There has been a bit of conversation about ad orientem over the past few days, prompted by the publication of a book, and its presentation in Rome. Fr. Z of What Does the Prayer Really Say was there:
Today I attended the presentation of a book. The Italian edition of Uwe Michael Lang’s book Turning Towards The Lord (in Italian Rivolti al Signore: l’orientamento nella preghiera liturgica. Cantagalli, 2006. Ignatius Press originally published it in English in 2004.) The preface was by Joseph Card. Ratzinger, whom I think you know. One of the presenters was Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith who is the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS).
The book is a positive contribution to the discussion of the importance of rethinking the now prevailing practice of celebration of Holy Mass "toward the people" (versus populum) and making a move back to an orientation of the Eucharistic liturgy "toward God" (versus Deum or versus orientem). Uwe picks up on work already provided by scholars like Klaus Gamber, Joseph Jungmann, Max Thurian, Louis Bouyer, and Joseph Ratzinger.
Without descending onto the old Mass v new Mass battlefield, Lang underscores the spiritual dimension of celebrations ad orientem versus. While there is a strong argument for having the liturgy of the Word versus populum there is similarly a strong, even overwhelming argument in favor of versus Deum celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy. Without repeating the argument of the whole book, in the case of the former there is a proclamation, while in the case of the latter having priest and people all "oriented" opens the celebration up to an eschatological dimension. Another strong point of the book is the documentation of how the Second Vatican Council in no way required the repression of Latin or a tearing out of altars or a versus populum celebration. He provides as well the rubrical evidence for ad orientem celebrations.
Those of us who grew up in a totally post-Vatican II environment are accustomed to hearing the ad orientem posture as one in which "the priest has his back to the people." A true description, but not actually literally true. Ad orientem means, not "back to the people" but, literally, "to the east."
Reinhard Meßner notes that what is at issue is not the celebratio versus populum, but the direction of liturgical prayer that has been known in the Christian tradition as "facing east".28
My claim is that the intrinsic sense of facing east in the Eucharist is the common direction of priest and people oriented towards the triune God. The following chapters on the historical and theological dimensions of this traditional liturgical practice are meant to show that its recovery is indispensable for the welfare of the Church today.
Many of you know that this isn’t just a Roman Catholic issue – Anglicans have traditionally worshipped ad orientem as well. Peter Toon, an Anglican theologian, offers a succint explanation here.
Likewise in the Episcopal Church, USA there has been a change in the last 30 years from the celebrant facing the East to facing the people (in fact the rubrics in the 1979 American prayer book taken at their face value actually presuppose that the priest will face East for the Eucharistic Prayer after the Sursum Corda).
“Ad orientem” is from “oriens” meaning “the rising sun” — thus “the East” or “the dawn” – and with the preposition “ad” ( “to” or “towards”).
In the Early Church the bodily posture of priest and people at the “Eucharistia” was a symbol of Christian hope. Jesus Christ was identified with the dawn and rising sun. And as such His dawn (rising from the dead and then coming in glory) marks the consummation of all things and the restoration of Paradise (Eden lies in “the east”). Not only the celebrant but the whole assembly, united in the one body of Christ, looked to the risen Lord who shall come in glory to restore all things. The eucharistic feast is in anticipation of the messianic banquet at the consummation.
So “ad orientem” is not the priest being bad mannered with his back to the people, but it is the whole people of God looking with awe and joy at the resurrected Lord Jesus and in expectation and hope looking for his coming in glory.
Celebration “ad orientem” does not mean that the celebrant and assisting ministers face East all the time. When they address the people in the ministry of the Word they face the people, for here they are the messengers of God to his people. But when the whole assembly prays they all, laity and priests, face the risen and coming Lord Jesus.
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