Thesaurus responsorum ex « Notitiae » - Notitiae Response Database
[Part of Ipsissima-Verba]

Hoc in situ interretiali ordinantur responsiones, explanationes, et decreta ex « Notitiae » aliisque interdum fontibus (ut AAS) deprompta. Finis est praestare textum originalem, versionem anglicam, et exemplar PDF paginarum pertinentium ex « Notitiae » vel alio fonte. Praesens igitur inceptum opusculum « Ordo Missae locis correspondentibus illustratus » aliquatenus extendit. Est enim labor imperfectus quem, cum operae mihi est, suscipio. Denique Reverendo domino Danieli Gill, domino Radosław Gosiewski, et domino Abram Córdova y Muenzberg, qui nonnullas ex responsionibus transcripserunt, gratias refero, item etiam domino Ioanni Oliveire dominaeque Cristae Mootz, qui in linguam anglicam responsiones quasdam verteri adiuvaverunt. Exemplaria PDF exstant etiam textuum nondum transcriptorum. This website organizes responses, explanations, and decrees from Notitiae and sometimes from other sources (such as AAS. The goal is to provide the original text, an English translation, and a PDF scan of the relevant pages from Notitiae or other source. In some ways, the project is a further development of my Cross-Referenced Ordo Missae. This is an ongoing prject which I work on in my spare time. I am also grateful for the help of Rev. Daniel Gill, Mr. Radosław Gosiewski, and Mr. Abram Córdova y Muenzberg in transcribing some of these responses and also to Mr. Johan Oliveire and Miss Crista Mootz for helping to translate certain responses into English. PDFs are available even for texts that have not yet been transcribed.
Fac Patrem Dylanum Schrader certiorem si habes proposita vel corrigenda. Contact Father Dylan Schrader with suggestions and corrections.
N.B. In « Notitiae » 1 (1965) et 2 (1966), supra responsa, invenitur monitio: Solutio quae proponitur nullam induit vestem officialem. Solummodo habet valorem orientativum: solutiones enim ex officio publici iuris fient, si casus fert, a competenti Auctoritate in « Acta Apostolicae Sedis ». N.B. In Notitiae 1 (1965) and 2 (1966), this notice appears above the responses: The solution which is proposed takes on no official character. It has only an orientative force; solutions will be published officially, if the case warrants, by the competent Authority in « Acta Apostolicae Sedis ».

The responses below have been filtered. Show all responses instead.

Use this link to display only the responses which appear below: http://notitiae.ipsissima-verba.org/show/1.

TextUnofficial English TranslationCitationTagsPDF of the original document

Percutio pectoris

10. In quibusdam formulis proferendis, uti v.g. Confiteor, Agnus Dei, Domine non sum dignus, tum ex parte sacerdotum tum ex parte fidelium gestus verba comitantes non semper iidem habentur: nonnulli in supradictis formulis dicendis triplici ictu pectus sibi percutiunt, alii vero semel.

Quisnam usus legitime retinendus videtur?

Resp.

Haec in casu meminisse iuvabit:

1) Gestus et verba saepe saepius vim sibi invicem conferunt.
2) Hac in materia, ut in ceteris, liturgica instauratio veritatem et simplicitatem prosecuta est, secundum illud Sacrosancti Concilii: « Ritus nobili simplicitate fulgere debent ... » (SC, 34).

Dum in Missali Romano, auctoritate Conilii Tridentini promulgato, gestus etiam minimi frequentissime verba prosequebantur, Missalis Romani, auctoritate Concilii Vaticani II instaurati, rubricae discretione perspicuae inveniuntur quoad gestus.

Quibus dictis:

a) Verba mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa quae in Confiteor inveniuntur, huiusmodi rubrica in Missali Romano instaurato introducuntur: Omnes simul ... percutientes sibi pectus, dicunt ... (OM, n. 3). In priore Missali, eodem loco, rubrica sic sonabat: Percutit sibi pectus ter. Non videtur igitur quod ter sibi pectus percutere aliquis debeat, in proferendis latino vel alio sermone talibus verbis, etiamsi dicatur mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Sufficit quod percutio pectoris fiat.

Patet etiam quod unus tantummodo gestus sufficit in illis linguis, in quibus verba ad culpam manifestandam simpliciore modo reddita sunt, uti, verbi gratia, lingua anglica: « I have sinned through my own fault », vel lingua gallica: « Oui, j'ai vraiment peche ».

b) Missalis Romani instaurati discretio manifestatur praecipua etiam in ceteris memoratis textibus, scilicet Agnus Dei et Domine, non sum dignus, qui verbis aliquomodo paenitentiae et humilitatis fractionem panis et invitationem fidelibus ad Eucharistiam suscipiendam comitantur.

Uti dictum est in responsione n. 2 Commentariorum « Notitiae » 1978, p. 301: ubi rubricae Missalis Pauli VI nihil dicunt, non ideo inferendum est quod servare oporteat antiquas rubricas. Missale instauratum antiquum non supplet, sed substituit. Revera Missale prius ad Agnus Dei indicabat: ter pectus percutiens; et in proferendo triplex Domine, non sum dignus percutiens: pectus ... ter dicit. Cum vero Missale novum nihil de hoc dicat (OM 131 et 133), nulla ratio postulat ut his invocationibus gestus aliquis adiungatur.

The striking of the breast

10. In speaking certain formulas as in, e.g., the Confiteor, the Agnus Dei, and the Domine non sum dignus, whether on the part of priests or on the part of the faithful, the gestures accompanying the words are not always performed the same. Some strike their breast with a triple strike when saying the aforementioned formulas, others once.

Which practice seems that it should legitimately be retained?

Resp.

In this case it will help to be mindful of these things:

1) Gestures and words often tend to lend significance to one another.
2) In this matter, as in others, the liturgical restoration has pursued truth and simplicity according to the passage of Sacrosanctum Concilium: « The rites should be resplendent in their noble simplicity ... » (SC, 34).

While in the Roman Missal promulgated by the authority of the Council of Trent the words were very frequently also accompanied by minute gestures, the rubrics of the Roman Missal restored by the authority of the Second Vatican Council are noteworthy for their discretion with regard to gestures.

Having said this:

a) The words mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa which are found in the Confiteor are introduced in the restored Roman Missal by a rubric of this sort: All likewise ... striking their breast, say ... (OM, n. 3). In the former Missal, in the same place, the rubric sounded like this: He strikes his breast three times. It does not seem, therefore, that anyone has to strike his breast three times in pronouncing those words in Latin or in another language, even if mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa is said. It suffices that there be a striking of the breast.

It is obvious also that only one gesture suffices in those languages in which the words for showing one's fault have been rendered in a more simple manner, as, for example, in English, « I have sinned through my own fault », or in French, « Oui, j'ai vraiment peche ».

b) The discretion of the restored Roman Missal is shown to be noteworthy also in the other texts mentioned, namely the Agnus Dei and the Domine, non sum dignus which by words of penitence and humility in one way or another accompany the breaking of the bread and the invitation to the faithful to receive the Eucharist.

As it was said in response n. 2 of the Commentary « Notitiae » 1978, p. 301: where the rubrics of the Missal of Paul VI say nothing, it must not therefore be inferred that it is necessary to observe the old rubrics. The restored Missal does not supplement the old one but has replaced it. In reality, the Missal formerly indicated at the Agnus Dei, striking the breast three times, and in pronouncing the triple Domine, non sum dignus, striking the breast ... says three times. Since, however, the new Missal says nothing about this (OM 131 and 133), there is no reason to suppose that any gesture should be added to these invocations.

Notitiae 14 (1978): 534–535, n. 10agnus dei, breast strike, confiteor, gestures, hermeneuticsPDF of Notitiae 14 (1978): 534–535