The Holy Spirit and the Liturgy

One of the Holy Spirit’s roles is to preserve the faith, to preserve the liturgy. For many years I have reflected on the liturgical implications of the Holy Spirit’s role.

The Spirit’s role as one who preserves is not analogous to that of a museum curator—someone who makes sure that everything stays in its pristine form, in mint condition. No, the Church is not a museum, but a living, breathing, active organism—the living Body of Christ.

The role of the preservative here is more like salt. The Spirit preserves the liturgy so that it remains fresh for the people of God. Every time we celebrate the liturgy, it remains for us a fresh and renewed act of the people of God, of the Church, of Christ himself. Every time we speak the prayers, hear the words, sing the songs, and stand in God’s presence, our liturgy speaks to us in new and yet familiar ways. Every time we nourish ourselves with the bread of life and the cup of salvation we say “Yes,” “Amen,” to the Body and Blood of Christ. Every time we are dismissed we are reminded to “Go in the peace of Christ,” a peace which fills our heart with the response, “Thanks be to God.”

All of this would not be possible without the Spirit, who makes it real for us. The liturgy is not just remembering an event of 2000 years ago. As the Catechism says (no. 1366), the Eucharist that we celebrate makes present the sacrifice of the cross. The Spirit—the living memory of the Church—helps us to recall events, celebrate events, and look to their completion.

This action—which the Spirit makes new for us each time it is celebrated—weds earth and heaven in one great liturgy as “we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims. . .” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 8)

We are pilgrims on a trip back home. Our voices blend in union with those who have gone before us in faith--as well as with those who are sitting next to us in the pew--and those who are to come after us. The Church is very big, gathered not only from east to west, but also from age to age, so that a perfect offering can be made.

Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love!

Ascension Thursday or Sunday

Since the year 2000, Catholics throughout the state of Wisconsin have celebrated the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord on the Sunday before Pentecost. The Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter is no longer Ascension Day. Why the change?

Several years ago, the Bishops of many western U. S. states were granted permission from the Holy See to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord to the following Sunday, in the same way that we already observe the solemnity of the Epiphany. This was done because of the inability of many to attend Mass on this important feast day.

The bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Wisconsin, of which the Diocese of Madison is a part, decided to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Wisconsin is one of many states, including Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and most western and southern states, that now celebrate the Ascension on a Sunday. This is permitted by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in a decision that was approved by the Holy See. In fact, many countries already celebrate Ascension on a Sunday.

There were many factors that led to this decision. Sadly, when commemorated on Thursday, this important feast was celebrated by only a small percentage of Catholics. Since Ascension Thursday is a workday for most people, even when they are able to attend Mass, the celebration is often not fitting for so important a feast—morning Masses are rushed for the commute to work, people leave noontime Masses immediately after communion, and evening Masses are squeezed in before the dinner hour. Even if people are able to participate in Mass, it is difficult to follow the prescription of abstaining from work or business which interferes with worship and relaxation of the mind and body (Code of Canon Law, 1247). With the current decline in number of priests, it is even becoming more difficult for Mass to be available to many Catholic on Ascension Day.

The Easter-Ascension-Pentecost cycle is of great importance to the Church as well as the lives of all Christians. Many areas currently celebrating the Ascension on a Sunday have found that it has renewed the Easter cycle, and has been of great benefit. In addition, this move allows for a much fuller celebration on the Ascension with the attendance of more people and the release from the burden of time constraints.

While the historical tradition of celebrating the feast forty days after the resurrection is of great value, this is of secondary importance to the practicality of the observance of the feast by the greatest number of the faithful. Keep in mind that a similar move has taken place with Epiphany, now celebrated on a Sunday near January 6 rather than on the actual twelfth day of Christmas.

With this move, all Catholics have a better opportunity to celebrate and meditate on Christ ascended, “so that we may seek him in glory” (Ascension Opening Prayer).

Scholarship for the study of liturgy

The Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) grants a scholarship of $1000 each year to a person who is pursuing graduate studies in the area of liturgy with the intent to use the graduate degree in either academia or pastoral ministry. If you are interested in this scholarship, click here. They always are in need of donations to sustain the scholarship fund, so consider giving to this fund as a way to provide for future generations!

The scholarship is named for Sr. Joan Tabat, OSF, a pioneer in pastoral liturgy. This petite woman with a big heart worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to promote an understanding of and appreciation for the liturgy in parishes and dioceses in both Illinois and Florida. Her unbridled enthusiasm always reminded me of the great joy and hope of our faith! Tragically she was killed in a car crash coming home from a workshop that she was presenting for the Diocese of Venice, FL.

A word on the Word

Last Fall, the Synod of Bishops met at the Vatican to consider the topic, The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church. The US Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship issued an informal translation in their November-December 2008 Newsletter. The Synod Fathers presented 55 propositions to the Holy Father for his consideration preparing an Apostolic Exhortation. (You may recall Sacramentum Caritatis [Sacrament of Charity], which was Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Exhortation following the Ordinary Synod on the Eucharist.)

The Holy Father has spoken frequently and eloquently on the importance of Scripture to Christians, echoing the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy’s well-known phrase:

[Christ] is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church (para. 7).

This Synod, a regular gathering since the Second Vatican Council, reflected on many facets of the Word over the course of nearly three weeks. Among the propositions made are some concrete examples of how we can assist honoring the Word as well as how we can recognize its transformative power. One of the most intriguing of these says,

The Book of Sacred Scripture, even outside of the liturgical action, should have a visible place of honor in the interior of the church.

Imagine enthroning the Lectionary in a worthy place, open to the day’s Scripture. On Sunday the Gospel Book could stand open near the door of the church so that people could see the beautiful illustrations as they enter for the celebration of the Eucharist.


The Word dwells with us and among us and makes his home with us. We then carry that Word—invisible in our hearts but waiting to be proclaimed yet again—in our procession, held high for all to see. We place it on the altar of Sacrifice and prepare to once again hear the Lord speak to us as he prepares us to receive his Body and Blood.

Sacrament of Unity

Saint Augustine, who has had such an influence on Catholic Eucharistic spirituality, referred to the Eucharist as the “sign of unity, bond of love,” a phrase quoted in whole or in part in documents of the Fourth Lateran Council [1215], the Council of Trent [1545-1563] and Vatican Council II [1962-65].

This is such a timeless phrase because "Unity is the essence of the Church" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 813).

Cardinal Walter Kaspar, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, has written on this topic (Sacrament of Unity, pages 119-120):

Theologians such as Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas do not consider this understanding of Eucharist as a sacrament of unity something trivial or arbitrary, the fruit of pious exaggeration, something that one might just be permitted to say after dealing with the dogmatic truths of the real presence and the sacrificial character of the Eucharist. On the contrary, this understanding is essential in their eyes; indeed, it is the essential truth about the Eucharist…the unity of the Church is the reason why the Eucharist exists.

Eucharist exists for unity, and “unity is the essence of the Church.” We pray this in the third Eucharistic Prayer:

"Look with favor on your Church’s offering,
and see the Victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself.
Grant the we, who are nourished by his body and blood,
may be filled with his Holy Spirit,
and become one body, one spirit in Christ."

One Body. One Spirit.

It is my hope that this blog will offer liturgical information, insight and guidance to liturgical leaders in the Diocese of Madison. There are many wonderful people in our Diocese who work closely with the liturgy (pastors, liturgists, musicians, RCIA directors, liturgical ministers, to name a few). In charity and love we seek to do God's will together, until the Lord returns in glory.