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各位教友： 或許你有留意自我就任本堂後，就感恩祭禮儀作了不少改動，在追求自由獨特的俗世中，嚴謹的禮儀顯得別具一格，我將在一連兩週裡與你一起探討其中的意義。 教會早就嚴謹地訂下了教會各項聖事的禮儀規例，正如《天主教教理》第1125所說：「任何聖事的儀式不可由施行人或團體按自己的喜好而改變或操縱，甚至教會的最高權力亦不得任意更改禮儀，只有在服從信仰並虔敬地尊重禮儀奧跡的情況下，始可作某些更改。」 多年來，聖教會以相稱的禮儀，引領信友共同體驗天主救恩的奧跡，有關的禮儀均建基於聖經、宗徒指導、教會傳統以及教會多年不斷的共禱上。莊重嚴謹的禮儀只為保存這些信仰的瑰寶，因此，教會內的信仰團體實在不可自行發明另一套有別於教會訓示的禮儀。 正如《救贖聖事》訓令第9點所言「……每個禮儀傳統所舉行的神聖慶典，在結構和形式上，都與普世教會的作法相符，那承自從未間斷的宗徒傳統的作法也是如此，教會應忠實並謹慎地將之傳給未來世代。這一切都很明智地藉禮規加以保存和衛護。」又如聖保祿宗徒說的：「這是我從主所領受的，我也傳授給你們了……」(格前11:22) 。 最後，我以《救贖聖事》訓令第10點作結：「教會無權干預，它構成禮儀不能改變的成分。假若中斷了聖事與其建立者基督之間的連繫，假如不把它們與教會源始事件相連，對信友並無任何俾益，反會使他們嚴重地受到損害。事實上，神聖禮儀與教義的原則是緊密相連的，因此，採用未經批准的經文和禮節，其結果只會削弱或失去祈禱律（lex orandi）與信仰律（lex credendi）之間的必要連繫。」 下週待續…… |
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Dear Parishioners: Some of you have noticed that in my short time as your parish priest I have been trying to promote more the Liturgical norms, especially during the Mass. Some of you may wonder why is it that there are so many changes going on. During these two weeks I would like to meditate with you the importance of the Liturgical norms in the Eucharistic Celebration. In these times of freedom and independence we try to avoid words like norms, rules, regulations, however in the Church they play an important role since it is precisely these norms, rules and regulations which help us to see the importance of our beliefs as Catholics. The Church is fully aware that the sacraments, specially the Holy Eucharist, are sacraments of faith; signs which manifest and teach us more about it; that is why the Church has carefully developed liturgical norms and sacramental formulas. This is clearly expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church number 1125 that says: “For this reason no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the Liturgy”. In a different document called Redemptionis Sacramentum number nine, the same idea is manifested: “Finally, the structures and forms of the sacred celebrations according to each of the Rites of both East and West are in harmony with the practice of the universal Church also as regards practices received universally from apostolic and unbroken tradition, which it is the Church’s task to transmit faithfully and carefully to future generations. All these things are wisely safeguarded and protected by the liturgical norms”. This statement clearly manifest that changing or modifying the way the liturgy is celebrated is destroying a valuable and ancient treasure that bring us together not only with our brothers and sisters in different parts of the world but also to our brothers and sisters from different stages in history. As you can see, the Liturgical norms regulate the way in which the public cultic life of the Church should be carried on and are extrinsically related to the truths we express in our faith. These norms are based on the teachings and guidelines found in Holy Scripture, the teachings of the apostles, the holy Tradition, the definitions given in Councils all throughout the history of the Church and the constant prayer of the Church. Even St Paul is aware of this gift of Jesus to his disciples. (cfr. 1 Cor 11:23). Liturgical norms have been created to guard and protect these treasures. Liturgical texts and gestures try to make clear our catholic faith, they express it, celebrate it and protect it. This is expressed by the famous Latin principle of “LEX ORANDI LEX CREDENDI”. There is no need for the community to re-invent the sacred rites at each period in time. I want to end this reflection with a quote from RS (the document mentioned before) about the role of the church regarding these norms. Number ten says “The Church herself has no power over those things which were established by Christ himself and which constitute an unchangeable part of the Liturgy. Indeed, if the bond were to be broken which the Sacraments have with Christ himself who instituted them, and with the events of the Church’s founding, it would not be beneficial to the faithful but rather would do them grave harm. For the Sacred Liturgy is quite intimately connected with principles of doctrine, so that the use of unapproved texts and rites necessarily leads either to the attenuation or to the disappearance of that necessary link between the lex orandi and the lex credendi.” To be continued… Peace in Jesus Fernando Montano MG |