The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background [Paperback]

Klaus Gamber (Author), Klaus D. Grimm (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993

The Reform of the Roman Liturgy Msgr. Klaus Gamber The Reform of the Roman Liturgy by Msgr. Klaus Gamber. Thirteen years ago when Pope Benedict was still ‘Cardinal Ratzinger’ he wrote the following in a Preface to this book: “What happened after the Council . . . in the place of ‘liturgy as the fruit of development’ came fabricated liturgy. We abandoned the organic, living process of growth and development over centuries, and replaced it—as in a manufacturing process—with a fabrication, a banal on-the-spot product. Gamber, with the vigilance of a true prophet and the courage of a true witness, opposed this falsification, and, thanks to his incredibly rich knowledge, indefatigably taught us about the living fullness of a true liturgy.” This most important book will give us insight to what the now Pope Benedict may have planned for the future of the liturgy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Una Voce Press &The Foundation for Catholic Reform (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929291884
• ISBN-13: 978-1929291885
• ASIN: 0912141050
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #506,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave, loyal, critical traditionalism, March 23, 2007

By 

Alcuin Reid (Fréjus-Toulon, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background (Paperback)

The news that this book has been brought back into print by Roman Catholic Books is very good news indeed, for it is a seminal work which has done much to expose the extent of discontinuity in the post-conciliar reform. It stands alongside Archbishop Bugnini's own book, The Reform of the Liturgy, as essential reading - though Gamber is certainly the more accessible of the two.

Gamber's book is in fact two books. The first examines the overall work of the changes made to the liturgy in the 1960's. He sees the question of whether or not the changes were an organic development as crucial. His conclusions speak for themselves: "Obviously, the reformers wanted a completely new liturgy, a liturgy that differed from the traditional one in spirit as well as in form; and in no way a liturgy that represented what the Council Fathers had envisioned, i.e., a liturgy that would meet the pastoral needs of the faithful" (p. 100). Gamber is clear and unequivocal: a large mistake has been made with regard to the liturgy, unprecedented in the Church's history.

However, it would be wrong to align Gamber with traditionalists who draw a line at 1962, 1955, or even earlier, beyond which all change is anathema. Gamber is a critical liturgical historian, as shown by his precise and detailed discussion of the question of which way the liturgy should be celebrated, which comprises the second book in this volume. (A more recent and comprehensive treatment of facing east, including a critical evaluation of Gamber's contribution, is to be found in Fr U.M. Lang's Turning Towards the Lord.)

Gamber's concerns are historical, doctrinal and pastoral. He readily accepts the appropriateness of vernacular readings, and even of the pruning of some of the later accretions to the Traditional Roman Rite (Psalm 42 from the prayers at the foot of the altar, the Offertory prayers, the last Gospel). These prudential decisions can be argued about, as they were at Trent. But he staunchly defends traditions integral to the Roman Rite throughout its history, e.g., facing eastwards and the Roman Canon, and deprecates "the cold breath of realism [that] now pervades our worship" (p.13).

Gamber speaks frankly of the destruction of the Roman Rite after the Council, the last example of which can be found in the Ordo Missae promulgated in 1965 as the reform called for by the Council. Significantly, Archbishop Bugnini dismissed this 1965 reform as insufficient because its alterations were merely "peripheral", insisting that "radical" changes were what was needed.

It is Gamber's brave, loyal `critical traditionalism' that gives such importance to his writing. His theses are well documented, and his research is impressive. One hopes more of his writings will be made available in translation.

After reading Gamber (and also Bugnini) it is difficult if not impossible to maintain an uncritical acceptance of the new liturgy, even when it is celebrated devoutly and with the right intention. When we recall the doctrinal importance of the liturgy (lex orandi, lex credendi), we realise that the question of how we worship is central to our faith. What then is to be done?

"What we need today ... [are] bishops like those who in the fourth century courageously fought against Arianism when almost the whole of Christendom had succumbed to the heresy. We need saints today who can unite those whose faith has remained firm so that we might fight error and rouse the weak and vacillating from their apathy," writes Gamber (p.113). At tall order, certainly, but not beyond the possibilities of Divine Providence.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent analysis of reasons behind the crisis of liturgy, January 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background (Paperback)

Monsignor Gamber earns really all the praising words written about him and his work. One can easily see his experience in this subject which is and has been a very delicate one in the postconciliar Church.

Gamber shows clearly what went wrong in the liturgical renewal of pope Paul VI: the forced use of a new liturgy, lectionary and calendar planned and published without much respect for the tradition of about 1600 years of natural development of the liturgy; the turning of the altar without any real historical or scientific support etc.

Monsignor Gamber's book is a necessity for all those who want to have adequate information about the liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church and for those who say there is nothing strange in the way the liturgy - especially the Holy Mass - is celebrated today.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy for a novice to read., February 1, 2010

By 

cFife "cf" (pensyltucky) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background (Paperback)

Typically theological works on the Liturgy are dry and hard to read. Msgr. Gamber's work is not the case...it is extremely easy to read and informative for the layman. Although many of the ideas in this book are repetitive due to the fact that this is actually a compilation of essays, it is a good read.

In fact, I would say this should be required reading for any modern seminarian or catechist. It lays the groundwork for how the Liturgy (both in east and west) developed and why the Traditional Latin Mass is actually more historical than the Novus Ordo's supposed "return" to the "early" way of the Apostles. Again, I think any seminarian or student of theology should have to read this book as a part of any study of the Liturgy.

I was also surprised that this book is not filled with any vitriol that is in some other "traditionalist" publications. Rather, it is always respectful, reverent, and yet still is able to call a spade, a spade. For those that have not yet embraced the Traditional Latin Mass, this is an excellent read to at least get an understanding of this treasure of the Church. Read the book!