In this section we will cover the period from the close of the Middle Ages to the Council of Trent. This period represents the culmination of liturgical development that would eventually be closed off with the papal bull Quo Primum which not only establishes the Mass of Pius V as the normative Mass for the entire Latin Rite, but also precludes the possibility of the type of free-form development that had heretofore marked the development of the Mass.
Among the first changes that we note in this period is the focus on the nature of the Eucharist. Now the sense of reverence has reached such a point that no lay hand is allowed to touch it, for only the clergy were "holy" enough for this honor. The separation of clergy and laity is now complete. There were occasions, however, when certain royalty, with the permission of the pope, were allowed to touch the chalice with their bare hands. This was on the so-called "Communion days." These days came into effect because people were not receiving the sacrament often enough. Thus, there were special days set aside to "encourage" the laity in the reception of the Blessed Sacrament.
By the late Middle Ages the chalice was held to be nearly as holy as what it contained, and thus was not to be touched by the laity, with the exception noted above. Other things which might touch the Blessed Sacrament were equally revered. In fact, by the end of the Middle Ages the corporal (a square cloth which covered the altar cloth to catch any fragments of the host) was treated with so much honor that it virtually amounted to superstition! There were even special prayers composed for washing the corporal.
There had always been some concern shown in the Church over the validity of the sacraments and the possibility that there might be some "defect" that could arise that would prevent the valid confection of the sacrament. By this period, however, the amount of pericula or defectus had grown quite voluminous. There were stern punishments for spilling a chalice or dropping a fragment of the host. However, the considerations were great and each possible occurrence was argued from a theological position, and a corresponding instruction set for what to do when (not if!) it happened. Thus, we had instructions for what to do if a mouse ate the host or any portion thereof, what to do if Jesus actually appeared in specie carnis vel pueri (in the actual flesh of a boy).
While this may be simply a matter of too much of a good thing, there is always a danger in such one-sided thinking for it removes the balance that is essential in the Sacraments and especially in the Blessed Sacrament itself. However, not content with limiting the discussions to these possible events, there continued to be discussions regarding the effects of the Mass. Christians had long held that the Mass gave God honor as well as providing a spiritual benefit for the living and the dead. However the development of these fruits soon grew out of all proportion to the reality of the Mass. There were eventually fourteen of these fruits including these:
These were, of course, not developments that the Church approved of, but they seemed powerless to stop the popular development of them. In fact, these were actually the topics of many sermons!
A less savory development during this period was the rise of the "Mass priest." This was a man who was trained in just enough Latin and theology to celebrate the Mass. And this he did, over and over during the day. This was to meet the demands of the people who believed that the celebration of a Mass for a deceased relative or friend would guarantee the individual's release from Purgatory. This superstition, coupled with the mania for miracles that arose during this period, seemed like an easy way to guarantee salvation. This practice also led to the support of a great many priests who derived their entire sustenance from these offerings. Because these Masses were said so quickly, the low Mass became the principle Mass (at least in terms of number offered) since there was no way one could sing so many Masses in a day, especially with multiple other Masses going on in the same church. Thus there was a trend toward the private Mass.
This left the Mass in a position that Luther was able to condemn the practice and, in the process, condemn the Mass as nothing but a way to fleece the poor. Indeed, it had been turned into a money-making process by many priests. Given the abysmal training most priests received and the superstitious approach to the Mass evidenced by the laity (most of whom could no longer understand the Mass language and who did not even begin to understand the real theology behind the Mass) its no wonder that the Mass was disregarded and reviled.
This practice was condemned and, eventually, it was commented that one church in Salzburg which had, at one time, sustained over 100 gratiani (Mass priests) could hardly afford one!
This was the situation at the start of the Council of Trent. We will continue the next installment looking specifically at the reforms of Trent with regard to the Mass.