The Liturgy! Everybody speaks about it, writes about it, and discusses the subject. It has been commented on, it has been praised, and it has been criticized. But who really knows the principles and norms by which it is to be put into practice?

Pope St John Paul II – October 1985

If you found the five minutes above interesting, consider listening to the other 4 hours and 55 minutes, FREE OF CHARGE, at the link below…

FREE Online class by the Liturgical Institute : https://liturgy.teachable.com/p/an-introduction-to-the-sacred-liturgy

This is the best article I have read, so far, on the recent Motu Proprio “Traditionis Custodes”. The author repeatedly opposes the liturgy to the consumerist culture. Beauty requires gratuitousness, which is another way of describing the “Active Participation” required in the Catholic liturgy. Consumerism has invaded both forms of the Mass. An example? Music. As long as Catholics in the pews do not sing spontaneously, without hired instrumental support, then church singing is another form of sub-contracting a “chore” we are too proud to do ourselves… The active participation in the Liturgy described by Pius X, Pius XII and of course all the popes since Vatican II, cannot be sub-contracted. Let us get consumerism out of our liturgies…

“…the essence of the liturgy can continue to be a slippery thing. In fact, by way of illustration, explain to your spouse, friend, or coworker—or even yourself—in 50 words or less, what the liturgy is.

How did you do?… “

For an update of the application of the new Motu Proprio “Traditionis Custodes” in each diocese, see this link:

https://traditioniscustodes.info/

If your bishop has not communicated yet, no news is good news…

Yesterday, I posted here an article titled A Modal Mentality for Modal Music. I found it brought new “modal” light on a reality that was already well explained by Dom André Mocquereau in “Le nombre Grégorien” (1904) in his paragraphs about “the reality of rhythmic movement” and “the nature of vocal movement”.

Short excerpts:

REALITY OF RHYTHMIC MOVEMENT
In modern philosophy, to move signifies to ”change place”; whereas in the philosophy of Aristotle, to move meant merely “to change”.(…)
The voice articulates a phrase, declaims a verse, or sings a melody: it moves in its own way and in a sense no less real. (…) Evidently, the movement is no longer local, nor visible, it is sonorous and vocal, but nevertheless real.

NATURE OF VOCAL MOVEMENT
“The human voice is so essentially a part of the vital principle, that it is universally identified with it in every language, or seriously recognized in its intimate analogy. The word is but a breath, but this breath is the spirit, the soul, and the immaterial principle of life itself. Form, palpable and visible, is indeed a condition of humanity, but movement is its very essence, and the voice is movement. Movement is immaterial and the sound of the voice is both immaterial and impalpable. “

Longer excerpt attached (6 pages) :

This article on cantusmodalis.org requires a little effort, like all valuable things. It begins with…

In its most general context the word modus or ‘mode’ may be defined as ‘amanner or way of acting, doing or being’. In this definition the emphasis is placed on the process of being or of moving toward a certain something which in itself, although constituting the sole reason for the process, can only be the passive result of the way the process itself unfolds.

…and concludes with this gem of a sentence:

In fact chant exists because of the enormous force of attraction of an end which is not an end but a transformation into that which will remain forever beyond us.

I recommend using a pencil when you do, but please, consider reading:

https://cantusmodalis.org/

Follow-up post : Reality of rhythmic movement – Nature of vocal movement.

Read more on “modality”: Modality – introduction