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2. The True Meaning of the Sacred Liturgy

It is important that the sacred liturgy as a whole be appreciated in all its profundity and mystery. The liturgy is more that a recollection of past events, a means of imparting knowledge or a vehicle for expressing the faith and life of the celebrating community. It is fundamentally the manifestation of God’s initiative and his loving will to save, expressed in the Paschal Mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ, made present and efficacious by the Holy Spirit. In the liturgy, Christ’s work is carried forward by the Church until the end of time.

The Council spoke therefore of the liturgy as the summit or highpoint toward which the activity of the Church tends and the fountainhead from which all her strength flows (Constitution, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10; Apostolic Letter, Dies Domini, 32). By their participation in the earthly liturgy all the faithful are formed in right conduct and prepared for that liturgy in the heavenly city to which we journey as pilgrims (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 8; Dies Domini, 37).

COMMENTS

The Liturgy is not a mere recollection of past events. In the liturgy Christ’s work is carried forward until the end of time.

A solid fundamental sacramental theology and eschatology is needed so that liturgy is not perceived as mere technique or rubrics. While all the Church’s strength flows from authentic liturgy, the converse is also true —that many of the Church’s weaknesses flow from poor celebration.

In Australia, there is a particular challenge to maintain a sense of the sacred and of mystery in our celebration of the liturgy. While an over-formal style can easily be perceived as false and pompous, we probably err on the other side. Many priests seem to think that the Mass is an informal and chatty exercise. They speak off the cuff and frequently in the course of the liturgy, whereas interventions should be well-prepared, concise and should recognise the reverence of the moment.

Many people also seem to believe that a measure of the liturgy’s success is the number of times that the congregation can be moved to laughter. Some priests routinely have a joke prepared for each Sunday. Others make the Mass an occasion for advancing the cause of their chosen football team. Mass should certainly not be wooden or stilted and the occasional snatch of humour is in order, but the dignity and reverence of the celebration should be paramount.

There is a need to stress Christ’s presence among us in its various forms. At the celebration of the Mass, which perpetuates the sacrifice of Christ, “Christ is really present in the assembly gathered in his name; he is present in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and permanently under the eucharistic elements”. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal 2000, 27; see also Constitution, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7)

Our worship spaces need to be designed to reflect this truth. The arrangements for the celebration should avoid having an excessive distance between clergy and laity.

A good homily will be another opportunity to lead people into the awesome realities being celebrated and to appreciate the presence of Christ in the liturgy.

QUESTIONS

How can we better express our reverence for the sacred mysteries we celebrate?

What are some practical ways in which we could improve our celebrations and help people understand the liturgy more deeply?