I came across an article from the Catholic National Reporter. I love reading about Pope Benedicts vision for the future of our Church. Any 'change' that calls the faithful to increase the love and respect for the Eucharist has got my attention and my support. I love being reminded that every part of the Mass should be conducive to Adoration. It only makes sense to remember that the Lord is present with us during that time therefore only the greatest respect should be shown for Him.
Of course after reading the comments left at the bottom of the article I realized that many people are not happy about change. Below are some of the highlights of the article. To read the article in full go here.
What are your feelings on the following?
"The Liturgy cannot and must not be an opportunity for conflict between those who find good only in that which came before us, and those who, on the contrary, almost always find wrong in what came before," said the pope's chief liturgist, Msgr. Guido Marini.
"The way forward for any liturgical renewal is "to regard both the present and the past liturgy of the church as one patrimony in continuous development," he said.
Examples include:
"Hence the reason for the proposal made by then-Cardinal Ratzinger and presently reaffirmed during the course of his pontificate, to place the crucifix on the center of the altar, in order that all, during the celebration of the liturgy, may concretely face and look upon the Lord, in such a way as to orient also their prayer and hearts,"
and
A renewed emphasis on "adoration," explained by Marini as "union with God," also will foster continuity with the past and should be a criterion for future liturgical practices, he said. Everything in the liturgy must be conducive to adoration, Marini said, including the music, the singing, the periods of silence, the way of proclaiming the Scriptures as well as the liturgical vestments and the sacred vessels.
and
He said it was this same desire to renew a sense of adoration that prompted Pope Benedict to make it the norm in papal liturgies for the pope to distribute Communion on the tongue to people kneeling.
