Destruction of the Offertory in the Novus Ordo: Cardinal Bugnini & Martin Luther
Alexandra Clark | The Daily Knight
Today, we are going to look at the major changes in the Offertory prayers of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as there is an old erroneous argument floating around that the only difference, between the Novus Ordo Mass & the Traditional Latin Mass is the language. With the facts below one will learn that the Novus Ordo alters the nature of the Sacrificial Offering by presenting the Offering into a "type of exchange" with a Protestant orientation molded from Martin Luther's Liturgical destructions & put into place by Novus Ordo architect Cardinal Annibale Bugnini.
The Ottaviani Intervention and Study:
After a thorough examination of the Novus Ordo Mass, Cardinal Ottaviani, along with several other cardinals, who were present at the Second Vatican Council, concluded that the Novus Ordo was nothing short of a dissenting revolution that could only be detrimental to the Church if allowed to be enacted. Like Msgr. Gamber, Cardinal Ottaviani’s conclusions on Vatican II came to pass. Cardinal Ottaviani explicitly revealed that the Council’s immediate effect on the Liturgy, namely that, “the central role of the Real Presence has been suppressed. It has been removed from the place it so resplendently occupied in the old liturgy.” [1] What he warned before had become reality. Indeed, the Cardinal began his study by clearly stating the very purpose of the Sacrifice of the Mass:
The ultimate purpose of the Mass is the sacrifice of praise rendered to the Most Holy Trinity. This end conforms to the primary purpose of the Incarnation, explicitly enunciated by Christ Himself: "Coming into the world he saith: sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not, but a body thou hast fitted me." In the Novus Ordo, this purpose has disappeared: From the Offertory, where the prayer ‘Receive, Holy Trinity, this Oblation…’ has been removed. From the conclusion of Mass, where the prayer honoring the Trinity, ‘May the Tribute of My Homage, Most Holy Trinity…’ has been eliminated. From the Preface, since the Preface of the Most Holy Trinity, formerly used on all ordinary Sundays, will henceforth be used only on the Feast of the most Holy Trinity. [2]
Not to mention all the Gloria Patri’s that got removed as well. Further, Cardinal Ottaviani refers to the following prayer now said in the Novus Ordo offertory: “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.” This, he says, is the juxtaposition of entirely different realities – immolation and eating, the Real Presence and Christ's Second Coming – which brings ambiguity to a new height.[3] Further still, the deconstruction of the Offertory in the Novus Ordo form is of considerable significance. The prayer said over the Host and Chalice in the Novus Ordo only extends the theology of a meal rather than that of a sacrifice. Theses prayers instead follow the more ancient Jewish notion of the Passover meal blessings (Seder). The Offertory of the Tridentine Mass reveals to the participant the importance and purpose of the Sacrifice, which is indispensable. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a Sacrifice to atone for sin and purifies the soul. The prayers of the Offertory in the Traditional Mass show this clearly in its phrasing and intention. This can be clearly seen in every action and prayer, (Refer to the video below for a visual). For example, before placing the Host back down to the corporal, the priest makes the sign of the Cross with the paten and Host signifying that it is through the Cross that Jesus offers Himself for the redemption of souls. Moreover. “For these reasons, at every Mass the priest with closed hands resting on the edge of the altar prays, that Christ may offer the Oblation on the Heavenly altar, before the throne of His Eternal Father, amid the vast unnumbered angels and saints of that heavenly Jerusalem, saying:
We humbly beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that Thou wouldst command these gifts to be carried by the hands of Thy holy Angel to Thy altar on high, before the sight of Thy Divine Majesty, that all of us, who by partaking of this altar, shall receive the most holy Body and Blood of Thy Son, may be enriched by every heavenly blessing and grace. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.[4]
Side-by-Side Examples of the Differences in the Offertory Prayers:
Therefore, there is a HUGE difference in the Offertory prayers with their purpose and orientation. To actually see this further, watch here this video titled: The New Nass vs the Traditional Latin Mass Part II the Offertory. This video goes over the prayers and the history of where the Novus Ordo Offertory prayers come from, for example in the Novus Ordo prayer “the work of human hands” comes from the writings of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, a modernist and evolutionist. https://youtu.be/kY9acZJElFs
The Importance of the Offertory Prayers:
Clearly, there has been a radical change in the Offertory and, as Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci observe in their study, the Novus Ordo alters the nature of the Sacrificial Offering by presenting the Offering into a type of exchange. Cardinal Ottaviani notes that: “The Novus Ordo alters the nature of the sacrificial offering by turning it into a type of exchange of gifts between God and man. Man brings the bread, and God turns it into ‘the bread of life;’ man brings the wine, and God turns it into ‘spiritual drink,’” praying in the Novus Ordo, as noted earlier:
“Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have this bread [or wine] to offer, fruit of the earth [vine] and work of human hands. It will become for us the bread of life [spiritual drink].
“The expressions ‘bread of life’ and ‘spiritual drink,’ of course, are utterly vague and could mean anything. Once again, we come up against the same basic equivocation: According to the new definition of the Mass, Christ is only spiritually present among His own; here, bread and wine are only spiritually – and not substantially – changed.” [6] Thus, we can seen clearly how the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament has been obscured.
Furthermore, the Preparation of the Gifts was likewise refashioned, having originally contained “two magnificent prayers,” the Deus qui humanae and the Offerimus tibi:
The first prayer, recited at the preparation of the chalice, begins: ‘O God, by whom t