SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM:  CONSTITUTION     ON THE SACRED LITURGY

Talk 3 of 5

When people think of Vatican II they focus on liturgical change because that was the most visible effect of the council they experienced in the parishes.  The liturgical reform was necessitated by the desire for a greater active participation in the most holy mysteries and a greater appreciation for the Word of God.  The reform of the liturgy was thus seen be instrumental in contributing to the overall renewal of the Church.  Every liturgical celebration being the work of Christ the Priest and of His mystical body requires full participation from every member of the Church.  If “the liturgy is the summit toward which the action of the Church tends and, at the same time, the source from which all its virtue emanates”, then it must truly effect a real encounter with God in Christ.   In the final analysis, the celebration of the Liturgy must affect the holiness of life since worship must lead to Christian witnessing.