Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy was the first document promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, and was the cause of great excitement where I was living.  We had been very involved in the liturgical movement, and this document promised to fulfill all of our hopes.

First of all, the language is not just juridical.  The liturgy, it says, “is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; … it is the fountain from which all her power flows” (SC 10).  The liturgy is not just an obligation to be fulfilled every Sunday; it is a love affair:  “The renewal in the Eucharist of the covenant between the Lord and man draws the faithful into the compelling love of Christ and sets them afire” (10).

The reform of the liturgy is not just for priests.   “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful be led to that full conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy” (14).  But if this is to happen, the liturgical instruction of the clergy is essential.  

The changes to be made in the liturgical rites must be based on theological, historical and pastoral study, and the role of sacred Scripture should be emphasized.  “The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people’s powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation”(34)

.Another big thing was that homilies should be based on scripture.  “If the restoration, progress, and adaptation of the sacred liturgy are to be achieved, it is necessary to promote that warm and living love for Scripture to which the venerable tradition of both Eastern and Western rites give testimony” (24).

We waited eagerly for English translations to come out.  One thing we had not realized was the effect the changes would have on the music.  We had been well trained in Gregorian chant, and loved its prayerful simplicity. The Council had not thought too much about that either (116-117). The English music which replaced it left a lot to be desired.  That, to us, seemed to be the chief downside to the liturgical renewal.  

Bernard Cooke and Gary Macy’s Christian Symbol and Ritual tries to help a general audience understand the meanings of symbol and ritual so that it can understand their meaning in the Catholic Church.  I have to confess that I did not enjoy this book.  In trying to make things simple, it seemed to me that it made their discussion more complicated, and their attempts at humor were more annoying to me than funny.  

However, I did appreciate their treatment of the relationship between symbols/rituals and power.  I’d never heard of royalty in the Middle Ages being treated as ordained clergy, although it is true that they had much power in the church. Maybe that was a case of the polyvalence of symbols. (Cooke and Macy 22-23).

Another point that they brought out which I had never reflected on before was that “Real rituals are never generic, never repeatable, and never exist in books” (24).  They also spoke of rituals for death and dying as helping a person on their way to heaven and “to comfort and reassure the living” (31).  Another important aspect of funeral rituals can be to re-establish the power structure within the group so that it can carry on.

In terms of my ministry in the prison, we talked about preparing a ritual of reconciliation to celebrate during Holy Week.  They broke up into groups yesterday to begin planning it, to choose scripture readings, songs, prayers, and ritual actions they want to include.  They were very pleased at the idea.  I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with.