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Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Neocatechumenal Way Mass

In the past, those in the Way were receiving the Body of Christ sitting down. This has changed.  The celebrants now receive the Body of Christ standing up. Those who vehemently oppose the Way cites GIRM 161 as evidence that the Neocatechumenal Way is abusing the liturgies of the Mass.  This is what GIRM 161 states: 

GIRM 161:  If Communion is given only under the species of bread, the priest raises the host slightly and shows it to each, saying, Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ).  The communicant replies, Amen, and receives the Sacrament either on the tongue, or where this is allowed and if the communicant chooses, in the hand.  As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes it entirely.    

What the critics did not mentioned is that Chapter IV in GIRM lists several forms of the Mass. 

Section I describes the Mass with the Congregation.  Section II describes the Concelebrated Mass.  Section III describes Mass in which only one minister participates, and Section IV describes the General Norms of All Forms of Mass. See the weblink below on the different forms of Mass described in GIRM of Chapter IV, which is taken from the Vatican website: 


http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20030317_ordinamento-messale_en.html#CHAPTER_IV_



So, which form of Mass is the Neocatechumenal Way following?  It appears that it follows the second one (the Concelebrated Mass).  This is how the Concelebrated Mass is conducted regarding the way the Body of Christ is distributed: 


GIRM 242  When this prayer before Communion is finished, the principal celebrant genuflects and steps back a little. Then one after another the concelebrants come to the middle of the altar, genuflect, and reverently take the Body of Christ from the altar.  Then holding it in their right hand, with the left hand placed below, they return to their places.  The concelebrants may, however, remain in their places and take the Body of Christ from the paten presented to them by the principal celebrant or by one or more of the concelebrants, or by passing the paten one to another.  

GIRM 243  Then the principal celebrant takes a host consecrated in the same Mass, holds it slightly raised above the paten or the chalice, and, facing the people, says the Ecce Agnus Dei (This is the Lamb of God).  With the concelebrants and the people he continues, saying the Domine, non sum dignus (Lord, I am not worthy).  

GIRM 244  Then the principal celebrant, facing the altar, says quietly, Corpus Christi custodiat me ad vitam aeternam (May the body of Christ bring me to everlasting life), and reverently receives the Body of Christ.  The concelebrants do likewise, communicating themselves.  After them the deacon receives the Body and Blood of the Lord from the principal celebrant.

Notice that in the Concelebrated Mass, the Body of Christ is not consumed immediately.  The concelebrants receive the Body of Christ and do not consume it until after the priest consumes the Body of Christ first.  Then the rest of the concelebrants do the same. This is how the Neocatechumenal Way celebrates its Mass.  So, is the Neocatechumenal Way in obedience to the liturgies of the Mass as is written in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)?  The answer is yes.   

Last year during Pentecost Mass, Pope Francis stated:  "Only the Spirit can awaken diversity, plurality and multiplicity, while at the same time building unity.  Here too, when we are the ones who try to create diversity and close ourselves up in what makes us different and other, we bring division.  When we are the ones who want to build unity in accordance with our human plans, we end up creating uniformity, standardization.  But if let ourselves be guided by the Spirit, richness, variety and diversity never become a source of conflict, because he impels us to experience variety within the communion of the Church."
  



10 comments:

  1. Don't be deceived/misinformed, concelebrants are ORDAINED PRIESTS concelebrating the Mass with the Principal Celebrant (Priest), NOT LAYPEOPLE! So GIRM 242, 243, and 244 DO NOT APPLY TO LAYPEOPLE.
    GIRM 161: ......... AS SOON AS the COMMUNICANT receives the host, he or she consumes it entirely. (As soon as means immediately; communicant means those of us who wish to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus - that's us.)
    GIRM 243 Then the principal celebrant takes a host consecrated in the same Mass, holds it slightly raised above the paten or the chalice, and, facing the people, says the Ecce Agnus Dei (This is the Lamb of God). With the concelebrants (PRIESTS),AND THE PEOPLE (OTHER UPCOMING COMMUNICANTS - US) he continues, saying the Domine, non sum dignus (Lord, I am not worthy).
    GIRM 244 Then the principal celebrant (PRIEST), facing the altar, says quietly, Corpus Christi custodiat me ad vitam aeternam (May the body of Christ bring me to everlasting life), and reverently receives the Body of Christ. The concelebrants (OTHER PRIESTS) do likewise, communicating themselves. AFTER THEM (PRIESTS), the deacon receives the Body and Blood of the Lord from the principal celebrant (PRIEST). ( Note: PRIESTS (THOSE CONCELEBRATING MASS WITH THE PRINCIPAL CELEBRANT), BEFORE THE DEACON, RECEIVES COMMUNUNION UNDER BOTH SPECIES. PRIESTS MUST CONSUME BOTH THE BODY AND PRECIOUS BLOOD BEFORE ALL OTHER COMMUNICANTS, EVEN THE DEACON. - THE PRIESTS ARE THE ONLY ONES ALLOWED TO COMMUNICATE THEMSELVES.)
    So, do not be deceived by the Evil One in thinking that the Neocatechumenal Way is in obedience to Sacrifice of the Mass as is written in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM).
    Check out by googling "The Strange Mass that the Pope doesn't like" and " check out by googling " Cardinal Arinze's Letter, on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, to the Neocatechumenal Way of 2005. The Neocatechumenal Way were given no more than two years to change to the regular way of celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass - in accordance to the Roman Missal/GIRM - no additions - and - no deletions.
    Pope John Paul II also stated in his Eucharistic Encyclical and followup Redemptionis Sacramentum 2003/2004 that the Liturgical Abuses must cease - Any changes to the Mass must have RECOGNITIO - (Written permission from the Pope) THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY DOES NOT HAVE THIS.- YOU CAN ASK KIKO FOR THE WRITTEN PERMISSION - HE DOES NOT HAVE IT.
    So, the question one must ask, will the Neocatechumenal Way, humble themselves and accept the authority of the Popes. Kiko and his followers need much prayer - Satan has deceived about a million people wanting to serve God. Tell Satan to go to Hell. Satan wants to destroy what's most precious to us Catholics - the Eucharist.
    Note: Pope Francis also DID NOT GIVE Kiko and the NW Recognitio (written permission for "their" Mass). All Popes were/are impressed with the zeal of the Neo's desire to serve the Lord - all popes saw/see the need for their Masses to change though.



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    1. Dear Anonymous,

      I've already posted this so many times. The word "concelebration" had a different meaning among the first Christians that it did today. Among the Early Christians, ALL Christians were concelebrants. Today, this word has been changed to refer only to the bishops and priests.

      Were the Early Christians deceived by the Evil one when they considered all Christians concelebrants.

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  2. If my unpublished comment to this site is cause for you and the neo's to think about the disobedience they give in regards to the Mass, this is good. There is hope. However, this posting should be taken off the website, as it spreads many errors and deceives many into thinking that the neo Mass has been accepted by the Popes. Prayerfully yours,

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    1. Dear Anonymous,

      Your comments have been published. I apologize for the delay in publishing it for I was in Mass last night and couldn't get around to publishing it until this morning. Furthermore, my posts will not be taken down.

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  3. Dear Diana,
    Your phrase "the word "concelebration" had a different meaning among the first Christians that it did today.
    Can you please explain where you got that info.
    All I can find, and that's way back, is that concelebration deals with those who are able to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ - and that would only be the ministerial priesthood (the ordained).

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 12:35 p.m.,

      I got the information from "Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia" which is on sale at this weblink below. Type in the word "concelebrate" in the search button for "inside the book".:

      http://books.google.com/books/about/Our_Sunday_Visitor_s_Catholic_Encycloped.html?id=sTodToOE6pQC

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    2. Dear Diane,
      Thank you for your posting.
      The quote from "Our Sunday Visitor's..." says:
      "In the early Church had a somewhat different meaning from the present, more technical understanding. In Christian antiquity, all Christians concelebrated ACCORDING TO THEIR ROLE OR LITURGICAL ORDER IN THE CHURCH. The Bishop"
      The capitalized words are very important; they show that the ordained ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood had different roles or liturgical order in the church (even in the early Church, and even if the word "concelebrated" was used.)
      So it doesn't make sense that the NCW can assume the common priesthood would imitate the ordained ministerial priesthood.
      Therefore, the actions regarding the roles of both the ministerial and common priesthood do not conflict with the meaning in the current GIRM - no Layperson can assume the role of a ordained ministerial Priest.
      Hence, the common priesthood in the NCW cannot "concelebrate" as an ordained ministerial Priest.

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 4:43 p.m.,

      The laity in the NCW does not imitate the ordained ministerial priesthood. We still assume the common priesthood. As a female, I cannot turn the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. That role belongs to an ordained priest.

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    4. Dear Diane,
      In ref to Jul. 1, 807 PM
      I know you know a female cannot turn the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. When I used the word "imitate" it was in reference to the usage of the word "concelebrate" that you referred to in the article referring to the early church (see my post Jul 1 443 PM) and somehow made "concelebrating" the Mass as in the current GIRM applicable to the NCW (your post Feb 9 2014) where you state:

      GIRM 242 ...... The concelebrants may, however, remain in their places and take the Body of Christ from the paten presented to them by the principal celebrant or by one or more of the concelebrants, or by passing the paten one to another.

      GIRM 243 ........ With the concelebrants and the people he continues, saying the Domine, non sum dignus (Lord, I am not worthy).

      GIRM 244 Then the principal celebrant.....reverently receives the Body of Christ. The concelebrants do likewise, communicating themselves. After them the deacon receives the Body and Blood of the Lord from the principal celebrant.

      Then you emphatically pronounce:

      ''Notice that in the Concelebrated Mass, the Body of Christ is not consumed immediately. The concelebrants receive the Body of Christ and do not consume it until after the priest consumes the Body of Christ first. Then the rest of the concelebrants do the same. This is how the Neocatechumenal Way celebrates its Mass. So, is the Neocatechumenal Way in obedience to the liturgies of the Mass as is written in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)? The answer is yes.''

      Diane, sorry to say the NCW in not in obedience to the liturgies of the Mass in the GIRM- the NCW members cannot take the role of concelebrants - the laypeople are NOT ministerial priests. This is what I meant when I used the word imitate. When the Body of Christ is not consumed immediately, they are imitating priests that are concelebrating the Mass. Please note that the Priests must consume BOTH the Body and Blood of Christ BEFORE any of the laypeople receive Communion as per the GIRM.
      And please do not say again and again that the Pope gave the NCW the instructions for the NCW Mass; the instructions come from Kiko. The Popes never gave the NCW recognitio - written permission ; therefore, no approval.








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    5. Dear Anonymous at 9:55 am,

      I said that the way we receive the Body of Christ is similar to that described in the con celebrated Mass; however, there are a few differences. How it was done in Early Christianity is most likely the way the NCW does it, since the goal of the NCW is to imitate the Early Church in how they lived.

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