The Chant Café: Why Vatican II is Important: Number 1 in Our Series on Vatican II by Revd Fr Christopher Smith

On Liturgical Customaries for Seminaries: An Example of Mutual Enrichment from the Anglican Patrimony by Revd Fr Christopher Smith

I am told that nowadays some seminaries have attempted more precise handbooks of behavior in church and seminary, general rules of life. I have not seen any of them myself. In my day in the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary, everything from etiquette at table to liturgical decorum and expectations of clerical dress were all kind of an oral tradition that was passed from superiors to seminarians in the form of peer pressure to conform, rather than in any manual.

Benedictine v. Jesuit

NLM: Benedictines vs Jesuits Revisited: Further Thoughts on Models of Liturgy in the Church

Fr. Christopher writes: "The devotio moderna in the late medieval period, as it focused increasingly on the humanity of Christ, and less the Kyrios of glory, took a turn to the more intimate, private and devotional."

Is there a connection between this and Jungmann's insistance on the proper emphasis on Christ as man in liturgical prayer?

Christopher Smith Responds to Peter Kwasniewski

Chant Cafe: Is the Reform of the Reform Dead?

Related:
Reform of the Reform - Not Impossible by Bishop Peter J. Elliot
The Theology of the Offertory: A Response to a Recent Article Quoted on PrayTell (Part 1)

Christopher Smith on Traditionalism

His original essay, at Chant Cafe (posted at NLM): Sacra Liturgia 2013 and the Transformation of Traditionalism

And the follow-up (also posted at NLM): Has Traditionalism Really Been Transformed

But now there are many people, who are perhaps a bit more open to certain insights outside of the pre-conciliar manualist theological tradition, such as those of Ratzinger, who now find themselves engaging the same critiques of the traditionalists, but from within the desire of a hermeneutic of continuity. Such a school of tradition is no mere reincarnation of Ultramontanism in its neoconservative Amerophilic form. It is embued with the classical liturgical movement, with an eye to the Patristic age, the East, as well as certain insights of the nouvelle théologie. One thinks of a Ratzinger scholar like Tracey Rowland as perhaps more of an example of this type of thought.

They may be more willing to renew sacramental theology; for example, in light of current discussions and decisions on the Liturgy of Addai and Mari. But would they re-evaluate the magisterial standing of certain council documents and of the councils themselves?

Little did I know when I prepared the post on George Weigel's book that Fr. CS would also mention the book in his latest at Chant Café: Benedict XVI: Towards a Liturgical Theology of Liberation?

There is much packed in the essay, and I need to read it again - without accepting recent theses positing the separation of the Constantinian Church from the primitive Church, might there be a more valid thesis regarding about a Constantinian temptation - the temptation to use the secular authority in a fallen world as a model of understanding Church authority? Its effect we can see not only in the West but also in parts of the Christian East? What if it is difficult to map the trappings of human Imperium (as particularly manifested in the human leadership of the ChurcH) because the analogy between human kingdoms (or empires) and the Dominion of God and we as His Pople is very weak?

We probably should not jettison everything from the Church's past in the name of returning to a more simple, apostolic state - how do we maintain a balance between respecting what we have received (including the treasures of the past) and moving forward, unencumbered by imperial pretense? Is it accurate to say that our bishops may have succumbed to imitating some of the worst excesses of those wielding temporal power in terms of fashion and ceremonial and so on? Does there need to be some sort of clean break, with the bishops focused less on competing with the secular powers and more on building up the Kingdom of God? A reconsideration of apostolic priorities?

Maybe some Orthodox observers have praised the appearance of a more humble pope in the expectation that bishop of Rome will reconsider the claims of his office. Apparently they have not seen anything in Francis's actions or motivations that would imply a criticism of their own hierarchy as well.