Up until 1955, it was done outside of Mass and reserved for monasteries, cathedrals or seminaries and religious houses. The superior or abbot or bishop or rector washed the feet of those clerics symbolic of the events of Our Lord at the Last Supper and as a sign of priesthood.
The rubrics are clear, the Latin word phrase is "viri selecti" or selected men.
The man in charge of the law has dispensed with the law and puts faithful priests in parishes who have resisted demands by feminist liturgical nazis to wash their feet in difficult position.
My advice to priests is this: the foot-washing in the the Mass (in either Form) is optional, just like the "sign of peace."
Option it out and save yourself the grief!
If the Bishop of Rome wishes to display an act of charity to those in prisons or muslims, etc., this is a wonderful thing to do. There are 364 other days of the year to display this charity and example. Holy Thursday is not one of them.
5 comments:
I just received an e-mail this morning from our pastor who (for the first time) is asking for "volunteers" for the foot-washing from among everyone involved in parish ministries (EMHCs, lectors, ushers, catechists, etc.). Up till this year, our liturgically-orthodox pastor had selected 12 men, but we have a new bishop this year who has made it clear that he has no interest in rubrics or traditions, so volunteers it is.
Murray, you're in Canada and probably rural, right? I was going to write to find another Church.
First of all, the priest cannot be forced to break the rubrics, it is clear "viri selecti" the law has not changed. So, you can remind your Pastor that it is "optional" and he can option it out, I know many priests around Toronto who do just that.
If I were a parishioner in that that parish and this was going to happen, I would either pretend that I was Orthodox and go out for a smoke for a while (and then withhold my money as a protest) or I would simply no go. Holy Thursday is not obligatory.
Let's see what could you do?
You could gather your family for a nice meal around the table, read the texts of the Mass aloud (the old Mass of course), read all the four Gospel accounts of the Last Supper and after that and when the coast is clear, go to the parish and do a Holy Hour in front of Our Blessed Lord in reparation for the abomination that your new bishop is permitting/forcing.
Yep, that's what I would do.
Your thoughts?
Well, without wanting to give too much away:
- I'm in Canada, yes.
- It's a cathedral parish, so the bishop has the say.
- My son is serving that Mass, so I should be there.
Our previous bishop was solidly orthodox (if hardly traditional), and he allowed our rector to transform the Cathedral's liturgy into something quite reverent (though the music ministry still does more or less as it pleases). Our new bishop roams through the nave during his homily doing an uncanny Stuart McLean/Vinyl Café impression--complete with audience participation--inserts lengthy mini-homilies on contentious social issues between the final blessing and the dismissal, and generally gives the impression that liturgical rules are impediments to his mojo.
For the first time since converting several years ago, I am dreading the Triduum this year (What will the bishop do on Good Friday? I hate to think.) Unfortunately, we can't hightail it, since various family members are scheduled for most Masses, but I might go celebrate the Vigil with the Anglican-use Catholics. (No Latin Masses are available that evening.)
Well you cannot go wrong with the Ordinariate. I will be in Zephyr at the Carmel of the Infant Jesus for the whole Triduum northwest of Toronto.
Lovely, a real retreat and pilgrimage.
voxcantoris@rogers.com
The Carmel of the Infant Jesus at Zephyr is north east of Toronto...
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