INTRODUCTION
The Book of Revelation, especially
chapters 4 and 5, provides a vision of the heavenly liturgy which through the
ages has inspired the Church in its liturgical worship: the door opening to
heavenly realities, the One seated on the throne, the elders falling down in
worship, the opening of the scroll, harps and incense, the prayers of the
saints, and the acclamation of the multitude in their worship of the Lamb with
their Amen.
It is in that same spirit of profound
reverence and of sharing in the heavenly liturgy that the Church continues to
guide and assist its members in their liturgical worship. As the Second Vatican
Council states, “the liturgy, ‘through which the work of our redemption is
accomplished,’ most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the
outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest
to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church”
(Sacrosanctum Concilium, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 2).
This work is to focus on liturgical
animation, how to set the faithful on the right tract to interiorize the
liturgical spirit, and foster active and effective participation.
LITURGICAL ANIMATION
What God does in liturgy continues what
God has already done all through history. This is his work of saving (i.e.
transforming) human beings. It reached its climax in the living, dying and
rising of Jesus. When God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, he let loose
among us the power that animated Jesus from the cradle to the grave. This is
the power of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the power that transformed his
relationships, the power that led him to keep on loving God and God’s people, the
power that enabled him to go about doing good, helping and healing (Acts
10:38). the power that brought understanding and compassion, kindness and
comfort to others, in their struggles and their pain, the power that forgave
their sins, relieved their guilt, offered them a brand new start and the joy of
his on-going friendship, presence and support. It’s this very same Spirit of
God that our Saviour keeps giving us and especially when we pray together at
liturgy. It is his Spirit that continues to refresh, renew and transform our
lives. Slowly but surely we become more and more like Jesus. And so scholars
and others often refer to liturgy as an encounter with Christ in the fullness
of his redeeming activity.
The General Instruction of the Roman
Missal (GIRM), no. 22, reminds each Bishop to be “vigilant” in ensuring that
the dignity of all liturgical celebrations, and particularly the Eucharistic
celebration, is “enhanced and, in promoting such dignity, the beauty of the
sacred place, of the music, and of art should contribute as greatly as
possible.” Liturgical animation should be a means of enhancing and should not
supplant the liturgical practices. We must always keep uppermost in mind the
Holy and Sacred in our liturgical celebrations. Animation is a means and not an
end in itself. We must remain astute and wise in its use and be directed by the
Spirit of God and the guidance of the Church.[1]
Music and poetry, painting and sculpture, drama and dance play a powerful role
in many spiritual journeys. Music and art are closely wedded with spiritual
experience. They draw people closer to God, often by expressing what cannot be
put into words. They spark the religious imagination and enrich personal
experience of the sacred.[2]
Liturgical animation is a dynamic source
of new vitality. Personally I posit that liturgical animation essentially is
related to the ability of and creativity of the pastor to organize the liturgy
and carry the faithful along in style, in accordance with the spirit of worship
and the stipulations of the church, for a better participation and
interiorization of the liturgy, each group according to their age and capacity
(children, youths and adults). When taking part in the music and prayers, when
listening to the Word of God, and above all when participating in the common
offering of the Sacrifice at the altar, the People of God form one body, a holy
people (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 96). Liturgical animation can
be used to assist the faithful in assuming their rightful role as participants
in liturgical celebrations. They can provide support and assistance so that
they can confidently and prayerfully join in the singing, prayers and responses
of the liturgy. It is important, however, to consider carefully how liturgical
animation should be done. We must also remember the importance of silence, and
that a balance is necessary to ensure that people are supported and encouraged
to participate when appropriate, but also provided with opportunities for
contemplation. “In silent contemplation, then, the eternal Word, through whom
the world was created, becomes ever more powerfully present and we become aware
of the plan of salvation that God is accomplishing throughout our history by
word and deed” (Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the 46th World Communications
Day).[3]
Mother Church earnestly desires that all
the faithful should be led to that full conscious and active participation in
liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.
Such participation by the Christian people as a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4-5), is their
right and duty by reason of their baptism. In the restoration and promotion of
the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the
aim to be considered before all else; for it is the primary and indispensable
source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit.[4] To
promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by
means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by
actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should
observe a reverent silence.[5]
A praying assembly is a participating
one. However, the participation which is required is more than a matter of
externals, going through the motions of a ritual. It is more than getting
people interested, occupying their time and keeping them busy. It is more than
speaking, singing, standing, sitting and kneeling. While participation does
involve external activities and mental stimulation, this is all subordinate to
the basic attitude and aim which is communication with God.[6]
The quality of worship will be good only if those planning and preparing
liturgy never forget that all their efforts have a single aim ; to create for
everyone there, the possibility of an experience of God, the opportunity to ‘taste
and see that the Lord is good’. For this task of helping the average person at
liturgy to experience God, the means are available. It’s a matter of
identifying them and knowing how to put them together.
To encourage the active participation of
the liturgical assembly, parishes typically provide some form of participation
aid. Such an aid usually includes the words (and music) of the songs and
acclamations that are to be sung, as well as texts that the assembly may have
difficulty recalling from memory. While these aids have traditionally been
provided in print form, many parishes are now using digital visual display
systems for this purpose.
THE BISHOP AS THE CHIEF
LITURGICAL ANIMATOR IN HIS DIOCESE
The task of the Bishop is to be vigilant
that the liturgical life is fostered as much as possible and ordered according
to the prescriptions and legitimate customs of the church. The bishop does not
act solely based on his own judgment or based on the local customs, but refers
to the specific heritage of the church. In this way the authority of the
individual bishops becomes participation in a greater authority which regulates
the liturgical life of the church.
In exercising his mandate as moderator
of the liturgical life, the Bishop should neither act arbitrarily nor give way
to the behavior of groups or factions, but together with his clergy, let him be
an attentive guardian of the liturgical awareness present and operating in the
living memory of the people of God entrusted to him. Just as the determinant of
the comprehension of the faith believed, so is it in the sensus fidelium is
safeguarding of the faith celebrated. The people, from their part must be
faithful to the indications of the pastor and endeavour to understand them in
depth and realize his mandate. To promote a better understanding and
celebration of the liturgy eparchial liturgical commissions of experts should
be formed. Of great importance in the liturgical maturation of the people of
god will be authentic communities of religious, places where, by the grace of
the Holy Spirit, the mystery daily celebrated in faith is lived in fullness.
The instruction, No. 56 states that the
liturgy celebrated by the bishop, affirms strongly the importance of the
celebration of the Divine Liturgy around the bishop in the cathedral and in
monasteries. A text of the Sacrosanctum Concilium, inspired by the letters of
St. Ignatius of Antioch, affirms that the prefeminent manifestation of the
church consists in the full active participation of all God’s holy people in
these liturgical celebrations, especially in the same Eucharist, in a single
prayer, at one altar, at which there presides the bishop surrounded by his
college of priests and by his ministers. This requires that great care be taken
of the eparchial liturgical life around the Bishop, such that the cathedral is
the true sanctuary of every particular church: thus the liturgy at the cathedral
should be celebrated in an exemplary way.
Liturgical legislation emphasizes the
importance of liturgical training in the lives of consecrated persons and the
importance of celebrating the liturgical celebration well in an exemplary
fashion. “In the formation of sacred ministers, care should be taken to promote
progressive growth of the interior participation in the holy Mysteries and in
Him who operates in them. In order to be mystagogies of the people, they must live
in an exemplary way the same mystagogy.
Their role in the liturgy is to be the font, food and model for a life
of fullness received by the grace of the Lord. Moreover, they are to be perfectly
formed toward a precise, in depth and well founded knowledge of the holy
liturgy, in its theological, spiritual and ceremonial aspects.[7]
CONCLUSION
The liturgy is a public worship of the
Church, it is not private in character. In the liturgical assembly, each and
all the faithful are assigned a role to play, and it is the duty of the
liturgical animators, in the person of the Bishop at the diocesan level, and
the priests at the parish level to see that all the faithful are carried along
during the liturgy and that all function assigned to different ministers are
properly executed. This would require some form of training or guidance given
to the liturgical functionaries by the animator.
[1] Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Considerations for the Use of Technology in
the Liturgy, CCCB, 2020, 4.
[2]
Robert Wuthnow, All In Sync: How Music and Art are
Revitalizing American Religion, University of California Press, Berkeley
2003, xiv.
[3] Catholic Diocese of Parramatta, Guidelines for the Use of Visual Display Systems in Liturgical
Celebrations, Diocesan Liturgical Commission 2013, 3.
[4] Second
Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum
Concilium, n. 14.
[5] Ibid, n. 30.
[6] Liturgy in www.lismorediocese.org/wp-content/uploads/Liturgy.pdf ( accessed 13 May 2021), 2.
[7] Patriarch Gregorios III, Letter on the Liturgy, Letter on the liturgy, in https://melkite.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LetterOnTheLiturgy.pdf,
( accessed 15 May 2021), 13.
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