I was wondering when Pope Leo would be resuming his weekly catechesis on Sacrosanctum Concilium. We left off mid-constitution in June. Fresh off his July vacation, he dives back in, leading us in the theme of liturgical prayer, leaning into the Liturgy of Hours. But first, let’s begin with the power of the Spirit:
As the Apostle Paul suggests, it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray. From the day of Pentecost, the Spirit dwells in the Church, inspiring every one of her activities and, in particular, prayer. The life of the first community, born in Jerusalem after the Pasch of Jesus, is life in the Spirit given by the risen Lord. “From that time onwards the Church has never failed to come together to celebrate the paschal mystery: reading those things ‘which were in all the scriptures concerning him’ (Luke 24:27), celebrating the Eucharist in which ‘the victory and triumph of his death are again made present’, and at the same time giving thanks ‘to God for his unspeakable gift’ (2 Corinthians 9:15) in Christ Jesus, ‘in praise of his glory’ (Ephesians 1:12), through the power of the Holy Spirit” (SC, 6).
This quote from early in the constitution seems less cited than other notions–source and summit, participation, noble simplicity, adaptation, and inculturation. Paschal Mystery is important for us, as much as anything. I remember a task of reading biblical books when I was a new Catholic. I think I was only dimly aware of the Paschal Mystery as such. I certainly knew the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. I could find them in the Bible and in the liturgy. Did I make the connection to Mass? My experience as a youth was that these were disconnected. It wasn’t until my post-college days that things began to tie together, including the Divine Office.
In our time, in contexts dominated by an efficiency-driven and consumerist mindset, prayer may seem pointless and trivial.
I’ve even encountered the occasional Christian who leans in this direction. Action often trumps contemplation in the minds and practices of some people.
In a world where science and technology claim to provide all the answers, praying may appear to be a form of escapism. Furthermore, even in many Christian families, the tradition of prayer is no longer passed on, whilst many people risk confusing it with just another technique, of a psychological nature aimed at personal well-being.
Thank you, Holy Father. I grow weary of citations and studies that find prayer lowers blood pressure, extends life, improves one’s social relationships, cures cancer, etc,, Yes, prayer has praiseworthy side effects, perhaps. But the believer might suggest prayer is part of a human identity than longs for union with God. Whether we speak, sing, dance, read, recite a mantra, or be still we aspire to reconnect with God in the same way we seek out companionship, or even food, drink, and air.
Prayer, however, as a fundamental dimension of our humanity, is worth rediscovering in its true form.
God comes first, we are told. A priest friend once adopted a personal slogan as he began his day: no Bible, no breakfast. Not everyone wakes at dawn, or manages an early morning, but I admired my friend’s lived-out notion of God coming first.
The Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium took this need seriously. This greatly pleased Pope Saint Paul VI, who, on promulgating this first document approved by the Second Vatican Council, stated: “God comes first; prayer is our primary duty; the liturgy is the primary source of the divine life communicated to us, the primary school of our spiritual life” (Address, Saint Peter’s Basilica, 4 December 1963).
I don’t always feel at ease with “school,” but I can appreciate that prayer forms us for knowledge as well as action in the world.
What do you make of this catechesis from Pope Leo? How can the modern believer–and I include people outside of Christianity who believe in God–activate this school of spiritual life?
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