All the Arts Contribute to Excellence in Liturgical Prayer

Part II: Either? Or? Both!!

It is possible to appeal, for example, only to the emotions in liturgical expression. It is also possible to be so esoteric that worship becomes a head-trip. Both extremes are incomplete. St. Augustine was listening to a beautiful text--a psalm or hymn--set to beautiful music and sung competently. His heart overflowed. But we would hesitate to call his reaction mindless. It was rather a brief experience of Paradise regained.

All the arts should contribute to the excellence of our liturgical prayer. It is important to have good translations and original texts to start with. Worship space deserves architecturally distinguished buildings. Appointments of the church should be real works of art, not clones from a catalogue. Chalices, vestments, tapestries, icons, statues, the pipe organ and other musical instruments all should be the best we can produce. Children's art, too, should have a place in our worship. Film projection enables us today to borrow the great art of our heritage.

Proper rehearsal of liturgical services, training of lectors and ministers, is also part of the excellence which should characterize our liturgical prayer. It makes a big difference if a lector is able to read audibly, coherently, and with some sense of the importance of the sacred text. It is important that altar servers know what they are doing and do it with dignity. It is crucial that the homily be well prepared and delivered. Mediocrity in any of these areas keeps us from praying liturgically as we should.

The Second Vatican Council stated: "Holy Mother Church has always been the friend of the fine arts" (par. 122). Unfortunately, this is not always evident in our day. We are often willing to make do with mediocrity. And our liturgical prayer suffers proportionately. If we aim only for a cheap emotionalism, we can achieve a temporary "high", but we will soon run out of steam. If we "get by" week after week, we will miss the real spiritual nourishment and strength the liturgy can provide.

With all our efforts, things may not always turn out ideally. That is all right. As Mother Teresa says, "we do not have to be successful; we have to be faithful." If we strive for excellence in every aspect of our liturgical prayer, we will not always achieve it. But sometimes we will. And that will deeply affect our lives. How impoverished we will be, if we never try at all.