Thursday, 11 November 2021

Liturgical Animation

 

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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