The first article in this series is by a priest some of you may recognize from past NLM articles (see here and here for instance), Father Mauro Gagliardi, a consultor for the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. He writes on the topic of The Priesthood and the Mass.In Fr. Gagliardi's article, he ties into Benedict XVI's discourse for the Year for Priests: "Benedict XVI brought this light [the importance of the priesthood], citing still other words of the Curé d'Ars, which refer in particular to the office of celebrating the Holy Eucharist. The Pope writes that the saint "was convinced that the fervor of a priest's life depended entirely upon the Mass: 'The reason why a priest is lax is that he does not pay attention to the Mass! My God, how we ought to pity a priest who celebrates as if he were engaged in something routine!'"
He likewise makes note of the two forms of the Roman Missal and their co-existence: "The possibility of a serene and harmonious coexistence of the two forms of the one Roman Rite also has been indirectly affirmed by the presence of both "Ordines Missae" (of Bl. John XXIII and Paul VI) within the very recent "Compendium Eucharisticum," published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments."
Finally, Fr. Gagliardi speaks a bit further on the intention of this series: "Through these periodic articles... we will try to present the role and the task of the priest in the various parts of the Mass in a clear and accessible way, with respect to both missals. The hope is that these articles will help priests take advantage of the opportunity for reflection and conversion offered by the Year for Priests and move them to a care that is always more attentive to the 'ars celebrandi' (art of celebrating)." [NLM emphases]
