertory? The preparation of the gifts (cf. nos. 139 – 146) must be carried out by the main celebrant, the other concelebrants remain in their places (OGMR 214). The bad custom that is in use, in which a concelebrant stands up and performs the office of altar boy, must come to an end!!!

All priests have the same rank in a concelebration. Now, if the main celebrant observes this rubric, he is not a rude person who wants to do everything himself. The norm states that this task is the ministers’, not the concelebrants’.

What is the task of the acolyte? Laying out the corporal, handing the paten and chalice to the main celebrant.

The deacon’s task: as well as laying out the corporal; place the various pyxes on it, except for the one he is to hand to the priest for the presentation of the bread; the deacon will do the same with the chalices, after infusing water into them. This gesture recalls the great love of the Father, brought about through the incarnation of the Word who took upon himself our human nature. (cf. Council of Chalcedon).

The bread and wine are presented and placed on the corporal last to signify that only one bread and one chalice are offered. This sign must be visible, which is why it is strongly recommended that there be a bowl in which both the particles for the faithful and the hosts for the main celebrant and concelebrants are placed, or – it is recommended – that very large hosts be used that can be broken and distributed to the faithful as well.

Moreover, the Council already recommended that, for the communion of the faithful, one should always use the consecrated bread during the celebration and not normally draw from the Eucharistic reserve (= the hosts that are in the tabernacle) (SC 55).

In this regard, we have much to learn from the Byzantine rite.

3. It is good that the participation of the faithful is manifested in the offering of bread and wine for the celebration of the Eucharist, and other gifts for the needs of the Church and the poor (OGMR 140) This means that, apart from bread and wine, other gifts should not be placed on the table. The rubrics help to read the spirituality they contain. Only the Eucharist is celebrated on the table.

In this regard, No 140 also states that the other gifts are to be placed in another suitable place and are to be given to the poor (cf. No 73).

In the Rite of the Sacrament of Matrimony, too, the rule must be followed that only the Eucharist is to be celebrated on the table, which is why signatures on the register, at the end of the rite, are not to be placed on the table (RSM 94).

In the presentation of the gifts, if there is no singing at the offertory or the organ is not played, the priest, in the presentation of the bread and wine may recite aloud the formulas of blessing to which the assembly responds: Blessed be the Lord for ever. Otherwise they are uttered in silence (OGMR 142).

The priest at this point bows deeply and recites the prayer Humble and Repentant, in the name of the assembly: now, if the hymn is sung, it is obvious that the priest must utter it in silence (OGMR 143), otherwise the assembly, which is the subject of the celebration, (SC 48) must hear this prayer. Here, on the secrete (prayers uttered by the celebrant alone) we have not yet freed ourselves from the practice in use in the Mass of the Council of Trent. How hard it still is for the clergy to assimilate the concept of the celebrating assembly (SC 48).

The seculars were born in the early Middle Ages, when the Mass had become merely a precept to be fulfilled and not a celebration in spirit and truth of the presence of the Living One among us, because Charlemagne had forbidden, for political reasons, to continue the ancient tradition of having the liturgical books translated when the language of God’s people changed, which was what happened in the mid-third century when they switched from Greek to Latin.

Thus the secrete had an apologetic purpose towards the Eucharist, because heresies had arisen that cast doubt on the real presence of Christ in the species of bread and wine (cf. Berengar).

The washbasin and the pray brethren are also legacies of past centuries that have not been removed: the former dates back to the time when the presiding bishop, during the offertory procession, received foodstuffs and therefore, as today, when holy oils were used, had to wash his hands in order to continue the celebration. The Prayer Brothers is a remnant of the prayer that the Pope addressed (8th century) to the bishops who sat in the choir, which was then passed on to the entire people. (cf. RIGHETTI M. La Messa, vol. III, p. 337). It also seems to be a prayer that the Pope addressed to those (canons?) who in the choir, behind him, were doing anything but participating in the celebration, and so the Pope addressed them with this prayer that also smacked of reproach, which was later codified in the Missal of Pius V.

Incensation: (Cf. Cærimoniale Episcoporum nos. 92 – 98, pp. 33 – 34)

Incensing the offerings: the priest pours incense into the thurible, blesses it without saying anything, and incenses the offerings, the cross and the altar. The minister, standing at the side of the altar, incenses the celebrant and then the people (OGMR 144).

 

How to incense:

 

1. A deep bow is performed before and after incensing persons and things, except before incensing the table, the offerings on the table.
2. How to incense: three double strokes to the Blessed Sacrament; to the relic of the Holy Cross; to the images of the Lord solemnly exposed; to the offerings at Mass; to the cross in the presbytery; to the Gospel Book; to the Paschal candle; to the president of the celebration (bishop or priest); to the civil authorities present by office at the celebration; the choir and the people; the body of the deceased. Two double blows to the relics and images of saints exposed for veneration. These are only incensed after the first incensation of the altar and the cross!
3. Incensing of the altar: if the altar is attached to the wall, the celebrant incense with single strokes proceeding from right to left. If the altar is the Reformation altar, the celebrant incenses with single strokes proceeding from right to left around it.
4. The cross is incensed when one is confronted with
5. The offerings are incensed before incensing the altar and the cross: they are incensed as was done for the Gospel Book, or a cross is drawn on them, but no more circles are to be drawn with the thurible around them.
6. This is followed by the incensation of the presiding bishop: three double strokes; the bishop does not assume either mitre or crosier during the incensation;
7. The concelebrants are incensed together: two double
8. This is followed by the incensation of the people: a double blow to the centre, one to the right and one on the left.
9. In the same way, canons who are not concelebrating but are present in the cathedral choir are incensed. This is also arranged for the presence of a bishop: a double stroke of incense.
10. The bishop who presides without celebrating Mass is incensed after the main celebrant and the concelebrants.
11. The bishop does not proclaim monitions or prayers that must be heard by everyone before the incensation is completed.

 

The oration on offerings

 

The prayer over the offerings, like the collection and the prayer after communion are presidential Prayers, and are proclaimed by the one who presides, who prays in the name of the celebrating assembly, who receives them standing up: the attitude of the new man risen from the water of baptism who has a free relationship with people and things, i.e. he does not live like the rich young man.

Before proclaiming the oration, the president calls the assembly to silence with:

let us pray.

The prayer on the offertory concludes the offertory liturgy.

By Fr. Giorgio Bontempi C.M.