Encouraging Signs
There are encouraging signs from Pope John Paul II on the liturgy.
His Meditation on Psalm 150 of 26 February 2003 included:
"In this connection, the Christian community must make an examination of conscience so that the beauty of music and song will return increasingly to the liturgy. It is necessary to purify worship of deformations, of careless forms of expression, of ill-prepared music and texts, which are not very suited to the grandeur of the act being celebrated."
There is also a report from Catholic News Service that a papal encyclical on the Eucharist will be published on Holy Thursday. Perhaps that will also have an "examination of conscience" theme as well.
The report also says that a document is being prepared by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that is aimed at correcting eucharistic abuses.
At the Melbourne cathedral today the Mass sheet also had encouraging signs. I believe the Dean, Father Les Tomlinson wrote it. Here is an extract:
"... In any walk of life, a change is no easy matter and there is a trauma in letter go because our minds become fixed and settled in their ways, and are unable to accept new teaching. There is a sense of security, living with old values, which makes it difficult to cast off comfortable and cherished attitudes. As we become preoccupied with self preservation we tend to cling to systems from which we got support rather than lauch out into new methods. There is always a sense of loss when we move from one way of thinking to another. It is not easy to take a risk, enter the unknown and adopt a new approach. We do our best to put off such decisions and postpone them to a later and more convenient time, because complacency rules our way of doing things. Newness poses a definite threat. Change is challenging but the alternative to change is standing still. ..."
Hopefully this thinking indicates the "new" changes of 30 years ago will be accepted. Then (at the Melbourne cathedral) instituted readers will read and everyone will stand for the Gloria.
By J.R. Lilburne, 2 March 2003. I give what I have written on this page to the public domain.
Other sites:
Catholicnews.com "New papal encyclical on Eucharist due Holy Thursday, sources say" (27 Feb 03)