Thanks once again to the excellent blog rorate-caeli. for their
translation of the Holy Father's address to the French Bishops on the occasion
of their Ad Limina visit. Let us hope and pray that all our bishops and priests
may develop the art of celebrating Holy Mass..
As the Council recalls, the liturgical action of the Church is
also a part of her contribution to the civilizing task (cf. Gaudium et spes n. 58, 4). The liturgy is indeed the
celebration of the central event of human history, the redemptive Sacrifice of
Christ. By this, it testifies to the love with which God loves mankind, it
testifies that human life has a meaning and that [man] is called by vocation to
take part in the glorious life of the Trinity.
Mankind needs this testimony. It needs to perceive, by way of
the liturgical celebrations, that the Church is conscious of the Lordship of
God and of the dignity of man. It has the right to be able to discern, beyond
the limitations that will always characterize her rites and ceremonies, that
Christ "is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, and in the person of the
minister" (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 7).
Aware of the concern which you have surrounding your liturgical
celebrations, I encourage you to cultivate the art of celebration, to help your
priests in this sense, and to work ceaselessly in the liturgical formation of
seminarians and faithful. Respect for the establishes norms expresses love and
fidelity to the Church's faith, to the treasure of grace that she protects and
passes on; the beauty of the celebrations, much more than innovations and
subjective adaptations, is what makes the work of evangelization durable and
efficacious.
Benedict XVI
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