I recently noticed a comment on the meaning of "full, conscious, and active participation" in the liturgy. That it is: ". . . a mental activity." I'm not sure what to make of that statement but it strikes me, considering the context in which it was offered, that it may imply that what the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council really meant in that core watershed document on the Liturgy, is that "full, active, and conscious" participation means that all I really have to do is be consciously present. If I mentally participate: listen, watch, remain silent and reflective, that's good enough. Well, as a leader of liturgies for the past thirty plus years in a multitude of settings, I would respectfully say, that is not good enough but it is an essential part of what is meant. One should not mentally check out and one must be physically present. You must at least show up to fully participate.
I've celebrated Mass in Churches large and small; simple and very grand both in parishes and overseas in beautiful religious shrines such as Lourdes and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Catacombs, and the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, France, to name a few inspiring settings. On a log outside at a campsite with youth on a retreat in the mountains. With small and large groups of people from diverse cultures and languages in both rural and urban settings. It was their singing, their active participation, their verbal responses, their participation as readers, servers, extraordinary ministers of communion, their physical movement in the sacred liturgy (the "work" of the Church) that made all the difference and fulfilled the intent of liturgists, musicians, and the Bishops' spirit at Vatican II. It is both inspiring and transforming. Both male and female have a role in proper liturgical celebration and the priest is central to the gathering of the church in prayer.
I've often wondered what the 5,000 plus crowd gathered at the multiplication of the loaves and the fish was like. I think it is safe to say it was likely chaotic but as orderly as the Apostles could have designed. Have you ever tried to gather 5,000 people on a hillside who were exhausted, hungry, and thirsty? "Where's the cry room when you need it? Take those children out!" Yet, this was indeed a foreshadow of the eucharistic assembly. I'm not promoting chaos but stressing a point about the "here comes everyone" of the Church.
Now, I agree there have been certain abuses in liturgical practice over the last fourty years. I once participated in a liturgy, or so it was alleged to be, as a young seminarian, when the priest wore leather vestments he had made himself, read from Time Magazine for the Gospel, wrote his own eucharistic prayer, had ballons lofting over the dining room table (aka "altar"). Well, the rest is fodder for another blog but there it is.
However, the Mass is not the private domain of the priest and the people are not called to sit and stare or to turn the "summit" of our public worship into a time for private devotion. The Mass is not a movie, stage play, or symphony. The liturgy, properly celebrated, has the power to transform our lives but it likely won't happen unless we actively and consciously respond to Jesus' invitation. The sacraments, and the eucharist in particular, are not magical - they're divine mysteries that call for a response. The more passive participation has its place such as in eucharistc adoration where our activity is indeed more mental than physical as we encounter the living presence of the risen one in a quiet time of intimacy with our saving Lord. "Lectio divina," spiritual reading or private prayer, etc. all offer a different but essential level of participation.
"Full, active, and conscious," means exactly what it says. The liturgy must have rubrics, parameters, and structure as well as beauty, order,silence, and language that is spirtually uplifting and theologically correct. But it is a time when the normally invisible Church gathers its people in a visible congregation of faithful to express their faith - with both hearts and voices. Our Catholic aerobic exercises, as one parishioner humoursly described - standing, sitting, kneeling, all have meaning and purpose according to the proper parts of the Mass. We pray not only with our minds but also with our bodies. The visible active participation of the layity is their baptismal right and a sign of witness and service to fellow participants. A Monastic community will celebrate the liturgy with an entirely different flavor than a typical diverse community of parishioners.
As we prepare for significant changes in the english language of the Mass in 2011, I believe all of this will take on a higher level of discussion and hopefully bring us to a deeper awareness of what Christ has entrusted to the Church - Bread of Life, food for our journey on this pilgrim way, as we "Go to love and serve the Lord."
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