Plain as 'Black and Red'? - Holy Thursday Adoration & "No Solemn Adoration"

For those familiar with Father Z, he has a little saying:

What he means is that if priests would just use the Sacramentary properly, there would be a lot less liturgical abuses, and a lot more orthodoxy in the faith. 

Now I will be honest, I have always understood what Father Z. was saying, but it wasn't until just today that I really saw how important this guidance is, yet difficult to follow. 

Today, I needed to look up the rubrics on Adoration for Holy Thursday. I was specifically looking for the "hours" that Adoration is supposed to occur. (Specifically, I was looking to see if ending Adoration at Midnight was discussed at all). I went to the page talking about Holy Thursday and found this:

Click to enlarge - NB: Last Paragraph, "The faithful should..."

This is clear as day, or clear as red, right? So why then is there, any question about "what time" Adoration should go to? Well the reason why there is question is this, PASCHALIS SOLLEMNITATIS which was written in 1988, after most the revision of the Missal (Sacramentary) that most Churches use talks about Adoration after Midnight. In that document, number 56 says:

56. After the Mass of the Lord's Supper the faithful should be encouraged to spend a suitable period of time during the night in the church in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament which has been solemnly reserved. Where appropriate, this prolonged eucharistic adoration may be accompanied by the reading of some part of the Gospel of St. John (chs. 13-17).

From midnight onwards, however, the adoration should be made without external solemnity, because the day of the Lord's passion has begun.[62]

So then, what does that second paragraph mean, and what is footnote [62]? Well the note is:

62. Cf. "Roman Missal," Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, n. 21; SCR, Decree "Maxima Redemptionis Nostrae Mysteria" (November 16, 1955), nn. 8-10 AAS 47 (1955), p. 845.

 Cf. meaning to confer, or to reference, means to look to what it says in the Missal. The key words are "no solemn adoration after midnight". This term could mean all sorts of things, and that is exactly what I found. For example, Fr. Ray Blake explains his discovery of how complex this issue is:

The crux of the matter, therefore, lies in the interpretation of "solemn adoration" and here the authors take different views.
Some authors say that at midnight, almost all the lights and candles of the altar of repose should be extinguished but that people may still take turns "watching" with the Lord during the night.
Others believe that the prohibition of solemn adoration simply means that there should be no community vocal prayer, nor any reflections or exhortations before the altar of repose once Good Friday has begun.
There is sufficient leeway in the norm to allow for different expressions in accordance with local traditions and culture.
Therefore the practice of withdrawing the Blessed Sacrament to the sacristy safe is not a correct interpretation of the norms of the Roman Missal.
Even if local circumstances don't allow for the church to remain open after midnight, the Blessed Sacrament should remain in the altar of repose until the moment of holy Communion during the Good Friday rites.

So what exactly does it mean? I think that Fr. Edward McNamara is being looked to as having the most accurate interpretation of this term:

I would say that it is proper and even recommendable for the faithful to gather informally and privately during the night at the altar of repose. It is even possible to organize turns so that someone is always present during the night.

However, public activities such as songs, Bible reflections and the like should cease after midnight.

So, I would say that Adoration after Midnight is advisable, but in a different manner. Some have suggested removing most of the candles and flowers, and adoration be reduced to very simple means.

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the truth will set you free

This isn't the answer I was expecting to get to when I started my investigation, but that is the thing about our Liturgical prayer in the Church. It isn't about what we the faithful think is right or best, but instead we should strive to do what the Church teaches and instructs. I had composed in my head an entire theology of why it should end at Midnight, but after understanding more about it I find that the truth is much more beautiful than my half-cocked ideas that I invented in my head.

What really impressed me was how the idea of an Altar of Repose is to exist until the Good Friday services is a perfect 'bridge' to link the beginning of the Mass on Thursday, with its 'conclusion' on Good Friday.

Now this doesn't mean that every term is open to interpretation, in fact what is means is quite the opposite. Terms and words have very specific meanings and it isn't up to us to interpret them as we want, but to follow them as they are.

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