Thursday, June 4, 2020 –
Again, another day of last-minute TLM questions. I promise, however, that these are leading up to the new Mass. You can consider them “cross-over” questions, if you will, because they can be applied to either the old or the new.
Why does the Priest face away from us?
The Priest is not “facing away” from you, but rather facing towards the Lord. He is facing “Liturgical East” WITH you. There is a long-standing tradition rooted in Scripture that tells us Christ will come again…from the East. The Priest leads us (the people) in facing towards the Lord. He is not turning his back on us. Rather, he is humbly offering the Sacrifice of the Mass and standing before God on our behalf. I cover ad orientem and versus populum below.
What does ad orientem mean?
This has to do with what direction the Priest faces during Mass. Ad orientem literally means “to the East.” It is the Priest and the congregation facing the same direction—towards the Lord—and is called “Liturgical East.” The Priest does NOT have his back to you. Rather, he is leading you in prayer…towards the Lord!
Way back in the day, when it was a little easier to get land and less government fuss over where and how you built something, Churches were literally built “to the East.” This harkens back to Matthew 24:27, “For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west: so shall the coming of the Son of man be.” (Douay-Rheims, 1899) Facing East is one of the most ancient traditions we have. Early Church Fathers believed that Christ triumphant return will come from the East.
In the Traditional Latin Mass, you will only ever see the Priest celebrate ad orientem. In the rubrics, or “stuff Priests have to follow,” the Mass only allows for this because for most of the Mass the Priest is talking TO God, not us. In fact, the rubrics specify when the Priest is supposed to turn to us and address us.
What does versus populum mean?
Versus populum means “facing the people.” The Priest is standing behind the altar and facing towards the congregation. Some have argued that this is more “historically accurate” for the Mass because this is how the Last Supper was done: everyone facing each other. However, that was Christ instituting the Eucharist. A Priest is “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ), but most of the prayers of the Mass are TO Christ and the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity. The Priest is praying on our behalf TO God.
When you think of the Mass in that context, it makes more sense for the Priest to be facing the same direction as the congregation. Let’s put this into a real-world scenario for students (because remember, this is a 3rd-grade CCD):
If you and your class wanted to talk to your teacher, you don’t all start clamoring at once (at least not if you want to be heard). You band together and elect a leader to speak on behalf of everyone present. That person then faces the teacher and speaks to her! It would be super awkward for your representative to turn his back on your teacher and still expect to be listened to. Your teacher is going to assume you all are not speaking to her.
What is the official language of the Church?
Latin! This has been the official language of the Church since the fourth century. Latin was one of the three languages that Pontius Pilate printed on the Crucifix, the other two being Hebrew and Greek.
Christ and the Apostles spoke Aramaic, a language from the Syrian region closely related to Hebrew. The Gospels, however, were written in Greek, and most of the early Church Fathers used Greek in the Liturgy. Around the second century the Church leaders began using Latin more than Greek. In the fourth century, Latin was adopted as the official language of the Church, and has been so to this day.
How should I dress for Mass?
Remember, Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity is right in front of you! You should make every effort to look your best and be on your best behavior because Jesus is really there! While not everyone has super fancy clothes, you should try to wear your best. Mass is not something you “do” on Sundays. Mass is literally spending time with GOD! There is no greater Person in all of creation.
Saint Cyprian, pray for us!
