Inculturation
In a comment down below about the Hawaiian Liturgy, SecretAgentMan left the following comment:
Well, then, I want a "country boy" mass. The priest's vestments will be made from denim and plaid flannel, and everyone will wear ballcaps with confederate flags or industrial logos. We'll have slide guitars wing-wanging the hymns (I suggest "Gather Us In" by M. Haugen and "A Country Boy Can Survive" by H. Williams), and halter-topped women sitting on the shoulders of their husbands out in the congregation, snapping their fingers and swaying to the beat. Tattered nylon lawn chairs will replace the inauthentic pews, and during the consecration the priest will fly about the church on invisible guidewires like Garth Brooks. All the men will reverently remove their dips before receiving communion. The "ite, miss est" will be accompanied by rebel yells and gunfire.
Like many of my commenters, SAM can really make me laugh. But inculturation in the form of a "country boy" Mass has some possibilities. I can just see someone walk in and tip his Cowboy at a statue of the Virgin Mary and say "Howdy Ma'am." A priest with a large belt buckle with the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A pickup truck with a monstrance rack. Chapel veil material sold by the yard to cover large hairdos. A new liturgical color called denim.
I was rather surprised at the mixed response on the Hawaiian liturgy post and the defense of the use of ukuleles at Mass under the guise of inculturation. First of all inculturation is something that would be properly decided at the level of the Bishop's conference under approval of the Vatican Definitely not something that each parish can decide to do on its own. Historically there have been times when missionaries wanted to do something to conform to a local culture that ended up not being approved by the Vatican. There is a balance that must be maintained and the tendency of parishes wanting to do their own thing. The Mass is not the private property of any person or culture and valid changes must be in a larger conformity vice a narrowing that can occur. There has always been inculturation such as when the Mass went from Greek to Latin and all of the varied adjustments that have happened over the centuries. The Church has many valid expressions via the various Rites both Eastern and Western.
There are many cultural expressions that do not add to reverence but in fact distract from reverence and our worship owed to God. For example something sacred is set apart and dedicated to God. Much as what passes for liturgical music is not set apart and dedicated solely to God and is only a mirror image of secular music. I term much of the hymns today as Sacrud music. Crud is to be set apart and thrown away. Most music would not pass what I call the Sesame Street test. If you can change the words and keep the same music and see it as being able to be used in Sesame Street or Romper Room, it fails the test.
Mainly what I dislike about false inculturation is that it is rooted in disobedience. People decide among themselves how to conduct the Mass since they know better then the Church. In a multi-cultural society such as ours, we should strive to be a melting pot. Instead we are being a centrifuge where each element is removed from the whole and is set by itself. This is not an indicator of the Catholicity of the Church and can be a denial of it.
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At my Newman center there is a "dialogue" going on, I guess you could say, between people who know that there is a difference between sacred music and religious music that is not sacred, and people who think it is all a matter of taste. One of them said (of a particular Christian-rock song) "but it's sacred to me!" I explained that "X is sacred to Y" means that X is set apart for the service of Y. Hmm...
Also, someone told me that he had watched this episode of "South Park" wherein the kids decide to start a Christian rock band. Since they can't write any songs, they just take regular rock songs, cross out the girl's name and write in "Jesus" instead. His comment: they sounded *exactly like* that "Praise and Worship" stuff!
Now, there *is* a place for religious (non-sacred) music (just not in the Holy Mass!) Pope Pius XII says that (provided that the words are good), such music "can exercise great and salutary force and power on the souls of the faithful," and that they "bring pure and chaste joy to young people and adults during times of recreation...They bring pious joy, sweet consolation and spiritual progress to Christian families themselves." (Musicae Sacrae). But he says that sacred music "must be holy. It must not allow within itself anything that savors of the profane nor allow any such thing to slip into the melodies in which it is expressed."
Pope John Paul says the same thing! People should go read his chirograph on sacred music! But what does he know? He's only the pope!
Dear Jeff,
How does the use of the ukelele constitute disobedience? I pray I do not come across sarcastic, and I do want to know your thoughts.
Andy,
I didn't say that the ukulele was specifically disobedience. But items such as liturgical dance definitely are.
I would look at Second Vatican Council document ‘Sacrosanctum Concilium’ for what sacred music is. I don't believe that any guitars are truly appropriate for sacred music. This document specifically mentions the pipe organ for it's ability to elevate souls. The document also says "Other instruments may be admitted to divine worship, provided that they be adapted to sacred use or may be adapted to it, that they be fitting to the dignity of the temple and truly favor the edification of the faithful." I can't see an instrument such as the ukulele fitting this definition of edification and elevation of the soul.
Also Gregorian Chant should be given pride of place.
Churches are disobedient in that Gregorian Chant has been totally abandoned in most places. I have gone to many churches that even though they have a working pipe organ they only use the piano or a group of folk guitar players.
All this talk about the spirit of Vatican II is in direct contrast to the text and meaning of documents from Vatican II.
What about the famous guitar of Father Mohr at Midnight Mass one Christmas in Austria? Was the world premiere of "Silent Night" inappropriate and lacking in sacredness?
I'm not saying that I want forty million folk masses, 'cause we've _all_ been there, done that. But there is nothing intrinsically _un_ sacred about any instrument I know of. (Although kazoos probably can't be inculturated here in America.) ;) It may be that guitars have been abused too much for this society and culture; but certainly I can picture a truly sacred guitar mass, particularly played in classical style. (Ooh...especially if there's counterpoint.)
It all depends on how things are done. When people exercise musical prudence and taste, a lot of things can be done reverently. When people don't use prudence, all the pipe organs and Latin in the world will be as lame as the worst folk masses. And none of it will work without the grace of God, which is why the prudent musician never says never.
So praise Him with lyre and harp -- and cithara (guitar), too!
Maureen
For exposition after the "country boy Mass" the congregation might sing Tantum Ergo to "Oh My Darlin'" - the lyrics fit the tune!
Tantum ergo sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.
Genitori, genitoque
Laus et iubilatio,
Salus, honor virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Jeff, however much I can make you laugh, you can make me laugh harder. The belt buckle was the killer, producing spurts of diet pepsi on all nearby objects.
jrg -- that's a brilliant, wonderfully-sensitive idea you've got there. If I hadn't snorted out all the soft drinks reading Jeff's post, you'd have been the Spume Champion!
"I'm not saying that I want forty million folk masses, 'cause we've _all_ been there, done that. But there is nothing intrinsically _un_ sacred about any instrument I know of. (Although kazoos probably can't be inculturated here in America.) ;) It may be that guitars have been abused too much for this society and culture; but certainly I can picture a truly sacred guitar mass, particularly played in classical style. (Ooh...especially if there's counterpoint.)"
Ahh yes, somebody can play the "Dies Irae Country Remix" by Kid Rock at the recessional...
Itas not the instrument per se, buit there are sounds that are more reverent than others. For example, hip hop beats appeal to self- indulgence and braggadocio, not reverence. I would say that guitar riffs produce quite the opposite effect of reverence. And...I thought "Silent Night" was first sung a capella.
Actually, Maureen, Sacrosanctum Concilium presupposes that some instruments are not suitable for mass when it says, as Jeff quoted above: "Other instruments may be admitted to divine worship, provided that they be adapted to sacred use or may be adapted to it, that they be fitting to the dignity of the temple and truly favor the edification of the faithful." I'm not arguing whether or not the guitar meets these criteria, only that there are some that don't.
Apparently there is some debate as to whether a guitar used in the first performance of "Silent Night," though it seems one was used during the song's composition. For more information on the first performance, see http://www.inglewoodcarecentre.com/history/christmas_silent_night.htm or http://www.silentnightmuseum.org/
Apparently there is some debate as to whether a guitar used in the first performance of "Silent Night," though it seems one was used during the song's composition. For more information on the first performance, see http://www.inglewoodcarecentre.com/history/christmas_silent_night.htm or http://www.silentnightmuseum.org/
And don't bring up the Chinese rites controversy. A Taiwanese friend of mine went to a Catholic church in Chinatown in Chicago and was shocked to find a shrine to the ancestors...
Jeff,
My mother was converted in the Fiji islands in the South Pacific-in a melanesian/polynesian Mass. The Mass was outside at a Columban Mission named LoMary. The Mass was in Fijian, men did wear pocket sulus (a sort of wrap around skirt that is made in suiting material for special occasions). When she received her first Communion the preist offered her "Bula Modrai" which means "Bread of Life/Love".There were more hymns sungs in Fijian about Bula Modrai. While this certainly was "inculturated", it was not force, false, affectatious or overdone-and that is the difference. In Fiji, this was thei culture, in the USA, we all have somewhat a common culture and sense of respect.
The Irish Columban Missionary priests who gave my mother her first sacraments were 100% orthodox. They made my mother prepare by making her read Peter Kreeft. I had been raised in Catholic Schools in the states, and not until I went to Fiji did I learn what the Church really believed. I was never taught the role of Our Lady, I was taught the Eucharist was just symbolic.
Anyway, my point is when culture has to be forced and jammed into a Mass or other aspects of Liturgy,especially when culture takes a predominate role over reverance, it takes precedence over Jesus and looks stupid.
So ... what objectively defines "sacred music"? What makes music intrinsically sacred? Does it have to be morose and funereal?
An interesting example of the subjectivity of such matters is the American national anthem. I'm sure most of you like me grew up thinking it was a majestic, dignified, patriotic song, almost "sacred" in the civic sense. It stirred the soul and brought tears to your eyes. But as I learned later, the music came from a popular drinking song (and a pretty bawdy one at that). Does the character of the music come from the context (i.e., national anthem or drinking song), or is it intrinsic to the music? Can it be either a good national anthem or a good drinking song?
What, technically speaking, makes certain songs written to be sacred fail to be sacred (ignoring for the sake of argument the insipid lyrics)? And is this judgment objective, in accordance with Sacred Tradition, or is it one person's subjective judgment?
Dear Jeff,
I think we are actually in agreement.