And miles to go

by Bishop John C. Nienstedt

The Holy See, with the approval of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has recently published a revised Roman Missal in Latin with a new General Instruction on how the Mass is to be celebrated. Between now and its implemen-tation (likely the first Sunday of Advent), Pastoral Leaders, members of Worship Committees and others will be studying the text of the General Instruction to determine what adaptations we need to make in the parishes of this diocese.

This means that thirty years after the close of the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church throughout the world is involved in this process of continuing the Conciliar Reform of the Sacred Liturgy. That Reform involved a fundamental shift in opening the liturgy to the active participation of the whole assembly as opposed to the specific actions of the priest. Understandably then, the present Instruction and the Revised Instruction focus on the role of the priest, of other liturgical ministers and of the whole assembly. While there are some adjustments in describing the precise role of each of these, it is very clear that the Revised Instruction supports and even deepens the liturgical reform initiated by the Council. If you could compare that reform with a space shuttle launch, one could say that these are mid-course corrections on an altogether successful flight.

To be sure, some problems have arisen as would be expected in any document that applies to the whole universal Church. Many of these concerns have been discussed at the general meetings of the United States Bishops last June and again this past November. Certain adaptations have been approved by the American Bishops and are now being studied at the Vatican prior to approval.

I bring all this to your attention here because I think we have an excellent, perhaps even a unique opportunity to renew, discuss and evaluate how we celebrate the Eucharist in each of our parishes and missions. In this regard, I would like to suggest that we begin our reflection by asking what the liturgy means to God, before asking what it means for us. How does God view what we do at Sunday Mass?

I think it is an appropriate starting point since the Apostles didn’t just wake up one day and decide to establish a Church community based on a single profession of faith. The Church, rather, was called into existence on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon those gathered in the Upper Room, animating them with the light and love of Jesus. The Spirit called them (and others through them) into communion as one body. The liturgy subsequently arises from the Spirit’s animation and call.

Father Adrian Kavanagh says, "We do liturgy, but more fundamentally liturgy does us." I believe he means by this that through the liturgy God encounters us in the here and now by allowing us to participate in (literally "to take part in") the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, an action that continues until the end of time and is a foretaste of the eternal, heavenly liturgy. All this is done at God’s invitation and action.

What we as priests and faithful do at the liturgy and how we do it is of great importance, but what God does has even greater value for us. Here we are not just metaphori-cally placed in contact with the Divine as in a dream of a flight of fantasy. No, here we really and truly are inserted into the loving communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It would be a tragedy for us to reduce the sacraments to "things" and the liturgy merely to an "event". In and through the liturgy, Jesus glorifies his Father by his life-giving death. The Father, being so glorified, is filled with a joy that spills over into the Holy Spirit who is sent forth to human beings in order to incorporate them into the Son by allowing them to share his life. The appropriate response on the part of the community of believers is an unrestrained thanksgiving or "eucharist". The Eucharist, then, allows for the most intimate communion or contact between God and us. It is not our invention; it is the gift we have received.

It is essential then that we see the rubrics prescribed in the Roman Missal as not just "suggestive" in nature. In fact, the ritual is normative. Allow me to explain: perhaps a given priest or worship committee prefers to use language that differs from the words provided in the Missal. For example, the Opening Prayer may begin, "Heavenly Father", and the priest may think that expression is too exclusive. However, he is bound by office to pray in the words that are specified (as would be the Bishop!). In his own comments introducing the penitential rite, before the Eucharistic Prayer, before the Lord’s Prayer and dismissal, he is permitted to choose his own wording.

Some may protest that just "following the book" runs the risk of making the liturgy boring or routine. The fact of the matter is that the ritual is intended to be predictable precisely so that the priest and people can pray, which is to say, enter into intimate contact with the Persons of the Blessed Trinity. If we are constantly preoccupied with the words, gestures or details surrounding the liturgy, we become distracted, thereby hindering our collective prayer. As a priest for twenty-seven years, I know only too well how distracting a Sunday liturgy can be and how challenging it is to lead a congregation to authentic, successful communal prayer.

More to the point, my experience in our diocese these past seven months has assured me that, by and large, we do celebrate the liturgy well. But, there is always room for improvement since we are talking about our contact and communion with the Triune God. I wholeheartedly encourage all of us to take the occasion of the new General Instruction and the revised Roman Missal as a timely opportunity to probe "the why and the how" behind our Eucharistic celebrations and to ponder the difference that they make in our daily spiritual lives.

God bless you!

May, 2002

La Santa Sede, con la aprobación de nuestro Santo Padre, el Papa Juan Pablo II, ha publicado recientemente una nueva revisión de la Instrucción General del Misal Romano en latin. Esta revisión explica como se debe celebrar la Santa Misa. (Probablemente se pondrá en práctica el primer domingo de Adviento), líderes pastorales, miembros parroquiales y otros estarán estudiando el texto de la Instrucción General para determinar las medidas necesarias para implementarlo en las parroquias de nuestra Diócesis.

Yo pienso que esta es una excelente, y quizás la única oportunidad para renovar, examinar y evaluar como celebramos la Eucaristía en cada uno de nuestras parroquias y misiones. Con referente a esto, me gustaría sugerir a empezar nuestra reflexión preguntándonos que significa la liturgia a Dios, antes de preguntarnos lo que significa para nosotros. ¿Que opina Dios de nuestras misas dominicales?

Es de gran importancia que nosotros sacerdotes y creyentes hacemos y como celebramos la liturgia, pero lo que Dios hace por nosotros tiene mucho más valor. Aquí no sólo estamos colocándolo metafóricamente con lo Divino como en una fantasia. No, aquí estamos verdaderamente insertados en la comunión afectuosa del Padre, el Hijo y Espíritu Santo. Sería una tragedia para nosotros el de reducir los sacramentos a "cosas" y la liturgia a solamente un "evento." En y por la liturgia, Jesús glorifica a su Padre por medio de su muerte que nos da vida. El Padre, glorificado así se llena con una alegria que reboza en el Espíritu Santo quien es enviado al género humano para incorporarlos en el Hijo para permitirles compartir su vida. La respuesta apropiada por parte de la comunidad de creyentes es de un agradecimiento indefinido o "eucaristía." Por consiguiente, la Eucaristía permite la más intima comunión entre Dios y nosotros. No es una ficción inventada por nosotros; es el don que hemos recibido.

Mi experiencia en nuestra diócesis en estos últimos siete meses me han afirmado que celebramos la liturgia bien. Pero, siempre hay lugar para mejoras puesto que estamos hablando acerca de nuestro contacto y comunión con la Santísima Trinidad. Los exhorto cordialmente para que todos tomemos esta oportunidad que nos ofrece la nueva Instrucción General del Misal Romano como una oportunidad para entender "el cómo y el porqué" de las celebraciones eucaristicas y así mismo reflexionar en el efecto que tiene en nuestras vidas espirituales diariamente.

¡Que Dios los bendiga!