Amy Welborn has drawn attention to this blog by “Drew” on the Holy Whapping blogsite. He suggests, wisely it seemeth to Us:
The Exhortation plays an important role in this movement, then, by codifying Ratzinger’s ideas on liturgy into the written magisterium of the Church. He gave the reform of the reform much of its steam by expressing these ideas in popular books; it can only continue to pick up steam now that these ideas are more fully incorporated into the magisterium. The momentum of liturgy seems, from my vantage, to be clearly swinging in favor of a this reforming of the reform: by this exhortation, will it not continue to pick up speed, and continue to be desired by the people and priests themselves? Certainly, creating an environment in which the Church wants the “reform of the reform,” though this takes longer than reform by fiat, is more effective in the long run. It may be less satisfying than a glorious smack-over-the-head delivered to those with whom one disagrees, but glorious smacks-over-the-head are not effective in the long term. How many people, pining for a liturgical smack down akin to Pius X’s smack-down against “Modernism,” are willing to concede that Modernism dissapeared consequent to being “smacked down?”
Meanwhile Sandro Magister has a good wrap up of the Sacramentum Caritatis Exhortation by Pope Benedict on his www.chiesa site. He distills the following at the main points:
- THE MISSAL OF SAINT PIUS V
- THE LAST SUPPER
- TRANSUBSTANTIATION
- THE ORTHODOX AND PROTESTANTS
- CONFIRMATION AND FIRST COMMUNION
- COMMUNION AND CONFESSION
- VIATICUM
- HOLY ORDINATION
- PRIESTLY CELIBACY
- POLYGAMY
- DIVORCED AND REMARRIED PERSONS
- BEAUTY
- SACRED ART
- SACRED MUSIC
- THE LITURGY OF THE WORD AND THE HOMILY
- THE OFFERTORY
- THE EXCHANGE OF PEACE
- COMMUNION IS NOT FOR ALL
- ITE, MISSA EST
- INTERCOMMUNION
- THE LATIN LANGUAGE
- GROUP MASSES
- EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
- THE SUNDAY PRECEPT
- IN ABSENCE OF A PRIEST
- CONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE EUCHARIST AND POLITICS
- AT THE COST OF ONE’S LIFE
- “SINE DOMINICO NON POSSUMUS”