The Sacred Liturgy is described by Vatican II as both the summit towards which all the Church’s activity is directed and the font from which her power flows (SC 10.) Let’s think about that a moment:

As summit, participating in the Liturgy is our goal as Christians. It distinguishes the Church’s action from all other human activity on Earth. Nothing else makes Christ present to the same degree, because in the Liturgy it is Christ Himself who acts. Our collective activity is a sharing in Christ’s action in our community. That’s what makes it so special.

As font, we recognize that the Liturgy changes us. It is the privileged place of the Sacraments – indeed – there are no Sacraments that take place outside of the Liturgy. Holy Mass is obviously Liturgy, but so is Confession, Baptism etc. The Liturgy is thus extraordinarily powerful – supernaturally powerful. It goes beyond our ability to comprehend and changes us in ways we never fully understand. And that’s OK.

So we can see from the teaching of Vatican II that being called to follow Christ is inextricably liturgical: He is the one calling us and empowering us to go out into the world and make His offer of salvation known to men and women of good will. For that reason, Holy Church also asks us to be well-informed about the Liturgy. That has certain consequences: we should know how to behave in the presence of holy things – and we should be able to give an account of what we see to the uninitiated. Here’s how the psalmist describes it:

These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.  Ps 42:4

The Liturgy is a consequence of Emmanuel – God with us. If God is indeed with us, dwelling in our midst, it stands to reason we must respond to His presence. The happy fact is that the more effort we put into the Liturgy, the more beautiful it is; and the more beautiful it is, the more it resonates with the human spirit. In my opinion, it is time to jettison the idea of dumbing down the Liturgy to make it manageable or comprehensible. That experiment has failed – as the emptying out of the pews since the 1970s bears unfortunate witness.

We must not go backwards, either. Pope Francis is right to say the Church only moves forward: there is no reverse gear. Here at the Oratory let’s commit ourselves to a new path, where we strive for excellence in all that we do in the Sacred Liturgy. That may mean our celebrations look, and sound, different from other places. That’s not a bad thing.

The Bishop has given us – all of us here in Georgetown – a share in his mission of promoting and fostering Beauty. It is an urgent call for him. We are to be the vanguard of a movement that he has prayerfully entrusted to the Blessed Virgin for renewal in the Diocese. We are to set an example that others may follow – and our success, or otherwise, will be discerned by our fruits. Let’s respond to that invitation by committing to the renewal of our liturgical life: fully, actively, consciously participating in the mystery of God’s action amongst us.