Pope Francis calls for renewed commitment to Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
February 21, 2014
Pope Francis has issued a message on the occasion of a symposium devoted to the 50th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
Stating that the anniversary evokes “sentiments of gratitude for the profound and widespread renewal of liturgical life made possible by the conciliar Magisterium, to the glory of God and the edification of the Church,” the Pope called for a renewal in the “commitment to receive and implement” the document’s teaching in a fuller manner.
Pope Francis said that the Constitution and the postconciliar Magisterium “have made us better understand the liturgy in light of divine revelation” and said that Christ is the protagonist of every liturgical celebration. Quoting the Constitution, Pope Francis said that “in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.”
Citing St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the Pontiff then spoke of the importance of “true spiritual worship” in which the faithful offer themselves as a living sacrifice. A liturgy “detached from spiritual worship,” he said, might seem “almost magical” and have “an empty aestheticism.” Citing Pope Benedict XVI, he added that the liturgy transforms Christians from within.
At the conclusion of his message, which was addressed to the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Pope Francis called for “a renewed willingness to move forward on the path indicated by the conciliar fathers, because much still remains to be done for a correct and complete assimilation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.”
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Posted by: JimKcda -
Feb. 22, 2014 1:13 AM ET USA
Good! But, hopefully, this time they will actually read the document and give us what it actually says - not the "mess" we lived through in the 1970's, 80's and into the 90's (and in some places still today.) E.g., perhaps we can get the music that VII specified, etc. However, if the liberals take charge, again, and destroy the intent of VII, the results could be fatal. Let us pray that Pope Francis continues the reform of the reform begun by Pope Benedict and that we see the true VII teachings.
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Posted by: [email protected] -
Feb. 21, 2014 8:51 PM ET USA
The Pope may have made it clear about what needs to be done, but this article is short on information. It would be interesting to know what needs to be done. So much has been done and so much abuse has come about, it is not clear what he means, again.
