The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 157: God’s Word and Sacred Music (2024)

Episode Date: June 5, 2024

Fr. Mike examines the words, actions, music, and singing involved in how we celebrate the Liturgy. He discusses how, at many Masses, there are signs that accompany the Word of God to emphasize the importance of the Word being proclaimed. He further explains that sacred music is a combination of music and words drawn chiefly from Sacred Scripture. When we sing during the Liturgy, we are making art out of God’s Word, itself, and that art forms a necessary part of the Liturgy. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1153-1158. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in scripture and passed down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity in God's families, we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is Day 157, we are reading paragraphs 1153 to 1158. As always, I'm using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes some Foundations of Faith approach, but you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can also download your own Catechism into your reading plan by visiting

ascensionpress.com slash C-I-Y. And lastly, you can click follow or subscribe in your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications. This day is day one 57. We were hitting paragraphs 11, five, three to 11, five, eight, talking about two different things. Yesterday we launched and even more deeply into how is the liturgy celebrated? Remember the day before who celebrates the liturgy? Beautiful, incredible. Yesterday, how was liturgy celebrated? Continuing yesterday, we talked about signs and symbols, right? That way of we communicate through signs and symbols. That's how God communicates to us in signs and symbols. The next two signs and symbols we're talking about are words and actions and singing and music.

So today we have three paragraphs on each, three paragraphs on words and actions that we basically, here is God speaking to us through sacred scripture, right? And speaking to us through the liturgical word in action and Also here is singing and music and the importance of singing music In fact singing and music is so important The church says that out of all of the art on all out of all of the things that can help us pray well singing and music is of inestimable value greater than that of any other art.

That's incredible. And here's where we're gonna find out why later on, well, today, in the next few minutes, before we launch in, let's just say a prayer. Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you so much for bringing us to this place. We thank you for communicating yourself to us and sacred scripture. Thank you for communicating yourself to us through the liturgy and not just speaking a word from afar,

but coming close to us. Thank you for revealing your face and your heart to us in the sacraments. Thank you for speaking to us as two children, inviting us to respond, eliciting some act of faith and of hope and of love back to you who are our good and heavenly Father. Thank you. Please just receive our thanks today that we make in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. It is day 157.

We are reading paragraphs 1153 to 1158. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It is Day 157. We are reading paragraphs 1153 to 1158. Words and Actions A sacramental celebration is a meeting of God's children with their Father in Christ and the Holy Spirit. This meeting takes the form of a dialogue through actions and words. Admittedly, the symbolic actions are already a language, but the Word of God and the response of faith have to accompany and give life to them so that the seed of the kingdom can bear

its fruit in good soil. The liturgical actions signify what the Word of God expresses, both His free initiative and His people's response of faith. The liturgy of the Word is an integral part of sacramental celebrations. To nourish the faith of believers, the signs which accompany the Word of God should be emphasized. The Book of the Word, a lectionary or a book of the Gospels, its veneration, procession, incense, candles, the place of its proclamation, lectern or ambo, its audible and intelligible reading, the minister's homily which extends its proclamation, and the responses of the assembly, acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, and profession

of faith. The liturgical word and action are inseparable, both insofar as they are signs and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what they signify. When the Holy Spirit awakens faith, He not only gives an understanding of the Word of God, but through the sacraments also makes present the wonders of God which it proclaims. The Spirit makes present and communicates the Father's work, fulfilled by the beloved Son. Singing and Music

The musical tradition of the Universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this preeminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy. The composition and singing of inspired psalms, often accompanied by musical instruments, were already closely linked to the liturgical celebrations of the Old Covenant. The Church continues and develops this tradition, as St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, Address one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody

to the Lord with all your heart. St. Augustine said, He who sings, prays twice. Song and music fulfill their function as signs in a manner all the more significant when they are more closely connected with the liturgical action according to three principal criteria – beauty expressive of prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly at the designated moments, and the solemn character of the celebration. In this way, they participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions, the glory of God, and the sanctification of the faithful.

As St. Augustine wrote, How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs, and the voices that echoed through your church. What emotion I experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my ears, distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my face. Tears that did me good. The harmony of signs—song, music, words, and actions—is all the more expressive and fruitful when expressed in the cultural richness of the people of God who celebrate. Hence, religious singing by the faithful is to be intelligently fostered so that in

devotions and sacred exercises, as well as in liturgical services in conformity with the Church's norms, the voices of the faithful may be heard. But the texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine. Indeed, they should be drawn chiefly from the sacred scripture and from liturgical sources." Okay, there we are, paragraph 1153 to 1158. Gosh, you guys gave words and actions. Let's go. Let's launch into this. I love the very first line, 1153. A sacramental celebration is a meeting of God's children with their Father in Christ and the Holy Spirit. is a meeting of God's children with their father in Christ and the Holy Spirit and

That's it. This is what is happening at every sacramental celebration of obviously in the Eucharist in the mass completely. Yes but also in all of the sacraments, I even think of the way in which the Church has asked us to practice and enter into the sacrament of reconciliation The church has asked us to practice and enter into the sacrament of reconciliation. It involves the proclamation of God's word at the very beginning. The priest, as he welcomes us, I mean, a lot of times our experience of it is kind of simplified.

Right? So it's brief introduction, here's a blessing. And then the person goes to confession. They confess their sins. But in the fullness of the liturgy, in the fullness of this action, there's always a proclamation of God's word. And sometimes that word of God is very simple, sometimes that word of God is a little bit more extended.

But there is the speaking of the Father, right? In Christ, in the Holy Spirit, that speaks to us a word that is meant to elicit faith. And so of course, that always happens in every liturgy. If you've ever been part of the anointing of the sick, you recognize that the word of God is proclaimed. You ever been part of sacrament of matrimony, even outside of mass, the word of God is proclaimed.

And that's so, so important because if this is gonna be a meeting of God's children with their father, then the meeting takes form of a dialogue. And that dialogue happens through actions and words. Right, so there's obviously the symbolic actions that are happening and the words of the liturgy, but obviously the word of God is going to have a very, very important place.

That's why in paragraph 1154 it highlights, so when it comes to the liturgy of the word, it's integral part of sacramental celebrations. And so there are signs there that emphasize the role of the word of God. So for example, typically we want to have the book of the word. So that's usually a lectionary, right? The book that we read from at mass or maybe a book of the gospels. There is oftentimes a veneration. And if there's no veneration, what I mean by that is like sometimes it's a procession or there's incense when

Remember when you know the deacon goes up or the priest or bishop whoever's proclaiming the gospel They go up and they say the Lord be with you and with your spirit I'm reading from the Holy Gospel according to John glory to your Lord and then they take the incense and they will incense The Word of God there that can happen if it doesn't happen if there's no procession I've been at many many masses where there hasn't been a procession of the gospel book or of the lectionary at all. But what happens is this is just remarkable. I think this is really beautiful is especially if I go to mass with a bunch of priests is that wherever the word is being proclaimed from like that ambo or that lectern wherever that is

Typically all the priests who are standing the bishop whoever is listening to the word of God They all turn so that their whole body is facing whoever it is who is proclaiming the Word of God. And this is again, it's just, it's a small thing, but it highlights this, what we're doing. It highlights the beauty, the power and the goodness, the gift that is the Word of God proclaimed in the liturgy. Keep this, keep going in mind here. I love this paragraph 1155.

It says this, it says that not only when the Holy Spirit awakens faith in the liturgy, He not only gives an understanding of the word of God, but through the sacraments, also makes present the wonders of God. So here's the Holy Spirit that helps us to understand God's word. I mean, this is one of the gifts

you can pray for right now. If you've ever said, oh gosh, I can't understand scripture. I just, I listen and I don't know what it's Word. I mean, this is one of the gifts you can pray for right now. If you've ever said, gosh, I can't understand Scripture, I just, I listen and I don't know what it's saying. One thing to do, well, we can obviously study more Scripture and that's wonderful, but we can also ask the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit teach me, Holy Spirit come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me. Help me understand your Word as you're proclaiming. So the Holy Spirit awakens faith and gives us gives us an understanding of the word of God but through the sacraments also make present the wonders of God and this is

the thing we've been saying so many times right what Jesus made possible the Holy Spirit makes actual the wonders of Jesus of God made present by the power of the Holy Spirit now last thing here when it comes to singing and music, this is, I think this is really incredible, this is beautiful, is that the musical tradition of the Universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than of any other art. We have statues, we have incredible buildings, we have incredible paintings, icons, all of these things are amazing. But the musical tradition of the universal church is of an estimable value, far greater than any other. Why the main reason and many reasons, but the main reason is because sacred

music, the musical tradition of the church is a combination of sacred music and words. And it forms a necessary part of the solemn liturgy. So it's a combination of sacred music. So here's the music, here's the tune, the tune, right? But it's also the words and typically those words are supposed to be as it says in paragraph 11 of D8. It should be drawn chiefly from sacred scripture and from liturgical sources. And so the art you're making when you're making sacred music, you're making this art out of God's Word itself Right, so you're taking a psalm and you're setting that psalm to music. You're taking the words God has revealed to us again

divinely inspired God breathed the words to us and Making those into another piece of art You're using those words to create another piece of art the musical tradition of the church and that piece of art, you're using those words to create another piece of art, the musical tradition of the church. And that piece of art forms a necessary part of the liturgy. So it's not just kind of like, you know, you have a statue in the corner, you can even have a big crucifix that's beautiful and it just moves you to reflect on Christ's passion, his love for us. And that's awesome.

That's incredible. But neither of those things are essential or integral parts of the Psalm Liturgy. But when we sing the Sanctus, when we sing the Curiae, when we sing the Psalms, that is actually a necessary part of the Psalm Liturgy. I think this is just so, so important. I love the St. Augustine quote because I heard it ever since I was a kid in Catholic school and I didn't want to sing. And they would say, well, you know, St. Augustine says he who sings praise twice so you can you know, it's kind of a twofer situation or maybe it's a

matching gift Situation if you if you sing that God matches that with the gift. Um, keep on moving There is something very powerful about this the way in which the church has asked us to utilize music the function of music in the liturgy. And that function is, the more it's gonna lift our souls to the Lord, the more it's gonna bring us into contact with God, it has to have three principle criteria. And those three principle criteria are beauty expressive

of prayer, so it's meant to be prayer. It's not background music, right? It's not background music. So beauty expresses a prayer. Secondly, the unanimous participation of the assembly at the designated moments. So it's not meant to be just a solo. In fact, I know that there are many places that say we don't do pre-recorded music here in the liturgy. Why? Because for the pre-recorded music you're just listening in to

something else. Whereas music in the liturgy is meant to have the unanimous participation of the assembly at the designated moments. So we're all meant to say, no, that doesn't mean to say you can't have a solo because it's live, it's there, it's a member of the assembly, is currently presently offering up the praise.

And so the designated moments when it's the cantor's job or the soloist job. But oftentimes it's the unanimous participation of all of us. And then thirdly, the solemn character of the celebration. And so we always want to match the, the, the, the music to the character of the celebration. So for example, at a wedding, it makes sense for things to be joyful at a

funeral, it makes sense for things to have more somber tone, um, on good Friday. It makes sense that our music would be kind of a minor key, and on Easter Sunday, it would make sense that our music would be lofty exalted. Does that make sense? So these are some principle, three principle criteria. And because of that, because of that, we can participate in the purpose of the whole thing in the first place. And what's the purpose of the whole thing in the first place? You know this. Purpose is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful. That the God be. You know this, purpose is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful. That the God be glorified and the world is sanctified.

That's what we're called, called to do. So good, what a gift. There's more in paragraph 1158, if you wanna go back and read about, it's meant to express the cultural richness of the people of God who celebrate. So you have different music in the Far East, you have different music in South Africa,

you have different music in the West than you do in other parts of the world. And that's, that's good. It's expressive and fruitful when expressed in the cultural richness of the people of God who celebrate. And yet it always has to have that unity, always has to have that unity of the Church's norms, being in conformity with the Church's norms. Hope that makes sense. You guys, this is a little bit of a longer day. We had some short days though, so let's make up for this. You guys, I'm so grateful for all of you.

Honestly, every single one of you who made it all the way here today, 157. I hope that we're all learning. I know that I hear from so many people who are saying that every single day there's just another thing that God is unpacking, another thing that God is opening up in their heart, in their mind.

And I hope that this second pillar of the catechism on the sacramental life is no different tomorrow. We're going to talk even more about some more holy images and then later on, when is the liturgy celebrated? But that's for tomorrow. That's for the next day. That's our future us to worry about today. I want to let you know something I am praying for you.

Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.