What All Music Ministers Should Know
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)