Photo Caption: Father Douglas Martis fields questions after his presentations on how the third edition of the Roman Missal in English invites Catholics to renew their understanding of the Mass.

By: By Jennifer Willems

If people focus on changes in language to the exclusion of all else, they will be missing an opportunity to change their hearts when the new Roman Missal becomes part of the liturgical life of the Diocese of Peoria this November.

“We’ve all heard that the liturgy is source and summit. This third edition of the Roman Missal in English gives us a new opportunity to understand a little bit better what we mean by that and how the eucharistic liturgy is played out in our lives,” said Father Douglas Martis, who presented the keynote address on the second day of the Diocesan Summer Institute.

He is director of the Liturgical Institute and chair of the Worship Department at Mundelein Seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“The promulgation and implementation of the third edition of the Roman Missal reinforces the opportunity to strengthen our understanding of the liturgy and to move more deeply into the mystery of Christ,” he told the 170 people who gathered at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria on June 11.

“This is not — let me repeat — this is not about changing words,” Father Martis said. “It’s about changing us. The words we speak and sing and say during the liturgy have an effect on us and on our salvation.”

In fact, an active participation — Father Martis prefers the term actual participation — in Catholic liturgical prayer goes beyond just knowing the words, he said.

“The participation sought by liturgical renewal, the participation that makes the Eucharist the center of our faith, is the one that is engaged and intelligent for the purpose of showing us how to live in the world. That’s our mission,” Father Martis explained.

When people focus on what they can do and forget about the interior engagement that needs to happen first, “we’re just going to be doing lip service,” he said.

MASS BEGINS, ENDS IN BIBLE
This moment of liturgical renewal is also inviting people to get acquainted with the biblical narrative that runs throughout the Mass, according to Father Martis.

For example, the story of Christ’s sacrifice has another story implicit in it — the story of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his beloved son to prove his obedience and faith in God.

“Knowing that, in an instant the idea of Eucharist as simply a shared meal fails to inspire. There’s a huge significant narrative behind the liturgy that should constantly be playing in our minds when we’re there,” Father Martis said. “It’s the narrative of God giving everything for us.”

Some people think that Catholics don’t believe in the Bible, but the Mass begins and ends in Scripture, he told them.

Father Martis also encouraged his listeners to pay attention to the rubrics, which he called “conveyors of meaning.”

The rubrics are contained in the red type in the Roman Missal. It is commonly said that you “say the black and do the red.”

During the Creed, for example, the rubrics call for a bow when the people recite the words about Christ’s incarnation. He said this should remind us how Christ comes down to earth and “literally grounds himself.” We also touch the earth when we genuflect on the feasts of the incarnation — Christmas and the Annunciation — and this is what the bow should call to mind.

“We Catholics put into our bodies what we believe,” Father Martis said.
The rubrics also allow for a safe and stable place for prayer to happen, he said.

“This new missal signals the beginning of a new era in liturgical renewal,” Father Martis told the Summer Institute participants. “Can you feel it? We’re on the verge of something here.”