Celebratory Package in 2003, When

¶ … Celebratory Package

In 2003, when Pope John Paul II wrote his Encyclical Letter titled Ecclesia De Eucharista, in which he addresses many things, including the Truth of the Eucharist; it was the Holy See's goal to revive through his Encyclical the mystery and wonder of the Eucharist which is at the heart of Christian tradition and celebratory rite (John Paull II, Pope, 2003). The Pope goes into discussion of the post Vatican II environment which, even though the Eucharist was acknowledged as the center of Christian life during Vatican II, that Christians, much like the Apostles who at the Last Supper did not fully understand the words Christ spoke until the end of the Tri; have since Vatican II lost sight of that which is the Passover, the Bread of His Body, the His Blood represented in the wine of the celebratory Sacraments, or the paschal mystery (2003, paras. 3-5). Thus, to help the laity regain a sense of something that the Pope surmised might have been lost for them through the changes in the Mass after Vatican II, the Pope wrote his 2003 Encyclical Letter putting the Celebratory Eucharist and Sacraments in perspective for Catholics. This essay examines the Pope's thoughts on these matters as they appear in his 2003 Encyclical Letter.

The Relationship Between Music, Art and the Mass

Music and other "art" are, the Pope writes, interpretations of the mystery of the Eucharist and serve to connect the community spiritually with the event of the celebration of the Eucharist (2003, Chapter 5, para. 4).

Music, the Holy See suggests, helps the laity to connect with the grandeur and enormity of the event being celebrated; that is, the Sacrifice by Jesus so that the sins of mankind might be forever forgiven, and that as we celebrate the Bread of His body and the Wine of His Blood. The music, and other art, the Pope writes, serves to emphasize and to help the community contextualize the event, and especially the mystery of the event. The "art" serves as inspiration for the community to move with the celebration of Mass.

The music and art found in the Catholic Church are peripheral to the religious traditions and rituals being celebrated. The statues are not deities or idols, but are a means by which the community can be inspired through the art to think of and to contemplate certain traditions and experiences. They do not take away from the traditional and ritual of the Celebration of the Eucharist, rather they add to the sense of the mystery and draw from the community the emotional sense that helps them to feel the presence of the Lord, whose promise was that he would be amongst us even if we did not see him physically (2003).

The Pope explains that the designs of the altars in the Church are inspired by the artistic connection of the craftsmen who made them with the spiritual sense of the occasion of attending Church, prayer, and traditional celebration of the Eucharist and Sacraments (2003). It is not the art that shapes the Church or the Celebration, but the Celebration and the Church that holds the mystery of the Truth and of the Promise that shape the art, having served to inspire the craftsmen (2003).

Within this context of an art aimed at expressing, in all its elements, the meaning of the Eucharist in accordance with the Church's teachings, attention needs to be given to the norms regulating the construction and decor of sacred buildings. As history shows and as I emphasized in my Letter to Artists, the Church has always left ample room for the creativity of artists (2003)."

That is because, as the Pope explains, that creativity is derived through the inspiration of the Word, Truth, and Promise as is celebrated in the Mass.

The difference between "Sacred" and religious music is that in the minds of the Church community the "Sacred" music becomes associated with the celebration of Church Tradition. "The musical sound, the melody has a ministerial role to play towards the sacred text (Chapter Two YOUR TEXT PUT EDITOR, DATE, p. 20). The music serves as one of the many ways in which the celebrant is drawn into the ritual service. The songs, too, serve to link the heart and mind of the laity to the Church with their words and poetic beauty. One such song is Ave Maria. The song, which is actually a prayer, is accompanied by a music that rings with Truth and Love and Harmony and carries the prayer unlike any other "Sacred" song.

Hail Mary, full of Grace

The Lord is with thee,

Serene Virgin.

Hail, whose Conception,

Full of great jubilation,

Fills Heaven and Earth

With new joy.

Hail, whose birth brought us joy, as Lucifer, the morning star went before the true son.

Hail, pious humility,

Fruitful without a man,

Whose annunciation

Brought us salvation.

Hail, true virginity,

Immaculate chastity,

Whose purification brought our cleansing.

Hail, glorious one in all angelic virtues,

Whose Assumption was our glorification.

Oh, Mother of God,

Remember me. Amen."

Gregorian Monk prayers and chants became a musical staple in recent times, and attracted a wide audience across age, gender, and cultural lines (Sorokin, Pitirim, 1962, pp. 314-316).

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict xvi followed on Pope John Paul's 2003 Encyclical Letter with an Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis in February, 2007, which can be found online in its entirety at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html.

In his encyclical, Pope Benedict holds to the traditions of the Church, including the Celebration of Mass and Sacraments, and reiterates much of what Pope John Paul II has said regarding the celebration of the Mass and Sacraments (2007). However, Pope Benedict addressed many of the concerns of the laity and the Bishops and Clergy as might regard any changes or practices in the Church (2007). To that end, the Pope reiterated the Church's stand on priestly celibacy, stating that it remained a priceless treasure and is a part of a priest's preparation for the Kingdom of God (2007). This, in the face of the many problems that the Church has experienced in the area of priestly celibacy, which place a requirement upon priests that is not in keeping with the human condition.

Pope Benedict followed his comments on priestly celibacy with a discussion on shortages of priests, especially in areas around the world that have long pursued a Catholic tradition. The Pope acknowledges that the priestly vocation is sometimes contrary to the family way of life, but that it is the responsibility of families to bring up their sons with an eye towards priestly vocation (2007).

The Pope discussed the sanctity and unity of marriage, making clear that the Church stood firm on marriage as being indissoluble between two people who have committed themselves to God in marriage (2007).

Like Pope Paul II, Pope Benedict discusses the environment of the Church as a sacred one, but elaborates on the art work and the music in a way that is perhaps even more clear and insightful than the thoughts offered on the subject by Pope Paul. "The ars celebrandi," he writes, "should foster a sense of the sacred and the use of outward signs which help to cultivate this sense, such as, for example, the harmony of the rite, the liturgical vestments, the furnishings and the sacred space (2007). These things, Pope Benedict says, and in so saying is agreeing with and reiterating what Pope Paul II said before him; serve to inspire people and to rejoin people by inspiring the feelings necessary to connect with the celebration of the traditions in the Church (2007).