POPE LEO’S SECOND WEDNESDAY CATECHESIS ON SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM…

 GENERAL AUDIENCE

Saint Peter's Square
Wednesday, 27 May 2026

[Multimedia]

________________

Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. III. Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. 2. The reform of the liturgy: tradition and development

 

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

In the Encyclical Mediator Dei, the Venerable Pius XII writes that “the Church is without question a living organism, and as an organism, in respect of the sacred liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accommodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances, provided only that the integrity of her doctrine be safeguarded” (no. 59).

In full accordance with this principle, the Second Vatican Council, in the Introduction to the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), recognizes “particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy” (no. 1). The Council assembly was gathered, in fact, with the desire to “impart an ever increasing vigour to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions which are subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of mankind into the household of the Church” (ibid.).

At that moment in history, there was a strong sense of the need for a renewal of the ritual forms through which, for centuries, the Church had glorified God and sanctified the Christian people. Thanks to the Liturgical Movement, the conviction had matured—later expressed by Saint John Paul II—that “a very close and organic bond exists between the renewal of the liturgy and the renewal of the whole life of the Church. The Church not only acts but also expresses herself in the liturgy, lives by the liturgy and draws from the liturgy the strength for her life” (Letter Dominicae Cenae, 13).

To encourage the access of the faithful to the richness of the gifts of grace dispensed by the sacred liturgy, the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium thus indicates, with a very effective phrase, the direction to take: “That sound tradition may be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress” (SC, 23).

Pope Benedict XVI grasped in this declaration of intent the “reform programme” of the Council Fathers, “a balance between the great liturgical tradition of the past and that of the future”, noting that “tradition and progress are often clumsily opposed”, whereas “actually, the two concepts merge: tradition is a living reality, which therefore includes in itself the principle of development, of progress. It is as if to say that the river of tradition also carries its source in itself and flows towards the outlet” (Address to participants in the Congress promoted by the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm on the 50th anniversary of foundation, 6 May 2011).

The Council affirms the legitimacy of this progress, rooted in authentic Tradition, distinguishing within the liturgy “immutable elements, divinely instituted” from “elements subject to change [which] not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to it” (SC, 21). Changes of this type have taken place constantly over the centuries in order to enable the faithful to participate fruitfully, through ritual actions, in the Paschal Mystery of Christ, the foundation of the Christian faith. The Church’s worship has thus been “embodied” in the cultural forms of each age and has been able to influence them and even transform them. The liturgy has thus been, for centuries, a driving force for evangelization. Today, this energy must be renewed in continuity with the authentic and living Catholic tradition, that is, in accordance with a dynamic aimed at introducing believers to the fullness of the truth.

It is therefore understandable why the Council Fathers recommended that the revision of the rites, when “the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them”, must be carried out taking care that “any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing” (SC, 23). For the good of the entire Church, every reform must always be preceded by careful “theological, historical and pastoral” investigation (ibid.). The Council Magisterium, in this way, thus calls for the avoidance of confusion amongst the faithful, discouraging anyone from adding, removing or altering anything in liturgical matters on their own initiative (cf. SC, 22). The progress evoked in the Conciliar Constitution in no way compromises ecclesial communion: rather, it seeks to confirm and foster it.

I therefore urge all those called to prepare the celebration of the divine mysteries, in particular priests who exercise the ministry of liturgical presidency, to always uphold that respect for the texts and regulations of the liturgy which springs from an inner attitude of openness and trust in God, manifesting humility before His greatness and sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion.

My brief commentary:

It is great that Pope Francis is not mentioned in this particular catechisis but only Pope Benedict and St. John Paul II—the two great liturgical popes both of whom promoted the renewal of the liturgy in accordance with Sacrosanctum Concilium but also were progressive enough to allow the older rites to be celebrated as well, Pope Benedict XVI truly progressive and non-rigid in this regard. We can’t say that about Pope Francis. 

The last paragraph is truly important and in Pope Leo paraphrases Fr. Z! The pope tells priests to read the black and do the red!

Pope Leo also calls for the organic reform of the Liturgy:

…in this way, thus calls for the avoidance of confusion amongst the faithful, discouraging anyone from adding, removing or altering anything in liturgical matters on their own initiative (cf. SC, 22). The progress evoked in the Conciliar Constitution in no way compromises ecclesial communion: rather, it seeks to confirm and foster it.

FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS, WHICH HAS DAMAGED THE CHURCH’S COHERENT MORAL TEACHINGS, WAS NEVER NEEDED. POPE LEO SHOULD RETURN THE CHURCH TO THE POPE FRANCIS APPROVED RESPONSUM OF CARDINAL LADARIA, THEN PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH!

IN FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS, POPE FRANCIS EVEN CONTRADICTED HIMSELF!

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the 22^nd of February 2021, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle.

Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a dubium regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex, 15.03.2021

Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a dubium
regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex

TO THE QUESTION PROPOSED: 
Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?

RESPONSE:
Negative.

Explanatory Note

In some ecclesial contexts, plans and proposals for blessings of unions of persons of the same sex are being advanced. Such projects are not infrequently motivated by a sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexual persons, to whom are proposed paths of growth in faith, “so that those who manifest a homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God’s will in their lives”^[1].

On such paths, listening to the word of God, prayer, participation in ecclesial liturgical actions and the exercise of charity can play an important role in sustaining the commitment to read one's own history and to adhere with freedom and responsibility to one's baptismal call, because “God loves every person and the Church does the same”^[2], rejecting all unjust discrimination.

Among the liturgical actions of the Church, the sacramentals have a singular importance: “These are sacred signs that resemble the sacraments: they signify effects, particularly of a spiritual kind, which are obtained through the Church’s intercession. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions of life are sanctified”^[3]. The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifies, then, that “sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it” (#1670).

Blessings belong to the category of the sacramentals, whereby the Church “calls us to praise God, encourages us to implore his protection, and exhorts us to seek his mercy by our holiness of life”^[4]. In addition, they “have been established as a kind of imitation of the sacraments, blessings are signs above all of spiritual effects that are achieved through the Church’s intercession”^[5].

Consequently, in order to conform with the nature of sacramentals, when a blessing is invoked on particular human relationships, in addition to the right intention of those who participate, it is necessary that what is blessed be objectively and positively ordered to receive and express grace, according to the designs of God inscribed in creation, and fully revealed by Christ the Lord. Therefore, only those realities which are in themselves ordered to serve those ends are congruent with the essence of the blessing imparted by the Church.

For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex^[6]. The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan.

Furthermore, since blessings on persons are in relationship with the sacraments, the blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit. This is because they would constitute a certain imitation or analogue of the nuptial blessing^[7] invoked on the man and woman united in the sacrament of Matrimony, while in fact “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”^[8].

The declaration of the unlawfulness of blessings of unions between persons of the same sex is not therefore, and is not intended to be, a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them.

The Christian community and its Pastors are called to welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclinations, and will know how to find the most appropriate ways, consistent with Church teaching, to proclaim to them the Gospel in its fullness. At the same time, they should recognize the genuine nearness of the Church – which prays for them, accompanies them and shares their journey of Christian faith^[9] – and receive the teachings with sincere openness.

The answer to the proposed dubium does not preclude the blessings given to individual persons with homosexual inclinations^[10], who manifest the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God as proposed by Church teaching. Rather, it declares illicit any form of blessing that tends to acknowledge their unions as such. In this case, in fact, the blessing would manifest not the intention to entrust such individual persons to the protection and help of God, in the sense mentioned above, but to approve and encourage a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God^[11].

At the same time, the Church recalls that God Himself never ceases to bless each of His pilgrim children in this world, because for Him “we are more important to God than all of the sins that we can commit”^[12]. But he does not and cannot bless sin: he blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him. He in fact “takes us as we are, but never leaves us as we are”^[13].

For the above mentioned reasons, the Church does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex in the sense intended above.

The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Secretary of this Congregation, was informed and gave his assent to the publication of the above-mentioned Responsum ad dubium, with the annexed Explanatory Note.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the 22^nd of February 2021, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle.

Luis F. Card. Ladaria, S.I. Prefect
	✠ Giacomo Morandi Archbishop tit. of Cerveteri Secretary

MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS IS BOOK LENGHT! WILL IT BECOME A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER? ONLY AI KNOWS FOR SURE…

THIS IS AN AI SUMMARY:

Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity") is a landmark encyclical by Pope Leo XIV focusing on the ethical and societal impacts of artificial intelligence. It calls for technological advancements to serve human dignity, community, and the common good, rather than reducing people to data points, deskilling workers, or concentrating power. [1, 2, 3]

Core Themes

• Human Dignity vs. The Technocratic Paradigm: Warns that a hyper-focus on efficiency and optimization can lead people to view themselves as projects to be upgraded rather than beings made for authentic communion.
• The Power of Algorithms: The Pope highlights the dangers of unchecked algorithmic power, algorithmic surveillance, and the digital attention economy, which can threaten inner freedom and undermine personal data privacy.
• Regulation & Digital Sobriety: Urges policymakers to slow down the rush to scale AI, create robust legal frameworks to prevent discrimination, and foster "digital sobriety" to combat behavioral addictions in today's tech landscape.
• Warfare & Geopolitics: Addresses the alarming use of AI in modern warfare and emphasizes the need for strong multilateralism to protect ethical limits and preserve peace.
• Christian Humanism: Rejecting transhumanist ideologies, the encyclical invites humanity to anchor its future in faith, objective truth, and the pursuit of wisdom. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

For the complete theological and social framework, you can read the full text of Magnifica Humanitas via Vatican News. [1]

YOU CAN READ MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS HERE.

POPE LEO’S PENTECOST SUNDAY SOLEMN MASS….

Let’s say that a parish has a schola that sings as well as the Sistine Choir at this papal Mass and that choir sings for Pentecost all the Propers as is sung at this papal Mass, but the Mass is in the Vetus Ordo.

But, Vatican II allowed the Vetus Ordo to have some vernacular as Pope Leo uses in his papal Mass. 

But, Vatican II allows the Vetus Ordo to have the Liturgy of the Word as is done in the Novus Ordo, as in this papal Mass.

Wouldn’t everything that Vatican II desired for the Mass be accomplished in the Vetus Ordo? 

This is what an article at “Where Peter Is”, aka, “Where Pope Francis Was” says about Pope Leo’s first catechesis on Sacrosanctum Concilium. Everything that Pope Leo teaches here could early be applied to the Vetus Ordo as I describe it being celebrated above:

…Leo also stressed the bidirectional structure that Sacrosanctum Concilium assigned to participation. The faithful’s participation, he said, is “at once ‘internal’ and ‘external.’” It does not end when the dismissal is given. The liturgy “is called to unfold in a tangible way throughout daily life, in an ethical and spiritual dynamic, so that the liturgy celebrated is translated into life.” Here he touched on Romans 12:1, teaching that our lives through liturgy and practice become a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” when we live out the truth of what we have received in the Mass and especially the Eucharist, the Source and Summit of Our Faith. The Council’s hard-won concept of participatio actuosa is ultimately about conformity of the human person’s entire existence to the paschal mystery...

…What this opening installment quietly accomplishes is significant. It removes the question of Sacrosanctum Concilium from the genre of liturgy-wars commentary and restores it to the genre of catechesis on the mystery of Christ. The pope did not adjudicate disputed questions about translation, posture, or the relationship of the two forms of the Roman Rite. He returned instead to the Constitution’s own first move, which is theological and Christological before it is rubrical. “Let us allow ourselves to be shaped inwardly by the rites, symbols, gestures and above all the living presence of Christ in the liturgy,” Leo concluded, perhaps opening a new chapter of reflection on the ongoing discussions surrounding the liturgy.

COME HOLY SPIRIT…

 Pentecost

Saint Joseph Church in Macon decorated for Pentecost Sunday around 2007 or so. We only did that once, as a parishioner had to climb a tall ladder to do the pinning of the drapery to the top of the capital column below the cupola.  There is a way to the cupola in the attic of the church, hanging the drape from its railing wasn’t dangerous, but the ladder thing was and I said, no more. Once is enough!

Happy Pentecost!

IF TRUE, THIS WILL NOT PLEASE SYNODALERS OR FR. JAMES MARTIN, SJ…

But Pope Leo did say during His Holiness's high altitude press conference, that FS’s blessings are just for the individual like the Final Blessing he and all bishops and priests offer at the end of Mass!

Sat May 23, 2026 - 11:55 am EDT
(LifeSiteNews) — The Coptic Orthodox Church has decided to reopen dialogue with the Catholic Church after Pope Leo XIV reportedly assured Patriarch Tawadros II regarding the “non-blessing of same-sex couples.”
On Friday, the Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church announced that the decision to resume talks following a May 15 phone discussionbetween the two leaders.

THE OLD LITURGY WARS: PART II…

Prior to the return of the Vetus Ordo, even in a limited way around 1986, for the majority of thinking Catholics,  the liturgy wars did not revolve around the old verse the new Mass. It revolved around the proper celebration of the new Mass compared to the abusive ways the new Mass was being celebrated not only by priests but various communities including religious orders. 

Those who wanted a free-wheeling liturgy with creativity on the spot, the celebrant-focused Mass, and making things up as he goes and, for some weird purpose still unknown to me, giant puppets used at Mass, they accused those who were waging war on all of that as being liturgical Nazis.

For them, the problem was that anyone would call them out, especially the liturgically rigid. 

And it wasn’t just puppets that war waged upon, but unnecessary numbers of extraordinary ministers of communion, making them ordinary. It was also on the use of the common chalice for huge numbers of communicants which, in fact, is against liturgical law in the GIRM. 

But this war was also on poor music, normally contemporary Broadway sounding ditties set to religous words. But also instrumentation that excluded the organ which was suppose to have a pride of place at Mass, along with Gregorian Chant, Latin and reverence. The old liturgy wars was about the loss of all of these, including reverence.

It was a war on sloppiness too and on wreckovations. 

There is a lot more too. But with Summorum Pontificum and then Custodis Traditionis, a war to crush SP, the liturgy wars have shifted to not having the Vetus Ordo celebrated on an equal footing with the Novus Ordo. In fact, the war from the Vatican on the Vetus Ordo also included the nuclear option of not even being able to advertise the Vetus Ordo in parish bulletins and this mandated not from the local bishop but from Rome! That’s what Orwellianism is, no?

CARDINAL FERNANDEZ IS GOING TO COMMISSION A STUDY ABOUT WHY THE TRANSMISSION OF THE FAITH HAS FALLEN SO DRAMATICALLY IN THE LAST 60 YEARS, AFTER VATICAN II! DUH!

Edward Pentin has an article on the big plans of Cardinal Fernandez to figure out why the Church is declining in so many places in the world. Press the title for the story and then below the title is my most humble summary of the true problem which doesn’t take a Church genius to figure out:

Cardinal Fernández Shares More Details on Upcoming ‘Transmission of the Faith’ Document

Edward PentinVatican

 I have written on the blog time and again, that the decline in participation in the Church, at least in the USA, must be attributed to the “spirit of Vatican II’ and spirit of rupture, chaos and division and the methodology used to shove this spirit down the throats of Catholics, some who willingly swallowed and enjoyed it and others who choked and threw up in disgust. 

Apart from the 1960’s cultural upheaval that was secular in nature but bled into the Church too, because of the spirit of Vatican II and revolutionaries in the culture bringing that revolution to Vatican II through a rupture hermeneutic, we have seen as a result of that and its trickle down effect to this day, that having nearly 90% of Catholic attend Mass on Sunday in 1965 is now down to about 5% to 20% of Catholics doing so today.

And of that percentage, a high percentage are sporactic  in attending Mass, don’t believe in Transubstantiation, advocate for women priests, same sex or whatever marriages and free love. They want divorced enshrined also. 

What the spirit of Vatican II did to the Church beginning in 1965 with the laity, is a direct result of a mistaken belief that if some things in the Church can change, any and everything else can change!

I would venture to guess that the 90% of Catholics attending Mass prior to the Council believed that everything in the Church was set in concrete and nothing could change in the Church as it concerned her discipline, sacraments, faith and morals. NOTHING!

Very shortly after the Mass began to change, habits disappeared, priests and nuns leaving their vocations to marry each other or whoever, Catholics thought that everything should change. Allow nuns to marry and remain nuns. Let priests marry and stay priests. 

And then in 1968, after the laity thought they could have sex without procreation by being allowed to use the pill, after all, everything else was changing, why not that, Pope Paul VI said no with Humanae Vitae!

And in 1968 you had angry young Catholics of marriage and childbearing age infuriated by that and so were priests and nuns. Many laity left the Church over that which meant so did their families, their children. 

Trace the real decline in Catholicism and the transmission of the true faith to 1968 and accelerating after than for more than three generations now.

This, in our own day, has led to a flimsy Catholicism, that no religion or any religion is okay.

This has led to a contempt for Church law and its requirements.

This has led to once storied Catholic families known for their commitment to the Church no longer committed to the Church. Children brought up in the post-Vatican II Church of this generation, no longer practice, aren’t getting married in the Church and aren’t having their children baptized. And they aren’t giving their parents Catholic funerals!  And many of these Catholics, were brought up in post-Vatican II practicing Catholic families, who went to Catholic schools and Catholic universities are the ones totally disengaged from the institutional Church altogether!

And the sex abuse scandal, truly on steroids in the early aftermath of Vatican II and precisely around 1974 less than 10 years after Vatican II, has caused infinite damage to the psyche of lay Catholics and their love of the Church. 

And now there is the Synod that is so compromised from an academic and intellectual perspective making all things equal for the sake of making everyone and every sin welcomed into the Church, one wonders if those in the institutional Church and the synod and in the highest places of the Church don’t have a death wish for the Roman Catholic Church!

I don’t condone the intransigence of the FSSPX as it concerns certain aspects of Vatican II. And if they ordain bishops without papal approval, the pope, according to current canon law, should excommunicate them. But, what they are like today is basically what the Church and parishes were like prior to the Council. Most Ordinary Form parishes are far, far, far, from the unity of Catholic Faith that we once had and the unity in the way we worshipped and Catholic spirituality and faith and morals. For the most part, and apart from the macro issues the pope has with the FSSPX, their parishes are what our parishes were like on the eve of Vatican II—strong, committed and secure in their Catholic modesty, identity and unity—-that is gone for the most part in most parishes as nearly 95% of Catholics in a geographical area don’t even bother to attend Mass, get married in the Church or have their children baptized. They are cooked in secular politics and the ways of the world, flesh and devil. 

As it concerns our parishes, I have had to put bulletin announcements reminding Catholics that Daisy Duke shorts, tank tops and bare midriffs are not allowed at Mass. Nor are t-shirts with any slogans, especially obscene slogans or political propaganda. Do you think FSSPX parishes have to put that into their bulletins????

Need I write more?

OKAY, CHURCH, HERE WE GO! POPE LEO XIV BEGINS HIS WEDNESDAY CATECHESIS ON THE PROPER INTERPRETATION OF SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM!

My most humble astute comments first: 

One of the misinterpretations of SC is the modality of the “real presence” of Christ in the Mass, makes all four “means” of the “real presence” equal, a false egalitarianism. 

Pope Leo clears that up immediately. Yes, during Mass, Christ is present as High Priest in the Mass when the Word is proclaimed (not in the Book by the way), in the gathered community, in the ministers who celebrate (i.e. priest) and IN THE HIGHEST DEGREE IN THE EUCHARIST. 

As I have noted before, in the 1970’s the false teaching that the Word and Sacrament are equal in status, sanctuaries were re-ordered to have the Ambo and Altar (table) equally placed, meaning neither in the center (except the priest’s chair, of course). 

Today, I have seen a non-rubrical addition to the proclamation of the Gospel, when the deacon takes the Book from the altar to go to the Ambo, he stands and shows the book to everyone in an arch of movement from center to side and side. What the heck?

And then once the Gospel is proclaimed and the page of the Gospel is kissed, the Book of the gospel is processed to its enthronement, usually on an older altar. What the heck?

I can remember lectors raising the lectionary at the end of their reading and saying in a bold voice and gesturing with the lectionary to the congregation, “THIS is the WORD OF THE LORD!” 

That along with the additional things deacons do with the Book of the Gospels are actions of creativity and non-rubrical and should be purified from the Mass. It is the proclamation of the Word, by a lector or the Gospel that Christ is present. The Book of the Gospel is not the same as the Consecrated Host!

Pope Leo’s Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. III. Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. 1. The liturgy in the mystery of the Church:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Today we are beginning a new series of catecheses on the first Document issued by the Second Vatican Council: the Constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC).

In drafting this Constitution, the Council Fathers sought not only to undertake a reform of the rites, but to lead the Church to contemplate and deepen that living bond which constitutes and unites her: the mystery of Christ. Indeed, the liturgy touches the very heart of this mystery: it is at once the space, the time and the context in which the Church receives her very life from Christ. For in the liturgy, “the work of our redemption is accomplished” (SC, 2), which makes us a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people whom God has acquired for Himself (cf. 1 Pet 2:9).

As manifested by the threefold renewal – biblical, patristic and liturgical – that the Church underwent through the course of the twentieth century, the Mystery in question does not designate an obscure reality, but God’s salvific plan, hidden from all eternity and revealed in Christ, according to Saint Paul’s affirmation (cf. Eph 3:2-6). Here, then, is the Christian Mystery: the Paschal event, that is to say, the passion, death, resurrection and glorification of Christ, which is made sacramentally present to us precisely in the liturgy, so that every time we take part in the assembly gathered “in his name” (cf. Mt 18:20) we are immersed in this Mystery.

Christ Himself is the inner source of the mystery of the Church, the holy people of God, born from His side pierced on the cross. In the holy liturgy, through the power of His Spirit, He continues to act. He sanctifies and unites the Church, His bride, to His offering to the Father. He exercises His utterly unique priesthood, He who is present in the proclaimed Word, in the sacraments, in the ministers who celebrate, in the gathered community and, in the highest degree, in the Eucharist (cf. SC, 7). Thus, according to Saint Augustine (cf. Sermon, 277), in celebrating the Eucharist the Church “receives the Body of the Lord and becomes what she receives”: she becomes the Body of Christ, “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:22). This is the “work of our redemption”, which conforms us to Christ and builds us up in communion.

In the holy liturgy, this communion is achieved through “rites and prayers” (SC, 48). The rituality of the Church expresses her faith – in accordance with the familiar saying lex orandi, lex credendi– and at the same time shapes ecclesial identity: the proclaimed Word, the celebration of the Sacrament, the gestures, the silences, the space – all this represents and gives form to the people gathered by the Father, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Every celebration thus becomes a true epiphany of the Church in prayer, as Saint John Paul II recalled (Apostolic Letter Vicesimus quintus annus, 9).

If the liturgy is at the service of the mystery of Christ, one understands why it has been defined as “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed … the font from which all her power flows” (SC, 10). It is true that the action of the Church is not limited to the liturgy alone; however, all her activity (preaching, service to the poor, the accompaniment of human realities) converges towards this “summit”). Conversely, the liturgy sustains the faithful by immersing them ever and anew in the Pasch of the Lord and, thus, through the proclamation of the Word, the celebration of the sacraments and communal prayer, they are refreshed, encouraged and renewed in their commitment to faith and in their mission. In other words, the participation of the faithful in the liturgical action is at once “internal” and “external”.

This also means that it is called to unfold in a tangible way throughout daily life, in an ethical and spiritual dynamic, so that the liturgy celebrated is translated into life and demands a faithful existence, capable of making concrete what has been experienced in the celebration: it is in this way that our life becomes a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”, fulfilling our “spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1).

In this way, “the liturgy daily builds up those who are within into a holy temple of the Lord” (SC, 2), and forms an open community, welcoming to all. Indeed, it is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, it introduces us into the life of Christ, it makes us His Body and, in all its dimensions, it represents a sign of the unity of the entire human race in Christ. As Pope Francis said, “the world still does not know it, but everyone is invited to the supper of the wedding of the Lamb (Rev 19:9)” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, 5).

Dear friends, let us allow ourselves to be shaped inwardly by the rites, symbols, gestures and above all the living presence of Christ in the liturgy, which we will have the opportunity to explore in the coming Catecheses.

INTERESTING, NO?

 This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:
- His Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

A LOVELY, SOLEMN, REVERENT DAILY MASS FOR TUESDAY, THE 7TH WEEK OF EASTER AT SAINT GREGROY THE GREAT CHURCH IN BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA WITH YOURS TRULY THE CELEBRANT…

 You can view Saint Gregory the Great’s daily Livestream Mass for Tuesday in the 7th Week of Easter Facebook feed HERE. The Mass, with yours truly as celebrant, begins at minute 35!

THE VATICAN PRESENTS THE NEW VESTURE FOR LECTORS AT MASS—VERY NICE!

 

MY DIOCESE HAS ESTABLISHED NEW RULES FOR DIOCESAN PERSONNEL TO INCLUDE PRIEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA—THUS THESE GO INTO EFFECT TODAY ON MY BLOG

While I will certainly abide by this new policy from the Diocese of Savannah, I ask that those commenting do the same, especially by not disparaging anyone who comments here. I will be quite diligent not to post those comments. Please cooperative! 

 Priest personnel should not:

 Post anything on social media that wouldn't be said to someone in person
 Use platforms/features that automatically delete content without any record
 Discredit the Diocese or any of its personnel
 Post anything that is or could be construed as:
- Inappropriate, lewd, obscene, or sexual (and do not reply to communication of this nature from
anyone; rather, notify your supervisor)
- Libel, slander, defamation, discrimination, harassment, threats, obscenity, etc.
- Promoting violence or illegality, including alcohol, drugs, vandalism, stalking, etc.
- Blasphemous, sacrilegious, demonic, etc.
- Inconsistent with or offensive to Church teachings and values

CLERGY AND PARTISAN POLITICS

Clergy shall refrain from partisan politics in all posts, comments, and links.
According to canon law, clerics “are not to have an active part in political parties” (c. 287 §2).
Although the IRS has taken steps to loosen the restrictions on political activities by 501(c)(3)
organizations, the spokesperson for the USCCB, in a statement dated July 8, 2025, reiterated that “The
Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”4
“The Church is involved in the political process but is not partisan,” reads the USCCB’s 2023 document
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. “[Bishops] do not tell the laity to vote for particular
candidates.”

COMMENTS

Inappropriate comments should be blocked or deleted as necessary, and rules of conduct should be posted
in the following or similar words:
Comments left by others on this account do not necessarily reflect the views of the Catholic Church, the
Diocese of Savannah, or their entities.
All comments should be marked by Christian charity and respect for truth; they should be on-topic and
assume the goodwill of other posters. Inappropriate comments may be deleted. No ads, please