Your Eminences and Dear Bishops:
Grace and
peace in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
These
initial weeks of the Year of Faith leave much for the Church in the United
States to pray about and ponder.
The results of last week’s Presidential election may lead many of us to
assess the strength of our Catholic identity. It is interesting that while many of our Catholic faithful
may know the platforms of particular political parties, not a few are
probably unfamiliar with the basic tenets of our Faith.
This should
certainly be a cause for genuine concern, not only for you, as our archbishops
and bishops, but, for us, as lay Catholic faithful, as well. The question at hand is an urgent
one: What do we do to restore our
Catholic identity?
The answer
that I propose is two-fold: re-infusing the sacred back into the Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass and strengthening our Catechesis. These two go hand in hand.
Sacrosanctum Concilium reminds us that
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the “source and summit” of the life of the
Church. I humbly submit that the
Mass is the most important, most sacred act that the Church engages in because
it is her greatest treasure. Yet,
as Blessed John Paul II pointed out in Ecclesia
de Eucharistia, the Holy Sacrifice, sadly, is not without its shadows. In 2004, Redemptionis Sacramentum sought to correct these shadows; however,
some of them persist.
Perhaps, the
USCCB could, I humbly suggest, conduct a survey to gauge the progress our
liturgies have made since the promulgation of Redemptionis Sacramentum. If problems persist, maybe the
Congregation for Divine Worship could send officials to assist dioceses and
parishes that need support. This
may take additional resources, but, it is an investment that is well worth it
because it involves no less than Christ, Himself.
Along the
lines of strengthening our worship, the issue of the music used for the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass needs serious and dire consideration. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI, noted with
concern in his Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum
Caritatis, that
“Certainly as far as the liturgy
is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic
improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the
meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song
should be well integrated into the overall celebration (128). Consequently
everything – texts, music, execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of
the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical
seasons (129).”
Although the
USCCB made a statement on music through the document, Sing to the Lord, problems with the music used in our sacred
liturgies remain. Not a few
compositions in English and, in many cases, in Spanish, do feature the
particular musical genre that the Holy Father warned against. When the new Roman Missal was
promulgated last year, there was hope that the music would be elevated to fit
the sacred texts of the prayers, but, as I have experienced it, this has not
been the case. There is a strong
disconnect, in many cases, with the nobility of the prayers and the musical
settings that are used. We are
also not using the Propers of the Mass; instead, we are making the fourth
option, hymns, the default setting. The Church gives us magnificent texts to use, but, in many
cases, we are not using them.
While independent composers and organizations have taken it upon
themselves to set the Propers to chant, it seems to me that the mainstream
publishing houses have not seen fit to give these pieces the place they
deserve.
The lyrics
of many of the songs used at Mass are also problematic in that they emphasize
more the horizontal aspect (i.e. social justice) than the vertical (God). Prior to releasing Sing to the Lord,
the USCCB had made a Power Point presentation calling attention to this
particular problem; however, a review of the music published by the two main
publishing companies indicates, at least to me, that the problem persists. Some of the lyrics feature watered-down
theology that does not accurately reflect our Faith.
If we hold
to the axiom, “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”, then how and what we pray at the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass should reflect our belief, our Faith. This is where Catechesis enters into
the discussion. I live in an area
in South Texas that identifies itself as Catholic; however, much remains in
evangelizing our faithful.
Protestant sects, the Jehova Witnesses and the Mormons have, sadly, made
inroads. Catholics who are,
perhaps, not properly catechized, have strayed into these particular
denominations. In many cases,
catechesis ends after the Sacrament of Confirmation has been imparted. Along the same lines, my area of South
Texas is also heavily Democratic.
However, when I have engaged some of my fellow Catholics and Democrats,
I have found that, while they know what the party stands for, they are not well-versed
in the Faith. They are not aware
of the five non-negotiable principles. I believe that catechesis is a life-long process. We can never learn enough about our
Faith.
Your
Eminence and Excellencies, I am not a degreed theologian; I am just one of the
faithful in the pews. I spent much
time in prayer and reflection before I put my fingers to the computer keyboard
because these are issues that are paramount to our rediscovering our Catholic
identity. Too much time has been
devoted to social justice matters and other concerns and not enough has been
given to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Catechesis. While it is certainly important to have
an authentic Catholic voice in the Public Square, we must also give greater importance
to the basics of our Faith, the Holy Eucharist and the Church’s Teachings. The Holy Father cannot do this
alone. All of us need to
collaborate with him, to be co-workers in the Truth. Granted, there are many bishops who have made great strides in the area of restoring the sacred nature of the Liturgy, but, all of us need to work together, hierarchy and laity alike.
In your
filial service, I remain,
Michelle Marie Romani
