This is part one of a two part post on Catholicism in Spain.
Mostly I'm writing from a Catholic perspective to other Catholics, so if it
doesn't make sense, you can leave a comment here or on Facebook and I'll try to
explain why it's different. This first post is just to explain some of the
superficial differences between Spain and the United States. And this is just
my little corner of Spain that I'm able to speak about, so if you've had a
different experience elsewhere (especially, I imagine, in large cathedrals)
it's probably just as valid.
1. Kneelers- Kneelers with cushions? They're less common
than unicorns. It's a wooden board, and that's pretty much everywhere, from the
Cathedral to the tiny neighborhood church. The only place you'll find something
soft to kneel on is at the confessional. Incentive, perhaps?
2. Communion "lines"- When going up to Communion
in the States, there is a distinct order. As a child, I would panic when I was
at the end of a pew and had to leave first. Which way do I go? When do I step
out? And if I was in the first row? I would spend all mass worrying about it. A
'line' here involves leaving your pew whenever, stepping over the people who
aren't going to Communion, and not letting anyone in that may have come around
the pew in the other direction. Sometimes people start for the line before the priest has come down from the
altar. Suffice it to say, no one stands at the end of the pews like they do in
the US, waiting for the previous pew to clear out before they let you go.
3. Standing, sitting, kneeling, who knows?- I never realized
how orderly the US was with sitting, standing, and kneeling, until I got to
Spain. It's kind of a free for all. Do we stand at the Amen? Do we sit after
the consecration? When do we kneel before the consecration? Generally, I follow
the strict rubric (and I mean strict really only in comparison to Spain) in the
States, though there are certain moments in Spain when we stand and not kneel,
and over time I've noticed that I'm getting more and more lax. Oddly enough,
this can vary from mass to mass. When I go to Sunday mass, I notice that it
differs between the people that attend daily mass at 12 and those that go at
7:30. Weird.
4. Canned Music- You know, canned, like during basketball
games when the band isn't playing. So during daily mass, when in the States
you'd probably hear silence, there's a recording playing. For example, during
Communion. Or before mass. And it's not all good music, some is pretty cheesy.
The lyrics, the singing, the instrumentation... Some of them I enjoy. Mostly, I
think silence would be better.
5. Music books- You know how in the States we have music
books in the pews? And we're very careful to mark which songs we're singing so
that all can participate? Not so much here. They sing, to be sure, but they're
songs that everyone knows already. No books necessary. Unless you're that one
American girl that's like "Tal y tal y tal paz, tal y tal y tal Jesús, tal
y tal y piedad" while everyone else is just fine. (I've actually got most
of two songs down, which I consider quite a success. One is only six words repeated over and over, but I consider it a victory.)
6. Permanent deacons- There are none (0) in Burgos. Very few
in total, as far as I can tell.
7. Read the black, whisper the rest- People like to whisper
the mass parts here. Not the parts the congregation normally say, but the parts
the priest says. Even the parts he doesn't say out loud. I really appreciate
the rhythm of the congregation saying things together, so it kind of drives me
crazy when I hear people whispering around me.
(It bugs me the same when it's a group rosary and one person is going
really fast. Obviously I recognize that as my problem, not theirs. But come on,
starting your half of the group rosary when the leader is still finishing
theirs?)
8. The advent wreath- For some reason, and I have yet to ask
why, our advent wreath goes purple, green, white, red. In Portugal it was the
traditional purple, purple, pink, purple, so I need to ask our priests why the
different colors.
9. Confession- I'm having a hard time going. Not because of
the language or awkwardness, but because it's in the middle of mass. I feel
like I'm missing one sacrament for another, and I don't like it. In the
cathedral in Burgos, they had separate times for confession, but I imagine that
it was because there were a lot of parishioners and a lot of priests to be able
to facilitate this. The one time I attended a tridentine mass, they also had
confession during mass, so perhaps it's something carried over? In any case,
it's hard to get used to.
10. The Eucharist- Obviously, this is very similar, as it is
the source and summit of our faith. A couple differences though. First, only
the priest takes drinks from the Blessed Cup. I believe this was an issue the
Anglican church had with the Catholic church, which has since been resolved
post Vatican 2 (if I remember correctly), but it didn't carry over into most of
Spain, it seems. Secondly, the priest blesses only 1 wafer, eats the whole
thing, and then takes out already consecrated Host from the tabernacle. This
saves a lot of time on breaking the Host into many pieces, and certainly helps
since there are no deacons in Burgos.
Well, that's part one. I'll write a part two coming up in
the next couple days, when I have internet. In other news, just two more weeks
until I head to Rome! Super excited. That'll be worth several blog posts, I'm
sure. I'm off to celebrate my birthday by making pretzels in the shape of a 2
and a 4. Mmmm... pretzels.
No comments:
Post a Comment