Narcissism in the Liturgy

A Dei in the Life posted a brief quote on narcissism in the liturgy.  First, take a moment and check out this blog - it is a great blend of politics, liturgy, and generally all things Catholic.  In addition to quality content, the author is a very good writer, so his posts are always a joy to read.

Back to the question at hand ... whenever I see the claim of narcissism in the liturgy, I am reminded of a tremendous treatment of the topic: an article by Paul and Daniel Vitz published in the November 2007 issue of Homiletics and Pastoral Review.  Both authors have a background in psychology.  What follows is but the highlights:

“Since Vatican II the Mass has fallen victim to various kinds of irregularities...  We propose that the primary motivation behind many of these changes derives from underlying narcissistic motives — that is, extreme self love — found in many people in contemporary culture. This is especially the case with the relatively small changes introduced in an idiosyncratic way into the Mass. We first summarize and describe the nature of this narcissism, then apply it to the situation found among priests.

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“Setting aside the important underlying theological issues, we can see deeply rooted psychological motives behind the American priests who ‘individualize’ the Masses they celebrate, placing their ‘personal stamp”’on the liturgy. These priests play fast and loose with the rubrics of the mass, transform the “very brief” introduction after the greeting of the people, as authorized by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, into another homily. Some even individualize the prayer of consecration, and in numerous other ways seek to make the Divine Liturgy conform to their own tastes and views.

“Much of this change was long attributed to the ‘Spirit of Vatican II’, but in fact, our point is that the secular and narcissistic spirit of the times lies beneath these liturgical irregularities. This secular spirit, as described by Lasch, was explicitly self-indulgent and self-aggrandizing. The rationale of those who ‘personalize’ the liturgy is clearly one that rejects the Church’s history and tradition — just as society in general has rejected its past. This is easily seen in the frequent neglect and sometimes even explicit disparagement of the Church’s liturgical tradition by those who should be most closely wedded to the Church — priests. 

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“It is important for priests to keep in mind that most Catholics go to Mass to encounter Jesus Christ, and not to come into contact with the particular psychology of the celebrant. They go for something that is not present in the popular culture — a sense of the sacred and a recognition of the need for humility. We do not want to come away from the Mass being affirmed in where we are, we want to be drawn toward where we long to be — closer to Christ and to Heaven.”

It has been long recognized by Cardinal Arinze, Cardinal Ratzinger, and a whole host of other liturgical scholars that the quickest way to reduce the narcissism in the liturgy is to return the priest to an ad orientem posture in which he faces with the people in order to meet Christ.  The temptation to perform is greatly reduced.