Scottish Catholic Observer

Dear Clergy, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese,

Pope Benedict recently announced, through the Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei a Year of Faith to run from 11th October 2012 to 24th November 2013. Its starting day marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. From what he writes it is clear that both the Council and the Catechism have an essential place in Pope Benedict’s ministry and teaching as Supreme Pastor of the Church.

Reflecting on the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council Pope Benedict suggests the Year of Faith offers an opportunity for people to understand that the Council texts, quoting Blessed John Paul II, “have lost nothing of their value and brilliance”. Pope Benedict opines that they need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart as important and normative texts of the Magisterium, within the Church’s Tradition. He repeats Blessed John Paul’s description of the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century, and his own conviction that if we interpret and implement it in the right way “it can be and can become increasingly powerful for the ever necessary renewal of the Church”.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church he describes as an authentic fruit of the Council, illustrating for all the faithful the power and beauty of the faith. He encourages us to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith systematically presented in the Catechism – “Here, in fact, we see the wealth of teaching that the Church has received, safeguarded and proposed in her two thousand year history. From Sacred Scripture to the Fathers of the Church, from theological masters to the saints across the centuries, the Catechism provides a permanent record of the many ways in which the Church has meditated on the faith and made progress in doctrine so as to offer certitude to believers in their lives of faith.”

Pope Benedict speaks of the opportunity this year will give for the public profession of our faith – in churches, homes, in religious communities and families – so that everyone may feel a need to know better and transmit to future generations the faith of all time. He continues:

“We want this year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. It will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is “the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed;…and also the source from which all its power flows”. At the same time, we make it our prayer that believers’ witness of life may grow in credibility. To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make their own, especially in the course of this year.”

'The new translation of the Roman Missal, which is the fruit of a remarkable cooperation of the Holy See, the Bishops and experts from all over the world, is intended to enrich and deepen the sacrifice of praise offered to God by his people.' Pope Benedict XVI

Christians since the earliest centuries have learnt the creed from memory, thus being reminded daily of the commitment undertaken in baptism. In this regard we need to pay attention that our children are being taught the creed and can recite it with the worshipping community. We must look at the way we do Children’s Liturgies for example so that they do not continually miss the reciting of the Creed at Sunday Mass. We need to encourage our altar-servers, and other youngsters, to join with the rest of the community in giving the responses at Mass and reciting (or singing) the longer prayers like the Creed. Indeed the introduction of the new English Missal is a time to make a special effort in this regard, so that from an early age children are taught to know and participate fully in the spoken and sung parts of the Mass. With regard to reciting the Creed the possibility of using the Apostles’ Creed is offered and it may be easier for children to learn this.

Later in his letter Pope Benedict speaks of the witnesses to the faith in Jesus Christ through the ages, starting from Mary, his Mother, the Apostles and Martyrs, and the Saints of all ages. In this regard he spoke very warmly recently of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop in an address to the Australian Bishops. Here are his words:

“The canonization last year of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop is another great event in the life of the Church in Australia. Indeed, she is an example of holiness and dedication to Australians and to the Church throughout the world, especially to women religious and to all involved in the education of young people. In circumstances which were often very trying, St Mary remained steadfast, a loving spiritual mother to the women and children in her care, an innovative teacher of the young and an energetic role model for all concerned with excellence in education. She is rightly considered by her fellow Australians to be an example of personal goodness worthy of imitation. St. Mary is now held up within the Church for her openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and for her zeal for the good of souls which drew others to following in her footsteps. Her vigorous faith, translated into dedicated and patient action was her gift to Australia; her life of holiness is a wonderful gift of your country to the Church and to the world. May her example and prayers inspire the actions of parents, religious, teachers and others concerned with the good of children, with their protection from harm and their sound education for a happy and prosperous future.”

In highlighting St. Mary’s role as a spiritual mother and innovative teacher Pope Benedict offers her as an example for all involved in the upbringing, education and care of children, and advocates a practical holiness of Christian faith and witness necessary in this crucial area. We wish the same inspiration of the Holy Spirit and blessing for all involved in this work in Scotland, especially in our Diocese. The Church in Scotland has recently produced a document, This is Our Faith, with recognition from the Holy See, which sets out a structure, a blueprint, for educating children in the Catholic Faith through Primary and Secondary Schools. It will be launched shortly by the Scottish Bishops during our November meeting and it is intended also to have a Diocesan Presentation later. The document has its foundation in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its is hoped that it will be a formative guide for teachers and catechists, priests and religious, parents and guardians, both in schools and parishes.

Another aspect of Church life very close to the Holy Father’s heart is the good celebration of the Liturgy. Reflecting on this, with particular reference to the new English translation, Pope Benedict recently offered these words to the Australian Bishops and, by extension, to the other English speaking Bishops:

“As Bishops, you are conscious of your special duty to care for the celebration of the Liturgy. The new translation of the Roman Missal, which is the fruit of a remarkable cooperation of the Holy See, the Bishops and experts from all over the world, is intended to enrich and deepen the sacrifice of praise offered to God by his people. Help your clergy to welcome and to appreciate what has been achieved, so that they in turn may assist the faithful as everyone adjusts to the new translation. As we know, the Sacred Liturgy and its forms are written deeply in the heart of every Catholic. Make every effort to help catechists and musicians in their respective preparations to render the

celebration of the Roman Rite in your Dioceses a moment of greater grace and beauty, worthy of the Lord and spiritually enriching for everyone.”

It is an act of collegial respect and responsibility for Bishops to listen attentively to what the Holy Father says with regard to the Missal. He obviously wants us to accept the Missal as a spiritual gift from the appropriate authority in the Church and to work well for its successful introduction, giving testimony of our love and respect for the Church’s Liturgy, especially for its expression in the Roman Rite itself and in its English translation. I thank everybody for the efforts made so far, especially to the clergy and laity who find it more difficult to adjust. We need to trust that the Holy Father’s insight is right and that, through time, the new Missal will indeed enrich and deepen our worship. My own feeling is that the renewal needs to go beyond the words themselves to all aspects of our liturgical celebration, so that the celebration of the Eucharist is indeed a moment of grace and beauty, worthy of the Lord and spiritually enriching. We all want that, but we need to work in harmony to make it possible.

The Holy Father does mention musicians, and there are particular demands made on them now to get to know the music in the Missal itself and then to learn new Mass settings. In general, both for celebrants and the musicians, the aim is to sing the Mass itself before adding hymns, which we are very used to doing at present. For some parishes this could mean quite a change, but it should be faced so that the Liturgy itself is sung, particularly at Sunday Masses. It is necessary also that the actual texts of the Mass are respected when they are sung – the paraphrases which are sometimes used for the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamations and Agnus Dei should be dropped. A great effort has been made in re-translating the words of the Mass, so they should not be replaced by others even when sung. Composers have already been busy preparing new Mass settings, and if they wish to have them published they must submit them to the Bishops’ Conference for approval – an explanatory document of how to go about this is on the Missal website, www.romanmissalscotland.org.uk .

Thank you for reading this. These particular thoughts have been stimulated by reading some of Pope Benedict’s recent words and relating them to some of the present matters in the Church in Scotland. I hope they stimulate some reflections for yourselves, especially on how we carry the Mission of the Church forward and pass on the Faith we have received and benefited so much from. We should look forward to the Year of Faith, and pray that we may truly be salt to the earth and light to the world. I finish with Pope Benedict’s words from “Porta Fidei”:

“We cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden (cf. Mt. 5 :13-16). The people of today can still experience the need to go to the well, like the Samaritan woman, in order to hear Jesus, who invites us to believe in him and to draw upon the source of living water welling up within him (cf. Jn 4:14). We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples (cf. Jn. 6:51). Indeed the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day with the same power: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life” (jn 6:27). The question posed by his listeners is the same that we ask today, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (Jn. 6:28). We know Jesus’ reply: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (Jn. 6:29). Belief in Jesus Christ, then is the way to arrive definitely at salvation.” (No.3)

With my prayers and good wishes,

Yours in the Lord

+ Joseph

Rt Rev Joseph Toal

Bishop of Argyll and the Isles.