The readings this week were so helpful in putting into words what the liturgical practices of the Catholic Church mean in my spiritual life.   In Flannery’s book, “Vatican Council II," Sacrosanctum Concilium declares,"the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; it is also the source from which all power flows" (122).  From the Eucharist "grace is poured forth upon us as from a fountain" (122).

The church's liturgical year is especially important to me in my faith walk.  The different seasons of the liturgical year call to me in different ways, through the different focuses of each season or celebration. Each celebration calls me to look inward as I strive to unite myself to Christ and to follow in his ways,  "The church completes the formation of the faithful by means of pious practices for soul and body, by instruction, prayer, and works of penance and mercy" (150).

I had never really thought about it before, but in reading SancrosanctumConcilium, I gained a greater appreciation of how this church document oversees all of the elements and details of worship, from the music to the art work.  The texts intended to be sung "should be drawn chiefly from the sacred scripture and from liturgical sources" (155).  As we sing, we are learning scripture and it is settling into our minds and hearts.  This document encourages the attitude of musical communal worship - “religious singing by the faithful is to be skillfully encouraged,” so that the “voices of the faithful may be heard” (154). 

The beauty of the stained glass windows, the scenes depicted in the Stations of the Cross, Jesus hanging on the cross above the altar, the Real Presence residing in the tabernacle, the smell of incense, the feel of the wood on the pew as I kneel and pray, all create an atmosphere that directs my thoughts and draws my heart to the Divine.   As the document states, “all things set apart for use in divine worship should be worthy, becoming, and beautiful” (156).  It is such a welcoming atmosphere that even a few of my directees who are not Roman Catholic go to sit and pray inside catholic churches.  Like me, they find the beauty of the surroundings and a sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence very conducive to conversation with God and holy listening.  

photo credit: www.theclassytraveler.com