Understanding Medieval Liturgy by Hamilton Sarah Gittos Helen & Sarah Hamilton

Author:Hamilton, Sarah,Gittos, Helen & Sarah Hamilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

An Exorcism as Part of the Mass

Exorcism rituals were closely associated with the mass. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153), for example, advocated performing exorcism at the moment of communion within the mass itself.24 Norbert was not depicted in the vitae as actually carrying out his exorcisms whilst celebrating mass; nevertheless, the mass provides an important framework for exorcism in both the accounts in Norbert’s vitae, and in the evidence of contemporary liturgical texts. As I will go on to discuss, in some of the more detailed stories in the lives, exorcism was associated with the gathering of the community brought about by the mass. The link between exorcism and the mass is also present in some of the twelfth-century liturgical manuscripts; the ritual and penitential of Cologne, for example, includes a ‘missa pro demoniaco’ at the end of the rite relating to exorcism of the possessed.25

One of the striking features of the exorcisms in the life of Norbert is that they are often connected with the mass. In the story of the liberation of the steward of Maastricht from the demon, the author of Vita A specifies that the possessed man was brought to St Norbert just after the celebration of the annual parish feast day. Norbert is described as still wearing his holy vestments, the alb and the stole, when the possessed man was brought before him; these vestments were considered to be highly effective against the demon, as the story emphasizes at several points.26 The first exorcism in Vita A, the healing of the young girl of Nivelles, does not specify when the encounter between the saint and the possessed took place. However, Norbert is described as still wearing his alb and stole, which suggests that he had very recently celebrated mass; then, faced with the demon’s resistance, he went to rest and told the sick girl and those present to attend mass the next day.27 In this case, the ritual is shown to be more effective when associated with the mass. This fits with the evidence in other sources that in the twelfth century at least some people thought that it was most appropriate to perform exorcisms during mass.

The stories in the vitae suggest certain other conditions were also considered propitious for conducting the rite. The search for the right time was accompanied by a search for the correct location; that is, the place which would be most effective against the devil. The possessed are usually reported as having been taken to sanctuaries and holy places, that is to churches. Vita A even describes how the possessed must be brought to the altar inside the church, which is also of course the spot where the mass was celebrated.28 This confirms the potentia of place, to use Peter Brown’s favoured term.29 To the need for an appropriate context in which to carry out the exorcism Norbert adds the need for the minister himself to be on good form to fight the devil. To achieve this, Norbert advocates a strict regime of physical asceticism.

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