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| Musical Musings: Liturgy | Page 2 |
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The Liturgical Year Is a Treasure of Our Catholic TraditionBooks and Taking It HomeThe official liturgical books of the church are a source of great variety in our celebrations from season to season. The Lectionary, above all, takes us through three years of Sunday liturgies, exposing us virtually to the four Gospels and selections from the whole Bible. Our only obstacle here is lack of knowledge of the Bible. All the Bible study we can do is worthwhile, not only for our personal enrichment, but for our wholehearted participation in the liturgy each week.The Sacramentary, too, is filled with different prayers for every celebration. The prefaces to the Eucharistic Prayer develop the themes of each season. The Eucharistic Prayers, while more limited in choice, still provide options for different occasions. When the new English translation is complete and approved, we should have an even more useful aid to our liturgical prayer, with a more accurate translation of the Latin texts and some new prayers written for our particular needs. Celebration of the liturgical year does not have to be confined to the church building. It should reach into our homes as well. Again, we are accustomed to decorate the house for Christmas. Why not decorate for Advent, for the Lenten season, for Easter, for Pentecost? Working on home decorations can draw a family together and reinforce the spiritual theme of the liturgical season. It can be a form of family prayer and a continuing reminder that the family should pray in the spirit of the season. It can provide an opportunity for parents to explain to children the meaning of each season, so that children become familiar with the major events of Christ's life. If children see their home decorated in harmony with what they see in church, they learn that what goes on in church should not stay there but should accompany them through the week. The liturgical year is a treasure of our Catholic tradition. If we make use of it fully, we may find that we have removed many obstacles to our liturgical prayer. We may find that praying liturgically is not dull or boring but as exciting as the colors of fall leaves or spring cherry blossoms. |
Back to Part I: Changing Seasons