The Mass Explained: 'Active Participation'

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The Mass Explained Video Series: This video series is included with your subscription to The Mass Readings Explained. Dr. Pitre spends over 50 videos covering the Biblical, Traditional, and mystical meanings of the words, ceremonies, languages, gestures, postures, orientation, music, and signs of the Roman Catholic liturgy. From the Ancient Church through the Medieval Church, from the Council of Trent through Vatican II, explore the practice, purpose, and development of the Holy Mass.

Topics covered will be the traditional and biblical roots of each part of the Mass, the changes that have taken place over the history of the Roman Rite in particular, the question of Latin and the vernacular, orientation of the priest, liturgical vestments, concelebration, liturgical music, and much more.

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[PuzzlesCM]

Love this series! I've noticed my children are so much more engaged in liturgical worship than protestant singing and teaching services. Even my child with significant autism and intellectual disabilities has learned to say, "And with your spirit." It's beautiful.

[Marcia-fwwz]

The Holy Mass is sacrificial (the unbloody re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross), and it takes place on an altar, not at the "Lord's table." The Eucharist is a Sacrament, a sign of our crucified Lord's presence for our sanctification, and not just a meal. The Mass should be the highest form of worship that we give to God, and not centered on active participation like the new Mass, which is more horizontal than vertical.
In the Traditional Mass, our participation is reverent, penitential, and contemplative, more spiritual with less external activity, as it was before the new version was implemented. And I especially appreciate the care shown toward the Holy Eucharist, which I seldom see in the modern parishes.

[MarilynBoussaid-ydvk]

Thank you for this excellent presentation! I’m so grateful to be Catholic!

[troylockett]

This is the response from Dr Kwasniewski: Thanks. You won't be surprised to hear that many are asking me for a response. I'm working on it, but such things take time, and I don't have the platform, reach, or funding that Brant has.

His presentation is a combination of truths and misunderstandings, which lead him to derive faulty conclusions. This is particularly true about the directionality of the readings, on which I have given a lecture

I plan to publish the text of this at my Substack soon. My argument does not rest on history (after all, what people did 1000 or 1500 years ago is not necessarily what is best for us to do today), but on fittingness, on mystagogical symbolism, which oddly he ignores.

I've already addressed the meaning of active participation in several places.

[ucheuju]

I have saved this to watch later. Anything from Dr Pitre is gold

[josephclark]

I would love a convo between Pitre and Kwasnieski

[Sunicarus]

How come it's so hard to find a reverent NO that follows the guidelines of Vatican II? This is the real problem. I can't stomach your typical NO.

[edgardocalma]

From the Philippines: thank God for helping us understand the Mass. God bless Dr
Pitre.

[Mike-pfru]

Why was the Offertory removed and replaced with a prayer from the Talmud?

[gerry]

TLM: bow towards priest as he enters and leaves, cross yourself at the asperges me, kneel, cross yourself at absolution after the confiteor, strike your breast at the Creed, stand, sit or kneel depending on the type of mass low, high during the readings. Bow to the altar boy who incenses the congregation, genuflect at the "Iet homo factus est" and the Last Gospel "Et Verbum Caro Factum Est" receive the Eucharist on the tongue, while kneeling from the priest with a paten. Reverence the Eucharist briefly and lower your head at the consecration.

How many of those many traditions have been expunged in the Novus Ordo in favor of "active participation?"

"Active participation" at the Novus Ordo is just loosey goosey ever changing behaviors that devolve into chaos.

[brendanryan]

I'm going to listen to this a couple of times than I'm going to listen to Anthony Cekada on his book " work of Human Hands " a couple of times.

[chuckparson]

Thanks Be to God for giving us the privilege of participating in the Mass 🙏🙏🙏

[Maronite]

Thank you, Dr. Pietre, for addressing this topic. I lived through the transformation of the Latin mass during that period. This aspect of “active” participation was much needed. My recollection of participation prior to VCII, was that of an observer. The altar servers gave the responses, the choir sang the hymns but we had no participation other than to observe. In fact, it was not uncommon to see women with their rosaries, prayinhg during the mass.

The changes, gradually implemented post VCII, transformed the liturgy, bringing it to life. I vividly recall the introduction of paper missals indicating the parts of the mass and highlighting the responses to be made by the laity. It wasn’t long before we were encouraged to sing with the choir. We, of course, knew these hymns. This active participation by the laity brought the mass to life.

Other changes were not as well received. Many of us were shocked to see lay people distributing communion; worse still, it was in the hand. I have attended divine liturgy in an Eastern Catholic church which retains communion on the tongue distributed by a priest andor a deacon. No one doubts the real presence when the consecrated host is treated with great respect.

God bless you and your ministy.

[minorityvoice]

All the new mass has done is filled it with so much noise and 2 sessions of announcements that you have no time for personal prayer and silent meditation.

[Faith-jevt]

Do we have to sing the protestant songs that now part of Mass?

[PiusPaladin]

Just my two cents but since I've started attending the TLM exclusively "active participation" has taken on a whole new meaning. I never wish to return to the Mass of Paul VI as I find it jarring, distracting, and difficult to pray. I pray the Roman Rite is reformed back to its former glory 🙏

[andrewmaluwa]

I do share your lessons to my fellow catholics as well as Protestant here in Malawi allocated in south east Africa

[arulkumaran]

Good to see on this topic. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

[crucesignata]

I love Dr Pitre, hes a great biblical scholar ... but this isnt the best historical take, as it ignores and misprrsents a lot. I dont think intentionally at all, i think this was a good faith effort, but is out of touch with the historical facts. It ignores the reality of sung masses being a very popular thing in much of europe throughout the middle ages and early modern era (though not so ok the 1800s-1960s USA). I think the franciscan influence is an odd take in itself, but also even if true is greatly overstated. It ignores the reality that the benedictines and secular clergy vastly outnumbered them in much of the pre-tridentine era. Also whats ignored is the central role of the cathedral church and their very solemn liturgies, which formed the backbone of medieval european devotion, as the cathedral was often the only parish where the major feasts were celebrated, and where homilies were often preached later in the day, in the square, to large crowds. A lot of silly mistakes or fallacies in the video.

[krayze]

Thanks for the presentation. Having said all this, there is no reason V2 couldn't have just made small reforms to enhance the rubrics around active participation rather than create an entire new liturgy that has so thoroughly devolved over the decades that your average N.O. today has no resemblance to, and is not faithful to, neither the foundational reforms laid out in Sacrosanctum Concilium nor--in many cases--the GIRM. This talk is basically an academic discourse on how great "unicorn" N.O. masses are.