Life-Giving Liturgy

The Elements of Life-Giving Liturgy

When we talk about celebrating the “liturgy” we talk about celebrating the “work of the people” (leiturgia). At no time in the history of our Church has this concept been more true or relevant than since the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. We have come to realize that, contrary to the celebration of the Mass of the previous 400 years (according to the missal of Pius V), the celebration of the Eucharist is not the action of a cleric within the hearing and with the assistance of pew-dwelling parishioners, but is the action of an entire community come together in praise and worship of the one triune God. The most beautiful part of the worship experience is that our God interacts fully with our action of worship, so that the liturgy is truly the action of God along with the community, God gracing us with gifts that we give back to the One who has gifted us.

In order to celebrate the Eucharist in a way that is life-giving, many things must happen, must “fall into place”, if you will. There is much preparation that needs to be done, for while liturgy must be open to spontaneity, it must be a spontaneity inspired by the Holy Spirit, and not one created by unpreparedness, i.e. wondering what is going to happen next. There is a danger, of course, in “overscripting” the liturgy, giving it a feel that is more theatrically profane than liturgically sacred, but careful, thoughtful preparation can guard against such unintended perceptions.

What makes for a life-giving liturgical experience? What makes an assembly sing at the top of their lungs, or not sing at all? Is it just the quality of the music? Is it the fact that they may have, or not have, a reason to sing? Is it the weather? The economy? The presider? The manner of preaching and proclaiming? The fact is, it is all these things and much more, as we will examine throughout this blog. Liturgy is an abstract jigsaw puzzle, and all the pieces must fit together well in order that the worship experience may be fully effective in the lives of those who come together as the community of believers. If any of those pieces is missing, the entire liturgical experience suffers, and those in attendance leave feeling less than nourished.

As the Eucharist is the center and summit of Christian life, so is the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist the center and summit of the Christian community. The Roman Missal contains the rubrics, the guides for celebrating the liturgy, the parameters within which the liturgy of the Church of Rome is celebrated throughout the world. Within these rubrics there is great room for creativity and freshness, so that the liturgy does not have to be celebrated in a droll, “cookbook” manner, where “valid” and “licit” are the only justifying criteria.

Just what are the pieces of this puzzle? There are many, but we will focus on some of the more prominent ones. For example, there is the presider. The effect of the specific presider on the celebration cannot be understated or underestimated. Nothing has as much effect on the liturgical celebration as the manner, style and personality of the presider. This is not to say that the liturgy is all about the presider, for it is not, and those priests who attempt to make the liturgy “their” mass do so to the detriment and disservice of the community. The liturgy is not about you, it is not about me, it is in a sense about “us”, but more importantly, it is about Jesus Christ and the salvation won for us by his death and resurrection. A good presider, indeed a great presider, bears this in mind and inspires the assembly to focus on that truth rather than on his own presence.

It has been said that the hallmark of a good parish experience is hymns, homilies and hospitality. This is a simple yet nonetheless true statement when it comes to the liturgical experience. When it comes to these three elements, some good questions need to be addressed: 1) Are the people welcomed warmly upon entering the worship space? 2) Are their comfort needs addressed? 3) Is the preaching done in a way that is formational rather than simply religious or doctrinal? 4) Is the preaching related to the gospel? 5) Is the homily delivered in a thoughtful, personal way? 6) Is the homily written by the one delivering it, or is it read from something written by another (a “canned” homily)? 6) Is the music for the liturgy appropriate and life-giving? 7) Are the sung texts meaningful and connected to the celebration at hand? 8) Do the musical selections and ritual music help the assembly to worship in a meaningful way?

These are just a few questions to ask oneself when beginning to address these issues. There will be many more as we examine these topics.