Major changes

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

The fourth century was a time of enormous change for Christians, writes Fr. Alfred McBride, O.Praem., in Deacon Digest (May/June 2006), published by Alt Publishing Co. in De Pere.

Fr. McBride, a member of St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, and the author of numerous books on theology, wrote that in 313 the Emperor Constantine both granted freedom of religion to Christians and began to build large churches or basilicas replacing their modest house churches.

It was then that the sanctuary was placed in the rounded space at one end, along with the bishop's chair, which the bishop sat in while preaching to a standing audience.

Pagan converts to Christianity carried over practices from their temples and the emperor's court, such as kissing holy objects, genuflecting, using incense and bowing, Fr. McBride said.

The main elements of the Mass - the Liturgy of the Word, homily and Eucharistic Prayer - had long been set, but this was when it was decided to standardize the Eucharistic Prayers. Previously, presiders had some freedom to improvise.

At first, the portable wooden tables used in home churches were used in the basilicas, but eventually they were replaced by stone and marble altars. That "shifted the vision of Eucharist from being a sacred meal to being a sacred sacrifice," Fr. McBride said. "Theologically it was always both. Artistically, the emphasis changed."

Next came processions, liturgical music and litanies, Fr. McBride said. At first, bishops and deacons wore the formal attire of the day - a tunic and conical cloak - for Mass. These garments became vestments when, as fashions changed, the clergy kept wearing them, Fr. McBride wrote.

While it's tempting for some to see the changes to the Mass brought by Vatican II to be an aberration, as Fr. McBride shows, major changes have occurred before. Indeed, Vatican II restored many of the earliest practices and understandings to the liturgy to our benefit.