Commentaries on the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum

Commentaries on the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum

Various

Catechesis Can Safeguard the Eucharistic Mystery -Cardinal Francis Arinze
Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, explains the purpose of Redemptionis Sacramentum. In curbing liturgical abuses, the norms established preserve the unity of the Church and protect sound doctrine, particularly regarding the Holy Eucharist.

A Matter of Helping, Not Hindering the Faith - Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
Archbishop Amato, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, comments on how the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum highlights the ecclesiality of the Eucharist, as represented in the liturgical norms. Failure to observe these norms distorts the Faith, and weakens the unity of the Church.

An Experience of Faith, Mystery, Communion - Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino
Archbishop Sorrentino, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, offers "some interpretative keys to the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum so that people can grasp the spiritual inspiration that brings it to life." Liturgical norms are necessary to ensure that the eucharistic celebration is an expression of faith, an experience of the mystery, and an experience of communion.

Bishops Must 'Promote, Moderate, Guard' the Liturgy - Fr Urbano Navarrete, S.J.
Commenting on the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, Fr Navarrete, Professor Emeritus at the Pontifical Gregorian University, defines the meaning of an Instructio, before outlining the responsibility of Bishops, as "moderators of the Liturgy," to "promote, moderate, guard" the liturgy in the Churches entrusted to them.

Seeing and responding to Christ in the liturgy - Gerhard Ludwig Müller
Bishop Müller, of Regensburg, Germany, recalls that a primary purpose of the liturgical reform of Vatican II was "to reaffirm the interiorization and deepening of Christian life among the faithful." But the reform has fallen short of its purpose where liturgical abuses hinder the faithful from perceiving Christ in the liturgy.

Authentically Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist - Cardinal Joachim Meisner
In his commentary, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, observes that "The People of God have a right to an authentically celebrated Holy Mass. From this fact derives the priest's solemn obligation to celebrate Holy Mass in accordance with the liturgical norms."

The Eucharistic Spirituality of the Church - Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith
The Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka, examines the source of deviations from the true intent of the liturgical reform. The intent was misinterpreted as a reduction of the Faith, rather than an updating of it, which led to a dilution of eucharistic theology and a free and easy approach to the liturgy.

Faith and doctrine alone determine discipline - Bishop Mario Oliveri
The Bishop of Albenga-Imperia, Member of the Congregation for Divine Worship, recalls the solid teaching in John Paul II's Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which addressed the defects in faith and understanding represented in liturgical abuses, which are themselves addressed by Redemptionis Sacramentum.

Participating in the Sacred Liturgy - Cardinal Jorge A. Médina Estévez
The Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments explains the principles and conditions for worthy celebration of the Sacraments, with particular emphasis on the manner of lay participation, as called for by the Second Vatican Council.

Respecting the Full Meaning of 'Real Presence' - Father Inos Biffi
Father Biffi, of the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas Aquinas, recalls the centrality of the doctrine of transubstantiation to Catholic belief and the importance of Eucharistic devotion to the life of the Church.

The Problem of the 'Anti-Sacrificial Reflex' - Prof. Michael Schulz
Michael Schulz, Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität, Bonn, observes the common reaction against sacrificial language regarding the Eucharist, high-lighted in Redemptionis Sacramentum, and ascribes it to a deistic bias.

The Priest and Daily Celebration of Holy Mass - Father James O'Kane
Father O'Kane, basing his teaching on Redemptionis Sacramentum, urges all priests to celebrate daily, observing that even Masses celebrated sine populo are done in persona Christi and therefore "in the full presence of the universal Church."

Priests, Lay Faithful and Holy Mass - Manfred Hauke
Father Hauke, Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Patrology at Lugano, Switzerland, focuses on the ministerial priesthood, as derived not from the people, but from Christ. The priest does not represent the people to Christ, but Christ to the people, and the people to God only as representing Christ their Head.