Is Sunday supposed to be somber or joyful?

[Sagradocorazon]

I know that the traditional Roman idea is that, since the Mass is the renewal or representation of the crucifixion then Mass is supposed to be more solemn and somber. Yet, Sunday is also the day of resurrection and a feast day. So it seems like Mass should be joyful as well. This is why I don't have a problem with Novus Ordo Mass being joyful and lively, like some Trads seem to have. And this is why in the east they don't kneel on Sunday (or at least they aren't supposed to) because kneeling is seen as an expression of repentance and sorrow which doesn't correspond with "He is risen!"

P.s. all the info about the East I got from Orthodox forums I've visited.


Thanks

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk

[Bernadette]

It's not an "either, or" situation. It's a "both, and." We are to take joy in the liturgy, if possible and to the degree possible to us, while still respecting its sacred nature in word and action.

But after that: party time.  As long as we don't intentionally do anything that we're convinced will violate the sanctity of the day, or anything that is intrinsically contrary to it.

[Daniel]

Well theoretically we are supposed to attend the High Mass on Sunday. And the ceremonials of the High Mass probably make it more joyful than the Low Mass. And less kneeling.

But regardless of ceremonials, it's still the same Mass. So it must still be treated with the same level of reverence and solemnity. Some behaviors are simply never appropriate.

Also, something to point out is, while it's true that the Sunday (in general) represents Our Lord's resurrection, the resurrection isn't signified in the Mass until the very end. So during the Mass (viz. prior to Communion) the attitude should be less "He is risen!" and more sorrowful and/or anticipatory.

[aquinas138]

I know that the traditional Roman idea is that, since the Mass is the renewal or representation of the crucifixion then Mass is supposed to be more solemn and somber. Yet, Sunday is also the day of resurrection and a feast day. So it seems like Mass should be joyful as well. This is why I don't have a problem with Novus Ordo Mass being joyful and lively, like some Trads seem to have. And this is why in the east they don't kneel on Sunday (or at least they aren't supposed to) because kneeling is seen as an expression of repentance and sorrow which doesn't correspond with "He is risen!"

P.s. all the info about the East I got from Orthodox forums I've visited.


Thanks

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk

Easterners don't kneel on Sunday and during Easter because Canon 20 of the first Council of Nicaea forbids it. The rationale for the canon is basically what you have given. In practice, Rome was always a bit different. Postures have different meanings in different rites. So while kneeling is a sign of repentance in the East, in the West it's more a sign of humility, which is of course appropriate at Mass.

I don't think trads have a problem with the NO being "joyful"; the problem (among more fundamental problems) is irreverence. There is appropriate, liturgical joy - the Gloria in excelsis, the Alleluia, etc. All things in proper order. Undignified music, dancing (gah!), walking around to shake hands during the sign of peace, gabbing and joking before and after Mass in the nave, etc. – all these things are just inappropriate.

It's also the case that the difference between Eastern and Roman thoughts about "joyful" vs. "reserved" on Sunday has to do with the character or genius of the various rites. The Byzantine rite is far more expressive, prolix, emotional, etc. in general, and Sunday is primarily about the Resurrection, and the Divine Liturgy is primarily about being a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, even as we mystically attend that banquet even now in Divine Communion. The Roman rite is far more meditative and reserved, both in number of words and in emotion, and the character of the Sunday is governed more by the season than in the Byzantine rite (think Advent and Lenten propers), and the Holy Mass is primarily about the unbloody representation of Calvary. The more the two traditions lived in isolation from one another over the centuries, the more pronounced these differences became. Neither is more correct than the other; they're simply different. It's also important to note, I think, that it is very easy to exaggerate these differences. The idea of the heavenly banquet is not absent from the Roman tradition, nor is the connection with Calvary absent from the Byzantine DL.

[Gardener]

Sundays would be a lot more joyful in Tradland if people would join the choir/schola during High Mass, as the Church has consistently asked since at least Pius X. Of course, this requires tenor directors to not put the key in something only tenors and sopranos feel comfortable with.

[Bernadette]

Sundays would be a lot more joyful in Tradland if people would join the choir/schola during High Mass, as the Church has consistently asked since at least Pius X.

They will, if God calls them to and they respond. Patience.

[Gardener]

Sundays would be a lot more joyful in Tradland if people would join the choir/schola during High Mass, as the Church has consistently asked since at least Pius X.

They will, if God calls them to and they respond. Patience.

God speaks to us through the Church on such matters. Otherwise, such things are entirely superfluous.

[Bernadette]

I meant when He compels them, by love (either manifested as natural aptitude and a desire to put their talents to use for God's glory, or by obedience to their own convictions of their duty to serve the Church in this way, against their natural inclinations).