Abp Sample's Colloqium Address

Celebrating the Spirit of the LiturgyAddress byHis Excellency Archbishop Alexander

King SampleArchbishop, ortland, !regon"eli#ered at the C$AA colloquiumSalt
La%e City, &tah'une (), *+(,
- am #ery grateful and deeply honored to be in#ited to address this *,rd colloquium on
sacred music sponsored by the Church $usic Association of America. - am especially
happy to be here in this beautiful Cathedral of the $adeleine in Salt La%e City, a place
/here - ha#e had the delight of concelebrating and celebrating the sacred liturgy on
many occasions during my summer trips to this beautiful city to #isit my sister, $arti,
/ho li#es here. - am happy that she is /ith me today, although - /arned her that her
brother might bore her to death today in this tal%0
- /ould also li%e to ac%no/ledge my long acquaintance /ith the C$AA extending o#er
many years bac% to the ()1+2s /hen - came under the tutelage of the great $sgr.
3ichard Schuler, former editor of the periodical, Sacred $usic. - li#ed /ith him for a
year at the Church of St. Agnes in St. aul, $4 /hile pursuing philosophy studies at
the College of St. 5homas in preparation for the seminary. - sang in the 6regorian
schola cantorum, and it /as there that - experienced my first true formation in the
sacred liturgy. - dedicate this tal% to $sgr. Schuler /ith deep gratitude for all he taught
me, by /ord and example. $ay he fore#er re7oice /ith the choirs of angels in the
hea#enly liturgy.
- /ould li%e to start my presentation by gi#ing four examples in my o/n pastoral
experience that illustrate the point - hope to ma%e today.
(. After a diocesan /ide youth conference, the comment /as made to me that /e lost
the spirit that /e had going once /e began the $ass. 8e had the standard praise and
/orship music for the young people throughout the conference, i.e. /ith contemporary
instruments, drums, electric guitars, loud amplification and a li#ely beat. 9ut /hen it
came time to celebrate the $ass, - insisted that the music be appropriate for the sacred
liturgy. 5he comment /ent something li%e this: ;8e had the %ids all fired up and
excited, and then came the $ass and /e hit the /all. 5he boring music that /as more
re#erential, slo/er and more meditati#e %illed the spirit /e had going.<
*. - recently sa/ a catechetical exercise that /as #ery /ell=intentioned but, in my mind,
missed the mar%. 5he intent of the exercise /as to help young people reali>e that the
$ass is in itself a #ery po/erful and a/esome thing, e#en if it /as not ;exciting< on a
human le#el. -t /ent something li%e, ;E#en though not e#ery $ass can be considered
;exciting,< ne#ertheless the paschal mystery is present and that is in itself is an
a/esome thing.< 5he reason - thin% it missed the mar% a bit is that there /as an implied
assumption that ideally the $ass should be exciting on a more human or emotional
le#el, especially for young people.
,. A #ery fine pastor of a parish that has an annual ol%a $ass once told me that it is
actually done #ery re#erently and that the musicians are #ery de#out. - do not doubt
their sincerity and good /ill.
?. At a conference /here - /as presenting to parish musicians, one of the persons
present, /ho /as not at all impressed /ith the mo#e to/ard chanting the antiphons of
the $ass, as%ed ;9ut isn2t the $ass supposed to be a celebration@< 5he implication /as
that the use of chant /as inimical to the customary 7oyful and celebratory nature of the
music at $ass /ith /hich this person /as familiar.
All of these examples illustrate the point that for far too long /e ha#e been trying to
ma%e the sacred liturgy do something it /as ne#er intended to do. 5he second Aatican
Council, reiterating the long tradition of the Church, reminded us that the purpose of the
di#ine /orship accomplished though the sacred liturgy is to gi#e glory to 6od and to
sanctify the faithful.
-nstead /e ha#e far too often imposed from the outside a meaning, purpose and e#en
perhaps our o/n agenda onto the sacred liturgy. 5his /e ha#e allo/ed to happen
instead of allo/ing the true inner and essential meaning of the sacred liturgy express
itself in /ord, ritual action, beauty, art, decorum and music.
5hat is my central thesis here today. 8e must redisco#er in the Church, or for many
perhaps disco#er for the first time, the true ;spirit of the liturgy.< !nce /e understand
on a much deeper and profound le#el /hat the liturgy actually is, then /e /ill %no/
ho/ to celebrate it.
5he examples - ha#e gi#en seem to try to impose another purpose on the sacred liturgy.
-n the first example of the youth conference, apparently the liturgy is supposed to ;fire
up< the congregation and %eep them at a spiritual fer#or throughout. -n the second
example of /ell=intentioned catechesis, it seems the ideal for the liturgy is that /e find
it ;exciting< Bread entertaining<C on a human emotional le#el. -n the example of the
ol%a $ass, as long as the musicians are de#out and re#erent, then /e can celebrate the
liturgy in a style more appropriate for the dance hall. erhaps it is supposed to me a
cultural expression of the olish culture. 8ell, -2m half olish, and - lo#e a good pol%a,
but not at $ass0
-t is the final example, ho/e#er, /hich - find most interesting. -sn2t the $ass supposed
to be a celebration@ Des, of course. 9ut the real question is, ;8hat are /e celebrating@<
Are /e celebrating 7ust for the sa%e of ha#ing a happy, 7oyful celebration@ Are /e
celebrating for the purpose of gi#ing us an emotion ;feel good< experience@ Are /e
celebrating, in other /ords, simply for the sa%e of celebration@ -s the sacred liturgy
directed to 6od or to us@
8hat are /e celebrating@ -f /e don2t %no/ that, /e are already in big trouble /hen it
comes to ho/ /e celebrate the $ass. -t reminds me of the priest /ho li%es to tell a 7o%e
at the end of e#ery $ass, /ith the intended purpose of lea#ing the people smiling.
eople /ill remember the 7o%e, but forget /hat /as said in the homily. 5he purpose of
the $ass has been o#ershado/ed by another intention.
5he point is, unless /e %no/ the true meaning and purpose of the sacred liturgy, unless
/e profoundly understand /hat /e are accomplishing, or more importantly /hat Christ
is accomplishing in the sacred liturgy, then our celebrations /ill reflect that ignorance.
Ha#ing lost its mooring in this essential inner reality, it /ill be cast about on the sea of
differing interpretations reflected in often less than edifying celebrations.
ope 9enedict EA- dre/ our attention to this most important point. &nderstanding the
true inner meaning and purpose of the sacred liturgy determines ho/ it should be
celebrated. - am sure that most of us here are familiar /ith ope 9enedict2s /ritings and
/or% on the sacred liturgy. - /ould li%e to dra/ particular attention to his /or% entitled
;5he Spirit of the Liturgy.< -n this monumental /or% /e get a glimpse into ope
9enedict2s Bat the time Cardinal 'oseph 3at>inger2sC #ie/ of the cosmic nature of the
liturgy.
After a thorough and theologically rich exposition on the true spirit of the liturgy, our
ope emeritus ma%es practical application of this understanding in ho/ the liturgy is
actually celebrated. He discusses issues such as the significance of church architecture,
the altar and the direction of liturgical prayer, the reser#ation of the 9lessed Sacrament,
sacred time, sacred images and of course music and the liturgy.
ope 9enedict further discusses the liturgical form. He ma%es application of the
fundamental principles to matters of the rite such as the sign of the cross, liturgical
posture, gestures, the human #oice, #estments and other matter of the liturgy.
Again, the message to ta%e from all of this is that ho/ /e fundamentally understand and
appreciate the true meaning, purpose and spirit of the sacred liturgy shapes the decorum
and manner in /hich /e carry out the liturgical action itself. -n the examples -
mentioned at the beginning of this presentation, can /e really say that the true inner
meaning and spirit of the liturgy is adequately and faithfully being expressed in the rite
itself, especially as regards sacred music@ - thin% not, and - hope to illustrate that by
exploring the true meaning of the sacred liturgy.
9efore mo#ing on, ho/e#er, to that discussion, - /ish to ma%e an important point. -t is
my contention, and that of many others, that the rene/al and reform of the sacred
liturgy is absolutely %ey and essential to the /or% of the ne/ e#angeli>ation. - ha#e long
been of the opinion that if the Church is going to fulfill her mission in the modern
/orld, /e need to get three things right. !ne is catechesis and faith formation, for
children, young people and adults. 5he other is the rene/al of the sacred liturgy, /hich
is not at all unrelated to the need for a deeper catechesis of our people. 5he third is our
/or% of charity and ser#ice to the poor and the marginali>ed, /hich is the li#ing out of
the mystery celebrated in the sacred liturgy.
9ut, until /e get the celebration of the sacred liturgy and all other forms of di#ine
/orship in the Church right, - fear /e /ill be largely spinning our /heels trying to gi#e
the ne/ e#angeli>ation traction in our modern culture. 5he Church teaches us, as
reiterated at the Second Aatican Council, that the liturgy is the source and summit of the
Christian life. 5his means that it is the most important thing that /e do as a Church. All
of the other sacraments of the Church, and all of her other apostolic /or%s and
endea#ors, flo/ from the sacred liturgy and lead us bac% to it. Since this is true, all the
more important it is for us to get the act of di#ine /orship correct according to the mind
and ancient tradition of the Church. 5his seems fairly ob#ious to me.
So allo/ me to return to the question of /hat it is that /e are celebrating in the sacred
liturgy, specifically in the holy $ass. 5he $ass is indeed a celebration, but /hat /e are
celebrating is the profound mystery of our sal#ation in 'esus Christ. 8e are celebrating
the aschal $ystery. 8e are specifically ma%ing present sacramentally and in an
unbloody manner the once for all sacrifice of 'esus Christ for the forgi#eness of sins,
/hich conquered death and opened for us the /ay to eternal life. 8e used to say /ith
regularity that /e celebrate the holy sacrifice of the $ass. erhaps /e should use such
terminology more often.
!ne of the typical ;poll questions< that is as%ed of Catholics to ascertain their
%no/ledge of Catholic doctrine is to as% them about their belief in the real presence of
'esus Christ in the holy Eucharist. 5ypically the pollster /ill present se#eral options to
the Catholic, each representing a different /ay of understanding the reality of the real
presence. !nly one of them is correct. -n a recent 6allup poll of this sort, less than a
third of Catholics polled identified the correct belief concerning the real presence of
Christ in the holy Eucharist.
As disturbing as that is, - /ould be afraid to see the results of such a poll on the
essential meaning of /hat is celebrated in the action of the holy $ass. 8hat percentage
of Catholics /ould ha#e any understanding at all of the essential nature of the $ass as
the sacrifice of Christ being truly represented on the altar@ - suspect #ery fe/. 9ut
herein lies the problem. -f /e don2t %no/ /hat /e are celebrating, ho/ are /e e#er
going to %no/ ho/ to celebrate it@
And 7ust so no one accuses me of returning to an understanding of the $ass that
belongs to a different time in the past, the Second Aatican Council reminded us in the
strongest of terms of the ancient theology and meaning of the holy $ass. 5he Council
taught that he /ho once offered himself on the altar of the Cross, 'esus Christ, no/
offers himself through the hands of priests in a sacramental manner on the altars of our
Churches, perpetuating his once for all sacrifice through the ages until he comes again
in glory. -t is also a sacred banquet, for /e recei#e from Christ2s sacrifice of lo#e and
self=offering his #ery 9ody, 9lood, Soul and "i#inity as nourishment for our souls.
Allo/ me to del#e deeper into this understanding by turning to ope 9enedict EA-2s
explanation of the cosmic liturgy. - %no/ that /hen /e first hear that it may sound a
little ;ne/ age,< but Cardinal 'oseph 3at>inger2s explanation of the sacred liturgy in
this /ay is profound and deeply faithful to the Church2s tradition, as one /ould
certainly expect from the future successor to St. eter.
-t is a #ery deep and theologically rich explanation of the liturgy. -t is not easy to fully
grasp, and one /ill fine oneself reading it o#er and o#er again to mine its depths. Allo/
me an attempt at a simplified explanation that e#en - can understand.
"uring any celebration of the holy $ass, three realities are essentially ta%ing place all at
the same time. 8e are celebrating and ma%ing present /hat has already happened, /hat
has been accomplished in Christ2s sa#ing death and resurrection. Secondly, /e are
already loo%ing for/ard to that /hich is yet to come, Christ2s return in glory at the end
of time to 7udge the li#ing and the dead. And /hile these t/o realities are being
celebrated, /e are simultaneously participating in the hea#enly liturgy /hich goes on
continuously in the sight of almighty 6od.
5hat is a lot to absorb0 Let us examine each of these to expand our understanding of the
sacred liturgy.
As - mentioned, /e are ma%ing truly present in an unbloody and sacramental manner
the once for all sacrifice for our sal#ation that 'esus offered on the altar of the cross.
Ho/ is this possible, and ho/ does it happen@ First /e need to understand that the
central act of our redemption, Christ2s offering of himself on the cross, is an act of the
eternal Son of 6od. -t is an act of the Second erson of the $ost Holy 5rinity. -t is an
act of 6od himself. As act of the eternal 6od, /ho has no beginning or end, this act then
transcends time and space. -t is not bound to the moment in time on Cal#ary /hen 'esus
breathed his last.
8e %no/ this is true through the mystery and dogma of the -mmaculate Conception.
$ary, the $other of our 6od and Lord, 'esus Christ, /as preser#ed from the first
moment of her conception from all stain of original sin and personal sin. 9ut that does
not mean that $ary did not need a redeemer or that she /as not sa#ed by 'esus Christ.
8e explain it in this /ay. $ary /as gi#en /hat is called a ;pre#enient grace.< 5his
means that the fruits of Christ2s sacrifice that /ould one day be accomplished on the
altar of the cross for the sal#ation of the /orld, /ere applied beforehand to his holy
$other, e#en before 'esus himself became incarnate in her /omb. -t /as /ith a #ie/
to/ard the death and resurrection of 'esus Christ that she /as allo/ed to participate in
the fruits of redemption beforehand.
8e also see the ;timelessness< of the sacrifice of 'esus on the cross in the institution of
the holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the ;first $ass,< so to spea%. 5here in the upper
room, on the night before he /ould offer himself on the altar of the cross, he made that
sa#ing sacrifice yet to be accomplished already present under the sacramental signs.
;5his is my 9ody /hich is gi#en for you. 5his is my blood of the ne/ co#enant, /hich
is poured out for many.< 4otice the present tense. 4ot /hat /ill be gi#en for you or
/hat /ill be poured out, but /hat is gi#en and poured. -n that moment 'esus established
the holy Eucharist, the ministerial priesthood and the Eucharistic sacrifice of his 9ody
and 9lood.
-n the same /ay that the sacrifice could be sacramentally present before the moment on
Cal#ary, so too it come to us across time and space and becomes present for us in e#ery
$ass so that /e may recei#e ane/ the sa#ing fruits of our redemption. -t is the same
sacrifice of Cal#ary because it is the same #ictim and the same priest. 'esus Christ, the
#ictim of the altar, is truly present under the signs of bread and /ine, but truly present,
9ody 9lood, Soul and "i#inity. 9ut it is also the same priest, for the priest /e see
standing at the altar acts in the #ery person of Christ, ha#ing been sacramentally
configured to him in ordination.
5his brings up an important point. -t is principally Christ /ho acts in the sacred liturgy.
8e are only his instruments. E#ery $ass, e#en one celebrated by a priest in the absence
of the faithful Bnot desirableC, is an act of Christ and of the /hole Church. -t is not ours.
-t belongs to Christ and the uni#ersal Church. 'esus Christ determines the meaning and
purpose of /hat /e celebrate in the sacred liturgy, not us.
So e#ery $ass celebrates and ma%es present that /hich has already been accomplished
in Christ2s life=gi#ing death and glorious resurrection. At e#ery $ass, /e are in the
upper room, /e are at the foot of the cross, /e are at the empty tomb, as these e#ents
come to us sacramentally and mystically across time and space.
9ut in the sacred liturgy, /e also mystically anticipate that /hich is yet to come. 8e
loo% for/ard /ith 7oyful hope to the coming of Christ in glory at the end of time. 5here
is then an essential orientation of the sacred liturgy to/ard the future fulfillment in
Christ of 6od2s eternal plan of sal#ation, /hen the /orld as /e %no/ it /ill pass a/ay
and there /ill be ne/ hea#ens and a ne/ earth completely transformed by Christ2s
glory.
5hat is /hy ope 9enedict EA- spea%s of the east/ard orientation of the sacred liturgy.
-n the scriptural and mystical theology of the Church, Christ /ill come again in glory
from the east, the direction of the rising sun. 5he Son of 6od /ill come riding on the
clouds of hea#en and /e symbolically loo% east for his coming. 8ith our feet firmly
planted on the earth, our eyes and our hearts turn to the Lord, anticipating his return in
glory. 5hin% of the beautiful Ad#ent hymn as /e loo% for/ard to the coming of the
Sa#ior, ;eople Loo% East.<
5hat is /hy the Church2s liturgy has traditionally been oriented to/ard the east, or at
least the liturgical east if the architecture of the church building /ould not admit of an
actual east/ard orientation. riest and people, united in prayer and in the offering of the
once for all sacrifice of Christ to the Father, loo%ed together to the east in offering this
act of di#ine /orship. -t /as ne#er that the priest ;turned his bac% to the people.< -t /as
al/ays that priest and people together loo%ed east in the sacred liturgy, /atching and
/aiting for the Lord2s return. 5his eschatological orientation of the sacred liturgy must
be reco#ered in some /ay if /e are to recapture the true spirit of the liturgy.
Finally, /hile /e celebrate that /hich has been accomplished and loo% for/ard to that
/hich is to come, /e at the same time participate in the eternal /edding banquet of the
Lamb, the hea#enly liturgy. At the altar, hea#en is 7oined to earth as /e enter into the
eternal mysteries. Christ, no/ risen from the dead, gloriously triumphant and exalted at
the right hand of the Father, intercedes for us. He continually sho/s his glorious
/ounds to the Father, the price of our sal#ation, and all the saints and hosts of hea#en
bo/ do/n and /orship before the Lamb once slain /ho li#es fore#er.
8e ha#e a foretaste of eternal life and the pledge of future glory in the sacred liturgy,
e#en /hen celebrated in its simplest and most unadorned manner. 8e 7oin oursel#es to
the hea#enly liturgy. 8e express this beautifully in the conclusion to each preface of the
Eucharistic prayer as /e prepare to sing /ith the angels in hea#en the Sanctus. 8hat /e
ha#e been tal%ing about is especially heard in the second preface for the Holy Eucharist.
Listen carefully. 8e pray:
-t is truly right and 7ust, our duty and our sal#ation,al/ays and e#ery/here to gi#e you
than%s,Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal 6od,through Christ our Lord.
For at the Last Supper /ith his Apostles,establishing for the ages to come the sa#ing
memorial of the Cross,he offered himself to you as the unblemished Lamb,the
acceptable gift of perfect praise.
4ourishing your faithful by this sacred mystery,you ma%e them holy, so that the human
race,bounded by one /orld,may be enlightened by one faithand united by one bond of
charity.
And so, /e approach the table of this /ondrous Sacrament,so that, bathed in the
s/eetness of your grace,/e may pass o#er to the hea#enly realities here foreshado/ed.
5herefore, all creatures of hea#en and earthsing a ne/ song in adoration,and /e, /ith
all the host of Angels,cry out, and /ithout end /e acclaim:
Holy, holy holyG
Ho/ is that for lex orandi, lex credenda@ 5he la/ of praying is the la/ of belie#ing.
!%ay, that is a lot of theology of the sacred liturgy. erhaps it is quite a bit for us to
absorb. -n fact, /e can ne#er exhaust the depths of this mystery celebrated in the sacred
liturgy. 9ut /hat does that ha#e to do /ith our purpose for gathering here and the
promotion of sacred music for the liturgy@
- return to my central point. !nce /e understand and appreciate on a #ery profound
le#el the inner meaning of the holy sacrifice of the $assH once /e understand /hat the
sacred liturgy accomplishesH once /e understand /hat /e are doing B/hat Christ is
doingC in the sacred liturgy, only then /ill /e be able to properly celebrate and express
that meaning and purpose of the liturgy itself.
So e#erything /e do on the celebration of the $ass must dra/ out and reflect the
essential meaning and purpose of the sacred liturgy itself. E#erything in the liturgy
/hich touches us on the le#el of the senses must express the inner meaning of the holy
mysteries /e celebrate. E#erything /e see, hear, and e#en smell should dra/ us deeper
into the profound mystery of 6od2s lo#e and mercy sho/n to us in his Son, 'esus
Christ.
5hat is /hy e#erything in the sacred liturgy must be as beautiful as /e can ma%e it,
dra/ing upon the gifts of the people of 6od, especially artists in the area of the sacred
arts including, of course, sacred music. 5he architecture of the church building, the
#isual art and iconography adorning the temple, the decoration of the sanctuary, the
#estments /orn by the sacred ministers, the sacred #essels and other things used in the
sacred liturgy, and the music /hich accompanies the liturgical action must all be
beautiful, reflecting the infinite beauty and goodness of 6od, to /hom our di#ine
/orship is directed.
9ut all of these things must not become ends in themsel#es I beauty for the sa%e of
beauty I but must be seen as means to an end, dra/ing us in and ma%ing us profoundly
a/are of the a/esome mystery /e are celebrating. 5hey must express and sho/ forth
the meaning of the $ass itself, for the glory of 6od and the sanctification of the
faithful.
- apologi>e if - seem to be belaboring this point, but - belie#e it is critically important
that /e get this right in the Church. - belie#e not understanding this point has gotten us
into the trouble /e are in, resulting in less than /orthy liturgies in far too many
instances.
-f /e do not get this part of the discussion correct, /e /ill continue to see the
imposition of other meanings, purposes and ;styles< on the sacred liturgy. 8e /ill
continue to ha#e the ol%a $ass, the Fol% $ass, the 3oc% $ass, the Contemporary
$ass, the 5raditional $ass, etcG
"oing /hat the Church as%s us to do in the celebration of the sacred liturgy, /hat some
/ould surely call more traditional, cannot be seen as simply imposing another ;style<
on the sacred liturgy, i.e. one style in a list such as - ha#e 7ust gi#en. "oing /hat the
Church as%s of us is meant to dra/ out and express /hat the $ass is in and of itself.
Applying this to the area of sacred music, /e see that the music that is used in the
celebration of the sacred liturgy must also contribute to the fuller expression of the
mystery being celebrated. 5his is especially true in the singing of the $ass texts
themsel#es, especially the antiphons, /hether in English or in Latin. -t has been pointed
out that, 7ust as the Church gi#es us the selections from sacred scripture for a particular
Sunday, /ee%day or feast, and 7ust as she gi#es us other common and proper texts, such
as the ordinary of the $ass and the prayers and preface, so too she gi#es us the texts for
the antiphons, /hich harmoni>e and further express the particular celebration.
As - said in my recent pastoral letter on sacred music, only repeating /hat has been said
by so many of you in the past, /e must ;sing the $ass,< not ;sing songs at $ass.< 5his
is at the heart of /hat must be reco#ered as it concerns music for the sacred liturgy. 5his
is /hat /ill help dra/ out and express the inner meaning of the sacred liturgy as /e
ha#e been discussing.
Finally, - /ould li%e to touch briefly on those qualities of music that are necessary in
order for it to be considered suitable for the sacred liturgy. 8hat is sacred music@
5he three essential qualities are %no/n to all of you. 5hey are uni#ersality, artistic
quality BbeautyC and sacredness. 8hat has sadly happened in recent time is that, as long
as the /ords of the songs tal% about 6od or us and our relationship to 6od, then the
music has been considered ;sacred< and therefore acceptable for the liturgy. 5his is ho/
/e get to admitting music to the sacred liturgy that is not appropriate and, far from
expressing the essential mystery being celebrated, distract from that purpose and e#en
impose other intentions on the liturgy.
5here is a difference bet/een religious songs and music and ;sacred music< in the
Church2s tradition. 8hat might be appropriate for a religious youth rally or a
charismatic prayer meeting may not be suitable for di#ine /orship in the holy sacrifice
of the $ass.
So, let us loo% at these essential qualities. 5he sanctity of sacred music:
5urning to the teaching of ope St. ius E, /hich has had a significant impact on the
teaching of the Second Aatican Council in this regard, /e read:
JSacred musicK must be holy, and must, therefore, exclude all profanity not only in
itself, but in the manner in /hich it is presented by those /ho execute it.L0==Jif 0
supportFootnotesK==MJiKL0==JendifK==M
Aatican -- emphasi>ed the sanctity of sacred music in these terms:
BSCacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely
connected /ith the liturgical action, /hether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of
minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites.L0==Jif 0supportFootnotesK==
MJiiKL0==JendifK==M Bemphasis addedC
5he intrinsic beauty Bartistic goodnessC of sacred music:
Since e#erything associated /ith the $ass must be beautiful, reflecting the infinite
beauty and goodness of the 6od /e /orship, this applies in a special /ay to the music
/hich forms an essential and integral part of our di#ine /orship. -n the /ords of ope
9enedict EA-:
Certainly, the beauty of our celebrations can ne#er be sufficiently culti#ated, fostered
and refined, for nothing can be too beautiful for 6od, 8ho is Himself infinite 9eauty.
Det our earthly liturgies /ill ne#er be more than a pale reflection of the liturgy
celebrated in the 'erusalem on high, the goal of our pilgrimage on earth. $ay our o/n
celebrations nonetheless resemble that liturgy as closely as possible and grant us a
foretaste of it0L0==Jif 0supportFootnotesK==MJiiiKL0==JendifK==M
ope St. ius E spo%e of the artistic #alue of sacred music, another /ay of considering
its intrinsic beauty:
JSacred musicK must be true art, for other/ise it /ill be impossible for it to exercise on
the minds of those /ho listen to it that efficacy /hich the Church aims at obtaining in
admitting into her liturgy the art of musical sounds.L0==Jif 0supportFootnotesK==MJi#KL0==
JendifK==M
5he uni#ersality of sacred music:
Finally, the third essential quality of sacred music must be considered, i.e. its
uni#ersality. 5his quality means that any composition of sacred music, e#en one /hich
reflects the unique culture of a particular region, /ould still be easily recogni>ed as
ha#ing a sacred character. 5he quality of holiness, in other /ords, is a uni#ersal
principle that transcends culture.
8hile e#ery nation is permitted to admit into its ecclesiastical compositions those
special forms /hich may be said to constitute its nati#e music, still these forms must be
subordinate in such a manner to the general character of sacred music, that nobody of
any nation may recei#e an impression other than good on hearing them.L0==Jif 0
supportFootnotesK==MJ#KL0==JendifK==M
5his articulation of the essential qualities of sacred music is necessary because there is
often a lac% of understanding or confusion as to /hat music is proper to the $ass and
/orthy of its inclusion in di#ine /orship. As - ha#e said, not e#ery form or style of
music is capable of being rendered suitable for the $ass.
5hat is /hy the 6loria of the $ass set to a ol%a beat or in the style of roc% music is not
sacred music. 8hy not@ 9ecause such styles of music, as delightful as they might be for
the dance hall or a concert, do not possess all three of the intrinsic qualities of sanctity,
artistic goodness BbeautyC and uni#ersality proper to sacred music. 8e are not at $ass
to be entertained but to render glory to 6od and to be sanctified by the sacred mysteries.
6oing bac% to /hat /e loo%ed at earlier about /hat the essential meaning and inner
mystery of the $ass actually is, /e can see that these styles of music, and others as
/ell, are not capable of expressing the a/esome mystery of the sacred liturgy and
therefore cannot be rendered suitable. Kno/ing that at e#ery $ass /e stand at the foot
of the cross and ma%e present the sacrifice of Christ for our sal#ation, could you
imagine singing a ol%a or ha#ing roc% drums or electric guitars there before this
tremendous mystery@
-n conclusion, then, /e ha#e seen that the ars celebrandi, the art of celebrating the
sacred liturgy must al/ays dra/ out, express and sho/ forth the mystery being
celebrated. 5he true spirit of the liturgy must be communicated in e#erything that /e do
in the celebration of holy $ass. 5his is a tangible example of the functional principle of
the sacred liturgy: lex orandi, lex credenda I the la/ of praying is the la/ of belie#ing.
8hat /e pray and do in the sacred liturgy and ho/ /e do it must al/ays express /hat
/e belie#e about /hat Christ in doing in the liturgy.
'ust as important is that /hat /e pray and ho/ /e pray also forms us and catechi>es us
about these same realities. 5hat is /hy /e need to get this right for the formation and
catechesis of the future generations in the /or% of the ne/ e#angeli>ation.
Sacred music plays a critical and irreplaceable role in this ongoing effort at liturgical
reform and rene/al. - than% the members of the Church $usic Association of America
for your tireless perse#erance in this great effort. 4e#er gro/ /eary or become
discouraged. 8e are on the brin% of a profound rene/al of di#ine /orship, and you are
helping lead the /ay.
6od bless you and may he prosper the /or% of your hands, hearts and #oices0