THE REASON
FOR THE CATHOLIC MASS ACCORDING TO THE MISSAL OF HIS HOLINESS SAINT PIUS V
By: Lic. Oscar Méndez
Casanueva
The Catholic Mass was
codified by His Holiness Saint Pius V in the year 1570. This means that this
Pontiff did not invent a rite, but rather established the structure of the Mass
while respecting the uninterrupted Tradition of Christ, the Apostles, the Holy
Fathers, the first centuries of Christianity, and the preceding Pontiffs. Since
its origins go back to the Apostles themselves, it is also known as the
Apostolic Mass, or the Tridentine Mass, because this codification resulted from
the ordering of the dogmatic Council of Trent.
All Catholic priests of
the Latin Rite who were ordained more than thirty years ago celebrated the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass with this missal, at least until the end of the 1960s,
when the liturgical reform took place. This Mass remained in force for many
centuries in the Catholic Church and produced great saints and enormous fruits
throughout the history of Christendom.
THIS RITE
IS IN FORCE
This rite, contrary to
what some poorly informed people might think, remains in force because of its
centuries-old antiquity, in accordance with Canon 28 of the New Code (Canon 30
of the previous Code), which states that a new law does not revoke centuries-old
or immemorial customs unless they are EXPRESSLY mentioned. Since it was not
explicitly abrogated in the Apostolic Constitution Missale Romanum of His
Holiness Paul VI, the traditional rite—which was praised by Paul VI
himself—continues to be in force. Furthermore, His Holiness Saint Pius V, in
his Bull QUO PRIMUM, decrees in perpetuity that it may always be used in the
Church and that, therefore, no priest may—at any time—be sanctioned for its
use. This Bull can easily be found at the beginning of all the missals that
priests have used to celebrate this rite. Confirming its full validity, His
Holiness Benedict XVI published his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on July 7,
2007, in order to dispel any pre-existing doubt. Moreover, Cardinal Castrillón,
as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, stated that the Pope's
desire was for it to be celebrated in all the parishes of the world, and this
had already begun at the Roman Basilica of Saint John Lateran under Cardinal
Cañizares.
IT CLEARLY
AND MAJESTICALLY EXPRESSES CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
The rite, according to the
missal promulgated by Saint Pius V, has demonstrated throughout the centuries
that it is a bulwark against doctrinal distortions, because it expresses with
complete clarity and beauty the Catholic doctrine of the Mass:
· It is the same and
identical sacrifice of Calvary, celebrated in an unbloody manner (without the
shedding of blood), in order to apply its saving power to the remission of our
sins. It is not merely a commemoration of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, but a true and proper sacrifice.
· It is the same priest,
Jesus Christ, represented by His minister, who, through his priestly
ordination, acts in the person of Christ Himself. In a certain sense, he “lends
Christ his tongue and offers Him his hand.”
· It is the same victim of
Calvary: the Divine Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Through the double consecration,
the mystical separation of the Body and Blood of Christ is represented, while
He is wholly present—with His divinity, soul, blood, and body—in the consecrated
species. It is therefore not merely a spiritual presence.
The ends are the same:
All this doctrine,
infallibly defined and safeguarded by the Catholic Church, is expressed in an
exceptionally clear and majestic manner in the liturgy codified by His Holiness
Saint Pius V, whose rubrics have for centuries served as a bulwark against error
and anarchy in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
THE USE OF
LATIN: A SIGN OF UNITY
The use of Latin follows
the official language of the Church, the same language used by the Pope in
Rome, and represents a sign of unity among Catholics. It is false that its
abolition was decreed by Vatican II, which merely recommended the use of the vernacular
in certain parts of the liturgy, while its use was especially useful for the
readings of the Epistle and the Gospel. Today, when Latin has practically
fallen into abusive disuse, the Catholic faithful—contrary to what was
intended—do not know what the Mass is. It is enough to ask the faithful for
their definition of the Mass and its purposes to witness the tremendous
ignorance that exists. When Latin was used throughout the world, no foreigner
felt like a stranger at Mass; the faithful learned and understood the ritual
through bilingual missals, and there was uniformity among the clergy throughout
the world. Furthermore, the serious problems and errors in translations did not
arise.
HOW TO
RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION:
At this Mass, Christ is
received—in Holy Communion—while kneeling, because if Sacred Scripture
prescribes that at His name every knee should bow, it is clear that when
receiving His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, this is the outward devotional
posture most consistent with an inward attitude of adoration. It is also the
posture indicated by Christ in the parable of the Pharisee who proudly prayed
standing and the publican who, humbly both inwardly and outwardly, prayed while
kneeling. The latter, Christ teaches, was the one who left the temple
justified. Furthermore, the faithful—modestly dressed and cleansed of all
mortal sin through sacramental confession—receive the sacred Host respectfully
on the tongue because they do not have hands consecrated as the priest does;
moreover, by not taking the Host in the hand, the falling of consecrated
particles (in which Christ is truly present) onto the ground, or any possible
profanation, is thereby avoided.
THIS RITE
PREVENTS LITURGICAL ANARCHY
Today, when liturgical
anarchy is clearly evident to the Catholic faithful, with each priest and each
temple adding or removing prayers according to individual discretion; now that
the doctrine of the same sacrifice is denied and secondary matters are emphasized
in order to silence or deny the fundamental truths of the doctrine of the Holy
Sacrifice; today, when we are told that the Mass is merely a memorial, a
remembrance, a simple supper, or merely another assembly presided over by a
minister, our Catholic conscience requires us to proclaim the true and eternal
doctrine infallibly defined by the Church, as well as the due respect and
devotion that must exist in the liturgy. We therefore make use of this
centuries-old rite, which has demonstrated its effectiveness throughout history
in producing fruits of holiness and thus avoiding the liturgical anarchy that,
unfortunately, we suffer today. We base ourselves on the authority of the
Catholic Church and of the Roman Pontiff, who has permitted and promulgated this
Catholic rite in perpetuity.
MANY
PRIESTS CELEBRATE WITH THE MISSAL OF SAINT PIUS V
Finally, it is important
to consider that not only has it been used throughout the centuries with great
fruits, and that the majority of the saints canonized by the Catholic Church
celebrated with it or attended this rite, but even after the liturgical reform
it continues to be used in almost every country by many Catholic priests.
Thus, for example, we can
cite the famous case of Padre Pio, who during his lifetime manifested in his
body the very wounds of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and who, in the
1960s, when the precursors of the liturgical reform were introduced, recognizing
the dangers that are evident today, maintained the use of the Missal of Saint
Pius V. This priest, recognized throughout his life for his holiness, was
beatified in 1999 by His Holiness John Paul II. We could cite other cases, but
we will only recall that Cardinals Bacci and Ottaviani continued to use it
after the liturgical reform until the end of their lives. Cardinal Ottaviani—to
whom His Holiness Paul VI referred as “my teacher,” and whom His Holiness John
Paul II praised greatly upon his death, pointing to him as an example of
“exemplary fidelity” (*)—was highly renowned for his theological knowledge and
precisely for his fidelity to the Church. He was, moreover, none other than the
Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Faith, one of the most important
bodies within the Vatican (the same position that would later be held by
Cardinal Ratzinger). These eminent cardinals clearly foresaw all the
theological and liturgical risks that were approaching—and which are clearly
manifested today—and they recorded them in their now-famous document, “A Brief
Critical Analysis of the Novus Ordo.”
CONCLUSION:
This fully Catholic rite
is recognized for its antiquity within the Church, since it respects the
uninterrupted Tradition of Christ, the Apostles, the Holy Fathers, the first
centuries of Christianity, and the Roman Pontiffs. Its missal was promulgated by
a Pope as the result of a Council and remains fully in force in the Catholic
Church. Its fruits of holiness are more than recognized: the majority of
canonized saints celebrated with it—if they were priests—or were sanctified
through their attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—if they were
laypeople. It clearly and unequivocally manifests the true Catholic doctrine
concerning the Holy Mass and has demonstrated its effectiveness against
liturgical anarchy, errors, and abuses. It requires from the faithful the due
respect and devotion owed to the same and identical sacrifice of Calvary, which
is celebrated on the altar so that the fruits of Christ’s Redemption may be
applied to us, He being truly and really present with His Body, Blood, Soul,
and Divinity in the consecrated species.
(*) NOTE. See the
quotation by clicking on this link:
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