COLLANTES, ARMEL R.

, SMM

EXAM #1: SYNTHESIS IN LITURGY AND SACRAMENTS

After reading the Sacrosanctum Concilium, I was able to list at least 10 articles or
sentences that I find it important to note.

1. SC 1: …The Council therefore sees particularly cogent reasons for undertaking

the reform and promotion of the liturgy.

 SC 1 gives us the opening statements of the Sacred Council on the

Sacred Liturgy. It gives us the several aims of the Council concerning the
Liturgy which are: to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life; to
adopt to more suitably to the needs of the times; to foster and promote
union among all who believe in Christ and to strengthen whatever call to
help to the whole of mankind into the church. I think that this opening
statement is important because it gives us the idea why the Sacred
Council had this Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. From this alone, it
gives also the reader a good start to read the entirety of the document.

2. SC 5:… The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament
were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in the redeeming mankind and
giving perfect glory to God. He achieved His task principally by the paschal
mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and glorious
ascension, whereby dying, he destroyed our death and, rising, he restored our
life.
 SC 5 gives us the first of the seven essential concepts in the
Sacrosanctum Concilium, which is the Paschal Mystery of Christ. This is a
very important concept which lies on the heart of the liturgy which we
celebrate. It is important to take note for all people that it is the Paschal

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 mystery of Christ is the center of all the liturgy we have. I believe that this
has always been a challenge for us ministers to explain it well to the
people so that they may all have a deep knowledge of what is our liturgy,
why it is celebrated and how it should be celebrated especially in today’s
context.

3. SC 10: Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the
Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power
flows…
 SC 10 provides us with the second essential concept in the Sacrosanctum
Concilium which is the liturgy and its connection to the life of the church
as the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed. It is
beautifully and simply written in SC 10 as “the font which all her power
flows”. As the summit, it means a highest point or apex of our Christian
life. From the highest point to flows that means that it gives us strength to
do other actions of the church. Christ himself is the one who acts in the
liturgy and it is also a very good reminder to all that in our partaking in all
the liturgical celebrations especially the Holy Eucharist, we can really feel
Jesus and that we should always be excited and looking forward at each
liturgical celebration. This has also been given emphasis and
implemented by the Church especially in the homilies and some seminars
regarding liturgy that has been made available for the people of God.

4. SC 14: Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that
full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is
demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.
 SC 14 provides us with the third essential concept in the liturgy which is
the full, active and conscious participation in the liturgy. The impact of this
article in the reform of the liturgy is that it gives the people a great spirit of
making themselves participate to the fullest in the liturgy. This has always
be the aim to be considered above all else especially when preparing or

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 planning the liturgy: will the people be able to participate? And this is what
Vatican II gives us through this reform in the liturgy. Our parish priests,
and our church leaders have always been doing their best in reminding
the lay people for their active, full and conscious participation to all
liturgical celebrations. For example, the priest presiding the Mass has
clearly fulfilling his functions and role and the choir has chosen
appropriate hymns that people can easily join in the singing.

5. SC 28: In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an

office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office
by the nature of the rite and principles of liturgy.
 SC 28 gives us the reminder to all who has an office or function to perform
in the liturgical celebrations to know very well the functions, perform well
and do all the functions but only those parts that are attached to one’s
office. This is also a reminder not to usurp other’s role or not to take
other’s role or function. It is good that it is written in the Sacrosanctum
Concilium because this will be a good challenge for us, priests, lay
ministers to know very well our roles and functions and respect the
functions of other ministers and to strive not to take over or usurp the
functions of the other. This has also been implemented by the Church,
and I can see this in our parish, which our parish priest has a constant
reminder to the lay ministers and as well as to priests and seminarians
serving in the parish.

6. SC 35, #4: Bible services should be encouraged, especially on the vigils of the
more solemn feasts, on some weekdays in Advent and Lent, and on Sundays
and feast days. They are particularly to be commended in places where no priest
is available; when this is so, a deacon or some other person authorized by the
bishop should preside over the celebration.
 SC 35, #4 gives us one of the norms based upon the didactic and pastoral
nature of the liturgy especially to places where no priest is available and a

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 Bible service is needed. In my experience, as our previous apostolate in
San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, in the area where our former novitiate
house was, we were also given the permission by the parish priest in that
area to give Bible services to chapels that is beyond their reach, first,
because there are only two priests in the parish and the parish has more
or less 14 chapels to celebrate Mass on Sundays. But I can see it also as
only a convenience to the parish priest, because people are already
complaining that why is it that their parish priest does not celebrate Mass
in their chapel, it should have been a rotation, where not only lay ministers
and seminarians for a Bible Service, but also the parish priest will also
strive that he can say Mass to the chapels belonging to his parish
jurisdiction.

7. SC 38: Provisions should also be made, when revising the liturgical books, for
legitimate variations and adaptations to different groups, regions and peoples,
especially in mission lands, provided that the substantial unity of the Roman rite
is preserved; and this should be borne in mind when drawing up the rites and
devising rubrics.
 SC 38 gives us the provision on adaptation to different groups, regions or
peoples of the liturgy. Or in other words, it is inculturation, the 7 th essential
concept in the reform of the liturgy. Our liturgy is open for adaption to
other cultures, and opted for substantial unity than formal unity. Its
implication and consequences to the liturgy and to the people is that it
makes the liturgy closer to the heart of the people, and still remains the
spirit of the Roman Rite is being preserved. The church has implemented
it already and for example here in the Philippines we have Masses in
different dialects. The translation to our dialects is already a first degree of
inculturation as it is always associated with cultures.

8. SC 51: The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that
richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s word. In this way,

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 a more representative portion of the holy scriptures will be read to the people in
the course of a prescribed number of years.
 SC 51 provides us with the importance of the sacred scriptures in the
liturgy. In Sacrosanctum Concilium, it gives the importance of Sacred
Scipture in worship that in every liturgical celebration, it must have a
proclamation of God’s word. I see personally how the Church has
maintained this provision and how it has been enriched more and more in
the liturgical celebrations. Personally, I also have learned from this
especially when preparing a para-liturgy or for a liturgy of Holy Hour, in
our scholasticate community, we normally have taken a reading from the
writings of our founder, but it is good to correct it that scripture reading
must not be taken away nor be replaced with any other reading. As well
as in the special liturgical celebrations, the readings, as well as the
responsorial psalms should always be taken from the Scriptures and
people must also be given proper instructions to this.

9. SC 60: The Holy Mother Church has moreover, instituted sacramentals. These
are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments: they signify
effects, particularly of a spiritual kind, which are obtained through the Church’s
intercessions.
 SC 60 provides us with an introduction to sacramentals and signs.it is the
Chapter 3 of the Sacrosanctum Concilium On the Other Sacraments and
the Sacramentals. By this, it gives the faithful if properly explained by
parish priests or the catechists, a thorough understanding of the
sacramental and non-sacramental signs in the liturgy. This is important
because it is a reality that not all who attends liturgical celebrations have a
good understanding of its meaning. The church has implemented this and
has applied it in the liturgy, but it is sad to say that there are still many
people who cannot even determine the kinds of liturgical signs, the
sacramental and non-sacramental signs. There is really much effort
needed to explain well to the faithful.

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10. SC 114: The treasure of the sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with
great care. Choirs must be diligently promoted, especially in the cathedral
churches; but bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to ensure that,
whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the
faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs as
laid down in Article 28 and 30.
 SC 114 gives us the importance of the treasure of the sacred music in the
liturgy. Vatican II stresses its importance also as sacred music forms a
necessary part in the solemnity of the liturgy. I can see how the sacred
music gives more vibrant and life in the liturgical celebrations especially if
hymns were appropriate and easy to be followed by the people. In my
experience, as I grew up as a choir member in our parish in Cebu, I can
see how our parish priest really provided the choirs with a thorough
orientation about the liturgy and the role of the choir in the liturgical
celebrations. Nowadays, I can see there is a need for some choirs in the
parishes to be re-oriented with how to choose appropriate hymns to be
sung in the liturgical celebrations so that all people can really participate.
There is a tendency for some choirs to perform as if they are having a
concert, and not really as a choir in the liturgical celebration.