Changes to the litury and liturgical renewal at John XXIII
General Instruction of the Roman Missal 2003 (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) (PDF file)
Changes in the Mass: The New General Instruction (Catholic Update)
Many of you have heard talk of the Church revising the liturgy, and some of you have been on travels and have seen some of them implemented. The question is: when is it our turn and what will be asked to do? (For those who were wondering, Latin is not returning.) Starting the second weekend of November 2003, we will be teaching about all those changes during the masses and at special gatherings. By the first Sunday in Advent, we will formally implement the revisions.
What's happening? Since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Church has sought to renew our Eucharistic celebration. After almost 40 years, the Church has experimented with many ways to do that. Now it is seeking to bring greater uniformity to the liturgy to adjust to the needs of the people and to enhance our worship and praise of the Lord.
There are four principles which are guiding these changes found in the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal (G.I.R.M.), the guidelines on the celebration of the Eucharist. They are: 1) to make the Eucharist more Christ centered; 2) to clarify the distinction of the ordained priesthood and the priesthood of the faithful; 3) to promote full and active participation of all people in the Eucharist; 4) and to affirm the Eucharist as the source and summit of our Spiritual lives. Understanding this context will help us better appreciate and incorporate the changes in our celebration of the Eucharist.
How can we make the Mass more Christ centered? One way of doing this is to accentuate some symbols in the mass. For instance, the Book of the Gospels, not the lectionary, is to be processed by the lector into the Church. When we hear the Gospels proclaimed by the priest (or deacon), Christ is truly speaking to us. A cross with the crucified body of Christ is to be processed and placed near the altar during mass, so that we might meditate more fully on Jesus' sacrificial love for us. Also, we are reminded that the sign of peace is more a celebration of reconciliation and grace that comes from Christ than "Hey! How are you?"
Full, Active Participation in the liturgy was a great gift of Vatican II to the Church and the Church asks us to keep it up. If you read the revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal, you will discover a heavy emphasis on singing at mass, most especially on Sunday. Scripture says "Singing is the sign of the heart's joy" (Acts 2:46). Remember the proverb, "one who sings prays twice"? Let my bad singing encourage you to have no fear to sing along. We also actively participate by observing sacred silence. Before mass starts, we will attempt to leave five minutes of quiet time so we can prepare ourselves for worship. During the Act of Penance and after the invitation to prayer, we recollect ourselves. At the conclusion of a reading or a homily, we meditate on what we've heard. After communion, we praise and pray to God in our hearts. Folks who gather for contemplative prayer speak of the power of shared meditation. I hope it can be a similar gift to us in the liturgy.
The third principle, clarifying the role of ordained priesthood from the priesthood of the laity, emphasizes that the Mass is the action of the whole of the Body of Christ, in which each member has a special part to play. The priest doesn't proclaim the first reading; the musician doesn't also serve as Eucharistic minister; and so forth. Most of these distinctions we already observe. What is new? The distribution of the consecrated bread into various plates and consecrated wine into chalices are now tasks assigned to the priest (or deacon). Communion ministers shall wait until the priest has received the Eucharist before they receive and proceed to their stations. These changes call us to deepen our understanding of the importance of our own role at mass. Eucharistic Ministers will be asked to come to renewal sessions in November to review these changes.
The final principle is the Eucharist as the source and summit of our spiritual lives. The liturgical changes emphasize the reverence that is to be given to the real presence of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine and how Communion unites us not only with Christ but with all the members of his mystical Body. All communicants are asked to make a bow of the head as a sign of reverence before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in place of other practices you may currently use, most commonly the sign of the Cross.
Maintaining a common posture expresses the unity that communion creates among us. As we know, the norm in the United States is to kneel after the Sanctus (Hosanna in the Highest) until the Great Amen and then after the Lamb of God is completed. However, given the lack of space in the Paulus Room and the large number of people present, especially at the student Mass, the General Instruction (#43) directs the congregation to make a profound bow during the consecration of the bread and wine when the celebrant genuflects.
Starting the second weekend in November, we will be taking time during the Sunday Mass to review these changes. During this time of renewal, let us ask the Spirit of God to open our hearts that we may more fully experience the loving presence of the Lord at Mass!