“The master teaches the liturgy when he leads to the meeting with the Paschal Mystery of Christ. At the same time, he must provide everything so that the liturgy shines with decency, simplicity and order. The master’s service is a diakonia: he cooperates with the bishop in the service of the community,” Francis told the participants of the “Living the Work” course the entire liturgy.
Mariangela Jajuraba – Vatican News
Pope Francis received, Friday (20/1), in the Vatican, the participants in the course promoted by the Pontifical Institute of Santo Anselm for the leaders of the diocese in the liturgical celebrations.
According to the Pope, “This cycle, which is now complete, corresponds to the indications of exhortation desiderio desideravi in liturgical formation. In fact, taking care of the festivities requires preparation and commitment. We bishops, in our ministry, are well aware of this, because we need the cooperation of those who prepare the liturgies and help us to fulfill our mission to preside over the prayers of the saints.
Liturgy, the first church art
“Your service to the liturgy requires, in addition to deep knowledge, a deep pastoral sense. So I am glad to see you once again renewing your commitment to the study of the liturgy. For this reason, the Liturgy is never fully owned, nor learned as human concepts, crafts, and skills. It is the first art of the Church, which shapes and characterizes it.
Afterwards, Francis gave some reflections on the course of the liturgical reform procedure. According to him, today people no longer speak of a “master of ceremonies”, that is, a person who takes care of “holy ceremonies”. Liturgical books indicate Master of ceremonies. The Master teaches the liturgy when he leads to the encounter with the Paschal Mystery of Christ. At the same time, everything should be arranged so that the Mass sparkled with decency, simplicity and order. He stressed that the master’s ministry is diaconian: he cooperates with the bishop in the service of the community.
The master first grows up in the liturgy school
According to the Pope, one of the goals of the Second Vatican Council was to accompany the faithful “to recover the capacity to fully live the liturgical action and to continue to be amazed at what is happening in the celebration before our eyes”. How do I achieve this? The answer is already found in the Sacrosanctum Concilium which, in verse 14, recommends the formation of believers. “Therefore, the teacher, first of all, grows up in the school of the liturgy and participates in the pastoral mission of training the clergy and the faithful,” said the Pontiff.
According to Francisco, “one of the most complex aspects of the reform is its practical implementation, that is, the way in which what the Council Fathers established is translated into everyday life. Among those primarily responsible for the practical implementation is the teacher, who accompanies the director of the pastoral department of the diocesan liturgy, communities, priests and servants others to carry out the ceremonial practice referred to by the Council, and this is done first of all by ceremonial.
growth in the liturgical life
When the officiant of ceremonies accompanies the bishop to the parish, it is good to appreciate the manner of ceremonial who lives there. There is no point in having a pretty “parade” when the bishop is there and then everything goes back to the way it was before. Your task is not to organize a liturgy for a single day, but rather to suggest a liturgy that can be emulated, with such modifications that the congregation can incorporate to grow in the liturgical life.
The Pope urged them to “be silent”. “Particularly before ceremonies, help the assembly and curators focus on what will be done. Closets are often noisy before and after ceremonies, but the silence opens up and prepares the mystery, allowing for merging, echoing the echo of an audible word. Brotherhood is beautiful, greeting each other, but It is the encounter with Jesus that gives meaning to our encounter, our reunion. We must rediscover and appreciate silence.
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