Wednesday Liturgy: Follow-up: Marian Hymns at Offertory
ROME, JUNE 30, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
After our June 16 commentaries regarding Marian hymns at the offertory, a Canadian reader asked: "I saw recently how a couple of priests 'Marian' their homilies, which may be due to their particular affection for the Virgin Mary which comes from their order and/or formation. That is fine to do and can even help the homily.
"The question is two-part. First, when they put the Hail Mary prayer immediately following the Prayer of the Faithful. Is this allowable?
"Second, the Hail Mary has been inserted after the homily or at the end of Mass where it is sometimes turned into several other additional prayers. Is this allowable?"
Regarding adding the Hail Mary to the prayers of the faithful, we mentioned this topic on Aug. 17, 2004, in a follow-up to a column on the general intercessions.
The gist of the reply was that, where customary, the Hail Mary could be used as a final intercession but should not replace the priest's closing prayer.
Second, I am more doubtful regarding the incorporation of the Hail Mary into the homily, especially if the faithful are expected to recite it as a community. This could be interpreted as adding an unofficial prayer to the Mass.
It could be argued that in this case the Hail Mary is a concluding acclamation akin to the "Praised be Jesus Christ now and forever" with which Pope John Paul II frequently began and ended his sermons. It is not impossible to interpret it that way, but it is stretching the point.
A different case would be a priest who weaves the Hail Mary into the conclusion of his homily as a rhetorical devise, glossing the text so as to include other petitions for Mary's intercession. There would be no objections to this, although it would lessen the homily's effectiveness if overused.
I did not quite grasp the inclusion of the Hail Mary at the end of Mass. It would not be appropriate if these prayers were added to the official prayers. If, on the other hand, they form part of optional devotional exercises immediately after the dismissal, prolonging thanksgiving after Mass, then there would be no significant objections.
After our June 16 commentaries regarding Marian hymns at the offertory, a Canadian reader asked: "I saw recently how a couple of priests 'Marian' their homilies, which may be due to their particular affection for the Virgin Mary which comes from their order and/or formation. That is fine to do and can even help the homily.
"The question is two-part. First, when they put the Hail Mary prayer immediately following the Prayer of the Faithful. Is this allowable?
"Second, the Hail Mary has been inserted after the homily or at the end of Mass where it is sometimes turned into several other additional prayers. Is this allowable?"
Regarding adding the Hail Mary to the prayers of the faithful, we mentioned this topic on Aug. 17, 2004, in a follow-up to a column on the general intercessions.
The gist of the reply was that, where customary, the Hail Mary could be used as a final intercession but should not replace the priest's closing prayer.
Second, I am more doubtful regarding the incorporation of the Hail Mary into the homily, especially if the faithful are expected to recite it as a community. This could be interpreted as adding an unofficial prayer to the Mass.
It could be argued that in this case the Hail Mary is a concluding acclamation akin to the "Praised be Jesus Christ now and forever" with which Pope John Paul II frequently began and ended his sermons. It is not impossible to interpret it that way, but it is stretching the point.
A different case would be a priest who weaves the Hail Mary into the conclusion of his homily as a rhetorical devise, glossing the text so as to include other petitions for Mary's intercession. There would be no objections to this, although it would lessen the homily's effectiveness if overused.
I did not quite grasp the inclusion of the Hail Mary at the end of Mass. It would not be appropriate if these prayers were added to the official prayers. If, on the other hand, they form part of optional devotional exercises immediately after the dismissal, prolonging thanksgiving after Mass, then there would be no significant objections.
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