The Eucharist is the source and summit, the font and apex, of the Church’s life. As a result, the Mass is at the heart of the Church, a constituent part of the daily and weekly ecclesiastical rhythm. In many ways, the liturgy has become a battleground of sorts, with many people trying to use the Mass to justify or bolster their own views about the Church or any number of Church teachings.
Because it is such a fundamentally important aspect of the Church’s life, it is important for Catholics to have a deep understanding of the Mass, and how it has developed through the centuries. Fr. Uwe Michael Lang’s latest book, A Short History of the Roman Mass, is a tremendously succinct, informative, and easy to understand contribution to this effort.
Fr. Lang is the author of many other books about the liturgy, including Turning Towards the Lord: Orientation in Liturgical Prayer, Signs of the Holy One: Liturgy, Ritual, and Expression of the Sacred, and The Voice of the Church at Prayer: Reflections on Liturgy and Language.
He recently spoke with The Catholic World Report about his latest book, the importance of understanding how the Mass has developed over the centuries, and how such an understanding can help in liturgical controversies of the day.
CWR: How did this book come about?
Fr. Uwe Michael Lang: In 2022, my monograph The Roman Mass: From Early Christian Origins to Tridentine Reform was published by Cambridge University Press.
This book begins with a discussion of the Last Supper and examines the history of the basic structure and ritual shape of the Mass in the Roman tradition until the Missal of Pope St Pius V (1570). Writing such a work had been on my mind for some years. The difficult COVID period, with its lockdowns and other restrictions, gave me the opportunity to focus on this project. At the same time, Chris Carstens, the editor of Adoremus Bulletin, had invited me to write short entries on the history of the Roman Mass.
Once this series was completed, I reworked these entries into a single text, which–unlike my longer monograph—takes the argument to our present day.
CWR: What’s the purpose of knowing the history of the Mass? What can we learn from it?
Lang: If I may paraphrase Saint John Henry Newman, to be Catholic is to be deep in history. The history of the Church shows us how God’s Revelation is received in the life, worship, and thought of His people.
And this history is not simply in the past but is present in the Church’s living Tradition. An understanding of the rich and complex development of the Mass throughout the ages helps us to participate consciously and fruitfully in the liturgy today.
CWR: Are there common misconceptions about the liturgy, and particularly about its history and development?
Lang: There is a widespread narrative that the liturgy of the Western Church moved from early dynamic development through medieval decline to Tridentine stagnation and was only revived in the wake of Vatican II. This narrative still has considerable traction both in academic publications and in the broader public, despite its questionable interpretation of historical sources.
In my book, I challenge this narrative. For instance, I intend to show that the later medieval period, which has sustained damning criticism from liturgists, has been somewhat rehabilitated by secular historians. The liturgy in this complex period offers not only signs of decay but also of vitality and was deeply rooted in the people’s practice of the faith.
CWR: Is there a difference–and if so, is this difference important–between organic development of the liturgy, and inorganic top-down changes?
Lang: The concept of “organic” development is not an easy one. It draws on biological imagery and suggests a natural, continuous development over time, as opposed to a technical model of deliberate construction.
In fact, liturgical development was often the result of authoritative decisions, taken by a religious superior, a bishop, a synod of bishops, a pope, or even a king or emperor. In the long history of the Roman Mass, there were no doubt moments of ritual change and innovation that make it difficult to apply the category “organic”.
However, I believe it is justified to speak of organic development once the Roman Order of Mass had acquired its distinctive structure in late antiquity. This Order of Mass was enshrined in the 1570 missal and is essentially maintained in the 1970/2002 missal.
Another factor should be considered here: pre-modern means of communication and administration meant that any liturgical reform depended on local initiative and preceded necessarily by a slow and gradual pace–and hence more organically. There is no precedence for the speed, the efficiency and the global reach that has marked ritual change since the twentieth century.
CWR: The use of what is now known as the Extraordinary Form of the Mass has become an incredibly contentious issue. Can an understanding of the history and development of the Mass in the Latin Rite help inform the debate on this issue?
Lang: I hope that my work will put this contentious issue on a more solid historical footing. You can find exaggerated historical claims across this debate.
Through the centuries, the celebration of Mass was affected by many religious, social, cultural, political and economic transformations. For a historian, change over such a long period and such a wide geographical area is to be expected.
But it is the essential continuity that should be noticed, and this continuity connects us with the words and actions of Jesus at the Last Supper.
CWR: The Roman Mass is one expression of the Church’s rich liturgical patrimony; there are many Eastern rite liturgical traditions, which this book is not meant to address. Is it important to also understand these Eastern rites, even for Latin Rite Catholics? Can this help us to understand our own rite better, and to appreciate the Mass more fully?
Lang: It is a great enrichment for Latin-Rite Catholics to encounter the Eastern rites, which have developed in different ways. These historical rites have common roots and share the same ethos. The Eastern liturgies use distinct linguistic, cultural, and artistic forms of expression, which can help us to appreciate both the limits and the treasures of our own tradition.
For instance, I am struck by the beauty and depth of the Byzantine rite of marriage, which makes the Roman version look rather “low church”, but I prefer the aesthetic of Gregorian chant to that of Byzantine chant.
CWR: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
Lang: For centuries, the celebration of Mass was shaping culture and inspiring art. Knowing about the historical development of the Roman Mass will give readers a better appreciation of Western civilisation.
Moreover, the liturgy is a witness to the faith of the Church and can teach us about this faith.
Most importantly, I hope that the book will help readers to have a deeper understanding of the great and profound mystery that is celebrated in the Holy Eucharist.
Image Source: AB/Ignatius Press / www.ignatius.com
