From The Upper Room to St. Peter's Basilica

Last week, I read A Short History of the Roman Mass by Fr. Uwe Michael Lang in just two days.

I enjoy reading but rarely read books, no matter how short (A Short History is just 146 pages), so quickly. That I did so this time round is a testament to just how readable and compelling Fr. Lang's book is.

As A Short History's title and page count indicate, the book is a brief overview of how the Catholic Mass has developed ever since its inception at the Last Supper 2,000 years ago.

The early years are difficult to pin down due to a dearth of documents and the fact that knowledge was transmitted orally rather than or as much as it was by document. 

This starts to change once antiquity gives way to the early Middle Ages, and then kind of stops after the Council of Trent (1545-63) when the Mass was codified into what we now call the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Until the post-Vatican II reforms, the Mass did not change much at all until Pope Pius XII made some adjustments in the 50s.

Everything changed after Vatican II - for better or worse according to whether you are a traditionalist or progressive - and matters remain in flux today thanks to Pope Francis' restrictions. If Pope Leo or another pope after him ever allows the EF Mass to be freely celebrated again I imagine it will remain substantially in its pre-Vatican II form and in the future it will be the Novus Ordo (i.e. the post-Vatican II Mass) that will be altered more.

But here I am talking about the future when I should be telling you this: Fr. Lang's book is a really engaging summary of the Mass's history. He mentions the key documents and events so that you can look them up if need be. To drop a few names, there is St. Justin Martyr, who gives us the 'earliest description of a Eucharistic celebration' in the mid-second century; the Franks get a look in. A big one, too. Charlemagne (748-814) is in there as well, as Henry II (973-1024), the 'last Ottonian ruler', who campaigned to get the Creed included in the Mass. 

In the Middle Ages the Franciscans of all people played their part in the development of the Mass. We shouldn't be surprised. Francis wasn't just about being lovey-dovey with animals. At the Council of Trent we find Pope Pius V (1504-72) establishing the 'new' form of the Mass (it wasn't new at all, just a polished version of what had been celebrated before) with his bull Quo Primum.

As well as Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI is also mentioned. Indeed, the book is dedicated to him. Fr. Lang is a great admirer of Benedict, as indeed, all Catholics should be. So, yes, if you are interested in the history of the Mass but don't want to go too deeply into the subject (just yet or at all) then A Short History of the Roman Mass is the ideal book. I wish I knew Fr. Michael to say thank you to him for what is a great gift to the Church.