Old Form, New Form - Part III
Casting out Money Changers - Carl Bloch
A good understanding of the virtue of reverence is vital to our clear vision of life, Liturgy, and sacred music. It is much broader and more beautiful than the way in which it is commonly portrayed in our contemporary culture. And in his introductory letter to Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict emphasizes that this virtue is an essential component of our worship, and in our pursuit of holy unity:
“The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives.” [i]
While he seems to take for granted here that the TLM will be celebrated with such reverence, it can be helpful for us to take a closer look at this virtue, and to see how it plays such a crucial role in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Mass. But as we do this, let's remember that along with all of the virtues, reverence is oriented toward our authentic and lasting happiness. This is the whole point of understanding and pursuing the virtuous life: not that we merely fulfill an ideal that has been taught to us by others, but rather that we discover and fully embrace our true nature, wonderfully created in the image and likeness of God. And while we must be diligent in fulfilling our responsibilities, such diligence can be made complete only in understanding our radical need for the grace of God: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
So what is reverence? In relationship to the worship of God, it has at least four fundamental dimensions: 1.) that we humbly acknowledge with our heart and mind who God is and who we are in relation to him; 2.) that we lovingly express through our voices and our bodies this acknowledgment, including appropriate gestures such as kneeling, bowing, prostrations, etc.; 3.) that we get out of the way so as to allow the hidden presence of God to be revealed to ourselves and others; in the context of the Liturgy this implies a certain exterior and interior silence, as well as taking care not to do or say anything which would distract ourselves or others from loving worship; and 4.) on the part of those responsible for the Liturgy, that they diligently support, guard, and defend – with charity and prudence – the necessary conditions for such loving worship.
Let's linger here for a while, so as to examine the quality of our own reverence before God. For while the holy form of the Liturgy (and its music) is a vital component of Catholic worship, so also is the reverence with which we approach it. And if we become familiar with these external forms of worship, including their words, gestures, music, etc. but fail to grow to maturity in reverence, something essential will be missing. The “bad” news here – which must be addressed - is that the irreverence which has so permeated our culture has also become rampant in the liturgical practice of the Roman Rite throughout the West. The good news, for those who have “ears to hear”, is that the remedy is simple and leads to joy: the way of prayer, sincere repentance, renewed fidelity, the power of the Holy Spirit, and child-like trust in God.
So how do we come to perceive the truth about who God is and who we are? Is it not through taking the time to observe, study, reflect, pray, and to be attentive in silent prayer? One of Mother Theresa's favorite maxims begins with this very idea: “the fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love...” In other words, the point is not to somehow fit ourselves into a certain mode of belief, but rather to become more attentive to reality, and particularly those invisible realities which though hidden are at the heart of our existence. Such silence and attentiveness to reality has been the theme of many great spiritual authors; notable in recent decades among these in the West have been Pope Saint John Paul II and Robert Cardinal Sarah (see links below*.) Similarly, the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic spiritual traditions give us a clear path to follow in prayer over the course of our lives: we must first pass through hesychasm, a process whereby we learn to be still and free from distractions, on to nepsis, in which we learn to be wakeful and aware, leading ultimately to theosis, or divinization, in which we are transformed by divine grace and become fully united to God in Christ. Such a path of spiritual growth is essentially the same for all of us, East and West, while such different perspectives can hopefully help us all to go deeper in the same reality. And it's important to note here that such a path is not one of obsession or servile fear, but rather of child-like trust , fidelity, and perseverance.
Building upon the foundation of this awareness, we need to express our reverence in concrete physical ways, without which it will remain an abstraction of the mind. In all Rites of the Church, the Liturgy has its sacred texts which we are called to listen to, speak, or sing attentively. And our gestures are also crucial: in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the most common are making the sign of the Cross, genuflecting, bowing, and kneeling. Each of these actions has its proper place in our entering the church, and in our participation in the Liturgy. However, beyond the issue of doing these things at their appropriate moments, lies the equally important question of how we do them. Do we perform them in a perfunctory way, or as a conscious act of loving worship? Just as we can communicate our love (or lack thereof) to another person through the way we speak, and in the way we give a handshake or hug, so also can our liturgical words and gestures be filled with, or devoid of, our loving reverence towards God.
But as important as these love-infused gestures are, they are never something that “creates” worship, or is the substance of authentic Christian Liturgy. In his little book Learning the Virtues Which Lead You to God, Romano Guardini emphasizes that reverence is primarily about our allowing the “other” - whether it be a human person or almighty God – to take the space he needs in order for his greatness to be revealed to ourselves and others. In other words, God is meant to be, as Christ has shown in the institution of the Eucharist, the main protagonist in our liturgical worship. There is indeed an objective nature to his active presence among us in Word and Sacrament, but this can only bear its full fruit in us through our having the appropriate dispositions; as we through our silence and receptivity allow him to speak to us and make himself known to our hearts and minds. Here we can see that the silence which was such an important preparation for worship, is also an essential component of the Liturgy itself. This does not in any way negate the vital importance of the Word of God, the sacred liturgical text, and sacred music, but rather brings them to fulfillment.
It is outside the realm of my expertise and responsibility to speak here in detail of how priests can and must foster and guard such reverence through the fervent care they bring to the Liturgy and the many aspects of liturgical life. Through the gift of prudence, they must manage the challenging task of combining zeal for the sanctity of worship – as epitomized by Jesus driving out the money changers from the Temple – with that prodigal paternal love with which Jesus also welcomed sinners and children to the consternation of the apparently “righteous” ones.
But it is within the scope of these blogs and podcasts to speak of how church musicians can and must do this. In fact, this is one of my most important recurring themes: how we as musicians have the responsibility to cultivate authentic reverence, through our choice of repertoire, and through the artistry and spirituality which we bring to this repertoire. These three domains - “holy repertoire”, “humble artistry”, and “the fire of love” - are the three main sections of my book and thus of these blogs. And each one will require many sessions of study and reflection in order to be considered adequately. For the moment, let's take just a brief look at how each of these elements of our music relates to reverence:
The repertoire we choose must first have words that are clearly “holy” – generally from the Sacred Scriptures or the traditional texts of the Liturgy – so as to be a dignified, fitting, and effective means of eliciting our reverent attention to God. In this regard, the texts of the Ordinary and Propers of each Mass are provided by the Church as our foundation. Similarly, the music also needs to have an accessible, beautiful, and holy character – much more on this later – which points away from itself and draws people into reverent worship.
All church musicians need to strive to develop their skills to maturity, and so exercise the greatest possible artistry in their singing and playing for the Liturgy. However, it is a significantly different kind of artistry from that which is oriented toward the concert or theatrical stage. Just as with repertoire, this artistry must have a certain discreet quality which always points away from itself to the worship of God, rather than distracting our focus through its virtuosity or striking effects. By doing music well in this way we revere God, and can inspire others to the same reverence.
St. Paul exhorts us all to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart...” This implies that there is a connection between our receptivity to the Holy Spirit and the way in which we are called to worship God with our music. Through the life, depth, joy, and power which the Spirit bestows, our music is able to draw people into a spirit of reverent worship that our unaided musical capacities are unable to produce. This has been the grace-filled experience of holy church musicians throughout the centuries, in which we are also called to participate today.
Finally, let's return to Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum and its stated aim to bring about an “interior reconciliation” between the Extraordinary and Ordinary forms of the Sacred Liturgy. From what has been said above, it should be clear as to the many ways in which there needs to be a profound renewal of reverence in the celebration of the Mass of Paul VI. But my hope is that those of us who attend the Traditional Latin Mass will also see that authentic reverence is much more than merely the faithful adherence to this venerable form. Just like love, and indeed flowing from our love of God, reverence is demanding. And if in this life we think that we have somehow arrived at the summit of this virtue, or for that matter any of the virtues, we are deluding ourselves.
Thankfully, our growth in sanctity is not a Sisyphean struggle, but rather a fruit of the Holy Spirit as we give our loving “yes” to God's will in our lives. Thus in my next blog, as we continue to follow Pope Benedict's lead, I will attempt to tackle that other quality which he indicates is so important in our approach to the Liturgy and its music: the virtue of magnanimity.
[i] Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum
Links:
Pope John Paul II on sacred silence:
Spiritus et Sponsa (see particularly no. 13)
Vultus Christi - Saint John Paul II on Silence
Robert Cardinal Sarah:
People find God through silence, Cardinal Sarah tells audience
The title of Cardinal Sarah's book on this subject: