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1. The Nature of the Sacred Liturgy and Its Importance in the
Church's Life
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5. God who "wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of
the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), "who in many and various ways spoke
in times past to the fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1), when
the fullness of time had come sent His Son, the Word made flesh,
anointed by the Holy Spirit, to preach the the gospel to the poor,
to heal the contrite of heart [8], to be a "bodily and spiritual
medicine" [9], the Mediator between God and man [10]. For
His humanity, united with the person of the Word, was the instrument
of our salvation. Therefore in Christ "the perfect achievement of
our reconciliation came forth, and the fullness of divine worship was
given to us" [11].
The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament
were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind
and giving perfect glory to God. He achieved His task principally by
the paschal mystery of His blessed passions resurrection from the
dead, and the glorious ascension, whereby "dying, he destroyed our
death and, rising, he restored our life" [12]. For it was from
the side of Christ as He slept the sleep of death upon the cross that
there came forth "the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church"
[13].
6. Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so also He sent the
apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit. This He did that, by
preaching the gospel to every creature [14], they might proclaim
that the Son of God, by His death and resurrection, had freed us
from the power of Satan [15] and from death, and brought us into
the kingdom of His Father. His purpose also was that they might
accomplish the work of salvation which they had proclaimed, by means of
sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life
revolves. Thus by baptism men are plunged into the paschal mystery of
Christ: they die with Him, are buried with Him, and rise with Him
[16]; they receive the spirit of adoption as sons "in which we
cry: Abba, Father" ( Rom. 8 :15), and thus become true
adorers whom the Father seeks [17]. In like manner, as often as
they eat the supper of the Lord they proclaim the death of the Lord
until He comes [18]. For that reason, on the very day of
Pentecost, when the Church appeared before the world, "those who
received the word" of Peter "were baptized." And "they continued
steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles and in the communion of the
breaking of bread and in prayers . . . praising God and being in
favor with all the people" (Acts 2:41-47). From that time
onwards the Church has never failed to come together to celebrate the
paschal mystery: reading those things "which were in all the
scriptures concerning him" (Luke 24:27), celebrating the
eucharist in which "the victory and triumph of his death are again made
present" [19], and at the same time giving thanks "to God for
his unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15) in Christ Jesus, "in
praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:12), through the power of the
Holy Spirit.
7. To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His
Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in
the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister,
"the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly
offered himself on the cross" [20], but especially under the
eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments,
so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes
[21]. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who
speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is
present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised:
"Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in
the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20) .
Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great
work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The
Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him
offers worship to the Eternal Father.
Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the
priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification
of the man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is
effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the
liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of
Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.
From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is
an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which .s the
Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of
the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same
degree.
8. In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that
heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem
toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the
right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle
[22]; we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of
the heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for
some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Saviour,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we
too will appear with Him in glory [23].
9. The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the
Church. Before men can come to the liturgy they must be called to
faith and to conversion: "How then are they to call upon him in whom
they have not yet believed? But how are they to believe him whom they
have not heard? And how are they to hear if no one preaches? And how
are men to preach unless they be sent?" (Rom. 10:14-15).
Therefore the Church announces the good tidings of salvation to those
who do not believe, so that all men may know the true God and Jesus
Christ whom He has sent, and may be converted from their ways, doing
penance [24]. To believers also the Church must ever preach faith
and penance, she must prepare them for the sacraments, teach them to
observe all that Christ has commanded [25], and invite them to all
the works of charity, piety, and the apostolate. For all these works
make it clear that Christ's faithful, though not of this world, are
to be the light of the world and to glorify the Father before men.
10. Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity
of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which
all her power flows. For the aim and object of apostolic works is that
all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together
to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in the
sacrifice, and to eat the Lord's supper.
The liturgy in its turn moves the faithful, filled with "the paschal
sacraments," to be "one in holiness" [26]; it prays that "they
may hold fast in their lives to what they have grasped by their faith"
[27]; the renewal in the eucharist of the covenant between the
Lord and man draws the faithful into the compelling love of Christ and
sets them on fire. From the liturgy, therefore, and especially from
the eucharist, as from a font, grace is poured forth upon us; and the
sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God, to
which all other activities of the Church are directed as toward their
end, is achieved in the most efficacious possible way.
11. But in order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full
effects, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper
dispositions, that their minds should be attuned to their voices, and
that they should cooperate with divine grace lest they receive it in
vain [28] . Pastors of souls must therefore realize that, when
the liturgy is celebrated, something more is required than the mere
observation of the laws governing valid and licit celebration; it is
their duty also to ensure that the faithful take part fully aware of
what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched by its
effects.
12. The spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to
participation in the liturgy. The Christian is indeed called to pray
with his brethren, but he must also enter into his chamber to pray to
the Father, in secret [29]; yet more, according to the teaching
of the Apostle, he should pray without ceasing [30]. We learn
from the same Apostle that we must always bear about in our body the
dying of Jesus, so that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest
in our bodily frame [31]. This is why we ask the Lord in the
sacrifice of the Mass that, "receiving the offering of the spiritual
victim," he may fashion us for himself "as an eternal gift"
[32].
13. Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly
commended, provided they accord with the laws and norms of the
Church, above all when they are ordered by the Apostolic See.
Devotions proper to individual Churches also have a special dignity if
they are undertaken by mandate of the bishops according to customs or
books lawfully approved.
But these devotions should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the
liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some
fashion derived from it, and lead the people to it, since, in fact,
the liturgy by its very nature far surpasses any of them.
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II. The Promotion of Liturgical Instruction and Active
Participation
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14. Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be
led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical
celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy. Such
participation by the Christian people as "a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people (1 Pet. 2:9; cf.
2:4-5), is their right and duty by reason of their baptism.
In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this full and
active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered
before all else; for it is the primary and indispensable source from
which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit; and
therefore pastors of souls must zealously strive to achieve it, by
means of the necessary instruction, in all their pastoral work.
Yet it would be futile to entertain any hopes of realizing this unless
the pastors themselves, in the first place, become thoroughly imbued
with the spirit and power of the liturgy, and undertake to give
instruction about it. A prime need, therefore, is that attention be
directed, first of all, to the liturgical instruction of the clergy.
Wherefore the sacred Council has decided to enact as follows:
15. Professors who are appointed to teach liturgy in seminaries,
religious houses of study, and theological faculties must be properly
trained for their work in institutes which specialize in this subject.
16. The study of sacred liturgy is to be ranked among the compulsory
and major courses in seminaries and religions houses of studies; in
theological faculties it is to rank among the principal courses. It is
to be taught under its theological, historical, spiritual, pastoral,
and juridical aspects. Moreover, other professors, while striving to
expound the mystery of Christ and the history of salvation from the
angle proper to each of their own subjects, must nevertheless do so in
a way which will clearly bring out the connection between their subjects
and the liturgy, as also the unity which underlies all priestly
training. This consideration is especially important for professors of
dogmatic, spiritual, and pastoral theology and for those of holy
scripture.
17. In seminaries and houses of religious, clerics shall be given a
liturgical formation in their spiritual life. For this they will need
proper direction, so that they may be able to understand the sacred
rites and take part in them wholeheartedly; and they will also need
personally to celebrate the sacred mysteries, as well as popular
devotions which are imbued with the spirit of the liturgy. In addition
they must learn how to observe the liturgical laws, so that life in
seminaries and houses of religious may be thoroughly influenced by the
spirit of the liturgy.
18. Priests, both secular and religious, who are already working
in the Lord's vineyard are to be helped by every suitable means to
understand ever more fully what it is that they are doing when they
perform sacred rites; they are to be aided to live the liturgical life
and to share it with the faithful entrusted to their care.
19. With zeal and patience, pastors of souls must promote the
liturgical instruction of the faithful, and also their active
participation in the liturgy both internally and externally, taking
into account their age and condition, their way of life, and standard
of religious culture. By so doing, pastors will be fulfilling one of
the chief duties of a faithful dispenser of the mysteries of God; and
in this matter they must lead their flock not only in word but also by
example.
20. Transmissions of the sacred rites by radio and television shall
be done with discretion and dignity, under the leadership and direction
of a suitable person appointed for this office by the bishops. This is
especially important when the service to be broadcast is the Mass.
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III. The Reform of the Sacred Liturgy
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21. In order that the Christian people may more certainly derive an
abundance of graces from the sacred liturgy, holy Mother Church
desires to undertake with great care a general restoration of the
liturgy itself. For the liturgy is made up of immutable elements
divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. These not
only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have
suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner
nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to it.
In this restoration, both texts and rites should be drawn up so that
they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the
Christian people, so far as possible, should be enabled to understand
them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits
a community.
Wherefore the sacred Council establishes the following general norms:
22. §1. Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the
authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as
laws may determine, on the bishop.
§2. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of the
liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of
competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established.
§3. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add,
remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.
23. That sound tradition may be retained, and yet the way remain
open to legitimate progress Careful investigation is always to be made
into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised. This
investigation should be theological, historical, and pastoral. Also
the general laws governing the structure and meaning of the liturgy must
be studied in conjunction with the experience derived from recent
liturgical reforms and from the indults conceded to various places.
Finally, there must be no innovations unless the good of the Church
genuinely and certainly requires them; and care must be taken that any
new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already
existing.
As far as possible, notable differences between the rites used in
adjacent regions must be carefully avoided.
24. Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the
celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that lessons are
read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers,
collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and
their force, and it is from the scriptures that actions and signs
derive their meaning. Thus to achieve the restoration, progress, and
adaptation of the sacred liturgy, it is essential to promote that warm
and living love for scripture to which the venerable tradition of both
eastern and western rites gives testimony.
25. The liturgical books are to be revised as soon as possible;
experts are to be employed on the task, and bishops are to be
consulted, from various parts of the world.
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B) Norms drawn from the hierarchic and communal nature of the
Liturgy
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26. Liturgical services are not private functions, but are
celebrations of the Church, which is the "sacrament of unity,"
namely, the holy people united and ordered under their bishops [33]
Therefore liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the
Church; they manifest it and have effects upon it; but they concern
the individual members of the Church in different ways, according to
their differing rank, office, and actual participation.
27. It is to be stressed that whenever rites, according to their
specific nature, make provision for communal celebration involving the
presence and active participation of the faithful, this way of
celebrating them is to be preferred, so far as possible, to a
celebration that is individual and quasi-private.
This applies with especial force to the celebration of Mass and the
administration of the sacraments, even though every Mass has of itself
a public and social nature.
28. In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman,
who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts
which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles
of liturgy.
29. Servers, lectors commentators, and members of the choir also
exercise a genuine liturgical function. They ought, therefore, to
discharge their office with the sincere piety and decorum demanded by so
exalted a ministry and rightly expected of them by God's people.
Consequently they must all be deeply imbued with the spirit of the
liturgy, each in his own measure, and they must be trained to perform
their functions in a correct and orderly manner.
30. To promote active participation, the people should be
encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses,
psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures,
and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a
reverent silence.
31. The revision of the liturgical books must carefully attend to
the provision of rubrics also for the people's parts.
32. The liturgy makes distinctions between persons according to
their liturgical function and sacred Orders, and there are liturgical
laws providing for due honors to be given to civil authorities. Apart
from these instances, no special honors are to be paid in the liturgy
to any private persons or classes of persons, whether in the ceremonies
or by external display.
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C) Norms based upon the didactic and pastoral nature of the Liturgy
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33. Although the sacred liturgy is above all things the worship of
the divine Majesty, it likewise contains much instruction for the
faithful [34]. For in the liturgy God speaks to His people and
Christ is still proclaiming His gospel. And the people reply to God
both by song and prayer.
Moreover, the prayers addressed to God by the priest who presides
over the assembly in the person of Christ are said in the name of the
entire holy people and of all present. And the visible signs used by
the liturgy to signify invisible divine things have been chosen by
Christ or the Church. Thus not only when things are read "which
were written for our instruction" (Rom. 15:4), but also when
the Church prays or sings or acts, the faith of those taking part is
nourished and their minds are raised to God, so that they may offer
Him their rational service and more abundantly receive His grace.
Wherefore, in the revision of the liturgy, the following general
norms should be observed:
34. The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they
should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they
should be within the people's powers of comprehension, and normally
should not require much explanation.
35. That the intimate connection between words and rites may be
apparent in the liturgy:
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1) In sacred celebrations there is to be more reading from holy
scripture, and it is to be more varied and suitable.
2) Because the sermon is part of the liturgical service, the best
place for it is to be indicated even in the rubrics, as far as the
nature of the rite will allow; the ministry of preaching is to be
fulfilled with exactitude and fidelity. The sermon, moreover, should
draw its content mainly from scriptural and liturgical sources, and its
character should be that of a proclamation of God's wonderful works in
the history of salvation, the mystery of Christ, ever made present
and active within us, especially in the celebration of the liturgy.
3) Instruction which is more explicitly liturgical should also be
given in a variety of ways; if necessary, short directives to be
spoken by the priest or proper minister should be provided within the
rites themselves. But they should occur only at the more suitable
moments, and be in prescribed or similar words.
4) Bible services should be encouraged, especially on the vigils of
the more solemn feasts, on some weekdays in Advent and Lent, and on
Sundays and feast days. They are particularly to be commended in
places where no priest is available; when this is so, a deacon or some
other person authorized by the bishop should preside over the
celebration.
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36. §1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin
language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.
§2. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass,
the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy,
frequently may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its
employment may be extended. This will apply in the first place to the
readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants,
according to the regulations on this matter to be laid down separately
in subsequent chapters.
§3. These norms being observed, it is for the competent territorial
ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to decide
whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used;
their decrees are to be approved, that is, confirmed, by the
Apostolic See. And, whenever it seems to be called for, this
authority is to consult with bishops of neighboring regions which have
the same language.
§4. Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue intended
for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial
ecclesiastical authority mentioned above.
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D) Norms for adapting the Liturgy to the culture and traditions of
peoples
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37. Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid
uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of
the whole community; rather does she respect and foster the genius and
talents of the various races and peoples. Anything in these peoples'
way of life which is not indissolubly bound up with superstition and
error she studies with sympathy and, if possible, preserves intact.
Sometimes in fact she admits such things into the liturgy itself, so
long as they harmonize with its true and authentic spirit.
38. Provisions shall also be made, when revising the liturgical
books, for legitimate variations and adaptations to different groups,
regions, and peoples, especially in mission lands, provided that the
substantial unity of the Roman rite is preserved; and this should be
borne in mind when drawing up the rites and devising rubrics.
39. Within the limits set by the typical editions of the liturgical
books, it shall be for the competent territorial ecclesiastical
authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to specify adaptations,
especially in the case of the administration of the sacraments, the
sacramentals, processions, liturgical language, sacred music, and
the arts, but according to the fundamental norms laid down in this
Constitution.
40. In some places and circumstances, however, an even more
radical adaptation of the liturgy is needed, and this entails greater
difficulties. Wherefore:
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1) The competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in
Art. 22, 2, must, in this matter, carefully and prudently
consider which elements from the traditions and culture of individual
peoples might appropriately be admitted into divine worship.
Adaptations which are judged to be useful or necessary should when be
submitted to the Apostolic See, by whose consent they may be
introduced.
2) To ensure that adaptations may be made with all the circumspection
which they demand, the Apostolic See will grant power to this same
territorial ecclesiastical authority to permit and to direct, as the
case requires, the necessary preliminary experiments over a determined
period of time among certain groups suited for the purpose.
3) Because liturgical laws often involve special difficulties with
respect to adaptation, particularly in mission lands, men who are
experts in these matters must be employed to formulate them.
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E) Promotion of Liturgical Life in Diocese and Parish
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41. The bishop is to be considered as the high priest of his flock,
from whom the life in Christ of his faithful is in some way derived and
dependent.
Therefore all should hold in great esteem the liturgical life of the
diocese centered around the bishop, especially in his cathedral
church; they must be convinced that the pre-eminent manifestation of
the Church consists in the full active participation of all God's
holy people in these liturgical celebrations, especially in the same
eucharist, in a single prayer, at one altar, at which there presides
the bishop surrounded by his college of priests and by his ministers
[35].
42. But because it is impossible for the bishop always and
everywhere to preside over the whole flock in his Church, he cannot do
other than establish lesser groupings of the faithful. Among these the
parishes, set up locally under a pastor who takes the place of the
bishop, are the most important: for in some manner they represent the
visible Church constituted throughout the world.
And therefore the liturgical life of the parish and its relationship to
the bishop must be fostered theoretically and practically among the
faithful and clergy; efforts also must be made to encourage a sense of
community within the parish, above all in the common celebration of the
Sunday Mass.
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F) The Promotion of Pastoral-Liturgical Action
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43. Zeal for the promotion and restoration of the liturgy is rightly
held to be a sign of the providential dispositions of God in our time,
as a movement of the Holy Spirit in His Church. It is today a
distinguishing mark of the Church's life, indeed of the whole tenor
of contemporary religious thought and action.
So that this pastoral-liturgical action may become even more vigorous
in the Church, the sacred Council decrees:
44. It is desirable that the competent territorial ecclesiastical
authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, set up a liturgical
commission, to be assisted by experts in liturgical science, sacred
music, art and pastoral practice. So far as possible the commission
should be aided by some kind of Institute for Pastoral Liturgy,
consisting of persons who are eminent in these matters, and including
laymen as circumstances suggest. Under the direction of the
above-mentioned territorial ecclesiastical authority the commission is
to regulate pastoral-liturgical action throughout the territory, and
to promote studies and necessary experiments whenever there is question
of adaptations to be proposed to the Apostolic See.
45. For the same reason every diocese is to have a commission on the
sacred liturgy under the direction of the bishop, for promoting the
liturgical apostolate.
Sometimes it may be expedient that several dioceses should form between
them one single commission which will be able to promote the liturgy by
common consultation.
46. Besides the commission on the sacred liturgy, every diocese,
as far as possible, should have commissions for sacred music and sacred
art.
These three commissions must work in closest collaboration; indeed it
will often be best to fuse the three of them into one single
commission.
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