(Editor’s Note: The Archdiocesan Synod, in discussing the Liturgy and the Eucharist and other sacraments called for more Masses in homes and controlled experimentation, a greater role for parents in preparing their children for first Holy Communion and discussed changing the form of penance. Priests also studied confirmation, saying the proper age for the reception of this sacrament is not clearly set forth. Delegates said perhaps the sacrament should be deferred until the individual is able to make the required commitment himself, but did not establish any age brackets. The Synod also urged the establishment of a matrimonial commission.)

Liturgy And The Eucharist

In many respects the Church is like every other society, a community of men with certain well-defined structures and laws. But while these aspects are certainly valid and even necessary, they do not touch the real mystery of Church. For the Church is Christ Who is present among men; it is in the visible community of the Church that we encounter a God of salvation. This meeting of God and man constitutes the heart of the mystery of the Church, and central to this mystery is the sacred liturgy.

While this does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church, the liturgy is nevertheless “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows.” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #10) It is the summit because through the liturgy we are associated with the priestly office of Christ; through it we are completely immersed in the Paschal Mystery of Christ by which He redeems mankind and given perfect worship to the Father. It is the fountain from which all her power flows because through the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, Christ shares with us His Divine Life.

A correct understanding of the role of the liturgy in the life of the Church quite naturally prompts the Christian community, under its bishops and pastors, to promote and to renew the liturgy so that it will truly be able to produce its full effect. This is the reason why the Second Vatican Council addressed itself to the Catholic world through its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. It is also the reason why the Archdiocese of Atlanta has not only kept abreast of the liturgical renewal, but has also, happily and willingly, given leadership in this field.

This Synod reaffirms the 1964 Liturgical Guide, together with whatever changes have taken place in the meantime. In order that the current policies in the archdiocese regarding liturgical matters reflect the latest directives and recommendations of the Post Conciliar Liturgical Commission and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission, with the approval of the archbishop, is to prepare a revised Guide as soon as possible. Subsequent revisions should be made whenever necessary.

The whole thrust of the liturgical renewal in the archdiocese should be in the direction of better understanding of the liturgy so that the faithful can “take part knowingly, actively and fruitfully.” (Constitution, #11) For this reason, there must be a continuing program of instruction for everyone, for adults and youth alike, through homilies, discussion groups, diocesan and regional conferences, well-planned liturgical programs in the schools, etc. To do this effectively the priests themselves must continually study the liturgy so that they will be well-versed in its meaning and thoroughly imbued with its spirit. Moreover, since the liturgy itself teaches best, priests, lectors, commentators, choir members and acolytes should all be well prepared for their roles. Otherwise the celebration will lose much of its instructional value.

Experimentation Encouraged

This continuing instruction must also serve to prepare the faithful for the future changes which will be made to ensure that the liturgy is relevant to the contemporary scene. The laity and religious, through their congresses, have indicated that they will welcome such changes, including a greater degree of the use of the vernacular (e.g. in the entire Mass and all the sacraments). Accordingly, the archdiocese will wholeheartedly encourage experimentation which is authorized by competent authority. While endorsing further development of the liturgy, however, it is to be clearly understood that no experiment may be undertaken by anyone without the explicit authorization of the archbishop. The Archdiocese Liturgical Commission is the agency to which all questions regarding experimentation are to be referred.

It is recommended that in each parish the laity be given a voice in implementing the directives and recommendations of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission. This could well be accomplished through a liturgical committee composed of representatives from the various parish groups.

The Christian community cannot exist without the Eucharist. In gospel time it was constituted by Christ’s Word which was preached to its members and by His Body which was offered for them and given to them to eat. In our times it is the same: The Christian community is formed by its faithful celebration of the Eucharist. For Our Lord instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper “in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection, a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal Banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (Constitution, #47)

It is vital, therefore, that liturgical instruction put the Eucharist, both as a sacrifice and as a sacrament, in its proper perspective. It is essential that the faithful understand the relation of the Eucharist to the other sacraments and, indeed, to their daily lives of which it should be the center.

While the revised Guide will give the details which will set the pattern for the Church’s Eucharistic life in the archdiocese, there are certain matters which, because of their importance, deserve special consideration.

1) Because of the importance of sacred music, every effort should be made to form the parish into a singing community whose efforts are supplemented and enhanced by an excellent choir. The resources of the parish should be used to employ competent personnel (organists, choir directors, etc.) as well as good materials (hymn books, etc.) Normally only hymns and musical settings which have regular ecclesiastical approval are to be used in liturgical services. The use of other music for certain groups (e.g. the adaptation of secular melodies for youth groups) is permitted, with the approval of the archbishop, as an interim measure. Meanwhile, it is urgent that our best creative skills produce fine and suitable music for such use.

Masses In Homes

2) In order to give the faithful a living realization of what the Mass really is and to let them experience in a small group both the family meal and sacrificial aspects of Mass, it is recommended that Masses be offered on weekdays in their homes (without prejudice to the regularly scheduled Masses in the parish churches). To these Masses should be invited all Catholics of the neighborhood lest they appear to be for a privileged few. Non-Catholics should also be invited. It is especially recommended that Mass be celebrated periodically in the homes of shut-ins.

3) The faithful are to be encouraged to participate in Mass as families. While this is the norm, it is often helpful to schedule periodically special Masses for particular groups (such as children, young adults, etc.) At these Masses the homily and music should be planned with the needs and mentality of the group serving as guide.

4) Eucharistic devotions both public and private are to be promoted among the people. These devotions - forty hours, holy hours, nocturnal adoration, Benediction, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, etc. - are in no way to supplant or obscure the importance of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, or lessen participation in. Rather these devotions should be so taught and employed as to assist the people to a fuller appreciation of the Eucharist, a more frequent participation in the Mass, and a more frequent and worthy reception of Holy Communion.

5) In preparing children for their first Holy Communion, a much greater role should be given to parents who have the primary responsibility of educating their children. Proper guidance and encouragement should be given to the parents so that they will be equipped for this important task. The practice of permitting children to receive first Communion individually whenever they are ready to receive Communion. Normally he will be ready when he is in the first grade, but allowances must be made for individual differences. Further study should be given by the Liturgical Commission to the question of when a child should make his first confession, with a view of establishing an archdiocesan policy in this regard.

This Synod exhorts everyone - priests, religious and laity - to promote a better understanding and a greater love for the Eucharist. Through active, intelligent participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice and frequent, fruitful reception of the Sacrament, the people of the archdiocese will achieve that unity of mind and heart for which Christ so earnestly prayed. Through the Eucharist the charity of Christ will become a living reality in the lives of our people, making them true witnesses to His Gospel.

Other Sacraments

Saint Paul extolled the pagans for having recognized the living God in and through nature. All men can see and experience Him through these works of nature. God’s revelation was made to the Jews in the Covenant and to Christians in that Covenant fulfilled in Christ. Therefore they are invited to look beyond the horizon of the merely natural. Christ has opened up a new vision for His followers. He has made it possible for man to experience a new life of grace. This grace is the sharing of Christ’s life with us. This life comes to us principally through the sacred signs called Sacraments.

The Eucharist which was treated above is the central sacrament of God’s people and is in a sense the fullness of all the sacred signs. From this center the other signs reach out to bless and to draw together all of life. The Church actualizes herself when she incorporates new members through Baptism and Confirmation; when it reconciles penitents through absolution; when it deputes it ministers through ordination; when it constitutes human love and partnership specifically as mission and witness of Christ through marriage; when it rekindles faith in the face of suffering with the Anointing of the Sick.

Each sacrament, in its own way, serves to open up the Christian community the presence of Christ the Lord in His earthly kingdom. The first born and first risen of every creature, Christ, by His own risen life, gives all of creation its deepest reason for existence and the power of redemption for which all creation yearns. All the sacraments, reaching out from our Eucharistic Lord, draw men together into a community of love, healing them and showing forth the living Church as Christ’s sign of saving unity. In this way, we learn to approach the sacraments not only as gifts but also as challenges. “In order that the Sacred Liturgy may produce its full effect, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their thoughts match their words, and that they cooperate with divine grace.” (Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, #11)

In Baptism, we are all incorporated by water and the giving of the Spirit into the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Christ calls us in baptism to the new covenant of love of one another as he has loved us. The call is constant; the sacrament of baptism last forever in our lives.

Since baptism is essentially an initiation into the Christian community, the faithful should be encouraged to participate in the ceremony and to welcome the newly baptized into the community. It is therefore recommended that in our archdiocese the sacrament of Baptism be administered publicly whenever possible. Furthermore, where adults are concerned, the stages of the catechumenate should be celebrated at various intervals. These rites and ceremonies should be celebrated with the greatest possible solemnity, and there should always be given a clear and popular explanation of the sacrament. The same solemnity applies also to those instances when new members enter our community together through a profession of faith.

In keeping with the spirit of the liturgical renewal, we direct that the Liturgical Commission study the rite of Baptism with a view to making it conform more closely to its purpose and adapting it to the circumstances of those to be baptized.

Confirmation

In confirmation, Christ calls us to give witness to His love, even to the point of dying for one another if this is necessary, as He sends His spirit into our lives. This sacrament of the Holy Spirit, once received, is ever present in our lives, calling us to purify our love in truth and justice. The spirit of consolation is also the spirit of strength calling us to a daily endurance of hardship, whether in little ways or in great, wherever suffering is the consequences of our love for God and for one another. Thus confirmation imparts a new perception; the insight of the mature Christian who now sees his own eternal salvation in the effort and action for the salvation of his neighbor. It is the sacrament of the apostolate.

The proper age for the reception of this sacrament is not clearly set forth. The traditional concept of “completing Baptism” urges reception of confirmation at a relatively early age. Yet if the confirmed person is to be considered qualified and obliged to act as a mature member of the Church, perhaps this sacrament should be deferred until the individual is able to make the required commitment himself.

An extended study of this question of age in regard to reception of confirmation should be undertaken by the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission.

In the sacrament of penance, we are invited to experience the forgiving love of God our Savior. Because we have sinned against the all loving God, we have sinned against His community which shares in His life through, with and in Christ.

The Council has directed that the rite of the sacrament be revised to give more luminous expression to both the nature and effect of the sacrament. The sacrament of Penance will continue to be administered in the private form. However, it is recommended that, wherever desired and practical, confession (which will be administered individually and privately) take place within the framework of a communal liturgical celebration.

In the sacrament of Holy Orders, men are called to become priests, that is, mediators of Christ in His earthly kingdom. They are called to serve the People of God, to help them to see the face of Christ more clearly through faith, trust in Him through hope, and become united with Him in love. As is the Lord Himself, priests are called to be fully present in the human life of men, especially in their sorrows and weaknesses to open these lives to God’s all healing love; to offer in the Eucharistic sacrifice, as leaders of the Christian community, the earthly lives of men in worship of the Father.

In the sacrament of Matrimony, couples are called to witness in their everyday lives the love of Jesus Christ for mankind. In their love for one another, they experience the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, the struggles and the joys of Christian love. In Christian marriage, men and women are called to give permanent testimony to the fidelity of Christ’s enduring love.

Matrimony Commission

A Christian understanding of marriage must emphasize the centrality of conjugal love and the concept of a covenant relationship between two persons. Parents are “cooperators with the love of God the Creator, and are, so to speak, the interpreters of that love.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, #50) They must fulfill their task with human and Christian responsibility, a responsibility exercised in the light of a conscience formed by God’s law as interpreted by the Church. We are acutely aware of the problems which parents face today in fulfilling their obligations, and we share their concern.

Accordingly, this Synod strongly recommends that, among its first actions, the Pastoral Council establish a Commission on Matrimony to be composed of priests, and laymen both married and single. Its specific functions are to include the promotion of wholesome sex education for youth, pre-marriage preparation (including central Pre-Cana Conferences), Cana Conferences for the married and a study in depth of specific problems, especially responsible parenthood.

The Anointing of the Sick manifests our incorporation into the community which heals, the community of Christ’s redemptive love, the community which prays that we may be “restored to His Holy Church with all that is needed for our welfare.” (Roman Ritual) The reception of this sacrament should not be deferred too long; as soon as one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the sacrament should be received. The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament for healing of the body as well as for spiritual ills, and a person receiving the sacrament should be aware of the ceremony and able to participate in the prayers and responses. The family and friends of the sick person should be invited to witness and participate in these prayers.

Thus all the sacraments are a gift and a challenge; a gift of Christ’s healing love which draws us into unity and a challenge of Christ’s call to respond to His love by loving Him and loving one another in return. “For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event in their lives; they are given access to the stream of divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, the fountain from which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is hardly any proper use of material things which cannot thus be directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God.” (Constitution on the Liturgy)