Getting back to basics in our understanding of the Mass

THOSE WHO KNEW Cardinal Hume in his private moments, or among a group of priests, were well aware of his great worry about the lack of reverence for the Eucharist in recent times.
I think he felt that while there were some very good insights into the doctrine of the Eucharist, nevertheless there had been a diminution in the prayerful attitude to the Sacrament Often, in all these things, there is the swing of the pendulum, and in emphasising the community aspect of the Mass, its sacrificial nature, along with the role of the priest, has been diminished.
This was obviously a matter of great concern to the Cardinal, who took his responsibffity as a bishop, and therefore as a teacher of the Faith, very seriously. He was not ready to blame anybody. It is a case where ideas go wild. And in the heady days after Vatican Two, when thoughts were thought that were unthinkable in a previous age, then ideas were promulgated that damaged the very kernel of the doctrine of the Eucharist.
We can give no better thanks to the Cardinal's memory, than to reflect on his thoughts. What worried him was that an air of casualness seemed to have entered into the celebration of the Mass. It was a kind of "dumbing down" of the theology of the Eucharist, seeing it only in the celebration of the Mass — whereas the Eucharist is a much wider devotion, which we honour in such services as Benediction and in the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament reserved on our altars. "The Real Presence": words that say so much in our understanding of the Eucharist.
We have only to think of the special quality of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in We Cathedral to understand that we are in a holy place; that much prayer has been offered here in the sacramental presence of God himself.
An appreciation of the Blessed Sacrament comes with faith and with the time spent before the Blessed Sacrament.
We know that when he was told of his inoperable cancer, he went into the chapel of the hospital and sat before the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour — an obvious and natural reaction to the sentence of death.
In some recent writings of his, he has reminded us of the sacrificial nature of the Mass, of how Calvary is made present in the Mass, of how our Lord experienced our pain and gave it meaning and purpose.
"I rarely understand that purpose. But suffering and pain are our human condition, ... that suffering is symbolised in the Eucharist."
The Mass, then, is the one complete sacrifice of Christ, re-enacted "through the consecrated bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ, transcending time and space, enabling us to be present at the foot of the cross and close to the empty tomb".
Quite recently Cardinal Hume assisted Bishop Vincent Nichols in producing a video entitled Exploring the Mass. It is a marvellous opportunity to see the Cardinal again, and to hear him talk about what he loved most in his life — the Mass. The understanding of the Mass is of supreme importance for any Catholic, he says, and the understanding of it cannot start too early in life. It is the duty of parents and teachers to bring their children to this understanding. They must teach the essential truths of the faith.
The video of the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Nichols with reflections by the Cardinal, is indeed a stimulating lesson. The Cardinal's words are the reflections of 'a man deep in spirituality. This video, though primarily directed at schools, has lessons for us all: the dignity and calm, the reverential attitude, the acceptance that we are in a holy place engaged upon holy things, to worship, honour and love.
There can be no greater acknowledgement on the part of the clergy If we have lost sight of the essential mystery of the Mass, if we now only think of the Mass in terms of community and, as one priest said, see more importance in the sign of peace than in the consecration, then we do need to bring back the sense of mystery, that it is a holy thing we do.
For it is in a sense an unnatural thing to be doing, and we don't help ourselves by minimising the mystery and making the Mass like some ordinary occurrence. We should bring back those supports which bolster our belief in the Eucharist: a universal revival of Benediction, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, but above all, the encouragement of the faithful to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, short or long.
And then there is the use of all the sacramentals, that sadly we have consigned to the waste bin.
If your parish doesn't come under any of these strictures, blessed are you. But it was the Cardinal's distress at the unevenness of parish dedication to the Mass that did disturb him.
If the church is a playroom and a meeting place for adults immediately prior to the Mass, then it is difficult for people to switch on to the holy purpose for which they have come. But if silence is encouraged, then a prayerful atmosphere can dominate the beginning of the Mass. It is natural for people to want to talk, but the clergy don't have to encourage it. The kiss of peace can be done sincerely without the parishioners charging all over the place. It is a hardly a good prelude to the recollection that is needed all too soon for Holy Communion.
All in all, the Cardinal's farewell message to us is to get back to basics in our understanding of what the Mass is truly about, and then expound it and live it simply and clearly. We owe this to his memory.
The video Exploring the Mass, with its accompanying books for students and teachers, are published by the Catholic Truth Society