Pastoral Letter on Liturgy
Ushers and greeters too offer an important ministry of hospitality and welcome to both those who come to worship every Sunday and the occasional visitor to our parish churches. A parish Liturgy committee is of great assistance in this work. In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, it was envisioned that each diocese would have a liturgical commission to assist the bishop in his role as chief liturgist. In the parish, a Liturgy committee can help the pastor in his role as chief liturgist of the parish. The committee can assist with recruitment and training of ministers, planning of seasonal environment, offer help in calling forth and encouragement of liturgical musicians, and serve as a sounding board for the homilist. I turn then to some concrete suggestions for the individual parts of the Mass.
INTRODUCTORY RITES
The introductory rites of the Mass have a twofold purpose: to gather the faithful into a community and prepare them to listen attentively to God's word and celebrate the Eucharist properly (General Instruction of the Roman Missal 24). Everything that happens up to and including the opening prayer must serve this purpose. One of the ministries that is so important in the functioning of the Liturgy, is the ministry of the greeter. My predecessor, Bishop Paul Dudley, spoke often about the importance of having greeters at the doors of all our parish churches, big and small. I reiterate that call, and encourage you, to continue to develop this ministry. People have the need to be welcomed and acknowledged when they come for worship, and guests need to be welcomed; hospitality extended. This may take on a variety of forms depending on the parish. In smaller parishes, the ministers of the Liturgy may be able to also serve as greeters. The ministers may gather 20 minutes before the Liturgy, prepare themselves and then “greet the assembly” as the people come. In this way, a rapport is being developed: people are gathering in a community, and being prepared to hear the Word of God. In other parishes, families may serve as greeters and be trained in hospitality: extending the welcome of Christ. Everything that happens in the entrance of the church, all must hear the message of "Welcome! We're glad you're here!"
Also the entrances of many of our churches need to be cleaned up. Some vestibules are so cluttered with books and pamphlets and outdated materials and envelopes, "lost and found" boxes, that the space says anything but "Welcome!" The gathering space needs to be clean, uncluttered and inviting. Attention needs to be given to the cleanliness of our buildings. If our buildings are so full of "stuff," how can they express welcome to people and invite them to celebrate the central Mystery of our faith? As the celebration formally begins, any introductory comments by a commentator should be very brief, likewise, this introduction should not duplicate the priest-celebrant's introduction to the Mass. Pope John Paul II in an ad limina address to the Bishops of Region XII (USA) in 1998 offers some direction for this: Conscious participation calls for the entire community to be properly instructed in the mysteries of the liturgy, lest the experience of worship degenerate into a form of ritualism. But it does not mean a constant attempt within the liturgy itself to make the implicit explicit, since this often leads to a verbosity and informality which are alien to the Roman rite and end by trivializing the act of worship. The opening hymn should be chosen that is seasonally pertinent, and related to the action of gathering the people. A moment of silence before the penitential rite and then the Gloria (sung in season), join the community together in faith and prepare them to be open to the Word of God. When the priest says Let us pray, a healthy silence should settle in, that the sacred assembly can form their individual prayer that is then gathered together in the collect prayed by the priest.
Eucharistic celebration creates communion. While the Church is said to "make the Eucharist," the Eucharist is said to "make the Church." Just what kind of community are we? And how exactly should we view the nature of our gathering? During the Introductory Rites, and throughout the Mass, we enter more deeply into something that we already live and are by virtue of our baptisms: COMMUNION WITH JESUS CHRIST – in whom we came to be, have been redeemed and receive a new and imperishable life. Communion with Christ means communion with all of creation, with all men and women, and with the Triune God. This is the first and most fundamental sense of community, which should grab our attention as we meet our brothers and sisters in the common life of worship. As a people purchased by the blood of Christ, we are a people who are truly saved because interiorly transformed by the grace of Christ so as to live of his life (which is to belong to his body). Our community, therefore, is especially a COMMUNION OF DIVINE LIFE, participating in the intra-trinitarian mystery of love "“ spelling itself out in the Godlike acts of faith, hope and charity. This life of grace constitutes above all the treasure of the whole Church as the mystical communion of saints. In a special way, moreover, we experience in our Eucharistic adoration COMMUNION WITH THE HEAVENLY HOST OF ANGELS AND SAINTS with whom we worship together in this place and time above place and time where heaven and earth are joined. Thus we walk through the Church entry on Sundays as A DOORWAY INTO THE MYSTERY OF GOD – of his saving love and the mystery of his victory over sin and death. Crossing the doorway, we enter into the fullness of God's giving himself to us and of our sharing in that self-giving life. All of this is the accomplishment of the Holy Trinity. We rightly begin the celebration, therefore, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
The following questions may assist you and your liturgy committee in reflecting on the introductory rites:
*How do the introductory rites reverence the presence
of Christ in the liturgical assembly? In the person of
the minister (priest or bishop)?
*Does the element (gathering song, introduction to the
Mass, vestibule) aid the gathering of the people into a
unified community? How does the music chosen and the
procession help the entire community enter into worship?
*Does this element prepare people to hear the Word of
God and celebrate Eucharist?
*How do we invite people deeper into communion with
Christ by how we enter into the Liturgy?
We are glad indeed that others are here! Not necessarily because we get the chance to see them and greet them, but because they are receiving, expressing and sharing the sanctity and salvation of Christ (and it is this that makes of us a true community Å indeed, a single Body). What is much more important than our own spoken "welcome!" is the "Welcome!" which God speaks to us. It is this ineffable welcome for which we give thanks and in virtue of which we can sincerely welcome others within our hearts. "Welcome!" indeed! "Thank you, God, that I can be here! Thank you, God, that my brothers and sisters can be here! Thank you, God, that I can welcome them with a love that you have bestowed! Thank you, God, that I am able to be thankful at all!"
