You may have heard that all Catholic masses were once conducted entirely in Latin. Some who attended understood what was being said, but many sat and prayed by themselves. That was true right up until the early 1960s, when it all changed with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
While few modern people have ties to the Latin service anymore (I've never even been to one), I would venture to say that "Sunday services in a foreign language" is symbolic of the essence of Catholicism, and a really big difference from Protestants.
I know it seems absolutely outrageous to go to church and not even understand the words, but let me explain:
Protestants are more cerebral, for better and sometimes for worse. They have a focus on the "word" and on sermons that explain.
Catholics are all about atmosphere, for better and sometimes for worse. We focus on art, ritual and ancient chants. The fact that you can't understand the words may actually help you to speak that spiritual language and catch the haunts of the ancients who have come before.
I admit I think of the Catholic Church when I think of the Jedi from Star Wars--the crumbling remains of an ancient empire, an order of priests mysterious and bold, shadows and incense and echoes in old stone cathedrals.
Modern masses are supposed to be a happy balance between the cerebral and the intuitive, though--using the local language in words folks can understand and having a sermon which is an exposition on the Biblical texts are two ways to bring the rational, deductive mind into the mass. From what I have heard, the Eastern churches (such as the Orthodox or the Eastern Catholic rites) are even more atmospheric.
Both traditions are good, but each can be a trap if left unbalanced. Atmosphere is great, but you need to have some sort of rational understanding of it. But too much explaining can lead to endless logical formulas that miss the mark.
The use of extensive metaphor in the parables and elsewhere in the gospels should show that sermons are not the only proper way to interact with the Divine. Symbols can go to places that no sermon can go. And you also need good explanations and discussions.
Looking at a Catholic mass through Protestant eyes, it is easy to come away feeling unfulfilled. Going to a hurried mass lacking in enthusiasm doesn't help, either. But I'm saying that there is a fundamental difference in approach to the Sunday service. It is easy to miss if you are expecting it to come in a different way.
One of the most beautiful religious services I ever attended was a candlelit "night church" Lutheran service in Copenhagen, when I didn't understand a thing that was going on.
ReplyDeleteI think that Protestant services often lack an appreciation of the value of image and symbol.
There is an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal church in San Francisco that offers Latin masses every other Saturday. I've considered paying them a visit.
The nice thing about attending a service in an unfamiliar language is that you don't have to worry about whether you have doctrinal differences with the preacher! LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing, but in all seriousness, that may not be a bad way to go--having a pure experience of symbol and images without all the words to get in the way.
Actually, I think that is no joke. :) I believe that it actually did allow me to enjoy the service more for just that reason.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird. I spent a lot of my life despising Catholicism for what I felt was its meaningless, empty ritual that gave me nothing.
ReplyDeleteBut recently, I'd been going to a Protestant "non-demonimational" church with my boyfriend. And it basically involves singing about 4-5 hymns (modern ones), then a sermon, and then a few more songs to close. It wasnt connecting with me. I then came to the conclusion that--lo and behold!--I like ritual and would actually prefer a service with more of the ritual, less of the preaching.
For some reason, the guys giving these Protestant sermons come off to me as though they "know it all." There's something phoney to me in their slick appearances and their attitude of explaining the Divine in such plainative terms to the masses. I feel like I'm being talked down to, like I am too stupid to understand the Bible on my own. I have a degree in English, for Pete's sake. Besides, it's my belief that what you read in the Bible takes on different meanings to you at different times and that the experience is personal. When I'm listening to these glamorous sermons, I feel as though I'm being spoonfed some other guy's interpretation of the texts... and I might not agree with him!
Anyway, I'm finding a need for more ritual again. Maybe I should check out Lutheran or another Catholic church. I've been tempted to go into a local Episocalian church to see what it is like. I kind of enjoy the freedom I have right now, to bob in and out of churches just to see what they are doing and what they are saying.
I will say, though, that I would love to go back to another old church and listen to a mass said in Latin or some other language. I want to recapture that feeling I got at Duomo in Italy. Sometimes spirituality and feeling the Divine has nothing at all to do with what someone has said to you; it has more to do with a feeling you experience at a moment. That's when I always find God.
I think you're right when you say there needs to be a balance. For a long time I attended an Evangelical Church, very modern in it's approach, but fundamental in its teaching. I think they were trying to say that there was more to God than traditions and repeating the same thing over and over again, and of course, there is. However, I did find myself missing the smell of candles and incence and atmosphere of a Anglican church that I went to as a child. It all just added another dimension and was more respectful somehow.
ReplyDeleteSo - although I agree completely with what you have said, there's also elements within the Protestant church that have something to offer by way of tradition and heritage.
Pauline
Pauline,
ReplyDeleteYou are right that I was probably clumsy in my Catholic/Protestant descriptions. Protestants do have longstanding traditions, as well! I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. Also, some don't focus on the sermon that much and have liturgy, as well.
Frank, you have been around a lot of different types of churches right? Do you have any suggestions for type of Protestant church to look at? Methodist? Disciples of Christ? United Church of Christ? Lutheran? Do these in and of themselves have varying degrees of liturgy?
ReplyDeleteMars Girl, if you are looking for liturgy, I think that both Lutherans and especially Episcopalians tend to be bigger on liturgy. I think that it can vary from congregation to congregation, though, which is probably true as well of congregational churches like the UCC.
ReplyDeleteBack in my church hopping days, people kept dragging me to evangelical churches, so I really haven't attended too many on the mainline Protestant side. But I have been to Quaker and Mennonite services, both of which are worth checking out. The American Friends (Quakers) are particularly active in Akron, OH. I'd love to check out the Orthodox, who are supposed to be more similar to the Byzantine Church (like Diane's).
ReplyDeleteMethodists are supposed to be non-liturgical, I believe, but when I have attended they seemed to follow the flow of a mass pretty well, albeit loosely. I'd love to know how this developed historically--did they keep the tradition alive from their Catholic days, or did they coincidentally re-invent those same traditions? It went like this:
Introduction
Readings (OT, psalm, NT, then the gospel)
Sermon
Petitions
Some weeks they have communion.
Give or take some elements, that matches the flow of a mass pretty well. It makes me wonder if that flow is somehow a natural thing in Chrisitanity that churches will end up developing on their own if given enough time, or whether that is something inherited from earlier times. Fascinating.
I know there are some Methodists out there reading. Any thoughts from ya'll?
Can you just pop in on a Mennonite church? I kind of thought they were a little exclusive (for some reason). Dont they all know each other (as Jackie Wyse's essay in Hiram USA seemed to indicate when she encountered someone at the Aurora Mennonite Church who kind of knew people she knew)? I am sure they would immediately know me as an outsider, whereas I feel I can slide into a Lutheran church unseen for the most part... Though, I will admit that Jackie's essay about her Mennonite experiences made me really curious...
ReplyDeleteAre Quakers the ones who have that service were they sit in silence? Or as that someone else?
Okay, my theological understandings are quite minimal, I admit.
Are Quakers the ones who have that service were they sit in silence? Or as that someone else?
ReplyDeleteYeah, they just sit there.
They used to quake, but not so much anymore. :)
Seriously, though, they were a big support to the Catholic Worker when we got started in Akron. They are a denomination with major social justice interests.
Has you heard of the Taize Community in France?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique8.html
It's something I just know of from a distance and would like to go along to experience one of their services.
They sing some beautiful worship songs, chants and the like, mostly in French!
One of the most 'spiritual' moments I've had was meeting with others in a friends house - we either closed our eyes or focussed on a candle, whilst listening to some Taize music played on a tape in the background. There was such a deep sense of peace I still remember it 15 years later.
I would love to check out Taize. I have been to some services that were Taize based. They were nice, and I can imagine what its like when its powerful.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of different varieties of Taize-style services. I've been to a couple different ones in my city, and I prefer one of them a lot more over the other. I am curious how much these services resemble what is done in the community of Taize itself, or if Taize-style services tend to develop in their own directions. The one I like has more eclectic readings as part of the service, for example.
ReplyDelete