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Ritual and Anti-Ritual: Cultic and Cultural Consequences

Tradition and Sanity

For something to be a religious rite, to possess the quality of rituality, it has to have several properties. First, it must come—and feel like it comes—from ageless depths, from time out of mind, from innumerable nameless ancestors (even if a few of them are named too). Second, it must present itself as ever unchanging, always the same, semper idem. Third, it must be obviously directed toward the Divinity: God is the one to whom the entire rite is being offered, from the man who is His priest, on behalf of the people for whom he mediates. These properties are dramatically evident in the old Roman Rite. The attempted replacement of the Roman Rite—the strange or novel order (Novus Ordo)—lacks all the above. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.traditionsanity.com/subscribe