Quotes all music ministers should know

“In the reform and promotion of the liturgy,

this full and active participation

by all the people

is the aim to be considered before all else.

For it is the primaryand indispensable source

from which the faithful are to derive

the true Christian spirit…”

(Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 14)

“For the liturgy…

is the outstanding meanswhereby the faithful

may express in their livesand manifest to others

the mystery of Christ

and the real nature of the true Church.”

(Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 2)

“Among the many signs and symbols

used by the Church to celebrate its faith,

music is of preeminent importance….

Yet the function of music is ministerial;

it must serve and never dominate.

Music should assist the assembled believers

to express and share the gift of faith that is within them

and to nourish and strengthen

their interior commitment of faith.

It should heighten the texts

so that they speak more fully and more effectively.

The quality of joy and enthusiasm

which music adds to community worship

cannot be gained in any other way.

It imparts a sense of unity to the congregation

and sets the appropriate tone for a particular celebration.”

(Music in Catholic Worship, 23)

“Each Christian must keep in mind

that to live and worship in community

often demands a personal sacrifice.

All must be willing to share likes and dislikes

with others whose ideas and experiences

may be quite unlike their own.”

(Music in Catholic Worship, 17)

“To determine the value

of a given musical element in a liturgical celebration

a threefold judgment must be made:

  • musical,
  • liturgical, and
  • pastoral.

(Music in Catholic Worship, 25)

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“Since the purpose of the homily

is to enable the gathered congregation

to celebrate the liturgy with faith,

the preacher does not so much attempt to explain the Scriptures

as to interpret the human situation through the Scriptures.

In other words, the goal of the liturgical preacher

is not to interpret a text of the Bible

(as would be the case in teach a Scripture class)

as much as to draw on the texts of the Bible

as they are presented in the lectionary

to interpret peoples’ lives.

To be even more precise, the preacher’s purpose

will be to turn to these Scriptures to interpret people’s lives

in such a way that they will be able to celebrate Eucharist—

or be reconciled with God and one another,

or be baptized into the Body of Christ,

depending on the particular liturgy that is being celebrated.”

(Fulfilled in Your Hearing, 52)