In his ad limina address today to Northern Brazilian prelates, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI commented [the following is a quick NLM translation]:
"The lack of attention which is sometimes provided for the cult of the Blessed Sacrament is a sign and cause of the darkening of the Christian sense of mystery, as when at Mass, Jesus no longer appears as central, but [instead] a community busy with many things rather than being recollected and drawn to their unique need: Our Lord. However, the primary and essential attitude of the Christian faithful who participate in liturgical celebration is not to do, but to listen, open up, receive... Obviously, in this case to receive does not mean to be passive or indifferent to what happens there, but to cooperate... If from the liturgy the figure of Christ does not emerge... we would not have the Christian liturgy..."
The Holy Father continues:
"How are distant from all this are those who, in the name of inculturation, fall into syncretism by introducing rites borrowed from other religions or cultural particularities into the celebration of Holy Mass (cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum 79)! The Eucharistic mystery is 'too great a gift' -- wrote my venerable predecessor, Pope John Paul II -- 'to tolerate ambiguities or reductions,' above all when, 'stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet.'"
Concluding, the Pope noted that "...worship cannot be born from our imagination, which would be a cry in the darkness or a simple self-affirmation. True liturgy presupposes that God responds and shows us how we can worship Him."
See the entire address: here or also see the synopsis and partial translation provided by the VIS blog.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Benedict XVI to Brazilian Bishops on the Liturgy
Shawn TribeMore recent articles:
An Interview with Fr Uwe Michael Lang on LiturgyGregory DiPippo
I am sure that our readers will enjoy this interview with the liturgical scholar Fr Uwe Michael Lang of the London Oratory, which was recently published on the YouTube channel of the Totus Tuus Apostolate. It covers a wide range of subjects: Pope Benedict’s teaching on the liturgy, the liturgical abuses in the post-Conciliar period and our own time...
Dives and Lazarus in the Liturgy of LentGregory DiPippo
Before the early eighth century, the church of Rome kept the Thursdays of Lent (with the obvious exception of Holy Thursday) and the Saturdays after Ash Wednesday and Passion Sunday as “aliturgical” days. (The term aliturgical refers, of course, only to the Eucharistic liturgy, not to the Divine Office.) This is attested in the oldest liturgical bo...
The Feast of St Joseph 2025Gregory DiPippo
Truly it is worthy and just... eternal God: Who didst exalt Thy most blessed Confessor Joseph with such great merits of his virtues, that by the wondrous gift of Thy grace, he merited to be made the Spouse of the most holy Virgin Mary, and be thought the father of Thy only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Wherefore, venerating the day of his b...
Why Should We Build Beautiful Confessionals?Peter Kwasniewski
Confession is a sacrament in which we confess dark deeds, shameful sins, cowardly compromises, repeated rifts. It is something we often wish more to be done with than to do; we know we must go, that it is “good for us” as a visit to the dentist’s or the doctor’s is good for us. It might seem as if the place where we fess up, red-handed, and receive...
Both the Chaos of Jackson Pollock and the Sterility of Photorealism are Incompatible with ChristianityDavid Clayton
Unveiling the middle ground where faith, philosophy, and beauty all meet in the person of Christ, image of the invisible God.Authentic Christian art strikes a balance between abstraction and realism, rejecting the extremes of Abstract Expressionism—where meaning dissolves into unrecognizable chaos—and Photorealism, which reduces reality to soulless...
Announcing the CMAA 2025 Colloquium and Summer CoursesGregory DiPippo
2025 Sacred Music Colloquium and our Summer Courses are filling up fast!The Church Music Association of American invites all its friend and supporters to come to the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota for an inspiring week (or two!) of music, liturgy, and professional development.REGISTER TODAY TO SAVE YOUR SEAT!Take advantage of ear...
The Second Sunday of Lent 2025Gregory DiPippo
Remember Thy compassion, o Lord, and Thy mercy, that are from of old; lest ever our enemies be lord over us; deliver us, o God of Israel, from all our distress. Ps. 24. To Thee, o Lord, have I lifted up my soul; o my God, I trust in Thee, let me not be put to shame. Glory be ... As it was... Remember Thy compassion... (A very nice recording of the...
The Myth of a Sunday with No MassGregory DiPippo
Those who follow the traditional Divine Office and Mass closely will notice in them an unusual feature this weekend. In the Mass, the same Gospel, St Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration (17, 1-9), is read both today, the Ember Saturday, and tomorrow. In the Divine Office, there are only four antiphons taken from this Gospel, where the other Su...
“Let My Prayer Rise as Incense” - Byzantine Music for LentGregory DiPippo
In the Byzantine Rite, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated on the weekdays of Lent, but only on Saturdays and Sundays; an exception is made for the feast of the Annunciation. Therefore, at the Divine Liturgy on Sundays, extra loaves of bread are consecrated, and reserved for the rest of the week. On Wednesdays and Fridays, a service known as the ...
NLM Quiz #25: Where Does This Vestment Come From, And How Is It Used? The AnswerGregory DiPippo
Can you guess where and how this vestment is used? I have two hints to offer: 1. It belongs to the current liturgical season. 2. It is not being used in an Eastern rite. (Apologies, but no better image of it is available.)The Answer: As I suspected would be the case, this proved to be a stumper. This vestment is a kind of stole which is used in the...
