The The purpose of the Catholic liturgy, whose center is the celebration of the sacraments and especially the Eucharist, is the communion of Christians with the body and blood of Christ.. It is the encounter of each one and of the Christian community as one body and one family, with the Lord.
The liturgy, the Pope points out, guarantees the possibility of an encounter with Jesus Christ in the "today" of our life, in order to transform all our activities - work, family relationships, efforts to improve society and help those who need us - into divine light and strength.
This is what Christ wanted at his Last Supper. This is the purpose of his words: "Do this in remembrance of me". Since then, he has been waiting for us in the Eucharist. Y the Church's evangelizing mission is nothing other than the call to the encounter that God desires with all the people of the world.The encounter begins at baptism.
The objectives of this document are progressively stated on several occasions: "With this letter I would simply like to invite the whole Church to rediscover, guard and live the truth and strength of the Christian celebration." (n. 16); "to rediscover every day the beauty of the truth of the Christian celebration" (n. 16); "to rediscover every day the beauty of the truth of the Christian celebration" (n. 17). (before n. 20);
to rekindle wonder at the beauty of the truth of the Christian celebration; recalling the need for authentic liturgical formation and recognizing the importance of an art of celebration that it be at the service of the truth of the paschal mystery and of the participation of all the baptized, each one with the specificity of his or her vocation". (n. 62).
Apostolic letter Desiderio desideravi (29-VI-2022), by Pope Francis.
In addition to ignorance about the liturgy -or a superficial and reductive understanding-, Francis laments the instrumentalization of the Eucharist in the service of two ideological visions: an individualistic subjectivism that encloses man in his own reason and feelings, and a reliance solely on one's own strengths. (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 94)..
. For both poisons, which Francis has denounced as variants of an anthropocentrism disguised as Catholic truth, the following are the most important. (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate, 35). proposes here, as an antidote, liturgical formation.
With respect to the former, the poison of individualism (a variant of neognosticism), warns: "The celebratory action does not belong to the individual but to Christ-Church.to the totality of the faithful united in Christ". (n. 19)through the Word of God and sacramental signs. These signs, following the path of the Incarnation, are in accordance with the language of the body, which extends to things, space and time.
Regarding the latter, the presumption of saving ourselves on our own (neo-pelagianism), "the liturgical celebration purifies us by proclaiming the gratuitousness of the gift of salvation received in faith". It is the Lord who saves us.
This is why the liturgy has nothing to do with "ascetic moralism", that is, the proposal to seek holiness first of all with our strength and our struggles; but with Jesus' desire to give himself to be light, nourishment and strength for our life.
The Pope stops at the theological meaning of the liturgy, according to Vatican Council II (cf. Const. Sacrosanctum concilium, 7). in relation to Christ, his priesthood and the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection.
In the words of Francisco: "The liturgy is the priesthood of Christ revealed and given to us. in its Easterpresent and active today through sensible signs (water, oil, bread, wine, gestures, words) so that the Spirit, immersing us in the paschal mystery, may transform our whole life, conforming us more and more to Christ". (n. 21).
As for the beauty of the liturgy, he warns that it is not a question of a "ritual aestheticism" (that is to say, one that focuses only on the external rites). But it is also far from "banal slovenliness", from an "ignorant superficiality", and also from an exaggerated "practical functionalism".
"Let us be clear: all aspects of the celebration must be taken care of"; but even this would not be enough for full liturgical participation. What does Francis propose in addition?
First of all, "wonder before the paschal mystery," that is, the attitude of one who appreciates the wonder and significance of what is being celebrated. For this reason a "serious and vital liturgical formation" is necessary.
As a historical framework, he argues that postmodernity has inherited from modernity the tendency to individualism and subjectivism. On the other hand, the Second Vatican Council has placed in the first place, not man, but God, through prayer and liturgy (the Constitution on the Liturgy was the first to be approved).
In the words of St. Paul VI: "The liturgy, the first source of the divine life that is communicated to us, the first school of our spiritual life.
The first gift that we can make to the Christian people, who with us who believe and pray, and the first invitation to the world to unleash in blissful and truthful prayer its mute tongue and feel the ineffable regenerating power of singing with us the divine praises and human hopes, for Christ the Lord in the (Conclusion of the second session of the Council, December 4, 1963).
The liturgy, declares the Council, is "the summit towards which the action of the Church tends and, at the same time, the source from which all her strength flows". (Sacrosanctum concilium, 10). Hence, Francis deduces, it would be banal to interpret the tensions that are evident today in the interpretation of the liturgy as mere divergences of sensibilities.
In reality, the Pope points out, the underlying question is ecclesiological; that is, understand that the liturgy is an expression of the Church, as is the Council itself..
For this reason, he stresses that only the Church - the community of those who follow the risen Christ united in his body by the Holy Spirit - overcomes "the narrow space of spiritual individualism". (n. 32). Indeed, the very reality of what it is to be a person in the full sense is at stake here: a being called to subsist in oneself and to mature in relation to others.
In this regard, the Pope adds with an expression that may rightly attract attention: "Only the Church of Pentecost can conceive of man as a person, open to a full relationship with God, with creation and with his brothers and sisters". (n. 33).
. One might ask: Is it outside the Church that the person does not find fulfillment and recognition? And one could then answer: it may be, more or less, but not fully, according to the Christian faith.
Thus we come to liturgical formation in particular. And here Francis takes the sure hand of Guardini to propose a "formation for the liturgy and formation from the liturgy". (n. 34).
First of all, formation "for" the liturgy. This includes, the Pope points out, knowledge of the theological meaning of the liturgyThis is combined with an understanding of the euchological (liturgical) texts, the ritual dynamisms and their anthropological value.
The theological meaning of the liturgy includes the fact that the one who celebrates is not only the priest but the whole Church, the Body of Christ.
This "meaning" of the liturgy requires not only study and explanation, but also: the "experience of living faith, nourished by prayer." (n. 36)the connection of each and every discipline of theology with the liturgy (attention to the priestly formation); placing the Sunday Eucharistic celebration at the center of Christian life; living the proclamation of the faith or evangelization as a consequence of the liturgical celebration; ongoing liturgical formation for ministers and all the baptized.
Secondly, formation "from" the liturgy. That is to say, the formation that each baptized person requires to participate in the celebration, whose primary purpose is praise and thanksgiving to God the Father, through Christ in the Holy Spirit. At the same time, through Eucharistic communion, we become what we eat. (St. Leo the Great).
Through the liturgy, its gestures and signs, all of creation is drawn to Christ and placed at the service of the Father's love and glory.. Thus it is, and thus is confirmed the teaching of the book of Genesis, made complete by the work of Christ: man, all his activity, and his work are at the service of the worship of God and the service, for the love of God, of all men.
For this reason, man is fully "alive" when he knows God and lives according to him (St. Irenaeus). It is necessary, says the Pope, to rediscover created things with wonder, "with a new, not superficial, respectful and grateful gaze" (n. 46).
In addition, and in relation to what Francis said above about "ritual dynamisms and their anthropological value", he underlines with Guardini the need for liturgical formation to help restore man's ability to understand and live what is expressed in the symbols.
To begin with, Francis adds, the profound and beautiful meaning of the body itself, at the service of the soul. The successor of St. Peter observes that, although today the meaning of the symbol has been lost, we must not give up this task because symbolic language is constitutive of man and is at the service of his transcendence.
Initiation into symbolic language in a simple way can be done by parents or grandparents, parish priests and catechists teaching the sign of the cross, kneeling or the formulas of faith. In fact, symbolic language goes beyond the conceptual and begins rather along the path of beauty, trust and affection.
Among the liturgical signs, the Pope highlights three: silence, kneeling, and the Word. Silence, where it is foreseen in the liturgy, is a symbol of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, who moves to repentance and listening, to adoration and generous surrender.
Kneeling is a manifestation of repentance, humility and gratitude, and also of faith in the presence of God. The Word is proclaimed and heard, it inspires prayer and becomes the life of the person and of the community.
In addition, Francis invites us to rediscover the meaning of the liturgical year (as a path of formation, centered on Easter, and configuration with Christ) and Sunday, the Lord's Day (as a gift from God to his people, a means of formation, light and impetus for fraternal communion and service).
Above all, Francis points out, they must take care of the "art of celebrating" (which is neither a mere observance of the rubrics nor creativity without rules) and explain the primacy of the action of the Holy Spirit (ahead of subjectivisms or culturalisms, which give prevalence to individual sensibilities or incorporate cultural elements without criteria). They must also teach the dynamics of symbolic language, already mentioned.
With Guardini, Pope insists on overcoming individualism and subjectivism through prayer obedient to the Church. In this way the same "discipline" of the Church forms our feelings, attitudes and behavior in conformity with what we are: one body, the Church.
With regard to the manner of presiding over liturgical assemblies, Francis warns against the risk of an "exaggerated personalism" of the ministers. And he points out the need for them to be "a particular presence of the Risen One".
In any case, the "art of celebrating" is learned to a great extent through prayer and contact with the fire of the Holy Spirit.. The Spirit is the modeler of the minister, so that he may adequately preside over the liturgy while shaping his life according to what he celebrates.
He concludes by requesting that, in the face of the importance of communion and the beauty of the liturgy, let us abandon the polemics that divide us..
. On three occasions he refers to the apostolic letter "Traditionis custodes" (2021) on the use of the Roman liturgy before the reform of 1970. Here he claims to have written it "so that the Church can raise up, in the variety of languages, a single and identical prayer capable of expressing her unity" which he wishes to re-establish in the whole Church of the Roman Rite. (n. 61).
Mr. Ramiro Pellitero Iglesias
Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra.
Published in "Church and new evangelization".
