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各位教友： 上週我與各位討論感恩聖事慶典的禮儀，其中兩點極為重要：那就是聖體在教會內是至為珍貴的，而相關的規律及守則純為保存這珍寶而設；此外就是這些禮儀準則是為使信仰在我們心中紮根，以使人在基督內聖化。 今天我希望談談另外三項重點：其一就是天主是感恩祭的中心，並非個人所思、所想、所欲。禮儀準則是為了駕馭信仰的軌道，以使教友常把天主放在生活的重心。 教宗保祿二世在《活於感恩祭的教會》第52曾言：「但令人惋惜的是，尤其自梵二大公會議後的禮儀改革以來，由於對創新及適應的意義的誤解，以致產生不少弊病，使許多人感到痛苦。一些針對「形式主義」而有的反應，特別是在某些地區，促使有些人認為由教會的重要禮儀傳統及教會的訓導所選擇的「形式」並不具約束力，他們引進種種未受主管當局許可，且又常是完全不適當的創新做法。」 禮儀是教會行動的頂峰，同時也是教會一切力量的泉源。在舉行禮儀時，無論是司祭、輔祭、宣讀員、領經員、歌詠團的團員，以及每一位教友，每人都應按照有關禮規，盡自己的職份，履行真正的禮儀職務。教友也應依照《禮儀憲章》第14所寫的：「慈母教會切願教導所有信友，完整地、有意識地、主動地參與禮儀，因為這是禮儀本身的要求，也是基督信眾藉洗禮而獲得的權利和義務」。 禮儀是為表示無形的天主的事理而使用的有形記號，也是由基督或教會所選定的。既然禮儀是教友汲取真正基督精神的首要泉源，那我們就必須以虔敬的心去學習禮規秩序，並真誠地接受這些禮儀守則，才能盡一己之本份，為促進教會的團結及共融發熱、發光。繼而培養出參禮者的信德，向天主舉高心靈，向祂奉獻靈性的崇敬，並豐厚地蒙受祂的恩寵。 最後我套用澳洲人所喜愛的板球運動為例：板球員並未參與制訂這些運動守則，卻都願意遵守這些守則；在感恩聖事慶典的禮儀上也應如是，主教、司鐸都有責任幫助教友加深了解在聖祭中所?的一切禮規，虔度禮儀生活，並使教區內的信友共享這種生活。 下週待續…… 莫靖龍神父 (此乃莫神父致教友書信之意譯，書信內容以英文為準) |
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Hello everybody! Last week I discuss with you about the role of the liturgical norms in the Eucharistic Celebration. I tried to point out mainly two things: That the Sacred Eucharist is so precious for the Church, that certain norms and rules have been developed to make sure this treasure is kept safe. The other point was that the liturgical norms manifest deeply the divine realities of faith we believe in. Today I want to continue our reflexion on this important topic; I want to cover another three important issues that reflect the importance of the liturgical norms. The liturgical norms help us to maintain the ‘vertical’ orientation of the Mass. With this I want to imply that the Holy Eucharist is celebrated with the aim to worship God, to praise him, to give him thanks, to ask him what we need in both the spiritual and material sense. So God is at the centre of every Eucharistic celebration, not what I like, not what I would like to see happening and especially not what I think is “in”. As you see, norms are there just to avoid that the liturgy becomes a different reality of what is celebrated in faith (remember the term Lex Orandi, lex credendi). A liturgy that is not aware of this ‘vertical’ dimension falls into the temptation to become too focus on us but not on God, the centre, the beginning and the aim of every Christian Liturgy. As Pope John Paul II clearly mentioned in the encyclical Ecclessia de Eucharistia 52:It must be lamented that, especially in the years following the post-conciliar liturgical reform, as a result of a misguided sense of creativity and adaptation, there have been a number of abuses which have been a source of suffering for many. A certain reaction against “formalism” has led some, especially in certain regions, to consider the “forms” chosen by the Church's great liturgical tradition and her Magisterium as non-binding and to introduce unauthorized innovations which are often completely inappropriate. The second point I want to mention is that the liturgical norms promote a healthy ecclesiology. The Church is the mystical body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-30), this requires that every member of the body of Christ develops its own uniqueness with respect to the different ministries and roles that each of us play in the life of the Church. The liturgical norms clearly mention who is to do what and at what time. The Holy Eucharist is precisely the moment when each member of the body of Christ comes together to worship God with the individual gifts that he or she has been given by God. Ministries like music, readers, collectors, sacristans, ushers etc. are there to remind us that we all can achieve what the Council called for:“an active and conscious participation which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14). Unfortunately when the liturgical norms are not respected we tend to “clericalize” laity ministries and vice versa. (Extreme examples of this is lay people reading the Eucharistic Prayer with the Priest or priests taking up the collections during mass, please note the word extreme). Finally, and as a consequence of what we have been saying, the Liturgical Norms are there to promote unity and harmony. The acceptance and faithful observance of these norms help to promote such unity and harmony just in the sense that each parish community just as each diocese are aware, in faith, that in the observance of these norms they are proclaiming the faith they have been baptized into and also the faith of the whole universal church. These norms help us to avoid precious time just trying to reconcile personal taste and personal theories of what should be done. These norms protect you, lay people, even from the personal choices of pastors, just as they protect pastors from communities who want their liturgies to be changes to fit their personal taste. As you can see, common sense and the need for order can also be used to defend the importance of the Liturgical norms. To end this article I will propose an example that, I think, fits the sporty mindset of Australians. If rules in cricket, or any sport for that matter, require obedience to the referee (who did not make the rules, but he is just there to apply them) so in liturgy, Bishops and priests are there to make sure that what we celebrate and how we celebrate is the concrete manifestation of what we profess in faith. To be continued… … (l promise I will finish this article next week.) Peace in Jesus Fernando Montano MG P.S. The building project has started, as you can see the parking entrance in Daking Street is closed! Thanks for your patience! |