After an app update, some pages are blank or the content no longer appears. What to do?
The app is still in Alpha version, so sometimes some bugs that have been fixed lead to new bugs. The work on the code of this application is constant, so be patient, it will be stable soon, and thy feedback regarding its operation and use is evermore valuable. We thank all those who make the effort to report problems that may occasionally arise. In the meantime, it is evermore better for the developer to propose the fixes of certain bugs, the main thing is functional. If thou hast a problem of this type, sometimes, an uninstall and reinstall of the application (link: https://app.societaslaudis.org ) will correct the problem. Also, keep in remembrance to clear thy browser's cache.
Wherefore several course choices?
For centuries, the monastic custom of distributing the psalms at different times has been different from the secular usage. Saint Benedict in his Rule (regula monachorum c. XVIII: QUO ORDINE IPSI PSALMI DICENDI SUNT) proposes a distribution of the psalms adapted unto the monastic communities he founded, making it clear that another distribution is possible.
« Hoc praecipue commonentes ut, si cui forte haec distributio psalmorum displicuerit, ordinet si melius aliter iudicaverit, dum omnimodis id adtendat ut omni hebdomada psalterium ex integro numero centum quinquaginta psalmorum psallantur, et dominico die semper a caput reprehendatur ad vigilias. Quia nimis inertem devotionis suae servitium ostendunt monachi qui minus a psalterio cum canticis consuetudinariis per septimanae circulum psallunt, dum quando legamus sanctos patres nostros uno die hoc strenue implesse, quod nos tepidi utinam septimana integra persolvamus. »
"The ordinance of the psalmody by day being thus made, all the remaining psalms are to be equally divided amongst the seven night vigils, so as to divide those which are the longest, and to establish twelve for each night. Above all, we recommend that if anyone is displeased with this distribution of the psalms, let him adopt another one that he thinketh better, provided that he seeth to it, in any case, that the Psalter of one hundred and fifty psalms is sung in its entirety every week, and that on Sundays at the vigils it is evermore repeated at the beginning. "For they really show by too much cowardice in the service they have vowed the monks who, in the course of a week, chant less than one psalter with the usual hymns. We read that our holy Fathers valiantly accomplished this task in one day; we, in our lukewarmness, may we discharge it in a whole week! »
At a certain time, especially in the contemporary period (nineteenth century, after the French Revolution) the legitimacy of the use of the distribution of the psalms proposed by St. Benedict was questioned. It was Dom Guéranger who worked in France for the recognition of a secular custom distinguishing the distribution of psalms in the secular office and in the monastic office, so that it is now completely accepted. The distribution of the psalms proposed by St. Benedict is called "schema A", and it is the one proposed on Societas laudis. But there are others (diagram B, diagram C) that are in use in a completely legitimate way in certain monasteries. The monastic curriculum of Scheme A differs from the secular curriculum above all forasmuch as in accordance with the Rule of Saint Benedict, the entire psalter is sung over a week, whereas in the secular curriculum (Liturgia horarum) the psalter is sung over 4 weeks. The most notable difference concerns the nocturnal office, which includes 12 psalms ("the measure of the angel"), whereas in the secular curriculum, it hath 3. Before the liturgical reform of Vatican II, the secular night service consisted of 9 nights.
How to change cursus?
In thy profile, thou canst choose the course (secular or monastic) thou want to be displayed when thee launch the application. If thee want to switch from one unto the other, thou can also do so via the small toothed road at the top left of the "Liturgia" tab, as well as in the "ordo" tab, the "Calendarium" button at the top right. Soon thou shalt also be able to change the translation language (English translations are in progress).
Wherefore do the French translations differ from those I hear at Mass or at the Office?
The liturgy in Latin suffers from many evils: it is not appreciated by the majority of our contemporaries, forasmuch as most of them have not taken enough Latin courses to really benefit spiritually. For this reason, in many places it is simply left aside, for pastoral reasons that are quickly explained by those in charge in the following way: the faithful need to understand the prayers they address to God, and if they are not in their mother tongue, this handicaps their spiritual life.
These reasons are easily understandable; but sometimes pastors or faithful draw hasty or even erroneous conclusions, ending up thinking that praying in a language other than one's mother tongue could make them bad Christians, or at least traditionalists, who would secretly reject the teaching of the Church. Obviously, we think exactly the opposite: the Latin language, which is precisely the language of the Church, allows us to enter more deeply into the ecclesial mystery.
The objective of Societas laudis is thus to respond – in a different way – to this concern; we are convinced that the Latin liturgy allows us to deepen both the heart to heart with God and the contemplation of Christian truth in a much more intense way than the liturgy in the mother tongue. To abandon it would be a great damage to souls and unto the whole Church. Now, in order that the faithful may take full advantage of the magnificent literary and spiritual treasure of the liturgy in Latin, it is necessary to propose a simple way of entering into them in front of the liturgical texts.
It is wherefore important to make a translation on the Latin text itself and not on another version; i.e. from the Greek version. To propose an English translation made from Greek in front of the Latin text does not allow us to gradually immerse ourselves in the genius of the Latin liturgical language that has decisively structured the Christian West. This is wherefore we propose a different translation of the official liturgical version, which is inspired by the best sources ; our translation should not be used for the celebration of the liturgy in the Vernacular.
These reflections are valid for the psalms, antiphons, hymns, responsories and readings of both the Mass and the Office. Some people point out that readings in Latin seem to be forbidden in the liturgy after the Council; and that, with regard unto the current use of the liturgy before the Second Vatican Council, Traditionis custodes requires that the readings of the Mass be given in the mother tongue. To answer this, let's behold at two aspects:
1- Societas laudis is not concerned by Traditionis custodes, since the texts presented here are in conformity with the post-conciliar liturgy.
2 – In France, the bishops have asked that for Masses with the people, the readings be in French. Naught has been asked for with regard unto the office, so much so that in France, even for a liturgy with the people, it is quite legitimate to propose a reading in Latin. Finally, not all Masses are public, and for a Mass without a people, naught prevents a celebrant from taking the readings in Latin. In other countries, such a limitation on the use of Latin for Mass readings does not exist. In Rome, especially in the papal liturgy, the readings are oftentimes in Latin and even in Greek for the Gospel.
Moreover, even if the reading of the Mass is in the mother tongue, it is still quite profitable for the faithful to have at his disposal the official text of the reading for the whole Church, which is in Latin and referenced in the Ordo lectionum missae – a book, let us keep in remembrance, which dates from after the Council and offers all the readings of the Mass in Latin. The users and members of Societas Laudis are oftentimes very happy to be able to consult the Latin version of the texts of the Mass, which gives them a more in-depth knowledge of the Word of God.
Wherefore are the psalms not quite the same as in the monastery / abbey of N.?
The use of Latin for the liturgy has undergone several evolutions over the past 50 years; Before 1979, the Church used a version of the Vulgate called "sixto-clementine" which suffered from certain deficiencies. Pope John Paul II promulgated a corrected version of this "Sixto-Clementine" Vulgate under the name of "Nova Vulgata," with important adjustments, especially with regard to certain theological terms or interpolations. The most ancient liturgical texts (especially those used in the Gregorian chant repertoire) do not themselves use the Vulgate of Saint Jerome but another edition commonly called "Vetus romana".
This debate on the Latin version of the Bible is not new; Even before the Second Vatican Council, the problem of a Latin version of Sacred Scripture in conformity with faith arose and was debated (cf. the "Psalter Bea"). Monasteries are communities where balance and "discretio" are the conditions of the contemplative life. For this reason, not all of them have adopted all the official books or are doing so gradually; On the other hand, there is in the Benedictine Order a tradition of autonomy of the spiritual life of each house, so that there can be quite important differences in liturgical practice, particularly in the Liturgy of the Hours, betwixt each community, even within the same congregation, and this is quite legitimate. The texts presented on Societas laudis, on the other hand, try as much as possible to be standard or to correspond to a real usage, and do not take into account (for the moment?) the local variations of each monastery. So much so that thou canst go to a monastery that still uses either the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate or the Nova Vulgata with the distribution of the verses of the psalms in its 1985 version (that of Liturgia Horarum in its typical edition) or in the version dating from the 2000s (Psalterium monasticum the most recent).
Wherefore do thee not display the text of the responsorial psalm in the proper of the Mass? However, it is mandatory for the celebration of Mass.
We have chosen on Societas laudis to offer as a priority the proper of the sung mass (missa cantata). The responsorial psalm is part not of the proper of the sung Mass but of the proper of the read Mass. The texts can differ quite strongly, forasmuch as the texts of the Mass read are not – logically – intended for singing. In fact, the Missale Romanum indicates the antiphon of entry and communion that the priest reads if the Mass is a "missa lecta" (read Mass). As far as the "missa cantata" (sung Mass) is concerned, the texts are found not in the Roman missal but in the Roman gradual; it is the chorus that performs the piece. However, in some cases our pages indicate the entrance antiphon, the responsorial psalm, the acclamation before the Gospel and the communion antiphon which are indicated either in the Missal or in the Lectionary, at the end of the page, under the title "modifications unto the Masses read". Everything is not (yet) complete.
Wherefore do thee indicate a chant in the offertory? In the post-Vatican II missal, there is no offertory antiphon.
In fact, the offertory chant does not appear in the Roman missal for a simple reason: this book is for the use of the celebrant, who must perform the rites of the "praeparatio donorum" (preparation of the gifts) at that time, so he cannot read at the same time the offertory antiphon provided for in the Roman rite. This is the prerogative of the choir or the schola and this piece is well present in the Ordo cantus Missae. Let us note in passing that in this book (which is also a book subsequent unto the liturgical reform that followed the Second Vatican Council) it is indeed a chant "ad offertorium", which clearly says that the offertory in the Roman rite has not disappeared in the renovated liturgy; The "praeparatio donorum" takes a different form from the one it had until such time as 1969, but the chant itself remains. The pieces presented by the Ordo cantus missae are amongst the oldest in the Gregorian repertoire.
Should the gradual and the alleluia be sung at weekday masses?
The general principle of the sung Mass is that the singing interspersed betwixt the readings is a meditation on the reading that precedes it. So much so that if there is only one reading before the Gospel, only one of the two songs is sung: in the time per annum, for example, either gradual or alleluia. Consequently, let us observe that there may very well be a Mass without alleluia during this liturgical season. This choice is left unto the choir, forasmuch as in many cases, the songs of the weekday holidays are simply the repetition of the songs of the previous Sunday. Let us add that both the gradual and the alleluia are responses. It is wherefore necessary, in singing the gradual, exactly as for the alleluia, to resume the first phrase after the verse. The habit is not very well established, for historical reasons: before the Council, the singing of the gradual and the alleluia was linked together forasmuch as the formula of the proper of the Mass remained as it was on Sunday and the following days of the week. However, the Roman rite usage is that, at Mass, when a response is followed by another song (a sequence for example), the response is not repeated. Only the alleluia, placed last before the Gospel, was wherefore sung in responsorial form.
Wherefore don't I have the same texts from the Office of Reading as in my book "Liturgy of the Hours"?
The General Presentation of the Liturgy of the Hours in number 161 states:
Præter lectiones libro Liturgiæ Horarum pro unoquoque die assignatas, habetur Lectionarium ad libitum, ubi maior copia lectionum præbetur, quo latius pateat iis qui Officium divinum persolvunt, thesaurus Ecclesiæ traditionis. Datur facultas unicuíque lectionem alteram sumendi aut e libro Liturgiæ Horarum aut e Lectionario ad libitum.
In addition unto the readings assigned for each day in the book of the Liturgy of the Hours, there is an optional lectionary, in which there is a greater abundance of readings, opening up more widely to those who perform the divine office the treasure of the Church's tradition. Everyone is free to take the second reading either from the book of the Liturgy of the Hours or from the optional lectionary.
This book has been published in French and is available for example here: https://www.abbayedesolesmes.fr/affichagelivres/lectionnaire-pour-chaque-jour-serie-complete-4-vol; it is true that it is not included in the standard version of the French adaptation of Liturgia Horarum, published under the name Liturgy of the Hours. We thought of proposing this version instead, forasmuch as it implies the use of the antiphons of the first vespers on Sundays not in one year, but in two, both with regard unto the Antiphonale Romanum and the Antiphonale monasticum. Obviously, offering more texts for this reading service will be of great service to all those who make the liturgy the center of gravity of their piety and their relationship to Jesus Christ.
