Inside ML

“The sacramental life of the parish helps form Catholics into a solidarity people who recognize the dignity of each person,” writes Janet Miller in her new book Catechizing for Justice  (Resource Publications, Inc., 2001; see excerpt starting on page 13). “The one loaf carries the meaning of the one body, complete with outcasts and the marginalized.”

It is a scandal or at least a shame that the connection between liturgy and justice is not only absent in many places but can even provoke anger when the connection is made explicit.

The connection between liturgy and justice, of course, dates back at least to the Last Supper. In modern times, the Benedictine monk Virgil Michel fostered liturgical reform in this country as a means to economic and social reform. Michel believed that the liturgy was the source of the true Christian spirit. Through active participation in the liturgy, we would become aware of how intimately connected we are to Christ and therefore to each other. This was something of a radical idea at the time Michel was writing — the 1930s and 1940s — but two decades later it would become the central mandate of the Second Vatican Council (cf. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 14). 

The connection between liturgy and justice is essential not only for the sake of the liturgy but also for the sake of the church. For that reason, the liturgy cannot be relegated solely to liturgists. The worship of the church is the responsibility of the entire church. Each issue of ML attempts to help not only liturgists but all ministers in the church to take on their proper role in enabling the full, conscious and active participation of all the baptized in the liturgy. In this issue, for example, catechists will benefit from insights about the current liturgical season in Kay Murdy’s “Liturgical Spirituality” section in the Planning Guide (pages 23ff) and Robert Karris’ Year of Luke (page 36). ML also benefits pastors, not only in their role as chief liturgist for the parish but also in their role as mentor and educator for the community. ML frequently examines cutting-edge issues such as Worship with Gen X (pages 10ff).

Music ministers also find help in ML, specifically in the “Musical Liturgy” section of the Planning Guide (pages 26ff) and with features such as “Electronic Music Ahead: Proceed with Caution” (ML 27:10). Youth ministers will also find help in ML’s pages. Besides the previously mentioned Gen X article, youth ministers can use Paul Turner’s excellent Bulletin Inserts (page 50) as a jumping-off point for regular liturgical catechesis.

In each issue, ML provides parish ministers with current book reviews (pages 43ff), listings of contemporary liturgical artists (page 48), and updates on current events and tidbits you need to know (Worship Times, page 34).

ML’s goal is to be the most useful, hands-on resource available to pastoral teams to help them use liturgy as the foundation of their ministry. By helping in that effort, ML hopes to make the connection between liturgy and justice clear and to assist parishes in their mission of building the kingdom of God. Check out this issue, and see if ML can help out in your parish.

Visual Arts

Be sure to look for your entry brochure for the 2001–2002 Visual Arts Award contest. ML is expanding the contest to include a fourth category — devotional art. If you don’t get a brochure, e-mail Mleditor@rpinet.com and I’ll get one out to you.

ML

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