COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT
Lambert Beauduin, OSB (1912)

GRIEFS CONTRE LE MOUVEMENT LITURGIQUE
Lambert Beauduin, OSB (1912)

Les Questions Liturgiques (Liturgical Questions)
II, 1912, pp. 529-533

 Les Questions Liturgiques

 Revue Appearing eight times a year reserved for the clergy
Second Year: 1911-1912
Subscriptions: Belgium . . 3 foreign francs. Fr. 3.50
ADMINISTRATION and EDITORIAL OF THE JOURNAL: ABBEY OF MONT-CÉSAR, LOUVAIN

Revue Paraissant huit fois, par an réservée au clergé Deuxième Anné : 1911-1912 Abonnements : Belgique . . 3 francs Étranger . fr. 3.50
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COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

GRIEFS CONTRE LE MOUVEMENT LITURGIQUE

AN anonymous writing, for which neither the publisher nor the author took responsibility, has concerned himself with the liturgical action on the occasion of the Week organized at Maredsous. The author develops, with breadth and conviction, the theoretical considerations that our readers are familiar with. Undoubtedly, one could desire more certainty and theological precision; as a whole, however, this part is irreproachable.

UN écrit anonyme, dont ni l’éditeur ni l’auteur n’ont assumé la responsabilité, s’est occupé de l’action liturgique à l’occasion de la Semaine organisée à Maredsous. L’auteur y développe, avec ampleur et conviction, les considérations théoriques que nos lecteurs connaissent. Sans doute, on pourrait désirer plus de sûreté et de précision théologique ; dans son ensemble pourtant cette partie est irréprochable.

But, as soon as he passes judgment on men and things, the author takes on a tone of recrimination and reproach which contrasts singularly with the lofty views developed in the rest of his study.

Mais, dès qu’il porte un jugement sur les hommes et sur les choses, l’auteur prend un ton de récrimination et de reproche qui contraste singulièrement avec les vues élevées développées dans le reste de son étude.

We have hesitated to raise these criticisms here, which no quotation justifies; Hasn’t the liturgical movement met with unanimous sympathy and should it not remain a stranger to any controversy? But devoted friends of the work have persuaded us that our Review owes to the movement and to its collaborators, that it owes itself a word of explanation with a view to dissipating any ambiguity. This is the purpose of these lines. They were written without resentment, but also in complete frankness, sometimes even with a movement of impatience which did not seek to conceal itself and from which the anonymity of the writing in question removes all personal character.

Nous avons hésité à relever ici ces critiques, qu’aucune citation ne justifie; le mouvement liturgique n’a-t-il pas rencontré d’unanimes sympathies et ne doit-il pas rester étranger à toute polémique? Mais des amis dévoués de l’oeuvre nous ont persuadés que r.otre Revue doit au mouvement et à ses collaborateurs, qu’elle se doit à elle-même un mot d’explication en vue de dissiper toute équivoque. C’est le but de ces lignes. Elles ont été écrites sans rancune, mais aussi en toute franchise, quelquefois même avec un mouvement d’impatience qui n’a pas cherché à se dissimuler et auquel l’anonymat de l’écrit en question enlève d’ailleurs tout caractère personnel.

In the eyes of the author, the leaders of the liturgical movement have four main faults:

Aux yeux de l’auteur, les chefs du mouvement liturgique ont quatre torts principaux :

FIRST COMPLAINT. They are young, reckless, exaggerated; the author compares them “to the young zealots whom Saint John loved and to whom he wrote”. The liturgical movement therefore lacks a Mentor; hence these offers of service in three inserts on the first page.

PREMIER GRIEF. Ils sont jeunes, imprudents, exagérés; l’auteur les compare « aux jeunes zélotes qu’aimait saint Jean et auquel il écrivait ». Il manque donc un Mentor au mouvement liturgique ; de là ces offres de service dans trois insertions n première page.

A. Seven liturgical weeks have taken place since the organization of the ^[p.530] movement, six at Mont-César in Louvain, the last at Maredsous. About thirty speakers, all at the head of the movement of study and liturgical action, took the floor. Now, of this number, twenty-sevenhave reached their forties and occupy, for the most part, in the major seminaries, the universities and the chapters, in the parish ministry and the monasteries, positions in view. Only three are under 40; all three Roman doctors, two priors of great abbeys, the third master of novices. All these “young zealots” what did they do? Here it is: “Hear them rather in their beautiful reports: the liturgy is the universal panacea. She will bring asceticism back to the true path, the royal one. We give great blows to the convoluted methods, we overthrow the ancient cathedral: we have at hand much richer and more precious materials to rebuild it! »

R. Sept semaines liturgiques ont eu lieu, depuis l’organisation du ^[p.530] mouvement, six au Mont-César à Louvain, la dernière à Maredsous. Environ trente conférenciers, tous à la tête du mouvement d’étude et d’action liturgique, y ont pris la parole. Or, de ce nombre, vingt-sept ont atteint la quarantaine et occupent, pour la plupart, dans les grands séminaires, les universités et les chapitres, dans le ministère paroissial et les monastères, des situations en vue. Trois seulement n’ont pas 40 ans; tous trois docteurs romains, deux prieurs de grandes abbayes, le troisième maître de novices. Tous ces « jeunes zélotes » qu’ont-ils fait? Voici : « Entendez-les plutôt dans leurs beaux rapports : la liturgie est la panacée universelle. Elle va ramener l’ascèse sur la vraie voie, la royale. On donne de grands coups d’épée dans les méthodes alambiquées, on renverse l’antique cathédrale : on a sous la main des matériaux bien autrement riches et précieux pour la reconstruire ! »

Undoubtedly, youth is not a crime, it still has to be real. But isn’t it discrediting a movement and arousing mistrust to represent it as the result of a youthful effervescence more adept at “destroying” than “rebuilding”?

Sans doute, jeunesse n’est pas crime, encore faut-il qu’elle soit réelle. Mais n’est-ce pas discréditer un mouvement et éveiller la défiance que de le représenter comme le résultat d’une effervescence juvénile plus habile à « détruire » qu’à « rebâtir » ?

Yes, be careful! but let the reader judge:

Oui, soyons prudents ! mais que le lecteur juge:

1º The liturgical action moves in a domain which confines on all sides to delicate problems of doctrine and piety. Without reinstating the discipline of the arcana, it is prudent to deal with certain questions behind closed doors ¹ . Hence, at the very origin of the movement, the creation of distinct ecclesiastical and lay bodies.

1º L’action liturgique se meut dans un domaine qui confine de toutes parts à des problèmes délicats de doctrine et de piété. Sans remettre en vi_ueur la discipline de l’arcane, il est prudent de traiter à huis clos certaines questions ¹. De là, à l’origine même du mouvement, la création d’organes ecclésiastique et laïc distincts.

[¹. It is for this purpose that we have refused the organization of the work by zealots and zealots.]

[1. C’est dans ce but que nous avons refusé l’organisation de l’oeuvre par zélateurs et zélatrices.]

Liturgical Questions explained this at the beginning ( 1^st year, 1909, p. 1): “More than any other religious apostolate, liturgical action must develop under the direction of the clergy. If the collaboration of the men of works is desirable, it is on the condition of avoiding any indiscreet interference in the things of worship, of maintaining a clear separation between the sanctuary and the nave. However, a publication such as ours is led, infallibly, to point out abuses, to propose reforms, to discuss the methods on which the promoters of a movement must agree, but which it is preferable not to put before the audience. »

Les Questions liturgiques s’en expliquaient au début (I^re année, 1909, p. 1) : « Plus que tout autre apostolat religieux, l’action liturgique doit se développer sous la direction du clergé. Si la collaboration des hommes d’oeuvres est désirable, c’est à condition d’éviter toute immixtion indiscrète dans les choses du culte, de maintenir une séparation bien nette entre le sanctuaire et la nef. Or, une publication comme la nôtre est amenée, infailliblement, à signaler des abus, à proposer des réformes, à discuter des méthodes sur lesquelles les promoteurs d’un mouvement doivent se concerter, mais qu’il est préférable de ne pas poser devant le public. »

The author adopts another method. He raises, before the general public, delicate questions of an ecclesiastical order; he establishes a parallel between liturgical piety and private devotions; it disguises the intentions of the propagandists and makes the public judge of an imaginary conflict which, in any case, is not within its competence. And it’s not his fault his study hasn’t received more publicity. Which side is the caution? ^[p.531]

L’auteur adopte un autre procédé. Il soulève, devant le grand public, des questions délicates, d’ordre ecclésiastique ; il établit un parallèle entre la piété liturgique et les dévotions privées ; il travestit les intentions des propagandistes et fait le public juge d’un conflit imaginaire qui, en tout cas, n’est pas de la compétence de celui-ci. Et ce n’est pas sa faute si son étude n’a pas reçu une plus grande publicité. De quel côté est la prudence? ^[p.531]

2º Before publicly passing such a foolish overall judgment on a movement, a prudent man will closely follow the main manifestations (its activity), will base himself on the writings of the leaders, will quote the official organs which expose their views. neu/ liturgical and Gregorian weeks organized so far, the author has followed only one; to justify his reproaches (the exaggeration, imprudence, hostility vis-à-vis the devotions, he does not not quote an article, not a sentence, not a word taken from the many publications that the Liturgical Office has published for three years And if the framework of a study, however interminable, did not include it, at least it could indicate the reference to the indicted articles.Which side is the caution?

2º Avant de porter publiquement un jugement d’ensemble aussi foiniel sur un mouvement, un homme prudent suivra de près les principales manifestations (le son activité, se basera sur les écrits des chefs, citera les organes officiels qui exposent leurs vues. Or, des neu/ semaines liturgiques et grégoriennes organisées jusqu’ici, l’auteur n’en a suivi qu’une seule; pour justifier ses reproches (l’exagération, d’imprudence, d’hostilité vis-à-vis des dévotions, il ne cite pas un article, pas une phrase, pas un mot tirés des publications multiples que le Bureau liturgique fait paraître depuis trois ans. Et si le cadre d’une étude, cependant interminable, ne le comportait pas, au moins pouvait-il indiquer la référence aux articles inculpés. De quel côté est la prudence?

3º The liturgical weeks provide liturgical propagandists with the opportunity to confer amicably on the interests of the work, to explain the methods employed, to report on the experiences made, to possibly seek the causes of failure and the dangers to be avoided. . These exchanges of views took place during the Liturgical Week of Maredsous: it was the moment, in this circle of friends and initiates, to share any fears and timely advice. All the “young zealots whom John loved and to whom he wrote” were there: Saint John could speak.

3º Les semaines liturgiques fournissent aux propagandistes liturgiques l’occasion de se concerter amicalement sur les intérêts de l’oeuvre, d’exposer les méthodes employées, de rendre compte des expériences faites, de rechercher éventuellement les causes d’échec et les dangers à éviter. Ces échanges de vues ont eu lieu à la Semaine liturgique de Maredsous : c’était le moment, dans ce cercle d’amis et d’initiés, de faire part des craintes éventuelles et des conseils opportuns. Tous les «jeunes zélotes que Jean aimait et auxquels il écrivait » étaient là : saint Jean pouvait parler.

Instead of this loyal, prudent and fruitful explanation, we preferred anonymous reviews, published in publicity a few days after the Week. Again, whose side is the caution?

A cette explication loyale, prudente et fructueuse, on a préféré des critiques anonymes, livrées à la publicité quelques jours après la Semaine. Encore une fois, de quel côté est la prudence?

No, really, these offers of service are not reassuring.

Non, vraiment, ces offres de service n’ont rien de rassurant.

SECOND COMPLAINT. It takes slow work, gradual initiation; the leaders of the movement want to reform everything at once. This grif is developed at length. “Mentalities are not built up like this all at once, but they are slowly elaborated... Let’s not go too fast to impose them... to stuff them into brains all of a sudden... Let’s not demolish without having something better to put in its place...” etc.

DEUXIÈME GRIEF. Il faut un travail lent, une initiation graduelle; les chefs du mouvement veulent tout réformer d’un coup. Ce gri f est longuement développé. « Les mentalités ne s’édifient pas ainsi tout d’un jet, mais elles s’élaborent lentement... N’allons pas trop vite pour les imposer... pour les bourrer dans les cerveaux tout d’un coup... Ne démolissons pas sans avoir quelque chose de mieux à mettre à la place... » etc.

A. Let us see the merits of this reproach, which the author, faithful to his method, does not justify by any fact or text.

R. Voyons le bien-fondé de ce reproche, que l’auteur, fidèle à sa méthode, ne justifie par aucun fait et aucun texte.

1º From the first number of the Liturgical Life (October 1909, supplement, p. 19), the article-programme expressed itself thus: “Undoubtedly, the task of liturgical restoration will be arduous. Generations have taken centuries to forget this ancient prayer; they will take a long time to relearn it. But should we be discouraged?... The Sovereign Pontiff did not think so...”

1º Dès le premier numéro de la Vie liturgique (octobre 1909, supplément, p. 19), on s’exprimait ainsi dans l’article-programme : « Sans doute, le rayait de restauration liturgique sera ardu. Les générations ont mis des siècles à oublier cette antique prière; elles mettront longtemps à la réapprendre. Mais faudrait-il se décourager?... Le Souverain Pontife ne l’a pas pensé... »

2º The publication of the Liturgical Life adapting, thanks to 15 distinct editions, to 11 different dioceses and distributed, for three years, in thousands of copies, is it not a powerful and fruitful effort of gradual initiation to liturgical prayer? ^[p.532]

2º La publication de la Vie liturgique s’adaptant, grâce à 15 éditions distinctes, à 11 diocèses différents et distribuée, depuis trois ans, à des milliers d’exemplaires, n’est-ce pas un puissant et fructueux effort d’initiation graduelle à la prière liturgique? ^[p.532]

“You had the happy inspiration,” said His Excellency Cardinal Mercier, on November ig, 1909 when approving the work ¹ , to go out to meet your brothers. You know, by experience, that the practice of the Missal and, even more, that of the Vesperal are, for unaccustomed hands, difficult to handle and you have taken up the task of eliminating, for the benefit of the faithful, the preliminary difficulties. You’ve done it very well. » His Eminence added (p. 224): « The enterprise that the monks of Mont-César are attempting, under your wise direction, is beautiful and highly meritorious, Most Reverend Abbot. God will bless her. She must succeed. “

« Vous avez eu l’inspiration heureuse, disait S. Em. le cardinal Mercier, le ig novembre 1909 en approuvant l’oeuvre ¹, d’aller au-devant de vos frères. Vous savez, par expérience, que la pratique du Missel et, davantage encore, celle du Vespéral sont, pour les mains inaccoutumées, d’un maniement difficile et vous avez pris à tâche de supprimer, au profit des fidèles, les difficultés préliminaires. Vous y avez excellemment réussi. » Son Eminence ajoutait (p. 224) : «L’entreprise que tentent, sous votre sage direction, les moines du Mont-César est belle et hautement méritoire, Révérendissime Abbé. Dieu la bénira. Elle doit réussir. »

[ ¹ . See Supplement, I ^st year, pp. 222-223.]

[¹. Voir Supplément, I^re année, pp. 222-223.]

The circular which was sent to the clergy to announce the publication began as follows: “Aim: To gradually accustom all the faithful to praying with our Holy Mother the Church... To manage the transitions, the proposed system requires only a minimum: at least on Sunday let us unite around our pastor, in the same prayer and the same song, to be one heart and one soul, and realize the desire for union that our Master expressed at the Last Supper. »

La circulaire qui fut adressée au clergé pour annoncer la publication débutait ainsi : « But : Habituer graduellement tous les fidèles à prier avec notre Mère la sainte Église... Pour ménager les transitions, le système proposé ne demande qu’un minimum : au moins le dimanche unissons-nous autour de notre pasteur, dans la même prière et le même chant, pour ne faire qu’un coeur et qu’une âme, et réaliser le désir d’union que notre Maître exprimait à la dernière Cène. »

We know the success obtained by this publication; we may not know all the sacrifices of time and money that it required. It was the practical realization of a wish which seemed, to many, a utopia; it was unquestionably a work of slow and gradual initiation, the most popular attempt in this domain. The author, a supporter of this slow formation, should applaud these efforts: not at all! And here, really, the thing becomes quite strange: “What is it, in fact,” he says speaking of the Liturgical Life, “ that a hundred thousand faithful liturgists out of five million who should be here in Belgium? A die? the cause ? In my humble opinion: an incomplete understanding of what the liturgy is, coming (pardon me) from the incomplete presentation that has been made of it. Then follows the magic exposition which should make the liturgy “the universal panacea”.

On sait le succès qu’obtint cette publication ; on ne sait peut-être pas tous les sacrifices de temps et d’argent qu’elle a nécessités. C’était la réalisation pratique d’un voeu qui semblait, à beaucoup, une utopie ; c’était incontestablement une oeuvre d’initiation lente et graduelle, la plus vulgarisatrice tentée dans ce domaine. L’auteur, partisan de cette formation lente, devrait applaudir à ces efforts : nullement ! Et ici, vraiment, la chose devient tout à fait étrange : «Qu’est-ce, en effet, dit-il en parlant de la Vie liturgique, que cent mille fidèles litur-gistes sur cinq millions qu’ils devraient être ici en Belgique? Unde? la cause ? A mon humble avis : une incomplète intelligence de ce qu’est la liturgie, provenant (qu’on me le pardonne) de l’exposé incomplet qui en a été fait. » Suit ensuite l’exposé magique qui doit faire de la liturgie « la panacée universelle ».

If therefore the author had created and directed the liturgical movement, it would not be 30,000 faithful, but the whole Christian people who would follow the liturgical text. If he had been able to explain his conception, this dream, compromised by the current leaders, would have come true: “It seems to me that all our sincere believers, who have become fervent liturgists, come running on Sundays to the Holy Sacrifice, the Missal in hand, to Vespers with the Antiphonary , unite with the priests and cooperate, with enthusiasm and zeal, in the great work...”

Si donc l’auteur avait créé et dirigé le mouvement liturgique, ce ne serait pas roo,000 fidèles, mais tout le peuple chrétien qui suivrait le texte liturgique. S’il avait pu exposer sa conception, ce rêve, compromis par les chefs actuels, se serait réalisé : « Il me semble voir tout nos croyants sincères, devenus liturgistes fervents, accourir les dimanches au saint Sacrifice le Missel en main, aux Vêpres avec l’Antiphonaire, s’unir aux prêtres et coopérer, avec entrain et zèle, à la grande oeuvre... »

The partisan of the Missal and the Antiphonary for the five million Belgian faithful accuses the author of the tiny Liturgical Life with a modest circulation of 100,000 copies, of precipitation, imprudence, illusion, exclusivism.

Le partisan du Missel et de l’Antiphonaire pour les cinq millions de fidèles belges accuse l’auteur de la minuscule Vie liturgique au modeste tirage de roo,000 exemplaires, de précipitation, d’imprudence, d’illusion, d’exclusivisme.

3º In addition, Father Brassart, parish priest of Écaussinnes, “young 50-year-old zealot”. with an admirable sense of contingencies and possibilities, ^[p.533] exposed, in all the details, the liturgical apostolate of long and persevering initiation, to be exercised in a parish. How, after having witnessed this enlightened and prudent zeal, can one condemn all these “beautiful reports” which overthrow “the ancient cathedral” by adding: “Destroying is easy and even more!” To build?”

3º Au surplus, M. l’abbé Brassart, curé d’Écaussinnes, « jeune zélote de 50 ans ». avec un sens admirable des contingences et des possibilités, ^[p.533] a exposé, dans tous les détails, l’apostolat liturgique de longue et persévérante initiation, à exercer dans une paroisse. Comment, après avoir été témoin de ce zèle éclairé et prudent, peut-on condamner en bloc tous ces « beaux rapports n qui renversent « l’antique cathédrale » en ajoutant : « Détruire, c’est facile et encore ! Bâtir? »

THIRD COMPLAINT. Liturgical leaders exaggerate the importance of the liturgy and present it as “a universal panacea”.

TROISIÈME GRIEF. Les chefs liturgistes exagèrent l’importance de la liturgie et la présentent comme « une panacée universelle n.

All those who defend a dear cause with ardor and enthusiasm must resign themselves in advance to this innocuous reproach, which is often only a thoughtless quip of a less optimistic spirit. But the author of the article comes back to it and insists: no text, no specific facts, of course.

Tous ceux qui défendent une cause chère avec ardeur et enthousiasme doivent se résigner d’avance à ce reproche d’ailleurs anodin, qui n’est souvent qu’une boutade irréfléchie d’un esprit moins optimiste. Mais l’auteur de l’article y revient et insiste : aucun texte, aucun fait précis, naturellement.

1º He has probably not read the article-program that we have already quoted. It says, among other things: “Social works are of such great importance today that any work having the objective of assisting them in some way would have sufficiently demonstrated their opportunity. We believe that the dissemination of the Liturgical Life exercises a happy influence in this area. This is the conviction that we find expressed by one of our most prominent men of works, Canon Douterlungne. It was he again who, at the Semaine de Maredsous, insisted on this social influence of the liturgy and wanted it to be disseminated in works for young people.

1º Il n’a pas lu sans doute l’article-programme que nous avons déjà cité. On y dit, entre autres : « Les oeuvres sociales ont une importance tellement grande aujourd’hui que toute oeuvre ayant comme objectif de les seconder en quelque façon aurait suffisamment démontré leur opportunité. Nous croyons que la diffusion de la Vie liturgique exerce une heureuse influence dans ce domaine. C’est la conviction que nous trouvons exprimée par un de nos hommes d’ceuvres les plus en vue, M. le chanoine Douterlungne. » C’est lui encore qui, à la Semaine de Maredsous, a insisté sur cette influence sociale de la liturgie et souhaité sa diffusion dans les œuvres de jeunesse.

In all assemblies and publications, care has been taken to highlight the contribution that the liturgy could make to apologetic works, to frequent Communion, to parish life, to artistic renewal, etc. No narrow and unilateral conception, no rivalry prejudicial to other works, but perfect harmony between the different organisms where Catholic activity is deployed.

Dans toutes les assemblées et publications,on s’est préoccupé de mLttre en relief la contribution que pouvait apporter la liturgie aux oeuvres apologétiques, à la Communion fréquente, à la vie paroissiale, à la rénovation artistique, etc. Aucune conception étroite et unilatérale, aucune rivalité préjudiciable aux autres oeuvres, mais harmonie parfaite entre cts différents organismes où se déploie l’activité catholique.

2º It is, moreover, unwelcome to address such a reproach to us in the very writing where this obviously exaggerated affirmation is found: crowd of conflicting interests, irreducible class pretensions, it is indeed the liturgical movement, the only one capable of producing this miracle. »

2º On est d’ailleurs mal venu à nous adresser un tel reproche dans l’écrit même où se trouve cette affirmation évidemment exagérée : « Si quelque grand mouvement d’idée sest appelé à sauver la société actuelle en proie aux dissolvants d’une foule d’intérêts contraires, des prétentions irréductibles de classes, c’est bien le mouvement liturgique, seul capable de produire ce miracle. »

FOURTH COMPLAINT. The current liturgical movement wants to “throw overboard the devotions dear to the Christian people and worry only about Mass and Vespers.”

QUATRIÈME GRIEF. Le mouvement liturgique actuel veut « jeter pardessus bord les dévotions chères au peuple chrétien et ne plus s’inquiéter que de la Messe et des Vêpres n.

1 º We said above how imprudent it was to raise such a question in front of the general public. We add, with indignation, that it is supremely unjust to launch this accusation, which indiscriminately affects all liturgical promoters without proving it, even by a text. ^[p.534]

1º Nous avons dit plus haut combien il était imprudent de soulever pareille question devant le grand public. Nous ajoutons, avec indignation, qu’il est souverainement injuste de lancer cette accusation, qui atteint indistinctement tous les propagandistes liturgiques sans en faire la preuve, ne fût-ce que par un texte. ^[p.534]

2 º To restore “the true Christian spirit, affirmed Pius X, it is necessary to bring the faithful back to the first and indispensable source of this spirit, namely: to the active participation of the faithful in the Sacrosanct Mysteries and in public and solemn prayer. from the church “. Yes, the main objective of the liturgical movement is to restore honor to the parish High Mass and Vespers, to achieve, on Sundays at least, this active participation from which Pius X expects the renewal of the Christian spirit.

2º Pour restaurer «le véritable esprit chrétien, affirmait Pie X, il faut ramener les fidèles à la source première et indispensable de cet esprit, à savoir : à la participation active des fidèles aux Mystères sacro-saints et à la prière publique et solennelle de l’Eglise ». Oui, l’objectif principal du mouvement liturgique est de remettre en honneur la Grand’Messe paroissiale et les Vêpres, de réaliser, le dimanche du moins, cette participation active dont Pie X attend la rénovation de l’esprit chrétien.

But who does not see that by thus renewing the piety of the faithful, by modeling it on the great prayer of the Church, the accessory devotions will receive from it an increase in vigor and virility? Liturgical piety, foreign to all pettiness and nonsense, nourished by sound doctrine, pure and of good quality, broad and generous, having become the main food of the Christian soul, will transform private piety, give it new impetus, a new intensity, at the same time that it will put it back in its proper place.

Mais qui ne voit qu’en renouvelant ainsi la piété des fidèles, en la modelant sur la grande prière de l’Église, les dévotions accessoires en recevront un accroissement de vigueur et de virilité? La piété liturgique, étrangère à toutes les mièvreries et toutes les fadaises, nourrie de saine doctrine, pure et de bon aloi, large et généreuse, devenue l’aliment principal de l’âme chrétienne, transformera la piété privée, lui donnera un nouvel élan, une nouvelle intensité, en même temps qu’elle la remettra à sa vraie place.

3 º All this has been said and repeated in the different liturgical assemblies and the 850 priests who have attended the liturgical weeks so far will have been surprised by these assertions of the author. Suffice it to recall here the reports of Father Malherbe, parish priest of Ronquières, on the Great Devotions (Supplement of the 1st year, pp. 311), and of Father François de Sales, of the Order of Carmelites : The Liturgy in Piety (ibid., p. 332), which both establish the place of accessory devotions in a well-understood piety. In addition, the Liturgical Office has so far sold 150,000 masses of the Sacred Heart for the devotion of the first Friday of the month and 120,000 manuals for the greetings and feasts of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints.

3º Tout cela a été dit et redit dans les différentes assemblées liturgiques et les 850 prêtres qui ont assisté, jusqu’ici, aux semaines liturgiques auront été surpris de ces affirmations de l’auteur. Qu’il suffise de rappeler ici les rapports de M. l’abbé Malherbe, curé de Ronquières, sur les Grandes dévotions (Supplément de la ire année, pp. 311), et du R. P. François de Sales, de l’Ordre des Carmes : La Liturgie dans la piété (ibid., p. 332), qui établissent, tous deux, la place des dévotions accessoires dans une piété bien comprise. Au surplus, le Bureau liturgique a écoulé jusqu’ici 150,000 messes du Sacré-Coeur pour la dévotion du premier vendredi du mois et 120,000 manuels pour les saluts et fêtes de la sainte Vierge et des Saints.

4 º Let us say, finally, that the conception of the author relative to the accessory devotions is not ours and seems to us inexact. “Let us leave to little children, he said, the strong, distilled, even flavored milk which nourishes their little life, and let us wait, to wean them entirely,may they have become strong... Let us leave these little ones, these humble ones, to make the Way of the Cross. Above all, let us leave, between the fingers of our good and holy people of the country (and towns), the holy and pious rosary. ” The author would like two regimes: the liturgical regime for some; the regime of: incidental devotions for others. We want, for everyone without distinction, both the liturgy and the accessory devotions, but we want them each in its own time and in its hierarchical place.

4º Disons, enfin, que la conception de l’auteur relative aux dévotions accessoires n’est pas la nôtre et nous semble inexacte. « Laissons aux petits enfants, dit-il, le lait fort, distillé, aromatisé même, qui alimente leur petite vie, et attendons, pour les en sevrer entièrement, qu’ils soient devenus forts... Qu’on laisse ces petits, ces humbles, faire le Chemin de la Croix. Qu’on laisse surtout, entre les doigts de nos bonnes et saintes gens de la campagne (t des villes),le saint et pieux chapelet. » L’auteur voudrait deux régimes : le régime liturgique pour les uns; le régime de: dévotions accessoires pour les autres. Nous voulons, nous, pour tous sans distinction, et la liturgie et les dévotions accessoires, mais nous les voulons chacune en son temps eÉ à sa place hiérarchique.

Our readers would resent us for occupying them any longer with questions often dealt with here. To remove any unpleasant impression from them, we insist on repeating, in conclusion, that the author desires and sincerely wishes with us the development of liturgical piety; there is no disagreement on this point. ^[p.535] But having foreseen the possibility of certain abuses which the best things can know, he imprudently imputed these to the leaders of the present liturgical movement without proof and without discretion, for lack of being involved in this movement. All the facts protest against these reproaches.

Nos lecteurs nous en voudraient de les occuper plus longtemps de questions souvent traitées ici-même. Pour leur enlever toute fâcheuse impression, nous tenons à redire, en finissant, que l’auteur désire et souhaite sincèrement avec nous le développement de la piété liturgique; il n’y a sur ce point aucune divergence. ^[p.535] Mais ayant entrevu la possibilité de certains abus que les choses les meilleures peuvent connaitre, il a imprudemment imputé ceux-ci aux chefs du mouvement liturgique actuel sans preuve et sans discrétion, faute d’être mêlé à ce mouvement. Tous les faits protestent contre ces reproches.

※    ※

※   ※

We do not want to end this justification without specifying two points to which we will return at greater length later and which friends of the movement have brought to our attention.

Nous ne voulons pas terminer cette justification sans préciser deux points sur lesquels nous reviendrons d’ailleurs plus longuement dans la suite et que des amis du mouvement ont signalés à notre attention.

The first relates to the exercise called meditation and, in general, to all acts of private devotion. We would now like to make three short observations on this subject:

Le premier est relatif à l’exercice appelé méditation et, en général, à tous les actes de dévotion privée. Nous voulons dès maintenant faire à ce sujet trois courtes observations :

1 º When we speak of liturgical piety, we must distinguish very clearly between the formal acts of worship and the exercises of piety imbued with the liturgical spirit. It is obviously not a question of reducing all our devotion to the only acts which we accomplish as ministers of worship, namely: the Holy Mass, the Office, the administration of the Sacraments, etc., and of suppressing from our order of the any other act of devotion: prayer, spiritual reading, etc. It would be acting against the most venerable Catholic tradition that all ancient monastic rules have consecrated and contradicting the recent instructions of Pius X to clergy around the world.

1º Quand on parle de piété liturgique, il faut distinguer très nettement entre les actes formels du culte et les exercices de piété pénétrés de l’esprit liturgique. Il ne s’agit pas évidemment de réduire toute notre dévotion aux seuls actes que nous accomplissons comme ministres du culte, à savoir : la sainte Messe, l’Office, l’administration des Sacrements, etc., et de supprimer de notre ordre du jour tout autre acte de dévotion : oraison, lecture spirituelle, etc. Ce serait agir contre la tradition catholique la plus vénérable que toutes les anciennes règles monastiques ont consacrée et contredire les récentes instructions de Pie X au clergé du monde entier.

2 º But if it is a question of liturgical piety in the second sense that is inspired in all its spiritual activity by the liturgical spirit, yes, it is true that liturgical propaganda in all its forms is employed, without exclusivism narrow, one-sided and indiscreet, but with an invincible conviction and drive, to make it triumph in the clergy and the faithful.

2º Mais s’il s’agit de piété liturgique dans le deuxième sens qui s’inspire dans toute son activité spirituelle de l’esprit liturgique, oui, il est vrai que la propagande liturgique sous toutes ses formes s’emploie, sans exclusivisme étroit, unilatéral et indiscret, mais avec une conviction et un élan invincibles, à la faire triompher dans le clergé et les fidèles.

To specify this action, it suffices to recall what we said here ( 2^nd year, p. 433) in announcing the Liturgical Retreat: “The Church arranges each day, for her children and especially for her priests, the substantial meal of holy readings, collective adoration and all-powerful supplications.” To apply one’s supernatural activity to assimilate these riches, to make them pass into one’s life and action, isn’t this a magnificent objective of priestly piety, of a solid, easy, collective, ecclesiastical, truly Catholic piety? Instead of exploiting at ease this vein of gold which runs on the surface of the ground, we exhaust ourselves painfully in random soundings, using methods of a complicated mechanism, in search of less rich deposits and whose laborious extraction often tests our perseverance. »

Pour préciser cette action, il suffit de rappeler ce que nous disions ici-même (2^e année, p. 433) en annonçant la Retraite liturgique : « L’Église ménage chaque jour, à ses enfants et surtout à ses prêtres, le repas substantiel des saintes lectures, des adorations collectives et des supplications toutes-puissantes. Appliquer son activité surnaturelle à s’assimiler ces richesses, à les faire passer dans sa vie et son action, n’est-ce pas un magnifique objectif de piété sacerdotale, d’une piété solide, facile, collective, ecclésiastique, vraiment catholique? Au lieu d’exploiter à l’aise ce filon d’or qui court à fleur de sol, nous nous épuisons péniblement dans des sondages aléatoires, à l’aide de méthodes d’un mécanisme compliqué, en quête de gisements moins riches et dont l’extraction laborieuse met souvent notre persévérance à l’épreuve. »

This action will have two special points in view:

Cette action aura en vue deux points spéciaux :

a ) To give to the liturgical acts properly so called, Mass and Breviary, the place which belongs to them both in our agenda and in the economy of our piety. ^[p.536] Wasn’t this hierarchical rank misunderstood, to the detriment of liturgical acts, by prejudice or ingrained habits? It would suffice, to be convinced of this, to consult the manuals, the agendas, the subjects of the most fashionable annual retreat.

a) Donner aux actes liturgiques proprement dits, Messe et Bréviaire, la place qui leur revient tant dans notre ordre du jour que dans l’économie de notre piété. ^[p.536] Ce rang hiérarchique n’a-t-il pas été méconnu, au détriment des actes liturgiques, par préjugés ou habitudes invétérées? Il suffirait, pour s’en convaincre, de consulter les manuels, les ordres du jour, les sujets de retraite annuelle les plus en vogue.

b) Gradually accustoming souls to nourishing themselves with the liturgical manna that God causes to fall abundantly each day. Our daily prayer, our readings, all our spiritual activity would strive to convey, in our minds, in our hearts and in our actions, all the teachings and examples that the liturgy of the Time and of the Saints brings us each day. We do not claim that it is the only method, but we will agree, in any case, that it is excellent, that it does not bear any special label or patent of inventor, that it is not Benedictine but Catholic, that it has been too neglected and that it is not useless to restore it to honour.

b) Habituer insensiblement les âmes à se nourrir de la manne liturgique que Dieu fait tomber chaque jour avec abondance. Notre oraison quotidienne, nos lectures, toute notre activité spirituelle s’emploieraient à faire passer, dans notre esprit, dans notre coeur et dans nos actes, tous les enseignements et les exemples que la liturgie du Temps et des Saints nous apporte chaque jour. Nous ne prétendons pas que ce soit la seule méthode, mais on conviendra, en tout cas, qu’elle est excellente, qu’elle ne porte ni étiquette spéciale ni brevet d’inventeur, qu’elle n’est pas bénédictine mais catholique, qu’elle a été trop négligée et qu’il n’est pas inutile de la remettre en honneur.

In our opinion, its result will be to restore to the liturgical acts themselves all their importance, their dignity and their effectiveness, to ensure for our private piety a more substantial matter, a richer and more varied framework, a less fanciful and less selfish; to powerfully develop in us the truly Catholic spirit and the feelings of Christian unity and brotherhood of which the liturgy is the constant expression.

A notre avis, elle aura pour résultat de rendre aux actes liturgiques eux-mêmes toute leur importance, leur dignité et leur efficacité, d’assurer à notre piété privée une matière plus substantielle, un cadre plus riche et plus varié, une allure moins fantaisiste et moins égoïste ; de développer puissamment en nous l’esprit vraiment catholique et les sentiments d’unité et de fraternité chrétienne dont la liturgie est la constante expression.

Un second point que nous ne faisons qu’indiquer porte sur la notion de piété individualiste. En combattant ce caractère, qui est synonyme d’isolement et d’égoïsme, on n’enlève rien au caractère personnel de la piété. Une piété est personnelle quand elle est consciente de sa responsabilité, de ses devoirs, et il n’est pas évidemment question de substituer, à cette activité personnelle et consciente d’elle-même, une religiosité collective anonyme où l’individu abdique, au profit du corps social, et se cantonne dans un vague quiétisme. Durkheim, avec ses idées sociologiques préconçues, pourrait ramener la piété liturgique à son système, mais un esprit sincère ne s’arrêtera pas un instant à un pareil grief. Sabatier pourrait, avec plus de vraisemblance, ramener à sa thèse individualiste la piété privée actuelle. Nous reviendrons d’ailleurs sur ces questions.

Dom LAMBERT BEAUDUIN.

COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT
Lambert Beauduin, OSB (1912)

 Liturgical Questions

Revue Appearing eight times a year reserved for the clergy

Second Year: 1911-1912

Subscriptions: Belgium . . 3 foreign francs. Fr. 3.50

ADMINISTRATION and EDITORIAL OF THE JOURNAL: ABBEY OF MONT-CÉSAR, LOUVAIN

COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

AN anonymous writing, for which neither the publisher nor the author took responsibility, took care of the liturgical action on the occasion of the Week organized at Maredsous. The author develops, with breadth and conviction, the theoretical considerations that our readers are familiar with. Undoubtedly, one could desire more certainty and theological precision; as a whole, however, this part is irreproachable.

But, as soon as he passes judgment on men and things, the author takes on a tone of recrimination and reproach which contrasts singularly with the lofty views developed in the rest of his study.

We have hesitated to raise these criticisms here, which no quotation justifies; Hasn’t the liturgical movement met with unanimous sympathy and should it not remain a stranger to any controversy? But devoted friends of the work have persuaded us that our Review owes to the movement and to its collaborators, that it owes itself a word of explanation with a view to dissipating any ambiguity. This is the purpose of these lines. They were written without resentment, but also in complete frankness, sometimes even with a movement of impatience which did not seek to conceal itself and from which the anonymity of the writing in question removes all personal character.

In the eyes of the author, the leaders of the liturgical movement have four main faults:

FIRST COMPLAINT. They are young, reckless, exaggerated; the author compares them “to the young zealots whom Saint John loved and to whom he wrote”. The liturgical movement therefore lacks a Mentor; hence these offers of service in three inserts on the first page.

A. Seven liturgical weeks have taken place since the organization of the ^[p.530] movement, six at Mont-César in Louvain, the last at Maredsous. About thirty speakers, all at the head of the movement of study and liturgical action, took the floor. Now, of this number, twenty-sevenhave reached their forties and occupy, for the most part, in the major seminaries, the universities and the chapters, in the parish ministry and the monasteries, positions in view. Only three are under 40; all three Roman doctors, two priors of great abbeys, the third master of novices. All these “young zealots” what did they do? Here it is: “Hear them rather in their beautiful reports: the liturgy is the universal panacea. She will bring asceticism back to the true path, the royal one. We give great blows to the convoluted methods, we overthrow the ancient cathedral: we have at hand much richer and more precious materials to rebuild it! »

Undoubtedly, youth is not a crime, it still has to be real. But isn’t it discrediting a movement and arousing mistrust to represent it as the result of a youthful effervescence more adept at “destroying” than “rebuilding”?

Yes, be careful! but let the reader judge:

1º The liturgical action moves in a domain which confines on all sides to delicate problems of doctrine and piety. Without reinstating the discipline of the arcana, it is prudent to deal with certain questions behind closed doors ¹ . Hence, at the very origin of the movement, the creation of distinct ecclesiastical and lay bodies.

[¹. It is for this purpose that we have refused the organization of the work by zealots and zealots.]

Liturgical Questions explained this at the beginning ( 1^st year, 1909, p. 1): “More than any other religious apostolate, liturgical action must develop under the direction of the clergy. If the collaboration of the men of works is desirable, it is on the condition of avoiding any indiscreet interference in the things of worship, of maintaining a clear separation between the sanctuary and the nave. However, a publication such as ours is led, infallibly, to point out abuses, to propose reforms, to discuss the methods on which the promoters of a movement must agree, but which it is preferable not to put before the audience. »

The author adopts another method. He raises, before the general public, delicate questions of an ecclesiastical order; he establishes a parallel between liturgical piety and private devotions; it disguises the intentions of the propagandists and makes the public judge of an imaginary conflict which, in any case, is not within its competence. And it’s not his fault his study hasn’t received more publicity. Which side is the caution? ^[p.531]

2º Before publicly passing such a foolish overall judgment on a movement, a prudent man will closely follow the main manifestations (its activity), will base himself on the writings of the leaders, will quote the official organs which expose their views. neu/ liturgical and Gregorian weeks organized so far, the author has followed only one; to justify his reproaches (the exaggeration, imprudence, hostility vis-à-vis the devotions, he does not not quote an article, not a sentence, not a word taken from the many publications that the Liturgical Office has published for three years And if the framework of a study, however interminable, did not include it, at least it could indicate the reference to the indicted articles.Which side is the caution?

3º The liturgical weeks provide liturgical propagandists with the opportunity to confer amicably on the interests of the work, to explain the methods employed, to report on the experiences made, to possibly seek the causes of failure and the dangers to be avoided. . These exchanges of views took place during the Liturgical Week of Maredsous: it was the moment, in this circle of friends and initiates, to share any fears and timely advice. All the “young zealots whom John loved and to whom he wrote” were there: Saint John could speak.

Instead of this loyal, prudent and fruitful explanation, we preferred anonymous reviews, published in publicity a few days after the Week. Again, whose side is the caution?

No, really, these service offers are not reassuring.

SECOND COMPLAINT. It takes slow work, gradual initiation; the leaders of the movement want to reform everything at once. This grif is developed at length. “Mentalities are not built up like this all at once, but they are slowly elaborated... Let’s not go too fast to impose them... to stuff them into brains all of a sudden... Let’s not demolish without having something better to put in its place...” etc.

A. Let’s see the merits of this reproach, which the author, faithful to his method, does not justify by any fact or text.

1º From the first number of the Liturgical Life (October 1909, supplement, p. 19), the article-programme expressed itself thus: “Undoubtedly, the task of liturgical restoration will be arduous. Generations have taken centuries to forget this ancient prayer; they will take a long time to relearn it. But should we be discouraged?... The Sovereign Pontiff did not think so...”

2º The publication of the Liturgical Life adapting, thanks to 15 distinct editions, to 11 different dioceses and distributed, for three years, in thousands of copies, is it not a powerful and fruitful effort of gradual initiation to liturgical prayer? ^[p.532]

“You had the happy inspiration,” said His Excellency Cardinal Mercier, on November ig, 1909 when approving the work ¹ , to go out to meet your brothers. You know, by experience, that the practice of the Missal and, even more, that of the Vesperal are, for unaccustomed hands, difficult to handle and you have taken up the task of eliminating, for the benefit of the faithful, the preliminary difficulties. You’ve done it very well. » His Eminence added (p. 224): « The enterprise that the monks of Mont-César are attempting, under your wise direction, is beautiful and highly meritorious, Most Reverend Abbot. God will bless her. She must succeed. “

[ ¹ . See Supplement, I ^st year, pp. 222-223.]

The circular which was sent to the clergy to announce the publication began as follows: “Aim: To gradually accustom all the faithful to praying with our Holy Mother the Church... To manage the transitions, the proposed system requires only a minimum: at least on Sunday let us unite around our pastor, in the same prayer and the same song, to be one heart and one soul, and realize the desire for union that our Master expressed at the Last Supper. »

We know the success obtained by this publication; we may not know all the sacrifices of time and money that it required. It was the practical realization of a wish which seemed, to many, a utopia; it was unquestionably a work of slow and gradual initiation, the most popular attempt in this domain. The author, a supporter of this slow formation, should applaud these efforts: not at all! And here, really, the thing becomes quite strange: “What is it, in fact,” he says speaking of the Liturgical Life, “ that a hundred thousand faithful liturgists out of five million who should be here in Belgium? A die? the cause ? In my humble opinion: an incomplete understanding of what the liturgy is, coming (pardon me) from the incomplete presentation that has been made of it. Then follows the magic exposition which should make the liturgy “the universal panacea”.

If therefore the author had created and directed the liturgical movement, it would not be 30,000 faithful, but the whole Christian people who would follow the liturgical text. If he had been able to explain his conception, this dream, compromised by the current leaders, would have come true: “It seems to me that all our sincere believers, who have become fervent liturgists, come running on Sundays to the Holy Sacrifice, the Missal in hand, to Vespers with the Antiphonary , unite with the priests and cooperate, with enthusiasm and zeal, in the great work...”

The partisan of the Missal and the Antiphonary for the five million Belgian faithful accuses the author of the tiny Liturgical Life with a modest circulation of 100,000 copies, of precipitation, imprudence, illusion, exclusivism.

3º In addition, Father Brassart, parish priest of Écaussinnes, “young 50-year-old zealot”. with an admirable sense of contingencies and possibilities, ^[p.533] exposed, in all the details, the liturgical apostolate of long and persevering initiation, to be exercised in a parish. How, after having witnessed this enlightened and prudent zeal, can one condemn all these “beautiful reports” which overthrow “the ancient cathedral” by adding: “Destroying is easy and even more!” To build?”

THIRD COMPLAINT. Liturgical leaders exaggerate the importance of the liturgy and present it as “a universal panacea”.

All those who defend a dear cause with ardor and enthusiasm must resign themselves in advance to this innocuous reproach, which is often only a thoughtless quip of a less optimistic spirit. But the author of the article comes back to it and insists: no text, no specific facts, of course.

1º He has probably not read the article-program that we have already quoted. It says, among other things: “Social works are of such great importance today that any work having the objective of assisting them in some way would have sufficiently demonstrated their opportunity. We believe that the dissemination of the Liturgical Life exercises a happy influence in this area. This is the conviction that we find expressed by one of our most prominent men of works, Canon Douterlungne. It was he again who, at the Semaine de Maredsous, insisted on this social influence of the liturgy and wanted it to be disseminated in works for young people.

In all assemblies and publications, care has been taken to highlight the contribution that the liturgy could make to apologetic works, to frequent Communion, to parish life, to artistic renewal, etc. No narrow and unilateral conception, no rivalry prejudicial to other works, but perfect harmony between the different organisms where Catholic activity is deployed.

2º It is, moreover, unwelcome to address such a reproach to us in the very writing where this obviously exaggerated affirmation is found: crowd of conflicting interests, irreducible class pretensions, it is indeed the liturgical movement, the only one capable of producing this miracle. »

FOURTH COMPLAINT. The current liturgical movement wants to “throw overboard the devotions dear to the Christian people and worry only about Mass and Vespers.”

1 º We said above how imprudent it was to raise such a question in front of the general public. We add, with indignation, that it is supremely unjust to launch this accusation, which indiscriminately affects all liturgical promoters without proving it, even by a text. ^[p.534]

2 º To restore “the true Christian spirit, affirmed Pius X, it is necessary to bring the faithful back to the first and indispensable source of this spirit, namely: to the active participation of the faithful in the Sacrosanct Mysteries and in public and solemn prayer. from the church “. Yes, the main objective of the liturgical movement is to restore honor to the parish High Mass and Vespers, to achieve, on Sundays at least, this active participation from which Pius X expects the renewal of the Christian spirit.

But who does not see that by thus renewing the piety of the faithful, by modeling it on the great prayer of the Church, the accessory devotions will receive from it an increase in vigor and virility? Liturgical piety, foreign to all pettiness and nonsense, nourished by sound doctrine, pure and of good quality, broad and generous, having become the main food of the Christian soul, will transform private piety, give it new impetus, a new intensity, at the same time that it will put it back in its proper place.

3 º All this has been said and repeated in the different liturgical assemblies and the 850 priests who have attended the liturgical weeks so far will have been surprised by these assertions of the author. Suffice it to recall here the reports of Father Malherbe, parish priest of Ronquières, on the Great Devotions (Supplement of the 1st year, pp. 311), and of Father François de Sales, of the Order of Carmelites : The Liturgy in Piety (ibid., p. 332), which both establish the place of accessory devotions in a well-understood piety. In addition, the Liturgical Office has so far sold 150,000 masses of the Sacred Heart for the devotion of the first Friday of the month and 120,000 manuals for the greetings and feasts of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints.

4 º Let us say, finally, that the conception of the author relative to the accessory devotions is not ours and seems to us inexact. “Let us leave to little children, he said, the strong, distilled, even flavored milk which nourishes their little life, and let us wait, to wean them entirely,may they have become strong... Let us leave these little ones, these humble ones, to make the Way of the Cross. Above all, let us leave, between the fingers of our good and holy people of the country (and towns), the holy and pious rosary. ” The author would like two regimes: the liturgical regime for some; the regime of: incidental devotions for others. We want, for everyone without distinction, both the liturgy and the accessory devotions, but we want them each in its own time and in its hierarchical place.

Our readers would resent us for occupying them any longer with questions often dealt with here. To remove any unpleasant impression from them, we insist on repeating, in conclusion, that the author desires and sincerely wishes with us the development of liturgical piety; there is no disagreement on this point. ^[p.535] But having foreseen the possibility of certain abuses which the best things can know, he imprudently imputed these to the leaders of the present liturgical movement without proof and without discretion, for lack of being involved in this movement. All the facts protest against these reproaches.

※    ※

We do not want to end this justification without specifying two points to which we will return at greater length later and which friends of the movement have brought to our attention.

The first relates to the exercise called meditation and, in general, to all acts of private devotion. We would now like to make three short observations on this subject:

1 º When we speak of liturgical piety, we must distinguish very clearly between the formal acts of worship and the exercises of piety imbued with the liturgical spirit. It is obviously not a question of reducing all our devotion to the only acts which we accomplish as ministers of worship, namely: the Holy Mass, the Office, the administration of the Sacraments, etc., and of suppressing from our order of the any other act of devotion: prayer, spiritual reading, etc. It would be acting against the most venerable Catholic tradition that all ancient monastic rules have consecrated and contradicting the recent instructions of Pius X to clergy around the world.

2 º But if it is a question of liturgical piety in the second sense that is inspired in all its spiritual activity by the liturgical spirit, yes, it is true that liturgical propaganda in all its forms is employed, without exclusivism narrow, one-sided and indiscreet, but with an invincible conviction and drive, to make it triumph in the clergy and the faithful.

To specify this action, it suffices to recall what we said here ( 2^nd year, p. 433) in announcing the Liturgical Retreat: “The Church arranges each day, for her children and especially for her priests, the substantial meal of holy readings, collective adoration and all-powerful supplications.” To apply one’s supernatural activity to assimilate these riches, to make them pass into one’s life and action, isn’t this a magnificent objective of priestly piety, of a solid, easy, collective, ecclesiastical, truly Catholic piety? Instead of exploiting at ease this vein of gold which runs on the surface of the ground, we exhaust ourselves painfully in random soundings, using methods of a complicated mechanism, in search of less rich deposits and whose laborious extraction often tests our perseverance. »

This action will have two special points in view:

a ) To give to the liturgical acts properly so called, Mass and Breviary, the place which belongs to them both in our agenda and in the economy of our piety. ^[p.536] Wasn’t this hierarchical rank misunderstood, to the detriment of liturgical acts, by prejudice or ingrained habits? It would suffice, to be convinced of this, to consult the manuals, the agendas, the subjects of the most fashionable annual retreat.

b) Gradually accustoming souls to nourishing themselves with the liturgical manna that God causes to fall abundantly each day. Our daily prayer, our readings, all our spiritual activity would strive to convey, in our minds, in our hearts and in our actions, all the teachings and examples that the liturgy of the Time and of the Saints brings us each day. We do not claim that it is the only method, but we will agree, in any case, that it is excellent, that it does not bear any special label or patent of inventor, that it is not Benedictine but Catholic, that it has been too neglected and that it is not useless to restore it to honour.

In our opinion, its result will be to restore to the liturgical acts themselves all their importance, their dignity and their effectiveness, to ensure for our private piety a more substantial matter, a richer and more varied framework, a less fanciful and less selfish; to powerfully develop in us the truly Catholic spirit and the feelings of Christian unity and brotherhood of which the liturgy is the constant expression.

A second point which we are only indicating relates to the notion of individualistic piety. By fighting this character, which is synonymous with isolation and selfishness, nothing is taken away from the personal characterof piety. A piety is personal when it is aware of its responsibility, of its duties, and there is obviously no question of substituting, for this personal and self-conscious activity, an anonymous collective religiosity in which the individual abdicates, at the benefit of the social body, and confines itself to a vague quietism. Durkheim, with his preconceived sociological ideas, could reduce liturgical piety to his system, but a sincere mind will not stop for a moment at such a grievance. Sabatier could, with more likelihood, reduce today’s private piety to his individualist thesis. We will come back to these questions.

Dom LAMBERT BEAUDUIN.