A great question

I received a question about yesterday's postings. Rather than post another comment that might not get seen I wanted to reply with this entry. Rebecca asked:

referring to this and your last post i just happened across i have a question. if God doesn't change, and you believe the catholic church is His church, why would the mass change with the times?

Rebecca,

Thank you for your question. God has given the Church the gift of the Sacraments and the gift of the Mass. These things are for our benefit, not God’s. As I heard a priest friend of mine put it once (I am paraphrasing), it is not like God sits around needing us to say good things about him. At the Last Supper (the institution of the Eucharist), Jesus did not say, “Guys, you have been great. I really appreciate you coming tonight, and it would be great if you would get together after I am gone to remember the old days. You know, break a little bread, drink a little wine, maybe say some nice things about me...” He does not need our praise, we need His Presence. God gave us the frame work (the stuff that can’t change) and we with the prompting of the Spirit added some human styling, if you will.

That being said, Liturgy translates as the work of the people. It is given to us by God and divinely inspired (God is definitely in the middle of it), but the words, postures, and actions we take are all human, so of course it will change over time. Hopefully with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, these actions will draw us closer to Christ and help us enter more deeply into the mystery of the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Lord. So, even though the “window dressings” of the Mass change, it is because of the human element involved, not because God changes.

The above are my views and interpretations, but who am I to comment on such a fabulous and profound question? The first document to come out of Vatican II was Sacrosanctum Concilium (The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy). This document set forth the reasons and “ground rules” for the reform of the Mass. In paragraph 21 your question is addressed almost directly.

In order that the Christian people may more certainly derive an abundance of graces from the Sacred Liturgy, Holy Mother Church desires to undertake with great care a general restoration of the Liturgy itself. For the Liturgy is made up of immutable elements divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. These not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the Liturgy or have become unsuited to it.

In this restoration, both texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the Christian people, so far as possible, should be enabled to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community.

I hope this answers your question and provokes some thought. I know it made me stop and think about it.

May the grace and peace of Christ be with you.

Scott