St. Peter Canisius Apostolate

Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 1. This sacred Council has several aims in view: it desires to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions which are subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of mankind into the household of the Church. The Council therefore sees particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy.

The first document the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) promulgated was Sacrosanctum Concilium, “The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.” In this opening paragraph, the Council Fathers did two things: first, they outlined the Council’s mission, and second, they stated the means as to how they would go about achieving this mission.

Regarding the first, the Council Fathers state they have “several aims” in view. To be precise, they have four primary goals. These goals are:

1. to revitalize the spiritual life of the faithful
2. to update changeable institutions to meet modern needs
3. to promote unity among Christians
4. to reinforce the means of evangelization

The Council Fathers then tell us how they will achieve these goals: “The Council therefore sees particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy.” In other words, the Council Fathers believed that in order for Vatican II to fulfill its fourfold mission, it was necessary to begin with a renewal of the liturgy.

The Council Fathers obviously have a very different understanding of the liturgy than most of us do. We often approach the liturgy by way of routine. We attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Day of Obligation not so much out of great love for God, but out of habit, and perhaps too often with dullness of heart. Our children are baptized, receive their first Holy Communion, and are confirmed because that’s what Catholics do. Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange said of prayer: “Any prayer can become a matter of routine — even the Ordinary of the Mass. The reason is not that the prayers are imperfect, but that we do not say them as we should — with faith, confidence, and love. ¹

Avoiding routine in our spiritual life should be of the utmost importance, for it’s only when we have a vibrant and healthy spiritual life can we fulfill Christ’s commandments: to love God, to love others as ourselves, and to make disciples of all nations. Since the first step toward a vibrant spiritual life is living a sacramental life, Vatican II rightly understands that any renewal within the Church must first begin with a renewal of the liturgy.

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