Monday, October 10, 2005
From the Synod: A Sensible Bishop
Go here for the full text of Bishop Lungu's address to the synod. First highlight:
In number 42 it states that in liturgy, a person looks not at himself but God. The document therefore needs to emphasize more on the living God in his relationship with his people rather than the human activities encapsulated in liturgical traditions, norms and rubrics. In this way, we will avoid the temptation of either finding past solutions for today's pastoral challenges related to the Eucharist or focusing too much on the shadows as it has been reflected in the document.
Now that's a thought that made me stand up and take notice. Too much focus on the rubrics could mean an overly horizontal approach to the liturgy; not God-centered enough.
Well ... that rings true.
Then an item on beauty:
... it would be useful to quote the then Cardinal Ratzinger who, addressing the movement known as Communion and Liberation in 2002 said: “Being struck and overcome by the beauty of Christ is more real, more profound knowledge than mere rational deduction. Of course we must not underrate the importance of theological reflection, of exact and precise theological thought; it remains absolutely necessary. But to move from here to disdain or reject the impact produced by the responses of the heart in the encounter with beauty as a true form of knowledge would impoverish us and dry up our faith and theology.
Is theology an enemy of beauty? Potentially so, if we see theology as a natural and pervasive guarantor of the expression of faith. This is one of my favorite soapboxes, of course: that true artists must have an appropriate range of expression to offer music, art, and architecture that will lead us to the experience of the Divine.
Could we ask our theologians to launch a pastoral reflection on the theology of beauty in order to shed more light on the shadows experienced in the celebration of the Eucharist?
Yes.
Participation of the laity, art. No. 44... The use of the phrase minimal assistance and collaboration in reference to the participation of the laity in the celebration of the Eucharist should either be modified or removed completely.
O yes.
In his article, the Eucharist: Source and Summit of the life of the Lay Faithful, Matteo Calisi states: “despite liturgical reform, there still lingers on a widespread clerical mentality in the liturgy, seeing the celebration of the mystery more the work of the clergy- the celebrant-than the 'work of the whole people of God' celebrating their Lord for it is often the case that the people do not unite themselves with the celebrant by active and lively participation, but aformal manner by only relating to the celebrant through the dialogue of ritual responses.” (Rediscovering the Eucharist: Pontificium Consilium Pro Laicis. Page 70).
Go, Bishop Lungu, go.
I find this part (art 62) of the document to be over-optimistic about the organ, Gregorian chant and even the use of Latin at international meetings in an attempt to meet the needs of the people of all time and places. My proposal is that we should not go back to making these instruments of worship universal. Our consideration of our cultural items should not be in comparison to, or in relation to either the organ, Gregorian chant or Latin, although they could still be treated as options for those who find them helpful. Communication and participation is vital in every liturgical celebration including the Eucharistic celebration. Our hope lies in the future and not in the past. We need courage to face our present pastoral challenges with regard to the Eucharist without nostalgic tendencies if the Eucharist is to respond to the pastoral needs of the time.
Sensible, sensible commentary: respectful of the need to honor history and tradition, yet appropriately focused on the genuine aims of the Eucharist. As I see it, the challenge for traditionalists is to separate nostalgia from an appropriate respect for the past. For progressives, the challenge remains to focus on the worship of God, and the cultivation of holiness in the people.
More bishops like this, please.
