Featured among Fr. Nicola’s many publications is the book ‘How to Go to Mass and Not Lose Your Faith‘, which has met with great success over the years and has been reprinted several times.
Newsroom (04/07/20:00, Gaudium Press) Fr. Nicola Bux, a theologian, liturgy expert and close collaborator of Benedict XVI, was appointed by the former Pope as one of the Consultors of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Featured among Fr. Nicola’s many publications is the book ‘How to Go to Mass and Not Lose Your Faith‘ (Edizioni Piemme), which has met with great success over the years and has been reprinted several times.
The very title of this book – ‘How to Go to Mass and Not Lose Your Faith’ – might give rise to a question in the reader’s mind…‘Is there a danger of losing your faith at Mass’? Yes, there is a possibility, according to the author himself in an interview with ‘Christians Today’, wherein he specifically explained the title.
The Mass and the moments of the celebration
We know that the Mass is divided into two parts: the first is dedicated to the Liturgy of the Word and the second part concerns the Eucharistic Consecration, when Jesus becomes fully present in the Bread and Wine.
A problem that arises in our days is that, at times, some priests rush through the second part of the celebration of the Mass. Questioned on this issue, Fr. Nicola replied that the part of the Mass belonging to the Liturgy of the Word is drawn out with longer readings, more extended psalms, and also with the priest’s very lenghty homilies – something also lamented by Pope Francis.
“It can be remedied,” says Fr. Nicola, “especially concerning the homily, in not allowing it to exceed ten minutes so that it does not unbalance the celebration. Instead, the homily must act like a sort of key that closes the Liturgy of the Word and opens the Eucharistic Celebration; the Eucharist is the central part of the Holy Mass.”
What is the Mass? What is its origin?
Fr. Nicola explains in his book that the origin of the Mass comes from Jesus having offered Himself as a Victim of atonement to save humanity from sin. From a faith point of view, the Mass was born on Good Friday, while from a formal point of view, it was instituted partly within the Last Supper, as well as after the Supper. “To say that the Mass originated only within the Last Supper is incorrect,” says Fr. Nicola, who has devoted a few pages of the book to this very subject.
Priests singing and dancing to non-liturgical songs at Mass
We have seen news reports on behaviour in some churches that have caused a stir among the people: priests who dance and sing non-liturgical songs in church, priests who even have entered the church on bicycles, or who sing songs by modern musical groups, etc. In the interview, Fr. Nicola expressed his thoughts on all this:
“This is due to the lack of belief in the ‘church’ as a place of Divine Presence and especially of the Liturgy as a Sacred action, carried out in the presence of the Lord”.
He continues: “Today, there is a sense that many (including ministers of worship and priests), celebrate the Mass as if they forget what they are doing, ignoring that this celebration is taking place in the Presence of God. Lacking this awareness, they lose the perception of Divine Presence and the sacred.
We must recover the sense of the Church as the place of the Divine Presence so that the actions of the priests have real meaning and significance.”
The Position of the Tabernacle
The placement of the Tabernacle in a church plays a vital role in the perception of the importance given to Our Lord’s Presence. Jesus is the Son of God, the Master of the house, and in some parishes or churches, He seems to be hidden in some area or corner where the people cannot see Him unless they go specifically searching for Him. Fr. Nicola said the following: “A well-known bishop, upon entering churches and not finding the Tabernacle dared to repeat the words of Mary Magdalene: ‘Where is my Lord? I do not know where they have placed Him’. The bishop made this remark to point out that this sort of change of placement and custody of the Eucharist deeply disorients the faithful.
Various excuses were given to the bishop for why the Tabernacle was not permanently placed upon the altar.
During the late Middle Ages and the Tridentine reform, the Tabernacle had found its place in the centre because the Church wished to affirm that the Lord’s Presence is truly real and must be perceived by all.
At a critical time when there is a crisis of faith, having the physical Tabernacle decentralized has certainly not increased the sense of the Divine Presence in the faithful, and consequently has also negatively affected Eucharistic Adoration,” says Fr. Nicola.
Communion in the hands
Today with the pandemic, another question has arisen: Communion in the hands. There are those who say that if the Church allows it, then all is well and there is no issue. There are also those who say that despite the permission and circumstances, touching the Body of Christ with non-consecrated hands is like committing a sacrilege. Wherein lies the truth?
According to Fr. Nicola, the truth lies somewhere in between, though it is well known that since antiquity, this issue has been the subject of different interpretations. For example, some claim that Jesus would have given Communion to the Apostles in their hands when He said, ‘Take and eat.’ But according to Fr. Nicola, this is not correct; in the interview he elaborates:
“I believe that this situation got off to a bad start in the time of Pope Paul VI, who was not convinced of the rightness of this concession (to give Communion in the hand), but who later allowed the practice through an indult.
It should be kept in mind that if Holy Communion in the hand were done with great reverence by the faithful, with a sense of adoration, it would not be a problem. However, we know that some faithful do not receive the Body of Christ with devotion and attention.”
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
