The Introductory Rites - Part 8
Part eight of a series I'm writing for inclusion in the weekly Parish Bulletin of St Francis of Assisi Parish, Dungog Gresford
In Part 7, we briefly looked at the Confiteor, the general confession that is mentioned in n.51 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Having done so, we’ll move on to look at some of the other options that are available as means of celebrating the Penitential Act.
The second option mentioned in The Roman Missal is one that is not used very often, which is a great pity given both its simplicity and beauty.
This second option follows the same pattern of an introduction from the Presider followed by a period of silence. After the silence, the following dialogue takes place (P = Presider; A = All):
P: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
A: For we have sinned against you.
P: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
A: And grant us your salvation.
This dialogue is followed by the same absolution as when the Confiteor is used.
Again, the words used invoke a requirement to both confront our sins and call upon God’s mercy, though in a different manner to that which we use when the Confiteor. This option, beautiful and simple, should really see more usage as a regular alternative to the Confiteor and amid all the other options available as part of the Penitential Act.
Which brings us to the third and perhaps the most used option for the Penitential Act, which has the broad style of a litany.
This litany style involves the use of statements of praise followed by an invocation. And although the there are only three such pairings of statement and invocation, this remains a litany in style, with everything that goes a long with it.
There is one such set of statements and invocations found in the Order of Mass, but The Roman Missal features an appendix (no VI) which contains a number of other ‘sample’ invocations. It is interesting to note that the Missal’s appendix calls the other versions contained therein samples, as this gives a worshipping community scope to create other versions that might better respond to a particular occasion or set of circumstances that prevail for that worshipping community.
Yet caution must be exercised here.
The statements of praise, also known as a ‘trope’, which are the important part of this option focus on God and what God has done, is doing, or will do for those who are called God’s people. They are not focussed on us and what we do; they are meant to be praises directed towards God. And sometimes when communities write their own tropes, they might forget this and focus on the community rather than on God and what God does out of love for the community.
By way of a simple example: we should not say “O God, we have sinned against you” but rather say “O God, you forgive us our sins”. All the tropes must be God-centric rather than community-centric.
Worshipping communities should take advantage of this possibility when circumstances call for it and craft tropes that are both appropriate and relevant to the occasion but always be careful to ensure that what they craft is about praising God and God’s goodness.
The other part of this option for the Penitential Act is the use of the invocation, which is found in a call and response fashion. The invocation is, more often than not, “Lord, have mercy”, then “Christ, have mercy”, and then “Lord, have mercy” again. This is first spoken by the Presider and then repeated by the entire Assembly.
The invocation (and the tropes) could also be spoken by others, including the Deacon, a cantor, or another minister. It is not exclusively the role of the Presider, though this is the usual practice in most parishes in Australia.
There is the possibility of this third option being sung if that is an option, with both the trope and first invocation being intoned by the appropriate minister and then the Assembly singing the response. On the more solemn occasions across the liturgical year, this is perhaps something to be considered.
And the last thing to be said about this third option for the Penitential Act is that there is an alternative invocation that can be used. Instead of “Lord, have mercy” it is possible to use “Kyrie, eleison” and “Christ, have mercy” can be replaced by “Christe, eleison”.
This version, which is in Greek rather than Latin as some might imagine, reflects these words which are found in the Gospels, whose original language was indeed Greek. Again, this is an option, and one that should perhaps be used often enough for people to be familiar without it being an exclusive option.
The various ways in which the third option for the Penitential Act can be used is probably why it is the option that is used most frequently in parishes across Australia. The other two options, however, are also worth being used frequently enough that they are also familiar.
So all that remains now in our exploration of the Penitential Act is to look at the option of Blessing and Sprinkling of Water, which can wait until Part 9.
To be continued…