When we first began our very modest series on the Station Churches of Lent, our aim was just to present a little aspect of the most venerable Traditions of the Church of Rome, as ancient as the Traditional Roman Mass (wrongly named by some as "Tridentine" -- which is not demeaning, since there was no Council as successful as Trent, but is historically inaccurate and is usually used with the intent of implying that a completely new liturgy may naturally follow a new Council).This passage of the pope's conversation (it was more a long discussion than a speech) with the Roman clergy yesterday was particularly moving to us, as we had yesterday remarked on the happy link between the Gospel of the day and its origin from the choice of the Station church, which we also noted today. What the Holy Father said at the darker portion below is undeniable -- there is some continuity between the new readings and the "Lenten spirit". Yet it is an "example" (his words) of the post-conciliar discontinuities.
It is also good to see that the Holy Father has been meditating on the Traditional readings for the daily Mass of his Church, the Church of Rome. These were the Pope's words:
...It is necessary, above all, to avoid being careless with the common Catholic spirituality, which expresses itself in the Liturgy and in the great Tradition of the faith. This seems very important to me. This point is important also regarding the Council. There is no need to live -- as I said before Christmas to the Roman Curia [read more here]-- the hermeneutics of discontinuity, but to live the hermeneutics of renewal, which is the spirituality of continuity, of going forward in continuity.
This seems very important to me even regarding the Liturgy. I pick a concrete example, which has come to mind today with the short meditation of this day. The 'Statio' for today, Thursday after Ash Wednesday, is Saint George [see here]. Related to this holy soldier, there were two readings on two holy soldiers. The first [reading] speaks of king Ezekias [Epistle of the Mass for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday in the Traditional Roman Rite], who, when infirm, is condemned to death and prays to the Lord, weeping: give me a little more life! And the Lord is good and gives him 17 more years of life. Therefore, there is a nice defense [for the city] and a soldier who can resume anew his activity.
The second [reading] is the Gospel [Gospel of the Mass for Thursday after Ash Wednesday in the Traditional Roman Rite] which tells the story of the officer at Capharnaum and his ill servant. We have, then, two themes: the one of the defense [of the city] and the one of the 'militia' of Christ, of the great struggle.
However, in the current Liturgy, we have two completely different readings. We have the one in Deuteronomy: 'Choose life', and the Gospel: 'Follow Christ and take up your cross', which means not to care for one's own life, but to give life, and is an interpretation of what 'to choose life' means.
I must say I have always deeply loved the Liturgy. I was truly passionate about the Lenten path of the Church, with these 'Station churches' and the readings related to these churches: a geography of faith which becomes a spiritual geography of the pilgrimage with the Lord. And I felt somewhat bad for the fact that all links between the "Stations" and the reading were removed.
Today I see that these readings are quite beautiful and express the program of Lent: to choose life, that is, to renew the 'Yes' of Baptism, which is a true choice of life. In this sense, there is an intimate continuity and it seems to me that we should observe it as a very small example of discontinuity and continuity.
We should accept innovations, but also love continuity and see the Council through this light of continuity. This is helpful even in the mediation between generations in their way of passing down the faith.
