New General Instruction of the Roman Missal: Part 6

By Bishop Kevin Manning.

HAVING already outlined the New General Instruction in previous articles, I write in more detail about the importance and dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration.

The celebration of Mass as the action of Christ and the People of God is the centre of the whole Christian life for it is the high point of the action by which God sanctifies the world in Christ, and the worship that man offers to the Father.

The mysteries of our Redemption are recalled in the Mass in such a way that they are made present. Furthermore, all other sacred actions, and all works of the Christian life, are linked with the Eucharistic celebration, flow from it and have it as their end. (GIRM n. 16)

Active participation

It is of the utmost importance that the celebration of the Mass be so arranged that the sacred ministers and the faithful gain its full fruit.

It was to obtain these fruits that Christ instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood and entrusted it to the Church as the memorial of His passion and resurrection.

Obviously, this is best accomplished if the entire celebration is planned in such a way that the faithful can participate with body and mind that is full, conscious, and active, ablaze with faith, hope and charity.

The Church wants this kind of participation, the nature of the celebration demands it, and it is the right and duty of the Christian people that they have it by reason of their Baptism. (S.C. n. 14)

The better the active participation of the faithful the more evident is the ecclesial nature of the celebration. However, even when the presence and participation of the faithful is not possible, the Eucharistic Celebration always retains its effectiveness and dignity because it is the action of Christ and the Church in which the Priest fulfils his own principal office and always acts for the people’s salvation.

This is the reason why the document recommends that Priests celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice daily, whenever possible. (PO n. 13)

Since the Eucharist is exercised through outward signs that nourish, strengthen and express faith, the utmost care must be taken to choose and arrange those forms and elements supplied by the Church which, in view of the circumstances of the people and place, will more effectively foster active and full participation and, more properly, serve the spiritual wellbeing of the faithful.

For these reasons the Instruction offers general guidelines for arranging the Eucharistic celebration properly and sets forth the rules for ordering the individual forms of celebration.

Diocesan Bishop

The Diocesan Bishop is the authority, moderator, promoter and guardian of the liturgical life in the particular Church entrusted to his care. He is to ensure that the Priests, the Deacons and the lay faithful have a genuine sense of the rites and liturgical texts and be led to an active, fruitful celebration of the Eucharist.

He must also be attentive to enhance the dignity of celebrations, especially the beauty of the sacred places, of music and of art.

Adaptations

To ensure that spirit of the liturgy is entered into and to increase its pastoral effectiveness, the General Instruction specifies certain accommodations and adaptations.

For the most part these adaptations consist in the choice of certain rites or texts, that is, of the chants, readings, prayers, remarks and gestures that may respond better to the needs, preparation and culture of the participants. Such choices are entrusted to the Priest celebrant.

Nevertheless, he must remember that he is the servant of the Sacred Liturgy, and that he, himself, is not permitted on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything in the celebration of Mass. (S.C. n. 22)

In addition, certain adaptations are indicated in the proper place in the Missal. These adaptations pertain respectively to the Diocesan Bishop or to the Conference of Bishops in accord with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

The Bishop is entrusted with regulating the discipline of concelebration, in establishing norms regarding the function of serving the Priest at the altar, the distribution of Holy Communion under both kinds, and the constructing and arranging of churches.

But, his primary task is to foster the spirit of the sacred liturgy in Priests, Deacons and the faithful.

Bishops’ Conferences

Certain adaptations that call for a wider degree of co-ordination are to be decided by the Conference of Bishops. It is within their competence, first of all, to prepare and approve an edition of the Roman Missal, in the authorised vernacular, for use in the regions under their care, after their decisions have been recognised by the Apostolic See.

They must decide on the adaptations indicated in the General Instruction and in the Order of Mass and, after their decisions have been recognised by the Apostolic See, to introduce them into the Missal itself. These adaptations include:
* the gestures and postures of the faithful;
* the gestures of veneration towards the altar and the Book of the Gospels;
* the text of the chants at the entrance, presentation of the gifts and at Communion;
* the readings from Sacred Scripture to be used in special circumstances;
* the form of the gesture of peace;
* the manner of receiving Holy Communion;
* the materials for the altar and sacred furnishings, especially the sacred vessels, and also the materials, form and colour of the liturgical vestments.

With the previous recognition of the Apostolic See, Directories or Pastoral Instruction that the Conference of Bishops judge useful may be included in the Roman Missal at an appropriate place.

Translations

It is up to the Conference of Bishops to exercise special care regarding the translation of the biblical texts used in the celebration of Mass. English-speaking Conferences are now working together on this.

It is from Sacred Scripture that the readings are taken and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung. It is from the inspiration and impulse of the Scriptures that prayers, collects and liturgical songs are brought forth and from them that actions and signs derive their meaning. (S.C. n. 24)

Language should be used that responds to the understanding of the faithful and is suitable for public proclamation while nonetheless maintaining those characteristics that are proper to the different manners of speaking used in the biblical books.

Added emphasis on adherence to the original Latin has been legislated by the document Liturgican Authentican.

It is also up to the Conference of Bishops to prepare, after careful study, translation of the other texts so that, while also respecting the character of each language, the sense of the original Latin text is fully and faithfully rendered.

In accomplishing this task it is important to take account of the different literary genres used at Mass: presidential prayers, the antiphons, the acclamations, the responses, the litanies of supplication and so on.

All should remember that the primary purpose of the translated text is not meditation but rather that they be proclaimed or sung during a celebration.

Language should be used that is accommodated to the faithful of the region. Nevertheless, it should be noble and marked by literary quality. The constant need for some catechesis on the biblical and Christian meaning of certain words and expressions will always remain.

It is indeed preferable that in regions using the same language, whenever possible, the same translation be used for liturgical texts, especially biblical texts and for the Order of Mass. (S.C. n. 36/3)

Singing

Mindful of the important place that singing has in the celebration as a necessary and integral part of the liturgy, it is up to the Conference of Bishops to approve appropriate melodies, especially for the texts of the Ordering of the Mass, for the congregations’ responses and acclamations, and for special rites that occur in the course of the liturgical year.

Likewise, they are to judge which musical forms, melodies and musical instruments may be admitted in divine worship as long as they are truly suitable or can be made suitable for sacred use.

The variations and more substantial adaptations that take regard of the traditions and cultures of people and regions will form part of my next article.

Now have your say at NCP DISCUSSIONS