8/7/2019 Ad Orientem by Bishop Edward J. Slattery, Diocese of Tulsa, OK

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 f r o m t h e b i s h o p

Liturgical Calendar: St. Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Sept. 3

Because the Massis so necessaryand fundamentalto our Catholic

experience, the liturgy is aconstant topic in our con-versation. That is why whenwe get together, we so oftenreflect upon the prayers andreadings, discuss the homily,and – likely as not – argueabout the music. The criticalelement in these conversa-tions is an understandingthat we Catholics worshipthe way we do because of what the Mass is: Christ’ssacrifice, offered under thesacramental signs of breadand wine.

If our conversation about the Massis going to “make any sense,” then wehave to grasp this essential truth: At

Mass, Christ joins us to Himself as Heoffers Himself in sacrifice to the Fatherfor the world’s redemption. We canoffer ourselves like this in Him becausewe have become members of His Bodyby Baptism.

 We also want to remember that allof the faithful offer the Eucharistic Sac-rifice as members of Christ’s body. It’sincorrect to think that only the priestoffers Mass. All the faithful share in theoffering, even though the priest has aunique role. He stands “in the person of 

Christ,” the historic Head of the Mysti-cal Body, so that, at Mass, it is the wholebody of Christ – Head and memberstogether that make the offering.

Facing the same directionFrom ancient times, the position of 

the priest and the people reflected thisunderstanding of the Mass, since thepeople prayed, standing or kneeling,in the place that visibly corresponded

Revival of ancient ritebrings multiple advantages,some misperceptions

 Adorientem

Eastern Oklahoma Catholic 2 September 2009 | www.dioceseoftulsa.org

8/7/2019 Ad Orientem by Bishop Edward J. Slattery, Diocese of Tulsa, OK

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ad-orientem-by-bishop-edward-j-slattery-diocese-of-tulsa-ok 2/2ativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sept. 8 | St. Peter Claver, priest Sept. 9 | Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sept.12 | Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sept. 14 

to Our Lord’s Body, while the priest atthe altar stood at the head as the Head. We formed the whole Christ – Headand members – both sacramentallyby Baptism and visibly by our posi-tion and posture. Just as importantly,everyone – celebrant and congregation– faced the same direction, since theywere united with Christ in offering tothe Father Christ’s unique, unrepeat-able and acceptable sacrifice.

 When we study the most ancient

liturgical practices of the Church, wefind that the priest and the people facedin the same direction, usually towardthe east, in the expectation that whenChrist returns, He will return “from theeast.” At Mass, the Church keeps vigil,

waiting for that return. This single posi-tion is called ad orientem, which simplymeans “toward the east.”

Multiple advantagesHaving the priest and people cel-

ebrate Mass ad orientem was the liturgi-cal norm for nearly 18 centuries. Theremust have been solid reasons for theChurch to have held on to this posturefor so long. And there were! First of all,the Catholic liturgy has always main-tained a marvelous adherence to the

 Apostolic Tradition. We see the Mass,indeed the whole liturgical expressionof the Church’s life, as something whichwe have received from the Apostles andwhich we, in turn, are expected to handon intact. (1 Corinthians 11:23)

Secondly, the Church held on to thissingle eastward position because of thesublime way it reveals the nature of theMass. Even someone unfamiliar withthe Mass who reflected upon the cel-

ebrant and the faithful being orientedin the same direction would recognizethat the priest stands at the head of thepeople, sharing in one and the sameaction, which was – he would notewith a moment’s longer reflection – anact of worship.

 An innovation with unforeseenconsequences

In the last 40 years, however, thisshared orientation was lost; now the

priest and thepeople have be-come accustomedto facing in oppositedirections. The priestfaces the people while

the people face thepriest, even thoughthe EucharisticPrayer is directedto the Father andnot to the people.

This innova-tion was introduced afterthe Vatican Council,partly to help the peopleunderstand the liturgi-cal action of the Massby allowing them to

see what was goingon, and partly as anaccommodation tocontemporary culturewhere people who exer-cise authority are expectedto face directly the peoplethey serve, like a teachersitting behind her desk.

Unfortunately thischange had a number of unforeseen and largelynegative effects. First of 

all, it was a serious rup-ture with the Church’s an-cient tradition. Secondly,it can give the appearancethat the priest and thepeople were engaged in aconversation about God,rather than the worshipof God. Thirdly, it placesan inordinate importanceon the personality of the

– Bishop Edward J. Slattery

celebrant by placing him on a kind of liturgical stage.

Recovering the sacredEven before his election as the

successor to St. Peter, Pope Benedicthas been urging us to draw uponthe ancient liturgical practice of theChurch to recover a more authenticCatholic worship. For that reason, Ihave restored the venerable ad orientemposition when I celebrate Mass at theCathedral.

This change ought not to be miscon-strued as the Bishop “turning his backon the faithful,” as if I am being incon-siderate or hostile. Such an interpreta-tion misses the point that, by facing in

the same direction, the posture of thecelebrant and the congregationmake explicit the fact thatwe journey together to God.Priest and people are onthis pilgrimage together.

It would also be a mis-taken notion to look at

the recovery of thisancient traditionas a mere “turn-ing back of theclock.” Pope

Benedict hasspoken re-

peatedly of theimportance of 

celebrating Massad orientem, but hisintention is not toencourage celebrantsto become “liturgicalantiquarians.” Rather,His Holiness wantsus to discover whatunderlies this ancient

tradition and madeit viable for so manycenturies, namely,the Church’s under-standing that theworship of the Massis primarily and es-sentially the worship

which Christ offers toHis Father.

When we study the most ancient litur-gical practices of the Church, we findthat the priest and the people faced inthe same direction, usually toward the

east, in the expectation that whenChrist returns, He will return“from the east.”