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LITURGICAL TRAINING FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Resumes heading 'The Spirit of the Liturgy "

Don Mauro Gagliardi *

ROME, Wednesday, October 20, 2010 (ZENIT.org) .- It was published two days ago, Monday, Oct. 18, the Letter seminarians of Benedict XVI, for the conclusion of the Priests. At no 1, the Pope begins by recalling that "he who wants to become a priest must be above all a man di Dio”» e questo in concreto significa che:

«il sacerdote non è l’amministratore di una qualsiasi associazione, di cui cerca di mantenere e aumentare il numero dei membri. È il messaggero di Dio tra gli uomini. Vuole condurre a Dio e così far crescere anche la vera comunione degli uomini tra di loro. Per questo, cari amici, è tanto importante che impariate a vivere in contatto costante con Dio» (n. 1).

Nell’insegnamento di papa Benedetto, la preghiera è «luogo» privilegiato di apprendimento dello stile di vita cristiano. Ad esempio, nell’enclica Spe Salvi , the Holy Father had made the prayer as a key "places" of learning and practice of Christian hope (cf. nn. 32-34). Even in Letter seminarians , it is considered the practical way in which the candidate for the priesthood and learn to live in intimate communion with the Lord continues:

"When the Lord says:" Pray at all times, "of course does not require us to continually say words of prayer, but never lose the inner contact with God in this Practice contact is the meaning of our prayer. It is therefore important that the day begins and ends with prayer. We listen to God in the reading of Scripture. What we tell our desires and our hopes, our joys and sufferings, our mistakes and our thanks for all things beautiful and good, and that in this way we have always before our eyes as a reference point in our lives "(1).

With further passage, Benedict XVI said that prayer was the perfect is the public worship of the Church, that the sacred liturgy, and so favored the Mass, in respect of which the Pope states:

"For the proper celebration of the Eucharist is also necessary that we learn to know, understand and love the liturgy of the Church in its concrete form. In the liturgy we pray with the faithful of all ages - past, present and future come together in one great chorus of prayer. How can I say for my own personal journey, it's exciting as learning to understand how that could be grown, how much experience of faith there is in the structure of the liturgy of the Mass, how many generations have made the prayer "(No. 2) .

La liturgia si comprende davvero solo innestandosi nella Tradizione vivente della Chiesa, dalla quale la riceviamo come dono da preservare e vivere a nostra volta in spirito di fede e di preghiera. È infatti questo l’unico spirito giusto per celebrare e partecipare alla liturgia. Non si tratta di produrre emozioni superficiali e passeggere, attraverso invenzioni particolari da innestare nel rito, perché il vero «spirito della liturgia» è lo spirito di preghiera adorante, di chi sta «davanti a Dio per servirlo» (cf. Messale Romano [Paolo VI], «Preghiera Eucaristica II»).

È entusiasmante – dice il Santo Padre in base alla sua esperienza personale – imparare a capire la liturgia con questo senso ecclesiale e dinamico della vera Tradizione. Per questo è necessaria la formazione liturgica, che rischiara le tenebre dell’ignoranza e abbatte i bastioni dell’ideologia, aiutando a comprendere il senso sacro del culto divino e il suo legame con l’intera storia della fede, che la Chiesa custodisce e professa nei propri figli: capi e membra, pastori e gregge. Formazione liturgica non è però – né può essere – una rinnovata forma di iniziazione «gnostica», un sapere riservato a pochi titolati. La formazione liturgical, although based on the seriousness of a scientific study that is not for everyone, must be translated into forms accessible to the faithful to whom it is addressed.

Among the many, laudable initiatives, universal and local levels, designed to treat the liturgical formation of the People of God, also fits our book "Spirit of the Liturgy," which today begins its third year of publication. Accepting various requests, we decided to experiment this year by cutting even more popular, as you will notice the greater brevity of the articles and further reduced the number of references and notes. This choice sacrifices, on the one hand, the right Editor's desire to provide more details and references on the topics covered, but hopefully will encourage other, broader dissemination of our thoughts, so as to reach a greater number of readers. They need as of now the gratitude of the authors of "The Spirit of the Liturgy," for the fidelity and care with which we have followed the previous two years and with whom the trust want to continue reading.

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* Don Mauro Gagliardi, doctor of theology and philosophy, is professor of dogmatic theology at the University Pontifical Regina Apostolorum of Rome and a consultant for the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.