During the Eucharistic liturgy – at the very least during the Eucharistic prayer – when Christ the Lamb of God is immolated, the face of the priest should not be seen by the faithful. Even the Seraphim cover their faces (Isaiah 6:2) when adoring God. Instead, the face of the priest should be turned toward the cross, the icon of the crucified God.
By Steve Skojec of OnePeterFive
This is excerpts from, analysis of, and audio of [I haven’t listened to it yet] of a talk given by our old friend in Washington DC, sponsored by the Paulus Institute.
Why do we publish so much by Bishop Schneider? Well, we sponsored his visit, and I met him. Everything he said made excellent sense – while personally he struck me as being not merely humble, but infectiously joyful. (Reverence, I presume, is self-evident.) So whenever I come across something by him, I read it. And whenever I read it, I have the sensation of being hit over the head with The Truth, in the form of a hardwood 4×4.
As a general rule, I tend not to read anything on the internet which starts with a number. If you share this prejudice, make an exception for this one. You’ll realise this fairly brief list also contains the rationale for things we know and love in the traditional liturgy, in ways that – at least for me – were wonderfully fresh, and in many cases new.
It also expresses, much better than I could in a recent attempt, the complexity of the Mass, and (by implication) the futility of attempts to reduce it to an
There’s also a great commentary by Steve Skojec of OnePeterFive – and don’t miss his comment in the combox about the Bishop’s response to the question “Well why not just have the Old Mass?”
– Editor.
On February 14, 2015, Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, was sponsored by the Paulus Institute to give a talk in Washington, DC. During the talk, he proposed concrete actions — ten essential elements — which should be implemented to accomplish liturgical renewal.
As an attendee, I was impressed once again by his excellency’s concern for reverence and piety in Catholic worship. Because of the deep value of the insights he presented, I would like to offer to you my own summary of his principle themes.
Bishop Schneider in Washington (Photo: OnePeterFive.)
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