Concerning the rite of the Mass, "the rites are to be simplified, while due care is taken to preserve their substance."(8) Also to be eliminated are "elements which, with the passage of time, came to be duplicated, or were added with but little advantage,"(9) above all in the rites of offering the bread and wine, and in those of the breaking of the bread and of communion.
Also, "other elements which have suffered injury through accidents of history are now to be restored to the earlier norm of the Holy Fathers"(10): for example the homily,(11) the "common prayer" or "prayer of the faithful,"(12) the penitential rite or act of reconciliation with God and with the brothers, at the beginning of the Mass, where its proper emphasis is restored.
The above quote is taken from the Apostolic Constitution Missale Romanum, issued by Pope Paul VI on April 3, 1969, officially promulgating and enforcing the 1969 Missale Romanum for first Sunday of Advent, 1969. Many groups, such as the highly irregular Society of St. Pius X have long since maintained that this document, while authorizing the 1969 Missal, did not suppress the 1962 Missal, and their position on this particular point was recently declared the correct position by Pope Benedict XVI, when he stated in the 2007 Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum that the 1962 Missal was never abrogated, although this is a side point. The purpose for posting this quote is to highlight the section regarding the Penitential Rite.
In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the principal Mass of Sunday is preceded by the Asperges, or the "Sprinkling Rite", during which is chanted either Psalm 51:9 (Asperges me Domine...) or Vidi Aquam. These actions were performed with the priest vested in the Cope. When Mass was ready to begin, the priest, vested in the Chasuble, would stand in front of the steps of the altar steps and recite the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, which included the beautiful Psalm 42 (Judica me Deus...), and two Confiteor, one for the priest, and one for the people, recited by the altar boys/acolytes/deacon and subdeacon. After a number of versicles and responses, the priest then prays two prayers, essentially asking that God pardons him of his sins and gives him the purity needed to enter into the Sancta sanctorum, or Holy of Holies. After this has finished, and during this time, the priest has ascended the steps to the altar, he makes the Sign of the Cross again and recites the Introit silently to himself (Note that the Introit would have been sung in the mean time by the choir).
Ok, so the first thing to notice here is that the Introit is officially recited after the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, meaning that they occur before Mass begins. This means that they are not technically part of the Mass itself, but a preparatory rite. As indicated from Sancrosancum Concilium, the intention is obviously to bring these penitential rites into the Mass itself. Likewise, it appears that the logic was that it was unnecessary to have multiple penitential rites. Therefore, the result is the Penitential Rite we have in the Ordinary Form.
The Ordinary Form Penitential Rite appears to be a simplification of the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, or is simply the Asperges itself. Counting the Asperges as a forth option, the three options for the Penitential Rite are (1) a single Confiteor for the people and priest together, simplified by removing the large list of references to specific saints; (2) a versicle and response; or (3) a troped Kyrie. All of these are concluded with the prayer Misereatur nostri..., and unless form (3) was used, continue with the Kyrie.
So, what are my thoughts on the Penitential Rite? This is quite possibly one section of the Mass that I find, in my personal experience, to be highly abused. Oftentimes, if a priest fears that Mass might run longer than (gasp) 45 minutes, the Penitential Rite is always the first thing to be skipped over. In my diocese, form (3) is the common form used, since it is short and sweet and combines with the Kyrie, yet all too often it appears that the priest or deacon makes up these tropes on the fly (sometimes non-sensically and far too wordy), or will skip the tropes altogether and simply recite the Kyrie, which is an outright abuse. Form (2) is a form I've only ever seen at Papal Masses on EWTN, and the soon to be replaced English translations tend to make it appear too much like a variation of form (3). Finally, form (1), which most of us quasi-traditionalists love, shows most visibly the connection between the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form through the much beloved Confiteor, while also allowing the people to take part in an unchanging prayer, unlike Form (3) which oftentimes varies with the priest (Note: the Roman Missal actually has a set of suggested tropes).
The major question now is whether or not the Penitential Rite of the Ordinary Form meets the criterion set out for it by Pope Paul VI in the quote above. Obviously, it succeeds in emphasizing an act of reconciliation, but whether or not it could be improved is a different question. In roughly 40 years' time, is there a benefit to re-examining the logic of allowing the priest so much freedom in choosing the form of this rite? Form (3), for example, incorporates two sections of the Mass: the Penitential Rite and the Kyrie. Does this blurr the distinction between the parts of the Mass? Finally, what of the rest of the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar that were not added to the Penitential Rite? Are these lost treasures that could be recovered? Could the priest benefit from begging God for the purity needed to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass?
I ask all of these questions, not as a direct criticism of the texts, but as a mental exercise, at least for priests out there to consider what this Rite is meant for, what it sets out to accomplish, and if it is always wise to be concerned with Mass running two minutes longer rather than just get through the Penitential Rite. I suggest that, although some texts may not be required for the Ordinary Form, there is nothing to prevent the priest from praying these texts privately to himself prior to Mass. There is also nothing preventing us as laity from knowing what the proper order to the Penitential Rite and why we should be concerned with it.
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