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| Spirituality |
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| October 9, 2003 Edition |
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In a Nutshell
A "straightforward, concise and compact manner of expression" is found in the liturgy of the Roman rite. Simplicity is among its characteristics.
The Roman rite beautifully blends "solemnity, festivity, reverence, contemplation and community," Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles once wrote.
Liturgical reform is not a matter of introducing novelty for the sake of change itself, but of preserving the Roman rite's rich tradition.
Catholic News Service
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Food for Thought
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The Roman rite strikes a balance in its worship "between a spareness and a richness of emotion: It feeds the heart 'and' the mind, the body 'and' the soul," Pope John Paul II told a group of U.S. bishops visiting Rome in 1998.
Worship in the Roman rite often is described as a matter not of "either/or" but of "both/and." For example, speaking of the Mass in a 1998 letter on the liturgy, Pope John Paul said that "sharing in the Lord's Supper is always communion with Christ." And, he added, "It is also important to be ever mindful that communion with Christ is deeply tied to communion with our brothers and sisters."
In his 1998 remarks, the pope said that certain "tensions" give "Catholic worship its distinctive character." He meant that the liturgy is both "time-bound and eternal, horizontal and vertical, subjective and objective." How is it time-bound and eternal? He explained:
"The universal church is united in one great act of praise; but it is always the worship of a particular community in a particular culture. It is the eternal worship of heaven, but it is also steeped in time. It gathers and builds a human community, but it is also the worship of the divine majesty."
full story
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The Right Understanding of Rites
By Father W. Thomas Faucher
Catholic News Service
To understand what the term "rite" means, think of people gathered for a birthday party. Someone lights the little candles that have been put into the top of a cake, then tells the birthday person to make a wish; a special song is sung; the person then blows all over the cake until the candles are out; finally, pieces of the cake are served to all who are present.
No one I know can tell how it came about that doing all those actions became the acceptable way to celebrate a birthday. But we all do it.
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What Are the Roman Rite's Main Characteristics?
By Msgr. James Moroney
Catholic News Service
Nearly 40 years ago the fathers of Vatican Council II initiated a liturgical reform whose purpose was to impart vigor, update those institutions and practices which needed to be changed, foster union among all Christians and strengthen whatever can call the world to be one with the church (See the council's Constitution on the Liturgy, No. 1).
It is natural that the liturgy would be first among those things to be changed, for, as Pope Paul VI reminded us in his introduction to the 1970 Roman Missal, some elements of the liturgy have been subject to change repeatedly, while other elements are virtually unchangeable.
full story
My Thoughts on the Necessity of Liturgy
By Patricia Thompson
Catholic News Service
Recently I was conscripted to fill in for an absent lector at Sunday Mass. It put quite a different spin on that ministry for me. Carrying the Book of the Gospels up the aisle, I realized I was carrying our "story." What I was to read in both Old and New Testaments provided part of the picture of who I am as a believer.
We who are "cradle Catholics" sometimes are almost oblivious to the liturgy's familiar story as we scoot into our pews, fumbling with belongings, children and cell phones. If our minds are saturated with the past week's events, we may fail to receive the solace and encouragement that a weekly immersion -- through the liturgy -- in our faith and its history can give us.
full story
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Faith in the Marketplace
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This Week's Discussion Point:
How does the Sunday liturgy -- Mass -- shape or influence what you do during the week?
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Selected Response From Readers:
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Copyright © 2003 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
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This week's readings
Week of October 12 - October 18
Sunday, October 12, 2003
Reading I: Wis 7:7-11
Reading II: Heb 4:12-13
Gospel: Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27
Monday, October 13, 2003
Reading I: Rom 1:1-7
Gospel: Lk 11:29-32
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Reading I: Rom 1:16-25
Gospel: Lk 11:37-41
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Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Reading I: Rom 2:1-11
Gospel: Lk 11:42-46
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Reading I: Rom 3:21-30
Gospel: Lk 11:47-54
Friday, October 17, 2003
Reading I: Rom 4:1-8
Gospel: Lk 12:1-7
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Reading I: 2 Tm 4:10-17b
Gospel: Lk 10:1-9
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Pope's Prayer Intentions
October General Intention
To follow Christ with enthusiasm: That young people may follow Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and bear witness to him in all the situations of their lives.
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October Mission Intention
Pastors rich in wisdom and holiness: That God provide His Church with holy pastors to defend the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
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